Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Just as his eyes perceived, Jia Xu not only saw but also clearly felt the paper bound into a book. It was far from comparable to the rough, fragile, yellowish, and easily deformed "Cai Lun paper."

Upon touching it, there was a smooth and resilient sensation…

Jia Xu opened the cover of the book, and the paper he saw was as thin as a cicada's wing and as white as snow, with neat rows of small characters arranged on it.

'A work of art!'

Touching this improved paper for the first time, the excitement in Jia Xu's heart was beyond words.

Why were bamboo slips and silk still the mainstream writing mediums until the late Eastern Han Dynasty?

The key was that although Cai Lun's invention of Cai Lun paper was a breakthrough from 0 to 1, the various shortcomings of Cai Lun paper meant that it was not enough to become the mainstream writing tool.

However, before Jia Xu could delve deeper into imagining the great changes that the emergence of this kind of paper would bring to writing records, communication, and transmission…

Suddenly, Jia Xu noticed that the dense, tiny characters on the paper were so neat, and the size, spacing, and strokes of each one were so similar.

“This is impossible!”

With Jia Xu's wisdom, he almost instantly and with absolute rationality denied the possibility that this was handwritten by someone.

Cai Yong was already the top calligrapher of the time, and Jia Xu had also observed a large number of flying white style calligraphy, but even Cai Yong could not write characters that were so neat without the slightest difference.

Jia Xu's expression changed constantly as he pondered various possibilities…

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed through Jia Xu's mind, as if he realized something, and he looked up at Xiahou Bo.

Without Jia Xu needing to ask, Xiahou Bo, who had already received Li Ji's instructions, replied.

“After Master Zikun collected a large number of craftsmen in the second year of Zhongping, he instructed some craftsmen to improve the paper and perfect a technology called 'movable type printing.'”

Paper improvement?

Jia Xu naturally understood instantly that the book in his hand was the improved paper, which would bring about a change in the writing records of the entire Han Dynasty.

As for movable type printing…

Jia Xu raised the book in his hand and asked. “So, this is the result of 'movable type printing'?”

“That's right, this book was not carefully and painstakingly copied by scholars, but was printed in batches using 'movable type printing'…”

After a pause, a hint of shock also appeared in Xiahou Bo's eyes as he said. “After completing the typesetting, a full page of characters can be printed accurately in less than a breath.”

Not to mention Xiahou Bo, even Jia Xu's heart was filled with shock and excitement upon hearing this.

For today's students, books are the most valuable resource.

If you want to copy some precious books, you need to engrave them on bamboo slips little by little with a carving knife.

Often, for a ten-thousand-word article, some scholars who are not skilled in engraving may even spend a month engraving it.

At this moment, while Jia Xu was shocked by the book in his hand, there was only one thought left in his mind.

That is… change!

From then on, the predicament that countless scholars face in seeking a book may be completely resolved.

Li Zikun, who promoted all of this, will be regarded as a mentor by countless scholars.

Regardless of whether Li Zikun can assist the lord in achieving great things, unifying the world, and revitalizing the Han Dynasty, Li Zikun's name will inevitably leave a deep mark in history books.

Moreover, because Li Ji's move will benefit countless scholars, even the historians will instinctively use the Spring and Autumn brushwork to cover up his scandals and write about his achievements.

Finally, Jia Xu widened his eyes and asked about a key point.

“What is the price of this book?”

Xiahou Bo recalled for a moment and replied. “Master Zikun once said that the cost of this book is about ten coins, and it can be compressed further after the scale is further expanded.”

Ten coins?!

Jia Xu had prepared many answers in his mind, but he never expected it to be so cheap.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed through Jia Xu's mind, causing Jia Xu to laugh out loud.

“Hahahaha, so that's it! So that's it!!!”

“Zikun ah! Zikun!! The world praises your unparalleled wisdom, but they don't know that governing the country is your strength…”

“When the Rendé Academy was established, you insisted that the academy should start trying to recruit commoner students in the name of 'teaching without discrimination.'”

“At that time, I still felt that this move was meaningless except for seeking fame. Commoner students could not afford books at all. Relying only on going to the square outside the academy regularly to learn to read, using tree branches as pens, and writing on the ground, how intelligent would someone have to be to enter the academy.”

“So, this is your backhand, the backhand to heavily knock open the door of education that is completely controlled by the aristocratic families!”

If Li Ji had taken out the improved paper and movable type printing first, then even this thing would still become an irreversible trend rolling forward.

But on this basis, Li Ji then established the “Rendé Academy” and vigorously recruited commoner students “teaching without discrimination”, then even the stupidest member of the aristocratic family would definitely understand Li Ji's purpose.

There will always be remnants of the old era who cannot accept the changes of the new era.

At that time, in order to maintain their position and not be impacted by the bottom-level ants, the aristocratic families will inevitably instinctively launch a crazy counterattack against the unstable Liu Bei Group.

But now, the foundation of the Liu Bei Group is stable, with countless reclaimed fertile fields, and a steady stream of gold and silver from overseas that can redefine economic rules.

