Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

Chapter 99 No scholar can resist the "Four Sayings of Zhang Zai".

"Student Zhuge Kongming greets Lord Xu." Zhuge Liang stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and remained neither humble nor arrogant.

Xu Kun glanced at Lu Yong, then at Zhuge Liang, almost dropping the paper in his hand.

Although the Thousand Character Classic in my hand is not complete, it is enough to give a glimpse into its essence.

A strategist in his early twenties and a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old actually compiled such an enlightening text.

How are these old folks who have studied for decades and consider themselves knowledgeable supposed to conduct themselves?

Is there any justice in this world?

[System Notification: The "King of Verbal Struggle (Gold)" rank has been activated. Your success rate in the next verbal battle is increased by 90%.]

Lu Yong picked up a piece of paper and continued to explain, "Gentlemen, please look, this book was not handwritten, but printed using woodblock printing!"

"After the woodblocks are carved, it only takes half a day to print a copy of the Thousand Character Classic."

If ten copies are printed at the same time, ten copies can be obtained in one day.

It's more than ten times faster than copying by hand!

Moreover, the handwriting is neat and there are no errors or omissions, and the manuscript is consistent with the original.

Xu Kun held the paper in his hand, his lips turning pale.

He knew all too well what this meant.

Why are powerful and influential families able to monopolize official careers?

Why is it that children from poor families never have a chance to rise above their circumstances?

Besides the fact that they control the power of recommendation, it's also because education is too expensive!

A single copy of the Analects, if handwritten, would cost several thousand coins; an ordinary farmer could probably not afford it even if he sold his entire fortune.

But now, Lu Yong is using a few wooden boards and a piece of paper to tell them that the monopoly on "books" has been completely broken!

Sure enough, Lu Yong brought up the price of the books, saying, "Once the production line opens, the paper price will be even cheaper."

A copy of the Thousand Character Classic might only cost a few dozen coins.

For ordinary people under our jurisdiction, buying a book like this is almost effortless!

After Lu Yong finished speaking, he looked at Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang understood and stepped forward.

The boy's clear voice suddenly rang out in the hall: "Under the Lord's rule, all children are enrolled in schools established by the government for free, and these schools are scattered throughout the villages and counties."

The Thousand Character Classic contains a total of one thousand characters. Within ten years, the new generation under the general's rule had no more uneducated people.

"What a wonderful saying, 'No more commoners!'" Zhuge Xuan clapped his hands and laughed, but there were tears welling up in his eyes.

Xu Kun remained silent.

He slowly raised his head, looked at Lu Yong, then at the piece of paper in his hand with neat, small characters printed on it, and remembered the waterwheel on the riverbank—

Waterwheels are tools for sustaining the people.

Printing books is the key to enlightenment.

This young man in his early twenties is about to overturn the entire world all by himself!

"Army Division—" Xu Kun suddenly bowed deeply, his waist bent extremely low.

His voice held a barely perceptible hint of excitement as he said, "Only today do I truly understand what a person blessed by Heaven is!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Lu Yong helped Xu Kun up and said with a smile, "If you keep praising me like this, I might not be able to stand up."

Xu Kun straightened up, his gaze still fixed on Lu Yong's face.

There was no smugness, no pride, and not even the deliberate humility one would expect after being praised in the eyes of the young man before me.

He simply stood there calmly, as if what he had just said was nothing out of the ordinary.

Liu Bei watched from the side, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He knew Lu Yong too well. This guy could haggle with him over a nine-to-five job, but he would never take credit for himself.

He was a man who genuinely wanted to do things for the people of the Han Dynasty, not one of those who made empty promises and sought fame without doing anything.

"Huai'an," Liu Bei said, "you have been planning for a long time to establish official schools in various counties and towns."

"Now that Master Xu is here, it's a good opportunity to discuss this with everyone."

"Yes." Lu Yong bowed in agreement, then turned to look at everyone and said, "The official school system is divided into three levels."

The lowest level was the village school, located in each township and town, which enrolled children aged eight to twelve and taught them to read and do arithmetic. The schooling period was four years.

The second level was the county school, located in the county seat. It admitted outstanding students from the village schools and taught them classics, laws, agriculture, sericulture, water conservancy, etc. The schooling period was three years.

The highest level was the university, located in Wanling, which admitted outstanding students from the county school and taught them the ways of governing the country, military strategy, and diplomacy.

The school system was not fixed; graduates were appointed to official positions.

This is a big investment.

In Danyang alone, hundreds of schools need to be established. Putting aside everything else, the cost of building them and hiring teachers alone would be astronomical.

This doesn't even include the wear and tear on desks, chairs, textbooks, and pens.

