While Liu Bei was still struggling to extricate himself from the quagmire of the Northern War, Shen Chen had already begun his great career in Jingzhou.
In fact, he has been thinking about a problem since a long time ago.
That is, putting aside the assumption of whether it is possible to unify the Han Dynasty, even if it is possible to unify the world, what should happen in the end?
Continue feudalism?
Then two or three hundred years after his death, the dynasty changed again and staged a scene like the feudal princes competing for hegemony in the late Han Dynasty?
So what's the point of him working hard?
Is it just to let the Han Dynasty continue for a few hundred more years and then repeat history until the new era arrives two thousand years later?
This obviously doesn't work.
In that case, it is better to imitate Lu Xun. Even if more than a hundred members of his family were killed, he still gritted his teeth and endured joining Cao Wei and overthrowing Sima Yi. After all, he could still change the tragic situation of Wu Huanhua, so why go through all the trouble?
Therefore, he must take action to carry out certain reforms in the current Han Dynasty in terms of humanistic thought, political system and social development.
So what should be the direction of reform?
Hold high the banner of democracy?
A dead end.
It is extremely difficult to do this in an era when intellectuals have the power to interpret culture and everyone wants to safeguard the rule of the monarchy.
It is much more reliable to ask him to start the industrial revolution from scratch than to start democracy in the Han Dynasty.
Then learn from great men?
Nope either.
The premise of learning from great men is to overthrow feudalism, but overthrowing feudalism is still not feasible in this era.
Mozi had already experimented with it in the Spring and Autumn Period, and was then tolerated by almost all the princes.
Later, in the late Ming Dynasty, there were also progressive people.
For example, Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, Wang Fuzhi and others have long pointed out that the feudal autocratic monarchy is "a great harm to the world", but they did not shake the foundation of the Qing Dynasty.
But in the Han Dynasty, Shen Chen probably didn't even have a like-minded person.
So at least for now, feudalism cannot be overthrown, and you must even complete your ideological changes within its framework.
So when the feudal autocratic monarchy cannot be overthrown at present, how can we build a complete political system, promote a people-oriented political system that values the grassroots, and create a country that does not treat the people like rotten dogs?
Shen Chen didn't have a clue yet.
But he firmly believed that he would be able to develop a development system suitable for the national conditions of the Han Dynasty.
To build such a country, we first need partners.
Such as Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.
They all support people-centered thinking and the idea that the king should be valued over the people. Compared with the upper class, they are more concerned about the lives of the people at the bottom.
Although you can also say that they still maintain feudal rule.
But compared with the other princes of the late Han Dynasty who killed people like nothing and treated the common people like grass and grass, the thoughts of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang can be regarded as a bright light in the dark world of the late Han Dynasty.
So Shen Chen wanted to unite them to build such a country.
Liu Bei is now in Henan, and Shen Chen can't do anything to help him, so he is currently studying the issue of people-oriented thinking with Zhuge Liang.
If you want to promote the concept of people-for-people, it is impossible to say it directly. You must find the answer from the books of ancient sages.
For this reason, Shen Chen has been studying the Seven Classics during this period, annotating and discussing all the people-centered thoughts in it.
At the beginning of the third year of Jian'an, the academy founded by Shen Chen went on holiday.
The students he recruited were all children from local poor families. When the farming was slack, the family could send them to study, but when the farming was busy, they had to go back.
Therefore, when he was not teaching students to read, Shen Chen would study with Zhuge Liang at home.
Not only studying people-centered thought, but also studying everything.
Philosophy, education, military, economy, culture, social order, current affairs, etc.
Three cobblers are equal to Zhuge Liang.
Now Shen Chen is also added. Not only Zhuge Liang's many ideas were helpful to Shen Chen, but Shen Chen's thinking from later generations also benefited Zhuge Liang a lot.
The two are good teachers and helpful friends and make progress together.
On this day, Shen Chen left Suiting in a carriage and headed for Longzhong.
He was sitting cross-legged on the carriage. At that time, the carriage compartment was not sealed and looked a bit like a pickup truck.
So he sat on it and the people around him who were working in the fields could see him.
When everyone saw him, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him with respect.
It was not until he left that he continued to farm.
Since that day of debate, Shen Chen became famous in one battle, and his reputation in the surrounding countryside increased dramatically.
Because of his noble morality of giving away pigs in return of coins, the people in the surrounding countryside recognized his moral character, and if they encountered any injustice, they would come to him to argue with him.
