Chapter 82: The Power of Rumors—I Am a Villain, After All

This young man certainly speaks boldly. Zhu Yuanzhang was quite intrigued and wanted to hear what Zhang Yi had to say. Making use of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, choosing Yangzhou, and using epidemic prevention in a plague-stricken area as a means of publicity—these were already the best strategies Zhu Yuanzhang could think of.

Could it be that this boy had an even better method?

“Go on, let’s hear it,” Zhu could not help but sit up straighter, and the others all leaned in to listen attentively.

Zhang Yi began, “If I were to devise a plan on my own, I might not come up with anything better than Your Majesty’s ideas. But since Your Majesty has already paved the way with such wisdom, I might as well follow your path and add a touch of unorthodox thinking.”

“Let us first lay out the difficulties Your Majesty faces and the goals you wish to achieve.

First, the newly established Ming dynasty still has unstable public sentiment; the common people distrust the authorities.
Second, the very concept of variolation is hard for the people to accept.
Third, Your Majesty fears that in implementing such a policy, the officials may govern poorly, making it hard to enforce decrees and prone to deception.
Fourth, Your Majesty is concerned that if officials act recklessly, a good deed might turn sour and damage the government’s prestige.”

Zhang Yi listed the challenges of promoting variolation one by one, and the others nodded in agreement. These were issues that Liu Bowen had already analyzed for them, and they all recognized their validity.

“Since we understand the pain points, let’s see how Your Majesty plans to resolve them, and what results you hope to achieve,” Zhang Yi continued.

“As for the first and second issues, Your Majesty relies on us at Dragon and Tiger Mountain. Since the people lack proper guidance, use the path of the immortals to lead them. With our reputation among the masses, this can be solved effectively.

For the third and fourth issues, the problem lies with the court. Poor governance and deception by local officials are longstanding maladies of every dynasty’s bureaucracy. If Your Majesty were to implement variolation everywhere, just as Master Liu said, deception and endangering the people for the sake of performance assessments would almost certainly occur.

But by choosing Yangzhou as the site, and focusing solely on the officials there, there’s no need to fear disorder below!”

“Once the problems are addressed, we can look at Your Majesty’s expectations…”

“Your Majesty’s hopes are, first, to promote variolation so the people may be spared the suffering of smallpox. What he wishes to gain is, above all, the ability to bestow grace upon the people and rapidly win their hearts. Secondly, he hopes this will become a major achievement for which he is remembered in history.”

“To achieve this, the task must be handled swiftly and with remarkable results. Hence, Your Majesty chooses Yangzhou.”

As Zhang Yi unraveled the situation thread by thread, everyone present could clearly grasp the logic behind the emperor’s decision.

For Zhu Biao, as the crown prince, he benefited most; while the others might merely listen with interest, Zhang Yi enabled him to understand his father’s approach to governance.

These were nuances Zhu Yuanzhang himself might not have explained in such detail, even by personal example.

“Why Yangzhou?” Zhang Yi posed the question, prompting everyone to consider.

Who in all Chinese history does not know Yangzhou? Once the world’s foremost city, immortalized by the lines, “An old friend leaves the Yellow Crane Tower, in misty March descends to Yangzhou,” it had since declined.

Ten years prior, when Zhu Yuanzhang took Yangzhou from the Qingyi Army, the city, once home to hundreds of thousands, had been reduced to just eighteen households by massacre. Yangzhou was a microcosm of the devastated realm at the turn from Yuan to Ming—a ruin, plain and simple.

Yet, after taking over, Zhu Yuanzhang continually resettled people in Yangzhou to rebuild it. There was no other reason: situated on the Grand Canal, Yangzhou was a key transportation hub—and there was another, unspoken reason. That city had borne witness to the shifting tides of Han history.

To govern Yangzhou well was to set an example for all under heaven. Zhu Yuanzhang’s choice of Yangzhou surely carried this intent.

“With the constant migration of people by Your Majesty, it’s no wonder that epidemics erupt in Yangzhou! After a great disaster comes a great plague; one of the main reasons is population movement. This time, Your Majesty selected Yangzhou among the affected prefectures, first, to leverage its fame to draw attention to this endeavor; second, as a hub where merchants gather, its convenience allows information to spread nationwide. Therefore, the court’s campaign to promote variolation in Yangzhou must be executed flawlessly. If done well, once the merchants carry the news abroad, future resistance to the policy will be much diminished.”

“Exactly!” Zhu Biao could not help but agree, glancing at Zhu Yuanzhang, who nodded slightly in turn.

Zhang Yi had logically laid out his intentions, which was impressive. Yet this fellow claimed he could do even better—so what did he intend?

Seeing all eyes on him, Zhang Yi chuckled.

“Since we have clarified Your Majesty’s objectives, we understand now. As for administering the variolation itself, I have no part to play. But in terms of spreading the word, I believe we might add a little drama.”

“Add drama?” The group looked perplexed; Zhang Yi’s words were puzzling.

“In one of the Heavenly Books, I read of a future discipline called communication studies. I won’t elaborate on its content, but one thing about information dissemination stuck with me.”

Hearing that what Zhang Yi was about to say came from the future, everyone perked up.

“What is it? What does it mean?” Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but ask.

Zhang Yi replied, “Uncle, do you know what spreads fastest and widest in the world?”

“What is it?”

“Rumors!” Zhang Yi gave an answer none of them expected. What sort of thing was a rumor? Was Zhang Yi implying they should start rumors?

“Do not underestimate the power of rumors. Think of when we study history: which is more interesting, official histories or unofficial tales? Weren’t those who wrote unofficial histories essentially spreading rumors? And in the markets, which has more appeal, legendary rumors or proper historical records? Furthermore, if we describe a man as dignified, is that easier for the people to remember, or is a vivid image—buck teeth, bulging eyes, a shoehorn face—more memorable?”

“The latter!” Zhu Yuanzhang answered instinctively, thoroughly engrossed.

Suddenly, his expression darkened—“Shoe-horn face?” At once, an old memory surfaced. Damn, that rumor-monger named Zhang Han still hadn’t been caught. He must have Gao Jianxian redouble his efforts to find the scoundrel!

His mood soured, and he looked at Zhang Yi with less favor. “What sort of crooked method is this? The Emperor promotes variolation as the true Way, open and honest. If the ruler used such means, would it not tarnish his reputation?”

Zhang Yi was not offended, but his tongue would not concede. “Your Majesty walks the kingly path, but I am a petty man. Yet let’s be clear: does Your Majesty truly have the prestige now to walk the kingly path? Uncle may find such means base, but has he considered where such tactics originate? Has Your Majesty not used them before? He simply hasn’t thought of applying them among the common folk or for propaganda!”

“Military strategy!” At Zhang Yi’s hint, Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if a sudden clarity had dawned.

(End of chapter)