Chapter 153 Scholars Head North After the news of the recruitment order and the opening of the Jixia Academy spread throughout the world, a large number of scholars flocked north. Although the various princes wanted to retain him, they did not dare to take any measures openly and could only try their best to recruit him. After all, they also had to take care of their reputation and did not want to offend Tian Ze too much. Seeing this grand occasion, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others also wanted to issue a decree to recruit talents, but they were restrained by the aristocratic families and were simply unable to do so. Everyone knows the benefits of Tian Ze's series of decrees, but no one dares to follow suit because the noble families are watching closely. Once they see signs, the counties will immediately rebel and join other princes. When countless scholars arrived in Ji County, they were immediately stunned by the prosperity there, and even those who wanted to find fault were shocked. There are smooth roads, clean neighborhoods, neat houses and prosperous markets. The people all have rosy complexions and are happy, young and old. There is a constant stream of wealthy merchants, dignified and disciplined security patrols, a wide range of goods, and a harmonious and orderly atmosphere. Many scholars were confused. Is this the legendary Youzhou that was “in dire straits” and “impoverished”? I thought Tian Ze was the impoverished Duke Xiao of Qin and the King Zhao of Yan, who had a weak army and corrupt people. But when he arrived, I found out that this guy was actually Duke Huan of Qi!
It is extremely easy for the noble families in the world to discredit a person or a place. They can turn white into black. All achievements can be turned into sins, and things that did not exist can be fabricated. Under the influence of public opinion, even a prosperous and peaceful era can still lead to misery for the people. The so-called prosperous times are all the prosperous times described by literati. If the people are prosperous and the aristocratic families are in decline, what kind of prosperous times is that? That is a sign of the country's demise. Only a very small number of these scholars came from aristocratic families. Most of them were from poor families. They were relatively uninformed and had no idea of the tricks involved. The more I thought Youzhou was in desolation at first, the greater the shock I felt at this moment. If Ji County was bigger and had more people, I'm afraid they would all feel that they had come to the wrong place and had arrived in Luoyang, which was once the most prosperous city. The rumors are unbelievable! Along the way, they saw the declining people's livelihood in various parts of the world. Many scholars who only planned to come here to study couldn't help but feel strange when they saw this prosperous and peaceful era. However, out of their desire for books and knowledge, they went to the Jixia Academy first. As soon as I reached the door, I was completely stunned. The two sentences on the stone tablet and the towering stone statue of Lu Zhi enlightened countless scholars and made them kneel down in worship. At one point, Lu Zhi, whose reputation was already known throughout the world, was directly elevated to the level of the most famous sage! When they arrived at the Jixia Academy, they could not help but be intoxicated by the attentive service, thoughtful preparation, meticulous respect and understanding, and strong learning atmosphere. In order to keep this group of scholars, Tian Ze put a lot of thought into it. Anyone who could pass the basic tests and prove that he or she had a certain level of talent could enter the Jixia Academy for free, with free food and lodging, and waiters to help with cleaning and chores. Although the salary scale is not too high, everyone is treated equally and all basic services are provided. But the exquisite dishes, unlimited cakes and tea, free clothing for scholars, clean and comfortable houses, and tidy schools have already made these relatively poor scholars very content. Even some children from aristocratic families were quite surprised. Unfortunately, the academy required uniform clothing and food, and did not allow servants from outside. They had to do everything themselves, such as washing and brushing their teeth, which they found a bit inconvenient. But overall, it is already an excellent treatment.
The most important thing is that there are a lot of books and good teachers here. The school system established by Lu Zhi and Zhang Zhao provided several classics every month for scholars to borrow for free. Although there were few options to choose from, it was already very good for many scholars from poor families. Moreover, famous teachers such as Lu Zhi would take turns to teach every day, and there were countless friends who would learn from each other. There were even people from hundreds of schools who taught for free. The tens of thousands of classic books in the Wanshu Pavilion made the scholars salivate. They all have the opportunity to borrow, but it is not unconditional. Books should not be spread lightly. At Tian Ze's suggestion, Lu Zhi and Zhang Zhao worked out a "credit" system. Teaching and debating in the academy could earn different credits, which could be used to borrow books of corresponding value from the Wanshu Pavilion, and to attend small classes taught by Lu Zhi and others. Of course, the conditions are relatively relaxed. Ordinary scholars can meet their basic needs of borrowing and attending classes as long as they participate in the college activities appropriately. If you want to go further, there are two ways to go. One way is to educate people and become a teacher in an academy or the head of a hundred schools of thought. Not only can you borrow books and attend classes at will, but there are also many more profound classics to study. One way is to govern the world and serve as an official under Tian Ze's rule, and you can also receive corresponding treatment based on your rank and performance. It is relatively difficult to educate people, and what you have learned must be recognized by people like Lu Zhi and Zhang Zhao. Therefore, the way to govern the world became the best choice for many scholars. While studying, you can also govern the world to verify what you have learned, without delaying either. Tian Ze never forces others to make choices, but only guides them appropriately. As for some scholars' nitpicking about this matter, Tian Ze gave very sufficient reasons. I treat all scholars equally, give free lectures to great scholars and schools of thought, and provide books regularly. What else do you want? As for some special preferential treatment, they are provided extra to people with virtue and ability. Those who are qualified to be teachers are all well-educated and have the merit of educating people, so they should naturally be treated preferentially. Officials under his rule who have made contributions to pacifying the people should also be treated preferentially. You want preferential treatment, but what about your abilities and contributions? As long as you become a great scholar, you will naturally receive corresponding treatment. Otherwise, how can you be qualified to be on par with them? As for the officials under the rule of other princes, I am unable to verify their merits and demerits. If you feel that this is unfair, you can go find the noble families in the world and see if they are willing to lend you the classics. These words left the scholars speechless. Moreover, even if they want to incite, they have no mass base. Those poor students only knew that there were books to read in the Jixia Academy, and that was enough. Even if they did not join, they could teach some minor officials every month and earn enough credits to borrow an ordinary book, which was better than anything else. Even if you work for a wealthy and powerful family for several years, you may not be allowed to borrow a single book. With this trick, Tian Ze attracted countless scholars who aspired to become officials to flock to the Zhaoxian Hall. Opposite the college is Ji County’s largest talent recruitment hall, with a high platform standing at the entrance.
It is nearly five meters high and made entirely of white marble. The most eye-catching thing is that the steps leading to the stage are actually made of gold, and the top floor is also paved with a layer of gold. “Real” Golden Terrace! It even needs guards to guard and watch over it. It stands opposite the teaching platform in the Jixia Academy. In fact, at the beginning Tian Ze even considered directly covering the entire Golden Platform with a layer of gold, but considering the cost issues and aesthetic design, as well as Chen Gong's desperate dissuasion, he finally gave up the idea. Gaozhou, Haizhou and other places are full of gold and silver mines, so he has no shortage of gold and silver now. Moreover, copper coins are the foundation of this era. Except for rewarding his subordinates, these gold fields and lakes are basically piled up there gathering dust. It is not impossible to build a real golden platform, but it is not necessary. But even so, it blinded the eyes of countless scholars. Whenever the weather is clear, the soft golden light reflected from the top of the Golden Terrace and its profound magnificence make them all yearn for it. Tian Ze's sincerity is evident in his words. (End of this chapter)