() "Your Majesty, do you remember what your Majesty reported yesterday about the new kiln?"
"Of course I remember." What happened yesterday, why didn't Emperor Chongzhen remember it? He just didn't know what Zhong Jinwei wanted to say specifically, so he just waited for Zhong Jinwei's next words.
"Those craftsmen have been using the kiln for so many years, but they only know that the temperature of the furnace is inconsistent in winter and summer, but they don't know the reason. They only know to follow the rules and follow the steps step by step. If they could have read and gained knowledge like Chen, maybe cement and glass would have been used long ago.
It was invented.”
After Zhong Jinwei said this, he seemed to feel that it had nothing to do with reading, it was just a question of whether he was willing to use his brain.
He added: "Moreover, no one can understand the sketch of the new kiln that the craftsman drew for me except himself. It is not conducive to inheritance."
As soon as I finished speaking, I felt that I still couldn't express myself and couldn't express the effect I wanted. Why is it so difficult to express the significance of universal basic education? Now that we have talked about it, it would be impossible not to say it, and it is also historical.
Inevitably, Emperor Chongzhen must be persuaded to promote it.
Emperor Chongzhen was a little surprised when he saw Zhong Jinwei suddenly stopped talking, so he asked: "Master Zhong, why didn't you say anything?"
Zhong Jinwei was a little embarrassed. He had just boasted to Emperor Chongzhen that it had many benefits, but now he couldn't give an easy-to-understand example.
Suddenly, Zhong Jinwei had an idea and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I can't express myself clearly at the moment. I want to ask your Majesty some questions."
Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but feel a little funny. Master Zhong confessed every time he couldn't explain something clearly, and he wasn't afraid of others laughing at him. But I like honest people. If you don't understand clearly, just speak slowly. It doesn't matter.
Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said to Zhong Jinwei: "Master Zhong, don't be anxious, just speak slowly."
Zhong Jinwei nodded gratefully, and then asked Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, officials oppress the common people. If you compare the common people who can only face the loess with their backs to the sky and the common people who are educated and literate, which one is easier to oppress?"
"Of course they are common people who have never read books." This point has been discussed before, and it needs to be said again, Emperor Chongzhen thought, but still cooperated with Zhong Jinwei and answered him.
"So when selecting a thousand officials, is it better to choose officials from 10,000 people or from 100 million people?" Zhong Jinwei continued to ask.
"Logically speaking, it would be better to choose one among 100 million people."
"If the selected one thousand officials are not suitable, and another thousand officials are selected to replace the previous one thousand officials, is it better to choose from the previous ten thousand people or from the one hundred million people?
?”
"It goes without saying, of course it is better to choose from 100 million people." When Emperor Chongzhen answered this question, he had a clear understanding in his heart. This is one aspect, and vice versa. The selected officials will be afraid of what will happen next.
Working hard to do things with more options is also the benefit of having more scholars.
"Under the same conditions, between farmers who have not studied and farmers who have studied, which one will produce more harvests?"
For farmers who have read books, their farming experience will not be limited to being passed down from their parents and told by neighbors. Under the same conditions, they will of course have more harvests. However, will farmers who have read books still go to school?
Emperor Chongzhen wanted to think about it, but he still replied to Zhong Jinwei: "Farmers who have read books will have more harvests."
"Under the same conditions, who is easier to make more things, more novel utensils, and more exquisite objects, a craftsman who has not studied or a craftsman who has studied?"
Emperor Chongzhen somewhat understood Zhong Jinwei's question. He just wanted to use this comparison to illustrate the importance of reading and literacy for the people of the Ming Dynasty.
"Craftsmen who have read books have an advantage." Emperor Chongzhen continued to cooperate in answering Zhong Jinwei's questions.
"The generals who have read books and the generals who have not read books are also the same. I explained it before when we discussed the mission of the quartermaster. Does your Majesty remember it?"
"Remember." Emperor Chongzhen nodded.
"Your Majesty, through comparison of the benefits of studying, we can find that there are huge benefits in all aspects and in all walks of life. I will not give examples one by one. I believe your Majesty also understands."
Emperor Chongzhen was speechless. If I still don't understand, he will despise me next.
When Zhong Jinwei saw Emperor Chongzhen nodding and agreeing with his opinion, he began to complain: "Your Majesty, it seems that the ancients said that the people can act on it but not know it. I think this is a typical lack of knowledge."
