Chapter 86 This is the power of hope!
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng felt like laughing. Didn’t he, the emperor, know what was happening in the Qin Dynasty?

Not to mention that every household had surplus food, even ensuring that everyone had enough to eat was a problem.

However, he still did not interrupt Dong Zhongshu.

"Under such circumstances, if the imperial court vigorously promotes educational reform, establishes primary schools for children in every county, secondary schools for young people in every prefecture, and even establishes a higher education institution for adults in Xianyang, the capital of our Qin Dynasty."

When Ying Zheng heard this, he held his breath and concentrated. This...

"In this way, we can hire teachers to teach those children who are temporarily unable to work in the fields to read and write."

"In this way, dozens of children will only need one good teacher, and the tuition fees will be reduced to a level that farmers can afford with their surplus food."

"Does this arrangement mean that a large number of children in each county will have the opportunity to receive education and learn to read and write?"

Dong Zhongshu thought for a moment and said: "By the same token, is it feasible to set up a middle school in each county, select students with excellent grades and relatively good family conditions from the primary schools to study more advanced knowledge?"

"The same principle extends to the university level, layer by layer, forming a complete education system."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng couldn't help but feel excited.

"As time goes by, people will gradually find that the longer children study, the higher their future achievements will be."

"Do you think that when they realize this, they will be willing to use their precious surplus food to invest in their children's education?"

Dong Zhongshu frowned, thinking about what the Thirteenth Young Master said, and continued, "What's more, according to the Thirteenth Young Master, this matter does not require every family to have surplus food."

"As long as people understand that studying can change their destiny, they will even go hungry and devote all their efforts to support a child's education!"

"This can break the rigid class system and change the fate of a family!"

"This is the power of hope, Young Master Thirteen once said so."

Ying Zheng's heart was filled with waves of emotions. Can this really be achieved?
Dong Zhongshu had no intention of stopping and continued to tell his story.

"He believed that once the fire of hope was ignited for the farmers and the people, once they saw the ladder to upward mobility, once they understood that they could get rid of poverty through hard work, they would be willing to pay any price!"

"Because their ancestors have been struggling in hardship for generations, we really can't bear to let their descendants repeat the same life!"

"This is a wise move by the Thirteenth Prince to find a way out for the people of Daqin."

Ying Zheng became more and more emotional at this time.

"At the same time, he also emphasized that this is also the best solution to cure the long-standing problems of the Qin Dynasty."

"After all, if this change is not made in time, the peasants of Daqin will eventually rise up in rebellion."

"Under the current system, they lack the hope of breaking free from the shackles of class."

"Living in hardship for a long time, once survival becomes unsustainable, will lead to a situation of national rebellion."

"By then, even if our Great Qin army is brave and skilled in fighting, it will be of no avail."

"Just imagine, if the soldiers' families all rebelled, how could the army wield the sword to kill the enemy?"

After hearing this, Ying Zheng was dumbfounded and couldn't believe it.

"So it can be done this way. It has come to this point?"

"Is our Great Qin facing such a huge crisis?"

"Are all the people on the verge of rebellion?" "I originally thought that the remnants of the six kingdoms were the main threat to my Great Qin, but I never thought that the real hidden danger lies precisely in the people themselves!"

After realizing the deep meaning behind these words, Ying Zheng broke out in a cold sweat.

"If Xiao Shisan hadn't reminded me, what would have happened if something unexpected had happened to me?!"

He couldn't imagine.

Then he carefully pondered the educational idea just proposed by Dong Zhongshu.

Basic education, secondary education, higher education, and most importantly, hope.

Yes, it is hope, the hope that can break down class barriers and inspire infinite possibilities for the people.

As the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, although he was at a high level in class, he only began to truly understand at this moment the tremendous pressure and constraints that the class gap brought to the people.

Dong Zhongshu's words were like a spring breeze, and Qin Shihuang Ying Zheng suddenly became enlightened after listening to them.

He deeply realized that the core of the Qin Dynasty's problem was that the people lacked channels for upward mobility. Apart from being awarded titles for military merit, civilians had almost no chance to change their fate.

As the years of peace lasted for a long time, this road was almost closed, and the only remaining gap was tightly occupied by the children of princes and nobles, making it almost impossible for common people to make meritorious deeds.

However, if the people are given new hope, their self-driven power will be extremely powerful, far greater than the court forcing them to build the Great Wall and the Afang Palace.

Just like the pedestrians hurrying on the streets today, the reason they are busy and busy is because they have goals and hopes in their hearts.

At this moment, Ying Zheng's heart suddenly realized as if at dawn: it turns out that what the people long for is the possibility of changing their own destiny!

Once people have hope, their enthusiasm will be immeasurable!
Then, Ying Zheng thought of a shocking question.

If all the people of the Qin Dynasty had the opportunity to read and write, as Dong Zhongshu said, how powerful the Qin Dynasty would become?
He couldn't help but mutter to himself: "If that day really comes, wouldn't my Great Qin reach a point where every county has people who can read and write, every county has a well-educated person, and my Xianyang City will never lack talented scholars?"

But soon, he began to have doubts about the high tuition fees and the cost of purchasing the four treasures of the study.

Faced with this question, Dong Zhongshu did not say anything, but pointed inside the room with a smile, indicating that the answer had been revealed there.

Ying Zheng suddenly realized that the invention of the new paper was the key to solving this problem, and it would become an important cornerstone for the future construction of the Qin Dynasty.

Layers of fog gradually dissipated in Ying Zheng's mind. From the birth of seemingly insignificant new paper to people's expectations for the future, there was such a close relationship between the two.

All this is like a grand chess game. Some people use the Qin Dynasty as the chessboard, and the common people, various schools of thought, and court ministers as chess pieces, and cleverly arrange the game in an effort to make the entire Qin Dynasty prosperous.

However, this game of chess was in a desperate situation at the initial stage, and the clever strategy to break the deadlock was the strategy of "extending favors and dividing the land" that Sima Ye discovered.

First stabilize the turbulent foundation of the Qin Dynasty, and then take multiple measures to jointly promote the development of the country.

Although at present Ying Zheng has only noticed the existence of a few key chess pieces, such as Dong Zhongshu, the invention of new paper, and the phenomenon of farmers scrambling to grab farm manure.

But he could vaguely sense the unfathomable nature of the chess player, a terrifying figure who could control the world in the palm of his hand.

All signs indicate that the person behind the scenes is the rebellious son who usurped his power.

As this thought flashed through his mind, Ying Zheng's eyes were filled with unbelievable shock!

How unfathomable is the strength and strategy of my rebellious son?

(End of this chapter)