flstandardbreds Chapter 169 Guan Xing's Grand Goal
Chapter 169 Guan Xing's Grand Goal
The observation and learning on the parade ground is still ongoing. Tens of thousands of people queuing up to observe is a huge undertaking that cannot be completed in a short time.
This isn't a collective charge, but rather a procession of villages lining up to observe; it's normal for it to take time. Besides, there's nothing much going on lately, so let's take it slow and not rush it.
They weren't in a hurry, but the new recruits squatting on the ground writing were very anxious. After several hours, their hands were sore and their legs were numb. They really couldn't hold on any longer and could only wail in their hearts: "Can you guys hurry up? It's just a matter of taking a few glances. Is it necessary to dawdle like a snail? Are we shopping?"
Meng Jun was also struggling to keep going. Due to the military order that he could only write and not make a sound, he dared not move or make a sound. However, he knew that this was not a solution. After thinking for a moment, he decisively threw his chopsticks aside, then changed from squatting to sitting, and sat cross-legged on the ground to wait for the observation to end.
At the same time, he gestured to the soldiers next to him, indicating that they should also sit down and rest. The soldiers followed suit, stopping writing and moving their sore and numb legs in small movements.
The boxes are already full, so it's perfectly acceptable not to write anything more. You can take your time to read them.
This continued for nearly three hours, until everyone's stomachs were growling with hunger before the observation ended and they began to line up for food.
During the meal, Wang Fu ordered someone to spread a message that starting tomorrow morning, the Jianye garrison would sing and write together with Guan Xing's army, and would be even more diligent than Guan Xing's army in order to catch up on the progress they had fallen behind.
The news stunned the Jianye garrison. Their gazes toward Guan Xing's army grew increasingly hostile, and even their expressions turned gritted with malice.
Damn it, I thought it was a competitor coming, but it turned out to be the King of Scrolls. He's going to rip them off!
Will we be able to live like this from now on?
Wang Fu ignored this and, after spreading the word to the Jianye garrison to prepare themselves, rushed to Guan Xing's residence to seek his advice.
He has now discovered that Guan Xing's thought process is different from that of normal people. He can always come up with some ingenious ideas from time to time, which can turn stones into gold. If they can learn all these ingenious ideas and put them into practice, it will make their subsequent work twice as effective.
To put it bluntly, Wang Fu is a capable official with strong execution skills. Give him a clear direction, and he can do things almost perfectly, but without a direction, he will be completely lost.
Wang Fu sought Guan Xing's advice because he was looking for direction and needed Guan Xing to teach him how to proceed.
Wang Fu rode a fast horse to the Guan residence. As soon as he arrived at the gate, he saw Guan Xing and Zhou Xun coming out together. Zhou Xun then mounted his horse and left. Guan Xing waved to Zhou Xun's back and said, "Take care, brother. See you tonight."
After saying this, he prepared to enter the mansion, but as he turned around, he saw Wang Fu rushing towards him. He quickly greeted him with a warm smile, "Officer Wang, you've come to see me?"
Instead of answering, Wang Fu asked, "What's going on between you and Young Master Zhou...?"
Guan Xing laughed and said, "He invited me to his house for a dinner tonight, saying it would help strengthen our brotherly bond. After all, we're half-brothers now, and it wouldn't be good to keep things awkward like before, wouldn't you agree?"
"Uh..." Wang Fu understood; this was an invitation for him to meet Sun Luyu at the Zhou residence.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Guan Xing will be able to meet his fiancée that evening.
The entire Jianye district knows about Guan Xing's marriage to Sun Luyu, except for the groom, Guan Xing, which is quite funny.
Wang Fu smiled and said, "There's still some time before it gets dark, why don't we chat?"
Guan Xing said, "Let's go into the hall and talk. There are still some leftovers from what Zhou Xun and I ate on the table. Let's eat and talk."
Wang Fu: "..."
How dare you ask me to eat leftovers?
He had initially felt guilty about concealing Guan Xing's marriage, but now he felt at ease.
The two walked into the hall side by side and sat down. Wang Fu went straight to the point: "Young General, it's like this..."
