Chapter 1221: Liu Zheng's Three Suggestions

Li Xuanya looked at Liu Zheng with an expectant expression.

Her adoration for Liu Zheng went without saying.

It seemed that for him, there was no such thing as a difficult problem in this world.

He would surely be able to solve it!

Liu Zheng could not help but give a wry smile.

He was not a god, after all.

The kind of situation Li Xuanya spoke of existed in Longyan, let alone other places.

As a traveler from the future, he could rely on his own knowledge to push for social progress, but he could not change the rules of this world.

"What, Brother Liu has no Method either?"

Seeing Liu Zheng frowning, Li Xuanya also became nervous.

"This is the crux of this world; I have no way to completely solve this problem either."

Liu Zheng shook his head and sighed.

How was Longyan any different?

Whether it was the Scholar-Official Group, or the old and new Noble factions, they were all obstacles to Longyan's modernization.

The influence of these groups was too great; in the short term, Liu Zheng could not move against them and could only bind them together through interest-based relationships.

While consuming a portion of their interests, he would find them more interests elsewhere to compensate.

That was how Liu Zheng operated in Longyan—boiling a frog in warm water!

But he knew very well in his heart that this was not a long-term solution.

It was fine for now; Liu Zheng was constantly expanding and developing, and the massive interests generated during this period were enough to keep the three major Longyan groups bound to his side. But once Longyan's development and growth reached its limit, economic growth would slow down or even stop, and at that point, social wealth would become fixed.

With the total economy unchanged, and with the help of "privileges," social wealth would continuously gather toward the three major groups, leading to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

At that time, the national economy would be distorted, and society would certainly be in turmoil; even if it did not lead to a change of regime, it would cause Longyan to lose its vitality for further development.

What Liu Zheng considered was the interest of all of Longyan and the interest of the people of Longyan, while the three major groups mostly considered their own interests.

Sooner or later, they would stand on opposite sides due to conflicts of interest.

However...

Liu Zheng believed that by the time that truly happened, he would be old, or perhaps even dead.

Because in his lifetime, what he had to do was expand, expand, and expand again.

The entire Earth was enough for him to play around in.

It was enough for him to play for this lifetime.

As for the Longyan of the future...

He chuckled and shook his head.

What the hell did it have to do with him?

"So even Brother Liu has no way."

Li Xuanya was very disappointed; she had pinned all her hopes on Liu Zheng, and with such hope shattered, her feelings could be imagined.

"However, I do have an idea that might be worth a try."

Liu Zheng said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"You could establish a Political Academy."

Liu Zheng said with a smile.

"Political Academy? What does that mean?"

Li Xuanya could not understand this unfamiliar term.

"It means establishing a school specifically for training officials; in the future, most of the officials of the Li Dynasty will be selected from this school."

Liu Zheng explained.

He had considered this matter before.

After all, this problem had also been troubling Longyan.

After thinking it over, there was only one Method, which was to find the problem at the root of people's thinking.

Solve the shackles on thought and break the chains of ideology!

"Isn't that just the Imperial Examination? If there is a school, do we not need the Imperial Examination anymore?"

Li Xuanya asked curiously.

"No, no, no, this does not conflict with the Imperial Examination. Next is the key point of this academy: the required enrollment age for this political school is five years old."

Liu Zheng chuckled.

"What?"

"Isn't that too young? A five-year-old child hasn't even grown all their teeth; what can they do?"

Now, not only did Li Xuanya not understand, but Xie Chan, who was on the side, also raised a question.

"At birth, people are naturally good; their natures are similar, but their habits make them different. Nobles are not born corrupt officials; they just live in that kind of environment from a young age. During their growth, they are influenced by the nobility, and when they grow up, they naturally think for the nobility. If we take them into this school from a young age and cultivate their governing abilities, their dependence on the nobility will not be high. Even if they still serve the nobility in the future, at least those who understand politics will have reservations. As long as one person does not consider problems based on family interests after entering politics, then the founding of this school is a success."

Liu Zheng explained.

After hearing Liu Zheng's explanation, the two suddenly realized, their eyes lighting up.

He could subtly disintegrate the consistency of the privileged class; as long as a crack appeared in this solid block, and as time passed, this crack would grow larger and larger. Although it would not completely dismantle noble politics, it could make the political environment of the Li Dynasty clear and clean.

There were advantages, and naturally, there were disadvantages.

The disadvantage of this Method was that it took too long.

Cultivating one generation required at least twenty years, and to achieve the best effect, it would be best for that generation to completely pass away, but that would require at least sixty years.

This amount of time is too long.

And the cost is very high...

Because you have no idea at all what kind of children to select for cultivation!

Since this school is to be established, it cannot be that the students pay for themselves; if that were the case, wouldn't it block all children from poor families outside the door? Wouldn't the children who could study at this school still be those from the privileged class?

In that case, founding this school would not have much significance.

On the other hand...

