IDWBE -Chapter 519 Ambition

The illiteracy rate in the Great Liang was extremely high. Among ten thousand people, finding even one who could read was already considered quite good.

Most people were genuine illiterates.

Right now, the most important task wasn’t to cultivate outstanding talents to advance medicine, agriculture, biology, technology, humanities, social sciences, or education.

The priority was to increase literacy and improve the quality of the population.

Only those who could read had the ability to innovate.

Without education, having more children was useless.

Education required huge investment, and the return cycle was extremely long. One had to be patient and focus on the long term.

Everyone understood this principle.

But unfortunately, the treasury was empty.

The national treasury of Great Liang was so poor that even rats were running rampant inside. There wasn’t enough money—even paying the regular salaries of officials and soldiers was barely manageable.

Most of the funding for the new education system had to be raised by local prefectures themselves.

Only larger cities could afford a few decent modern schools, and most students there were children of wealthy families.

Occasionally a town might have one school, but usually only larger towns close to cities.

For example, Tangjia River Town in front of them.

As for the countryside, education was practically a blank slate.

Considering reality, Lin Yi decided to treat rural private schools as an important supplement to basic education.

Giving them money was impossible.

Instead, he encouraged local gentry to invest and sponsor schools.

Especially those wealthy villagers who were “known for their virtue and respected by their community.” They were publicly honored.

Just last year alone, Lin Yi personally signed ten plaques naming people “Charity Models of Great Liang.”

Those who made outstanding contributions could even receive tax reductions, and their children could gain extra points in civil service examinations.

In short, he tried every possible method not only to keep rural private schools running but also to expand them on a large scale, ensuring every child of school age in rural villages could attend school and learn to read.

The government’s only investment was textbooks.

Each rural school received three to five copies, and the teaching content was synchronized with the modern schools in prefectural cities.

After studying for two years, students would take a unified entrance examination.

Those with excellent scores could enter prefectural middle schools to continue their studies.

After graduating from three years of middle school, they could participate in the Great Liang civil service examination.

Lin Yi originally wanted to set an age limit, but later realized it was unnecessary.

Most candidates were at least sixteen years old, and some were even elderly men with white hair who had studied all their lives.

He finally understood why when he proposed abolishing the imperial examination system, nobody objected.

Because for many people, the cost of learning was now extremely low.

As long as they finished the basic courses, they could even skip grades and take the official exams directly.

Never in history had such an opportunity existed.

People who couldn’t write poetry or elegant essays no longer had to worry.

As long as they achieved full marks in one subject—whether mathematics, politics, history, physics, or chemistry—they could even be exceptionally admitted.

“Young master may not know,” Uncle Kuan said with an embarrassed smile, “I am actually the teacher of this private school. Today I gave the children a day off to play freely.”

In his heart he complained—Wasn’t it because of you people visiting?

Otherwise, this would normally be the time he was teaching class.

Lin Yi smiled.

“So your family controls the village’s politics, economy, and education. Quite impressive.”

He didn’t find it strange.

Although he had worked hard to curb land consolidation, reality was still reality.

In rural Great Liang, the wealthiest people were still the landlords and village gentry.

They usually served simultaneously as clan leaders, village heads, school principals, and militia commanders.

Because of their political, economic, and cultural status, these gentry had both the authority and responsibility to manage clan and village society.

Though technically not government officials, they held absolute influence in rural areas.

Lin Yi once lamented that in these clan-based grassroots societies, if a poor person managed to break through the “ceiling,” it was already a victory.

But in most cases…

It was almost impossible.

“Young master jokes,” Uncle Kuan raised his head proudly. “Our young lady actively responded to the Regent’s policy of ‘cultivating builders and successors for Great Liang.’ She donated ten thousand taels of silver and used our family’s farmland to build this schoolhouse. It can hold fifty students! Though I lack ability, I serve as the principal.”

Lin Yi clasped his hands politely.

“My apologies, my apologies.”

Then he asked curiously, “Anyone capable of explaining mathematics and natural philosophy clearly is quite remarkable.”

