We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

In the backyard of the Tenth King's house, Wang Sanchun threw the last sack into the house.

"Minister of Revenue, Qian Bin."

Qiu Bai crossed out Qian Bin's name, turned around and bowed respectfully to Li Che: "Your Highness, everyone on the list has been invited in, without exception!"

Li Che glanced at the sacks twisting around in the room and almost laughed out loud.

He coughed lightly: "Take down the sack."

Many criminals walked forward with laughter and pulled off the sacks on the officials' heads.

The sudden brightness made the officials feel uncomfortable, and when they squinted their eyes to see the person in front of them, they were immediately shocked.

"Sixth, Sixth Prince?" someone exclaimed as if he had seen a ghost.

"What? He's that useless...that Sixth Prince?"

"Your Highness, Sixth Prince, you, you actually used such despicable means to trick us into coming here. You have absolutely no respect for the law!"

"Sixth Prince! I will report you to His Majesty tomorrow!"

Everyone was arguing. Li Che raised his eyebrows nonchalantly and walked up to one of them.

"Okay, take a break first and listen to what I have to say."

Li Che spoke in a calm tone, and everyone fell silent.

"Wang Xi, originally the Junior Supervisor of the Astronomical Bureau. In the third year of Taishi, he proposed the concept of 'the celestial sphere is like a chicken egg, and the earth is like the yellow of the egg'. This was not accepted by mainstream thought, and he was later demoted to the position of Chief Supervisor of the Astronomical Bureau. But you?"

Wang Xi was shocked. "It's me, Your Highness. Has your Highness heard of me?"

Li Che smiled and asked, "Wang Guanzheng, have you ever been to the seaside? When you look at a ship approaching from the distance on the sea, you always see the mast first and then the hull. Why is that?"

"This..." Wang Xi was a smart man. After a moment's thought, he was suddenly ecstatic. "Because the earth is a round shape with a curve, it can be magnified on the vast sea? Do you believe my concept?!"

"Only by studying things can one attain knowledge. Wang Guanzheng still needs to practice more."

Li Che patted Wang Xi's shoulder, and after seeing that he was deep in thought, he looked at Wang Chongjian beside him.

"Wang Chongjian, son of Wang Xi. In the fifth year of the Taishi reign, he was in charge of flood control on the Yellow River. He opposed the chief official's proposal to 'disperse the flow and remove all silt,' and was subsequently shelved by the Ministry of Works."

Wang Chongjian's face flushed instantly, and he was filled with indignation:

"The person in charge of the Ministry of Works is just sitting there doing nothing. The river management plan is full of mistakes and omissions, and will cause endless harm. What is Wang's fault?"

Li Che nodded slightly, then said:

"This king believes that if we want to control the river in the long term, we need to build a near-term dike to contain the river and a far-term dike to prevent it from bursting."

"Build a dike to contain the water and use it to attack the sand. What do you think, Mr. Wang?"

Wang Chongjian widened his eyes. The strategy proposed by the Sixth Prince coincided with his own idea, and might even be more brilliant.

"There are also river floods outside the Great Wall. Wang Lingshi has a brilliant plan in his mind, which will surely be useful there!" Li Che looked at Wang Chongjian meaningfully.

Wang Chongjian wanted to ask for more details, but when he heard Li Che change the subject back, he immediately fell silent.

Li Che didn't care either, and looked at the next person with a smile:

The Treasurer of the Ministry of Revenue, Qian Bin.

This person is a heavyweight figure, a master of contemporary mathematics, and he once served as a mathematics teacher for the princes.

"Master Qian." Li Che saluted respectfully.

Qian Bin remained calm and said, "Your Highness, are you trying to trick me into going to that bitter cold place outside the Great Wall?"

Li Che stood up and looked at Qian Bin: "Master Qian was originally a great scholar of Confucian classics, but later abandoned Confucian classics to devote himself to mathematics."

"In the first, third, and fifth years of the Taishi era, Master Qian petitioned Your Majesty three times to include mathematics in the imperial examinations, but Your Majesty refused each time."

"Master Qian was therefore marginalized by the court, his official position became increasingly low, and he was even held accountable for minor offenses many times."

After hearing Li Che's words, Qian Bin finally showed an expression of emotion and sighed:

"Everyone thinks mathematics is a trivial subject, but they don't know that there is great wisdom hidden in this little subject. I am at a loss as to what to do."

