Chapter 16: It Turns Out It Was Him

“Nephew says the earth is round, and that the billions of people under heaven all live on a single sphere? This... this is simply outrageous!” The middle-aged man stared at Du Rui with wide eyes, his voice trembling.

At this time, the concept of "the sky is round and the earth is square" had long been deeply ingrained in people's hearts. Now, with Du Rui speaking recklessly under the influence of alcohol, he had actually revealed the theory of a spherical earth—a concept that would not be verified by Westerners for several hundred years. It was indeed too shocking.

“Is there any evidence?”

Du Rui took a sip of wine, suddenly realizing he had been a bit indiscreet just now. As his mind cleared, he said, “This is merely a speculation of mine, Uncle. Just consider this: to the east of our Great Tang's territory, all the way to the seaside, one can look out as far as the eye can see, yet the horizon seems to have no end.”

The middle-aged man was already completely captivated by Du Rui's strange theory, shaking his head blankly.

Du Rui continued, “Therefore, I speculate that since the end cannot be seen, it proves that the earth is not flat, but possesses a curvature. The reason the seawater can circulate endlessly is also due to this curvature. Thus, I boldly speculate that if this curvature extends in one direction and connects back to itself, would it not be a sphere?”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man thought carefully and said, “There is some logic to it, but it is all just your speculation, Nephew!”

Du Rui smiled and said, “That is why I have been thinking: if we could build a sturdy sea vessel and sail in a single direction, perhaps we could return to our starting point!”

The middle-aged man cried out in shock, “Would that not truly be going south to reach the north?”

“Exactly. Furthermore, I speculate that the earth is not just one single landmass. Beyond the great oceans, there should exist another continent. If one sails out from Liaodong, could one not reach the land of Wa?”

As the middle-aged man listened, a look of yearning appeared in his eyes. He said, “If your speculation is true, and we can truly find a new continent, I wonder how many times the territory of our Great Tang would expand.”

Du Rui thought to himself: *If we could truly find the Australian and American continents, it wouldn't just be a matter of expanding the territory by a few times, but by a dozen times.*

“Nephew! But I wonder, how can such a sea vessel be obtained!?”

Du Rui pondered for a moment and said, “Although I study the teachings of the Sages, I have also conducted much research into the study of things (*gewu*). Perhaps one day, it may not be impossible for me to truly build such a ship!”

In truth, if he really wanted to build the kind of sea vessels used by Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Oceans, it would not be a difficult task for Du Rui. However, the world was not yet peaceful; if he were to recklessly build such ships, the population of the Central Plains might dwindle even further.

The middle-aged man couldn't help but feel a sense of regret, but he soon regained his composure and said, “I hope you can truly succeed, Nephew. When that time comes, it would not be impossible for you to be granted land and titles!”

Hearing this, a surge of heroic spirit rose in Du Rui's heart. He stood up and said, “A great man born into this world should wield a three-foot sword and achieve immortal feats; how could he covet the mere glory of marrying a wife and sheltering his children?”

The middle-aged man felt a profound respect rise within him. He said, “Nephew truly has great ambitions! Fame and fortune can be seized on the battlefield. Now that the Turks frequently raid our borders, do you still worry about having no opportunity to prove yourself?”

Du Rui did not respond directly. Instead, he tapped his chopsticks against his bowl and recited

“My hair bristles in rage... leaning against the railing, the drizzling rain ceases. I lift my eyes, roaring at the sky, my heart filled with fierce passion. Thirty years of fame are but dust and earth; eight thousand miles of journey are but clouds and moon. Do not let life pass in vain, letting youthful hair turn white in empty sorrow! The shame of Wei Bridge is not yet washed away; when will the resentment of a subject be extinguished? Drive the long chariot, and trample the passes of Mount Yanran. In my great ambition, I shall feast on the flesh of the barbarians and drink the blood of the Turks with laughter. From the beginning, I shall reclaim the old mountains and rivers, and face the Imperial Palace!”

Listening to this passage of *Man Jiang Hong*, the middle-aged man could not stop his blood from boiling. Outside the door, Ma Xuanliang was so moved that his eyes turned red, looking as if he wished he could grab a blade and mount a horse right now to fight the Turks to the death.

“In my great ambition, I shall feast on the flesh of the barbarians and drink the blood of the Turks with laughter!” The middle-aged man murmured. Suddenly, he downed three large cups in succession and shouted, “Splendid! Splendid! What a towering, upright, great man!”

Du Rui's blood, mixed with the influence of the wine, also began to boil. He shouted loudly, “A great man should emulate General Huo Qubing and Ban Chao, to be enfeoffed at the Wolf's Den and set up a stone monument at Mount Yanran, only then can he not be said to have wasted his manhood. The mere Turks are not worth mentioning!”

The middle-aged man was startled. “What do you mean, Nephew? You are young and have shallow vision to say the Turks are not worth mentioning. Although there have been no great wars between the court and the Turks this year, they continue to harass us incessantly. Today they demand grain, tomorrow they demand cloth. Although the court intends to wash away this shame, it is a pity our strength is insufficient!”

