Smaller village schools were mostly run by wealthier villages. They would invite teachers to the village and pay them meager fees to keep them running.

They didn't expect any great talents to emerge; they only hoped that the younger generation would learn more characters so that they would have a good future.

If they are lucky enough to find a promising student who is good at studying, the whole village will support him/her.

Students like Ji Bai and Lin Muzhen came from farming families in this way, and one can imagine how difficult their path to education must have been.

Of course, clan schools run by prominent families are another matter.

There are few people receiving education, no funding for schools, the state is unable to afford and organize the popularization of elementary education, and ordinary people cannot afford to send their children to school.

Various reasons have led to the low rate of education.

It's difficult to find a teacher these days.

Being close to Zhongzhou is good; you can always find a few scholars there.

The lack of talent on the northern border is so severe it's almost unbelievable.

Most scholars come from wealthy and powerful families, while few sons of peasant families are willing to return after achieving academic success.

Ji Bai smiled wryly, "I have done the statistics. In the entire Northern Prefecture, there are fewer than 3,500 people who can read more than 1,000 characters. Most of them hold official positions, and I have already persuaded all those who could be persuaded."

"There is really no other way; even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice."

Xiao Zhixing has been considering solutions to this problem.

To develop and improve the education rate, we must widely open elementary schools.

However, the development of elementary schools is inseparable from the issue of teachers.

However, this thing can't just appear out of thin air; you can't just randomly grab a few people to act as teachers.

Besides, people have to be willing to teach; you can't force them to do it at knifepoint, can you?

She opened the Beizhou Forum and began to utilize movable type printing and improve papermaking techniques.

Other initiatives included building the Beizhou Free Library and Beizhou General Hospital, co-creating the Dasheng Encyclopedia, attracting various talents, and retaining Murong Wanli.

All of this was done to attract learned people.

But that's not enough; it's a bit slow to see results within three years.

She gestured for Li Wenxiu to record, "In the name of this king, I hereby publicly summon all students and academies in the land. Anyone who comes to Beizhou to teach for three years will be given a one-time reward of five thousand taels of silver, with a monthly salary of twenty taels, and additional expenses for paper, brushes, inkstones, ice, charcoal, and cloth."

"Anyone who wishes to come, please state the name of the Northern State, and I will provide you with the necessary funds to receive you."

"Then tell the people of the world, I will ask them: What is the purpose of a scholar? What is the purpose of having expertise in learning? What is the purpose of using learning to govern the world?"

"Now, the Northern State wishes to establish a thousand primary schools to educate thousands of people. The schools have been established, but there is a lack of teachers to impart knowledge and skills. I, the King, would like to invite all students in the world to join in this great undertaking, to enlighten the people, and to build a great cause together!"

"I, the king, humbly offer my four lines of wisdom, emphasizing that actions speak louder than words. I eagerly await those who share my heart and mind to come and assist me!"

"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as focusing on one thing. To become an official and a high-ranking official, one must use one's knowledge to enlighten the people and broaden their minds. This is a great virtue!"

"To serve as a model for all ages!"

Everyone present was thrilled.

If this matter is accomplished, Beizhou and everyone present will be remembered for eternity.

Xiao Zhixing's call to action can be seen as sounding the clarion call for talent recruitment in Beizhou.

[Yellow comment: Ahhh—I just want to scream right now, I wish I could rush over and follow the prince!]

[Yellow bullet comment: Our golden age begins here!]

[Yellow comment: From having nothing to enlightening the masses, this one thing alone is enough for the prince to become a saint!]

[Red comment: I'm totally fired up listening to this! I hereby officially declare myself a die-hard fan of the Prince.]

[Yellow comment: This takes into account both ideals and reality. Not to mention scions of wealthy families, even students from poor families would definitely want to give it a try.]

[Green comment: Don't blame me for being pessimistic, but where will the money for such a massive investment come from? Xiao Zhixing only has one gold mine; how can that support the implementation of all the plans? The imperial court certainly won't give her any support.]

[Red comment: Yeah, it's a good idea, you can recruit talent all over the country, but what about the money? How do you solve that?]

[Yellow comment: Hehe, have you guys forgotten about the Ghost Guards? And the Ning Clan Trading Company, the mines... and we won't spoil what happens next.]

[Yellow comment: Anyway, the prince got things done. Just how rich she is remains a mystery. You'll see as time goes on. For others, wealth is a fundamental constraint on development, but for her, it's as easy as drinking water.]

Xiao Zhixing thought to himself that she had anticipated this outcome when she asked the Ghost Guard to open the trade route, because many things cannot be done without money at any time.

Now, Ghost Guard's trade routes can provide her with even better cover.

For example, the development of mineral resources in various places is all processed through Ghost Guard, turning into legitimate income and providing her with a continuous stream of financial support.

She doesn't need to hide her windfall gains, like Xiao Yuzhen's treasure, since she's rich anyway.

The meeting continued.

Ji Bai reported on all other matters one by one, and everyone brainstormed solutions to the problems that needed to be solved. Xiao Zhixing then made the final summary and decision.

The matter must be resolved on the spot. If it cannot be resolved on the spot, Xiao Zhixing will give a specific time for a reply.

When discussing basic medical infrastructure, Ji Bai asked Bai Su to report.

Bai Su has been extremely busy lately, compiling basic medical knowledge into a book for future training of doctors.

He also personally led a group to visit the surrounding towns and cities to understand the actual medical and health conditions.

She has lost a lot of weight, and her temperament is completely different; she has the air of a future white-collar elite.

Meeting Xiao Zhixing's smiling eyes, she felt slightly less nervous and cleared her throat, saying:

"I have traveled to more than eighty villages in the surrounding area and learned that doctors are scarce. The better doctors are only in the towns or county seat. When people are sick, they either have to endure it or find some herbs to treat themselves."

She said solemnly, "Especially the mortality rate of newborns, which reaches 80%, is high. Even a slight cold or flu can take a child's life."

"More than 80% of women die from illness or childbirth."

"And lifespan. I've estimated that the average lifespan of ordinary people is only thirty-five to forty years."

Living to fifty or sixty is considered old age.

"There are many reasons for this result. One is the sectarianism among doctors. Medical knowledge has not been widely disseminated, there are few doctors, and even fewer good doctors. It is all passed down in families."

"Secondly, there is a severe shortage of medicinal herbs, limited development, and no large-scale cultivation. Naturally harvested herbs are in short supply, resulting in high prices and making them unaffordable for ordinary people."

"Thirdly, the literacy rate is low, making it difficult to disseminate simple medical knowledge."

"The reason why women are weak and children are prone to injury is that they marry too early and the women are not fully developed."

"Finally, it comes down to the issue of status. Doctors are compassionate, yet they do not receive the respect they deserve; some even consider it a low-class practice."

Because doctors come into contact with all kinds of diseases, some people are wary of them, feeling that they are unclean because they are surrounded by diseases every day.

Even the imperial physicians and royal doctors of the Imperial Medical Academy, despite their high positions and generous salaries, held the lowest social status in the officialdom.

Xiao Zhixing nodded. "Do you have a sound solution?"