And Shen Chen was always able to make the fairest judgment, which convinced and satisfied everyone. For a time, he had a high prestige in the surrounding countryside.
Everyone knows that there is a teenage boy in Longzhong Township who is well-read in poetry and books and has noble moral character. Whenever there is a dispute in the township, they often go to him for comment. In the end, everyone will be convinced by his reasoning. People respect.
The carriage drove slowly and finally entered Longzhong Mountain. Going up the mountain road, you could already see the Zhuge family's house in the distance.
Although Zhuge Xuan died of illness, he has left enough political legacy to Zhuge Liang.
Both sisters were married into the Xiangyang rich family. Under such protection, Zhuge Liang was able to find peace among the troubles. Even when Jingzhou Shilin was against Shen Chen the most, no one provoked him.
Entering the courtyard, he saw Zhuge Liang reading on the corridor. When he saw Shen Chen coming over, he raised his head and said with a cheerful smile: "Brother."
"Brother."
Shen Chen cupped his hands, then slowly walked to him and sat down together.
Zhuge Liang put the bamboo slips in his hand aside, took out a brand-new bamboo slips and a writing brush, and said: "The day before yesterday, we talked about "Heaven created this people, so that they can perceive first and then know, and they can wake up first and wake up later." What you said I have recorded all the things that enlightened and educated the masses."
"oh?"
Shen Chen took it over and scanned it. The content recorded in it was indeed about the education matters they discussed the day before yesterday, but it was very brief. Without annotations and analysis, it might be difficult to understand, so he sighed: "What a pity."
Zhuge Liang asked curiously: "What's the pity?"
Shen Chen said: "It's a pity that I didn't record it on paper."
Zhuge Liang chuckled and said: "The paper produced by you in Huangmenting is very expensive now, and I can't afford it."
Shen Chen smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, I will send some to my brother when the time comes."
Papermaking was invented by Cai Lun and existed in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Including thousands of years later, the papermaking technology in the industrial era was the same as Cai Lun's process, except that one was done by hand and the other was replaced by a machine.
The reason why paper was not popularized in the Eastern Han Dynasty was because the best raw materials had not been found.
Just like before tungsten filaments were used in light bulbs, even though electric light bulbs appeared, light bulbs were not popularized. The best carbon filament light bulbs could only be used for a short period of time.
The same goes for papermaking.
The paper invented by Cai Lun has a rough texture and breaks when touched, and the surface is not smooth. It is uncomfortable to use it to wipe your buttocks.
However, the wisdom of the working people in ancient China is infinite. From the emergence of papermaking in the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, mulberry bark and cane bark were used to make paper, making the papermaking technology gradually mature and the surface gradually became smoother.
This created conditions for the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and others, and the paintings of Gu Kaizhi and others.
By the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the early Sui Dynasty, sandalwood bark, wheat straw, rice straw, etc. were also used as raw materials for papermaking. People improved papermaking step by step, and the cost became cheaper and cheaper. Paper has basically replaced bamboo slips, making bamboo slips disappear.
on the stage of history.
Finally, in the early Tang Dynasty, people discovered that bamboo was the best paper-making product.
Since then, paper has officially entered the lives of the general public, which laid the foundation for the decline of aristocratic families and the rise of the imperial examination system after the Tang Dynasty.
Shen Chen actually didn't know that the best raw material for papermaking was bamboo.
But he can try.
This process is not difficult, the hard part is finding the most suitable raw materials.
Just like what we learned in textbooks when we were children, the so-called Edison experimented with more than a thousand materials and finally "invented" the tungsten electric light.
Huangmenting's papermaking master, under Shen Chen's urging and experimentation, finally spent two years finding bamboo as a raw material and making paper that could be used for writing.
From then on, paper in Xiangyang was expensive.
After Zhuge Liang got Shen Chen's promise, he clapped his hands and said with a smile: "It's a promise, don't cheat."
"certainly."
Shen Chen also smiled and said: "Recently I am thinking about annotating "Zuo Zhuan". If it can be engraved and printed into a book, I can better teach students."
Zhuge Liang thought: "Is this the teaching method you have been studying, Achen?"
"good."
Shen Chen nodded: "Education must start from popularizing knowledge, but it is not enough if you just talk with your mouth. Bamboo slips can record too little. Only paper bound into books can we educate all the people, which even the Master can't do.
.”
Since the improvement of papermaking and the emergence of woodblock printing, starting from the Tang Dynasty, the literacy rate among the people has increased dramatically, and the breakup of the monopoly of aristocratic families began here.
