Chapter 543
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Chapter 543: Chu Kingdom, Martial Arts Academy
In the blink of an eye, Lin Jiang had been in Chu Kingdom for three months, and he had gained some understanding of the kingdom. Similar to other vassal states, Chu Kingdom had a mix of large and small nobles coexisting. The nobles held significant power, resembling small independent states where they had their own territories, followers, and private armed forces.
The local powers in Chu Kingdom were equally complex, with many areas under direct rule, while others remained in tribal-like conditions, often mixed with noble estates, leading to chaos.
Of course, the situation was similar in other vassal states. The centralized power of vassal states could be seen as a bit of a joke.
"The age of change"
Lin Jiang sighed, realizing that the old feudal system was no longer suitable for the current era. Change was inevitable. Even if Lin Jiang had not initiated it, society would have given rise to reformers and thinkers eventually. Lin Jiang simply accelerated the process.
In ancient times, the era of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States lasted for hundreds of years. If this were the case now, it would last even longer due to the power of martial arts being controlled by the vested interests – the traditional conservatives who opposed change. This resistance would prolong and delay the process of change.
However, Lin Jiang could not afford to wait, as the Demon Humans posed a grave threat to humanity. They couldn’t wait for the Demon Humans to strike first before initiating reforms, as by then, it would be too late and there would be a real danger of the overthrow of humanity.
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"Greetings, sir."
One day, a disciple bowed before Lin Jiang. Zhang Baolin and others looked on with great admiration. Just a few months ago, he was a Grand Master of Martial Arts, and now he had advanced to become a Martial Saint.
"No need for formalities. Advancing to the rank of Martial Saint is not the end, but a new beginning. There is still a significant gap between Martial Saints, and I hope you will stay true to your original intentions and continue to strive on the path of martial artists."
"I will follow your orders."
"Technically, you can leave now, but if you want to stay and keep learning, you are welcome to."
"I am willing to serve by my master’s side, and pursue the ultimate level of martial arts."
The man said that he initially thought reaching Martial Saint was the ultimate goal, but being around Lin Jiang made him realize that reaching Martial Saint was just the beginning. The gap between Martial Saints was sometimes even bigger than the gap between humans and dogs. He was passionate about martial arts and naturally wanted to follow Lin Jiang.
"Please stand aside for now, let’s continue the class. Last time we discussed strategies for a strong country, today let’s continue. What makes a strong country…"
Lin Jiang nodded and then continued the class. Lin Jiang methodically imparted his knowledge and picked topics that they enjoyed.
For these nobles, achieving great things was what they enjoyed. Lin Jiang talked about things that could help them achieve greatness, such as how to strengthen a country. In reality, it was still the same Legalist approach, just presented differently.
Over in the Qin Kingdom, the Legalist approach had already influenced four princes, and the recorded discussions would be seen by more people. However, to truly have an impact, one of those four princes had to ascend the throne and become King Qin.
So, Lin Jiang needed to speed up and create the scene of the Hundred Schools of Thought Contending.
Every class, especially theory classes, the Martial Arts Academy would have someone record it. Lin Jiang made them write two copies, and took one of them.
After class, Lin Jiang brought his disciples to a mansion outside the Martial Arts Academy, which belonged to the Zhang family and was now given to Lin Jiang. When they arrived at the mansion, a craftsman came forward and bowed to everyone.
"Reporting, sir, we have already refined eight hundred bronze letters. In another month, they can be printed."
The craftsman said to Lin Jiang that the technology of making paper had been mastered by Lin Jiang a thousand years ago. Over the centuries, paper-making had become very skillful. The Chu Kingdom had a good literary style, and paper-making flourished. They could produce dozens of different types of paper, and some exquisite drawings were popular in various countries.
Lin Jiang had now also unlocked the technology of printing. He proposed the idea of using movable type printing, which the craftsmen would implement. Currently, they were using bronze type printing, which was quite expensive. In the future, they could switch to clay type, but that would be a task for future generations.
"Well done, rewards for everyone."
Lin Jiang inspected the refined bronze letters, which looked very exquisite, putting him in a great mood.
"Are you planning to write and publish a book, sir?"
"Why not?"
"There’s nothing wrong with it, but some of the things you say, sir, might not be accepted by everyone."
Zhang Baolin said, not everyone accepted Lin Jiang’s theory of centralization, especially since it required strengthening central authority, which local princes didn’t agree with. Even Zhang Baolin and his friends took several classes with Lin Jiang before slowly accepting it. If this theory were published, it would surely face criticism.
"I know, I want them to resist it."
"Sir, I know you are skilled in martial arts and not afraid of assassination. But scholars can also kill, and killing doesn’t always involve using a knife."
"You don’t understand this."
Lin Jiang laughed, saying that scholars kill with words, not swords, through criticism and moral persuasion.
Morality is necessary for this approach, but as Lin Jiang lacks it, he is not afraid of criticism. He is willing to let others criticize him without being affected. As for physical violence, Lin Jiang is not inclined towards it.
Lin Jiang preferred reasoning and discussing theories with others. He believed they should be grateful that he chose this over violence, as they would regret it if things turned violent.
"Sir, go ahead with your plans. Your disciple wholeheartedly supports you."
There were also other disciples who supported Lin Jiang, becoming his loyal followers.
Lin Jiang smiled and told the craftsmen to quickly make all the copper characters. They needed to start printing books next month. They would work in three shifts and print hundreds of thousands of books to be distributed all over the world.
Lin Jiang predicted the consequences that would arise. There would be those who opposed and those who supported the idea. Nobles would oppose while commoners would support because they knew that unification would benefit them. As war was the best way for commoners to rise in social status.
The key was the debate among different schools of thought. Without debates, there would be no real meaningful discussion. The improvement came from continuous debates and arguments. Lin Jiang knew he couldn’t do it alone.
Seeing how Lin Jiang handled things, Zhang Baolin, a top Martial Saint, didn’t say much. Things that troubled ordinary people were barely an issue for Lin Jiang.
After inspecting the workshop, Lin Jiang returned to the Martial Arts Academy. He counted the money brought back by the envoy from Qin Kingdom, along with Zhang Baolin’s contributions. They had collected a large sum of treasure that surpassed the savings of ordinary citizens for hundreds of years.
Although the nobles didn’t care much about this money, the wealth gap across countries was significant. Some long-standing noble families were so rich that they could rival a whole nation with savings passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years.
For commoners, life was getting tougher each day, especially due to the strict land policies in place in various countries that allowed land consolidation.
As for slaves, things were even worse. In the past, Lin Jiang had provided opportunities for slaves to become commoners, but now it was incredibly difficult. The best option for slaves was to become servants for noble families, as there was no chance for them to ascend to nobility anymore.
Another month passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Jiang compiled his speeches into a book and had them printed at the workshop. Once printed, he sent people out to distribute them, even to the sealed kingdoms.
Mr. Guigu, known for his fame, had many people curious to see what he was up to, a storm of ideas was brewing.
