Chapter 0002: The Bonds of Blood and Kinship

The saying goes, "One regrets having too little knowledge only when it is time to use it." In his previous life, Liu Huaqiang left school before graduating from middle school and became a factory worker, possessing almost no knowledge of history, being entirely unaware of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui Dynasty, and so on.

Before his time travel, Wang Shichong had learned the abacus in his childhood. The Wang family possessed a book titled "Zhou Bai Suan Jing" and another called "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art." The "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" is already a classic in the field of algorithms in this era, but compared to the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division he learned in his later life, it is truly insignificant

In this era, there is no imperial examination; civil officials primarily rely on recommendations and hereditary titles. Even after Wang served two terms as the Chief Historian, he did not obtain a single title, which could not benefit his descendants. This is also the fundamental reason why Wang Shiji dared to come and seize the family assets once Wang was no longer in office

Seeing Wang Shichong like this, Wang He and his two sons exchanged glances, shook their heads in sigh, and walked out of the room. In Wang Shichong's ears, he faintly heard Wang Shiwei mutter softly, "Second brother can't have fallen and become foolish, can he"

During the Jin Dynasty, the royal family member Sima Rui crossed the Yangtze River and established the Eastern Jin, which occupied half of the Jiangnan region, standing in opposition to the northern Hu ethnic dynasties.

Wang Shichong was suddenly jolted back to clarity by a sharp pain in his tongue, and his mind began to race: according to the memories of this body’s original owner, he had always been a taciturn person. Due to his mother’s poor health at the time of his birth, he had been the weakest among the three brothers since he was born

The efficiency of the police is astonishing; within a few days, Liu Huaqing's subordinates were successively captured. Under the powerful psychological tactics of the authorities, these former brothers betrayed him, and in the end, he fell into the clutches of the law and was executed by firing squad

The footsteps of his father and brother gradually faded away, and Wang Shichong let out a sigh. At this moment, he could finally calm his mind and begin to contemplate his strategies for coping.

Wang Shichong understood in bed and felt a stir in his heart, saying: "A Da, if I remember correctly from the 'He-Tu-Shu', Wang Shiji seized our family property, claiming that the three of us brothers are incapable and cannot uphold the banner of this family business, is that right?"

The current dynasty in which I find myself is a rare transitional era in Chinese history. Since the unification of the Three Kingdoms under the Jin dynasty, the Eight Kings' Rebellion of the Western Jin led to the chaos of the Five Barbarians, during which the five Hu ethnic groups—Xiongnu, Jie, Qiang, Xianbei, and Di—successively entered the Central Plains. The last emperor of the Jin dynasty was killed by the Xiongnu, resulting in half of China north of the Yangtze River falling into the hands of the Hu people, a period historically referred to as the chaos of the Five Barbarians.

As Wang Shichong's mind struggled with the intense pain from his recent efforts to remember, a strong wave of drowsiness washed over him once again. He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue and said to himself, "No, I absolutely cannot fall asleep now. I must drive back that villain Wang Shiji. Whether it is for my father and brothers in this world, or to avenge the young man who died unjustly at the hands of Wang Shiji, I must overcome this challenge."

Wang Shishi, being a few years older, is somewhat more composed. His eyes have been bruised into panda eyes, and his left eye can no longer be opened. Upon hearing his younger brother's words, he shook his head like a rattle drum: "Third brother, I fear it won't work. Wang Shiji is a general of the court, and now that the Turks are invading, the court still relies on him to lead the troops in defense. This time, no lives have been lost, and at this moment, even if we were to file a complaint to the emperor, it would likely be of no use. Although the Supreme Ruler (the emperor during the Sui Dynasty was referred to as the Supreme Ruler or the Sage) is wise and does not allow powerful officials to oppress the common people, this is ultimately a family matter for the Wang family. As long as Wang Shiji does not cause any fatalities, we can only endure in silence."

