Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 144 Scholar

After Meng Bian and Gu Qingmei left Mao's house, Gu Qingmei told Meng Bian that she was going to contact some sisters and there was no need for them to go with her for the time being. Since Meng Bian came to Jiangning, he naturally had to go to the teahouse where the Inquiry Bureau was stationed. Meng Bian didn't want Gu Qingmei to know the secret of the teahouse, so they hit it off and agreed to meet again in three days.

Chen Ao looked at Gu Qingmei's graceful back, a little dazed, until Meng Bian glared at him, Chen Ao touched his nose awkwardly.

"Waiter, bring some tea and some snacks."

"Okay, guests will come later"

Meng Bian was a little surprised at the teahouse. When he first took over the business, there was not much business. But in just a short time, the business was booming. It seemed that Liu Guquan actually had a business mind.

Liu Guquan was a little overweight, wearing a navy blue gown. He sat behind the counter, turning the abacus in his hands. The sound of beads colliding echoed in the air. His fingers were flexible and skillful. Every movement was decisive, as if he was calculating every account in the store. Until Meng Bian and others came in, Liu Guquan said without raising his head: "Dear guests, would you like to have a meal, drink tea or stay at the hotel?"

"Old Liu," a familiar voice came, causing Liu Guquan's hand that was moving the abacus to stop for a moment. He immediately raised his head and shouted in surprise and delight: "Master, you are finally here!"

Without mentioning how Liu Guquan entertained Meng Bian, in Jiangning City, in a private school, several children were reading aloud, and the sound of reading could be heard continuously, "When a person is born, his nature is good. Natures are similar, but habits make them different. If there is no teaching, nature will change..."

An old scholar looked at the child studying diligently, turned around, and walked out of the study. At this time, an old man walked over timidly and asked the old scholar: "Sir, I would like to ask you to write two words to name my child." Then the old man took out two cents from his pocket.

The old scholar smiled and said, "It's just two words, no need to pay, tell me, what are those two words?"

"My last name is Zhao, and my son's name is Zhao Zhongyi." The old man touched his bald head and smiled naively.

The old scholar was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll write it for you." Then he turned and went into the house, picked up a piece of top-quality rice paper, took out his treasured ink stick, then picked up the brush and wrote the words. The words were so powerful that they penetrated the back of the paper, powerful and majestic.

The old scholar looked at the two words and felt extremely satisfied. This was already a performance beyond his level. The old man also looked at the two words with a smile on his face and thanked the old scholar again and again.

The old scholar looked at the old man's back in the distance and sighed, "People in the world only regard those who are aware of current affairs as heroes, and those who are good at adapting to changes as heroes, but they forget that a gentleman embraces benevolence and righteousness, and is not afraid of the collapse of heaven and earth." The old scholar stood alone for a long time, then turned around and entered the private school and taught the lesson seriously.

At the end of the class, the old scholar said to the children: "You don't have to come to study from tomorrow, the teacher has to go on a long trip."

The children chattered and asked the teacher where he was going. The old scholar smiled and said, "The teacher is going to travel the world with a sword to do justice."

These words frightened the little kids so much that their eyes sparkled. After the kids left, the old scholar returned to the house alone, took out the sword that had been covered in dust for a long time, then drew the sword out of its sheath, the blade still shining with cold light.

The old scholar muttered to himself, "When I was young, I dreamed of wielding a sword to settle the injustices of the world. I also did many absurd things. I wasted my life and am still a white-haired scholar when I am old. What's the point of staying in this small private school even if I am familiar with the books of sages? I am just a rat with a silver tail and a fishy smell all over my body."

The sword was sheathed, but not hung on the wall. Instead, it was worn around the waist. The old scholar simply packed a few pieces of luggage and left the study. He had decided to go to Suzhou and join the army in the uprising.

……

Suzhou City, inside the Governor's Mansion.

"Governor, are you going to publish a court newspaper?" Wu Tai asked Meng Jun with some confusion.

"It's different. It's different from the original court gazette. I plan to publish a newspaper," Meng Jun said to Wu Tai with a smile.

The main task was to encourage propaganda and carry out united front work in ideology and public opinion. The name had already been thought of, it was called Zhenxing Daily. Meng Jun wanted to fully publicize Governor-General Meng, publicize the restoration of the country, and expose the cruelty and barbarity of the Tartars. At the same time, the policies of the Governor-General's Office should also be conveyed to various places through newspapers.

In the Ming Dynasty, party struggles were so fierce that court bulletins became a battlefield for all parties to compete for public opinion. As early as the Chongzhen period, court bulletins were gradually called Beijing bulletins, and there were even newspapers that specialized in movable type printing.

Even peasant uprising armies such as Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng had their own flag newspapers, which were used to compile victory reports into short texts and report them everywhere on horseback to boost morale.

Naturally, Meng Jun decided to publish a more advanced newspaper.

Wu Tai asked in confusion: "Um, may I ask the governor, how is this newspaper compiled, what is its main content, and who is it for?"

"I intend to name it Zhenxing Newspaper. It is not a copy of imperial memorials or summons, but is taken from daily news and speeches, and at the same time, it will comment on current affairs. The most important thing is to form a united front, unite the gentry and the people, and unite against foreign enemies. I hope that this Zhenxing Newspaper will become a powerful weapon to attack the Qing court in the future, just like Luo Binwang's sharp scolding of Wu Zetian, exposing the atrocities of the Tartars and inspiring people." Meng Jun said a lot in one breath, and then took a gulp of water.

Wu Tai understood a little after hearing what he said. He thought about it and then said with a bitter face: "Governor, the Propaganda Department is short of staff. This newspaper needs literary talent. It must be well written to be useful. There are only a few dozen people in the Propaganda Department, most of whom are students, and there are only two scholars. I am afraid that what I write will be laughed at."

"How could that be? The manuscripts for each issue should be submitted to me for finalization, and I will approve them before printing and sending them out." Meng Jun first comforted Wu Tai, and then thought that he should find some talented people to write, who should be more suitable. Meng Jun thought about the old officials of Longwu who had recently joined him, and then shook his head. He didn't know what was wrong with letting these people write for the newspaper, and they might use it to stir up internal strife again.

After a moment, Meng Jun suddenly felt that there was a person who was very suitable, that was Gu Yanwu. Although Meng Jun was not particularly familiar with the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, he also knew Gu Yanwu's famous saying "Every man has his share of responsibility for the rise and fall of the country."

Thinking of this, Meng Jun said with a little excitement: "Then Mr. Gu will be the chief editor, and the Propaganda Department will start preparing the venue, purchasing paper, and recruiting staff."

Wu Tai nodded when he heard this. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked Meng Jun, "Governor, are these newspapers going to be distributed for free or..."

"Of course it can't be free. No one cares about free stuff. I want to publish a newspaper like this for one penny. I want to publish it everywhere, in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Songhu and even Zhejiang. I want to publish this Zhenxing newspaper."