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

Time flies, and it's already late autumn.

Although the "Jianglin fever" in Runzhou City has cooled down a bit and the gates are no longer blocked every day like a market, the threshold of Jingshi Academy is still worn down by students seeking knowledge.

This time, however, Jiang Lin did not hold any "open selection" like before, nor did he send any rich kids to get slapped in the face.

The atmosphere inside the lecture hall was as serious as a military conference.

Twenty newly enrolled teenagers sat upright. They were neither spoiled brats nor bookworms who only knew how to study.

Some of them came from merchant families and were proficient in mathematics; some came from families of craftsmen and were knowledgeable in water conservancy equipment; and some, like Zhou Ming, came from humble backgrounds but had a resilient character and felt a deep empathy for the suffering of the common people.

This is the "second tier" that Jiang Lin carefully selected.

If Su Shi and his contemporaries were the "nuclear bombs" used to break the old order and shock the world, then this group of people were the "cornerstones" that Jiang Lin meticulously built for the reform era five years later.

"Today's first lesson will not focus on scriptures or poetry."

Jiang Lin stood in front of the blackboard, holding a pointer in his hand, pointing to a huge map of the Song Dynasty drawn on it.

"I want you to think about a question."

Jiang Lin's gaze swept over these young faces, his voice low and deep:

"If one day the Song Dynasty were to wage war against the Western Xia, and the national treasury were empty and supplies were insufficient, and you were officials of the Ministry of Revenue, what would you do?"

The audience was completely silent.

The new students looked at each other in bewilderment. The books they had read before were all classical Chinese texts; they had never encountered such real-world "major national affairs."

"Tax increase?" a merchant's son asked tentatively.

"stupid!"

Jiang Lin rejected the argument without hesitation, slamming his pointer against the blackboard. "The people are already suffering terribly; further tax increases will only force them to revolt. Zero points."

"Then... borrow from wealthy families?" another student asked in a low voice.

"Borrowing? That's something only beggars do. The court wants 'making money,' not 'taking money.'"

Jiang Lin sighed and turned to look at Su Shi and the other two who were sitting in the corner listening.

"Zizhan, you tell them what vision and perspective truly mean."

Su Shi stood up and straightened his clothes.

After six months of training, his frivolousness has faded considerably, replaced by a convincing confidence and composure.

"If it's a method taught by the master..."

Su Shi walked to the map, pointed to several trade points on the Western Xia border, and began to speak eloquently:

"First, the government issued 'war bonds' in its own name, promising high interest rates to attract idle funds from the public; this was a classic case of 'using borrowed resources to generate future wealth'."

"Secondly, open border trade, exchange silk and tea for Western Xia's warhorses and furs, and then resell them to Liao at high prices, earning the price difference to fund military expenses; this is 'economic checks and balances'."

"Third, we implemented a policy of 'using war to sustain war,' distributing the land of each captured city to meritorious soldiers for cultivation, thus alleviating logistical pressure..."

Su Shi listed three points in one breath, each of which was "unorthodox" yet highly practical and ruthless.

The new students in the audience were stunned.

This...is this something a scholar could come up with?

This is simply... a shrewd businessman! No, it's a profound and practical wisdom!

"Did you understand?"

Jiang Lin nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the shocked expressions on their faces.

"This is the learning of Jingshi Academy. What I want you to learn is not how to write beautiful articles, but how to govern this country, how to ensure the people have enough to eat, and how to make the Song Dynasty stand tall!"

He stepped down from the podium and patted Su Shi on the shoulder:

"From today onwards, Su Shi, Zeng Gong, and Su Zhe will be your 'senior brothers'."

"They are about to go to the capital to take the imperial examination. Before they leave, they will pass on all their skills to you without reservation."

"This is called passing on the torch."

In the days that followed, a strange sight appeared at the academy.

Gone was the tedious memorization; in its place was a lively "practical exercise."

Su Shi was no longer the eccentric scholar who only wrote poetry. He took several lively and quick-witted students to Runzhou Wharf to investigate the drawbacks of the canal transport system, teaching them how to uncover corrupt officials' shady dealings from the account books and how to calculate logistics costs.

Zeng Gong took several calm and composed students to the county government office to observe a trial, teaching them about the loopholes in the Song Dynasty's laws and how to use "procedural justice" to protect the people.

Su Zhe then took Zhou Ming and other poor students to the fields to study water conservancy and irrigation and promote the use of new agricultural tools, and taught them how to calculate yield per mu.

This "mentorship" teaching model has infused the entire academy with unprecedented vitality.

The new students looked at Su Shi and his classmates as if they were gods.

In the process of teaching their teacher and his younger brother, Su Shi and his companions were surprised to find that their understanding of their teacher's theories had become even more profound.

……

As the number of students increased, the original dilapidated courtyard was clearly no longer sufficient.

Fortunately, Qian Duoduo now holds the "sponsorship fees" from various merchants, so he has a lot of leverage.

"Buy it! Buy that wasteland next door too!"

Jiang Lin waved his hand, displaying a somewhat nouveau riche air, "Build a new lecture hall, build new dormitories! We also need to build a library. I've already thought of a name for it: 'Jingshi Pavilion'."

Three months later, a magnificent three-story library rose from the ground.

In an attempt to capitalize on the hype, the prefect of Runzhou personally came to inscribe the plaque.

Watching the gleaming golden plaque of "Jingshi Pavilion" being hung up, Jiang Lin stood downstairs, inwardly sighing:

"The attribute of being an infrastructure powerhouse is indeed engraved in the DNA of every Chinese person."

The Jingshi Academy is now taking shape. Although it cannot yet compare to the Imperial Academy in the capital, it is undoubtedly the "number one academy" in Runzhou.

Late at night, in the study.

Jiang Lin sat alone by the window, stroking the folding fan in his hand.

The moonlight outside the window was like water, reflecting on the newly expanded courtyard, and the sound of reading could be faintly heard coming from the dormitory in the distance.

"gentlemen."

Qian Duoduo slipped in like a ghost, carrying a bowl of bird's nest soup (a gift from a sponsor). "Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

"I can't sleep."

Jiang Lin looked at the northern night sky, where a star shone exceptionally brightly.

"The second echelon is in place, and the base is built."

Jiang Lin murmured to himself, his eyes gradually deepening, "Everything is ready, except for the final push."

"Next year will be the second year of the Jiayou era."

The year known as the "Number One List in History," the year of dazzling stars and epic battles, is finally coming.

"Zizhan, Ziyou, Zigu..."

Jiang Lin silently recited the three names in his heart, a hopeful smile appearing on his lips.

"I've already set up the stage for you."

"Now, let's see if you can put on a show that will shock the world in that bustling city of Bianjing."

"Don't let me down."