The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

"Martial arts debate?"

Not only Chen Dong and his group, but even Zhao Lingjun and Qian Duoduo standing next to them were stunned.

To fight a bunch of defenseless scholars? Isn't that just bullying them?

"Headmaster, this..." Qian Duoduo whispered, "They are all scholars, and we... have Miss Niu here, isn't that unfair?"

Upon hearing her name called, Niu Aihua immediately puffed out her chest, slung her broadsword over her shoulder, and gave the group of imperial students a smile that she thought was kind but was actually menacing.

The students were so frightened that they all took a step back.

"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Lin rolled his eyes at Qian Duoduo, annoyed. "Who said martial arts debates always have to involve fighting?"

He looked at Chen Dong again and explained, "The 'martial arts' I'm talking about isn't the kind of martial arts that involves fighting and violence, but the kind of martial arts that involves 'practice'."

"Practice?" Chen Dong frowned; the word sounded new to him.

"That's right. Talk is cheap. You say your knowledge can benefit the people and the world, and I say mine can enrich the country and strengthen the military. Neither of us can convince the other. Let's put our knowledge to the test and see what we've got."

Jiang Lin paused for a moment, then presented his "martial arts debate" proposal.

"Aren't there tens of thousands of homeless disaster victims outside Bianjing? The disaster relief efforts have been delayed because of Zhao Liben's case. Now, the government has dumped this mess on me, and I happen to be short-handed."

"The second competition will be held in the disaster relief camp outside the city. Each side will bring ten students, and the competition will last for one month. We'll see who can better resettle the disaster victims, restore order to the camp, and give those who are starving a renewed hope for survival."

"This is our examination hall. And the examiners are those tens of thousands of disaster victims. A month later, the people will have their own scales to judge who did well and who did poorly."

After Jiang Lin finished speaking, the entire courtyard fell silent once again.

Chen Dong, Wang Fu, and the others stared at Jiang Lin in disbelief, as if he were a monster.

Go to disaster relief camps?

Dealing with those ragged, foul-smelling disaster victims with eyes as fierce as wolves?

We also need to resettle them and restore order to their lives.

Are you kidding me!

They are scholars, the future pillars of the court, who should be sitting in bright and clean studies, wielding their wits and pointing out the future of the nation! How can they do the dirty and tiring work that only petty officials and errand boys are capable of?

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!" Wang Fu was the first to jump up. "We are students of the Imperial Academy, disciples of the Emperor! Our duty is to learn the great principles of governing the country and bringing peace to the world, not to concern ourselves with the basic needs of disaster victims! You are insulting us!"

"An insult?" Jiang Lin's mockery deepened. "It seems that in your eyes, tens of thousands of lives are not worth as much as your pathetic sense of civility and dignity."

"You keep saying 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important,' but when it really comes down to you doing things for the people, you complain that it's dirty, tiring, and shameful."

"Your 'people' only exist in books and your writings; they are tools you use to gain fame. But the 'people' my students will face are flesh and blood, who cry and laugh, go hungry, get sick, and would fight you to the death for a single bun—living, breathing human beings!"

"You can't even save living people, so what are you talking about governing the country and bringing peace to the world? What kind of country are you governing? What kind of world are you bringing peace to?"

Jiang Lin's words were like daggers to the heart.

Chen Dong's face flushed red and then turned pale. He wanted to retort, but found that Jiang Lin had shut him down completely.

To agree or not to agree?

If they agree, these students, who are lazy and ignorant of basic life skills, will probably not even be able to take care of themselves in the disaster camp, let alone resettle the victims. They will only make a fool of themselves and become a laughing stock for the whole world.

If they refused, it would play right into Jiang Lin's hands. Their reputation for "treating human life lightly and ruining the country with empty talk" would be cemented. Jiang Lin wouldn't even need to debate with them; he would have already won.

This is a completely open conspiracy! A dead end that puts them in a dilemma!

Chen Dong clenched his fists tightly. He finally realized that he had been wrong from the very beginning. He wanted to drag Jiang Lin into his area of ​​expertise, but he never expected that Jiang Lin would turn the tables and steer the battlefield to a place he never even imagined.

In front of Jiang Lin, his supposedly proud schemes and talents seemed like childish tricks, laughably naive.

"How about it? Dare to compete?" Jiang Lin looked at him leisurely, like a cat watching a mouse's dying struggle under its paws.

"Compare! Why not compete!"

Just as Chen Dong was hesitating, a clear voice came from behind the group of students.

Everyone turned around and saw a handsome young student with a refined demeanor stepping out from the crowd.

"Brother Zhang?" Chen Dong was somewhat surprised to see the person who had come.

This man was named Zhang Zai, courtesy name Zihou, and was also a student at the Imperial Academy. However, unlike Chen Dong, Wang Fu, and others, he came from a poor family, was calm and composed, and did not like to argue with others. He only knew how to bury himself in his studies and was not particularly noticeable at the Imperial Academy.

Zhang Zai first bowed deeply to Jiang Lin, then turned to Chen Dong and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Brother Chen, Brother Wang, I believe what Jiang Shanchang said makes sense. 'What is learned from books is ultimately superficial; true understanding requires personal experience.' If we scholars cannot apply what we have learned to practice, how are we any different from bookworms?"

Looking at the agitated Wang Fu, he continued, "Brother Wang says our duty is to learn the Great Way, not to manage basic needs like eating, drinking, and relieving ourselves. But where does the Great Way come from? Doesn't it come from the daily needs of these millions of people? If the people are displaced and starving, what use are our empty talk of benevolence and morality? This is truly putting the cart before the horse!"

Zhang Zai's words silenced all the students present.

Even Chen Dong fell into deep thought.

Jiang Lin glanced at the young man named Zhang Zai with some surprise.

Wow, I didn't expect there to be such insightful people in the Imperial Academy.

Zhang Zai... Zhang Hengqu? The original author who "established a heart for heaven and earth, established a destiny for the people, continued the lost learning of the past sages, and ushered in an era of peace for all generations"?!

Jiang Lin quickly calculated in his mind. According to the timeline, Zhang Zai should still be very young now, and his thinking is far less mature than that of later generations. But judging from his words just now, he already has the demeanor of a great master.

This is a promising talent.

"Good! Well said!" Jiang Ling clapped his hands in praise. "What's this young man's name? Would you be interested in coming to my Jing Shi Academy? I'll give you a 50% discount on tuition."