Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 278 Semi-Free Education, the Restless Liao Kingdom!
The sun is half-hidden, its golden rays painting the sky.

Chui Gong Hall.

"The Yangtze and Han rivers flow mightily, and the warriors are valiant and spirited. They manage affairs in all directions and report their success to the king. With peace established in all directions, the kingdom is now secure."

Reciting words softly and gently.

The soft strains of silk and bamboo instruments, the melodious sounds of flutes and drums, and the graceful dances.

Throughout the main hall, the dancers, with their swaying hairpins and graceful movements, exuded an indescribable charm that captivated everyone's attention.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the imperial court has had a system of "bells ringing, tripods feasting, and music and dance accompanying the feasting".

Among them, dance is linked to music, and there are two categories: popular dance and elegant dance; music is linked to poetry, lyrics, songs, and prose, emphasizing both seriousness and elegance.

Now, with such a great victory in the southern campaign, it is fitting and appropriate to use a poem from the Book of Songs (Da Ya) to commemorate the achievements of the campaign, to sing the praises of the victory, to celebrate the peace and prosperity, and to celebrate the golden age. It has a sense of being appreciated by both the refined and the common people.

"Officials, enjoy yourselves to the fullest!"

On the steps of the imperial palace, Emperor Zhao Ceying's face was slightly flushed. He was either holding chopsticks or drinking heartily.

Observing his every move and word, one can see a spirit of high morale and great ambition!

From him down, civil and military officials, some to the left and some to the right, stood in a crisscrossing array of ranks.

"call--"

Jiang Zhao habitually blew on the stew, picked up a small bowl, and took a small sip.

Rice noodles, mutton, fish, stir-fried meat, fake soft-shelled turtle, flatbread, stir-fried pork with sesame seeds, honey-glazed pastry with sesame flowers, and stewed chicken and lotus seed soup.

These are the nine dishes served to celebrate the great victory.

Apart from being slightly cool, it has no major drawbacks.

"Zichuan."

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying lightly raised his wine cup, his face full of excitement.

Jiang Zhao glanced over, nodded calmly, and raised his cup.

"Your Majesty."

Zhao Ceying's excitement was within Jiang Zhao's expectations.

As the only monarch in a century-long reign to expand the territory, Zhao Ceying is destined to be remembered for eternity.

In the future, once he achieves unification, he can easily claim the title of Emperor Shizong, the greatest emperor of all time.

This feeling of "having hope" and "effort will be rewarded" is bound to make people quite happy and excited.

Excitement is to be expected.

"Come!"

Zhao Ceying laughed heartily and nodded with satisfaction.

With his literary skills, he could govern the world, reform corrupt practices, and temporarily manage state affairs; with his military prowess, he could expand the territory, pacify the world, and dominate an era.

Perhaps even Xiao He and Zhang Liang of the Western Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang of the Shu Han Dynasty, and Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui of the Tang Dynasty could not surpass this.

With such a wise minister assisting him, what is there to fear about becoming a mere emperor for all ages?

The emperor and his minister drank it all in one gulp.

After each drink, they both asked for more wine, wanting to drink together again.

at this time
The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial approached and announced in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Prince Jing requests an audience."

"King Jing?"

Zhao Ceying was taken aback, then smiled gently and waved his hand, saying, "Let him in."

More than two hundred days have passed since the army marched south.

A son misses his father, but how could a father not miss his son?

At his command, palace maids and eunuchs immediately filled the seat on the throne.

About twenty or thirty breaths.

"Father!"

"My lord!"

With a soft call, the three-year-old toddler took tiny steps and entered through the main gate.

In just a moment, the sounds of the clashing lights faded considerably.

The civil and military officials all stared intently.

King Jing, Zhao Shen!
On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying looked down and beckoned: "Shen'er, come here."

Zhao Shen took a few steps and walked over.

Upon approaching the emperor, they obediently stopped and raised their hands in greeting.

"My son pays homage to his father."

In ordinary times, or even in the imperial palace gardens, the young prince might occasionally have the opportunity to ascend two steps of the imperial staircase with the emperor's permission.

