In the eighth year of King Wucheng, in June, Handan, the capital of Zhao State, the royal palace.

After receiving an urgent request for help from Han Ran, the king of Han, Ji Kang's grandmother, Zhao Weihou, hurriedly summoned four important ministers, Xiangguo Tiandan, Shangqing Lin Xiangru, Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng and Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao, to discuss the matter of Qin's attack on Han.

Duping Jun Tiandan, who had been worshiped by Zhao Wei as Zhao Xiang, stood up and said in a tone without hesitation: "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, South Korea has repeatedly violated my Zhao-Han alliance and used the Qin State to attack my Zhao State. This time, Qin invaded South Korea, and Han Ran, the king of Han, can be said to have reaped the consequences. I, Zhao, can wait and see what happens, and I can't send troops. ”

Zhao Weihou looked at Lin Xiangru, who was sitting next to him and was already ill, and said, "Lin Shangqing, what do you think?" ”

Lin Xiangru pondered for a moment, stood up, and coughed lightly: "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, I watched the Qin State send troops this time, and the soldiers pointed to South Korea's Shancheng and other places, this purpose is probably not simple, its intention is to cut off the connection between the Korean Shangdang region and the capital Xinzheng."

I am deeply worried that after the Qin State occupies Shancheng and other places, it will attack the party area, so that my Zhao State will inevitably face the border with the Qin State, and the consequences are worrying! I hope that the queen mother and the king will think deeply. ”

Zhao Sheng, the king of the plains, stood up and said disapplausively: "Han Ran, the king of Han, governs the country with skills, and he is also a despicable villain. I have broken my Zhao-Han covenant several times, if I don't give severe punishment, where is the face of my Zhao country?

This time the Qin State invaded Korea, as Tian Xiang said, it can be said that it was self-reaping. The Queen Mother, the King, I agree with Xiang Guotian Dan's proposition, this time I, Zhao Guo, can wait and see what happens. ”

Zhao Wei then looked at Pingyang Jun and Zhao Bao: "Pingyang Jun, what do you think of the Qin State's invasion of Han this time?" ”

Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao hurriedly stood up and replied: "Queen Mother, Wang, last year Qin, Yan, and Xiongnu attacked me, although my Zhao State won the victory, but the soldiers were tired and the people were lacking. This time, I also agree with Xiang Guotian's words, and I, Zhao Guo, can wait and see what happens. ”

Ji Kang's grandmother, Zhao Weihou, nodded after listening to the words of the ministers: "That's it, this time Han Ran, the king of Han, asked for help, according to the words of Xiang Guotiandan, I, Zhao Guo, will wait and see what happens!"

Someone came and went to tell the Han envoy, saying that since last year, my Zhao State has been in constant war, and the soldiers are tired and the people are tired, so they have no time to send troops. And South Korea has violated the alliance between Zhao and Han several times, and used the Qin State to attack my Zhao State, so let him live in South Korea this time! ”

The ministers stood up and said in unison, "No."

After Wei received a letter from South Korea asking for help, Wei Wangyu also convened a meeting of important ministers, but like Zhao State, he ignored South Korea's request for help.

After Chu received a letter of request for help from South Korea, the king of Chu, Mi Heng, happened to be sick at this moment, threw the letter of request for help from South Korea aside, and did not even convene important ministers to discuss, so he sent the Korean envoy.

Zou Yan, who is the dean of Xiangping College, saw a globe made by Ji Kang and Shi Dang in Ji Kang's bedroom behind the secretary's pavilion by chance.

And Ji Kang also felt that he was about to be driven "crazy" by Zou Yan, an old gentleman. glared at Shi Kang fiercely, Shi Kang looked aggrieved, and he didn't know what was going on!

Isn't it that Dean Zou Yan said that the sky is round, which is different from what his son-in-law told! I said a lot of words, the sky is round, and the earth is also round. With that, he took out the globe he had made with Childe from the cabinet. Unexpectedly, he provoked Dean Zou Yan, and caught his son and kept asking questions.

"Childe, did you find its description from a broken bamboo slip in the Yan royal family?"

Zou Yan asked with questions.

"Dean, it's true. When the kid found it, the half of the box of bamboo slips was in tatters, and after the kid sorted them out, he disposed of those bamboo slips. This small area marked on it is said that the records say that we are the countries of the Central Plains.

These things were written by a certain man named Christopher Columbus in the West when he traveled around the world by boat. According to his account, it was when he was driving a ship through our Zhongzhou overseas that he encountered a shipwreck, and there were dozens of people on the entire ship, only one of them remained, and finally drifted to our Zhou Dynasty.

