Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 338 The Yellow Emperor's Era, The Great Scientific Cult!

As the cheers of the soldiers and civilians subsided, Zhao Shuo slightly pressed his hands down on the altar, and in an instant, all was silent.

Zhao Shuo continued, "Today I ascend the throne, a day of universal celebration, and three great imperial edicts have been issued. Yang Weizhong!"

"exist!

"Proclaim the imperial decree on my behalf."

"Yes."

The most important constraint on the royal family is to be maintained throughout the entire existence of the Yuan Dynasty, and Zhao Shuo will personally proclaim the decree.

The subsequent decrees were not so important, so Zhao Shuo did not need to read them aloud personally.

Yang Weizhong ascended the altar and proclaimed loudly: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Great Yuan Dynasty has been established, all things are renewed, and the whole world rejoices. The entire Great Yuan is hereby ordered to undergo internal reforms, with the northern provinces exempt from land rent for one year and the southern provinces exempt from land rent for half a year. Starting next year, the entire China will undergo internal reforms, and land rent will be permanently reduced to 20%."

"This year, the entire Yuan Dynasty will conduct internal inspections and uniformly exempt people from corvée labor. Local governments that have a genuine need to construct projects should report to the imperial court, which will allocate funds and hire people to carry out the work."

"All provinces outside the capital are treated the same as immigrants within the capital. Indigenous people will be exempt from 10% of their land rent this year."

"The lack of food and pay for the Han and Semu Eight Banners armies will be supplemented by the imperial court."

Wow~~
After Yang Weizhong finished conveying the imperial decree, the entire audience erupted in cheers once again.

The so-called "inner provinces of the Great Yuan" refer to the original provinces of China, such as Shandong, Hebei, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Guangxi.

The question remains: whose country is this?
If we're talking about everyone, then everyone is both responsible and no one is responsible.

The decline of ancient Rome began with the abuse of citizenship. Since the people of the new territories conquered by the empire enjoyed the same treatment as Romans, what was the point of Roman citizens fighting so desperately?

Therefore, Zhao Shuo has always deliberately maintained a distinction.

Shandong and Hebei had the lowest land taxes, followed by the north, and then the south. The southern provinces had lower tax revenues than the so-called "outer provinces".

Now that Zhao Shuo has established a new dynasty and wants to share the world with the Han and Mongol people, there is no longer any need to create divisions among the Han people.

Therefore, Zhao Shuo allowed the North to enjoy one last preferential treatment, namely, the North was exempted from rent and taxes for one year, and the South was exempted from rent and taxes for six months.

From then on, taxation in the North and South was completely unified.

Furthermore, the treatment of the Eight Banners soldiers was linked to the land rent they owned. If the court exempted them from land rent, their treatment would decrease. Previously, Zhao Shuo had always received subsidies from the court using funds and grain; this was merely a reiteration of that.

Zhao Shuo's ultimate goal was to completely decouple the treatment of the Eight Banners from the land under his name during his lifetime, so that he would only own the same land as ordinary people.

Military pay, food, and equipment were all supplied by the imperial court.

Otherwise, the Eight Banners army, possessing vast tracts of land, could collect land rent and taxes themselves. This wasn't a major problem while Zhao Shuo was alive, but after his death, and several decades later, things could change drastically.

Of course, Zhao Shuo only exempted land rent taxes; he would not exempt commercial and industrial taxes. In particular, the enormous mining tax was the most important basis for Zhao Shuo's support for reducing taxes on agriculture.

In addition, the phrase "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees" can be considered a sign of a new dynasty and a new atmosphere.

This thing was actually invented by Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the Yuan Dynasty, imperial edicts read, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees." A direct translation from Mongolian to Chinese would be, "By the power of the Eternal Heaven, and with great blessings and protection, the Emperor issues this decree."

Zhao Shuo felt that "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees" sounded better, so he adopted this form.