When it comes to celebrations, the imperial steps are undoubtedly "exclusively for the monarch," without any "personal" attribute.

The three-and-a-half-year-old prince has not yet begun his formal education, but he has already learned most of the rules.

Zhao Shen was lively and cheerful, but he was also quite polite and dared not overstep the bounds of propriety.

Zhao Ceying lowered his hands to his knees and nodded with a dignified air.

A grand celebration by all officials is not an appropriate occasion for a father and son to have a conversation.

Therefore, even though she had some longing in her heart, Zhao Ceying did not go any further.

"My lord."

Zhao Shen called out softly and walked over.

“King Jing.” Jiang Zhao nodded and returned the greeting with a handshake.

Zhao Shen received a response, chuckled, and, guided by the eunuch, walked to his seat.

Many people raised their eyebrows as they watched this scene.

If King Jing ascends the throne in the future, wouldn't he have to support three generations of favored ministers?

Your Majesty, do you have no objections?

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying, with a calm expression, casually raised his cup:
"Zichuan, come here!"

August 27th, Imperial Study.

On a wooden table about ten feet tall, dozens of red-painted documents were laid out one by one.

Zhao Ceying picked up one of the dishes and looked thoughtful.

From him downwards, Jiang Zhao sat solemnly, the emperor and his minister facing each other.

"In the past six months, the Cabinet has issued six main administrative documents."

Jiang Zhao sat with his hands clasped in respect and slowly said:

"First, we built an official road."

"Secondly, iron smelting."

"Third, two positions have been established: Doctor of Engineering and Doctor of Academics."

Fourth, it continued the Silk Road in the Western Regions.

Fifth, the Age of Exploration.

Education, roads, steel, science and technology, the Silk Road, the Age of Exploration!

Apart from "education", arrangements have been made for the other five major areas of people's livelihood.

"Yes." Zhao Ceying picked up the documents and nodded repeatedly.

All five decrees were, without exception, policies that favored the well-being of the people.

Among them, the construction of official roads mainly involved building some new official roads on the basis of the existing ones.

Overall, this project was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue.

The Ministry of Works planned the construction of the relevant roads, the Ministry of Revenue allocated funds, and local governments dispatched personnel to be responsible for the construction.

As for whether it is implemented or not, the censors are naturally responsible for supervision, and the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue will also have special personnel responsible for supervision.

Anyway, even if someone is greedy, they might still have a chance. A slightly worse road condition wouldn't be a big deal.

It would be quite difficult to identify someone who is extremely corrupt.

Iron smelting, that is, having a special person from the Ministry of Works to manage the iron ore smelting in Cizhou, was an attempt to integrate the power of small private workshops.

Cizhou, which will become known as Wu'an thousands of years later, has been a famous iron ore mining area since ancient times.

However, iron ore smelting efficiency has historically been quite low.

The main difference is that iron ore smelting operates on a wage system, where workers receive fixed wages, somewhat similar to having an "iron rice bowl."

Now, the Ministry of Works has sent people to take charge of the reform, intending to transform the corvée system into an employment system, similar to transforming from a government-run enterprise into a state-owned enterprise.

The wages under the corvée system were fixed, and both experienced craftsmen and new artisans received the same salary.

However, the employment system is different. The employment system has different levels of salary, and the performance of the iron mine officials is also considered.

This will encourage workers' enthusiasm.

In addition, small private workshops were encouraged to smelt steel, and the steel produced by these workshops was then sold to the government.

This system can almost guarantee a significant increase in smelting efficiency.

Doctor of Engineering and Doctor of Academics are official positions established to encourage craftsmen and Confucian scholars to research tools that are beneficial to production or to conduct academic research. They are tentatively set at the sixth rank and there is no limit to the number of people who can hold them.

For example, the three chief clerks of the Ordnance Department who participated in the bomb research were all promoted to Doctor of Engineering.

Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Liu Chang, Zhang Zai, and other renowned scholars who were gradually becoming great Confucian scholars were academic doctors.