Moreover, the “Rendé Academy” has also completely established itself in more than four years, becoming a sacred place for advanced studies in the minds of countless scholars.

Under this circumstance, pushing out books made of improved paper and movable type printing with the “Rendé Academy” as the center, with the support and support of countless scholars.

“Rendé Academy” and this emerging book will be politically correct, uniting the vast majority of scholars, and the opposing aristocratic families will become a minority group.

One link after another, interlocking, starting to lay out four or five years in advance…

At this moment, Jia Xu's feelings, in addition to excitement, were also sincere admiration for Li Ji.

“It is also a great time for this thing to be born in troubled times!”

Jia Xu said, while still stroking the book in his hand with some reluctance.

It was not until a long time later that Jia Xu gradually regained his composure, and re-introduced this thing into the current situation in Wu County for thinking, and instantly understood how to use this thing to make all the Jiangdong aristocratic families enter the game.

A smile appeared on Jia Xu's face, but he was unwilling to put down the book in his hand, and instead asked Xiahou Bo.

“Since this thing is printed in batches, then I think there is not only this one. Does Ji Chang have any in his hand?”

“Yes!”

Xiahou Bo nodded and replied.

“Previously, a thousand identical books were printed at one time to verify the effect of 'movable type printing', but in order to avoid the leakage of information, Master Zikun, in addition to letting me carry one with me to give to Jia Changshi, the rest have been sealed up.”

“Very good.”

Jia Xu immediately said.

“Tomorrow, Ji Chang will send all the books in his hand to Rendé Academy. While vigorously promoting improved paper and movable type printing, let Lord Cai give each aristocratic family in Wu County and Kuaiji County a copy in his own name.”

“And let Rendé Academy post a notice, that in the future, students who go to Rendé Academy will be given a volume of books for every hundred characters they learn, and those who can enter Rendé Academy will be given a hundred volumes of books for learning.”

As soon as these words came out, even Xiahou Bo could realize how much storm it would cause.

In the past, “well-read” was a proper noun to describe great scholars;

But in terms of words, the content contained in a hundred volumes of books may not be under “well-read”.

However, Xiahou Bo did not raise any questions, but after cupping his hands in response, he hurriedly left to make arrangements.

Watching Xiahou Bo leave, Jia Xu, who gradually recovered from the shock of the reform that the book would bring, then had the mind to pay attention to the content printed in the book.

[In the fourth year of Zhongping, I heard that the Wa Kingdom once deceived the late Emperor Guangwu. Liu Bei, the Han Yangzhou Inspector and Wu County Governor, was granted the title of Protector General of Wa by the Emperor.

After that, Protector General Liu Xuande dispatched County Magistrate Li Ji to Yingzhou to verify this matter, in order to correct the prestige of the Han Dynasty and not allow the affiliated small countries to be humiliated…]

The more Jia Xu looked at it, the more wrong he felt, and he only felt that the words on it had a familiar feeling coming to him.

After that, Jia Xu turned several pages, only to see that it described the process of Li Ji leading his troops across the ocean to Yingzhou in a simple but exaggerated way.

After that, Li Ji heard that the Wuhuan had invaded the border, and was furious. He asked Jia Xu to go to Yingzhou as an envoy first, and then he personally led infantry and cavalry to assist Youzhou in resisting the Wuhuan.

In the book, a large number of detailed and specific descriptions were used to write about the numerous crimes committed by the Wuhuan people against the Han people, and the words "unpardonable" and "deserving of extermination" were used many times.

However, the matter of dispatching Gongsun Zan and Zhao Yun to lead cavalry to the outside of the fortress, and slaughtering and building Jingguan one by one at each settlement, was only summarized in one sentence:

[Therefore, generals such as Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun, and Tian Yu led Han cavalry out of the pass to retaliate tooth for tooth and risked diverting a large number of invading Wuhuan…]

At this moment, Jia Xu felt the author's sinister intentions in this book.

The crimes committed by the Wuhuan looting were not missed;

The process of the Han people's revenge was written in Spring and Autumn brushwork, summarized in one sentence.

It can be imagined that once this book circulates among the Han scholars, it will arouse the anger of many scholars, and they will have a more ruthless attitude towards foreign races.

Especially towards the Wuhuan, countless scholars will definitely feel that the Han people's revenge has not been completely settled, and one day they may propose to beat the Wuhuan, who have become broken-spined dogs, to death.

Afterward, Jia Xu quickly flipped through the pages again, and the subsequent process of resisting the Wuhuan was also mostly described in a summarized manner.

It heavily emphasized the sacrifices of the lower-level soldiers and the common people…

As for how many Wuhuan people died, it was all summarized with phrases like “The Han army won” and “The Han army achieved a great victory.”

Only when beheading the Wuhuan king did it spend more ink, describing [Yun’s great fury, single-handedly breaking through the formation, leading the White Horse义Cong with hundreds to charge into a formation of tens of thousands, and finally beheading the Wuhuan king].

As for when he saw the real records about Yingzhou later, Jia Xu couldn’t help but twitch his expression…

(End of this chapter)