But in the Han Dynasty, this was obviously a very difficult task, because the noble families would not let you do this.
Zhuge Liang thought: "If this is true, wouldn't it mean that we have a great family?"
"Yes, there is no more prominent family in our family."
Shen Chen said: "In the past, if you want to be an official, you must be able to read and practice calligraphy, but those who can read and practice calligraphy must come from a noble family. If you can educate all the people, there will be countless people from poor families who become officials, and their status will inevitably be crowded out.
"
"That"
Zhuge Liang frowned. Now Jingzhou Shilin only criticized Shen Chen for resisting Cao. It was just a confrontation with different positions, and it was not a life-or-death situation.
The popularization of paper and engraving printing is digging into the foundation of aristocratic families. How can they sit back and ignore it?
"Shh."
Shen Chen made a shushing gesture on his lips: "Brother, if you don't tell me, if I don't tell you, who will know? I will moisturize things silently. I will print them privately to educate students first, and then I will promote them in the future when I have the power. They will not realize this." .”
"Um."
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, and then he felt moved in his heart.
Ah Chen even told him this, and was not afraid of informing the family at all. It could be said that his trust in him had reached an all-time high, and he would never let him down.
Shen Chen smiled slightly. If he were an ordinary person, he would definitely not say that, because it would be equivalent to handing over his wealth and life.
But who does he trust?
Zhuge Liang, the unparalleled loyalty throughout the ages!
If you can't even trust him, who else can be trusted?
In fact, this is also true.
From a God's perspective, many people think that engaging in paper and woodblock printing in the Eastern Han Dynasty is seeking death.
But the real popularity of paper was in the Eastern Jin Dynasty when aristocratic families were at their peak. If they really realized that this thing could harm their ruling foundation, why didn't they ban it earlier?
Just like when the electronic computer was first invented in later generations, people would only think of it as a tool for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Who could have imagined that it would develop to the point where people’s lives would never be able to live without it?
Therefore, when most people have already formed a fixed mindset, no one can see at a glance the changes that an emerging thing will bring to them. Even Zhuge Liang was led by Shen Chen to think of this.
However, in order to prevent some genius from accidentally considering the impact of paper and printing on the family, Shen Chen did not dare to promote it on a large scale.
Just teach in private, and then take it out for universal education when you take power in the future.
The two were talking.
Suddenly there was the clatter of horse hooves outside the door.
After a while there was a knock on the door.
"Who?"
The little boy Anu asked.
"Xu Shu."
The person outside the door shouted.
Anu went to open the door. The door opened, and Xu Shu, Pang Tong, Cui Jun and others came in.
"It turns out they are some brothers."
Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen stood up to greet him.
When Shen Chen was teaching, Zhuge Liang often visited Pang Degong.
After going back and forth, he got on good terms with Xu Shu and others.
Historically, he also became friends with his uncle Zhuge Xuan not long after they died of illness.
Xu Shu and his friends happened to live not far away, so they would often come to see him.
Suiting was not far from Longzhong. They came to visit Zhuge Liang, and Shen Chen was often there, so they naturally became more familiar with him.
However, Shen Chen never discussed his thoughts with them.
Because except for Xu Shu who was forced, Shi Tao and Meng Jian both took the initiative to be recruited by Cao Cao and served as officials in Cao Wei.
This proves that their thoughts were actually the same as those of the Jingzhou scholars at that time, and this was only after the Yidai Edict took place.
Therefore, if you talk to them about people-centered ideas and the concept of resisting Cao Cao, it is easy to conflict with their positions, so it is better not to talk.
Xu Shu, who knew him well, came in and said with a smile: "Ah Chen is here too, that's just right, let's go together."
"What's wrong?"
Zhuge Liang asked curiously.
Xu Shu said: "Mr. Decao wrote to Shiyuan, saying that he has arrived in Huyang and will be arriving in Xiangyang today. We will discuss it and go to welcome him."
Pang Tong took his surname at the beginning of this year. The third year of Jian'an was 198 AD. Pang Tong was born in the second year of Guanghe, which was 179 AD, so his actual age should be nineteen years old.
But at that time, there was a saying that he was in vain. According to the concept of the Han Dynasty, he was already twenty years old and a crown prince. So this year, his uncle Pang Degong personally gave him the name Shiyuan.
Hearing that Sima Hui was coming, Shen Chen was also very curious about this famous man who named Zhuge Liang Wolong and Pang Tong Fengchu, so he said: "Mr. De Cao is famous all over the world. I have long wanted to meet him, so I just happened to go with him."