Some renowned scholars who had not yet entered officialdom could also be granted academic doctorates after passing the Ministry of Personnel's examination.

To date, after about six months of operation, the institute has seven PhDs in engineering and thirteen PhDs in academic fields.

They didn't wield much real power, but their official rank was quite high, and they belonged to the undisputed scholar-official class. Even if you talked about it, they would definitely be respected and dignified people.

The Silk Road and the Age of Exploration are not hard to understand; they were simply promulgated for the purpose of trade.

"Zichuan's administration has the demeanor of a wise prime minister throughout the ages."

The document was placed down gently, and Zhao Ceying praised without reservation: "With Zichuan by my side, I have no worries about governing the country."

Even if there were occasional parts of Jiang Zhao's plans that he didn't understand, Zhao Ceying never questioned them.

The main point is that Jiang Zhao's style of governance is indeed quite unique; he would occasionally make a move or two out of the ordinary.

But these seemingly insignificant moves can often have remarkable effects.

In particular, the Iwami Silver Mine project almost immediately solved the cash shortage problem.

This kind of layout capability is undoubtedly in a class of its own.

Jiang Zhao sat solemnly, his expression calm, and pondered for a moment before saying:
"Furthermore, I have two documents that have not yet been issued, and I hope Your Majesty will consider them."

As they were speaking, the two documents were sent over.

Zhao Ceying picked it up with a solemn expression.

One of the entries describes a type of education called semi-free education.

"Semi-free education?"

Zhao Ceying was taken aback.

free!

This term was far too abstract and vague for feudal society.

"Free students from books and food expenses, and encourage students from poor families to study for the imperial examinations and serve the country."

"If three or four million students enjoy this treatment each year, then even including the teachers' salaries, the annual cost would be only seven or eight million strings of cash."

Jiang Zhao said with a serious expression, "However, this matter is of great importance. I have considered it for a long time, but in the end, I decided to keep it in reserve and not implement it."

Jiang Zhao did not implement the decree for semi-free education.

There are essentially two main reasons:
Firstly, this is a "long-term" government decree.

Education, roads, steel, science and technology, the Silk Road, and the Age of Exploration. Of the six decrees, apart from the semi-free education, the rest were either short-term decrees that could be suspended at any time, or decrees with little impact.

The construction of roads, the Great Leap Forward in steel production, the Silk Road, and the Age of Exploration were all typical examples of government orders that could be stopped at any time; even if they were canceled, they would not have a significant impact.

Encouraging science and technology essentially just means establishing two official positions of moderate rank, which have little impact.

Semi-free education is different.

This is a decree concerning scholars, and once it is promulgated, it will surely be praised by everyone.

Such decrees are naturally very easy to issue, without any resistance.

However, if there are signs of regret and a desire to cancel, it will be extremely difficult.

A good administration is praised, while revoking a decree is condemned.

In other words, once this decree is issued, it will most likely be implemented for a long time.

How long will it last?
It lasted until the dynasty collapsed!
Once the government order is issued, the expenditure on semi-free education will most likely become a "fixed" expenditure.

Even if the reform fails, or even if the conservatives gain power, this decree will definitely be retained.

Therefore, Jiang Zhao did not issue the decree without authorization.

Secondly, it was mainly to allow Zhao Ceying to also enjoy the praise of scholars.

Ruler and subject!

Their reputations are not on the same track.

The praise a monarch receives does not diminish the amount of praise a subject receives.

Therefore, Jiang Zhao deliberately left the decree behind.

There's no need to, and you shouldn't, keep this to yourself!

"Seven or eight million strings of cash a year."

Zhao Ceying pondered, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face.

The implications of this decree are immediately apparent.

The benefits are a vast reputation.

Writers have always been good at praising others. If they were to give someone a free education while they were riding high on their great victory, who knows how much they would praise them?
Once a decree for semi-free education is actually issued, even if hundreds of years pass, there will likely be people who still yearn for the "prosperous age" of the Xifeng era.