In the end, he couldn't return to his hometown, and the guest died in our court, and these records were left by him. The kid also found it in a corner of the royal library, and the story he told made some sense, so he sorted it out. And this is called a globe, and it is also based on the description of his bamboo slips, and the boy pondered it. ”

The old dean Zou Yan patted his thigh and said with emotion: "Childe, I didn't expect that there are such sages in the West. What the man said made sense, and the old minister also watched the ship go out to sea on the beach, and finally saw that the scene matched the situation he described, without delving into it. And his people actually visit such a wide area. Childe, can you make another one for the old man with this globe? ”

"Dean, take this! Boy, just make one more. ”

After the old dean Zou Yan took the globe and left, Ji Kang wiped the sweat on his face, it was really not easy! Fortunately, only on this globe, the names of the countries of the Central Plains and the names of other continents are marked, and the names of other countries and places are not marked. However, it is also a good thing for Zou Yan, the most outstanding geographer of this era, to come into contact with this globe as soon as possible.

On the ninth and eleventh days of the first month of June, according to the regulations of the Junhou Mansion, these two days are the days of the entrance examination of Xiangping College, and the gentlemen from the neighboring townships cross-invigilated each other.

On the ninth day of junior high school, the morning is for children aged 8 to 10, and the afternoon is for children aged 10 to 13.

On the 10th day of junior high school, the morning is for children aged 14 to 16, and in the afternoon for young people over 17 years old.

The counties and villages of Liaodi have quieted down, and there is no noise in the past. People are not even careful to walk and dare not speak loudly.

In this era when the illiteracy rate is more than 95 percent, for most people, being able to read and write is a blessing accumulated by the eight generations of our ancestors, and it cannot be overstated!

After Zou Yan became the dean of Xiangping College and Lu Zhonglian was the executive dean, most of the disciples brought by the subsequent students served as teachers in the college, except for a small number of them who served in various departments and counties.

This year, the college planned to enroll between 1,000 and 1,500 students.

But with the increase in the number of gentlemen, the desire of the people to send their own children to school, coupled with the use of blank paper, and the fact that the academy itself was built to the standard of 4,000 students, these many factors combined. Ji Kang and Ju Xin, after discussing with the two deans, Zou Yan and Lu Zhonglian, decided to expand the enrollment quota, and this year Xiangping College decided to enroll 2,000 students.

At the same time, a separate graduation age was set up to teach students specific majors, and now the graduation age is divided into four classes: medical class, military command class, government affairs class, and Gewu class.

Now all the officials, squires, and common people in the entire Liao region have realized the importance of Shangxiangping Academy. This is a golden strip paved for their children!

As long as your children between the ages of eight and thirteen know a lot of words and can write simple articles, they may be admitted to Xiangping College this year; Children between the ages of fourteen and sixteen know a little simple addition and subtraction on the basis of the above, then congratulations to your child, who may be admitted to Xiangping College.

The difficulty of being over seventeen years old is not too high, that is, the article is slightly difficult, and the arithmetic can be operated in four ways. In addition, the academy will also set aside 100 places from each of the current officials and outstanding soldiers to enter the academy on a guaranteed basis.

Ji Kang stood outside the examination classroom of Xiangping College, looking at the children who were taking the exam with solemn expressions, and they all bowed their heads and answered the papers seriously. I was so emotional in my heart that tears were about to flow out. What a familiar scene, even in dreams! Congratulations! When you come to the academy, you will also become "exam dogs".

After the exams, within a few days, the admissions process is over. The children who were admitted to the college in the two counties of Liaodi are about to embark on the road of studying in Xiangping College.

Ma Chi and his wife, who bought the new village, didn't expect that their children had the talent to read. His eleven-year-old son Ma Liang and eight-year-old daughter Ma Min only went to study for half a day in the school in Xinzhizhuang, and they were all admitted to Xiangping College this year.

On the night of parting, his wife and Ma Chi did not sleep all night. The wife was still sewing new clothes for the children, while Ma Chi himself was checking the luggage for the children over and over again.

The two personally sent their sons and daughters Ma Liang and Ma Min to the gate of the hospital. When I watched the two children with their luggage, kneeling on the ground, and respectfully kowtowing goodbye to their husband and wife, their eyes turned red.

After the two children stepped on the van that came to pick them up from the government to take them to the academy, the wife couldn't hold back any longer, and cried loudly and shouted: "Go to the academy to listen to the gentlemen, and have a good relationship with other students."

The two children also poked their heads out of the van and cried out, "Father, mother, we will." Take care of yourself at home and pay more attention to your health. ”

Ma Chi and his wife, like other parents who were admitted to the college in Zhuangnai, walked out of the gate of Zhuangzi in a van that picked up their children. Many parents climbed up to the fort and watched as the van that picked up and dropped off their children went farther and farther until it became a black spot.