flstandardbreds Chapter 168 If I say you can do it, you can do it; even if you can't, you still can.
Chapter 168 If I say you can do it, you can do it; even if you can't, you still can.
Guan Yu was quite shocked by the daily behavior of this army. After the shock, a question came to mind: how could he and Guan Xing's army, which were fundamentally different, quickly integrate into each other?
Guan Yu's method was to have his troops learn from the new recruits, making them realize the difference between themselves and the new recruits. This would inspire their competitive spirit and motivate them to learn as well.
Copying song lyrics with chopsticks isn't difficult; anyone can do it. There's no reason why Guan Xing's people can do it but you can't, right?
Under Guan Yu's unified command, Meng Jun directed the army to retreat back to the square to write characters, while Wang Fu led the army to line up and watch in units of garrisons.
Wang Fu personally led a hundred soldiers, who formed a long line, into the formation and moved like a snake. As they walked, he was so shocked by the distorted characters written by the soldiers with chopsticks that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Shocked as he was, he remembered the military order to move quietly and observe without speaking. He obediently completed the circle and returned to his unit, leading the next platoon to continue observing the formation.
After repeating this process more than ten times, and once the soldiers who hadn't yet entered were familiar with the procedure, he handed over command to the captain beside him and, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, said to Guan Yu, "My lord, may I have a word with you in private?"
Guan Yu led him back to the command tent. As soon as they entered, Wang Fu couldn't wait to say, "The young general's soldiers can all write! This is unbelievable! Am I still dreaming?"
"You must know these are Zhang Cheng's soldiers. The young general has only been in charge for a few days, yet he has trained them to this level in just a few months. In another two or three years, won't they be beyond redemption?"
In reality, one can't learn much in two or three years. At most, one can only recognize a few thousand commonly used characters. One's knowledge will certainly not be very high, far inferior to that of the sons of aristocratic families.
Even if they were given a lifetime, let alone two or three years, they would never surpass the gentry in scholarship. But they had a large number of people, a full 20,000 soldiers.
These people don't all need to become successful; even if only 10% achieve academic success, it would still be a terrifying number.
Don't forget that quantitative change can lead to qualitative change; even a large number of ants can kill an elephant.
Guan Yu's eyes also showed shock. Without pretending, he honestly said, "Don't laugh at me, but I had the same expression as you when I saw them writing. It was so shocking. No one has ever done this before."
"But the benefits are obvious. Once they have learned enough to read official documents, I can assign them to various counties as low-level clerks. County clerks don't need much education; they just need to be literate."
"Let them gain experience in the county government for two or three years first, then select the best among them to serve as heads of various departments and assistant officials such as county lieutenant and county magistrate, and then as county magistrate and prefect. When that day comes, I can completely kick out that group of gentry who only eat and never spit, and gradually replace them with this group of newly recruited scholars..."
The thought of the aristocratic families being completely replaced sent chills down Wang Fu’s spine and made him break out in a cold sweat. He said with trembling teeth, “Impossible. The aristocratic families’ foundation is far superior to that of these common soldiers. They may be fine as low-level clerks, but they probably lack the ability to serve as county magistrates or prefects.”
Guan Yu sneered, "Whether someone is capable or not is not determined by the gentry or these soldiers who are willing to learn, but by His Majesty. If His Majesty says someone is talented, even someone without talent is considered a great talent. If His Majesty says you are incompetent, even if you have the talent of Cao Zhi, you are still a useless person."
"Talented horses are common, but discerning judges are rare. Whether a horse is talented or not depends on the judge. To give a simple example, Cao Cao was talented, but he was still forced by the Ten Attendants to return to his hometown and farm for two years."
"Zhang Cheng, Zhou Xun, Zhuge Ke, and Quan Cong are all talented, aren't they? Although they aren't great talents, they are still much better than the likes of Gan Xun and Meng Jun. But Anguo would rather imprison them than use them. Don't they still have no ideas?"
