"Turn over jars and pots to prevent water accumulation and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds."
"Pay attention to hygiene, eliminate pests and prevent diseases, and build a harmonious society together."
"Eliminate the four pests and prevent diseases."
“…”
Gu Yuan frowned.
Looking at the slogans all over the military camp.
These were also instructed by Ning Que.
"I don't understand!"
"A good military camp without training."
"Just doing all this nonsense."
Gu Yuan snorted heavily.
"Yeah," Lin Jiang echoed, saying contemptuously, "I heard it was the same after we went to Daye City. The whole city was practically covered with posters. Ning Que is just a little clever and lucky, but he's not worthy of being compared to the general. He doesn't train the soldiers anymore, but instead teaches them to read and learn. I don't know what he's thinking."
"snort!"
Gu Yuan's face showed coldness.
I just think Ning Que is quite ridiculous.
Learning to read and write in the military camp?
Isn't this pure cerebral palsy?
All the soldiers have to do is practice martial arts diligently!
Practice battle formations, horse riding and archery!
What's the point of teaching them this?
"The sky and earth are dark yellow, the universe is vast and boundless."
"The sun and moon wax and wane, and the stars and constellations spread out."
"Winter comes and goes, summer passes, autumn brings harvest, winter stores."
"The leap year is completed, and the rhythm of the lü is adjusted to the sun."
“…”
Lang Lang's reciting voice was heard.
Gu Yuan frowned and looked over.
Then I saw a young official reciting.
There were many black-faced soldiers in the audience.
"Look at the blackboard!"
"What are you looking at my face for?"
"Is there something written on my face?"
"Read them all!"
"Are you usually so powerful that you don't yell?"
"Why are you mute now?"
“…”
Gu Yuan raised his eyebrows.
So Ning Que is serious?
Seeing the angry official stamping his feet, the burly soldiers below all blushed, not daring to refute him. It was like a monkey giving a lesson to a black bear.
Normally, these soldiers had hot tempers. They would jump up and down if you said anything to them, let alone scold them. They were known for causing trouble in the camp, sometimes even raising their fists to confront superiors.
"What are they reading?"
"Thousand Character Classic."
"Um?"
Lin Jiang stood nearby and explained, "I remember it was presented by Ning Que, used to teach young children. The original enlightenment text was too complicated and difficult to understand. Legend has it that when Ning Que was three years old and started his education, he wrote this thousand-character essay, and old King Ning was very impressed."
"Three years old?!"
"yes……"
Lin Jiang nodded awkwardly.
He also heard this from others.
Gu Yuan was gritting his teeth in hatred.
Are you kidding me?!
A three-year-old can write such an article?
The official knocked hard on the blackboard.
"Open your eyes, everyone, and look carefully."
"I'll read a sentence, and you guys read a sentence."
"Anyone who reads it wrong again will be punished with a beating!"
He has never taught such a bad student!
Each one of them is as stupid as a dog!
I don’t even recognize these few words.
The usually fearless soldiers were now blushing, not daring to object. After all, this was Ning Que's death order, and everyone had to learn it. As military officers, they had to teach their subordinates after they learned it.
They also knew that Ning Que was doing this for their own good.
While Dafeng was known for its martial virtues, it also held the view that all other pursuits were inferior, save for learning. Education was practically monopolized by the academic elite, leaving ordinary people struggling to even survive, let alone learn to read. Even if one were to take out all the family's grain reserves, it wouldn't be enough to support a scholar.
Ask any military camp and you'll find they wouldn't risk their lives if given the choice. Most of them come from poor families, and fighting on the battlefield at least offers a chance, not the risk of starvation.
Ning Que had even gone so far as to contradict Emperor Feng in order to secure this opportunity for them. They naturally had to seize the opportunity, study hard, and learn to read and write, so that they could have a better future.
…
"Xiao Ning, why are you doing this?" Emperor Feng sat in the pavilion, listening to the Thousand Character Classic being recited in the camp. He shook his head and said, "Look, these soldiers are not only training hard, but they also have to learn to read. Where do they get all that energy? Don't let a choking situation throw the baby out with the bathwater, and don't delay training."
"Brother, I have no other choice..."
"Um?"
Ning Que looked troubled and sighed, "Think about it. Ouyang Zheng also sent word earlier that the local area was desperately short of officials. I executed all the corrupt officials in Daye City, so I could only temporarily promote the imperial guards to official positions. Your brother, Prince Ning's army, is considered relatively good. Officers above the rank of centurion have some basic skills, like literacy, and some understanding of law and government affairs. With so many officers being transferred this time, I must fill in the gaps promptly."
Emperor Feng frowned and nodded.
He got criticized a lot for this.
Four of the six ministries submitted letters to refute the statement.
It was simple; official positions were always assigned to specific individuals. They had many relatives, and they were counting on them to help secure official positions. Officials were always high and mighty. Even if it was a sinecure with a salary, it was still better than farming or being a craftsman.
The key is still high social status!
The most famous is the Gu family.
They were blatantly stuffing people in.
The late emperor once flew into a rage, demanding that the Gu family's head appoint officials to the family's dogs. "There are only so many vacancies. Have you finished filling the positions you want to appoint? I still want to promote some more!"
From then on, all official promotions had to go through the Ministry of Personnel first and then be reviewed by the Emperor himself.
Therefore, the appointment and promotion of officials involves many things, and Ning Que can't just do whatever he wants. As the King of Ning, he can certainly promote those he likes, but he can't just take them all in one go!
At least leave some soup for them!
What? Did you regard Daye City as the fiefdom of Jingyang?
Besides, what kind of people are being promoted?
They are just a bunch of brawny men with brains filled with rude military men, and all they want is fighting and killing. How can we govern the place well with this bunch of people?
"Don't you have any selfish motives?" Emperor Feng picked up the cold tea Ning Que had poured and glanced at him, saying, "We grew up together. You've been cunning and shrewd since you were little, but you're notorious for not getting up early without profit."
"Hehe, there are definitely some, but only a little bit." Ning Que laughed innocently and raised his hand, saying, "Those I promoted are mostly only sons, so I thought of letting them serve as officials and stay away from the battlefield as much as possible."
"Furthermore, during the subsequent Eastern Expedition, Daye City must not be lost. We know this, and the King of Qi is certainly aware of it. If they become enemies, the King of Qi will likely attack Daye City and cut off all support. I appointed these military officers to prepare for the worst-case scenario."
"Oh."
Emperor Feng also laughed.
Ning Que's explanation still makes sense.
"I will continue this practice after we reach Linzi. Whenever we capture a new place, we can temporarily transfer military officers to serve as local officials. Therefore, teaching in the army is a must. If they want to climb the ladder, they must study hard!"
Ning Que's attitude was very firm.
This was something he had decided to do a long time ago, but the incident at Ono Castle had brought it forward. It just so happened that Emperor Feng was here too, so it was better to show it off in public than to do it secretly!
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