Popularizing education has always been a key focus for Liu Hong. Currently, a large number of schools have been built in Luoyang by the imperial court, government offices at all levels, various families, and folk organizations to teach children to read and write.
Along the way, the counties and prefectures they passed through were already taking shape, with at least one school in each township.
However, to Liu Hong's surprise, the number of schools in his hometown was even less than that of an ordinary county, which made Liu Hong very unhappy.
Uncle Fu quickly explained, "Your Majesty, what I just mentioned were only the schools built with funds from the Marquis's residence. Local officials, wealthy families, and merchants have also built many schools, and most of the children have gone to other schools."
"Oh, I see."
Hearing what Uncle Fu said, Liu Hong nodded and then asked, "What are the fees and management like at those schools?"
"Each child is charged only one hundred coins per year. Management is entirely handled by the government, and the curriculum and teachers are also appointed by the government..."
Uncle Fu then explained the situation of these local schools to Liu Hong in detail.
"Yes, very good."
When Liu Hong learned that all these schools were developing in the direction he had envisioned, he nodded in satisfaction.
One hundred coins is not a large sum of money for ordinary people who have now implemented the land tax reform and entered factories to work; they can easily afford it.
After standing outside the window for a while, Liu Hong didn't intend to go in and disturb them. He took a deep look at the young scholar and Xiao Zhanghe, and then led everyone away.
As they walked, Liu Hong turned to Zhang Zhao beside him and asked, "Zibu, if we take these schools in Hejian as an example, how many more students will the Han Dynasty have in fifteen years?"
Zhang Zhao quickly calculated in his mind and then replied, "Your Majesty, there are ten counties under the jurisdiction of Hejian, and a total of about fifty schools have been built, with nearly three thousand children able to attend school."
Following this logic, in just Hejian Prefecture alone, the number of literate people would reach 40,000 in fifteen years, and the total number of scholars in the entire Han Dynasty would be approximately 800,000.
"Eight hundred thousand...."
At first glance, 800,000 people does seem like a lot, but it's clearly not enough for Liu Hong and the Great Han.
Zhang Zhao continued, "Of course, if the imperial court and government continue to build schools every year, their number will only increase exponentially. Thirty years from now, half of the new generation of children in the Han Dynasty, if not all, will be able to attend."
But the prerequisite is that the imperial court must contribute funds to replenish the funds, ensuring a better livelihood for the people and enabling children to have the opportunity to study.
Liu Hong nodded: "Oh, then according to Zibu's estimate, how much money would the imperial court need to spend in total to achieve the goal of universal education within thirty years?"
"Your Majesty, the people's livelihood in the Han Dynasty is improving, and the population will definitely increase significantly. According to population statistics from various regions, if this trend continues, the population of our Han Dynasty will reach at least 400 million in 30 years."
The cost of building the academy will be at least one trillion yuan, meaning that at least 34 billion yuan will be needed annually for its construction.
Hearing the series of numbers Zhang Zhao recited, everyone was shocked.
The imperial court made a fortune this year, but it was due to a combination of many factors.
Despite the enormous income generated by the Royal Trading Company, factories, and border trade.
However, the Han Dynasty is currently in its early stages of development, and agriculture, industry, commerce, transportation, medical care, engineering, and various research and development all require substantial financial support.
The current issue of education alone requires so much money; I'm afraid the people in the imperial court won't easily agree to it.
"This matter needs careful consideration; let's take it slowly."
Liu Hong didn't think much about the cost; as long as education could be popularized, he didn't care how much money it cost.
Afterwards, Liu Hong led everyone to inspect several workshops under the Hou family's name, and paid special attention to the workers' wages and benefits.
Fortunately, Uncle Fu was a sensible man who treated the workers well. Not only were their wages paid according to the standards of the royal factory, but at the end of each year, he would also distribute meat, refined salt, and other supplies to the workers as requested by Liu Hong.
With the Marquis's mansion taking the lead, the factories and workshops owned by merchants in Hejian dared not deduct workers' wages.
After wandering around for most of the day and seeing that everything was fine, Liu Hong declined Uncle Fu's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay and returned to the Hejian government office with satisfaction.
After all, Liu Hong is now the emperor. It's alright for him to visit the former marquis's residence, but it would be inappropriate for him to stay overnight there.
Due to the heavy snow, the northern expeditionary army had to temporarily camp in Hejian and wait for the snow to melt before setting off again.
While the northern expeditionary army was stationed in Hejian, the messenger dispatched by King Wei Qiutai of Fuyu also rushed through several prefectures, including Xuantu, Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Youbeiping, to reach Yuyang.
Lu Zhi, the commander of the Yuyang Camp, had long been aware of the emperor's intention to deliberately slow down the march.
Inside the central command tent of Yuyang Camp, Lu Zhi looked solemnly at the letter of appeal for help written by Wei Qiutai.
After reading it, Lu Zhi carefully put away the letter requesting help, then looked at the messenger and said in a deep voice:
"I was ordered to guard Yuyang to prevent the Xianbei and Northern Wuhuan from raiding the border. If I send troops to rescue your Fuyu, I fear that the Xianbei and Wuhuan will take advantage of the situation. I cannot bear this responsibility. Everything must wait for the Emperor's decree."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
