Time flew by, and twelve full years passed.
Because Ding Yun's disciples, after completing their basic education, would then engage in specialized studies, it didn't mean they wouldn't learn anything about other subjects at all. They would merely gain a general understanding. Moreover, some knowledge didn't require deep study. Thus, twelve years was sufficient for them to graduate. Of course, "graduating" here didn't mean they could immediately raise an army or rebel. Ding Yun understood the principle that theory learned from books is superficial; true knowledge comes from practice. Therefore, "graduating" meant their academic studies were concluded. What followed was a period of relatively discreet travel and observation throughout the realm.
Although they were all once impoverished children, after twelve years of relatively good living and learning, some might have become unfamiliar with the hardships of common people, estranged from their lives, and even unclear about the true nature of the aristocratic families and officials outside. If they weren't exposed to more experiences and understanding, how could they solidify their resolve, break this unjust old era, and rebuild a new one with unwavering conviction? Only by facing injustice and humiliation directly could they empathize, and thus rise up in rebellion, daring to change the heavens and earth!
Of course, this refers to the first batch of disciples cultivated by Ding Yun. The second and third batches would gradually graduate and follow suit in the days to come. And with the emergence of Ding Yun's first batch of disciples, the world's tides began to churn.
...
"I... I remember now...
Back then, my family suffered a disaster, and we had no money to pay taxes. My father was unwilling to sell the remaining three mu of land or part with others, so he sold me, his daughter, who still had many years before marriage. I remember being sold for eight hundred wen. Later, my master bought me for two guan. It's unexpected that after so many years, the number of people being sold here seems to have increased even more than over a decade ago."
When many disciples were adopted by Ding Yun, they already had some memories. Even if their memories were blurry, Ding Yun kept detailed records of where they were bought or adopted, making it convenient for them to understand their hometowns. If they intended to search for their relatives in the future, they would at least have a direction. Precisely because of this, most of them chose the place where they were bought or adopted as their first destination upon emerging, to recall the past. At this moment, Song Qing returned to the human market where she was bought, observing the bustling scene with deep emotion.
"I was also rescued here by Master. However, it was my mother who sold me. She was gravely ill and felt she wouldn't survive. Fearing I wouldn't survive after her death, she sold me without asking for a single coin, only hoping the slave trader would find me a good buyer. But where are there so many kind people in this world? In the end, I was treated as less than cattle or sheep and brought here. I was also sold for two guan, while a sheep would cost five guan. Truly, humans are worth less than beasts, less than beasts!"
Ding Yun didn't just buy one child from a human market at a time. She would also buy children of similar age who were suitable to become disciples. Therefore, her disciples didn't come alone. Those from the same batch almost all went to the same places, sharing their emotions and recounting why they were sold. After some exchanges, the more impetuous among them, impatient to the point of wanting to immediately descend and rescue everyone in the human market, were held back by calmer companions who pointed out that impulsive actions were useless now. These people's presence was due to natural disasters, man-made calamities, and the government's inaction. Only by overthrowing the current government and establishing a new one that satisfies the basic needs of the people could such events be completely prevented. Rather than raging impotently here, it was better to seize the time to complete their trials, raise an army as soon as possible, and then rescue them.
Even so, they eventually bought some individuals in the human market who appeared to be in poor health, likely to not survive even before being sold, and sent them to the contact point Ding Yun had established, requesting professional medical care. As such incidents became more frequent, Ding Yun was compelled to cut off their financial and material support, forcing them to find their own means to earn money and save as many as they could with their own resources. Only then did they moderate their actions and finally witness how difficult it was for an ordinary person without background to survive in this era, how challenging it was to earn money, and how dangerous it could be if they displayed thoughts inconsistent with the times or possessed technologies that could generate wealth.
In essence, Ding Yun sent them out this time to make them endure hardship and face setbacks. Only after enduring all possible hardships, facing all possible setbacks, witnessing the suffering of the world, and seeing through its ugliness could they truly mature. Of course, Ding Yun had people secretly watching their progress. The forces she had developed over these years were not insignificant. She had the capability to protect her disciples when they encountered danger. Even if they faced a great crisis that could not be guarded against, Ding Yun could use her Teleportation Gate to rescue them, ensuring their lives were at least safe.
As those disciples continuously experienced firsthand how terrible the current world was, their disgust towards the government and the existing system was no longer merely due to Ding Yun's teachings and the descriptions in books, but a genuine, heartfelt loathing. Only then did Ding Yun officially allow them to gradually take over the factions she had established and to integrate with them, preparing for the future uprising. Warfare is not a banquet or a simple stroll. One cannot simply learn a few things from books and be done with it. Fresh graduates entering the workforce require an internship period, let alone these individuals who had barely experienced society after completing their studies, about to engage in the act of rebellion. Without prior training, directly leading them into battle would be suicidal!
Several more years passed, and it was not until sixteen years after Ding Yun's endeavor that she deemed her first batch of disciples capable of truly standing on their own. She then instructed them, with the fundamental principles of human equality, freedom, democracy, and the creation of a harmonious world, to formally launch a united uprising from all corners of the realm. They engaged in no clandestine schemes whatsoever, but openly raised the banner of rebellion. Leveraging the overwhelming advantage of technology, along with policies such as confiscating all land and collectivizing it, granting each person non-transferable usage rights to ten mu of land, and exempting these ten mu from permanent taxation, they swiftly swept across the land.
Ding Yun did not particularly favor breaking promises or making grand declarations only to later find them riddled with loopholes and having to make changes out of necessity once in power. Therefore, she preferred to make the initial promised benefits of the uprising less dazzling and avoid setting unrealistic expectations. Her plan was for the army to advance, while other disciples would simultaneously take over territories, conduct literacy campaigns, promote new policies and regulations, and carry out comprehensive reforms. This ensured that after securing a piece of territory, they could also quickly win over the hearts of the people and stabilize the region.