A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 776 Confucianism and Inspectors

Those who can be the governor of a town are not ordinary people. Some time ago, Zhu Zhifeng was blinded by anger, but when he calmed down, he was able to objectively analyze the success of Xuanfu Town.

At this time, talking about each item shows the demeanor of a governor of a town.

Li Banghua also nodded, and he said: "There is a saying in Zhou Rites. In the Zhou Dynasty, the five families were compared, the five ratios were lords, the fourth lords were clans, the five clans were parties, the five parties were states, and the five prefectures were townships. Luxu, family teachers, governors, and township officials ruled them. Those who have been ruled from top to bottom have no more than five people. The country has only one official and several officials to govern tens of thousands of households in prefectures and counties. It is indeed too careless. Having to rely on the gentry is the reason for the financial corruption of the Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, the Marquis of Yongning is meticulous and meticulous in his work, which is quite ancient."

The two talked to each other, and slowly changed the view of the redundant officials in Xuanfu Town, thinking that this is one of the secrets of Xuanzhen's local finances.

It is also because the tax collection is several times higher than that of the Ming Dynasty, even if it supports a much larger number of officials than the rest of the Ming Dynasty, it is more than enough to just walk around in the courtyard.

Li Banghua's expression turned serious: "The more terrifying thing is the strength of the official school here!"

Learning and teaching in the Ming Dynasty, like previous dynasties, is of course divided into official learning and private learning. "Learning in the government" is something that the rulers of all dynasties valued, and the Ming Dynasty was no exception.

However, due to financial resources at this time, education is very important. However, the number of granary students supported by the government is no more than 40 students from government schools, 30 students from state schools, and 20 students from county schools. .

The rest, Zengguang students, epiphytes, etc., belong to the people who sent to school, so they have to prepare their own food and clothing.

This is still a student, that is, a scholar, and Tongsheng is naturally an object of self-survival. On the other hand, in Xuanfu Town, not to mention scholars, Tongsheng is all raised by the government.

Li Banghua said in a deep voice: "Why are all the students who have read the books of sages and sages become the pests of the country after they become officials? It's not easy!"

He said: "In the imperial examination system of the country, if you want to win the imperial examination, scholars must have made decades of merit. Such a family has worked hard to provide for them, and the family has worked hard to train them. After going through all kinds of hardships, they can become officials. Naturally, I am grateful to myself. Family and family, court desire and service? It’s just a joke!”

As the censor of Zuodu, Li Banghua knew this matter well. Now that he is asked to choose, whether it is the family or the country, he has to fight fiercely, so why talk about others?

He said: "Furthermore, studying is expensive and costs a lot. After decades, wealthy families often go bankrupt. After such an official post, the first priority is to recover what they have spent in the past, and expect them to serve the court. It's just a dream."

He sighed: "Nowadays, the official education is weak, and the private education is great. Scholars are supported by all parties to become officials. Naturally, they have to serve their masters, and they have become a vessel for party struggle."

Therefore, Li Banghua admired the official school in Xuanfu Town very much, the only thing he highly praised was that he did not criticize him at all.

After all, the cost of studying is too high. An ordinary family, let alone cultivate a scholar. Now that this burden is all filled by the government, students can study with peace of mind, and they are more willing to serve the government.

There is also the soft mouth of cannibals, including the short-handedness of others, being supported by the government, and not repaying favors is disloyalty and unrighteousness.

For the common people, they are naturally very willing. One is to study. At this time, the status is very high, and scholars are always respected by others.

Second, don’t spend money on your own. This is the most important point. There is no burden in the family, so you can let your children go to school with peace of mind. In the past, only the children of the old man’s family could study, and everyone envied them. willing?
Third, there is another point, which is the hidden language that many people do not express in their hearts.

After reaching the upper grades of elementary school, many boys in the family have grown up to fourteen, five years old, and 16 years old. Don't want to let your son go to school?

The labor problem that many people worry about does not exist. After all, schools have holidays every Friday and October. There are six days off in January, and they can go home to help on weekdays.

During the busy season of farming, the school will also organize activities called "work-study programs". They often go to farms, factories and other places to visit or help.

According to Wang Dou, this is called "the combination of theory and practice!" Li Banghua also thinks that this approach is very good, allowing students to do more practical work, so as not to make a group of nerds when they are not working hard and not distinguishing five grains.

He also appreciates that there are only three chances for the students who fail the exam to be selected for the scholar, and for the scholar who failed the exam to be admitted for the exam.