Anyway, who doesn't love duty-free shopping!
Although most of the people in Zhongdu present did not own land, they still had to perform corvée labor or pay "exemption fees".

This was a real benefit, and the whole place erupted in cheers.

Then, Yang Weizhong continued to read out the second imperial edict.

He proclaimed in a loud voice: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: As the ancient saying goes, it takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person. Education should be the top priority in all matters of the world. Starting next year, within the Great Yuan Dynasty, county schools will be established in each county, prefecture schools in each prefecture, and provincial schools in each province. Primary schools will be set up within the county and prefecture schools to enroll children aged eight to twelve."

"Schools were also built in the outer provinces of the Great Yuan Dynasty. Students were recruited according to the following ratio: 20% were children of Eight Banners officers and soldiers and state officials, 50% were Han Chinese, Mongol and common people, and 30% were other people."

"The primary school system is three years. Tuition is waived in the inner provinces of the Great Yuan Dynasty, but not in the outer provinces except for Han Chinese and Mongols. Students with excellent primary school grades can enter the county school. Students with excellent grades in the county school can enter the prefectural school. Students with excellent grades in the prefectural school can enter the provincial school. Students with excellent grades in the provincial school can enter the Imperial Academy. Tuition is not reduced or waived for county, prefectural, or provincial schools."

This essentially means implementing three years of free compulsory education within China.

Compulsory education was certainly not a one-sided effort; it was extremely beneficial to the rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

In later generations, it is generally believed that Prussia was the first country to implement compulsory education.

At the time, Prussia harbored ambitions to unify Germany, but was hampered by insufficient strength, making it difficult to achieve its goals. Faced with this predicament, the Prussian court made a far-reaching decision: it issued a decree to provide free education.

The entire nation practiced frugality and devoted all its efforts to the construction of free education, striving to cultivate every Prussian child into a "citizen who obeys the government, reveres God, and is diligent and thrifty."

The free education program has been very effective since its implementation.

In terms of wealth, highly educated citizens rapidly create astonishing wealth for the country.

In military terms, soldiers who understand national righteousness are willing to die for their country, and their morale is soaring.

After that, the Prussian army swept through the enemy lines and eventually completed the unification of Germany.

This successful example naturally attracted other countries to follow suit.

After all, if they did not keep up with the pace, they would only be passively beaten in the face of Prussia's strong rise.

In short, free education is the most fundamental cornerstone for a nation's path to strength. Countries that implement free education will unleash potential many times greater than before; while those who reject this path will ultimately fall behind and be vulnerable to attack in the tides of history.

In fact, the Song Dynasty also made a similar attempt, but it was unsuccessful.

During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, Cai Jing served as prime minister and promoted the "Chongning Education Promotion" program, the core of which was to rebuild and expand the official education system established during Wang Anshi's reforms.

In the first year of Chongning (1102), the Song Dynasty ordered the establishment of "prefecture and county schools" in all prefectures and counties to achieve the goal of universal education that "every prefecture and county should have schools and every school should have students." Primary schools were set up within the prefecture and county schools, and people of all social classes could enroll.

The primary school curriculum focuses on basic cultural knowledge, including literacy, character learning, and reciting classics (such as the Analects and the Classic of Filial Piety), while also teaching etiquette.

Its funding came from the income of "school land" allocated by the imperial court or local financial support. Students were exempt from tuition fees, reflecting its "public" nature.

Primary schools were part of the prefectural and county school system and were managed by school officials. Outstanding students could be promoted to prefectural schools or the Imperial Academy.

It is largely consistent with the education system established by Zhao Shuo.

However, can the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty established by Zhao Shuo be considered the same thing?
Due to financial constraints, limited teaching staff, and weak local enforcement, many primary schools in the Song Dynasty failed to continue operating. After Cai Jing fell from power, this education system fell into further disrepair.

Next came the Jingkang Incident, after which this ancient Chinese "compulsory education" became completely useless.