This was the truth.

Many teachers in Ankang City had been brought from Sanhe. Local teachers rarely understood mathematics and physics well enough to teach them.

Uncle Kuan said with embarrassment, “To be honest, mathematics and physics are taught by Scholar Qi from Tangjia River Town. I only teach history and language.”

Lin Yi asked, “Is this scholar here today? Could I meet him?”

He wanted to understand the state of rural education better.

Uncle Kuan replied, “Unfortunately his mother is seriously ill, so he has been at home caring for her these days.”

“I see.”

Lin Yi had already lowered his expectations.

What could one expect from a school that suspended classes at any moment?

Lifting his robe and tucking it into his belt, Lin Yi walked barefoot across the muddy threshing ground.

Among the children playing wildly, one half-grown boy was squatting quietly, writing characters on the ground with a stick.

The four characters he wrote—

“The universe is mysterious and yellow.”

They were written with strong, vigorous strokes.

“Not bad.”

Lin Yi couldn’t help praising him.

The boy looked up curiously.

“You are guests of the young lady’s household.”

Lin Yi smiled.

“You have sharp eyes.”

“I saw you enter yesterday.”

Luo Han looked at the boy’s strong limbs and laughed.

“So you’ve practiced martial arts before. No wonder you speak so boldly.”

Rural children were usually timid with strangers.

Few were as fearless as this one.

The boy glanced at Luo Han and said quietly, “I can’t beat you.”

Luo Han sneered. “If you could beat me, you’d probably start a rebellion.”

Lin Yi waved his hand.

“Don’t argue with a child.”

“Yes.”

Luo Han stepped back.

Lin Yi placed his hand on the boy’s dry yellow hair.

The boy instinctively tried to dodge, but seeing Luo Han’s glare, he obediently stood still and allowed his head to be rubbed.

“Study hard. One day you might become a pillar of Great Liang.”

“I will definitely become someone important!” the boy said firmly.

“What do you want to be?”

Lin Yi asked.

The boy lifted his chin proudly.

“I want to become a general!”

“Hahaha!”

The other children burst into laughter as if hearing the funniest joke in the world.

But the boy remained calm.

“I will definitely become a great general!”

Lin Yi looked at the child’s determined face and smiled.

“Good. Always stick to your dream. If you give it up, they’ll laugh at you again.”

“Hey! My name is Shen Ping. What’s your name?” the boy asked excitedly.

“Lin Yi. If one day you truly become a great general, you’ll know who I am.”

After saying that, Lin Yi turned and left.

“Lin Yi…”

The boy murmured the name several times and firmly remembered it.

Accompanied by Uncle Kuan, Lin Yi walked around the village.

Low thatched huts stood everywhere.

Most villagers struggled just to fill their stomachs.

Those who could eat enough were probably only the Luo family and a few wealthy households.

“Harsh taxes and levies…”

Lin Yi once again saw how feudal bureaucrats exploited common people.

Sometimes problems couldn’t be solved with a single decree.

For every policy from above, there was always a countermeasure below.

Even sending imperial inspectors everywhere couldn’t solve the fundamental issues.

In the end, everything was determined by the economic foundation.

By evening, the sun had dried the muddy road into hard ground.

At the village entrance, Luo Qi reluctantly said goodbye to her master.

Du Yinniang rode away on horseback without turning back.

When darkness approached, the group finally reached the bustling Tangjia River Town.

Unlike other towns, this place had city walls, guards, and stationed troops, almost like a small city.

“What kind of heartless people are these?”

Lin Yi complained while sitting at a tofu pudding stall, hungry.

“They even charge an entrance fee to come in. Outrageous. Who is the commanding officer of the garrison here?”

Pan Duo hesitated before answering.

“Your Highness, there are about five hundred troops stationed here under Commander Pang Long. Because the Ministry of War cannot support them fully, Lord He Jixiang allowed them to raise funds themselves. They suppress bandits and local tyrants, but their finances are tight—even horse feed is hard to supply. The road used to be dirt. Commander Pang organized soldiers and villagers to repair it so it remains passable in rain. So rather than a gate fee, it’s more like a road toll. According to Liang law, it’s not illegal.”