Not to mention that Fan Jin in "The Scholars" is a tragedy, and Xie Qizuo, the oldest candidate in the Qing Dynasty, who was only elected at the age of 98, is even more tragic and meaningless.

However, according to the regulations of Xuanfu Township, those who failed the exam three times in a row, failed to enter middle school, and failed to become a scholar, were generally only around 20 years old, still young, and just in time to find a job to support themselves and their families.

In order not to leave any hope, the test will not stop until the age of 80.

A scholar who took the exam three times in a row, failed to pass the exam, and failed to enter a university. He was only 23 or [-] years old, and he was still young.

Sometimes they can take the exam while serving as officials, and they are more leisurely. After three times, they just broke this idea and concentrate on being their own officials. Slowly climbing up from the staff is also a way out.

This also prevents them from turning resentment into hatred. It is just right to take the exam for three years. After 30 years of exams, many scholars will have a strong desire to retaliate against society, just like Niu Jinxing and others.

Scholars who have always been down and out are also the main force of literati in civil rebellion, and Hong Xiuquan is one of them.

In the end, those who can be admitted to the university are all excellent in character and learning, and have a firm will.If they can graduate, they will be Jinshi after receiving their graduation certificates. They will be regarded as outstanding students, and they will be directly awarded the rank of cavalry captain, or enjoy the treatment of a regular department.

Those who cannot graduate have no chance to retake the exam. They are just a certificate of completion, which is still considered as a juror.They will serve as a chief officer as an ordinary student, and enjoy the treatment of the rank of sergeant or deputy department.

Those who entered the same university, who is worse than whom?Who doesn't want to get better grades and enjoy higher job benefits?And there is only one chance, and they are forced to work hard, not to say that they can sit back and relax after going to college.

These proud sons of heaven, if all goes well, they will rise up step by step from childhood, and they will usually be 23 or [-] years old after graduation, which is a good time to serve the country.

Li Banghua was full of praise for this kind of age limit, and he even believed that the official school in Xuanfu Town recruited all the elites.Some private schools among the people can only win over students at the child level, and they do not pose a threat to the government, but instead become a supplement.

It's not like the Jinshi-level students in various places in Ming Dynasty, who are mostly funded by the family business academies. After they came out to serve as officials, of course they became the pawns of various interest groups and the tools of party struggles in various places.

And even for Tongsheng, Xuanfu Town also has a lot of opportunities, not to mention the folk technical schools in various districts, the government has also set up full-time technical schools in each district, and anyone can enter the school to learn a skill.

Now everywhere in Xuanfu Town, no matter the government or the private sector, they are still vigorously building "adult primary schools". Children who have obtained primary school diplomas are invited to be teachers one after another. adults.

There are also children who stay in the school to teach after graduation.

"Knowledge is power and wealth!"

What General Wang Dou said was more and more recognized by everyone.

Indeed, the role of knowledge is becoming more and more important in Xuanfu Town. If you don't want to do coolies, you should learn more.Therefore, many workers and peasant households have entered adult primary schools to study in their free time, striving to get a graduation certificate.

Li Banghua said to Zhu Zhifeng a little excitedly: "This is the direction of my Ming Dynasty's scientific research reform in the future!"

Of course, what Xuanfu Town did was to invest too much in education. How should the imperial court finance it?

Feng Jiu of Zhu Zhi was in Xuanfu Town, of course he knew about it, he said: "Mr. Li doesn't know something. In addition to the investment from the government, there is actually a lot of donations from the people. According to the estimates of the officials, it may almost reach half of the school's funding!"

According to what he said, there are several levels of household registration in Xuanfu Township. Generally, except for Tunpu, those who want to get a green book may take one or two years.However, if you donate a large amount of money to the Department of Education, shelters, orphan camps, etc., you will not only get a title, but you can also mention it on your household registration.

Moreover, in Xuanfu Town, the higher the level, the higher the level, and all kinds of industries that are in short supply and making money can be given priority to participate in, so donations of money and materials from all walks of life are very common.

If you study well, you will become an official. Many people agree that more scholars will be cultivated in the local area. For example, Baoan Prefecture, where donations are the most popular. The officers, generals and soldiers who come out of the state donate money every year. A lot of money was spent on local education.

That's why there are five middle schools on East Road, and three schools in Baoanzhou, because the local government has donated too much money, and the local government of Baoanzhou runs the best schools in the town.

Li Banghua frowned. He didn't have a good impression of Baoan Prefecture. He said lightly, "So, the military and political power in Xuanzhen is not monopolized by the Baoan Prefecture?"

Zhu Zhifeng shook his head: "There is no way, who will make the people of Baoanzhou the richest and the most generous?"