As a monarch who ruled the world, he will surely be praised throughout the ages.

Of course, without achieving unification, he certainly cannot be considered a great emperor of all time.

However, at the very least, he must be a superior monarch, qualified to "maintain a top-ten ranking".

Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao is in the same situation.

Furthermore, the policy that a prime minister must achieve unification to be considered a great prime minister throughout history could very well have made Jiang Zhao a wise and virtuous prime minister, praised by everyone.

In addition, this decree can bring a steady stream of scholars from humble backgrounds, which is also very beneficial.

害嘛
This thing could be a minefield for our descendants!
Seven or eight million strings of cash is less than one-tenth of the annual tax revenue.

With the current tax burden, it can be easily borne, or even without any pressure.

The problem is that not everyone has a wise and virtuous minister to assist them throughout the ages.

Perhaps in a certain generation, if tax collection becomes difficult, semi-free education will become a problem comparable to the "three redundancies" (excessive bureaucracy, excessive administrative burdens, and excessive administrative functions).

The pros and cons are clearly analyzed.

Zhao Ceying hesitated for a few moments, then nodded decisively and slammed his hand on the table, saying:
"Done!"

Semi-free education, unprecedented in history, will be praised for thousands of years.

The temptation is too great!

As for descendants?

Trust in the wisdom of those who come after; children and grandchildren will have their own blessings.

"Your Majesty is holy."

Jiang Zhao smiled faintly and bowed with his hands clasped.

Zhao Ceying picked up the remaining document.

Regarding the layout of the Kingdom of Jiaozhi.

The country of Jiaozhi (northern Vietnam) is suitable for growing cotton!
The requirements for planting cotton are sufficient sunlight, warm climate, and moderate rainfall.

The Kingdom of Jiaozhi perfectly met all three of these requirements.

The subtropical climate gradually warms up from March onwards, with ample rainfall and sunshine, a condition that continues until around October.

In other words, there are nearly two hundred days a year that are suitable for cotton growth.

The country of Jiaozhi (northern Vietnam) is naturally suited for cotton cultivation.

Therefore, Jiang Zhao intentionally encouraged the promotion of cotton cultivation in Jiaozhi.

There are two reasons:

Firstly, the area around Jiaozhi (northern Vietnam) is suitable for cotton cultivation.

Secondly, it would reduce the amount of grain that Jiaozhi (Vietnam) would produce.

The more cotton is grown, the less grain is grown.

The people of Jiaozhi cultivated cotton, which they could sell at a price slightly higher than the market price, and use it to exchange for grain from the Central Plains.

As a result, the people of Jiaozhi tasted the benefits of cotton cultivation, and day by day, fewer and fewer people grew grain, making Jiaozhi increasingly dependent on grain from the Central Plains.

Over time, this resulted in a different kind of control.

"it is good."

Zhao Ceying nodded repeatedly: "It's all based on Jiang Qing's plan."

What is poison to him is syrup to me.

For Jiaozhi, this was a poisonous strategy.

For the Great Zhou, this was an excellent strategy.

"promise."

After several documents were submitted, Jiang Zhao stood up, bowed, and prepared to leave.

Taking a step forward, hesitating, Jiang Zhao couldn't help but ask, "How is the injury to Your Majesty's left arm?"

Arm injury?

Zhao Ceying touched his left arm and shook his head, saying, "It itches slightly occasionally."

"However, it's not a big problem."

"Some veteran generals who have suffered arm injuries also have this symptom to varying degrees."

Judging from his appearance, he seemed not to care much.

Jiang Zhao sighed and couldn't help but admonish, "The Zuo Zhuan says: 'The ruler is the head of the state, and should not lightly venture into dangerous places.'"

Zhao Ceying's left arm injury was sustained while charging into battle.

To be precise, it wasn't exactly a true charge into battle.

At that time, most of the capital of Jiaozhi had fallen, and the soldiers were scattered and in complete disarray. The overall situation was already decided.

Zhao Ceying, stationed in the central army, was filled with restless ambition and brimming with heroic spirit, and thus conceived the idea of ​​entering the city to wage war.