It is that you cannot guarantee that all these people will become talented.

If they are eliminated, how will they be arranged afterward?

Just thinking about it is complicated, let alone implementing it.

Of course, more importantly, the cycle is still too long...

If it were another period, then Li Xuanya could wait, but what time is it now?

Now is the critical turning point from a feudal society into the next era; let alone sixty years, even six years could result in being left far behind by other reforming countries.

"If I seize power by force, can the process be accelerated?"

A sharp light suddenly flashed in Li Xuanya's eyes.

"What?"

Hearing her ask this, Liu Zheng was truly quite surprised; what was this Li Xuanya trying to do?

Forcibly using military power to seize the government? Wouldn't this be turning back the wheel of history?

If so, then what meaning would this constitutional monarchy have?

"I must remind you, the army in your hands is merely the navy. Externally, the navy is a vital combat force, but for internal warfare, the navy has no use at all. The Wangjing Capital Guard in your hands is only a few tens of thousands of people; once things develop to an uncontrollable stage, your regime could be overthrown at any time."

Liu Zheng reminded her.

"I know, but I think this risk is worth taking. After all, there is still you, Brother Liu, right? Brother Liu, you will definitely help me, won't you?"

Li Xuanya looked at Liu Zheng with flickering eyes.

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile and was left with only silence.

What could he say?

The progress of history does not allow for turning back the wheel...

Such examples, in his world,

have already happened many times...

The end of Napoleon, the end of that Yuan fellow?

The end of Zhang the Pigtail?

The progressiveness of a constitutional monarchy lies in liberating people's servility, allowing fairness, justice, impartiality, and democracy to fill this society.

Clearly, the door for the people of the Li Dynasty to pursue freedom and democracy has already been opened.

And you want to close it on them again?

That...

would only lead to eternal damnation.

Of course, he could also understand this idea of Li Xuanya's.

Who does not have greed?

Who does not have desire?

As the Prime Minister of the Li Dynasty, Li Xuanya's wish to fully control the Li Dynasty is understandable.

But...

Liu Zheng shook his head and advised: "Xuanya, if you want to resolve this matter: First, learn to balance. Second, learn to delegate power. Third, you must make openness and fairness truly transparent! Only in the long run will society progress..."

"But..."

Li Xuanya looked aggrieved.

Liu Zheng smiled wryly: "If you really want to stir up some things..."

Li Xuanya's eyes lit up.

She knew Brother Liu would definitely have a Method!

"Then add a fourth point... The Prime Minister must concurrently hold the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Army, and the Prime Minister must have lifetime Immunity!"

"This..."

Liu Zheng's words made Li Xuanya excited.

Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Army!

That means whoever is Prime Minister should be given military power!

Immunity...

That means no matter how she stirs things up, while she is in office, or even after she steps down, no one will be able to impeach her!

"Brother Liu, help me!"

Li Xuanya stood up happily and earnestly begged Liu Zheng.

If she proposed Immunity, no one should refuse.

But this Commander-in-Chief of the Entire Army...

Liu Zheng shook his head with a chuckle: "I really cannot help with this. First, Longyan is currently facing wars on all sides, and the Northeast is also troubled by the Plague; I am afraid we lack the strength to dispatch a large army to help you. Furthermore, after all, you are not being invaded, it is just an internal struggle; the Longyan do not like to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. The Longyan also know that we are on the same path; if I help you suppress the opposition forces in your country, they will know that I will eventually move against them. If they join forces to deal with me, I will be in great trouble."

Liu Zheng explained.

"It is Xuanya who has made things difficult for Brother Liu..."

Only then did Li Xuanya realize the seriousness of the matter.

Liu Zheng...

He is now a figure who commands global attention.

Every move he makes influences the shifting landscape of different nations.

Any decision he makes must be handled with the utmost caution.

"Hahahaha, if Li Xuanya can accomplish these three things, the future of Joseon will be promising!"

Liu Zheng also offered Li Xuanya some words of comfort.

In truth, helping Li Xuanya unify the peninsula also held benefits for Liu Zheng; that way, he would have a reliable strategic partner in the Northeast Asia region, which would serve as an excellent check against Tsarist Russia, Wa, or the remnants of the Tang Dynasty in Southeast Asia.

However, helping her meant he would be drawn into a very deep vortex; he had already laid out plans in too many places, and Longyan was now like a container nearing its capacity—if he were to add the affairs of Joseon to the mix, this container would very likely explode.

Liu Zheng's energy was limited, and he could not handle so many matters simultaneously, so he could only urge Li Xuanya to give up.

He wanted to persuade Li Xuanya to give up, but Li Xuanya would absolutely not give up.

Having opened her eyes to the world, she already knew the strength and prosperity of the various nations; if Britain and France could sweep across the world despite being mere specks of land, why couldn't her Joseon do the same?

The ambition of this female Prime Minister had already begun to manifest. Pop-ups are frequent recently, you can click to download and avoid pop-ups.