Zhao Shuo then revived the compulsory education system of the Song Dynasty.

What the Song Dynasty couldn't do, Zhao Shuo could!
Now, he intends to lay the foundation for the long-term prosperity of the Yuan Dynasty through three years of free education. As time goes by, future rulers can extend the period of free education to five, seven, or even nine years!

"Your Majesty is wise! Our Emperor is wise!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful! From this day forward, in China, regardless of wealth or social status, every child will have access to books!"

"Unbelievable... truly unbelievable! I have followed Your Majesty in battle for half my life, and to witness such a great achievement firsthand! It was all worth it! I have no regrets in this life!"

"Casting a tripod! This is the real casting of a tripod! What is the casting of the Nine Tripods by Yu the Great after unifying the world? His Majesty's three years of free education will forge the tripod of civilization and prosperity for our Great Yuan! Our Great Yuan is mighty!" "Indeed! The achievements of our Great Yuan not only far surpass those of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, but even the ancient sage kings Yao, Shun, and Yu are probably far inferior!"

……

Most people present were unaware of the very short-lived free compulsory education program during the Northern Song Dynasty.

Upon hearing of such benevolent governance, they were all overjoyed. After all, no one loves reading more or understands the importance of education better than the Chinese.

Even if some people know, so what?
When Cai Jing first implemented free education, people were not optimistic about it.

After all, do you have money? Do you have money?

Although the Song Dynasty had a lot of revenue, the excessive number of officials, soldiers, and expenses, coupled with Emperor Huizong's ambition and extravagance, had nearly depleted the national treasury.

Even the best policies don't have enough money to implement them.

The free education system in the Song Dynasty was destined to fail!

With the Yuan Dynasty experiencing unprecedented prosperity, this matter could indeed be accomplished!
How could the soldiers, civilians, and people present not be extremely excited?
Yang Weizhong quickly read out the third imperial edict.

Everyone who participated in today's coronation ceremony will be rewarded. The rewards will vary according to their official rank and status.

Ordinary soldiers and ordinary civilians were all rewarded with one tael of silver and one yuan.

The term "cash" refers to paper money.

The banks of the Zhao Shuo Khanate have been in operation for over ten years. "Drafts" issued by the banks are very popular among the common people.

Taking advantage of this opportunity of the founding of the nation, Zhao Shuo officially promoted paper currency.

These banknotes can be exchanged for silver at any time in the bank.

Is there such a good thing?

Who doesn't love getting paid?

The scene erupted in cheers once again.

After the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, Zhao Shuo returned to the palace. Teahouses and taverns throughout Zhongdu City were packed with people, firecrackers were popping, laughter filled the air, and the atmosphere was jubilant, even more lively than during the New Year.

After all, half of the families in Zhongdu received a windfall for free, so how could they not spend it lavishly?
The following day, Zhao Shuo began to govern officially as the Emperor of the Great Yuan Dynasty, issuing a series of decrees.

The first imperial edict posthumously honored five generations of ancestors.

The second imperial edict bestowed the title of Empress upon Hua Zheng and Crown Prince upon Zhao He. All women in the harem who bore children for Zhao Shuo were granted titles.

The third decree declared this year as the first year of the Zhiyuan era.

From now on, the Yuan Dynasty will only have this one reign title. When a new emperor ascends the throne, there will be no need to change the reign title.

The fourth decree was to compile history.

That is, the history of Jin and the history of Song.

Zhao Shuo destroyed the Jin and Song dynasties, so histories for these two countries should have been written long ago.

However, he was previously under the authority of the Mongol Khan, so his claim to power was illegitimate. Besides, there was no rush.

Now that Zhao Shuo has officially ascended the throne, he has appointed Wen Yi to lead the compilation of the "History of Song" and the "History of Jin," to give a definitive conclusion to the fates of these two countries.

Wenyi is the father of Wen Tianxiang, as recorded in history.

Historically, Wen Yi never held an official position. In the world changed by Zhao Shuo, he now serves as the Vice Minister of Rites.

