Chapter 153: Insulting the Poor Student

Da Wang received Xie Yuan's reply that same day, asking how to prove what he said was true, and also asking why seawater is salty.

Da Wang enthusiastically replied with a letter, saying science needs verification, Mr. Xie can study slowly; our Northern Border Academy has this new discipline of natural science, the textbooks haven't arrived yet, please Mr. Xie be patient. As long as Mr. Xie agrees to serve at the Northern Border Academy for one year, he may freely read the 32 rare books in the academy.

Then he actually answered why seawater is salty at the end, writing that minerals in rocks and soil in the crust dissolve in water, giving the originally fresh water a salty taste; marine organisms' metabolism also produces salt, and in the cycle of evaporation, water evaporates, making seawater increasingly salty.

Da Wang had learned the one thousand and one nights' tricks, and at the end he asked Mr. Xie if he also wanted to know why lakes and rivers aren't salty, and why seawater salinity varies; then they'd have to continue studying this natural science.

Xie Yuan didn't know whether to be annoyed or not, but anyway Da Wang was satisfied with his writing; Xie Yuan's reply made him feel there was hope, this big shot is full of curiosity about unknown fields, so there's hope.

The next day, the people who were supposed to leave ended up hiring a fishing boat to drift on the water, intending to verify the simplest of those questions.

Xie Yuan and his disciple stood in the sea, blowing in the winter's biting cold wind, gazing at the southern horizon.

"Sir, are you sure that big ship will return today?"

"I see the Youzhou Guard at the ferry landing has increased again; they must be coming back."

"Why don't you just ask around? Lord You currently needs you, so it should be easy..."

"Hmph! Not necessary! I'd rather see if I can spot the sail first."

They waited in the cold wind until afternoon; the boatmen thought these two might have something on their minds, when the southern horizon finally showed the tip of a white sail, then more and more appeared, the whole white sail, and finally the hull emerged from the water.

Lu Xin fell silent for a moment: "... We live inland, and truly no one has verified this before. It turns out the earth really is round.... Before coming to Youzhou, our Great Jin had never seen such a sailboat..." So we can't blame them; it's just an oversight.

Xie Yuan's initial solemnity gradually turned to excitement; he instructed his disciple: "Send a letter to the academy, saying I will stay in Youzhou to pursue scholarship, I'll be based at the Northern Border Academy for the coming year, and for any matters write to the Northern Border Academy."

Lu Xin: ……

"Yes!"

Lord You really grabbed the teacher's pulse as soon as he moved.

Only after Qingyang Academy received this letter were they truly bewildered. What is the Northern Border Academy?

Along with the letter came the rumor spreading through the academic world: the Xie clan's Xie Yuan has been appointed Grand Secretary of the Northern Border Academy!

Da Wang, for his grand scheme, desperately promoted everywhere. His southbound caravans, whether buying grain or buying slaves, added a task: spread this news far and wide. They said the Northern Border Academy's library is unrivaled under heaven, and Xie Yuan has been drawn to teach there—judge for yourself!

At the same time, the Northern Border Academy also recruits scholars from all over: if you have a thirst for knowledge, aged twelve to thirty, and want to learn knowledge unavailable elsewhere, you can apply for enrollment at the academy.

Qingyang Academy simply couldn't believe it—how could their Grand Secretary abandon the number-one academy under heaven to go serve as Grand Secretary at some unknown academy?

Does a place like Youzhou even have an academy?

But the leave requests have all arrived, leaving them no choice but to believe.

Some people think Xie Yuan was kidnapped by Lord You, with rumors that Lord You is obsessed with scholarship, that Youzhou lacks the proper foundation, so he abducted Xie Yuan to forcibly establish an academy.

Da Wang really is wronged to death; the rumors are too vicious—what does this king have to be drunk about? Obsessed with scholarship?!

Are you kidding?! This is an insult to poor students!

The Grand Tutor's expression upon hearing this rumor was priceless—what exactly do the common folk misunderstand about Lord You?!

The Northern Border Academy was completed; Da Wang obtained the thirty-two books from the library, and based on these books he hesitantly finally selected five subjects' NPCs: mathematics, physics, natural science, martial arts, military science.

Da Wang unhesitatingly cut literature, the subject most common at other academies, since it can be studied anywhere—don't waste the NPCs.

He especially liked military science, which he thought Youzhou needed most. Military science includes strategy, tactics, troop command, military management, and troop training.

Da Wang had already chosen the students, selecting them from his Personal Guard Camp, and decided not to make it easy for outsiders—this isn't training enemies, is it!

Da Wang felt that if a little ice age era really caused chaos, too many people fighting wouldn't be good either; at least he could control his own subordinates. So finally, the Northern Border Academy's external students could only choose from four NPCs.

Moreover, he planned to pull the martial arts NPC to use in the army camp, absolutely cannot waste it.

Once the matter was settled, Da Wang immediately had Zhang Tu select the literate from the eighteen-thousand-li area, intending to send them all to school to study military affairs and martial arts.

Zhang Tu: "... Your Highness, that's still not enough eighteen thousand."

Da Wang: "Still not enough recruited? How many more are needed?"

Zhang Tu: "We've recruited seven thousand, selected four thousand to move into the West Major Camp, and the Flying Eagle Guard's three thousand are still training at the old prince's residence."

Annoying.

Last time we reported six thousand, and only after so long have we added another thousand?

Youzhou's population is really a headache; surely within two months everyone across the territory would know, yet we've dragged our feet to only seven thousand now. Where on earth is that dreamed-of hundred-thousand-strong army?

"Even twelve thousand could yield some literate, ambitious ones—go implement that quickly!"

After a day, Zhang Tu reported that, including officers, only nine are literate.

Da Wang: ……

"There must be some who don't want to remain mere footsoldiers their whole lives—gather those with ambition and run an intensive literacy class, teaching basic character recognition."

If this still fails, Da Wang plans to let them audit the classes. After all, the academy is his; worst case, they have no enrollment status.

Da Wang was busy gathering students, and outside, because of Xie Yuan, some people were rushing to Youzhou.

Among them were Xie Yuan's colleagues and his students, as well as his supporters from South of the River. They were still concerned about Xie Yuan's predicament in Youzhou, preparing to come see what's really going on. Actually, many people genuinely wanted to join the excitement, but the aristocracy values life, and many couldn't bring themselves to risk venturing into that barbaric Youzhou, and besides, the journey isn't peaceful either.

Da Wang spread the word across the Great Jin to recruit students, but in the end he only managed to enroll a few dozen.

These people mostly came from the fallen aristocracy and wealthy merchants of Youzhou, and also included young officials from the Great King's Youzhou Mansion who were forcibly enrolled.

Da Wang also considered it satisfactory; step by step, he'll eventually gather a hundred.

Before the school term began, the Youzhou Book Bureau released a printed edition of Introduction to Physics, one of the donated books in the library.

This book requires no basic literacy to read, starting from the most fundamental physics knowledge; Da Wang printed a copy for sale, and marked on the frontispiece: Northern Border Academy-exclusive physics textbook.

The book will circulate; if someone buys it and still can't understand it, what other choice do they have but to enroll in the Northern Border Academy?

The Grand Tutor greatly admired Da Wang's approach; using such a mindset for study, not placing first in the academy exams would be unsuitable.

At the end of the second month after the Northern Border Academy's construction was completed, the school that Da Wang had hyped up finally opened.

Da Wang had the Chancellor and Grand Tutor attend the opening ceremony as heavyweight guests, while he himself mingled among the student crowd.