Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 125 Zhou Ehuang's Proposal

Chapter 125 Zhou Ehuang's Proposal

Establish a martial arts program?

After hearing Zhao Dezhao's words, Shi Shouxin and the others showed some interest, but still reminded him, "Your Highness, the matter of establishing a martial arts department may not be as simple as you think."

"Putting everything else aside, the source of students alone is a major problem."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao nodded: "I understand."

The military examination system was initially established during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian. Its original intention, as Zhao Dezhao had thought, was to break the pattern in the early Tang Dynasty where most military generals were from aristocratic families and inherited their positions, and to recruit brave and skilled individuals from humble backgrounds to supplement the army and the border defense forces.

But in reality, it had a negligible effect.

In the past two hundred years, apart from the emergence of Guo Ziyi, the number of outstanding generals produced by the military academy is extremely limited, let alone breaking the monopoly of aristocratic families on military families.

Ultimately, this is because martial arts examinations, unlike the imperial examinations, are not as universally applicable.

The birth of a great general cannot be separated from battlefield combat. Only by putting the learned military strategies into practice can one truly understand and master them. If one is confined to the academy, one will ultimately only be able to talk about war on paper.

Any good general is a person who is skilled in both literature and military affairs.

This doesn't mean they necessarily understood any scriptures or could compose any poems or songs, but rather that they had a very basic requirement: literacy!

What makes a good general? Both literary and military prowess are indispensable.

If one is illiterate, how can one understand the Seven Military Classics such as "Sun Tzu's Art of War," "Wu Zi's Art of War," and "Six Secret Teachings," as well as military strategies, battle formations, border defense tactics, and historical war examples?

Even Di Qing only gradually became a pillar of the Song Dynasty after undergoing systematic learning.

But nowadays, with frequent wars, how many ordinary people are literate? Even those who are literate are mostly scholars who have taken the imperial examinations and have never seen the cruelty and bloodshed of the battlefield. They are incomparable to the sons of military families.

Therefore, during the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and later the Northern Song Dynasty, most famous generals still came from those military families.

Zhao Dezhao wanted to establish a martial arts academy, and the first problem he needed to solve was the source of students.

We can't have all the students be sons of military families, can we? Otherwise, the point of establishing a martial arts academy would be completely lost.

"We certainly need sons of military families, but I plan to select most students from the ranks of soldiers and even from the brave warriors of the common people." Zhao Dezhao sorted out his thoughts and said to Shi Shouxin and the others, "As long as they are of the right age and can speak fluently, that's fine. As for literacy, we can only teach them gradually. After all, the military academy also has supplementary education in literature and art."

"It's not that simple." Shi Shouxin shook his head: "Soldiers risk their lives for rewards, and they can be promoted and ennobled according to their military merits. Who would waste their time in the academy?"

"What if the students still receive a monthly stipend?" Zhao Dezhao frowned.

"That's not much. In the military, battle merits are the main source of rewards," Murong Yanzhao smiled.

Zhao Dezhao couldn't help but frown deeply.

Murong Yanzhao's words made some sense. For the Imperial Guards of the Song Dynasty, their annual salary was only equivalent to ten strings of cash, which was barely enough to cover the expenses of a family of three for a year.

However, in addition to their salary, soldiers also receive extra income such as allowances for clothing, special allowances, allowances for snow and cold weather, and allowances for silver shoes. If they go on a campaign, they can also receive rewards for killing enemies, beheading generals, being the first to scale the walls, or capturing flags. These are the main sources of income for soldiers.

But if you're in the academy, none of these things are there.

"Why doesn't Your Highness consider a different approach?" Just then, Zhou Ehuang, sitting beside Zhao Dezhao, suddenly smiled gently and succinctly awakened him: "The world is ravaged by war, nine out of ten houses are empty, thousands of people are starving, and people are resorting to cannibalism and burning human remains for fuel. Aren't these all Your Highness's students?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao slapped his thigh and snapped out of his daze!

Yup!

How could he not have thought of that!

Orphans! Orphans, abandoned children, or children who cannot be raised, are almost everywhere in the world!

Aren't these all his students?!

He could easily recruit these people into the military strategy academy, train them from a young age, and then assign them to various departments according to their actual abilities after graduation.

For example—intelligence? Or the military? Or perhaps—a future regulatory body?

Moreover, these orphans, raised from childhood, at least in terms of their loyalty to the Song Dynasty and the imperial family, far surpasses that of ordinary people!

