"His Majesty felt that the official education system was in decline, so he took the initiative to mention the issue of 'reviving education' during the court meeting a few days ago."
"Not only that, Prime Minister Ding also said, 'Abolition of redundant troops'!"
"What a blessing!"
At this time, Fan Zhongyan suddenly felt emotional.
People's words may not be trustworthy.
He had heard of Ding Wei's name.
People in the world often accuse him of being treacherous.
But this wave of proactive petitions to 'abolish redundant troops' really changed Fan Zhongyan's outlook a lot.
At least in this matter, Ding Wei did nothing wrong.
Since the signing of the Chanyuan Alliance, Guochao and Khitan have become brotherly countries. In addition, the turbulent northwest has also ushered in a long period of peace.
Nowadays, the country and its dynasty have been enjoying peace for a long time, and everything seems to be developing in a good direction.
However, Fan Zhongyan has other views on this.
Coming from a lower class background, he is more aware of the difficulties faced by the common people.
It is too difficult for ordinary people to live a good life.
Although the country has been unified for less than a hundred years, the trend of mergers and acquisitions has become increasingly fierce.
The rich have endless fields, but the poor have no place to stand.
In this kind of environment, it is even more difficult to hide and escape.
It is clear that the Song Dynasty was founded in more than sixty years, and it has been passed down to this day, but only three generations of kings have existed. However, there is a lot of chaos among the people.
Sometimes, Fan Zhongyan would even have ulterior thoughts.
Could it be that the legacy of the Five Generations has not been eliminated?
During the Five Dynasties, the change of dynasties was like a fleeting moment. Overnight, the king's flag suddenly changed on the top of the city.
In fact, it is normal for Fan Zhongyan to have such worries.
The general environment was such that he couldn't help but think more about it.
During the Five Dynasties period, in just over a hundred years, five dynasties and ten kingdoms emerged one after another. The shortest dynasty lasted only a few years, and the longest dynasty lasted no more than twenty years.
A country like the Song Dynasty, which was founded more than sixty years ago, has surpassed all the regimes in the Five Dynasties period.
At first glance, a unified dynasty seems to be just around the corner.
But considering the century-long period of chaos, most scholars in the early Song Dynasty had similar worries, fearing that the Song Dynasty would repeat the mistakes of the Five Dynasties period.
And this was also the reason why the prime ministers in the early Song Dynasty had a conservative political style.
Do less and make fewer mistakes, be afraid of making mistakes, fear that the change will not go well, and directly change the government.
On the other side, when Zhang Lun heard the word 'starting a school', a smile appeared on his face unconsciously.
However, when he heard "Ding said he was writing a letter to abolish redundant troops," he suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
Ding said?
Abolition of redundant troops?
You haven't had any auditory hallucinations, have you?
No matter how you think about it, it’s impossible!
Compared to Fan Zhongyan, he understood Ding Wei's nature better.
After all, he is older and has been in politics for a longer time. In his impression, Ding Wei has the ability.
Even with the most critical eye, one cannot deny Ding Wei's political ability.
But when it comes to personal ethics, that's far from the case.
Ding Wei is from Changzhou, Suzhou, and he is now the Prime Minister of the imperial court. Logically speaking, if such a person comes out of his hometown, most of his fellow villagers will feel honored.
Under one person, above ten thousand people!
Not glorious enough?
However, the fact is exactly the opposite. Although Ding Wei's reputation in his hometown is not bad, it is definitely not good.
Of course, except for those who are sycophants.
There is no shortage of such sycophants in all dynasties. In the eyes of this group of people, whoever can bring benefits to them is a 'saint'.
If you have milk, you are a mother!
When you gain power, they are the first to come to you. When you lose power, it goes without saying that they are also the first to leave.
Before leaving, they would even seize the opportunity to add insult to injury.
"Shijun, what's your expression?"
At this time, Fan Zhongyan finally noticed the strange look on Zhang Lun's face.
"I don't believe that Ding Xianghui took the initiative to write a letter to 'abolish redundant troops'."
Zhang Lun chuckled. Although he called him 'Ding Xiang', there was no respect at all in his words, only sarcasm and contempt.
After saying this, Zhang Lun suddenly had an idea in his mind.
Ding said that he had submitted a letter, could it be to 'cater to his superior's wishes'?
It's not impossible!
After all, the lessons learned from the past are still fresh in our ears.
As the main person who promoted the east seal and the west sacrifice, isn't what Ding Wei is best at "catering to the emperor's wishes"?
Thinking of this, Zhang Lun thought more and more that it was possible.
Although Guan Jia is very young, we must not look at Guan Jia through the eyes of ordinary people.
"Xiwen, I suddenly had an idea."
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Lun slowly expressed his opinion.
Suddenly hearing such an 'alien' idea, Fan Zhongyan fell into deep thought for a moment.
After a while, Fan Zhongyan suddenly realized that whether Ding Wei was catering to his superiors was not the point at all!
The key point is that it is right to reduce redundant troops, and it is also beneficial to the country to establish schools!
Fan Zhongyan lost his father when he was young, and his mother took him to remarry. His education path was not smooth.
Against the background of the decline of official education, when Fan Zhongyan was young, he had no choice but to go to a nearby monastery to study with books from sages.
Almost self-taught.
It is not that there are no private schools near Changshan (where Fan Zhongyan's mother remarried), but Fan Zhongyan has a proud chest.
Even if he changed his surname, in the final analysis, he is not a descendant of the Zhu family. The Zhu family provides him with food and clothing, and he has already deserved it.
Even if the Zhu family was willing to fund his study tour, he would not do so.
After all, people's words are terrible. His mother married him into the Zhu family, and there was quite a lot of criticism in the countryside. How could he ask for it from the Zhu family again and again?
If he really did this, even if the Zhu family didn't say anything, what would others think?
When three people become tigers, the pressure will only be passed on to the mother.
As a human son, how could Fan Zhongyan only care about his own future and ignore his mother's situation?
Therefore, he lived a very miserable life when he became an official. A pot of thick porridge every day was enough!
Later, as he grew older, Fan Zhongyan became more aware of his mother's situation. After all, he was an outsider to the Zhu family.
So, he decided to study abroad.
In the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1010), after traveling to many places, Fan Zhongyan came to Nanjing (Yingtianfu, now Shangqiu, Henan) and paid homage to Juyang Academy.
(Juyang Academy was later Yingtianfu Academy)
Five years later, Fan Zhongyan, who studied diligently, lived up to expectations. At the age of 27, he passed the second grade in the second subject and passed the Jinshi.
It was precisely because of this arduous and unforgettable academic life that Fan Zhongyan laughed heartily when he saw the official's intention to "promote learning".
It is precisely because of the environment in which he grew up that he can empathize with the people at the bottom. He does not have the arrogance of a scholar-bureaucrat, but only has the noble sentiment of "worrying before the world's worries."
Experience shapes personality, and Fan Zhongyan's personality charm can shine through the ages, which has a lot to do with his childhood experiences.
"Your Majesty, it doesn't matter what Prime Minister Ding thinks."
"The important thing is to promote official learning!"
"The Song Dynasty has a sage king, and all the scholars in the world are blessed!"
When he was feeling emotional, Fan Zhongyan called the official a 'saint king'.
With such an emperor, the Song Dynasty will definitely rise!
"Your Majesty, I will give you the report, and I will go and write the letter."
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PS: Today’s update is very late. It’s already two o’clock. I was on the phone with my second sister, and the call lasted for more than an hour. I’m sorry.
Little Xingxing, you are really not cheating, ┭┮﹏┭┮