83 – The county ahead of its time (2)
Public education in modern Korea is support and welfare that aims to foster democracy and capacity as a citizen through education.
However, the actual public education began with the work of laying the groundwork to turn all citizens into soldiers after Prussia was robbed by Napoleon.
In fact, a German philosopher named Piate argued about the purpose of education as follows.
‘Adjusting children to instructions and commands by raising their hand or not speaking. And it is to make children have the same opinion as the king of that country and the existence of a more powerful country than their parents.’
I don’t intend to raise all children to become soldiers, but at least I plan to introduce an elementary school-like education so that all citizens living in the County of Creutel have a similar sense of belonging and basic knowledge.
So I moved to persuade Archbishop Creutel, who represented them in my estate, to use the clergy, who account for the largest percentage of intellectuals of this era, as teachers.
Even so, our Archbishop is at the cathedral in Blueport where I am due to various circumstances.
**
Although it took a lot of time to build a large cathedral, the cathedral in Blueport, where the Archbishop sits, was not large.
It is probably less than 100 pyeong in Korea.
However, the inside was splendid, befitting a cathedral with an archbishop.
The windows above the church were studded with red, blue, and yellow colored glass to create a fantastic atmosphere, and silver candlesticks stood side by side on the walls of the church.
In addition, the pulpit where the archbishop presides over mass is made of ebony wood, and the pulpit is made of white marble.
Even the floor inside the chapel is of a slightly inferior quality, but it is marbled anyway.
“On the inside, it’s more splendid than the Cathedral in Nantes…”
When I said those words, the archbishop in a deep purple episcopal costume greeted me from behind the pulpit.
“It is because I am the Archbishop. Of course, that was also the position that the original Bishop of Nantes was fortunate to obtain when His Excellency defeated the Count of Schwain and was appointed as the abbot of Pomelia.”
He spoke in a voice mixed with laughter, as if satirizing his situation, but the archbishop’s emotions revealed in his expression were different.
Frustration, lamentation, abandonment, and a bit of joy at becoming an archbishop are complex and subtle emotions, but if I had to express his feelings right now in one word…
It can be expressed as a desire to regain one’s rights and power.
“It seems that His Excellency the Archbishop is dissatisfied with his situation. Even though he is the archbishop, he followed me to the church in the district where the head priest would normally be in charge.”
At that, the archbishop tried to hide his dissatisfaction.
“No, I would not have been able to become a bishop in the original way… I happened to receive the grace of the Holy Father and became the Archbishop of Creutel, the richest city in Elaine. How can you be dissatisfied?”
“Is that so… Then, there is something I really want to ask of you, could you please?”
“Speak. dismissal.”
“Indeed, I want to provide basic education to rural children and adults through priests and nuns in cities and villages.”
In this era, ‘serfs’ are beings who just harvest crops with a pitchfork, hoe, and scythe and raise the young.
Saying that they would educate such an existence is bullshit that no noble has ever done…
It must be hard to understand for an archbishop who was born as a nobleman and has lived his entire life.
So the archbishop raised his voice and protested, as if he were going to point a finger at me.
“What do you mean? The priests of the village were sent to spread the teachings of Deus to every corner of the countryside, but they use noble servants of God to educate humble serfs!! This is an unfair word!”
“Calm down.”
“Is this something to calm down?”
And I spoke in a voice mixed with threats to calm the archbishop in front of me.
“Your Excellency, please calm down. And I have an idea.”
“But, Mr. Count… It’s a bit much to use God’s servants merely to educate serfs…”
“It’s all because I have an idea. And, to be precise, didn’t Deus himself teach the gospel to lowly fishermen like Pedro when he came to this world?”
The Archbishop had no word or objection to his count’s authority and his biblical claims.
“So, priests and nuns can teach those children the proper attitude as servants of Deus. How good it would be if, through him, the children first obeyed from the heart the Holy Church, its clergy, and the legitimate authorities.”
As I said, if priests or nuns give children a proper education, surely the ignorant children will absorb all sorts of knowledge and ideas suitable for leaders like a sponge.
Then, from the lord’s point of view, more loyal serfs and soldiers could be obtained.
From a priest’s point of view…
“Then the rural serfs, and even the citizens and nobles in a few decades, will more voluntarily submit to the authority of the church. There will no longer be cases where nobles with small estates and not very high status secretly ignore priests and monks, as they do now.”
“It is as you said. In fact, even in seminary, children raised by priests and nuns from an early age adapt faster.”
“And Your Excellency the Archbishop.”
I paused there for a moment before speaking.
“I’m embarrassed, but can I be a little bit more honest?”
“Tell me.”