Before his time travel, Liu Huaqiang was the general manager of a logistics company in a certain city in Hebei Province. In his early years, he worked as a young laborer in a factory in that city. His parents passed away early, leaving him with only his younger brother, Liu Huawen, to rely on. He started working in the factory at a young age to support his brother's education.

At that moment, Liu Huaqiang silently said to himself: Subordinates are also unreliable; if there is a next life, I only want family.

Wang Shichong's mind was spinning rapidly, overwhelmed by the memories of his physical self to the point of near explosion. He struggled to recall his past life memories of this era.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. While Liu Huaqiang was away on business, his enemies took advantage of the opportunity to ambush Wang Shiwen at night, stabbing him dozens of times, leaving Liu Huaqiang in a vegetative state.

Wang Shichong's only memory of the Sui Dynasty is having glanced at the television series "The Heroes of Sui and Tang" and knowing that Emperor Yang of Sui was named Yang Guang, that foolish monarch who ultimately lost his empire. He couldn't even recall how long the Sui Dynasty lasted.

After Wang Shichong finished speaking, he closed his eyes and began to quickly calculate the knowledge he had learned before graduating from middle school in his previous life

It is precisely because his physical condition is not on par with that of his two brothers that Wang Shichong reads significantly more books than they do. Although Wang Heran holds an official position outside, and the eldest brother at home acts as a father figure, Wang Shihui has often joked that he is a bookworm, asserting that reading extensively has no connection to being able to hold an official position. Where is the practicality in that compared to exercising and achieving merit on the battlefield?

Wang Shiwei gritted his teeth and said: "Indeed, Second Brother, this fellow is saying that the three of us brothers are illiterate and cannot ride or shoot, and that we will never be able to take over the family business in the future. That is why he has enlisted a few of our clan's uncles, intending to seize it openly. It is just a pity that we are too young and cannot fight against them."

In 1987, when the unit was allocating housing, under various conditions, Liu Huaqing should have been assigned his own apartment. However, the factory director forcibly took away his allocation and gave it to his own driver

Wang Shichong sighed and thought to himself: Why can't I travel to an era that I am more familiar with?

After years of navigating the underworld, Liu Huaqing gradually gathered dozens of loyal brothers, bearing countless scars. In 1998, he finally opened his own shipping station near a train station in a certain city. He became a well-connected figure in that city, and after acquiring wealth, he further established connections, becoming a local public figure.

Wang He glanced at Wang Shishi and Wang Shiwei, nodding slightly: "After Huangfu Xiaoxie, one of Wang Shiji's subordinates, knocked you to the ground and saw blood oozing from the back of your head, Wang Shiji panicked. After all, I have also held an official position before and have a certain status in Xinfeng County. If Wang Shiji were to allow his subordinates to act violently, seize property, and injure people, he would be held accountable. Therefore, he merely uttered a couple of harsh words and left.

Wang Shiwei said resentfully: "This scoundrel bullied us and then left. A Da, we cannot let this go unpunished. Tomorrow morning, we will go to the authorities to report him."

Wang Shichong thought of this and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. It seems that his junior high school education from his previous life can be considered cultured in this era.

Since the beginning of the Five Barbarians' chaos, three hundred years have passed. The Han dynasties in the south have experienced four dynasties: Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen. Now, it has come into the hands of Emperor Chen Shubao of the Chen dynasty, with only a small portion of the southeastern territory remaining.

During Wang He's many years of serving in official positions away from home, the family business was always managed by an old steward. After this old steward passed away due to illness two years ago, Wang He became the only one in the family capable of accounting and financial management. His three brothers could not even recognize all the characters, let alone perform calculations. This also provided Wang Shiji with the best excuse to come and seize the family assets

Wang Shichong looked at his two brothers who were risking their lives to protect him, and a wave of emotions surged in his heart as memories of his past life flooded back

Finally, the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei people from the desert unified the north and established the Northern Wei. Meanwhile, the last powerful minister of the Eastern Jin, General Liu Yu, after experiencing a near-successful northern expedition, deposed the last emperor of the Eastern Jin and established the Song Dynasty, marking the official arrival of the era of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Seeing his brother on the hospital bed, Liu Huaqiang, in a fit of rage, went on a killing spree, eliminating all four of his enemies in a certain city within a month, which became a sensational case that shocked the entire nation

Wang Shichong felt a bit dizzy, but it was much better than the weakness he experienced during the day. He struggled to open his mouth and asked, "A Da, has Wang Shiji left?"

