After hearing Zhang Chi's words, Liu Zhenguo and others couldn't help but talk.

A considerable number of them are unwilling to believe what Zhang Chi said due to preconceptions, but they cannot find a place to argue with Zhang Chi, because if they are explained by the "cultural weak theory" they believe, it cannot explain the fact that barbarians defeated civilization many times in ancient and modern times, and Zhang Chi's "state theory" can be explained well, because those barbarians who defeated civilized countries... although they are not cultured, they are very united. On the other hand, those civilized countries are rampant and corrupt officials are in power, and the whole country is like a mess.

"Deputy Commander!" After a while of discussion, Liu Zhenguo said with some dissatisfaction: "But... you see, the United States, Britain, Japan, etc., they can all build advanced warships, fighter jets, tanks, but they can do their best to build a few decent tanks, let alone warships and aircraft. Since the deputy commander believes that our country's culture is better than Western society, why does this happen again?"

After Liu Zhenguo said this, the intellectuals became confident again:

"Yes, most of our tanks were bought from Britain and France!"

"The warship was bought from Japan!"

"I bought the plane now from the United States!"

...

What Liu Zhenguo said makes sense. At this time, the Chongqing government did try to make self-made tanks. The earliest one was a "type one" tank that imitated the French "Renault", but only stayed in the design stage; then the "Yue Fei Type One" tank, but only produced a prototype car; then the "Huo Qubing" tank, but only produced a chassis and miscarriage...

"We are indeed weak in this regard!" Zhang Chi replied: "But this does not mean that our culture is not good. In fact... if we really want to talk about industrial manufacturing, foreign countries call these industrialization of capitalist society, right?"

"Yes!" Liu Zhenguo nodded and said, "Japan is learning from Western countries to industrialize, so it is so powerful!"

Zhang Chi nodded: "Do you know... China had naturally developed to the early stage of industrialization seven hundred years ago, at the end of the Song Dynasty?"

"Is there any?" The intellectuals were surprised when they heard this.

"Yes!" replied the Beacon: "The Book of Agricultural Sciences compiled by Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty. There is a record of the Song Dynasty. The water wheel technology was used extensively. People used hydraulic power to pound, grind, blow, water, spin, etc. In many tea grinding workshops, noodle mills, textile workshops, and smelting workshops, hydraulic drive machinery was used. Workers were also hired to set up factories. There are also relevant records in the History of the Song Dynasty!"

Zhang Chi couldn't help but look at the beard with praise. Most of the intellectuals of this era are studying Confucianism, but not many of them can read history books... There is a saying that "reading history can be wise", because history will provide a lot of experiences and lessons of success or failure, so we can find a solution to the problem.

"So!" Zhang Chi continued: "If it is true that Chinese culture is not good or that Chinese people are not smart enough and have no innovation, then why is China's industrialization seven hundred years ahead of Westerners? Unfortunately, before the industrial teeth of the Song Dynasty could grow and grow, they were strangled into the shaking blue by the barbaric country Mongolia. Otherwise, today, the ones flying planes and warships were rampant in battle, I am afraid that we Chinese people, not Western powers, would be the Chinese people!"

Everyone couldn't help but nod.

"The reason why we are lagging behind today is actually very simple..." Zhang Chi said: "my country has implemented maritime bans and locked up the country since the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty has even made even more capital and Gali. When we were working behind closed doors, foreign countries have made great strides. When our country was forcibly opened by warships and cannons from the great powers, we found that we were too far behind the great powers... Everyone, it has been more than 150 years since the British Watt invented the first steam engine, and it has been eighty years since the Meiji Restoration in Japan has learned from the West for eighty years. China has only been thirty years since the demise of the Qing Dynasty. It has been in a period of oppression by the great powers and warlords. It has never had the opportunity to industrialize and develop. If we can catch up with the great powers in all directions in this way, it can only prove that all the Chinese are geniuses!"

After Zhang Chi said this, Liu Zhenguo and others had no sound, because what Zhang Chi said was all facts, and all facts experienced by these intellectuals themselves.

"Everyone!" Finally, Zhang Chi bowed to the intellectuals: "This is also the reason why we recruit you. China is already too behind. We need all elites to learn Western technology for our country. The development and hope of the country are on you!"

"The deputy commander was awarded!" Liu Zhenguo replied with some shame: "To be honest, when I heard the commander say that we were 'scholars', I was still not convinced. But now... after listening to the deputy commander's words, I was convinced!"

Other intellectuals also agreed:

"Yes, listening to your words is better than reading for ten years!"

"The deputy commander's words made me suddenly realize!"

"What's more important is... let us know that Chinese books are not poison!"

...

The last sentence made the intellectuals look a little strange on their faces.

Zhang Chi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He actually understood these literati... They had learned all the Four Books and Five Classics at the beginning, but later they found that what they learned was to make people "not argue with right and wrong, not understand the truth". This collapse of cultural confidence and a strong psychological gap are difficult for outsiders to understand.

Now, Zhang Chi has regained some confidence in Chinese culture, which can be regarded as giving them a kind of comfort.

After sending off a group of intellectuals, Wang Mazi laughed, patted Zhang Chi's shoulder vigorously, and said, "Boy, you are there! I originally thought that our soldiers were incomprehensible when they saw the scholars... I didn't expect that you would make these scholars obedient and stick to them in just a few words!"

Zhang Chi couldn't help but find it funny. Everyone said that "Xiang Chang was unreasonable when he saw the soldiers." Unexpectedly, Wang Mazi changed it to "a soldier met the scholar".

But then again, the soldiers may have understood more than scholars during this period. At least what soldiers summarized were the battlefield experience in reality. Scholars... just like those intellectuals, because China showed a fragile side in front of the great powers, they tried every means to find an "original sin", thinking that as long as the "original sin" was solved, everything would be solved.
Chapter completed!