The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 157 Guan Xing's Exhortation to Study: Every Sentence a Critical Hit

With paper invented, it was time to put the establishment of schools on the agenda. The first batch of students would naturally be selected from the military.

The tens of thousands of newly surrendered Wu soldiers are currently being retrained in the main camp outside the city, so recruiting people is very easy.

Guan Xing led Xie Chong to the main camp. Upon entering the camp, they went straight to the general's platform in the center of the drill ground. They rushed onto the platform, picked up the drumsticks, and smashed them down on the large cowhide drum in front of them. The sound of the drum could be heard for two miles in an instant, and the surrendered soldiers who were busy at work quickly assembled upon hearing the sound.

After Guan Xing and the others arrived, they took out a megaphone and shouted loudly, "Don't be nervous. We've called you all here today to announce something good. Please sit down."

The soldiers immediately sat cross-legged and looked ahead. Guan Xing stepped down from the platform and came to the soldiers. He picked up a megaphone and continued to shout, "Before announcing the official business, let me ask you a question: do you think it's better to be literate or illiterate?"

After saying that, he casually pointed to a young man and said with a smile, "You answer?"

The young man stood up and laughed, “General, is there any need to say that? Of course, it’s better to be literate. If you can be literate, you can become an official. Even if you can’t become an official, you can work as an accountant in a wealthy family. At the very least, you can work as a bookkeeper in a merchant caravan. These are all easy jobs. Unlike us illiterate people, we can only farm and do manual labor.”

Guan Xing asked him to sit down and then pointed to another person, asking, "What do you think?"

The man scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I think he's right."

I asked seven or eight people in a row and they all said the same thing. It seems that everyone understands the benefits of being literate, which makes things easier.

Guan Xing continued, "If you were given the opportunity to read and write, would you be willing to study?"

The soldiers were stunned, looking at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what to do; they had never really thought about this problem.

Guan Xing smiled and said, "Don't be shy, feel free to chat. Today is just a casual chat, so everyone should relax."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers immediately turned around and began whispering among themselves.

"It's good to be literate, but reading is something for aristocratic young men. What does it have to do with us commoners?"

"Exactly, besides, we're all getting on in years, how can we possibly concentrate on studying?"

"Why is the general asking this? Are you trying to force us to study? Wouldn't that kill us?"

“Studying definitely requires running an academy. If I were to actually run an academy, I would really like to send my son there. As for me, I’d rather not; I don’t want to suffer that hardship.”

Guan Xing waited patiently for half an hour until the whispers subsided before raising his hand to stop them and asking, "Have you all thought it through? Then make a decision. Raise your hand if you want to study."

The soldiers looked at each other again, and after a long silence, only a dozen or so raised their hands. Out of tens of thousands of soldiers, less than twenty were willing to read. This ratio was extremely disappointing.

Don't you all agree that reading is a good thing? If it's a good thing, why is no one willing to do it? What's the problem?

Guan Xing pointed to a boy who had raised his hand and asked, "What's your name?"

The boy stood up and replied, “Reporting to the general, my name is Xia Tian. I am from Lou County and a tenant of the Zhang family. Every time the Zhang family goes to the countryside to collect rent, those burly farmhands listen to the accountant’s orders. The accountant doesn’t have to do anything but sit at the desk and record things. I think that accountant is very impressive, so I want to be able to read and write like him.”

Guan Xing then pointed to the boy next to Xia Tian and asked, "What's your name?"

The boy stood up and replied, "My name is Niu Qing, and Xia Tian and I are childhood friends."

Guan Xing asked, "Then why don't you want to study?"

Niu Qing replied, "Studying is too tiring. I get dizzy just looking at those scribbles. I'm not cut out for studying at all, so I shouldn't bother."

Guan Xing was speechless. This problem was just like his own when he was in school.

Recalling his experience of dozing off in school, Guan Xing laughed and said, "I understand your concerns, but let's take you and Xia Tian as an example. You two were best buddies who grew up naked, best buddies who peed and played in the mud together, you were on the same level. But Xia Tian went to school and you didn't. Can you imagine what happened after that?"

