A country's reforms are never the ones that can be successfully implemented and effective after being unanimously approved by the above.

In particular, this is an education system that involves the participation of all people.

Although the elite bureaucrats of the Ming court did not oppose the implementation of education for all because they needed money to plunder the outside world to restore their family business by promoting education for all, they did not feel that it was necessary for their children to receive education for the yeoman farmers who still accounted for the majority of the people in the Ming Dynasty.

Even the imperial court has pushed the cost of sending their children to education to a very low level.

Even if the rulers really want to pay attention to the difference between men and women for the sake of the interests of the nation and the country, they will set up a girls' school for the first time to allow Han women to study, and no longer advocate that "women are virtuous if they are not talented." ”

The people won't necessarily buy it, either.

Therefore, after the Ming Dynasty officially began to implement education for all, the results were not significant.

Except for some wealthy families above the middle class in the city, who would choose to send their children to study in the social sciences in the fang, most of the commoners ignored the new policy of the imperial court.

Especially the people in the countryside, they cherish the value of a child's labor even more, even if their own child grazes a cow for the rich man's family, in their opinion, it is more cost-effective than sending him to study.

After all, the common people also know very well that it is unlikely to be the first to go to school, and unless the family has sufficient savings, it is not worth investing.

In addition, many children themselves do not want to read and write.

Especially for civilian children who have not had a reading atmosphere since childhood, it is easy for them to only feel that reading and literacy is a chore, and it is easy to hurt their self-esteem.

Because the teachers of this era were very strict.

After all, Confucian ethics pays attention to the prince of heaven and earth, and the Confucian ethics of this era have existed in the hearts of the Han people for thousands of years and have long been deeply rooted.

Therefore, it is impossible for teachers to have much respect for the personality of students, and they will only care about whether their students can become successful, so when it comes to corporal punishment and humiliation of students, they naturally do not care much about students' psychological feelings.

Because of this, it is more difficult for children from civilian families to like reading and literacy.

In short, it is equivalent to the rulers investing a lot of money, and they have also taken a big step forward in opening up the wisdom of the people, but the people do not buy it much.

After thousands of years of foolish education, they do not understand that this is good governance, and even think that the behavior of local officials to force their children to go to school for the sake of good performance is harsh government!

After Zhang Gui saw the reaction of the governors from all over the country to this situation in the cabinet, he also sighed, secretly thinking that it was not easy to transform the Han civilization.

"Now it seems that it is impossible to count on the cooperation of the common people, and it is still necessary to use the power of the imperial court to enforce it!"

"Our people are still only used to being farmers, only used to farming on their own land, and they are unwilling to make changes until they have to, and now they can only continue to use power to force them to change, so that they can be smart and take the initiative, from people who only have a weak culture to people with a strong culture, and no longer live in peace."

Therefore, Zhang Gui said this to Han Yi, Yuan Keli, and Chen Zizhuang in the Planning Department.

"How is it enforced?"

Yuan Keli asked.

"Legislate!"

Zhang Gui replied: "Write compulsory education into a law, promulgate it, and according to the actual financial resources of the Ming Dynasty, first stipulate the number of years of education that a Han person must receive, and then those who violate it, if it is an official who does not perform it properly, will be demoted or dismissed; If a parent does not send his child to school, he or she is fined or imprisoned. ”

"Although the methods of the Legalists can have immediate results, can they be lenient and severe, so that the people will not be too disgusted and increase the conflict between the government and the people?"

Yuan Keli put forward his own views at this time, he has been a local pro-people official for many years, and he knows better than Zhang Gui that it is not enough to govern the people by relying on the rule of law, so he asked such a sentence at this time.

Chen Zizhuang based on his many years of reading historical records in the Hanlin Academy, and then analyzed: "Yes, in the past, all dynasties ruled the world with filial piety, and children were not only children to their parents, but also like personal property. ”

"The imperial court forcibly requires them to let their children read and become smart, it is not necessarily their wish, although those who hope that their children will become dragons, there are also conservatives who think that their children should be what they are, and the sons of doctors should also practice medicine, and the sons of craftsmen should also be craftsmen, otherwise it is a betrayal of the ancestral industry and the foundation of their own lives."

Therefore, the imperial court forcibly required their children to read and write, which for many people was equivalent to seizing their private property and disturbing their family. In short, it will be considered a serious nuisance! ”

Han Yi said at this time: "The cabinet has already made a statement that officials are negligent, and some local officials have been impeached for the sake of the examination results, and they have forcibly promoted the education of the whole people, which has caused a lot of disturbance to the people. What Chen Gebu said has been fulfilled. ”

After hearing this, Zhang Gui nodded: "What you said is right, but it can't be because of this, the imperial court spent money to prepare a table of meals, and no one eats it, right?" ”

"The people should regard their children as their private property, and the imperial court should regard the children of the Han family as the foundation of the future, which involves the issue of whether personal interests should be transferred to the interests of the state, and filial piety should not be subordinate to loyalty."

"I don't think so!"

"Since Sheji needs the power of the imperial court to always be peaceful and prosperous, then the place that should disturb the people has to disturb the people! However, Otsuka Zai is not wrong, just the Legalist means are not enough, and they have to be lenient and severe, just like Hanneng is strong, not only inheriting the Qin Law, but also doing some leniency. ”

Zhang Gui said and said: "Chen Gebu said that in today's Han society, children are like their private property to their parents. If it is more direct, Chen Gebu should mean that children are like slaves to their parents, right? ”

Chen Zizhuang smiled after hearing this, he had to admit that Uncle Guo's words were too heavy, and only said: "You can compare it like this, but it's not entirely right, after all, parents also want their children to give up everything." ”

"Whether he's right or not, in short, the reason why the people are unwilling to support their children's education is because they don't want to waste their children's labor, and even so, it is better to do this, for those who send their children to study more, the court will reward them with slaves or livestock, and for every three or more children or five or more people who go to study, they will reward a slave or an animal, and then increase by one for every few."

"The Ronin Who Started from Douluo"

In this way, parents with a large number of children do not have to worry too much about all their children going to school, and the problem of fewer laborers is too much. Anyway, slaves or animals, they can do their best, and it is completely possible for a slave or an animal to give several children. ”

Zhang Guiyan said.

"What if there are not enough slaves or livestock?"

Wei Zhongxian interjected at this time.

"Then give money, replace it with money, or owe it directly!"

Zhang Guiyan said.

"Owed?"

Wei Zhongxian asked.

Yuan Keli and Chen Zizhuang couldn't help but laugh.

"That's right, owed! The court should not be afraid of debts, anyway, the more debts are not pressed, the more the court owes, the easier it is to be remembered by the Han people in the world, otherwise, the Han people in the world are afraid that there are really not many people who will miss the court in their hearts, and only know that they have lived their own small life. ”

Zhang Guiyan said.

"It can only be like this, it is better than only Legalist means. At present, there are still many Japanese slaves to buy, and it is not a problem. As for whether or not to go into debt, it is a matter of the future, and perhaps the atmosphere will change in the future. ”

Yuan Keli said a word at this time, and said: "Let's jointly sign a joint inscription to ask Your Majesty to promulgate this edict?" ”

Zhang Gui nodded and looked at Wen Zhenmeng: "Champion Yuan Gong drafted the edict." ”

Wen Zhenmeng got up and arched his hand: "Okay!" ”