Chapter Eight, The Confession of the Scholar

The scholar was called to follow Zhang Chu, who scrutinized him. Scholars who joined the bandit stronghold typically became figures like the deputy or the second-in-command. However, the scholar Zhu before Zhang Chu was vastly different from the image of a second-in-command with a goat beard and a sinister appearance that Zhang Chu had in mind. Although Zhu was thin, he had a fair complexion without a beard, and his features were well-defined, presenting an image of a person of integrity.

Zhang Chu asked, "Can you recite the Thousand Character Classic?"

The refugees glanced at the knives and guns in the hands of the bandits, realizing that their lives could not be exchanged for food

However, as the application time lengthened, Scholar Zhu discovered that this script was easier to write and memorize. Later, Zhang Chu provided him with a set of strange symbols called Hanyu Pinyin and taught him how to use them. Scholar Zhu attempted to teach the children with this method, and their literacy speed significantly increased. Scholar Zhu couldn't help but think that if this method were to be promoted, what Zhang Chu said about enabling poor children to read could indeed be realized, thus solving the problem of literacy for scholars, which would be a groundbreaking initiative. Subsequently, Scholar Zhu's daily confessions to the Sage Master took on a different flavor. Scholar Zhu asked the Master: "If this innovation were to be achieved by me, would I also be able to be counted among the virtuous disciples of the Master?" Scholar Zhu couldn't help but think that if this method were to be promoted, what Zhang Chu said about enabling poor children to read could indeed be realized, thus solving the problem of literacy for scholars, which would be a groundbreaking initiative. Subsequently, Scholar Zhu's daily confessions to the Sage Master took on a different flavor. Scholar Zhu asked the Master: "If this innovation were to be achieved by me, would I also be able to be counted among the virtuous disciples of the Master?"

While Scholar Hu was lost in thought, Zhang Chu was not idle. Due to the pressing circumstances, Zhang Chu was preparing for an upcoming long-distance raid.

A frail young man in his twenties hesitated, but ultimately made up his mind to approach Yang Biao. His hesitation stemmed from the fact that he was a cultured individual, a respectable scholar with a degree. The scholar's surname was Zhu, a true national surname, with the given name Jishi, who once had a bright future ahead of him, having passed the scholar examination at the age of eighteen. He became the hope for the revival of his family and soon married and had children. However, the scholar's good fortune came to an end here, as years of disasters severely impacted his family. In the face of natural calamities, the scholar's academic achievements proved to be of no use. The family's decline rendered them unable to support the scholar in continuing his studies, and he lost the external support he once relied upon. The family consumed their resources until they were depleted; the scholar was unable to bear burdens or carry baskets, and could only sell land and property. Eventually, seeing that they could not survive without food, he had no choice but to leave his home with his wife and children, joining the ranks of the displaced. Initially, he hoped to seek assistance from his fellow students he had known during his studies, but those few impoverished scholars were also preoccupied with their own struggles. Zhu the scholar had to leave, hoping to find a private school to teach or to work as a steward in a wealthy household, but even the affluent families were no longer able to hire newcomers.

Scholar Zhu, accompanied by his wife and children, walked along the road of fleeing from disaster, bearing a greater share of sorrow than others. The entire family had not eaten for several days. Upon seeing the fire in Wentai Village, Scholar Zhu hurried over with the other refugees, hoping to seize some food amidst the chaos. However, it now seemed that disappointment awaited once again

One sentence almost made Zhang Chu laugh, as he often read the books of sages and then shouted, "Scholars can also wield a knife and kill." He truly is an interesting person. However, during the Ming Dynasty, a scholar should be considered a highly educated intellectual, and it was rare for scholars to participate in rebellions; perhaps they could indeed be of some use.

