Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 668 Education Reform Act

The reason why Fan Ning wants to bring over the education reform bill is also a compromise he reached with Wang Anshi. He can support the education reform plan, but the condition is that the education reform plan must be led by him. Xu took a class on how to carry out the reform. It is better to do it yourself than to say it a thousand times.

At noon the next day, the headlines on the front pages of newspapers such as "Letter", "Express", "Military Daily", and "Tokyo Herald" were an article written by Fan Ning under his real name, "On Powering the Nation and Despising Confucianism".

He pointed out in the article that emphasizing Confucianism is the foundation of a scholar's self-cultivation. In the stage of elementary school and school, Confucianism can be used to enlighten children and educate them to behave in the world.

But when it comes to the county school stage, it is not necessary for everyone to take the imperial examination. Millions of scholars go to the imperial examination together. How many people's years are wasted, how many talents are wasted, and how much burden it brings to the court and various families. .

He advocated the division of education at the prefecture and county level. Schools such as medicine, agriculture, mathematics, martial arts, engineering, calligraphy and painting can be set up, so that many students who are unable to participate in the imperial examination competition but are eager to learn a skill have more choices. .

In the article, he also pointed out the social development after the imperial court abolished the craftsman's registration, and cited many examples, such as the invention of the iron fire mine that shocked the enemy, the steam engine, the new type of textile machine, the corn, the pumpkin, and the Cotton cloth has entered thousands of households, making pork appear on the tables of more people, making it possible to travel to and from Luzon in ten days, making spices no longer a luxury, but a powerful country and a rich people.

In the article, Fan Ning declaratively put forward the slogan of "a single branch is not spring, a hundred flowers bloom together and spring is full of spring".

Fan Ning's article was like a stone stirring up thousands of waves, and it aroused fierce repercussions in the capital, with both supporters and opponents.

The next day, the tabloid also published a real-name article by Fan Zhen, a Hanlin scholar and minister of rites, on the headline of the front page, "refuting the theory of strengthening the country and despising Confucianism".

Fan Zhen is a very famous Confucian in the court. In his article, Fan Zhen severely criticized Fan Ning's contempt for Confucianism, pointing out that Confucianism was the foundation of the Song Dynasty and the foundation of the scholars, and he spent a lifetime learning endlessly. How can it be possible to understand righteousness in just ten years?
The population of the Great Song Dynasty was tens of millions, and there were only a million Confucian scholars. All kinds of technical ingenuities were studied by craftsmen, so what is the business with scholars?The way of a scholar is not just a way of the imperial examination. Even if you fail the imperial examination, you should continue to study Confucianism and tirelessly throughout your life. How can you be tempted by Gou Li to abandon the correct way of Confucianism and learn heresy?
On the third day, Zhizhigao Zengbu also published a real-name article, again refuting Fan Zhen's Confucianism.

He pointed out in the article that although not everyone in the Song Dynasty was a scholar, the scholars were the elites of the Song Dynasty who controlled the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty. Learning to work must be better than learning from a hundred craftsmen.

At the same time, he pointed out that there are very few people who pass the imperial examinations, and the vast majority of scholars are wasting years and years of preparing for the exams, turning their heads in vain, but achieving nothing. Instead of wasting their youth, it is better to devote themselves to farming and technology to serve the country .

Zeng Bu finally caught the loopholes in Fan Zhen's article, pointing out that the country is based on the people, and the people depend on food. Agriculture and mulberry are the foundation of the country and the way to prosper the country. How can one despise it as heresy.

Fan Ning then published an article based on Ying and Zeng Bu's articles. He used iron fire mines and steam engines as examples, pointing out the difference between craftsmen learning craftsmanship and scholars learning craftsmanship. Firearms craftsmen have been studying iron fire mines for decades without success. Scholars studied the root of its technology, learned by analogy, and succeeded overnight. Although craftsmen were good at making steam engines, it was scholars who invented steam engines. Craftsmen knew it, but scholars knew why.

Craftsmen can only improve and repair steam engines, but scholars can create steam engines.

Fan Ning finally pointed out that scholars are good at brains, and they learn engineering and agriculture for the purpose of creation, while craftsmen are good at crafts, and learn engineering and agriculture for the purpose of manufacturing. The two are not the same thing.

The establishment of various schools is also to cultivate more outstanding talents who are good at creativity. They can also serve as technical officials, leave their names in history, and become the pillars of the Song Dynasty. Educational reform is by no means a reform just to train craftsmen.

Soon Shen Kuo and Su Song also published real-name articles, supporting Fan Ning's view of building a country with Confucianism and strengthening the country with technology.

