Chapter 101 New Plan
After returning to Chang'an, Li Chengqian ordered people to go to Luoyang secretly to investigate whether the assassin who assassinated him that day was related to that woman.
He, Li Chengqian, must figure this out, otherwise he will be unable to sleep or eat!
While Li Chengqian was investigating this matter, Fang Xuanling also sent people to investigate the case.
The next day.
Li Chengqian called Zhao Jie, Du He, Li Yifu, Xu Jingzong, Hao Chujun, and Li Jingxuan to Lizheng Hall to discuss the issue of reforming the school-age children to go to school.
As for the assassin, it is still under investigation, so there is no need to rush. Let's put it aside for the time being.
"I have gained a lot of experience from this incognito tour. This time I asked you to come to discuss the issue of school-age children. You may as well talk about your opinions." Li Chengqian said.
"Your Highness! I was against the establishment of schools at the beginning. How could those peasants know what knowledge is? Moreover, people are divided into different classes. How can we confuse what we should do and what we should not do according to our status?" Zhao Jie said.
At the beginning, Li Chengqian proposed to establish schools so that more children from poor families could go to school and gain more ways to be promoted, so as to break the deep-rooted system of gentry.
So that the whole world is no longer a situation where "there are no poor people in the upper class and no gentry in the lower class".
It can allow more talented and capable people with poor backgrounds to have a platform to display their talents.
In simple terms, it is to strike a blow to the arrogance of the gentry, consolidate the imperial power, and let more people serve the imperial power.
Zhao Jie also belongs to the gentry, so naturally he does not want the poor to rise and destroy the overall interests of the gentry.
Li Jingxuan, who claims to be from the Zhaojun Li family, has the same idea as Zhao Jie.
Whether Li Jingxuan is really from the Zhaojun Li family is actually similar to the Li Tang royal family claiming to be from the Longxi Li family.
As soon as Zhao Jie opened his mouth, Li Chengqian regretted letting Zhao Jie attend this seminar.
"If the country wants to have long-term development, it should not be limited to one point, but should develop more comprehensively."
"It is not a bad idea to let the poor children have a better development platform in the future. Zhao Jie, we should not sit in the well and watch the world." Du He said.
In this regard, Du He's attitude is somewhat ambiguous.
"Your Highness! I think we can reduce or exempt taxes again, so that people can get real benefits and will naturally send their children to school." Sun Yifu said.
As a person from a poor family, he naturally strongly supported Li Chengqian's move to establish schools.
"Reducing or exempting taxes alone will not make these people send their children to school. After all, these people are the laborers at home.
The younger ones can help with small housework at home, such as washing dishes, and the older ones can help with farm work.
Even if they are exempted from taxes again, they may not send their children to school to study." Hao Chujun said.
Li Chengqian agreed with Hao Chujun's statement. The current atmosphere in the Tang Dynasty is like this. Just giving them benefits will not solve the problem.
Maybe some people will send their children to school because of tax reduction, but that is only a small minority. Most people
will still maintain their original habits. Whatever can benefit them without paying a price is something that people like to see, no matter what era it is.
Therefore, there must be strong means to check and balance.
Just like the Fubing system of the Tang Dynasty, the state distributes land to Fubing to cultivate, and Fubing does not have to pay taxes.
But there is one thing, that is, Fubing's military supplies, clothing, light weapons and food on the way to service are all prepared by themselves.
In this way, while greatly solving the financial problems of the court, it also prevents Fubing from slacking off.
Of course, doing so is more conducive to the governance and management of Fubing, otherwise the entire Fubing system will be in chaos.
Well!
This aspect can be used as a reference.
"Hao Qing is right. Simply reducing or exempting taxes will not work. There must be a complete system to constrain it.
I have decided to force children of school age to go to school. Any family that violates this system will have their taxes increased on top of the original taxes.
Not only will these families be punished, but the governors and county magistrates of the prefectures and counties where they live, as well as the village chiefs, neighborhood chiefs, and village chiefs, must also be punished." Li Chengqian said.
Since soft tactics don't work, use court decrees to constrain them and force them to do it, so that the effect Li Chengqian wants can be achieved.
"Your Highness! I think we can also set up academic awards and give certain preferential policies to the top three students with excellent academic performance, so that we can better promote the learning atmosphere." Xu Jingzong said.
Xu Jingzong and Li Chengqian had the same idea on this point.
"What Xu Qing said makes sense. The general direction has been decided. We still need you to come up with a plan on how to implement it specifically." Li Chengqian said.
Everyone began to express their opinions! They expressed their suggestions one after another, making the plan more detailed.
This discussion took most of the day. Li Chengqian ordered someone to bring lunch to Lizheng Hall, and everyone discussed while eating.
It was not until the afternoon that the plan was finalized.
"Your Highness! Are these policies effective for the aristocratic families?" Du He asked.
The current Tang Dynasty does not need the support of the aristocratic families like when it was first established.
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, during the Wude years, everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt. Influential families like the aristocratic families were needed to help the court consolidate its social status and local stability.
As for the noble families, the main approach is to persuade them.
Starting from the middle period of Zhenguan, in order to prevent the noble families from becoming too powerful, Li Tang changed from persuading them to suppressing them.
Therefore, Du He asked this question. The current attitude of the prince towards the noble families is the attitude he will take towards them after he inherits the throne.
"No, this plan is limited to poor people and children from poor families, but not the noble families.
Let's not worry about the noble families for now, and then formulate a system suitable for them. I think the children of the noble families are not willing to study with the children of low status and poor families. We will distinguish them in the future." Li Chengqian said.
Du He nodded, and he understood Li Chengqian's attitude.
Li Chengqian knew the harm of the noble families. The annexation of land left many people without the land they depended on for survival.
The poor would begin to be displaced, exacerbating social contradictions, causing the government to reduce taxes and corvée, and eventually threatening the rule of the empire.
It affected the farmers' enthusiasm for production and hindered the development of social production.
It eventually led to the outbreak of peasant uprisings, which led to the end of the empire.
The aristocrats wanted to get these preferential policies, so they had no choice but to forget about it.
Not only that, when he inherited the throne in the future, he had to set restrictions on the admission of the children of these aristocratic families in the imperial examinations.
In terms of the scores of the exams, a score line was set, and the children of the aristocratic families had to get 80 points to pass, while the children of the poor only needed 60 points to pass.
Only qualified people are qualified to enter the official career, but it is only the qualifications that count. Whether they can enter the official career depends on their ability.
In short, the court does not need incompetent people. Without ability, it is useless even if you are from a noble family.