More importantly, this also indirectly solved some social problems, which was a win-win situation for the Song Dynasty, which believed in "sharing the world with the people"!

"I have truly benefited greatly from Sister Ehuang's words!"

Zhao Dezhao's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he looked at Zhou Ehuang, who possessed a gentle and virtuous demeanor like a loving wife and mother. He instinctively reached out, wanting to express his inner excitement.

Fortunately, he managed to hold back.

He awkwardly withdrew his outstretched hand, forcing a sheepish smile: "Ahem—"

Zhou Ehuang smiled gently, her expression showing no unusual reaction.

"What the Crown Princess said is indeed a good choice." Shi Shouxin and the others also looked at the stunningly beautiful woman with surprise.

"However—" Then, Shi Shouxin raised a second question: "If what the Crown Princess said is true, then the amount of gold and silver needed for the Military Strategy Academy is not a small amount."

The Song Dynasty is currently in dire need of reconstruction. The country is not yet unified and there is very little money in the national treasury. We are now vigorously promoting cultural development, reopening the Imperial Academy, and preparing for war. All of these things require money.

Raising an orphan from childhood to adulthood requires a considerable amount of money and resources each year.

Moreover, Zhao Dezhao's academy clearly does not charge tuition fees.

Zhou Ehuang also glanced at Zhao Dezhao with a worried expression.

The establishment of the women's academy also required money, and she wanted to select women from poor families, such as orphans or widows whose husbands had died on the battlefield.

In addition, there are expenses for the construction of the college, and so on.

These things can't be built just by talking; they require a lot of silver and a huge amount of copper coins to support them.

The annual revenue of the Song Dynasty is now barely enough to cover its expenses.

It seems that making money should be put on the agenda.

Thinking this to himself, Zhao Dezhao smiled and glanced at Zhou Ehuang: "I'll figure out the money problem. I still have a million strings of cash, which we can use for now."

Zhou Ehuang rolled her eyes at him, but her feelings for Zhao Dezhao secretly improved slightly.

One who is only good at writing cannot be called a gentleman. What is a gentleman? One who is both refined in writing and gentle in character.

Compared to Li Congjia, who only knew how to indulge in romance and poetry, Zhao Dezhao's behavior was undoubtedly more gentlemanly.

"If Your Highness can resolve the financial issue, then this matter—may be feasible!"

Shi Shouxin and the others exchanged glances, all of them seeing a hint of interest in each other's eyes.

Now they are idle at home, how much of their knowledge can their own children learn? In the end, won't they all be buried in the earth with them?

But if they could help His Highness establish a military strategy academy, at the very least, their names would be remembered in history books and by future generations. And if they could also train one or two outstanding students—

It's not impossible that they might even have the opportunity to be enshrined in the Temple of Martial Arts!

"If my uncles are willing to help me, I can make the decision: each of your families will have three spots to study at the Military Strategy Academy, and this will be the case for every generation!"

The offer Zhao Dezhao made instantly hit Shi Shouxin and the others' sore spot.

Now, with the new imperial examination policy restricting hereditary privileges, each family can only grant hereditary privileges to one son, who will then be a candidate for a minor official position. What they care about most is the future of their descendants.

Having money alone isn't enough.

There must be an official!

Under the new imperial examination system, there were two paths to becoming an official in the imperial court.

First, go to the battlefield and fight to make meritorious contributions.

Second, enter officialdom through the imperial examination.

Let's not even talk about the imperial examinations. Under the new policies, they required genuine talent and learning, and there were countless Confucian scholars in the world. Now that the restrictions have been relaxed, those who can pass the imperial examinations must be outstanding individuals, and there is no way to cheat.

Making merit and fighting is a bloody path; one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand!

After much deliberation, Zhao Dezhao's offer of three slots per generation was undoubtedly a huge surprise for them, and it completely won them over.

This is essentially providing a safety net for their family!

Even if a family is in dire straits, as long as they have these three spots, they have hope of turning their lives around!

Having considered this, Shi Shouxin and the others no longer hesitated. They laughed loudly, slammed their hands on the stone table, and said, "Good! Since Your Highness is so sincere, we agree! After a lifetime of military service, to be able to pass on all our knowledge and skills, and to secure a future for our descendants, what could be better?"

"Nephew toasts to all uncles!" Zhao Dezhao immediately raised his glass.

"drink!"

The generals raised their glasses in unison, bursting into laughter. The bitterness on their faces vanished, replaced by high spirits!

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