1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3995

Su Zhixing put down his teacup and slowly said, "To do a good job, one must first have the right tools. If a school is to be established here in Fubo Port, the first thing we need is qualified teachers in order to revitalize education. It was indeed a bit of a compromise that officers were assigned to these positions before... I don't mean to belittle the soldiers of the Special Operations Division at all. It's just that professionals should do what they are good at. Soldiers should focus on their duties, and the classroom is the battlefield for teachers, which should be protected by us... General Qian, please don't take offense at my bluntness and harsh words."

Qian Shaobao smiled and said, "Mr. Su's willingness to speak frankly and openly is the foundation for our future cooperation. If Mr. Su is only willing to say some polite words to us, then that would be too much of a formality!"

Chen Pingliao nodded and said, "Mr. Su's saying that the lecture platform is a battlefield is quite interesting. Now that you've explained it, I understand Mr. Su's thoughts."

Su Zhixing's implication was that Qian Shaobao should relinquish the teaching position, whether to him or someone else, but in any case, military officers should no longer be allowed to act as teachers.

This is, in effect, a rejection of the current education system in Fubo Port, and saying it certainly carries the risk of offending people. For Su Zhixing to say such things at his first meeting with Qian Shaobao truly deserves Qian Shaobao's description of him as "open and frank."

Su Zhixing continued, “I had several conversations with the other gentlemen who came to Fubo Port this time. Their knowledge varies, but they are all more than capable of teaching elementary education. Two of them are full-time teachers who graduated from Danzhou Teachers College and have taught in local schools in Danzhou for many years. Their teaching experience may even be greater than mine.”

Although Danzhou Teachers College is not as famous as Wansong Academy, it is known for training teachers specifically for the Haihan New Education System. To be honest, teachers who graduated from the teachers college may be more suitable than Su Zhixing to impart basic knowledge to school-age children.

Of course, in terms of erudition, Su Zhixing's family enjoyed a high reputation in the cultural and educational circles, and he himself had been dealing with celebrities and scholars in the cultural circle for many years. He was definitely not comparable to a schoolteacher in a remote place like Danzhou.

However, Su Zhixing did not look down on his colleagues. Their knowledge might not be as good as his, but they were able to teach elementary education in Fubo Port, putting their expertise to practical use. Although he came from Wansong Academy, he had no experience teaching elementary education, and it might be a waste of his skills to use such a powerful tool.

Moreover, Su Zhixing certainly couldn't run a school alone; he would need the concerted efforts of other teachers to achieve this goal. Therefore, in front of Qian Shaobao, he actually spoke a few good words for his colleagues, hoping that Qian Shaobao would value them in the same way.

Qian Shaobao understood the meaning behind the words and nodded, saying, "For any citizen who is willing to come to Fubo Port and contribute to the development of the western region, our special operations division will do its best to provide the best treatment. Whether they are teachers or engaged in other industries, the principle is the same."

Su Zhixing said, "Regarding the matter of establishing a primary school, I wrote down a plan on the way. If General Qian could give me some pointers, it might make things much easier."

Qian Shaobao smiled and said, "Then I must read Mr. Su's masterpiece."

Su Zhixing gestured to Su Ji, who then retrieved the school's charter and respectfully handed it to Qian Shaobao.

Qian Shaobao took a look and saw that the stack of papers was about the thickness of his palm. It didn't look like something that was just done perfunctorily, and he estimated that he wouldn't be able to finish reading it in a while.

Qian Shaobao then said, "Mr. Su's work is very diligent; allow me to read it carefully later."

Seeing that Qian Shaobao had accepted his manuscript, Su Zhixing felt that most of his worries were gone. As for the result, he certainly couldn't get Qian Shaobao's reply immediately, so there was no need to rush.

After chatting for a while longer, Qian Shaobao took his leave. After seeing the three off, Su Zhixing returned to the house, where Su Ji was already tidying up the tea set.

Su Zhixing asked, "Su Ji, what do you think of this General Qian?"

Su Ji stopped what he was doing and replied earnestly, "He is neither a brash warrior nor an arrogant official; he is approachable."

Su Zhixing nodded and said, "Then we'll see if he really values ​​education as much as he says."

After chatting with Qian Shaobao and the others, Su Zhixing abandoned any thought of resting at the lodging and went out to visit the other teachers. Since he had decided to establish a school here, he needed to quickly win people over and persuade them to work together with him. As the saying goes, only when everyone thinks and works in the same direction can things be accomplished.

Of course, I also took the opportunity to show off to my colleagues that I had already met General Qian of the Special Forces Division. You gentlemen should all know who the leader of the cultural and educational circles in Fubo Port is.

Later that day, someone came to inform Su Zhixing and several other teachers, inviting them to a banquet at a nearby military camp.

This welcome banquet was specially organized for the new immigrants. It wasn't particularly lavish, but it was definitely better than what they ate on the ship. It's said that at least ten sheep were slaughtered, and there was no limit to the amount of alcohol, so they could drink to their hearts' content.

Whether or not to get completely drunk in front of Qian Shaobao, the young master of the special forces division, is something everyone has to consider. Even if they were to drink freely, they would have to wait until the important figure left.

Su Zhixing originally wanted to put on the airs of a scholar and literati in this setting, chatting and laughing with the local officials. He even prepared two poems in advance, in case General Qian, in his drunken state, asked him to compose a poem to add to the merriment, so that he wouldn't be caught off guard and lose face.

However, it turned out he had worried unnecessarily. The local officials who accompanied Qian Shaobao to the welcoming banquet were all military officers. These people had no interest in appreciating poetry. After Qian Shaobao finished his opening remarks, the officers stood up one by one, introduced themselves, and then raised their glasses to toast each other.

These banquets don't involve much formality; their main purpose is to allow new immigrants to quickly understand the identities and roles of local officials, and then integrate into the community rapidly.

Su Zhixing smiled wryly. He was not a person who liked to drink, and he disliked noisy occasions even more. Just as he was thinking about whether to find an excuse to leave early, an officer came to his door to toast him.

"Mr. Su, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of my son from now on. If the little rascal misbehaves, please take the ruler and give him a good beating!"

"Mr. Su, I've heard you're a great scholar from Hangzhou. We're just a rough fellow who don't know how to talk, but our respect is all in this drink. Cheers!"

"Mr. Su, you are very knowledgeable. Could you perhaps hold a separate class for us military officers in the future? Even just interpreting the news articles would be helpful. I can recognize the individual words, but I can't understand them when they are put together!"

Several people came to offer toasts, all of them very enthusiastic. Su Zhixing couldn't refuse, and even though he sipped slowly, he still drank quite a bit.