Scholar Zhu believed that the king must be testing whether he was truly a scholar. However, he held a deep disdain for the king's level of education, perceiving him as a mere rustic who only knew of the Thousand Character Classic and had never heard of any deeper texts of sages. Furthermore, he had never encountered the rule that writing should be done horizontally from left to right throughout history. Yet, he did not dare to defy the king, so he sat at the table and began to write. Zhang Chu went out to attend to other matters.

The phrase "A scholar can also wield a knife and kill" caught the attention of Zhang Chu, who was passing by. Zhang Chu approached with interest, observing a frail young man in a long gown striking a pose of great ambition.

After a while, Zhang Chu returned, and Scholar Zhu had already finished writing. Zhang Chu took the completed essay and said, "This time we have taken in more than ten children. From now on, you will teach them to read and write. Please go and register them." Scholar Zhu took paper and pen and left, while Zhang Chu began to write and draw on the essay that Scholar Zhu had written.

By the time they returned to the valley, it was already midnight, yet Zhang Chu could not rest. He hurriedly arranged for the treatment of the wounded. The losses from this operation were substantial: six men had died on the spot, two were severely injured, and seven or eight others had sustained varying degrees of minor injuries. It was only because they had won the battle that no one shifted their attention to this matter. The bodies of the deceased were temporarily placed in the ancestral hall within the village, to be buried on an auspicious day. The wounds of the injured were treated with medicine, and the next step was to hope for no infections, to see if they could pull through this ordeal. Then, the newly joined personnel were gathered together to rest, and He Jin was instructed to carefully arrange for precautions, with reconnaissance to be conducted again the following day

Thus, Zhu Xiucai began his career as a teacher in the valley, but every day he had to teach the children incomplete characters, which led him to confess to the Sage Teacher every night: "The students are compelled by life to learn incomplete characters, which is truly unavoidable. If given the opportunity, I will certainly correct my mistakes."

Whether to die as a thief or to starve to death with my wife and children is a dilemma. Zhu Xiucai struggled internally, thinking that it did not matter if he died, but he could not allow his wife and children to starve. Zhu Xiucai made up his mind and quickened his pace, loudly declaring: "I want to join as well"

At this moment, Zhang Chu stated: "From now on, all characters must be written horizontally from left to right, following the style I have written. Additionally, punctuation marks, as I have used, must be added between sentences. You must learn this as soon as possible, and the children will be taught by you. All official documents must be written in this manner."

As the food was about to fly away from his mouth, Scholar Zhu became anxious and could not help but exclaim loudly: "Do not judge a person by their appearance; a scholar can also wield a knife and kill!"

Immediately, dozens of young men followed, all of whom were assigned to transport grain. In the face of hunger, the psychological barriers to theft had long since vanished.

"To obtain food, one must exchange their life! Our food has all been earned with our lives." I did not expect that the thieves would show no regard for face whatsoever

"We need young and strong individuals to join us, and their family members can come along as well. We will transport food back, ensuring there is something to eat." At this moment, Yang Biao walked over from the village and said.

Zhang Chu ordered his men to carry the landlord Zhou to a nearby room, for according to the wisdom of the elders, such wealthy landlords would undoubtedly hide their valuables in a secret place. The interrogation proceeded smoothly, and Zhou quickly revealed the location of his hidden treasures, from which a cache of silver ingots was unearthed, amounting to several thousand taels. Upon seeing that all his life's savings had been taken away by others, Zhou let out a cry and fainted, with blood continuously flowing from the wounds on his legs, and he never regained consciousness. The interrogation proceeded smoothly, and Zhou quickly revealed the location of his hidden treasures, from which a cache of silver ingots was unearthed, amounting to several thousand taels. Upon seeing that all his life's savings had been taken away by others, Zhou let out a cry and fainted, with blood continuously flowing from the wounds on his legs, and he never regained consciousness. Zhou's family may have been overly aggressive in defending their property, as they all perished in the recent chaos. As for the remaining farmhands, Zhang Chu ordered them all to be tied up and locked in a sturdy room.

