novelcrest Chapter 5430 Strange Skills and Ingenious Tricks
Chapter 5430 Strange Skills and Ingenious Tricks
Chapter 5430 Strange Skills and Ingenious Tricks
The long rainy season, which had lasted for almost half a year, finally came to an end. The sky was clear and blue, and the clouds were fluffy. A gentle breeze blew from the sea, dispelling the sweltering heat and humidity. Outside the window, a pond in the courtyard was covered with green lotus leaves, and a banyan tree stood lush and verdant on the white stone-paved bank. The wind rustled the leaves.
Inside the royal study, Fang Jun knelt on a mat by the window, slowly sipping tea as he listened to Li Yun, Xue Yuanchao, Cui Xianyi, Lou Shide, and others discuss various matters concerning the resettlement of farmers and subsequent affairs.
Liu Shenli did not participate in the discussion, but instead respectfully stared at Fang Jun's teacup, occasionally refilling it with water...
He was the Chief Physician, responsible for the royal palace guards, the security of the capital region, and the command of the Jiang Kingdom's army, but he did not participate in political affairs.
Xue Yuanchao was mentioning the current autumn planting: "Fortunately, the Grand Commandant, along with the naval soldiers and the army, has built enough houses to house the people of Hebei. Furthermore, the Queen has adopted many children, relieving the people of their worries. Therefore, the digging of irrigation canals and the reclamation of land are progressing very smoothly and quickly. Autumn planting has already been fully launched on both banks of the Chao Phraya River and will be completed in another ten days. The King's great undertaking will last forever and is just around the corner."
Li Yun smiled broadly, but he tried his best to suppress his pride and said humbly, "I am an ordinary man with no particular strengths. Fortunately, I have the dedicated service of you capable ministers, the wise assistance of my queen, and the unwavering support of the Grand Commandant. Only then have I been able to create such a favorable situation. However, pride comes before a fall. We, as ruler and ministers, should not forget our original aspirations, work together, and strive for even greater achievements!"
"That's exactly right!"
The ministers were quite pleased. Although Li Yun’s “mediocre appearance” was not an exaggeration, he was not “without any merits” either. His “goodness in accepting advice” was a legacy of Emperor Taizong. Moreover, he was broad-minded and dared to delegate power. He could not be called a “wise ruler”, but he was at least somewhat related to a “wise monarch”.
Chief Clerk Lou Shide said, "Now that the people from Hebei have been settled and autumn plowing is about to begin, we need to formulate a plan on how to manage them, especially since it concerns the administrative structure of the Jiang Kingdom. It is time to make a decision."
The group remained somewhat silent.
This topic has been discussed many times, but no consensus has been reached.
The creation of a vassal state from scratch is sometimes as simple as drawing on a blank sheet of paper; whatever you draw is what you get. But other things are as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Building a skyscraper out of thin air is not as easy as just talking.
Is the administrative division a restoration of the prefecture-county system from the pre-Qin period?
Or should we follow the prefecture-county system established at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty?
Or perhaps we could create a new system based on local conditions and starting from scratch?
As for the central government of Jiang State, will it always adhere to the bureaucratic system of the Tang Dynasty's vassal states, or will it emulate the "Three Departments and Six Ministries System" of the Tang Dynasty's central government?
There is no perfect system in the world, so this topic has been discussed many times, but with both advantages and disadvantages and their own reasons, a decision has not yet been reached.
Xue Yuanchao looked at Fang Jun, who was leisurely standing to the side, and asked, "Grand Commandant, could you offer any advice?"
Fang Jun shook his head: "This is the internal affair of Jiang Guo, how can I interfere? Every system has its advantages and disadvantages, and even a good system depends on the central government's ability to implement it. It's not uncommon for good things to turn into bad things. You, the emperor and your ministers, plus my younger sister, can have a good chat. I'm not bragging, but my younger sister is extremely capable in this regard."
He could influence Jiang Guo's national policies behind the scenes, but he would never put on airs as the Grand Commandant of the Tang Dynasty in front of Li Yun.
People are selfish, and even the most open-minded person has inviolable bottom lines. There are some things that Fang Xiaomei can say, but he cannot.
Li Yun recalled the Queen's advice on this matter and said, "The Queen did indeed offer some advice on this matter. She suggested establishing a four-tiered government system of provinces, prefectures, counties, and townships to govern the country, eliminating the three provinces and establishing only six ministries, with the heads of the six ministries reporting directly to the King."
Xue Yuanchao got up, went to his desk, picked up a piece of white paper, and wrote a diagram of the central government and local government structure from top to bottom. After pondering for a while, he nodded and said, "The Queen's advice is indeed brilliant. Jiang Kingdom has limited territory and a small population. If we were to copy the structure of the Tang Dynasty, it would inevitably lead to bloated administration and slow government orders. By eliminating many intermediate links, the central government's control over the local areas is greatly strengthened. I think it is a good idea."
Large countries have their own difficulties, while small countries have their own advantages.
The Tang Dynasty had to rely on a massive bureaucratic system to govern the country, while the Jiang Kingdom could streamline its administration and increase its national strength in a short period of time with high efficiency.
Lou Shide also praised: "In this way, schools can be set up at the township, county, prefecture and province levels respectively."
He looked at Fang Jun: "Grand Commandant, your knowledge of the sciences is unparalleled. You also assisted His Highness Prince Wei in establishing the 'Cultural Revitalization Association,' making outstanding contributions to the education of the Tang Dynasty. May I ask the Grand Commandant to offer some advice on the education system of Jiang Kingdom?"
