Chapter 992: Let everyone be able to read and write
No matter how wise Li Shimin is, he will eventually grow old one day.
However, Li Chengqian did not expect that this day would come so quickly.
Of course, the so-called old does not refer to age, but to mentality.
Now that the country is rich and the people are strong, Li Shimin is satisfied.
Moreover, Li Chengqian could also see that Li Shimin had lost the momentum of previous years and was beginning to enjoy peace.
But this is definitely not what Li Chengqian wants.
The Tang Dynasty he wanted, not to mention possessing technology and military power that could rival those of later generations.
But we must definitely have the same system and the same continuous supply of talents as those of later generations.
Only in this way can this nation continue to be prosperous and strong.
…
The next day, morning.
Li Shimin raised the issue of nine-year compulsory education in court.
But as before, it was opposed by the vast majority of ministers.
In particular, the opposition from veteran ministers such as Wei Zheng was particularly strong.
Of course, what they object to is not letting young people learn to read.
Mainly because the basis of nine-year compulsory education is funded by the state.
And how many young people are there in Datang?
Not to mention tens of millions, it must be 10 million, right?
If all these people were allowed to study for free, how much would it cost Datang every year?
There is no need to calculate it accurately, just listen to it and you will know that this is an astronomical amount of expense.
Although the Tang Dynasty's treasury is now very rich, it cannot withstand such disasters.
Wei Zheng said bluntly: "If this method continues, the Tang Dynasty's treasury will be emptied before the first batch of students graduate."
"And under such a political system, if two or three out of a hundred people can become officials and serve the country, that is considered a very high success rate."
"But what about the remaining people?"
"Should we all let them become teachers?"
"Or is it that the imperial court gave them money and people to study and write, but in the end they were asked to farm?"
< br> "Your Majesty, this kind of behavior is completely in vain. Instead of doing that, it is better to carry out the imperial examination and university system to the end."
"At the very least, more than a hundred people enter the court every year..."
Wei Zheng's words are most in line with the current situation.
This is also what most people think.
In their view, nine-year compulsory education is too fantasy to talk about.
What's more, among the various industries in the Tang Dynasty today, there are not so many industries that require people to be able to read and write.
And Li Chengqian naturally knew what these people were thinking.
He stood up slowly and said, "Since Mr. Wei has already spoken, I might as well say a few words."
"The King of the River, the British Duke..."
He slowly turned back and looked at Li Xiaogong and Li Ji.
He said directly: "Both of you are my uncles, and you are also the pillars of the imperial court."
"Let me ask you two, what if we are marching and fighting."
"You and other minions are all people who can read and write. Can they get twice the result with half the effort?"
After hearing Li Chengqian's question, the two looked at each other.
"That's natural."
Afterwards, Li Xiaogong said directly: "If all the ministers under the command are generals who can read and write, it will be much easier whether it is military orders or delivering letters."
"The King of Hejian is right."
Li Ji on the side also nodded and said: "If all my soldiers can read and write, then there will be almost zero mistakes when delivering military orders to me on the battlefield."
There were too many generals present.
They also know very well how much help they can bring to them once their soldiers can read and write.
The most basic advantage is that as Li Xiaogong and Li Ji said, the error rate will be greatly reduced when delivering letters and orders.
But don’t underestimate this error rate.
When marching and fighting in ancient times, the general had to coordinate more than one army.
They are dispatched by hundreds of thousands of people together, and because most of the messengers deliver oral messages.
Therefore, there are many cases where the wrong military order is transmitted or the wrong military order is executed.
But if everyone can read and write, it will be completely different.
At the very least, they can pass it on to everyone in the form of letters, letting everyone know about the precise deployment.
After Li Chengqian heard what they said, he was not in a hurry to express his opinions.
He continued to ask: "What if the middle-level generals such as the corps commander and the commander are people who can understand the art of war and tactics?"
"Of course the battle will be easier to fight and the chances of winning will be greater." ??
Li Xiaogong said directly: "Take the past few years as an example."
"I once dealt with a captain of mine who violated military law."
"But we were at war with Japan at that time, and for a while I couldn't find anyone to take the captain's place."
"In the end, I had no choice but to do it myself."
"But if I had a group of people under me who could understand the military tactics I deployed, then this kind of thing wouldn't happen."
Li Xiaogong said: "At the very least, after I deal with a captain, a senior officer can step in and take over the captain's work, temporarily commanding and arranging troops."
"right."
"Take the previous Ganzi Camp as an example."
"His Highness forced all the soldiers in Qianzi Camp to read and digitize."
"It turns out that these guys, who are nominally ordinary pawns, all know more than the captains and captains in the ordinary military."
"It was also the same year when we went to Silla. When we faced our army, many grassroots veterans under Gao Zhixing were killed."
"In the end, soldiers from the Qianzi Battalion lifted it up, and achieved very good results."
After saying this, Li Ji returned He did not forget to bow to Li Shimin and said: "I feel that His Highness the Crown Prince's suggestion is indeed good. I hope Your Majesty will consider it."
"Um……"
Li Shimin nodded.
After hearing so much, he actually had a rough idea.
He said: "I will consider this matter carefully."
"His Majesty……"
At this moment, Wei Zheng suddenly jumped out and said: "Even if this matter is beneficial to our country without any harm, our national treasury will definitely not be able to support such a huge project now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fang Xuanling also followed up and said: "There are more than tens of millions of young people in the Tang Dynasty. If everyone were to study, the annual expenses of the Tang Dynasty would be an astronomical figure."
"At the very least, our country cannot afford it now."
"If Your Majesty insists on implementing it, I suggest that it be implemented on a small scale just like the recruitment system."
"For example, open a nine-year college like His Highness mentioned in Chang'an City, recruit a certain number of children from poor families, and let them study in the nine-year college."
Fang Xuanling cupped his hands towards Li Shimin and said: "If the effect is very good, it will not be too late to continue to expand the scope of construction..."
I have to say that Fang Xuanling’s proposal is quite good.
Li Shimin nodded, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Prince, what do you think of doing what Mr. Fang said?"
Hearing this, Li Chengqian sighed lightly.
He knew that this was already the biggest concession the court had made on this matter.
If he continues to make trouble, he may even lose the only spot he has fought for.
Therefore, Li Chengqian raised his hands to Li Shimin and said: "I have no objection..."
"good."
"In this case, you will be responsible for the affairs of the college for these nine years."
Li Shimin told Dao: "The money used to buy land and build houses will be provided by the imperial court. As for where to choose the place, it is up to you to decide..."