The Six Arts of the Gentleman in the Bright Moon of Qin Dynasty

Chapter 913: Establishing a Rural School [Subscription*Monthly Ticket Request]

"How does An Qixiang think he can completely change this situation?"

Yan Yan was a little angry, but his anger was not directed at anyone.

Even though they had tried every possible means, including repairing houses and roads before the arrival of winter and providing each village with fuel and supplies for the winter, natural disasters still came, which were ultimately beyond human control.

An Qisheng looked at his emperor and sighed. Not to mention the grasslands, even in the Central Plains of China, many people froze to death in the winter. Bingzhou had done well enough.

"Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the cuckoo?" An Qisheng was very pleased to have such a benevolent emperor, but some things and some people are not worth saving!
Yan Yan frowned, it seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a moment.

"After autumn, most birds will choose to fly south to avoid the winter, and are called migratory birds, such as wild geese. Some small birds, such as magpies and cuckoos, do not have the ability to fly south for the winter."

"But there are also differences among birds that do not migrate to avoid the winter."

"Magpies are constantly busy before winter, collecting food for the winter and building warm nests to avoid the cold. But the cuckoo is different. They don't store food for the winter, they just eat from day to day, and they don't build or look for nests to avoid the cold."

"When the heavy snow comes, the magpies can hide in their own warm nests and eat the food they have stored for the winter until the spring comes."

"The winter horn bird can only wail in the wind and snow, and eventually dies in the cold winter, hence the name winter horn bird."

An Qisheng told the story in a leisurely manner, talking about two kinds of birds, but he was also talking about people.

Bingzhou does not support idlers. Similarly, as long as you are willing to work hard, even if you are disabled, as long as you are strong-willed, Bingzhou will give you a suitable job to create value, and at least ensure that you will not lack warm clothes and food in winter.

But laziness is also one of the biggest weaknesses of human nature.

There is never a shortage of people who just want to get by, and there is even less shortage of lazy scoundrels.

The so-called snow disaster, except for the truly accidental snow disaster, only a small number of people could freeze to death in such a generous environment in Bingzhou.

It is impossible for the government to provide free assistance to these lazy people and those who just get by. This is unfair to other people who are working hard to make a living!
If the government insists on rescuing people, it will only make those who are working hard become lazy.

It takes three years to learn good things and three days to learn bad things.

Listening to An Qisheng's teachings, Yan Yan also realized that he was too demanding.

Some people are truly hopeless.

Bingzhou has done their best. Don’t those people know how cruel the winter on the grassland is?
They knew it, but they were still unwilling to do it, thinking that Bingzhou would provide them with shelter, cold-weather supplies and food for the winter free of charge, just like when they first arrived.

But they forgot that Bingzhou had to borrow money as a whole country and constantly borrow grain from Qin, Yan, Qi, Chu and other princes to ensure stability in winter, and these had to be repaid.

"This is human nature. Your Majesty does not need to be distracted by such people." An Qisheng seemed very indifferent.

The natural selection in nature is the survival of the fittest. Humans are just good at using tools and working hard to create, so they can become the leaders of all creatures.

But some people are unwilling to work hard, and they will only be eliminated by nature.

“Let the garrisons in all places be prepared. Rescue those who need to be rescued, and let the others fend for themselves!” Yan Yan sighed.

He would never put Bingzhou's elite troops in danger for some unambitious scum.

"Yes!" An Qisheng bowed. "By the way, have you found any seedlings worth cultivating this year?" Yan Yan continued to ask.

An Qisheng silently took out a bamboo slip from his sleeve, on which were recorded names one by one.

Yan Yan took out the bamboo slips and began to read them carefully, while An Qisheng stopped talking and waited quietly for Yan Yan to finish reading.

But the more Yan Yan looked, the more his brows furrowed. In the end, he simply stopped looking and looked up at An Qisheng, hoping that An Qisheng could give him a satisfactory answer.

"Your Majesty has discovered that these people are all foreign scholars!" An Qisheng looked at Yan Yan nervously and told him the origins of the names on the list.

"The people of Bingzhou fought for the empire, but they let outsiders reap the benefits and manage the people of Bingzhou. I am your prime minister, my good prime minister. Is this reasonable?" Yan Yan asked in a cold voice.

"Governing a place requires people who are good at governing. It is different from marching and fighting. Such people must at least be well-read, and even have someone in their family who has served as a senior official. Otherwise, it will be very difficult!" An Qisheng had no other choice.

When marching and fighting, bravery is enough. Bingzhou also has the Gaoquesai Military Academy for these generals to study and train.

But governing is different. Governing requires knowledge from all schools of thought, the ability to manage, the ability to adapt to local conditions, and at least literacy.

"The founding of Bingzhou was too short, and it was founded on the grassland," An Qisheng continued.

If Bingzhou had local talents available, he would not have employed so many foreign scholars.

But Bingzhou did not have that. Before the establishment of Bingzhou, these people were still nomads on the grasslands, let alone reading and writing.

Even in the Central Plains of China, there are very few people who are qualified to read and write.

"Your Majesty, do you know how much money and grain it takes to train a full-time learner?" An Qisheng asked in return.

Yan Yan was silent. He knew this very well.

Just like him, if he had not been adopted by Yushan Academy but was only adopted by an ordinary farmer, he might never have had the chance to come into contact with writing and classics in this life.

Even the school that adopted him was not Yushan Academy, but just an ordinary private school, so it was difficult for him to access the vast classics of various schools of thought.

Although they carried out extensive education in Bingzhou, very few people were able to complete full-time study. It would be difficult to complete without at least one or two generations.

"This is what I am going to say next!" An Qisheng continued.

"I plan to establish township schools in various parts of Bingzhou, funded by the national treasury. All children of appropriate age must attend township schools, and those with excellent grades will continue their studies in county schools and prefecture academies. At the same time, I will build a higher education institution in the royal city that is unique to Bingzhou and comparable to the Jixia Academy, the Daqin Academy, and the Xihe Academy."

"Unlike Gaoquesai Military Academy, which specializes in training soldiers, this academy collects classics from hundreds of schools of thought and promotes their learning, with an emphasis on training talents for governing."

Yan Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. The Jixia Academy and the Xihe Academy were already on the decline, and the Daqin Academy was established by the Qin State, which destroyed the six kingdoms. Many of the scholars were themselves aristocrats of the six kingdoms, and therefore did not recognize the status of the Daqin Academy.

On the contrary, Bingzhou has no grudges against these masters who are good at teaching and educating people. If Bingzhou builds such an academy, it may really become the most lively top academy in the world.

It’s just... Damn, it costs money!
Bingzhou was poor, extremely poor.

Not to mention this academy, even the cost of opening local schools and enrolling all children of school age is an astronomical figure.

(End of this chapter)