Chapter 349 A New Beginning for Compulsory Education

Time passed quickly, and after exploring the specific site for building the house, it was already time for lunch.

The officials around suggested having dinner in the nearby Xiaoshi Town, where Cui Wanxia from the Legalist family was still in the town.

This time Zhou Tieyi did not object.

When Zhou Tieyi arrived in the town, Cui Wanxia also found out through her own channels what Zhou Tieyi had done that morning.

He remained silent in the main hall. The adjutant beside him whispered, "Sir, if Marquis Zhou does this, I'm afraid the 'case' of the Mountain Copper Mansion will never be fully investigated."

What he said was very technical.

The purpose of the three families coming to Tianjing was to investigate the case, but it was far more than just investigating the case. The Confucians wanted to take the opportunity to weaken the Zhou family and King Ning.

Originally, everyone couldn't understand why Zhou Tieyi was willing to accept the Confucianism's move, but what Zhou Tieyi did in Shantong Mansion in the past two days, combined with his remarks in Tianjing, made Cui Wanxia understand that Zhou Tieyi wanted to reform the world and change the current rules set by Confucianism for the government and the public. He wanted to uproot Confucianism!

This case will become more and more complicated, and in the end, as the adjutant said, even the three of them might not be able to control it, and they will all be in trouble.

Cui Wanxia looked at the gray sky of Shantongfu in the distance. He thought of the words of the Legalists, the farmers, the merchants and the artisans, the living conditions of the lower-class miners he saw two days ago, and the reforms launched by Zhou Tieyi today...

A strong country and weak people, is this right or wrong?
Is there a new path that can strengthen the country without weakening the people?

For the first time, he began to doubt the path he would take in the future, but at the same time, he also felt that the third-grade rules of the Legalist school that had been shackled to him were beginning to loosen.

It was a strange feeling of the coexistence of the danger of the foundation cracking and the hope of new things.

It is precisely because of doubt and relaxation that new progress can be made.

He rubbed his palms and said to the adjutant, "It takes more than one or two days to investigate a case. Wait a little longer."

If he doesn't take action, and the Confucian Deng Zhenquan is sent away by Zhou Tieyi to investigate the Huxin Academy case, then there will be only the authority of the angel Zhou Tieyi in Shantong Mansion and no one will be able to restrain it.

When the banquet started, Cui Wanxia was naturally invited to the table. This time the banquet was very simple, not as luxurious as the one at Huangjinlou, and it was just some stir-fried meat from farmers.

But Cui Wanxia clearly sensed the change in attitude of the officials who were dining with her towards Zhou Tieyi.

When he was in the Golden Building, the officials around him kept their distance and treated him like a plague. Although they were respectful to Zhou Tieyi, everyone understood the feeling of alienation.

Zhou Tieyi was an official of Tianjing, not of Shantong Prefecture.

But in just two or three days, perhaps no one present realized it, but Cui Wanxia, ​​the legalist, could clearly feel the change in power. The officials present no longer flattered Zhou Tieyi just because he was an angel, but they vaguely regarded Zhou Tieyi as one of their own. Their power gradually became one, and it was she who was excluded, as she was also an angel and a third-rank angel.

Cui Wanxia believed that if she and Zhou Tieyi had a disagreement now, the officials of Shantong Prefecture would subconsciously consider things from Zhou Tieyi's perspective rather than their own.

Thinking of this, Cui Wanxia sighed in her heart. They, the Legalists, felt that they had made a profit by getting Mei Juncang, but they could only settle for second best. The real jade was in front of them, and even the Legalists could not get it.

Zhou Tieyi greeted Cui Wanxia, ​​and then greeted Deng Zhenquan who came from the mine.

The banquet began and Zhou Tieyi ate very quickly because there were still things to discuss later.

The officials around him naturally noticed it, and did not urge him to drink. They finished their meal as quickly as Zhou Tieyi. This was the beginning of the trend of leaders following suit.

Because everyone can see the benefits and the future, with one person taking the lead, the entire team will get moving quickly. On the contrary, those who were slow in the past will appear particularly unsociable and will be squeezed out.

While drinking tea, Zhou Tieyi started talking about new things. He first looked at the head of the iron factory and asked, "Has the money provided by your master behind you for the expansion and recruitment of workers been sufficient?"

Han Lin, the head of the ironworks, glanced at one of the officials.

This official and the Li family behind him did not initially regard the Baizhishan ironworks as very important.

Because of the iron ore, the ones who made money from the iron produced in this era were the noble families in Tianjing who were able to get the iron ore. Even if the local noble families produced iron, they could not get a share of the money. This was the rule.