Niu Qing shook his head blankly.

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Then let me tell you, from the moment he chose to study while you did not, your fates were irreversibly changed."

"In the first year of school, you were slacking off while he was studying late into the night. Even if you didn't say it, you would curse him in your heart for being an idiot and why he was suffering for nothing. After cursing him, you would sigh at how wise your choice to not study was and how carefree you are now."

"In your second year of school, you both participated in the same battle and made the same contributions. Then he was promoted to captain and garrison commander but you were not, because you were illiterate and could not read official documents."

"In the third year of your studies, as you learned more and more words and gained more and more knowledge, you remained unchanged from three years ago."

"In your fourth year of school, you were promoted to captain for your meritorious service in the summer, while you were still just a captain or platoon leader. You were transferred to serve under him and had to salute him every time you saw him. At that time, you would think, 'We grew up together, climbed over walls together, and fought together. Why is the gap between us getting bigger and bigger?'"

"In the fifth year of his studies, he was promoted to general in the summer. He bought a manor covering dozens of acres in Jianye City and built an estate outside the city just like the Zhang family's. He married more than a dozen wives and concubines, while you were still just a platoon leader or battalion commander. If you wanted to see him, you had to queue at the manor gate and wait for his permission to enter. Even if you got in, you had to smile and be humble. You could no longer hit or scold him as you pleased when you were a child."

"Decades later, in the summer, you have many wives and concubines and a house full of children, but you return to your village and continue to live in a thatched house. How do you feel about that?"

"Everyone close your eyes and use your imagination to picture this scene."

The soldiers closed their eyes at the same time, simulating the scene in their minds. They imagined themselves in poverty, while their childhood friends and comrades-in-arms were rewarded with titles and honors, living in mansions and enjoying the company of beautiful concubines. Many of them looked rather grim.

My own failure is shameful, but my brother's success is even more agonizing.

It's harder to see your brother make money than to lose it yourself.

Guan Xing took in everyone's expressions and, seeing that they had thought things through, said, "Open your eyes."

All the soldiers opened their eyes and stared at Guan Xing, their expressions unusually complex this time.

Guan Xing continued, "The gap between people can be widened, and it won't take too long to widen the gap. One or two years is enough. I know you can all endure hardship, but you can't just endure hardship. Besides being able to endure hardship, you also have to know how to endure hardship."

"Those who can endure hardship will suffer for two or three years and enjoy a lifetime of happiness, while those who cannot endure hardship will suffer for a lifetime. Although studying is a hard job, it is enough to endure hardship for two or three years. Compared to a lifetime, what are two or three years?"

"You should all be able to understand the reasoning behind this. Now tell me, do you still want to study? Raise your hand if you do."

This time, the soldiers did not hesitate. Instead, they all raised their hands in unison, and while raising their hands, they did not forget to cast provocative glances at their comrades.

They may not be able to compare with those powerful and influential families, but they must never be inferior to their own brothers.

The thought that they would have to announce their arrival before entering their brother's residence and wait with a forced smile for his reception made them feel worse than if their ancestral graves had been dug up.

No, we absolutely cannot let that happen. Even if it does, I have to be promoted first. If I get promoted, I'll definitely promote my brothers, but if my brothers get promoted, they might not take care of me.

Guan Xing clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, "Alright, I understand what you all mean. I hereby announce the official establishment of the Han Army Military Academy. We are now recruiting students from all of you. Those who wish to join the academy for further study should contact their garrison commander to register."

"However, only one thousand people will be recruited in the first phase. It's not that we don't want to recruit more, but the conditions for the establishment of the Martial Arts Academy are limited at the beginning, so we can only recruit one thousand people. But don't worry, there will be a second and third phase after the first phase. As long as I, Guan Xing, am alive, the Martial Arts Academy will continue to operate. Those who missed the first phase don't need to worry, just wait patiently for the second phase."

"Limited spots available at the Military Academy, act fast if you wish. Disband."

(I've run out of drafts, so I'll be taking a break tomorrow. Thank you for your support.)