“Pang Long? That guy is still just a garrison commander?”

Lin Yi recognized the name.

Pang Long had once been his personal guard.

A veteran of the prince’s household.

Yet younger officers from Sanhe had already surpassed him.

Luo Han explained, “Two years ago in the northern campaign, he clashed with General Tao Yingyi and nearly drew weapons. That counted as insubordination. General Shen Chu punished him according to military law—demoted him from guerrilla general to garrison commander and sent him here.”

Lin Yi snorted.

“That idiot.”

After finishing his tofu pudding, he stood up.

“Let’s go see if that bastard is still alive.”

Following Pan Duo’s directions, they found the garrison camp.

A wooden fence surrounded rows of stone huts with straw roofs.

Lin Yi frowned. “Are they really this poor?”

Luo Han went in to report.

Soon a horn sounded in the camp.

By the time Lin Yi entered, the soldiers had already assembled and knelt in rows.

Pang Long cried out: “Your subordinate greets the Prince! Long live Your Highness!”

“Long live Your Highness!” the soldiers shouted together.

“Stand up.”

Lin Yi walked into a nearby barrack.

Inside were long earthen beds with ragged quilts.

He rubbed them casually; under sunlight, mold dust and old cotton fibers flew everywhere.

“You live like this?”

“I am guilty!”

Pang Long felt like he was dreaming.

Why would the Prince appear in such a remote place?

Lowering his head, he said, “Please punish me.”

Lin Yi ignored the tea cup and said calmly, “I don’t like soldiers doing business, but I never completely banned it. Even if you worked as merchant escorts, you wouldn’t live this miserably.”

Pang Long smiled bitterly. “Your Highness doesn’t know. During the northern war, supplies were tight. My battalion was a reserve unit. My men wanted to achieve merit, so we advanced recklessly and had to fund part of it ourselves. After the war ended, we were buried in debt. Even after responding to Your Highness’s market economy policies—farming, road building, toll collection—it’s still not enough. Right now I still owe Yan Kuisheng over thirty thousand taels of silver. Just the monthly interest alone is five hundred taels.”

Reserve troops were treated like stepchildren.

The vanguard units received supplies first.

By the time it was their turn, even enough food was uncertain.

But if they didn’t charge into battle first, how could they gain merit and promotion?

So they borrowed money to equip themselves.

Food, armor, weapons—

They had nothing.

“Enough.”

Seeing the bearded Pang Long nearly crying, Lin Yi felt uncomfortable.

“Figure out a way to fill this financial hole yourself.”

He actually wanted to help him repay the debt.

But he simply didn’t have the money.

If he promised it, He Jixiang would definitely fight him.

Neither the court nor the Ministry of War had funds.

He Jixiang himself practically survived on thin porridge every day.

Pang Long hesitated before speaking bravely.

“Your Highness… please allow my garrison to sail overseas with merchants.”

“You? A landlubber going to sea?”

Lin Yi was surprised.

Pang Long explained, “Many sea merchants from Phoenix City have invited my troops to escort them. But Liang law restricts it, so I didn’t dare decide alone. I asked the Military Commission, but Lord He hasn’t replied.”

“Why don’t they hire the navy?”

Lin Yi asked.

“The navy under Admiral Jiang Kan is limited in number.”

Among the five military commands, the navy was the richest.

One escort voyage could bring in tens of thousands of taels.

Even then, they sometimes refused offers.

Unlike Pang Long’s garrison—no support from anyone.

After repairing roads and collecting tolls, they were even cursed by civilians.

Lin Yi thought for a moment.

“Approved.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Pang Long burst into tears of joy.

A problem that seemed impossible had been solved so easily.

Lin Yi walked outside again.

Looking at the setting sun, he rubbed his forehead. “Why are there so many troubles? Every day there’s something new.”

Sometimes he truly wanted to lie flat and ignore everything.

But reality never allowed it.