In the past, the main source of income for the Baizhishan Iron Works was the purchase of iron for use in the mining area, as well as some meager profits from iron ore. Sometimes, too much iron was produced, which was not needed in the mining area, and there was no iron ore to purchase, so the factory would suffer losses instead. This was why Zhou Tieyi asked at the beginning whether the iron work could produce one thousand tons, but why he was afraid that it would not produce one thousand tons a year.

But now it’s different. Although a large amount of money needs to be invested in the initial stage, Zhou Tieyi gave a specific market for iron consumption, which is really a vast market that was unimaginable before.

Six thousand miles of railway and a huge building hundreds of feet high!
This is the long-term picture, and in the medium term there is purchase by Tianjing, and in the short term it is possible to recover money from the miners.

All of a sudden, the ironworks that was originally hated by everyone became a hot commodity. Of course, the official could help the family agree to it, so he said, "Marquis Zhou's plan is beneficial to the country and the people. How can we calculate it based on interests? Our Shantong Mansion will definitely serve the people wholeheartedly!"

Many other officials cursed in their hearts that the other party was shameless, but since the other party was a member of the Li family, he naturally had the ability to eat this piece of meat, so they did not say anything to stop him.

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "Serving the people wholeheartedly is a good saying."

He looked at the person in charge again and said, "After the ironworks reform, profits will definitely soar. How much of it are you going to give to the people?"

Han Lin remained silent again. He couldn't answer these questions. He suddenly understood why Zhou Tieyi asked now. Just like Zhou Tieyi said, problems that you can solve should be solved by yourself, and problems that you cannot solve should be solved by Zhou Tieyi.

So even though he was being questioned, Han Lin was grateful to Zhou Tieyi at this time.

Han Lin did not speak, and Zhou Tieyi did not ask further questions. Instead, he looked at the official who had just spoken, "You like to talk, so tell me, how much of the ironworks should give to the people?"

The surrounding officials immediately began to gloat over the incident.

The official from the Li family looked hesitant for a moment. This matter would definitely make money in the long run, but asking his family to give the money earned to the people would be tantamount to stabbing himself with a knife. He really couldn't say it.

"I can't say it, so let me make a suggestion, do you think it can work?"

"Lord Zhou, please give your instructions."

The official spoke immediately.

Zhou Tieyi looked at Cui Wanxia, ​​then at Deng Zhenquan and said, "What is the most important thing for the people in this world?" Cui Wanxia said, "Of course, having enough food to eat."

"What about after dinner?"

Deng Zhenquan thought for a moment and replied, "It makes sense."

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "This is us being reasonable. Will General Deng teach illiterate miners in their thirties or forties to read? Will they be willing to spend half of their monthly wages to learn to read and learn the words of saints? Will their minds and bodies be able to keep up with the lessons of teenagers?"

Deng Zhenquan, who was controlled by Cui Yu, said, "From a classic point of view, it is natural to teach, but from a practical point of view, it is naturally impossible to teach."

Zhou Tieyi continued, "Would General Deng be willing to teach these miners, teenagers? Would they be willing to pay half of their wages to let their offspring learn the words of the saints?"

The officials of Shantong Prefecture reacted instantly. The official surnamed Li who had just been questioned said with a little pride, "Did Lord Zhou mean the Wuyuan, Moyuan, and Gongshuyuan?"

Various schools of thought practiced the art of education, so when Zhou Tieyi was in Tianjing, he lamented that the literacy rate in Daxia was very high.

Shantongfu may not be as good as Tianjing in other areas, but its basic education is close to that of Tianjing.

This is determined by the mineral veins on which the Mountain Copper Mansion relies for its survival.

When mining, one has to face mine beasts, so one must have a warrior as the mine leader. Mining requires measurement and large-scale inkstone machinery, so one must have monks from the Mohist and Gongshu schools.

The economic base determines the superstructure, which is vividly reflected in Shantong Prefecture.

Zhou Tieyi sighed slightly and said, "In order to attract refugees and mine ore better, Shantong Prefecture set a rule that allowed the sons of miners to study at Moyuan and local martial arts academies. I heard that Xiaoshi Town had 300 people in the first phase."

Zhou Tieyi smiled and looked at Mo Tianheng, "Do you think 300 places are enough for the descendants of the miners in Xiaoshi Town?"

Mo Tianheng's mind was slightly moved, and he coughed a few times, "It's far from enough."

Li Jianhu sat quietly. As the son of a mine owner in Xiaoshi Town, he naturally knew how precious this quota was. Only families that could afford meat had the most basic conditions to practice martial arts.

In this respect, he is better than most miners' sons.

Zhou Tieyi looked at the official surnamed Li, "I know the workers want to get their wages from the noble families. You are definitely not willing to do that, and they won't get much either."

Official Li looked embarrassed.