He also knew that Fang Jun was unwilling to get involved in Chiang Kai-shek's domestic politics, but the education system was different from the rest of the official structure. Given Fang Jun's titles and status such as "proficient in both poetry and prose", "a contemporary master of calligraphy" and "the foremost person in the study of things", it was only natural for him to make suggestions to Chiang Kai-shek's education system.
Fang Jun pondered for a moment, then this time did not refuse: "Since Your Majesty intends to promote the 'study of things' in Jiang Kingdom to temporarily replace the study of classics, why not simply find a different path from the old ways? In my opinion, the central government can fund the establishment of a 'public school' to teach students throughout the land, with all expenses borne by the central government. Students will only need to pay for their own books, and a 'scholarship' system can be established to encourage them, enhance their enthusiasm for learning, and further boost Your Majesty's reputation and prestige."
Lou Shide hesitated: "While this would certainly have many advantages, it would also put enormous pressure on the central government's finances."
In the early days of the vassal state, all systems were incomplete, especially the tax system, which required persistent promotion to see initial results. If such a huge amount of money were to be spent on education, the national treasury would likely be stretched thin.
Fang Jun smiled and said, "What the registrar said is very true. It was my oversight... Since the national treasury cannot afford it, how about letting the Queen use her private funds to manage this matter? As you all know, the Queen's family gave her a lot of dowry when she got married. Not to mention the value of those things, the annual interest alone is an extremely high figure. After the Queen and the King got married, they went to the ocean to establish their own kingdom. The two of them started from scratch and worked hard. They should naturally work together and share both honor and disgrace. Using private funds to run education will not affect national policies or court laws, and it will also demonstrate the bond between husband and wife. It is truly the best of both worlds."
"This……"
Li Yun hesitated and was in a dilemma.
He didn't care whether the Queen would take this opportunity to win over all the scholars in Chiang Kingdom or whether she would gain great influence among them. What he cared about was whether the King of Chiang Kingdom, a proud man, would actually have to spend his wife's dowry money to supplement the country.
That's a bit embarrassing.
Xue Yuanchao, however, knew Fang Jun's thoughts and echoed, "The Grand Commandant's words are reasonable. Since husband and wife are one and share honor and disgrace, why distinguish between them? The country is newly established and naturally faces many hardships. If the Queen can be considerate of the King and willing to share the burden of national affairs, it will be a blessing for the Jiang Kingdom."
Seeing Li Yun's troubled expression, Cui Xian asked, "Does Your Majesty have any concerns?"
Li Yun remained silent.
If he agrees, it will be embarrassing and he will be ridiculed; if he disagrees, he will hurt the Queen's feelings. They have said that husband and wife are one, but he is hesitant and cares about his reputation. Isn't that being unreasonable and narrow-minded?
After hesitating for a while, he sighed softly, "Then I will heed the Grand Commandant's words and go back to talk to the Queen about it."
He made up his mind that he would treat the Queen even better from now on...
Fang Jun readily agreed, "My younger sister is always sensible and will certainly grant my request."
He continued, "Now that this matter has been settled, I have another suggestion... The Queen, while funding the education, also represents the central government. All schools can be called 'public schools,' with each level of 'public school' divided according to administrative rank, using a promotion system: 'village school,' 'county school,' and 'prefecture school.' The subjects offered will vary in difficulty, progressing step by step, and students will be promoted based on their grades. A 'university' will be established in the central government, selecting the most outstanding students from the 'prefecture schools.' This university will not only teach the highest level of knowledge but also be responsible for knowledge research and technological development..."
He paused here, looked around at everyone, and said solemnly, “Don’t be blinded by the stubbornness of those pedantic scholars who spout nonsense like ‘strange skills and frivolous crafts corrupt the mind, and selling good and bad goods for profit.’ Every major social change throughout history has been accompanied by technological progress. Whether it was the Zhenguan plow, the waterwheel, or even firearms, cannons, metallurgy, shipbuilding… each of them brought about earth-shattering changes to the empire. How can we condemn them so harshly because of a single word like ‘strange skills and frivolous crafts’? Taking the classics as the foundation and using technology as a tool is the true way to rule.”
Throughout history, "technology" has been rejected and suppressed on the land of China, condemned as "strange skills and frivolous tricks," regarded as demons, and avoided at all costs.
There are many reasons for this situation, but the most fundamental reason is that technological improvements and inventions promote social change.
Classical texts can stabilize people's hearts, and knowledge will not shake the state, but technology will.
After Confucianism self-castrated itself, pandered to the ways of kings and hegemons, and dismissed all other schools of thought, the ruling class, from top to bottom, feared nothing more than the word "change." They wanted to raise the people like cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs, to work according to their wishes, and to produce value to support them. In their eyes, the people were merely tools to produce surplus value, nothing more.
This has been true in every dynasty.
In Fang Jun's eyes, whether it is the mighty and domineering Qin Dynasty that swept across the six kingdoms, the Han Dynasty that pursued the fleeing enemy and sealed the wolf's lair, or the prosperous and flourishing Tang Dynasty that swept across the world, they are all nothing more than "trolls" that grovel on the flesh and blood of the people.
Later generations admire their great achievements, but have never thought about how they created these achievements.
They never even considered whether the common people of that era would be willing to offer their own flesh and blood to support those emperors and generals.
The word "people" only had true meaning in that era when red flags were flying high.