In this era, it is not a shameful thing to be illiterate.
Even in the eyes of some nobles, this is still a good thing.
It’s okay not to learn, and there’s no harm in not learning.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the spread of "knowledge" was strictly controlled, and the so-called "official school" system was implemented.
Ordinary civilians and craftsmen only learn various "skills", and these skills are used to serve the nobles.
It can be said that they have received "vocational education" since childhood.
Only nobles can learn writing, read ancient books, and learn some in-depth knowledge.
The children of the nobles learned the "six arts" through the schools opened by the government, which were used to govern the country and manage the villagers.
This is what is called "learning in the palace".
Of course, most nobles actually studied the knowledge passed down by their ancestors in their own "schools", and this was the case for Xin.
In Xinyi, Xin You was the only one who truly received aristocratic education.
Chinese people occasionally come into contact with this knowledge, but they do not study it systematically. At most, they can only recognize some words like Du Gan and help the city handle some affairs.
Until the emergence of Master Confucius, he set a precedent for private teaching and passed on his knowledge to everyone without distinction.
Coupled with the progress of the times, the knowledge previously held in the court was quickly acquired by the lower nobles and many people in the country, resulting in the phenomenon of a hundred schools of thought contending.
Hearing that Du Gan was literate, Xin said again: "Well, you go and tell everyone that starting from tomorrow, I will teach Chinese people how to read and arithmetic in the rural school. Anyone who wants to learn can come."
"Literacy?!"
"Yes. Literacy, reading, and arithmetic." Xin added.
Xinyi cannot rely on Xin You alone, he must cultivate some helpers of his own.
And these helpers must have certain cultural literacy.
"We can't learn these things." Du Gan said with a smile: "These are learned by gentlemen. I only need to plant good land."
"Do you think you don't need to study to farm? Even if you don't study, you must at least be able to read or learn to calculate accounts."
Xin also decided to imitate Confucius, educate everyone without distinction, and open his own school.
Of course, he is still different from Master Kong.
Students of Confucius studied the knowledge of governing the country.
Xin You, on the other hand, has to teach some basic knowledge, writing, and arithmetic to prepare for Xin Yi's future development and to deal with the three elders.
Xin is a thorough pragmatist. He does not believe that the Six Arts of a Gentleman and the Three Generations of Etiquette taught by Confucius can help the country develop.
If a country wants to develop, it still depends on productivity.
Hearing the news that Xin was going to open a school in the rural school again, Xinyi once again became a sensation.
After lunch that day, all Chinese people, men, women, old and young, gathered around the rural school to watch the excitement.
"Gentleman, why should we learn to read? You don't need to learn to read to farm."
Yin Laogen, a member of the Yin clan, asked with a silly smile.
In two weeks, scholars, farmers, industry and merchants were the four major classes among the Chinese people.
Scholars were the lower class nobles, and their job was to be literate and fight.
As other components of the Chinese population, agriculture, industry and commerce do not have such high requirements for literacy.
Businessmen have a higher literacy rate because they are doing business.
The father is a farmer, so naturally the son is also a farmer.
The son farmed the land as his father farmed. Naturally, there was no need to be literate to live this way.
But Xin You had different ideas.
He needs to train some literate young people, and training these people is naturally not about farming.
When it comes to fighting wars, doing business, or learning some advanced skills, it is always better to be literate than not.
But he can't tell the Chinese people like this now, he must find a reason that everyone can convince.
"I don't want you to be literate just to farm the land." Xin said again: "Yin Laogen, do you farm enough to support your family every year?"
"Farming? It's barely enough, but it won't work if there's a famine. I don't have any food left at home."
"If your son can read or is good at calculating accounts, I can consider making him a Lushi in the city. In this way, the city will give you more food every year."
The Lushi is the chief accountant of Xinyi, who calculates the tribute of Xinyi and helps the officials in the city collect and pay taxes.
He is regarded as a minor official in Xinyi, so he will receive a salary and some grain from the city.
"Really?! Then I will definitely let my dog learn to read!"
Xin nodded again: "It's true, but it doesn't mean you can become a Lu teacher just by knowing a few words. Naturally, I have to choose the best among them!"
"Hey, my dog is very smart, he must be the best!"