The enemy was routed and the danger level was almost zero. The generals could not dissuade Zhao Ceying and stopped trying to stop him.

Thus, Zhao Ceying was escorted by thousands of people and entered the capital.

Unexpectedly, there were more than a dozen soldiers with a range of sixty or seventy paces hidden in the city of Jiaozhi, who caught Zhao Ceying off guard and caused him to suffer a minor injury.

"rest assured."

Zhao Ceying waved his hand and said generously, "I will remember Zichuan's concern."

"I assure you, I will certainly not venture into dangerous places lightly."

Jiang Zhao didn't believe it, shook his head, and strode away.

Zhongjing, Dadingfu.

Cultural Hall.

"How's the bomb development going?"

On the steps of the imperial palace, Yelü Hongji looked down and asked in a deep voice.

Southern Chancellor Zhao Hui raised his hand in a salute and replied, "In terms of power, it is only about 50% to 60% of the Great Zhou bomb."

"However, the sound of the explosions is not much different, which can serve as a training exercise for the frightened horses."

"Fifty or sixty percent?"

Yelü Hongji frowned and nodded.

To be honest, this was within his expectations.

Firstly, the Liao Dynasty's explosive formula was not particularly precise.

Compared to the Zhou dynasty's constantly adjusted formula, the Liao dynasty's formula certainly had flaws, that much is undeniable.

Secondly, the Liao Dynasty was severely lacking in sulfur and saltpeter.

Of the three major materials—sulfur, nitrate, and charcoal—the Liao Dynasty lacked all of them except for charcoal.

Sulfur, in particular, is extremely scarce.

Therefore, it was necessary to cut back on the already imprecise formula, reducing the content of sulfur and nitrates and increasing the content of charcoal, which further weakened its power.

Thirdly, the Liao Dynasty lacked ceramics.

In terms of pure explosive power, bombs are not particularly powerful.

One of the reasons why the bombs of the Great Zhou Dynasty were so powerful was that they used ceramic as the outer shell, creating a special type of ceramic bomb.

The real destructive power always comes from the flying ceramic shards, not from the explosion itself.

The Liao Dynasty lacked ceramics, so its power could not compare with that of the Liao.

"An explosion is enough."

Yelü Hongji said in a deep voice, "Let's use the sound of explosions to train the horses' ability to remain calm for now."

"As long as the horses remain undisturbed, the Liao cavalry will remain invincible!"

From beginning to end, Yelü Hongji never thought of taking a shortcut by using bombs.

On the one hand, there are limitations in materials; falling behind at one step leads to falling behind at every step.

On the other hand, the bomb was not as powerful as imagined.

After several reviews, Yelü Hongji had found the reason for the defeat—the last defeat was purely due to the horses being startled.

If the horses are not startled, the bomb's effect will be quite limited given their running speed.

The Liao cavalry remains invincible!
"Send someone to requisition provisions."

"According to the intelligence we have received, Zhao Ceying has left a total of 50,000 troops in Jiaozhi."

"Since its disarmament, it has only 500,000 troops."

"At least 200,000 troops have been stationed in the local areas, and at least 100,000 troops have been stationed in the capital region."

Of the remaining 200,000, 50,000 were stationed in Jiaozhi, and more than 20,000 were lost in Jiaozhi.

"In other words, only 130,000 troops remain to guard against the Liao and Western Xia, and they are distributed across five routes: Xihe, Shaanxi, Hedong, Hebei East, and Hebei West!"

"Even a single ambush would only have less than 30,000 to 40,000 troops."

Yelü Hongji, looking confident, waved his sleeve and said, "Next March, the army will march south and surely wipe away our previous humiliation."

"Yes." Zhao Hui nodded quickly.

The army was downsized and short of troops, and food supplies were consumed for half a year. In addition, they had to guard against the southern kingdom of Jiaozhi. It can be said that there were few soldiers and little food.

This is absolutely the best opportunity to attack the Great Zhou!

(End of this chapter)