"What was the imperial court's budget for education expenditure last year?" Zhang Chao asked.

The Ministry of Rites is in charge of education, and the Prime Minister in charge of the Ministry of Rites is Du Yan.

"800,000 yuan." After Du Yan was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, he also did a lot of homework. The data was also available, but the number of 800,000 yuan still surprised everyone.

The fiscal year will be 100 million yuan, with an annual budget of 90 million yuan. As a result, the education area will only be given a budget of 800,000 yuan?

"Too few." Zhang Chao said. Not even one percent.

Even during the Beiyang period, which was claimed to be chaotic, warlords attached great importance to education. The Ministry of Education at that time even clearly stipulated that the funding for education, science and culture in the central government should not be less than 15% of its total budget, and in provinces, it should not be less than 25% of its total budget, and in counties and cities, it should not be less than 35% of its budget. It also requires that education and cultural funds and industries be set up in accordance with the law to provide guarantees.

At that time, the monthly salary for education was as high as 600 yuan, which was basically the same as that of the government minister.

When Yuan Shikai was in power, Zhili Province had twelve specialized schools, twenty industrial schools, three excellent normal schools, ninety junior normal schools, five normal training institutes, thirty middle schools, seven thousand three hundred and ninety-one primary schools, one hundred and twenty-one women's schools, and two nursing homes, totaling 8,723.

He even took out one-third of his monthly salary as a scholarship to support middle school students in the Beiyang New Military Academy.

Even in troubled times like Beiyang, warlords respect cultural people very much and vigorously promote education. The expenditure budget for education accounts for such a large proportion.

In the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court that was calling for education every day to build education only accounted for less than one percent of the central government's finances, and the local budget was not much higher.

Even Fang Xuanling felt that the education budget was indeed too small in the past.

"Ten years of trees and a hundred years of cultivation, it is very important to open up people's wisdom. It is more important to open up the Chinese education in developing regions. This is related to whether we can gain a foothold in those places and whether we can assimilate those barbarians into the summer." Zhang Chao tapped the table with his fingers.

"I think we must increase our investment in education. One percent is too small. Next year's education budget will account for at least 10%, so we will set it to be 9 million yuan."

Changsun Wuji frowned.

"I also support the increase in education investment, but it has increased from 800,000 to 9 million at once, which has doubled more than eleven times. Isn't it too much? Our total budget has almost been settled. At this time, we have moved 8.2 million from elsewhere to education, and then there are gaps and loopholes in other places. How to fill it?"

Zhang Chao ignored President Sun Wuji.

"If you find a way to fill it, it really doesn't work. We, the prime minister, took out 200,000 yuan in the special budget. If it is not enough, we can draw some money from the treasury, or simply issue education bonds."

Dai Zhou asked, "There is still 100 million in the national treasury, there is no need to issue bonds?"

He used to be the Minister of Revenue, but he still had the meaning of small farmers in economic management. Such as the issuance of bonds, which is still not acceptable to prepay for consumption.

"It is okay to withdraw the part from the treasury, and it is also good to issue some education bonds appropriately. The central government of the court has increased the education budget, and local governments must increase the money accordingly. I hope that the money invested will be mainly used in three aspects. One is to build a number of higher normal schools in the capital and some important cities, and a number of junior normal schools in various prefectures. Normal schools are specially used to train teachers to meet the needs of teachers in our schools in various places."

"We must popularize six years of compulsory education and ensure that there is at least one primary school in every Tang Dynasty."

“Normal schools and primary schools must implement free teaching.”

·······

After careful consideration of what Zhang Chao proposed, Fang Xuanling and others thought about it, they thought it was quite reasonable.

If you spend tens of millions of troops a year and tens of millions of officials and officials a year, can’t you spend millions of dollars to run education? In the past, education was mainly organized by local gentry themselves, and private schools were popular.

But the poor children do not have the opportunity to read, nor can they afford to read.

In the past, books were expensive, paper was expensive, ink was expensive, and teachers were fewer.

Now, the expansion of new printing, papermaking and ink making industries, and the upgrading of technology have caused the prices of stationery such as books, paper, etc. to plummet.

The court pulled out special funds to establish primary schools in various townships and lis, and popularized six years of primary school education without tuition.

However, it is not just a matter of money to fully popularize the six-year education in primary schools.

Where can I find so many teachers?

If one school is set up in one li, the Tang Dynasty used to have a hundred households and one li, and five or six hundred people per li. If the Tang Dynasty had a population of 60 million, it would have nearly 100,000 li.

Building a 100,000 elementary school? Even if the money is fine, how can we find so many teachers?

Even if it is to establish 10,000 primary schools across the country, it is currently a very difficult task.

All 100,000 teachers are all under the responsibility of the finance department, which is a huge burden. Even if a teacher only gives twenty or thirty cents a year, 100,000 will be 2 or 3 million. What's more, an imperial soldier has 50 cents a year of military pay, and other rewards for those who serve in the army, and rewards for those who fight, etc.

As a teacher, he has a little less than his 20th and 30th month. Teachers who cannot teach earn less than an ordinary soldier. What about promotional education?

A teacher has at least fifty stagnant a year, and then 100,000 teachers will have to spend 5 million stagnant a year. The court will solve half of the problem and the local government will solve half of the problem, and the court will also have to spend 2.5 million stagnant a year.

There are also the maintenance of school buildings, desks, chairs, etc., student lunch, student textbooks, paper and pen expenses.

Moreover, there are only the least investments in the country.

If you really want to have primary schools everywhere, there will be tens of thousands of them.

What's more, the court has to invest money to build a normal school. Normal schools train teachers, and they are exempt from tuition, and the court has to give them subsidies.

