Villagers rushed to spread the joyous news.
The residents of the Zhang family manor, who had just settled down, were so overcome with happiness upon hearing they were included that tears streamed down their faces, feeling as though they had been transported from hell to paradise.
Not finding suitable housing on the manor, Zhu Zi called for two craftsmen from the workshop.
The craftsmen, also from nearby villages, heard that this place was taking in refugees and preparing to build a school for the villagers' children, so they inquired if their own children could also be sent there.
Zhu Zi confidently agreed. It was all the same whether one sheep or a flock was taken in, and he assumed the young master would agree.
The craftsmen were also excited.
They patted their chests and promised to build a beautiful school.
Zhu Zi selected a plot of land at the manor entrance, asked the craftsmen to figure out how to build the school, and then returned to report to Fang Er.
Fang Er wholeheartedly welcomed the idea of the craftsmen's children also coming to study. Respect for heaven, earth, parents, and teachers were among the most revered relationships in the traditional Chinese nation, and the teacher-student relationship was incredibly reliable in any era.
He told Zhu Zi to proceed with the matter and began to ponder how to create teaching materials.
He was a top student, otherwise, he wouldn't have become the youngest Level 8 craftsman.
He could still clearly recall some basic knowledge.
He found paper and charcoal pencils and began writing the teaching materials.
Pinyin characters and numbers flowed from his pen onto the paper.
Xiao Qing, who had been guarding Fang Er's side, looked at what her young master had written on the paper, feeling somewhat bewildered.
What were these characters her young master was writing? Why were they missing strokes?
And those squiggly lines that looked like scribbles, she couldn't understand any of them.
"Young master, why are the characters you're writing different from those in books?"
Finally, unable to hold back, Xiao Qing asked.
Her question confused Fang Er.
Indeed, he was writing simplified characters, but this era used traditional characters.
It seemed he would need to find a scholar, which would also save him from having to handle everything himself.
Fang Family Academy is recruiting two beginner scholars. Room and board provided, monthly salary five taels, five days work and two days off. Inquiries welcome at Drunken Immortal Tower.
Fang Er reviewed the notice he had written. The conditions should be acceptable.
He handed it to a servant to take to the city of Chang'an and post it at the entrance of Drunken Immortal Tower.
"Young master, isn't a monthly salary of five taels a bit too much? Even the magistrate of Wannian County doesn't earn that much!"
Xiao Qing said with some concern.
She was correct. The salary of a seventh-rank county magistrate in the Tang Dynasty was about twenty-five taels per year. Of course, there were other benefits such as grain, cloth, and official fields, but the total would not exceed sixty taels of silver annually. The price Fang Er was offering was indeed very high for this era.
"That's not the issue. My concern is whether we can recruit capable individuals. Even if someone is cheap, we can't use them if they are incompetent; that would be misleading the students,"
Fang Er explained to Xiao Qing.
The Fang family became lively, with everyone's faces radiating happiness and contentment.
Far away in Jingzhou, Yuchi Jingde and his son were equally overjoyed.
Since departing from Chang'an, due to their limited troops, they had been employing guerilla tactics to intercept the vanguard of the Khagan's army.
This time, it was in a small mountain valley.
The valley was about two li long and thirty to fifty meters wide, flanked by mountains with rugged rocks, and some bamboo and trees stubbornly rooted in the crevices.
Upon arriving and seeing the terrain, Yuchi Baolin remembered what Fang Er had said about explosive packets being most suitable for ambushes.
So, he instructed his soldiers to bury explosive packets on both sides of the valley, connect them with fuses, cover them with bamboo tubes, and then conceal the bamboo tubes with a layer of sand and gravel.
After completing all these preparations,
Yuchi Jingde led his troops to ambush one end of the valley, while Yuchi Baolin led a small contingent to lure the enemy soldiers.
The Khagan's army, having been repeatedly attacked by Yuchi Jingde's forces for several days, was thoroughly provoked.
The vanguard was led by the Khagan's uncle, Gelun, who, with his five thousand men, was advancing towards Huating. The valley defended by Yuchi Jingde was a mandatory passage.
Yuchi Baolin and his soldiers, after galloping for less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, encountered Gelun.
"It's Yuchi Jingde's troops, the ones who run when they can't win. Give the order, press the attack, kill them all, leave no survivors. Tonight, I, Gelun, will sleep with Han women in Huating!"
Gelun, clad in leather armor, pointed his horsewhip at Yuchi Baolin and spoke to his messengers.
"The general has ordered a full assault!"
The messengers held up their command flags and ran back and forth within the ranks to convey the military order.
The five thousand troops, following the order, accelerated their advance towards Yuchi Baolin.
"Retreat!"
Upon seeing this, Yuchi Baolin quickly led his troops back towards the valley.
He only had five hundred men, while Gelun had a full five thousand cavalry. Fighting them would likely be like a pebble causing no ripple.
Yuchi Baolin led his five hundred men in a rapid retreat, with Gelun's five thousand steppe warriors in hot pursuit.
When they reached the valley where the explosive packets were buried, Yuchi Baolin passed directly through it, while Gelun, oblivious, was unknowingly leading himself to his doom with his relentless pursuit.
"Light the fuse!"
Emerging from the valley, Yuchi Baolin directly issued the order to light the fuses to the soldiers guarding the valley entrance.
Two fuses were ignited, lighting the explosive packets on both sides of the valley.
Then, the soldiers who lit the fuses quickly retreated.
Boom!
Boom!
The explosive packets let out deafening roars, followed by earth-shattering tremors.
On both sides of the valley, the explosive packets detonated one after another, sending shrapnel flying.
Gelun, who had just pursued Yuchi Baolin out of the valley, was stunned by the sudden commotion.
His five thousand troops behind him were all trapped inside the valley.
The merciless explosives sent flying rocks that pierced through the soldiers' bodies, creating bloody holes. Larger stones rolled down from the sides of the valley, crushing people beyond recognition.
Soldiers closer to the explosive packets were directly blown away by the powerful blast wave, while others were torn into pieces.
An arm, belonging to someone unknown, fell from the sky, landing in front of Gelun.
Gasp!
Gelun spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Yuchi old man! I will have no peace with you! Retreat!"
After issuing his threats, Gelun immediately led his men in a retreat, fearing further ambushes ahead.
Yuchi Jingde outside the valley was also stunned.
He knew the power of gunpowder and had personally witnessed Fang Er's demonstrations.
However, he had never imagined that when used on a large scale for ambushes, this substance would possess such immense power! It was as terrifying as the earth overturning.