in2ebook Chapter 605 This day is far away.
Chapter 605 This day is far away.
Ye Kun was very dissatisfied with He Kangju's answer, but he did not criticize him. He just said:
"Master He doesn't have statistics, but I do. I sent people to conduct surveys and statistics in four counties in the east, west, south and north. In a county in Wu County in Jiangdong, the literacy rate of newly married people is 45% for men and 32% for women. The rate in a county in Changshan County is similar.
The highest was in Hirano Prefecture, where I used to be the governor. The literacy rate among men was 65%, and among women it was over 50%.
Note that the literacy assessment here is to know more than 2,000 Chinese characters. If those who know 300 to 500 characters are included, the overall literacy rate can reach 60 to 70 percent. "
He Kangju was very surprised and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is very meticulous. I am ashamed to be inferior to you."
Ye Kun looked at everyone and said, "I am still not satisfied with the educational results. Our educational purpose is to provide universal education and make everyone literate. How many years do you think it will take for us to achieve this goal?"
Everyone looked at each other, not daring to speak.
Ye Kun smiled and said:
"I demand that, from now on, all people of school age should receive primary education. The previous primary school system was three years, and we should increase it to four or five years; that is, all children should go to primary school; I demand that the primary education coverage rate be 100%."
He Kangju was sweating and smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, this is unlikely, because there are no schools in many mountainous areas, and the children are unwilling to study, and the adults don't let the children go to school..."
"Nothing is impossible. In the past, people in the Southern Wasteland didn't read. But now, we have built more than 500 primary schools in the Southern Wasteland, with more than 70,000 students. The reading culture of the people in the Southern Wasteland has become popular."
"The Southern Wasteland is just a corner, it does not represent the whole country..."
"The conditions in the Southern Wasteland are the worst, but I can provide universal education. So, other places in Kyushu should not be a problem at all."
Ye Kun insisted on his opinion and ordered: "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites should increase their efforts and formulate policies to achieve 100% primary education within three years.
China is so vast, and now we have a huge overseas territory. Without cultural unity, there will be no ideological unity, and cultural exchange will not be achieved, which will affect our long-term stability. "
He Kangju smiled bitterly: "I will do my best, old minister."
In fact, He Kangju did a very poor job.
Ye Kun promoted He Kangju and also adopted Liu Ai's suggestion. Using a group of people from the north and the Central Plains would be beneficial to the stability and unity of the court.
Because Ye Kun's previous team were all from Yizhou and Jingxiang areas, and there were no northerners among the important officials in the court.
Sang Buyi smiled and said, "It is a great thing that the emperor is promoting universal education. We should all think of ways to increase investment and strive to achieve the emperor's goal."
Ye Kun nodded and continued, "Every county must have a middle school. Check it out yourself. If there is no middle school in a county, you must fill it immediately. Every large prefecture must have a high school. Large cities with more than 100,000 people are required to have a university. As for financial investment, the court will strongly support it."
Liu Ai had been silent all this time, and now he said:
"The first emperor of the previous dynasty adopted a policy of keeping the people ignorant and burning books and burying scholars alive. This was because the people would become smarter and harder to manage after reading. Your Majesty has gone the other way and is pushing for universal education. Don't you have any concerns?"
Ye Kun looked around at everyone and said seriously:
"The first emperor of the previous dynasty regarded the world as his own private property, so he strictly controlled the people. But you all know the final result, it fell in the second generation. An empire that fools the people cannot be strong for a long time.
I am different. I think the world belongs to everyone in the world, not my private property. My personal gains and losses are insignificant compared to the prosperity of the entire Chinese nation. "
Everyone clasped their fists together and praised him nonstop.
Of course, some people’s compliments are hypocritical, but they may not really mean it in their hearts.
Ye Kun waved his hand and said with a smile: "Have you ever thought that maybe thousands of years later, there will only be a country but no emperor?"
Sang Buyi frowned: "What kind of country is it without an emperor?"
"It's okay without an emperor." Ye Kun nodded:
"For example, I am not in the capital during my expedition to the North Sea. All the government affairs of the court are decided by you nine ministries. In the future, the country will have an institution similar to the nine ministries to run. At that time, there will be no emperor at all, because the country belongs to the people, and the nine ministries are elected by the people to manage the country for the people."
Sang Buyi smiled and said, "If that's the case, then wouldn't I, the Prime Minister of the Nine Ministries, be equal to the Emperor?"
Ye Kun shook his head: "That's not true, because at that time, there must have been a rule that a prime minister could only serve for ten or eight years, and then give way to others."
"I understand. That is the ancient system of abdication."
"It's not abdication, it's a people's election system. If you do a good job and have a good reputation, the people will choose you."
Ye Kun smiled and said, "This day may be far away, but it will eventually come. We can't see it, but I hope our descendants can see it soon."
There is a bridge and a ferry ahead.
Ye Kun stopped the boat for inspection.
Ye Qingyang followed Ye Kun and gave some information about the situation.
Ye Kun said: "When you connect all four sections of the Grand Canal together, I will inspect the entire line. By then, all greening and infrastructure construction must be completed. If you can't complete it, I will deduct your salary."
Ye Qingyang smiled and said, "Then I will use my salary from these years to build the canal."
Ye Kun smiled and said, "Tell me the truth, how much private property have you accumulated over the years?"
"Your Majesty, I only have a fixed salary, plus your occasional reward. If there is any surplus wealth, it is only one thousand taels of gold."
"But I heard that many of the suppliers of stone, sand, and other tools for the Grand Canal project you presided over were your relatives and old friends. Is that true?"
Ye Kun said lightly.
Building the Grand Canal was extremely expensive.
Workers' wages, daily food and fodder, purchases of stone, sand, various tools and consumables are all astronomical figures.
If Ye Qingyang were to deduct just a little bit, he would be rich enough to rival a country.
Ye Qingyang was startled and saluted:
"Your Majesty, all the materials for the Grand Canal were supplied through a bidding system based on your opinion. At each bidding, relevant personnel from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works were present, as well as a special envoy sent by Sang Buzhi to supervise.
In addition, many of the food, coal, and various tools were directly distributed by the Ministry of Finance and Taxation and the Ministry of Industry. I was only responsible for signing for, registering, and managing their storage.
In short, I have kept all the accounts, and the emperor can review them at any time."
Ye Kun nodded: "I know you have always been honest, but the people under you may not be. As far as I know, the Grand Canal has made a lot of people rich, including profiteers and corrupt officials."
Ye Qingyang sweatdropped: "It is reasonable for the vendors to make some money by providing some tools and materials... We can't label all the vendors as profiteers just because they make money. After all, who would do business if it doesn't make money?"