His son is named Yun Sun and is fourteen years old this year.

Zhao Shuo didn't know whether, due to his own butterfly effect, this Wen Yunsun was the same Wen Tianxiang.

Never mind, if this person becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, Zhao Shuo will bestow upon him the name "Tianxiang". If he doesn't become the top scholar, then so be it, let's just train him step by step.

In addition, Zhao Shuo gave the Ministry of Rites a task: to re-establish a unified era for China.

Both the Roman Catholic Church in Europe and the True God religion in Asia have complete timelines, which are related to the saints they recognize. The Roman Catholic Church's timeline begins with the birthdays of Roman Catholic saints, while the True God religion's timeline begins with the migration of True God saints from Mecca to Medina.

The fact that China lacks a unified era is quite regrettable.

Zhao Shuo gave the Ministry of Rites four options and asked them to consider them carefully.

The first method of establishing an era was based on the birthday of the Yellow Emperor or the day he unified the world. The problem is that history is too ancient to be easily verified.

The second method is based on the "Republican" era of the Zhou Dynasty. The Republican administration, also known as the Zhou-Zhao Republican Regency, began when the people revolted and stormed the royal palace. King Li of Zhou fled, and power was jointly held by the ministers Duke Ding of Zhou and Duke Mu of Shao, a period known as the "Republican Regency." The first year of the Republican Regency, 841 BC, marks the beginning of reliably dated Chinese history.

The third method is to start the era from the day Qin Shi Huang unified the world.

The fourth method is to start the era from the day Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, unified the country.

Of course, this is not an urgent matter, and the Ministry of Rites can consider it carefully.

These imperial edicts are alright, except that the new era was somewhat unexpected by the world.

However, the next imperial decree was truly earth-shattering.

Zhao Shuo claimed that when he ascended the throne and offered sacrifices to the Supreme God of Heaven, he communicated with the Supreme God of Heaven and learned the truth about the world.

Originally, the universe was empty, but suddenly a primordial deity was born, who could be called Pangu, or the Supreme God of Heaven, or the Eternal Heaven.

Subsequently, the body of the Jade Emperor evolved into all things in the world, and the stars in the universe. The spirit of the Jade Emperor lives on eternally in the universe.

Therefore, the establishment of the new dynasty did not prohibit people from studying astronomy.

Zhao Shuo was the Son of Heaven, and after his death, he returned to the Heavenly Kingdom of the Supreme God of Heaven, not to the sun, moon, and stars that the body of the Supreme God of Heaven could not be seen by the mortal world.

Zhao Shuo did this for two main reasons.

Firstly, of course, it promoted the Age of Exploration.

Throughout Chinese history, feudal dynasties believed that celestial phenomena influenced human affairs. Studying the changes in the sun, moon, and stars was considered treasonous and was only permitted to a select few.

Zhao Shuo wanted to develop the Age of Exploration, but he forbade the public to study celestial phenomena. How could he develop new sea routes?
Besides, the world's trends are overwhelming and unstoppable; those who follow them prosper, and those who oppose them perish.

Can Zhao Shuo stop the progress of science?
Sooner or later, people will discover the moon's secrets through telescopes.

Sooner or later, it will be discovered that Earth is just an ordinary planet, and that the law of universal gravitation cannot be stopped.

Zhao Shuo might as well take advantage of the situation and bring out this revamped Big Bang theory.

Moreover, this aligns with traditional Chinese beliefs: Wuji (the ultimate void) gives rise to Taiji (the supreme ultimate), Taiji gives rise to Yin and Yang (the two polarities), Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols, and the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams. This is the original text of the *I Ching*!
This theory cannot be disproven even in today's scientifically advanced society; on the contrary, people are increasingly finding it to be true! What status will Zhao Shuo have then?
Then came Zhao Shuo's second objective.

Develop science and establish a great scientific religion!

(End of this chapter)