However, he said that the rest of the East Road, as well as various roads in Xuanfu Town, were also aware of this situation and rushed to catch up.Many wealthy households and rich men in Yanqing Prefecture who had immigrated to Huailai City, changed their previous sloppy style and actively donated money and materials in order to let their children find a place in Xuanfu Town.

Maybe they used to be the pioneers in the fight against tax evasion in the rest of the Ming Dynasty, but after arriving in Xuanfu Town, they became great benevolent people praised by everyone.

As far as Zhu Zhifeng knew, a wealthy household who immigrated to Yanqing Prefecture was awarded the "Great Philanthropist" medal by Wang Dou himself, because he donated more than 1 taels of silver to the local Department of Education and Culture, which caused huge sensation.

Zhu Zhifeng knew this person. This guy named Ma Xibei, who claimed to be a good man, was actually a famous iron rooster in Changping before he immigrated. For nothing.

Now that he is so willing to do good deeds and become a genuine Ma Dashan, it is surprising.

Hearing Zhu Zhifeng's words, Li Banghua didn't know what it was like in his heart. These children fought and evaded taxes in various parts of Daming, but when they came to Xuanfu Town, they were so generous.

……

The two of them didn't talk after that, they came all the way to the school in Gaitunpu, but it was at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, not far away there was a river passing by, and the bank was full of fields.

The school is quite large, with the words "Shahe Township National Primary School" hanging on the plaque. I heard that the term "National Primary School" was set by Wang Dou a long time ago. I can only go back on vacation.

There was a gate beside the gate. A disabled soldier was dressed up, with a pistol hanging on his waist. When he saw two people coming, he stopped them and asked why they were here.

Zhu Zhifeng said that he came to donate money, and the gatekeeper was very happy, but he still registered their identities in detail, but the two pretended to be with the certificates of the attendants, but they looked similar in appearance, and then the gatekeeper went to invite the principal.

Soon the principal came over laughing, walking like a tiger, but he was a veteran of the Jingbian Army. Xuanzhen Daxing Education has a strong demand for teachers. As a highly educated military, many Jingbian soldiers also entered the civilian system after retiring from the army. Inside.

The headmaster was quite talkative, so he invited the two of them to Minglun Hall to discuss matters. As soon as they entered the gate, they saw a large wall tablet not far ahead, with the words "Loyalty, Honor, Dedication, Responsibility" written on it, signed by Wang Dou .

Zhu Zhifeng and Li Banghua stared at the past at the same time, thinking differently in their hearts, and they also saw a large map under the big characters.

"This is the map of Jiuzhou in the world?"

The two looked at each other, and what they saw was a large map of the world. Of course, Wang Dou copied the map of later generations, but changed the name of the place, Asia became Shenzhou, Europe became Zhuzhou, and many others. Places, etc., are completely different from those of later generations.

The outline of Ming Dynasty is also marked on it, but it is placed in the middle, symbolizing that China is the center of the world.

But looking at the map, both Zhu Zhifeng and Li Banghua felt turbulent waves in their hearts. Daming's territory is only so small?

When Western missionaries entered the Ming Dynasty, it was not that they did not present a global map of the world, but Wang Dou's paintings were not as intuitive and clear, showing the overall layout of the world more vividly.

The two of them also noticed that the territory of the Red Barbarians marked as the Spanish-Portuguese Empire was countless times larger than that of Ming Dynasty. It seemed to be more than half of the land in the world. It was really appalling.

And in the place of Guangdong Trench (Macau), it is also emphatically marked: "Franji people are the surnames of the Spanish and Portuguese empires."

Li Banghua looked at Zhu Zhifeng, and they both saw each other's livid faces.

The principal smiled and said: "The two guests should be stunned. It was the first time Zhao saw this picture, and he was equally astonished."

After a pause, his eyes were deep: "The world is so big, and our Jingbian army has a long way to go to fight."

The two continued to enter, and as soon as they turned around the screen wall, they heard the voice of "one, two, one", and then they saw dozens of big and small children in red jackets with untied hair lined up neatly. The queue, chanting chant, came stepping forward in a very strict manner.

Seeing two strangers come in, many children looked at them curiously, and then "one, two, one" went away.

Seeing that in the cold weather, they all looked meticulous, with serious expressions on their small faces, Li Banghua and Zhu Zhifeng nodded secretly.

As soon as he turned his head, he saw the fine sand in front of his eyes, the sound of shouting and killing was deafening in the rather wide field, and the lights of swords were shining, accompanied by the sound of gunfire, which startled the two of them.

(End of this chapter)