"You can all rest assured about the money."

At this moment, Mi Zhu stood up and said with a smile, "The skills of a military strategist are not limited to military affairs, strategy, and governance of people's livelihood."

His methods of making money were so sophisticated that even I, Mi, had to admit I couldn't match them.

Zhuge Xuan was somewhat bewildered.

Xu Kun, however, revealed an expression of "I knew it," after all, it was only natural for a "gifted person" to be proficient in various fields.

"Lord Xu." Lu Yong's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I would like to invite Lord Xu to serve as the Chancellor of Chongwen Academy, overseeing all official educational affairs in the country."

Xu Kun was stunned for a moment, not expecting Lu Yong to come so directly.

"Universities, county schools, and township schools were all under the jurisdiction of Chongwen Academy."

The chief official was the libationer, and his subordinates included the director of studies, the doctor, and several assistant instructors.

The chief priest not only oversaw the school, but also the compilation of teaching materials, the selection of teachers, and the assessment of students.

"All official schools in the country originated from his school," Lu Yong explained.

The Xu family was a prestigious family for generations, and Xu Kun himself had been recruited by the imperial court, but he politely declined them all.

Not coveting fame or fortune, nor yearning for power—this is the Xu family's tradition.

The problem was that the official position of "Chancellor of the Chongwen Academy" perfectly captured his heart, ideals, and ambitions.

At that moment, he was truly moved.

"There are many scholars in this world who are far superior to me. Why did you entrust such an important task to me?" Xu Kun's voice was somewhat nervous.

Lu Yong laughed and said, "Although there are many great scholars in the world, many of them are involved in factional strife and sectarianism."

Zheng Gong had disciples all over the world, but Zheng Gong was already old and had a particular interest in classical studies.

Kong Beihai was proud and intolerant of dissenting opinions.

Xu Gong inherited the family tradition of Xu Ruzi, remaining indifferent to fame and fortune and refusing to form cliques.

With you in charge of education, the various aristocratic families will have nothing to say, and even children from poor families and ordinary people will know that official schools are not a monopoly of powerful clans.

"Secondly," Lu Yong continued, "Although Wu County has been pacified, the four families of Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang are not yet convinced."

Yuzhang has just been annexed, and the people are still observing the situation.

Xu Gong was a member of the Xu clan of Yuzhang, whose ancestor, Xu Ruzi, was a prominent figure among the scholars of Jiangnan.

Once you emerge from seclusion, the gentry of Wu Commandery and Yuzhang will all know that Liu Yuzhou is not a warlord who seeks to establish his own regime, but rather someone who genuinely wants to value literature and promote education.

In this way, the people's hearts will be at peace, which is more effective than an army of ten thousand.

"The position of Chancellor of Chongwen Academy needs to be someone who can be respected by both the poor and the powerful."

Xu Gong's noble character makes him the perfect candidate.

Xu Kun's pupils contracted slightly. He felt that Lu Yong's words made a lot of sense, and he couldn't even muster the desire to refute them.

Seeing that the time was right, Liu Bei stood up, walked to Xu Kun, and bowed solemnly, saying, "Lord Xu, Huai'an has been planning the establishment of schools for a long time, but we are only missing a highly respected person to oversee it."

Having observed the scholars of Jiangdong extensively, I found that some were obsessed with social status, while others were trapped in the pursuit of fame and fortune.

Only Xu Gongcheng, who inherited Xu Ruzi's noble character and was indifferent to worldly affairs, could make the poor families not suspicious and the noble families not jealous.

This is not for my own selfish gain, but to open a new path for students all over the world.

Please, Mr. Xu, condescend to serve as the Chancellor of Chongwen Academy!

On behalf of countless students, we are deeply grateful.

Xu Kun still did not immediately agree.

He simply helped Liu Bei up, then turned to Lu Yong and said, "I have another question."

Lu Yong cupped his hands and said, "Please speak, Master Xu."

"What is the guiding principle of Chongwen Academy?" Xu Kun stared intently into Lu Yong's eyes.

"The foundation of learning?" Lu Yong was slightly taken aback.

He slowly turned around, put his hands behind his back, and looked out of the hall.

After a long silence, he spoke clearly and deliberately, word by word: "To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth!"

"For the sake of the people—make a life!"

"To carry on the lost teachings of the sages!"

"To usher in an era of peace for all generations!"

After those four sentences were spoken, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Xu Kun was struck dumb, frozen in place.

The sheet of paper printed with the Thousand Character Classic slipped silently from his hand.

[System Log: The host has successfully persuaded Xu Kun to serve as the Chancellor of the Chongwen Academy. Achievement +1 for today.]

[Current Achievements Pending Settlement: 1 item.]