What followed was Wang He’s stern reprimand: "Do not speak nonsense!"

Wang Shichong was already aware of the situation in his heart; he could even imagine the surprised expression on Wang Shiji's face the next time he came to cause trouble, when he was met with a decisive blow. With a hint of a smile, he once again drifted into slumber

In this instance of time travel, the deep familial affection moved him, and he even felt the long-lost paternal love. Remembering the two young brothers and their father's frail figure charging towards those burly men who resembled bears, Wang Shichong suddenly felt an urge to cry

On Wang He's face, there were two patches of medicated plaster on the bruised areas. He had been drooping his head, feeling drowsy, but upon hearing these words, he suddenly became alert and cast a keen glance at Wang Shichong, asking with concern: "Shichong, how are you feeling now?"

Wang Shichong's health was not particularly good since childhood, especially when compared to his two brothers. In this era, there were no private schools, nor was there the nine-year compulsory education of later generations. Those who could read and write were either wealthy or noble, while ninety-eight percent of the population was completely illiterate. Although simplified characters began to gain popularity during this time (many inscriptions from the Sui and Tang dynasties unearthed today show a nearly one-to-one ratio of simplified to traditional characters), the number of literate individuals remained extremely low. For ordinary farmers and village women, in an age without the imperial examination system where official positions were primarily obtained through recommendations, being educated was of no practical use.

At the moment when Wang Shichong's thoughts were surging, Wang He heard the words of his two sons, his face turned ashen, and he sighed deeply: "It is A Da's incompetence that has caused you to suffer this hardship. Now A Da is not worried about whether he can report Wang Shiji, but rather if he comes back in a few days to continue his harassment, what will we have to defend ourselves then"

Liu Huawen could not swallow his anger and directly took a kitchen knife to the factory director's home to cause a disturbance. As a result, he was arrested by the police after the factory director reported him, and his qualification for the college entrance examination was also revoked. Meanwhile, Liu Huaqiang was expelled from the factory, and the two brothers became drifters and delinquents in society

A faint smile flashed across Wang Shichong's face: "A Da, do not panic, I have a solution. In a couple of days, as long as I can get out of bed, I will ensure that when Wang Shiji comes again, he will have no face to bring up the matter of dividing the inheritance."

Elder brother Wang Shiwei is proficient in performing various high-difficulty maneuvers on horseback, and even younger brother Wang Shiwei can lift a stone lock weighing 100 pounds, while Wang Shizhong himself can barely lift 60 pounds

After experiencing several dynasties in the North, Yang Jian, a Han Chinese and a chancellor by virtue of his maternal connections, seized the opportunity to take power. After suppressing the resistance of the last loyal minister of the Northern Zhou, Yuchi Jing, he usurped the throne of Zhou and established the present Sui Dynasty, with the era name Kaihuang

When Wang Shichong woke up again, it was already night. The room was lit, and two brothers, dressed in coarse clothes and with bruised faces, were sitting on the several mats at the head of the bed with Wang He. On a short-legged table, a bowl of medicinal soup was emitting an unpleasant odor. As soon as he saw that he was awake, his third brother Wang Shiwei exclaimed with joy: "Eldest brother, look quickly, second brother is awake, second brother is awake"

Although Wang Shichong cannot be considered frail or sickly, and it can even be said that his physique is somewhat better than that of his peers before his time travel, at the age of thirteen he is already capable of riding and galloping on horseback. However, in this era where martial prowess is highly valued by all, he still does not stand out.