Du Rui, completely unaware of the tension, said, “While what Uncle says is the truth, it is also too biased. Our Great Tang is wealthy across the four seas. In terms of population, the Turks are not even one-tenth of us. Although our dynasty may not have the sight of crowds pressing shoulder to shoulder and sweating profusely in endless lines, we still have tens of millions of people. In terms of wealth, the Turks are not even one-ten-thousandth of us. What the Turks rely on is nothing more than cavalry and longbows. To defeat them is not difficult!”

The middle-aged man's eyes suddenly flashed with brilliance. He thought to himself: *Could this youth truly be the reincarnation of Gan Luo?*

“What ingenious method do you have, Nephew?”

Du Rui was now fully relaxed and spoke freely, “To sweep away the Turks, the first is the administration of horses. The Turks are born in the saddle and live following the water, which is why they are skilled in archery and horsemanship; they graze in peace and campaign in war. In contrast, our dynasty enjoys agriculture. Those who can gallop on horseback are less than one in a hundred. Only by reopening the horse administration can we catch up to the Turks. We could send those who understand horses to the Longxi grasslands to select fine breeds and nurture them with care, and then promote horse racing and polo within the country to encourage the people to ride and train horses.”

The middle-aged man had thought of this layer as well and asked impatiently, “And the second?”

“The second is the military system!”

This single sentence from Du Rui was nothing short of earth-shattering, stunning everyone both inside and outside the room.

Currently, the Great Tang implemented the *Fubing* (militia) system. Of course, the *Fubing* were not the only type of soldiers; those responsible for palace security included the Imperial Guards stationed at the North Gate, who, alongside the twelve guards' *Fubing*, were symmetrical to the South and North Armies. For expeditions and defense, there were "recruited" soldiers who were, in reality, "conscripted," and later there were local defense forces such as the *Tuanjie* and *Shizhen* troops. In expeditions and defense, the number of recruited soldiers often exceeded the *Fubing*, but in the early Tang, the *Fubing* possessed strong combat capabilities and served as the backbone of the army.

The *Fubing* system had been effectively implemented during the early reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong, but it gradually deteriorated from the late reign of Gaozong through the era of Wu Zetian, and was finally abolished during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. The reasons for its breakdown included frequent warfare, extended defensive lines, and heavy military service. Originally, there were certain periods of rest for those on duty, but later they were often forcibly detained, leading to long-term service without return, which caused people to avoid service and soldiers to desert. Furthermore, the status of the *Fubing* had declined. In the early Tang, following the traditions of previous dynasties, guards were treated with respect, but by the time of Wu Zetian, guards on duty were often borrowed by nobles and officials for private service, leading to the social perception of being a *Fubing* as a disgrace.

Particularly after Gaozong, land annexation became increasingly serious. The primary targets for *Fubing* conscription were the farmers under the Equal-Field System. As the Equal-Field System broke down, the economic conditions required to implement the *Fubing* conscription system were lost. Consequently, during the early reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the desertion of *Fubing* increased daily, to the point where there were shortages of guards on duty, making it harder to mobilize for defense.

Coming from a future era, Du Rui naturally understood the pros and cons of the *Fubing* system. Ignoring the astonishment of the middle-aged man surnamed Qin, he continued, “Although the combat capability of the *Fubing* remains and they are easy to mobilize, providing a continuous stream of soldiers for our Great Tang, there are also drawbacks.”

The middle-aged man's expression became grim. He said, “Then tell me, what are the drawbacks?”

Du Rui did not care and pointed out the arguments he had researched from history one by one. As the middle-aged man listened, his face grew increasingly dark, appearing deeply worried.

Suddenly, he looked up at Du Rui and said, “Since Nephew can see the drawbacks of the *Fubing* system, you must also have a solution! Please, speak plainly!”

Du Rui nodded and said, “That is natural. We can change the *Fubing* system into a conscription system...”

Following this, Du Rui gave a detailed introduction to the compulsory military service system of China in later generations (to avoid anyone saying I am padding the word count, I will not list it here; those interested can look it up online). The more the middle-aged man listened, the more excited he became. Upon hearing the brilliance of the idea, he could not help but clap his hands in approval repeatedly.

“Good! Good! If it truly is as you say, Nephew, once this conscription system is implemented, our Great Tang's military strength will not only remain undiminished but will be greatly enhanced. This is truly the speech of one who plans for the nation!”

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, when he looked at Du Rui again, he found that Du Rui had already fallen asleep. He couldn't help but chuckle and commanded, “Ma Xuanliang! Send someone to escort Du Rui home!”

When Du Rui woke up, it was not yet the Hour of the Rat. Opening his eyes, he felt a splitting headache. By his bedside, Baochai was slumped over in her clothes; he figured she had attended to him all night. Seeing this, Du Rui couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

Just as he was thinking of getting up, he suddenly had a jolt of realization. He remembered the identity of the middle-aged man he had been drinking and conversing with, and cried out in shock, “So it was him!”