After hearing the story, Guan Xing was speechless. Who said the ancients were stupid? Weren't they quite shrewd?
The Han Dynasty was well aware of the importance of education and the dangers of knowledge being concentrated in the hands of a few. Therefore, since its founding, it has been establishing schools and promoting education, attempting to dilute the proportion of the aristocratic class in the education sector by cultivating more scholars. After all, the more scholars there are, the more choices the court will have.
In view of this, the Han Dynasty has always been very open-minded in education. Even Empress Dowager Deng Sui, who was known as the crown empress, founded a girls' school and established the "Yuanchu Academy", which pioneered the co-education of boys and girls.
That's right, co-education wasn't a new phenomenon; it existed during the reign of Empress Dowager Deng Sui, but it wasn't sustained.
With such an open-minded predecessor, it's no surprise that successors like Guan Yu and Wang Fu wouldn't be bound by convention.
After understanding the whole story, Guan Xing said with a heavy heart, "Uncle Wang, you don't know this, but when we were in Wushang, there was no one we could use. We couldn't find any suitable people to do anything, so we had the idea of establishing a school to train people ourselves."
"I originally planned to establish the Han Army Martial Arts Academy and select 1,800 people to be taught together, but as you know, Wushang is in dire straits. They have nothing and are so poor they're practically urinating blood. I couldn't even find a classroom to teach the students, so I did whatever saved money I could."
"As for the future, I plan to divide the school into three levels: primary school, middle school, and university. Currently, those who draw on the ground with chopsticks are considered primary school students. Primary school students will have a monthly exam, a term exam every six months, and an entrance exam every three years. Those who pass the exam will be promoted to middle school."
"High school students also take exams, and after three years they will be admitted to university to continue their studies. That's all for now; we haven't thought about the rest yet."
"Schools are both sacred places of education and sieves for selection. They select outstanding talents through examinations to continue their education. As for those who really can't learn, there's no use keeping them in school. It's better to let them go back to society and do something else."
There's something Guan Xing didn't say: he planned to lead the Han Dynasty into the industrial age. To enter the industrial age, factories had to be built, and factories required a large number of workers. Workers are different from farmers; they need a certain level of knowledge, at least a primary school diploma.
Bringing the Han Dynasty into the industrial age is a time-consuming and laborious task, and it may be difficult to see results in the short term, but Guan Xing is not afraid. He has plenty of time, and he has initially set a time limit of thirty years for himself.
Although the original owner of this body died young, he drank Old Man Cheng's medicine for so long, so he shouldn't have died as young as the original owner, right?
He doesn't need to live to be a hundred; living to sixty is enough.
Although he spoke casually and reservedly, Wang Fu listened with shining eyes and excitedly said, "Elementary school, middle school, and university—dividing education into three levels, allowing those who are suited to study to continue their education and those who are not to return to society—this is indeed a good idea."
"Moreover, even mediocre people released into society who have studied for a few years can be considered literate. Even if they return to their hometowns to farm, they will be much better off than their illiterate parents."
"Young General, this is a matter of great benefit for generations to come, and it is definitely worth a try. I will select a residence to establish a school. Wait for my good news."
The environment in Jianye is much better than that in Wushang. You should know that most of the Jiangdong gentry followed Lü Meng to Jingzhou. Although they left, they did not take their mansions and estates with them. These mansions and estates can serve as temporary schools, so that students will not be left without a classroom.
Moreover, Wang Fu was not short of funds for running the school; the Jiangdong gentry had left behind too much wealth, which was more than enough for the short term.
With the conditions in place, it was natural to roll up one's sleeves and get to work, because for Wang Fu, the benefits of succeeding in this matter would be immense.
Firstly, they can cultivate countless disciples, and when they meet Liu Bei in the future, they can be promoted three ranks based on this merit, or even enter the central government.
Secondly, when the day comes that my students are all over the world, I will probably become a sage and teacher like Confucius, and be revered by future generations.
While the goal of Confucius being the most revered teacher is somewhat distant, it is still possible that he will be honored as the founder of education and that a temple will be built to worship him.
Why wouldn't you do something that brings both fame and fortune, where you can get promoted, make a fortune, and be admired by future generations?