Sometimes Zhou Hou spoke too bluntly.

"That's easy. I'll ask Mo Jia, Gong Shu Jia and my Hu Wei Wu Yuan to get the money. The money will be used as admission quotas. These quotas include the basic meat needed for martial arts training and will be given to the workers working in the factory. At least one quota can be guaranteed for each worker's family. Do you think this is okay?"

How much money does this cost?
The official surnamed Li hesitated to speak and thought about it again and again.

Zhou Tieyi looked at him and said, "I still say the same thing. If you have any problem, just tell me. Let's discuss and solve it together. Don't play tricks in front of me. Of course, if you think you are smarter than me and can hide it from me, that's fine."

Being stared at by Zhou Tieyi, and considering what he had seen and heard today, the official surnamed Li thought about it and realized that he could not beat Zhou Tieyi.

He was no match for Zhou Tieyi, and he kept the secret from Zhou Tieyi, which led to problems in the end. There was only one outcome.

If Zhou Tieyi can't solve the problem, then he will solve the person who caused the problem.

At this time, the official surnamed Li looked up at Qin Yu who was taking notes beside Zhou Tieyi.

For a moment, he had more insights in his heart.

No wonder Qin Yu went to confess his crime on the first day Zhou Tieyi came to Shantong Mansion, and no wonder Zhou Tieyi could tolerate Qin Yu.

He said respectfully, "How dare I? But if what Lord Zhou said is true, I'm afraid even if we fill the iron factory, there won't be enough for the sons of the miners around Xiaoshi Town to practice martial arts and study."

Zhou Tieyi thought to himself, I’ve been waiting for you to say this!
Zhou Tieyi laughed and said, "If one is not enough, what about ten or a hundred? If one year is not enough, what about ten or a hundred years?"

"As a human being, it is important to see the three meals a day in front of you, just like people need to eat. So you, the noble families, you officials want benefits and want to provide for your descendants. This is human nature. I can tolerate it because I am also a member of the noble family. I also know everyone's difficulties. But if it's just like this, what's the difference between you and the miners? Is the words of the saints that you learned only teaching you to see the three melons and two dates in front of you?"

"Why should I let the iron factory in Baizhi Mountain make money? Will the new iron factory only be built in Baizhi Mountain in the future? No, Baizhi Mountain is just the beginning. It is only the basis for us to solve problems and gain the trust of the people. Once successful, we will promote this model to Shantong Prefecture, Taihang Mountain, and even the whole world! How many steel factories will there be by then!"

"And steel is just the beginning. Like I said, coal will also become another development path for Baizhishan in the future, so we need a coking plant. In addition to the coking plant, we also need to be able to produce glass as good as steel, and we can also extend it to produce steam machinery factories. All of these require people, people who can read and write. If you don't train them now, where will you find so many literate people to work for you in the future? Do you want everyone present to go to the factory by yourselves?"

"As for those who practice martial arts, it is even more important. Everyone understands one thing, that is, before the 100,000 taels of silver, everyone only needs to consider how to make the silver, but after the 100,000 taels of silver, everyone has to consider how to keep the silver."

"As for your concern about losses, that's simple. The family behind you will take the lead in this ironworks, and let the noble family of Shantongfu invest in it, just like I did with the Railway Chamber of Commerce in Tianjing, and hire him as the manager."

Zhou Tieyi pointed at the former manager of the iron factory.

He spoke very quickly, with a lot of content in his words, almost not giving the other party time to react. "Of course your family doesn't want to take the lead. Sell this ironworks to my Zhou family at the market price. My Zhou family can take the lead as well!"

As soon as Zhou Tieyi mentioned the issue of participating in the shares, the officials representing the aristocratic families present brightened up. Yes, they were intimidated by the majesty of the Li family and did not dare to openly seize the iron factory, which was the hen that laid golden eggs.

But you can participate in the shares. Didn't you see that Zhou Hou of Tianjing had to let military heroes participate in the shares when he was doing such a big business? No matter how powerful your Li family is, you can't be stronger than Zhou Hou. Why don't you let everyone participate in the shares?

So someone immediately spoke up, "Yes, Lord Li, what Lord Zhou said makes sense. If the Li family is afraid of losing money, it would be better to let Lord Zhou take the lead, so that we can all rest assured."

"Yes, this is a major event that benefits the country and the people. It will benefit the present and the next hundred years. Lord Li has passed down poetry and literature from generation to generation, so how come he doesn't even understand this principle?"

The words of the officials one after another made the official surnamed Li speechless for a while.

Fortunately, Zhou Tieyi just smiled and said, "This matter is indeed difficult to decide. How about we discuss it for two days before making a decision? I never make decisions arbitrarily."

(End of this chapter)