"There is a long way to go. Wenyuan, and it is not possible to solve the problem of establishing education overnight. It is better to act within your ability and take it slowly. I think we should set a small goal first, such as building 10,000 primary schools across the country, such as building 100,000 primary school teachers, building 100,000 normal schools, and cultivating a large number of teachers. What do you think?" Fang Xuanling told Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao nodded, "Well, you really can't get fat if you eat one bite. If you can't reach one li and one elementary school for the time being, then at least one elementary school in the village. If there are few teachers, let the teachers work harder, and each class collects more students, so let the children work harder, and the teachers work harder."

"In addition, we will find ways to take on some of the tasks of running schools. We will encourage private landlords and gentry to run schools, and encourage those merchants to donate to run schools. Let local scholars and students go to school to serve as substitute teachers, and let those scholars go to the countryside to teach."

Ask the scholars to teach in the countryside for a year or two, and then give them a few points during the imperial examination.

Changsun Wuji was shocked.

Zhang Chao is so shameless. He actually uses this method of adding points to the imperial examination. What about integrity?

What is the fairness of the imperial examination?

"The imperial examination not only requires the qualification of the scholars, but also the character of the scholars. Being willing to go to the countryside to teach, which fully shows that their character is not bad." Zhang Chao felt that this method was good. He was even considering whether he should add a one-piece system to the imperial examination system. Before taking the juren exam, scholars must have more than one year of teaching experience to be qualified?

Isn’t the largest group of scholars in the Tang Dynasty now the scholars who studied the imperial examination?

"We can also establish a Hope Primary School Fund, raise donations from all walks of life, and then use them to establish Hope Primary School in difficult areas in various places, so that children can have books to read."

"We also have to encourage primary school teachers. For example, if you have served in primary schools for five years, you can take the official examination. You may even include the principal of the primary school as a member of the official. If the principal has good teaching performance, you can be promoted to a teacher and teach such local school officials to become formal high-level officials and enter the official career."

"This is good." Cen Wenben praised.

Speaking of later, Zhang Chao decided to spend 100,000 guan to donate to build a hundred local primary schools. One thousand guan to build a rural primary school is enough. Local people work hard and the materials are relatively cheap, and one thousand guan is enough to build it.

Zhang Chao took the lead, and Fang Xuanling and others naturally donated their own money.

Fang Xuanling paid 80,000 yuan, and the other prime ministers also paid 50,000 yuan. Fortunately, everyone has money, and they are all real nobles, and every family still has many industries. 50,000 yuan is just a little blood, but it can be considered a good reputation if it is spread.

·······

"The Sixth Guards Army has also been established, and it is planned to be retired by one-third of the soldiers next year and to recruit conscripts. Another batch will be replaced every year. Three years later, all soldiers of the Sixth Guards Army will be replaced by conscripts."

Cen Wenben, who is in charge of the Ministry of War, said.

"Wait until next summer, let Su Dingfang lead the newly formed Six Guards Army to the south of the Moon and drive Xue Yantuo back to the north of the Moon. After this battle, a group of new recruits can be replaced into the camp." Zhang Chao decided.

The others had no objection.

War is imminent, and there is no rush to lay off veterans.

Elite veterans were retained as non-commissioned officers. The entire army was 800,000 soldiers and horses, and 120,000 were selected as non-commissioned officers, and another 30,000 officers were retained.

The rest are all about disarmament and retirement, and then they will be replaced by conscripts in batches year by year.

There are 600,000 troops, of which 450,000 conscripts. The conscripts only receive allowances but not military pay. They serve for three years. In fact, the military expenditure will be reduced. What the court really supports are the 30,000 officers and 120,000 non-commissioned officers.

Their monthly salary and military pay have increased compared to the past and their treatment has improved.

If you support these backbones of the army, your combat effectiveness will not be reduced.

The soldiers who are fighting in the iron camp are running through the water.

An official knocked on the door outside.

"Yuanfu, the Privy Council just sent it, Xindu's good news. Admiral Wang Xuance defeated the Japanese army in Xindu. Admiral Wang led Xindu's troops to launch a full-scale counterattack, and defeated the Japanese army. He then led the army to pursue and fought seventeen consecutive battles with the Japanese army!"

"All seventeen battles are won!"

"At present, Admiral Wang has entered the territory of Jie Ri Kingdom and seized seventeen cities in a row!"

Upon hearing this news, the cabinet ministers couldn't help but feel excited.

The Xindu War has been included in the combat plan for next year and is expected to be fought for a long time next year. Unexpectedly, Wang Xuance actually defeated the Japanese army before the New Year.

"Calculate the time, the Battle of Trust began last year during the Chinese New Year, and it has been exactly one year. In a year, although the change in the Central Plains has undergone a little chaos and no reinforcements, they still hold on and fight back on the whole line, breaking the war in Japan is really great."

Chu Suiliang smiled and said, "Famous teachers are good disciples. Wang Xuance, as a disciple of King Zhao, is indeed worthy of everyone's expectations. This battle was fought beautifully."

Zhang Chao laughed, "The battlefield of reliability is considered to be a victory ahead of schedule. Our pressure will be much less than that next year."

"We should give Wang Xuance a merit and reward!" Cen Wenben said.

In the seventeen battles, they won seventeen victories, broke through seventeen cities in a row, and wiped out more than 70,000 Japanese troops.

This is not a false victory, it is a real victory.

In this battle, Wang Xuance did show the power of the Tang army and severely injured the Japanese army.

Very good!

Zhang Chao couldn't help but praise his disciple in his heart!
Chapter completed!