68. Chapter 68
"none"
Qi You arrived in Shunyi almost at dawn. After staying overnight, he met Lin Yicheng and listened to his story.
Qi You quickly gave him advice, solved a few problems, and then went for a walk around the fields and the school.
Because of Fuquan's status as a prince, he managed the school in an orderly manner. Qi You only mentioned a few things that needed to be corrected.
Safety is paramount, of course, especially fire prevention. There must be no open flames in the textile department, and smoking pipes is strictly prohibited there.
The most important thing is to attach importance to all subjects and treat them equally.
Nowadays, everyone, including Fuquan, has the inherent concept that studying is for the purpose of becoming an official through the imperial examination.
There was a subconscious distinction between the teachers in the school. The teachers who taught crafts and the teachers who taught reading and literacy were clearly divided into two groups, with a clear distinction between them.
Fuquan's attitude towards them was subtly different.
What Qi You wants to challenge is the traditional concept that has been passed down for thousands of years: "All things are inferior, only reading is superior."
Among the four classes of people, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, workers are not considered the lowest class. Things like weaving and embroidery are not classified as "workers".
Just like craftsmen, those who build houses and bridges are valued.
Doctors are not so bad. People eat grains and all ordinary people will get sick. They cannot do without doctors, and they are quite respected.
The doctors in the academy were different from other medical schools. Besides taking pulses, treating illnesses, and making medicine, the medical professors mostly focused on surgery. They called surgery "traumatology," treating, for example, boils, pus discharges, and other ailments that the world considered disreputable.
Most of these doctors came from the folk, and their prescriptions for treating illnesses were their own secret recipes. The methods for removing boils were also considered unique skills by the doctors and would never be passed on to others.
Qi You didn't dare to claim that the best doctor in the world was in the Imperial Medical Service, but the place with the most good doctors in the world must be the Imperial Medical Service.
The West has academies of science, but they are still hiding their so-called secret recipes.
Qi You was not polite and asked the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to teach the students. In addition to the imperial physicians, there were also missionaries from the West who knew medicine.
Qi You moved all of Kangxi's collection of anatomical drawings into the school.
In addition to anatomical diagrams, Qi You reproduced almost all Western academic theories in the school.
What you can learn in Shangshufang and Jingshan Official School, you will learn more in Jueluo School.
The difference in thinking cannot be corrected in a short period of time, which is why Qi You can only do everything by himself and keep an eye on it personally.
If you are not careful, even if you have the best starting point, if there is a problem with execution, the final result will be far off the topic and extremely biased.
Fuquan was bewildered at first when Qi You pointed it out, but after thinking about it for a moment, he scratched his head and said with a smile, "Now that you mention it, I think so too. I really didn't care about these things before. I will definitely correct myself in the future and be nicer to other gentlemen, and ignore those gentlemen who only know how to quibble and be sour!"
"Second uncle, you've gone too far again." Qi You was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and said seriously, "All knowledge is important, there should be no distinction between high and low. And I said from the beginning that we should see the potential and specialties of students. For example, some people are naturally dexterous and good at making all kinds of novelties, while others like to charge into battle. You can't force them to study the Four Books and Five Classics and write beautiful articles. But there is one thing, no matter which type, they must learn to recognize and write. Whether they write well or not is another matter, they must be able to write!"
Fuquan agreed immediately and said, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say. Even if I don't have the vision to see their strengths, you can definitely see them. I'll let you choose and separate them so they can learn the skills they're good at."
Qi You reluctantly put his mind at ease and carefully instructed: "Thank you for your help, Second Uncle. But Second Uncle, you will have to work harder. If you really encounter such students, you should talk to them in person and explain the situation clearly. Let them make their own choices and don't force them."
Fuquan was a little unhappy and muttered, "This is all for their own good. If they still refuse to do so, they are really ungrateful!"
The biggest fear is to force everything you think is good on them. Learning is a joyful yet arduous process. If you resist it from the bottom of your heart, you will definitely not learn well.
Qi You sighed and said with a smile: "Second Uncle, asking you to write an article is also for your own good. Are you willing?"
Fuquan hated writing articles the most, so he immediately laughed and said, "I understand. You're the one who likes to worry. By the way, when are you leaving?"
Qi You looked at the sky and saw that it was already noon. He said, "I'll trouble you with the school affairs, Second Uncle. I'll be leaving now."
Fuquan's eyes widened as he said, "You arrived late last night and got up early this morning. You barely slept at night. No matter what, you need to rest for a night before leaving!"
Qi You smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll take a carriage and sleep in it. There are still many things to do over there."
The Wuchang area was under the jurisdiction of Ningguta. Later, when the Heilongjiang Military Prefecture was established, it became part of the Heilongjiang Prefecture.