After completing the registration, Scholar Zhu returned to report to Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu handed back the Thousand Character Classic to Scholar Zhu, who was greatly astonished. He did not expect that Zhang Chu could write. In the gaps of the Thousand Character Classic, Zhang Chu copied it again, and it appeared that his writing was quite good, possessing a certain charm reminiscent of Yan Lugong. However, upon closer inspection, Scholar Zhu couldn't help but want to laugh, as many of the characters written by Zhang Chu were missing strokes, and there were numerous circles and dots drawn between the phrases. Scholar Zhu suppressed his laughter and dared not say that Zhang Chu had made mistakes in his writing. However, upon closer inspection, Scholar Zhu couldn't help but want to laugh, as many of the characters written by Zhang Chu were missing strokes, and there were numerous circles and dots drawn between the phrases. Scholar Zhu suppressed his laughter and dared not say that Zhang Chu had made mistakes in his writing

The remaining helpless elderly, weak, women, and children are deeply disappointed, as the hope for survival has once again drifted away from them

Zhang Chu did not care about Zhu Xiucai's reaction, but pointed to the paper and pen on the table and said: "Write a thousand-character essay from left to right, leaving a line of space below each line."

Before leaving, Zhang Chu instructed Yang Liu to quietly bring out the solitary children among the refugees outside the village to follow behind the group, while leaving some food for the elderly and women. They were currently unable to accommodate all the refugees and feared that other refugees from different areas would gather upon hearing the news, so this was the only course of action they could take

"Reader? What books have you read?" Zhang Chu asked

Everything was arranged, and it was almost dawn. Zhang Chu had only taken a short nap in bed before getting up again, as there were too many tasks to be done and he needed more helpers. Thus, he thought of that scholar.

Zhu Xiucai did not respond after hearing this; asking whether a scholar can recite a thousand-character essay could be considered an insult

Zhang Chu cherished the stronghold he had finally captured and decided to conduct a thorough cleaning, intending to remove everything useful. At that moment, a lookout came to report that a group of people was approaching the stronghold from outside, seemingly refugees. Zhang Chu immediately ordered to strengthen the vigilance, preventing the refugees from getting close. Such incidents occurred frequently; sometimes the refugees would organize themselves to raid the wealthy. Once a stronghold was breached, the surrounding refugees would rush over, hoping to take advantage of the chaos. Naturally, the refugees gathered at Wentai Village after the fire broke out, but they were disappointed to find that although the stronghold had been breached, the bandits had sent out sentries, and the bandits within the village did not plunder indiscriminately. Instead, they orderly collected their belongings, which was a rhythm of taking everything clean.

Unexpectedly, the person who was summoning looked at him twice, focusing on his tattered long gown, and said: "A scholar, is it? We do not need someone like you, too frail.

"Brave men, open the granary and distribute the grain." Among the discontented refugees, one bolder individual shouted, hoping that the bandits would release some grain for the sake of their reputation

Zhang Chu had no time to talk much with him, gesturing for him to accept the scholar. The scholar immediately jogged a short distance to fetch his wife and child, and then joined the team moving the grain, working diligently.

I often read the sacred texts and have studied at the county academy, where I was a student, also known as a xiucai. Seeing that the person who asked the question had a different demeanor, Zhu Xiucai suspected he was the leader of the bandits. One must bow their head under a low eave, so he bent down and saluted, explaining.

Yang Biao came to report to Zhang Chu that approximately over 600 shi of grain had been discovered in the granary of the local landlord Zhou, along with many other supplies. Zhang Chu immediately ordered the gathering of Zhou's horses and carts to transport the supplies, and took out silver coins for He Jin to lead a team to the nearby villagers' homes to purchase vehicles and draft animals, repeatedly instructing He Jin to ensure that the prices were fair. Soon, all the vehicles and draft animals in the village were bought out, and the newly recruited refugees drove the livestock and pulled the carts, forming a long convoy that set off into the mountains with the supplies. The estate of the landlord Zhou was left with only bare buildings.