"So whether these common soldiers are capable enough to serve as county magistrates or prefects is not up to them or the gentry, but up to me, Guan Yu. If I say you are capable, you are, even if you are not. If I say you are not, you are not, even if you are."
"Besides, abilities can be developed. Once you're in that position, there are very few people who can't handle it. You'll learn everything after suffering a few setbacks and getting a few beatings. Didn't I start by selling mung beans and dates?"
"And the King of Hanzhong, back when he was weaving mats and selling shoes, could you have imagined he would become the King of Hanzhong? Now that he is the King of Hanzhong, do you think we are both competent?"
Wang Fu: "..."
How am I supposed to respond to that? Can I say I'm incompetent?
Besides, you two are indeed quite competent. How many people in the world can beat you two?
Guan Yu didn't expect Wang Fu to reply, and continued, "So if I really have such a large army of literate soldiers at my disposal, whether or not I use them to replace the gentry, or when I will replace them, depends on my mood."
"Moreover, these common soldiers can serve not only as clerks but also as junior officers. Why are the gentry so arrogant as to challenge the imperial court and the feudal lords?"
"Because the vast majority of the lower-ranking officers and middle-ranking officers, such as captains and platoon leaders, are from aristocratic families, the army is deeply bound to the aristocratic families. They can command the army without the help of the warlords, or at the very least, they can pretend to obey but secretly do not put in the effort. Why did Sun Quan lose at Xiaoyao Ford? Wasn't it because the Jiangdong aristocratic families had no intention of launching a northern expedition, did not put in the effort, and even deliberately hindered the expedition in secret?"
"But what if these junior officers and mid-level generals were all soldiers we trained ourselves?"
Wang Fu said in shock, "If it is really one of our people who takes the position, it will be equivalent to completely excluding the aristocratic families from the army. The aristocratic families will no longer have any say in the army. At the same time, we will no longer have any scruples when dealing with the aristocratic families. If we push them too far, we can even exterminate their entire clan. In this way, the aristocratic families will be no different from ordinary people and will have to obediently accept the court's arrangements."
The reason why the aristocratic families were so arrogant was that their influence extended to all walks of life and every corner of the country, especially the military and government offices. They then used these influences to interfere with the court's policies and seek personal gain.
If the influence of the aristocratic families in the military and government offices were completely severed, then the so-called aristocratic families would be no different from lambs to the slaughter.
If you're out of key positions, why should I be afraid of you? If you dare to disobey, I can eliminate you at any time and find someone else to replace you.
Guan Yu said leisurely, "I'm not saying all this because I really want to replace the gentry with common soldiers and then destroy them. Rather, I want to tell the gentry that you are not irreplaceable, so behave yourselves."
"After all, the gentry are also part of the Han Dynasty, and even the backbone of the Han Dynasty. If they keep to their proper place, the value they can bring is immeasurable."
Wang Fu bowed and said, "This humble general understands now; Your Excellency sees things more clearly."
Guan Yu patted his shoulder and laughed, "So the singing and calligraphy practice must continue. You are in full charge of this matter. Go back and find An Guo again to see if he has any other good ideas, and try to learn them all."
"What the King of Hanzhong needs most right now is this kind of grassroots talent. Since we have the means, we should train more of them, as they will definitely be useful in the future."
"Moreover, after the King of Hanzhong restores the Han Dynasty and unifies the world, he will definitely implement reforms and suppress the aristocratic families. The more talents we cultivate now, the more confident the King of Hanzhong will be in the future, do you understand?"
Wang Fu bowed and said, "Your Excellency's vision is truly admirable. I will go and seek guidance from Prince Anguo immediately."
After saying this, he turned and left. Guan Yu followed him out of the command tent and stood outside, watching the soldiers practicing calligraphy. His eyes revealed an unprecedented fighting spirit.
He rose from the bottom and suffered oppression from corrupt officials in his early years, so he knew very well how cruel the gentry were to the common people.