In order to fight against the Rakshasa Kingdom, a grain warehouse called Lalincang was set up here. Now everyone is accustomed to calling this area Lalincang.
The soldiers guarding this area are different from ordinary Eight Banners soldiers. They are called armored men, and their status is lower than that of the Eight Banners soldiers, only slightly better than slaves.
This group of people was hardly domesticated, had strong fighting ability, and had lived in the frontier for generations, guarding the territory for the Qing Dynasty.
The Qing Dynasty treated these armored men better than county officials because of their special status.
In addition to giving them silver and food, the local area was vast and sparsely populated, so as long as they reclaimed the land, it would belong to them and they would be exempt from all taxes.
The armored men cultivated the land at will, and the criminals who were exiled to Ningguta became their slaves, which was called armored slaves.
Building houses, reclaiming land, farming and other things are already familiar to Lin Daniu and his friends, so there will definitely be no problem with them.
The current Heilongjiang general is Sabsu, and he and Peng Chun jointly commanded the attack on Yasak of the Rakshasa Kingdom.
This man was upright and strict in military discipline. Qi You had met him before when he went to Nerchinsk. They were barely familiar with each other, but they had no communication.
Now that the Laping warehouse is empty, Qi You wants to use it to store the food he has brought in. The armored men have experience in cultivating and farming, and Qi You hopes that Lin Daniu can learn from them and avoid taking detours.
In addition, the Khalkha people had to be relocated, and where to settle them, to suppress them from causing trouble, to deal with conflicts with the armored men and prisoners, and to deal with Sabsu, all of which required Qi You to step in.
Fuquan did not try to stop him and quickly ordered his attendants to get Qi You some snacks for the journey. He said, "Don't worry about things here. If I really can't make up my mind, I will write to you. I know you are busy, so I won't keep you any longer. Come on, I'll take you on your way."
Qi You smiled and thanked him. Fuquan sent him to the official road. Looking at the carriages and horses going away and the spring between heaven and earth, he felt indescribable admiration in his heart.
The weather is fine, the apricot blossoms have faded, the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the grass and trees are lush and green, and everything is flourishing and full of vitality.
Everything was thanks to Qi You, who transformed the lifeless Shunyi into a new state.
Qi You hurried as fast as he could and caught up with the main force after seven or eight days, and headed north with them.
When Sabusu heard the news, he brought his son Changde and went out hundreds of miles from his base to meet him.
When Qi You and his party arrived, Sabusu dismounted and stepped forward to greet them with a smile: "I am so happy to see you again, Master Qi. I have been so happy to hear the news that I haven't been able to sleep for several days!"
Qi You returned the greeting with a smile, secretly sizing up the father and son. Sabusu's face was flushed, his voice resonant, his words powerful and full of energy. Changde bore a resemblance to him, his features simple and honest, yet his gestures were far more refined.
Sabusu was more discerning and kept the scholars and craftsmen who were exiled to Ningguta.
Those who can read become teachers, those who can forge iron become blacksmiths, and those who can repair houses become house repairers, and their skills are not wasted at all.
For example, Wu Zhaoqian, a famous scholar who was once exiled to Ningguta, was once a teacher in Changde.
Sabusu was very open-minded. Wu Zhaoqian even set up a poetry society here and earned the title of "frontier poet".
Qi You had a good impression of Sabusu based on this alone. He smiled and stepped forward to return the greeting, saying, "General, you are not my servant. Just call me that. It's very kind of you to come all the way to greet me. I still have many things to trouble you with."
Sabusu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, gave a thumbs-up and said, "I was unable to participate in the battle with Galdan. What a pity. Also, the treaty with the Rakshasa Kingdom was such a relief! Those bastards are always showing off their power. It's time to deal with them!"
After praising him, Sabusu changed the subject abruptly and started talking about business: "It's not a bother, it's not a bother. If Seventh Master has anything to say, just tell me!"
Qi You couldn't help but laugh, and said, "General, you are really... I won't beat around the bush. I have three things to trouble you with first. First, I'm afraid the grain will get moldy and spoil, so I want to use the warehouse to store it. Second, I'm not familiar with the terrain here. If there is any wasteland suitable for farming and living, please point it out to us. Third, we have never reclaimed wasteland before, so I would like to ask you to find some experienced people to help us. Don't worry, General, the people I brought with me all have experience in farming and making fertilizers. If they come up with any good farming methods, they will not keep them to themselves and will share them with everyone for free."
Sabsu was a little worried at first. After all, Qi You was a prince. He brought people here to reclaim wasteland, and it was he who saved the Khalkha people.
If he tried to forcibly occupy the land cultivated by the armored men, apart from their status, it was hard to say whether they could defeat him. They could only swallow their bitterness and suffer in silence.
