Whether it was the decennial tribute from the feudal lords who personally arrived to pay homage, or the subsequent plan to establish a Son of Heaven Academy and allow each country to send a hundred individuals to study, all made the attending feudal kings very happy.
The former delighted them because they would no longer have to travel every year. In those days, the wilderness was fraught with too much danger and too many beasts. Even though they were rulers of nations, being able to travel on main roads did not guarantee safety. Furthermore, traveling in the wilderness was prone to illness, and sickness showed no mercy to kings. These were all risks.
Coming every year, even if they encountered no danger, would likely shorten their lives. A decade was different. To put it bluntly, some of the older feudal lords present were unsure if they would even live to see another ten years. Therefore, when tribute was unavoidable, having to make the journey only once a decade brought them peace of mind.
As for establishing the Son of Heaven Academy, their joy was even more understandable. After all, the academy would teach knowledge they desperately sought, and even a little learning could boost their national strength. To not learn was to fall behind the times in minutes. Who wouldn't want this? Not only would they come, but they would also send their brightest to study.
Therefore, after the ceremony, the feudal kings did not linger in Luoyang. They quickly returned to their respective kingdoms with the basic textbooks and assessment questions distributed by Ding Yun. Those whose capitals were farther away were even more eager.
It was only then that Ding Yun officially announced that the Son of Heaven Academy would open in three months, welcoming all ambitious individuals from across the land to take the entrance examination. Furthermore, primary education would also commence simultaneously.
Currently, although the economic and military strength of the Zhou state had improved, this strength was superficial, entirely supported by Ding Yun's golden finger, the Myriad Worlds Delivery App. If Ding Yun were to leave immediately, the economic circle of Luoyang would likely collapse and disintegrate within a short period. It was also uncertain whether the existing soldiers would obey the King of Zhou. It was possible that other feudal states, discovering the weakness of Zhou, might even join forces to destroy it.
All of this stemmed from Ding Yun's haste to achieve her goals, leading to excessive "pulling up seedlings to encourage growth." After three to four years, the workshops producing her more technologically advanced products were still empty shells. The soldiers' strength, which had kept the feudal lords in check, was maintained solely through the toy medicines and injected serums provided by Ding Yun. Once Ding Yun left, the false prosperity would inevitably burst like a bubble.
However, Ding Yun had no other choice. The Zhou state was previously poor and weak. If it were to truly lay a solid foundation, slowly transitioning from basic sustenance to education, and then to industrialization, the process would be fraught with countless difficulties.
Firstly, the issue of sustenance. Although the population of Zhou was small, so was its land. Even if all the land were planted with high-yield grains, it could only feed a limited number of people. Moreover, the appearance of high-yield grain seeds would inevitably attract the covetous eyes of surrounding nations, leading to demands, or even outright plunder. The Zhou state itself would have no ability to resist. Considering the possibility of grain seeds being plundered, even if no war broke out, it would take Zhou at least three years to solve its own sustenance problem.
Once sustenance was resolved and surplus labor became available, theoretically, industrialization could begin. However, industrialization was based on two foundations: first, the resolution of people's sustenance and the availability of ample surplus labor; second, a sufficient number of intellectuals, not necessarily top-tier scholars, but at least possessing primary or middle school education, to support the smooth development of industrialization.
But in Zhou, apart from the nobility, the common people were largely illiterate. The nobles combined did not even number a thousand, and most of these literate nobles were functionally illiterate in science and mathematics. Therefore, between solving sustenance and industrialization, Ding Yun had to first implement universal education.
At this point, even if ordinary people's sustenance was met, they would not send their children to study. Firstly, there were no channels for advancement through education. In those times, lineage and noble blood were paramount, and the nobility controlled all resources, making advancement extremely difficult for commoners. When their children reached a certain age, it was better to cultivate two more mu of land than to study. Furthermore, the cost of full-time study was not insignificant, and those who had just met their basic needs could not afford it.
Therefore, if Ding Yun wanted to popularize education, she had no choice but to make it free. Perhaps even provide subsidies. This again involved money, and the impoverished Zhou state was likely unable to bear the expense. Moreover, universal education, in essence, would undermine the existing aristocratic monopoly system. Not only would the ministers and nobles within Zhou oppose it, but neighboring countries would likely not stand idly by. These were all significant problems. Without sufficient military support, the Zhou royal family could be overthrown at any moment. The nobles could personally send King Jing of Zhou and Ding Yun to the guillotine, even pulling the noose themselves, and later claim they died suddenly.
The subsequent steps of industrial development, manufacturing products for sale, and building an army would be entirely out of the question. With a weak nation, poor populace, few people, and scarce resources, surrounded by powerful neighbors, it was impossible to develop openly and systematically. A country with a large population and abundant resources, by lying low and making some sacrifices, might be able to "overtake on a curve." But with a small population and scarce resources, there was essentially no hope of turning things around.
It was from these considerations that Ding Yun decided to use her golden finger to first earn money, then build up military might, and put other foundational aspects aside for the time being. Now that funds were ample and military strength was at its peak, enough to deter all feudal lords and domestic nobles, it was not too late to perfect the foundation. In fact, it would be smoother and faster. Furthermore, implementing education at this juncture, when military power and wealth had reached their zenith, making the entire world envious and curious, and eager to possess them, would undoubtedly attract more talent. Everyone would be vying to join. This was something that could not be achieved when the nation was weak.
To put it metaphorically, a small, poor, and weak country, let alone the ability to establish a large academy, even if it did, who would go? Even offering a mountain of benefits might not attract anyone, or if they did come, they would certainly be from even poorer and weaker backgrounds, or perhaps only those looking to take advantage would come. However, a hegemonic power could easily establish an academy, and even with a long list of requirements, people would still be clamoring to get in.
Now, the Son of Heaven Academy founded by Ding Yun, although it had not yet produced a single student, no one dared to underestimate it. It was absolutely capable of truly gathering the most talented individuals from across the land. Coincidentally, she was also severely lacking teachers for primary education and literacy. Even those who failed the examination for the Son of Heaven Academy, Ding Yun was confident she could retain them with the newly established library and educational subsidies for primary education.
By then, the educational development of Luoyang, or rather, the entire Zhou state, would undoubtedly take off. Within a few years, it might surpass Jixia Academy and become the foremost academy in the land. At that time, the cradle of the Hundred Schools of Thought would not be Jixia Academy, but her Son of Heaven Academy. Ding Yun felt happy just thinking about it.