"Oh, how come I see, Master Zhong, what you just said was something I heard mentioned a few years ago." Emperor Chongzhen asked Zhong Jinwei with a smile.
"Your Majesty, if there is only one country in this world, then all the people in this country are fools. They can only obey and not think. Then it is easy for the rulers of this country to manage and rule. But
, is there really only one country like this in this world?”
Having said this, Zhong Jinwei thought that those who had this argument would still exist in future generations. He became even more angry and said in a loud voice: "Social development and national progress are all about sailing against the current. If you don't advance, you will retreat. Your Majesty,
You don’t know that in the original history, after the Ming Dynasty was stolen by the Manchus, there were far more Han people than Jianlu. The Jianlu were afraid of losing their political power, so they used this kind of rhetoric to rule. What do you think will happen as a result?"
"How's it going?" Emperor Chongzhen's heart as the king of the Wang Kingdom has opened up. Zhong Jinwei now treats the Manchu Qing Dynasty in history with the same mentality as looking at history.
"The Han people are like walking corpses, and the Manchu and Qing Dynasties are stable. But soon, Western countries, no matter how small they are, for example, a country as big as the Ming Dynasty, can attack the Manchu and Qing Dynasties to find their teeth and cede territory to pay compensation. Your Majesty
If you think about it, any country in the world can come and bully them. If they like any place in the land of China, they can draw a circle and say it belongs to them. Chinese people and dogs are not allowed to enter."
When Zhong Jinwei said this, he said with irony: "In the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols were the noblest, and the lowest were the Han people. But in the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Han people were still the lowest, but the most noble were not the Jurchen Tatars, but the Jurchen Tatars.
They are foreigners from the West! When the Jurchen Tatars see Westerners, they have to bow their heads and be servile. This is the result of their ignorant rule."
Emperor Chongzhen listened to Zhong Jinwei's detailed account of that period of history, felt the anger on Zhong Jinwei's face, and secretly said in his heart: I will never make such a stupid mistake.
"Master Zhong, how did you finally reverse this situation?" Although Emperor Chongzhen had already drawn the conclusion from Zhong Jinwei's previous words, he still wanted to confirm the solution.
"Open the people's wisdom. The Han people who were fooled will finally wake up, open their eyes to the world, learn from the advanced countries in the world, overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and establish our Han people's country. By the way, Your Majesty."
When Zhong Jinwei was talking about this, he suddenly remembered something and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "When we first rose up to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, we proposed to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty. It can be seen that the Ming Dynasty has always been a call to action in the hearts of the Han people."
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he asked with concern: "Can a descendant of my Zhu family build the country?"
As soon as he asked the question, Emperor Chongzhen knew the answer. Throughout history, no royal family of that dynasty could re-establish the country after hundreds of years.
"Your Majesty, it is a pity that all the descendants of Zhu Ming were killed by the Manchus." Zhong Jinwei shook his head and replied.
Emperor Chongzhen was silent when he heard the expected answer.
Seeing Emperor Chongzhen's behavior, Zhong Jinwei was deeply blaming himself because he failed to uphold the inheritance of his ancestors and caused Zhu Ming to be wiped out.
"Your Majesty?" Zhong Jinwei called out worriedly.
"Oh, Master Zhong, I'm fine." Emperor Chongzhen replied when he heard Zhong Jinwei calling him.
After a while, Emperor Chongzhen stood up from the imperial chair, clenched his fist with his right hand, and said to Zhong Jinwei: "Master Zhong, believe me, I will definitely learn these historical lessons you told me, reshape the Ming Dynasty, and let
The Ming Dynasty, an old man with a hidden illness, has regained his spirit. Anyone who dares to stand in the way will be killed. The ancestral system restricts the restoration of the Ming Dynasty and the ancestral system must be changed. If there are things that did not happen in the previous dynasty, as long as they are beneficial to the restoration of the Ming Dynasty, I will definitely use them.
False words!"
Zhong Jinwei knew that the ancients basically made a promise for a price of gold, and the promises they made would not be easily changed, let alone Emperor Chrysostom. He couldn't help but feel excited, what he wanted was Emperor Chongzhen's great determination.
"Master Zhong, I will definitely promote literacy to all the people. Do you have a plan?" Emperor Chongzhen asked Zhong Jinwei after finishing his statement.