Now seeing Qi You, he was not only polite but also straightforward. Since he wanted the wasteland, he had no intention of occupying it.
Sabusu withdrew his gaze from the group of silent, yet fierce and frightening guards following behind Qi You.
After feeling relieved, Sabusu's smile became even more sincere, and he said repeatedly, "Don't worry, Master Qi. I don't have any other special skills, but I know exactly where the fertile land is within 500 miles, not to mention a thousand miles. I used to suffer from lack of people, but now that Master Qi is here, I will definitely find you the most fertile land with mountains and water, easy to cultivate!"
Qi You thanked him and said, "The Khalkha people will arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest. We really can't delay any longer. Please, General, please arrange for someone to lead the way for us."
Sabsu said nothing more, and turned to Changde, "Take Qiye's men to the warehouse. Remember, this is Qiye's food, and not a single grain can be missing. As for the land, I will lead Qiye there myself."
Chang De bowed and accepted the order. Qi You clasped his fists to him and said, "Thank you for your hard work, young general."
Chang De hurriedly said that he didn't dare. Qi You kept a part of the grain and took the rest to Laping Warehouse for storage.
On this side, Qi You followed Sabusu and drove less than a hundred miles west. When the sun was about to set, they arrived at a place with beautiful mountains and rivers.
Sabusu pointed to the endless plain before him and said, "Look, Master Qi, there are mountains behind us, and a river in front of us. We have mountains behind us and water in front. Mr. Wu, a Han Chinese, came here before and held a literary gathering. They say this is a blessed land with unique scenery, where you can enjoy the flowers and stroll in the spring. I don't understand, but I know the land is very fertile."
He jumped off his horse, easily pulled out a handful of weeds, pointed at the black soil at the roots and said, "Seventh Master, look, isn't this soil very fertile?"
Looking out, wild grasses and thorns are replaced by spring flowers. Under the setting sun, the river flows by like a brocade ribbon.
There are still patches of white snow on the towering mountain tops, and the fertile and flat soil makes this a truly rare and blessed land.
Qi You was also very satisfied with this place. His mind was working quickly and he had already arranged several settlements.
"This is it, thank you, General." Qi You got off his horse and ordered Lin Daniu and the others to unload the horses and carriages and set up camp quickly.
Sabusu was very enthusiastic. He led his personal soldiers to help Qi You and others weed, lead horses and feed cattle, collect firewood, and set up tents.
This group of people are used to fighting, and they are much more skilled at setting up camp than Qi You and his men.
With their help, we finally managed to settle down before dark. We set up the tents, lit bonfires in the open space, and boiled water and cooked.
Sabusu brought some dried meat and wine, and sat with Qi You by the campfire outside the tent. He handed the wine over and invited him warmly, "It's still a little cold at night, Master Qi, have a sip to warm yourself up. This is home-brewed, and I'm used to it. No matter how good other wines are, they always lack that punch."
Qi You smiled and refused, took the tea handed to him by De Gao, and said: "Thank you, General. I don't drink alcohol, I only drink tea. But the general's dried meat seems to be good with tea."
What man from the Banner doesn't drink? When Sabusu heard that Qi You didn't drink, he thought he was disgusted with him and felt dissatisfied, and a hint of dissatisfaction showed on his face.
But when he heard Qi You wanted dried meat, his dissatisfaction immediately disappeared without a trace. He put on a smile again, grabbed a handful and handed it over, saying, "This is venison dried meat, also made by my family. It's fragrant and sweet."
Qi You put down the tea bowl and stretched out his hands to take it. Sabusu's palms were as wide as a palm leaf fan, so he couldn't hold it with both hands. He simply put the jerky meat under his clothes on his lap, picked up a piece and chewed it, praising it, "It's really good, delicious!"
Seeing Qi You being so casual, Sabusu could hardly hold back the smile on her face and started to laugh.
This place is bitterly cold, otherwise it wouldn't have become a place of exile. Even if the inspecting officials from the imperial court seemed easygoing, their words and actions would unconsciously reveal their disdain.
Sabusu had dealt with the officials of the delegation before and had seen their pomp and circumstance. Although Qi You was a prince, he had not been able to get close to him, but just by looking at this group of officials, he could guess Qi You's attitude.
Just looking at the guards and servants around Qi You, they looked different from the people here. Coupled with his indescribable temperament and bearing, Sabsu's mood became even more complicated.
In fact, all the way, no matter how happily he laughed, as a local tyrant who had taken root here for generations, Sabsu was repulsed and anxious in his heart.
From the first time they met to now, after dealing with each other, Sabsu finally felt relieved.
