GBP Chapter 715 I don't understand a damn thing!
Chapter 715 I don't understand a damn thing!
Yang Shaofeng almost burst out laughing at the Emperor Zhu's concerns.
Will there be any problems with three hundred scholars who are both literate and martial?
That's a huge problem.
This year, 300 students will be admitted, and another 300 will be admitted next year. With the full-scale expansion of community schools and county schools, the number of students graduating from prefectural schools alone will be several thousand each year. It is estimated that in just a few years, scholars like them, who are proficient in both literature and martial arts, will be everywhere.
By then, apart from Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture, it is estimated that other local governments will no longer lack manpower.
This is similar to the situation when China was founded, junior high school graduates were considered cultured, but by the millennium, associate degree graduates were no longer valuable, and later, master's degree holders were everywhere while bachelor's degree holders were considered worthless.
Given this premise, how much trouble could three hundred scholars who were both learned and skilled in martial arts cause?
Moreover, Emperor Zhu overlooked two very important practical issues.
The first problem is the hierarchy of contempt caused by differences in ideals and spiritual realms.
Because a scholar who had gone through all sorts of hardships and eventually became a scholar skilled in both literature and martial arts had nothing in common with his former fellow townsmen. Their perspectives on issues were different, and the resulting disagreements would only drive them further apart until they eventually became strangers.
Of course, no matter how much their spiritual realm and thoughts were elevated, these Jinshi officials still had the potential to be corrupt or even harm the people. Moreover, because these Jinshi officials were knowledgeable and experienced, the consequences they caused might be even more serious.
This is what Old Deng is most worried about.
And this is precisely the second practical problem that Old Deng overlooked.
Of the three hundred successful candidates, a considerable number were destined for positions in government offices such as the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice.
They have seen everything that corrupt officials have seen, and they know the same methods that corrupt officials use.
It's actually no different from the current officialdom.
Yang Shaofeng smiled, about to make a few sarcastic remarks to Lao Deng, when a thought suddenly struck him.
Is Old Deng worried that the officials will turn bad?
Yang Shaofeng coughed and said confidently to Emperor Zhu, "Father-in-law, rest assured, as long as these people stay in Ningyang County for three years, I dare not say that all the Jinshi will become good people, but at least half of them will become good."
"I am confident that I can transform these scholars in three years."
Yang Shaofeng confidently gave an example: "For specific examples, you can refer to those pedestrians who were taken away by my father-in-law before."
Upon hearing the word "pedestrian," Emperor Zhu's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, "Three years? Don't even think about it."
How long did those pedestrians stay in Ningyang County?
Good heavens, before coming to Ningyang County he was a typical gentry prospect thinking about annexing land, but when he went from Ningyang County to the capital, he became a traveler who kept saying he wanted to die in a vassal state.
All of this, from beginning to end, took less than a year.
Now you're asking for three years right off the bat?
Emperor Zhu glanced at Yang Shaofeng and said, "From south to north, from east to west, what our Great Ming Dynasty lacks most are these Jinshi who can become officials."
"Even if these people are all talented scholars who have passed the imperial examinations, or even if they have only studied for a few years, we should still appoint them as clerks. How could we possibly leave them in Ningyang County for three years?"
"At most six months. After six months, we'll transfer them to other places to serve as officials."
"Also, you need to keep an eye on the people you trained in Ningyang County, understand?"
After a slight pause, Emperor Zhu added, "You'll have to figure out your own way of dealing with the manpower shortage in Ningyang County. Don't keep thinking about the few people we have."
Yang Shaofeng's face immediately darkened.
I don't understand a damn thing!
Should the official find a solution himself?
If you weren't my father-in-law, I would have grabbed you and asked, "Which heartless person stole the people I trained?"
Moreover, it wasn't just you, the heartless old Deng, who robbed it yourself; you also brought your son and henchmen to rob it as a group, robbing wave after wave. You were completely treating the people I had painstakingly trained like leeks to be harvested!
Yang Shaofeng grew angrier the more he thought about it, and suddenly felt an urge to quit.
"My father-in-law wants these people to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty and to him, but he is also reluctant to let them stay in Ningyang County for another two years."
"I really can't think of a good solution right now."
"Or should we stop their training for now?"
As Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, Emperor Zhu was so angry that he almost had a stroke.
Damn it, this bastard is like a donkey; if you don't stroke his fur, he'll throw up.
Emperor Zhu glanced at Yang Shaofeng and snorted coldly, "Then just tell us, what's the shortest time it will take?"
Yang Shaofeng was annoyed. He grumbled twice and said, "At the very least, we'll have to wait until the water pump is fully rolled out."
Is it only possible after the water pump machine has been widely adopted?
Emperor Zhu's face darkened further, and his gaze toward Yang Shaofeng became quite hostile.
How long will it take to complete the water pump project?
It should take about two or three months to fully promote the water pumps in Ningyang County.
However, if we were to promote the use of water pumps throughout the entire Shandong Provincial Administration Commission, it would probably take at least one or two years.
If this were applied to the entire Ming Dynasty, it would take at least three to five years to see any signs of improvement.
Emperor Zhu snorted coldly, raised a finger, and said, "One year. We'll give you a maximum of one year."
"A year from now, all of these people must be returned to us without exception."
After a slight pause, Emperor Zhu said with a dark face, "Don't worry about not having enough manpower. After the special imperial examination next year, we will send you another three hundred Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)."
After a moment's thought, Emperor Zhu changed his mind again: "How about this, we'll write a letter to Biao'er later and raise the number of candidates to be admitted to the special imperial examination next year to five hundred. We'll send all five hundred of them to you then."
"By the time of the seventh year of Hongwu's reign, we'll keep a few of these five hundred Jinshi for you."
"All things considered, you've actually come out on top."
Yang Shaofeng stared blankly at Emperor Zhu.
In the end, I'm the one who made the profit?
No, what did I earn?
Others lament that they spend years working hard to improve others' lives, but when it comes to me, I lament that I'm training people, only to have them all transferred away in the end.
"You even left a few for me, Zhu Chongba! How dare you even say that!"
What's wrong? You old lord, you transferred some officials from Ningyang County, shouldn't you replace me with a few more?
It's just a normal transfer of officials, but you've turned it into me taking advantage!
I bother!
Yang Shaofeng grew angrier the more he thought about it.
Just you wait, even if you eat five pounds of goji berries today, no one can save you!