“I investigated through merchants where His Excellency belonged before, and found out that he was an Auxiliary Bishop belonging to the Holy See’s Office of the Palace… But now, His Highness, the former Secretary of the Palace, who had taken good care of His Excellency, told His Highness, the President of the Third Council, for an absurd reason. I understand that you came here after being impeached and wandering around without a position.”
Hearing this, the Archbishop opened his eyes and said with trembling eyes.
“So what do you mean?”
“And this place will be lost by the time I leave Blueport. The Vatican is already thinking of appointing the second son of a great nobleman from another Elaine instead of His Excellency. So, you would have seated His Excellency, who has a weak base of support.”
I didn’t say it here, but in a situation where the country is divided, I don’t send an archbishop from the beginning to a huge aristocrat whose importance suddenly rises.
However, the current Vatican has no money due to the increased consumption of clergy who cannot even marry due to the influence of the sugar I exported…
Actually, sending the archbishop will raise your status, so send money first, and then the right person will be sent.
And even though he was appointed for the purpose of being used as a puppet, a person with a name like an archbishop would not be so stupid as to not know that.
Even so, in the worst case, the excommunication team belonging to the Vatican’s State Council will come in, threaten with excommunication, and then shake off the pillars… I can’t make fun of them.
In any case, if you threaten me, people might get cornered and bite me, so I’ve already started to placate the cornered archbishop.
“However, if I carry out the education through the priests and nuns I proposed to you… you can have at least twice as many priests under your Excellency.”
“Twice, twice…? Is that true?”
If they give education in the morning and prepare for Mass and various ceremonies in the afternoon, they can do the village-level work.
If possible, it is more efficient to increase the number so that one person refers to children during the morning hours and adult serfs during the night hours.
And if we increase the number of priests in the village, if one of them receives an influential seminary or priesthood, they will of course support me and the archbishop.
“How could I lie to you?”
The archbishop’s expression brightened even more at those words, but I pretended not to notice and continued talking.
“good. And coincidentally, my army also needs an administrative assistant and a priest to hold mass in the army. They are also trying to recruit… can you help?”
“Priests up to the army… Then we will be able to gather a huge number of priests. At the same time, they are soldiers who feel the risk of their lives, so they will give a lot of donations.”
It would be a problem if I said this to the offerings that Korean priests make to overcome the fear of death.
It’s just me and the archbishop here, and the times are the times.
“Usually, when soldiers go to war, they spend 60% of their salary on prostitutes or various pleasures… If we hold Mass every day for them, we will be able to collect about 20% of our salary. And, of course, we should pay more wages to warring priests by adding risk allowances. Because they also need money for missionary work and research activities.”
“And if even one of those 100 goes up to the center, it will be of great help to me.”
“Even if not, war-priests and priests in charge of educating children will have a greater influence in the lives of serfs. If you show that dominance for about three years, I will see you again at the Vatican headquarters.”
And I said, handing over the contract prepared in advance to the archbishop.
“If you cooperate according to these conditions, I will give you the budget to send to the headquarters. Then, won’t His Excellency the Archbishop, who takes good care of me, become a cardinal someday?”
“Hey, let’s read it. If there is something missing in the terms, I might be able to help by adding it.”
That’s what I said, but if you believe it, it’s a hogu.
The archbishop had been reading the documents with a relaxed expression for a while, and then he was looking at one article in particular.
Then he looked at me with a serious expression and asked.
“No, no matter how you do it, how are you going to get a rough translation of the Bible into the French language, which is only used temporarily in theology departments, for the serfs? It is theologically…”
To that, I answered skillfully.
“If you’re going to teach, shouldn’t you at least know what it means, even if you don’t want them to celebrate Mass or use the Bible in official documents? Just think of it as similar to trying to understand the Bible by explaining stained glass. Also, from what I have heard, nothing has been forbidden by the Holy Father…”
“All right. Instead, it is unacceptable for them to use official translations for official documents and such!”
Also, I added one more drink to it, and added a word of preparation to later play with fire in Romania if necessary.
“And since the serfs have to read it, I would like to keep at least 4 Bibles in each village… Can I do that?”
Hearing that, the archbishop replied with a tired expression.
“It’s okay, since His Holiness the Pope has never banned anything. However, as Archbishop, if I have to convince His Holiness and Cardinal Highnesses…”
“Who am I, isn’t Count Creutel, who is said to be the richest man in the Empire? If necessary, I will give you gold coins in thousands. Instead, please actively cooperate with me.”
**
That’s how I’m now ready to install compulsory education, and finally completed the plan for the training center to nurture the troops.
I wrote this in the first line of the most important number of people and organization.
[500 knights, 4,000 man-at-arms cavalry, 25,000 infantry]