Qi You ate a few pieces of dried meat. De Gao and Gui He brought up dinner. He greeted Sabusu and said, "It's just some simple food. General, please don't be disgusted."
Sabsu looked at the big bowl of noodle soup on the low table. There were two poached eggs on top and some green wild vegetables. There was nothing else.
"What a plain meal!" Sabusu watched for a long time, complaining in his heart.
A prince who ate much worse than him, but he always had to have a big bowl of meat at night.
Seeing that Qi You had already started eating, Sabusu didn't say anything more and picked up the chopsticks to start eating.
After eating this, Sabsu couldn't raise his head.
The noodles look simple, but they are chewy, the wild vegetables are sweet, and there is sesame oil dripping in them, which makes them very refreshing to eat.
Sabusu drank up the soup clean, wiped his mouth with his hand, and praised it profusely: "This noodle is delicious. Could it be made by the imperial chef from the palace?"
Qi You wiped his face and hands with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "This was made by my followers De Gao and Gui He. They often travel with me and may not be good at other things, but they are quite good at cooking."
Sabusu was stunned. He rolled his eyes and pointed to the fire in the west where He Ye and Zhang Song were sitting and laughing. He asked curiously, "Seventh Master, what are they doing here?"
Qi You glanced at them and said, "They are students who are studying surveying and mapping with Mr. Xu."
Sabusu was so surprised that his eyes almost popped out. When he had seen this group of children, both boys and girls, before, he thought they were the children of some bondservant.
However, from their gestures and movements, they did not look like bondservants, and Sabsu thought they were Qi You's personal servants.
Sabusu asked in disbelief, "Seventh Master, can a girl learn this?"
Qi You didn't blame Sabsu for making a fuss, as the world was like this. He smiled and replied, "Of course, girls can learn just as well as boys."
Sabusu thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "They will be married in two years. If Master Qi accepts them, the wealth will be kept within the family."
"Puchi!" Qi You spat out a mouthful of tea, turned his back, and choked and coughed continuously.
Sabsu was dumbfounded and scratched his head, not knowing what he had said wrong.
Qi You took a breath, wiped his face with a handkerchief, turned around, looked at Sabsu and said seriously: "They are not only good at mathematics and surveying, but also Latin. They are all very talented people. They may become the pillars of the Qing Dynasty in the future. There are not many people like them in the entire Qing Dynasty."
Sabusu was stunned for a moment, then her eyes rolled and her heart moved again: "Seventh Master, do you mean that they are not engaged yet?"
Qi You thought that this place was different from Shunyi after all. There were prisoners, strong armored men, and people from various ethnic groups such as Mongolians and Manchus. The situation was complicated.
Sabusu gave Qi You a reminder. His expression darkened and he said, "Their marriage must be agreed by them themselves. No one can force them. I will make it clear to the general first. No one is allowed to provoke them. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"
Sabusu was startled by the sudden chilling aura emanating from Qi You. His scalp tightened, and he hurriedly laughed dryly, "Don't worry, Master Qi. I'm just asking casually, but I will restrain the group of people below and prevent them from harassing these girls."
Qi You smiled and said, "I'm glad to hear what you said, General. I'll be frank with you, if anyone lays a finger on them, I will shoot."
Even though Banner women could fight on the battlefield, they still had to marry and have children after they dismounted.
Sabusu thought they were just a group of women, but when she saw Qi You took them so seriously, she felt a little embarrassed.
Qi You ignored him and pointed at Lin Xiuxiu, saying, "Some of them are daughters of officials. Even if they are servants and come from ordinary backgrounds, they cannot be bullied casually. This applies to all women."
Qi You was about to talk about sisters and daughters, as if their marriages or lives were decided with just a casual word, so he changed his words: "General, just treat them as companions, like people you can trust with your backs when you go to the battlefield. They are the ones who work silently in the rear for the peace and prosperity of the world. Building bridges and roads, surveying water conservancy projects, all require them."
Sabsu finally understood a little bit, and his expression eased a little. After hesitating for a moment, he leaned over and asked, "Are they really that powerful?"
Qi You nodded heavily: "It's really that powerful, even more powerful than the general imagined."
Sabu Suxin was moved again, and asked directly: "Can my daughter also come to study?"
Qi You agreed without hesitation and said, "Everyone can learn, no matter who they are. Also, we will open a school here in the future. No matter if you are a soldier or not, regardless of status, gender, or status, you can all come here to study!"
Sabusu looked around and saw that the originally desolate valley was now filled with stars above and sparks all around, lively and cheerful.
For some unknown reason, he felt a swelling in his chest. He had not read much, so he couldn't explain why.
It’s like seeing the tender green grass sprouting from the cracks in the courtyard ground when the snow melts, and the relief and joy of spring coming back to life.
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