Yin Laogen looked expectant.
Tell these people that knowledge changes destiny and knowledge crosses classes. They won't understand it. Even if they understand it, they won't have enough motivation to do it.
To get people to act, we must provide some immediate benefits.
For example, if you can read and write, you can work part-time in the town, which will increase your income.
Only the real food that is eaten in the stomach can move people's hearts.
"Gentleman! I... don't think this is appropriate!"
At this moment, Zong Bo Xin Wuzuo stood up.
He wiped the sweat from his head and glanced diagonally behind him subconsciously.
Xin looked again and saw that Xin Jin was among the crowd, looking like an old god.
"This old man wants to cause trouble again." Xin You thought to himself, waiting for Xin Wuzuo to make a move.
"I once...I once heard that the people are not as smart as the officials. The most important thing for farmers is to cultivate good land. If they all go to school and become literate, who will farm the land?"
After Xin Wuzuo finished speaking, he raised his head and glanced at Xin You, as if waiting for Xin You's reaction.
These words were taught to him by Xin Jin, and Xin Jin believed that these words were enough to stop Xin You from wanting to set up a rural school.
Xin Jin was the first to feel something was wrong about this matter.
If a small family like the Du family or the Mao family can produce a few literate people who can then serve as small officials in Xinyi, then what will the children of Xinyi do?
The number of official positions is huge.
So Xin Jin called Xin Wuzuo aside and handed him these few words.
"Haha." Xin responded to him with only two words.
Xin Wuzuo thought that Xin did not dare to refute, so he continued: "The purpose of dividing the four peoples is to allow farmers to till their fields and workers to build their things. Each performs his duties and keeps his position. This is the way to govern the country.
"
"Haha." Xin continued to sneer: "Young uncle from Xiaoyi, how dare you talk about the way of the country?"
"Gentleman...I..."
Another word from Xin made Xin Wuzuo's old face turn red.
Yes, he is just the uncle of a small town, and governing the country is really far away from him.
Xin also knew that these words were said by Xin Jin, so he deliberately looked at Xin Jin's position and said:
"In the past, Taigong (Jiang Taigong) was the first to be enfeoffed. Zhou Gong asked, how to govern Qi? Taigong said: to promote talents and merit. This sentence means that when Zhou Gong asked Jiang Taigong how to govern Qi, Jiang Taigong replied, that is to appoint talented people.
Talented person.
"Guan Zhong was a merchant, a commoner, but he was a minister. If he had kept his identity as a merchant, could he have achieved Duke Huan of Qi's hegemony?
"You know, Shun was raised in the countryside, Fu Shuao was raised in the building, Jiao Ge was raised in the fish and salt, Guan Yiwu was raised in the army, Sun Shu'ao was raised in the sea, and Baili Xi was raised in the city.
"Which of these characters is not tens of millions of times better than you, Xin Wuzuo? But their births are all different. If you go by what you said, Emperor Shun should always farm, Fu said that he should always build walls, and you, Xin Wuzuo,
Should our descendants be uncles for generations to come?"
Xin Wuzuo's words made him dizzy.
He knew Duke Huan of Qi, and Guan Zhong had naturally heard of it too.
But was Guan Zhong a businessman before? He wasn't sure.
But the people in the country understood what Xin You meant.
These big shots came from even humbler backgrounds than ordinary civilians, but they all became big shots in the end.
What does this mean? It means that farmers who farm can also be officials!
As long as you have the talent to learn.
Of course, this is just a bowl of old chicken soup from Xinyou.
These characters are just examples and legends, and most people are still bound by class.
It's just a glimmer of hope for the people of the country.
"Also, you said that the people's wisdom is not as good as that of the officials. Then I used driftwood to deliver the message the day before yesterday. Why didn't you understand the key yet, but Du Gan guessed my thoughts? Is he more suitable to be this uncle than you?"
Xin You's sharp words forced Xin Wuzuo to do nothing but wipe his sweat.
"I...this..."
Xin Wuzuo stuttered again.
"I made you literate just to select some talented people to help me govern Xinyi. The great sage of the time, Confucius, the sage of heaven, said that 'there is no distinction between education'. As a result, when you come here, these people don't understand
A strategy for governing the country?!” This chapter has been completed!