"Great wisdom? More than that!" Li Che's eyes flashed with excitement, "I actually think that mathematics is the foundation of all disciplines!"

Li Che's words were always shocking, and all the officials present were shocked.

In this time and space, dynasties still respected Confucianism.

Mathematics is just a miscellaneous subject and is not comparable to Confucianism at all.

Strictly speaking, arithmetic is considered a skill without learning in the eyes of scholars and is not a subject with an independent status.

Being proficient in arithmetic is better, but not being proficient is not a big problem.

Li Che's words were a challenge to the authority of Confucianism, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were extremely treasonous.

Not only did the other officials not understand, even Qian Bin, a leading figure in mathematics, looked at Li Che in astonishment.

"Why, do you think what I said is wrong?" Li Che smiled slightly, "Well, then, I will ask you."

"Wang Xi, when you observe astronomy and calculate the calendar at the Astronomical Bureau, do you need to use mathematics?"

"This... is naturally going to be used."

Astronomy involves geometry and algebra, so it naturally requires a foundation of mathematical knowledge.

Li Che looked at Wang Chongjian again and said, "Wang Lingshi works in the Ministry of Works. They build bridges and roads, manufacture equipment, and manage water conservancy projects. Which of these tasks can be accomplished without mathematics?"

"Without mathematics as a foundation, these projects would be impossible to carry out." Wang Chongjian replied with a bow.

Li Che cast his gaze upon everyone again: "Think about it, are there any matters you are responsible for that cannot be separated from mathematics?"

Everyone thought about it carefully, and no one could refute it.

However, some smart people discovered that most of the officials "invited" by the Sixth Prince were from the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Heavenly Supervision, and the Ministry of Finance.

"Indeed, in my opinion, you are all preachers of mathematics and the most capable people in this court to get things done!"

In the eyes of others, they are low-ranking officials who engage in "strange and lewd tricks".

But in Li Che's eyes, each of them is a scientist with unlimited potential!

Mathematicians, astronomers, engineers, weapons experts...

Compared with those corrupt scholars who talk all the time, these petty officials are the real talents!

"Since everyone thinks mathematics is a useless subject, why not try to compete with them?"

"This king intends to build a school in my fiefdom to teach mathematics, engineering, medicine, and other subjects. You will be the first group of teachers in this school."

"When the students you train enter officialdom and shine brilliantly, that will be the day you become famous throughout the world!"

Li Che's voice became more and more passionate, like a fire, igniting everyone's heart.

What is the ultimate ideal of an official?

Isn’t it just about leaving your name in history and establishing a new school of thought?

If what Li Che said could really come true, then these low-ranking officials who were looked down upon by the mainstream would also have the opportunity to realize their ultimate ideal!

"Of course, people can't live on dreams alone." Li Che changed the subject, "Before that, I want to use your strength to develop my fiefdom."

"Outside the Great Wall is an unexplored land of treasures, just like you all, a pearl covered in dust."

Everyone fell silent again.

Developing areas outside the Great Wall is easier said than done.

That bitter and cold land has never been truly controlled by the Central Plains dynasties since ancient times.

Li Che took in everyone's expressions, smiled slightly, and raised the stakes again:

"Those of you who are willing to join our Ninggu Commandery will have your salaries doubled!"

"I will give you three months' salary now so that you can settle your families."

dong dong dong-

As soon as Li Che finished speaking, criminals walked out from behind and placed heavy money bags in front of everyone.

At the instruction of Emperor Qing, the salaries of Daqing officials were extremely low.

Some senior officials can barely meet their living and official needs with their higher salaries.

These petty officials wouldn't be able to survive in the capital if they didn't have some family wealth!

Seeing the real gold and silver coming out of the purse, although everyone looked indifferent, they felt like they were being scratched by a cat in their hearts.

Although Li Che's move was simple and crude, it accurately hit their pain points.

If you follow me, you will have a future and you can also have enough food to eat!

"Of course, I won't force anyone to do anything. Those who don't wish to enter Ninggu Commandery may leave on their own."

Li Che pointed to the door behind him.

Qiu Bai and Wang Sanchun were seen standing on either side of the door, blocking it and looking at everyone with a smile.

But that smile is creepy no matter how you look at it, and those two pairs of sharp eyes make people feel uneasy.

Everyone suddenly felt a chill in their hearts.

With these two killers guarding the door, how can we just go out casually?

I’m afraid that as soon as you take a step forward, your head will be gone!