One after another real-named articles were published in newspapers, expressing their opinions, and debated with each other, but the truth became clearer and clearer. More and more ministers supported the education reform, especially young officials and young scholars criticized the current education system. Narrow and biased.

On the tenth day, ten newspapers including "Letter", "Express", and "Tokyo Herald" conducted a public opinion survey among officials and scholars, and the results showed that [-]% of officials and scholars supported the education reform.

This morning, as soon as Fan Ning came to the official room, Sima Guang rushed in angrily, and said very dissatisfied: "I want to ask Fan Gong to express his attitude. Are you a supporter of the reform or an opponent?"

Fan Ning smiled faintly, "Why did Sima Gong say that?"

Sima Guang said angrily: "The education reform law will shake the status of Confucianism, confuse people's hearts, and is not conducive to the long-term stability of the court. This is the consensus of everyone before, so the education reform law was voted down three times. Many officials and scholars who don't know the truth support the education reform law. I don't understand. Fan Xianggong also opposed the Young Crop Law and the Baojia Law before. Why did Fan Xianggong pay more attention to profit, so that Fan Xianggong changed his position and changed his original intention?"

Sima Guang's groundless accusations made Fan Ning very dissatisfied. He restrained his emotions and said calmly: "My attitude is consistent. I am neither a reformer nor a conservative, but a reformer. I am a reformer. The previous resolute opposition to the Baojia Law and the Young Crop Law was not to oppose Wang Xianggong's reform itself, but to oppose his reform methods and methods, which were too extreme."

Sima Guang said coldly: "From ancient times to the present, it is not feasible to go in the middle. I hope Fan Xianggong can understand this."

"Mr. Sima's statement is absurd!"

Fan Ning counterattacked sharply: "Up to now, I have only seen that Sima Xianggong opposes for the sake of opposition. He is not right to people. As long as he sees what Wang Xianggong introduced, he will knock it down with a stick, and he does not look at the content of the reform he introduced. What is it? It's either black or white, it's not opposing political reforms, it's provoking factional struggles in the imperial court, what's the difference between the Niu Party and the Li Party?"

"you"

Sima Guang was extremely annoyed, Fan Ning spoke too much, and even compared himself to Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin, who were disastrous to the country and the people.

"Since you refuse to listen to your persuasion, then you and I have nothing to say!"

Sima Guang snorted heavily, turned and left.

Fan Ning also knew that his criticism was a bit too much, but Sima Guang's black and white attitude really disgusted him. Sima Guang didn't recognize his reformist at all.

At noon the next day, Sima Guang's blockbuster article, "Duplicity is the root of the country's disaster," was published again in "Tabolo".

In the article, Sima Guang severely criticized some important ministers without naming names. They claimed to be reformers, but they were both right and left, and they had no position of their own.

Sima Guang's article once again caused an uproar in the government and the public. Everyone knew that Sima Guang was judging Fan Ning, which meant that Fan Ning and Sima Guang had turned against each other on the education reform plan.

Regarding Sima Guang's criticism, Fan Ning remained silent. Two days later, Shen Liang, a household doctor, published an article under his real name in "Eshort News", "Is it reform or party struggle?"

The article sharply criticizes some important ministers who are keen on factional struggles under the pretext of opposing the reform. They don't care whether the content of the reform is beneficial to the country or the people.

This kind of factional struggle will only split the court, seriously affect the decision-making of the court, and affect the livelihood of the people.

He called on reformers and conservatives to give up factional struggles and pay attention to the content of the reform, to accept good things, to revise inappropriate things, and to oppose bad things. This is the correct way of reform and reform.

This article is a public slap in the face of Sima Guang, and the target is directed at Sima Guang.

In the living room, Sima Guang paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, Shen Liang's article made him extremely annoyed.

At this time, an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs came in and put a thick stack of files on Sima Guang's desk, "Here are all the documents that Xianggong needs."

The dossier was full of Shen Liang's resume and information. He glanced at Shen Liang's hometown and snorted, "As expected, he is Fan Ning's accomplice!"

He flipped through it for a while, then stopped suddenly.

"His grandfather died last year?"

Officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs nodded, "Passed away last fall."

"Then why didn't Ding You resign?"

"He just became a doctor in the household department last year, so he applied to stay in the job, and the official department also agreed, so there is no Ding You."

Sima Guang flipped through it again, and returned the dossier to the official, "Go! I understand."

The officials saluted and left. Sima Guang immediately sent someone to find Yushi Chen Ji, and said to him: "Shen Liang, the household doctor, died of illness last year. He is greedy for official positions and refuses to return to his hometown. He is really unfilial and can be impeached." !"

(End of this chapter)