"Hu, Mr. Hu, are you here too?"

When Jiang Zhaocong walked into Marx's study, he saw the person he didn't want to see at the moment, Hu Zhenguo, chairman of the China Work-Study Association.

"Su'an, there's nothing for you here, you hurry back, have time to review your homework, and strive to get a ship master school next year." Hu Zhenguo reprimanded him in Chinese with a straight face. It seems that he has now completely forgotten why he is engaged in this work-study movement.

Of course, Marx did not know Chinese, but he already knew that this Jiang Zhaocong was not a representative of the Chinese working class, but a work-study student who came to Britain to work and study, just doing odd jobs in a textile factory in London. However, the Chinese working class is also the working class, and with the development of capitalism in the Ming Dynasty, the number of Chinese workers is increasing at an alarming rate. Sooner or later, they will also become the gravediggers of the Chinese bourgeoisie!

Thinking of this, he nodded at Jiang Zhaocong, pointed to an empty chair opposite, and said with a smile: "Mr. Jiang, you can sit first." ”

"Thank you." Jiang Zhaocong has no intention of leaving, his ideas are actually very pragmatic, and he does not expect to overthrow the Ming Dynasty and achieve a democratic republic, but he still dares to think about the status of a Chinese trade union leader. This is more promising than going back to his hometown to take over his father's Yutai salt shop, right? Although the Chinese working class as a whole is still asleep at the moment, the increasing numbers and meager wages determine that they will inevitably become a force to be reckoned with in the future. At that time, he will be considered the number one person......

When Hu Zhenguo saw this scene, his eyes flashed with a responsible light. He suddenly remembered his original intention of starting this work-study club. He didn't speak again. Just sit there and listen quietly to Marx's questioning.

"Mr. Jiang. Can you tell me the truth, how much do you know about the situation of Chinese workers? ”

Jiang Zhaocong laughed, "Let me tell you the truth, Mr. Marx, I don't know much about the situation of Chinese workers now, but I am still young, and I can find out when I return to China in the future." But I know that the lives of Chinese workers are much better now than they were when they were farmers. So basically satisfied. ”

"Oh, I see." Marx nodded thoughtfully.

"But they will definitely not be satisfied in the future!" Jiang Zhaocong said with certainty, "There is a Chinese proverb that water flows to a lower place, and people go to a higher place." Now Chinese peasants are either abandoning agriculture or emigrating to other places, all of which are moving to higher places. However, people's hearts are always not satisfied, and when farming in the countryside, it is already satisfying to have three meals and clothing. But when they are really full, it will not be long before they are not satisfied. Otherwise. I wouldn't have traveled all the way to Europe to study. ”

Jiang Zhaocong is living with himself, and his father is a family that abandoned agriculture and business. Surely you should be content, right? But I still hope that my son will be Jackie Chan and send my son to Europe, isn't it that Ba Wang can one day go to the next level, just like that classmate Jishi? And I, who studied primary and secondary school in Fenghua City, didn't my eyes open my eyes, and I didn't look down on the small shop opened by my father. What about those hard-working workers?

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhaocong said: "I have been in the UK for two years, except for the first few months in cram school, I have worked in factories, and I found that the biggest difference between British workers and Chinese workers is that they have read some books and have a broad horizon, so they have high requirements. In the past, the workers of the Ming Dynasty were illiterate, did not know the affairs of the world, and had a narrow vision, so the requirements were low. However, the Ming Dynasty began to implement compulsory education in recent years, and now boys in the eight provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, the six provinces in the northeast and the five provinces in Lanfang have to study and go to school and receive four years of compulsory education. It is said that in two years, girls in Yingtian, Shanghai, and Guangdong will all go to school. In a few years, the working class of the Ming Dynasty will be the same as that of Britain, and there will be no workers' movement. He smiled and said, "Call me to say, this is not afraid that the workers will not have enough to eat, but that the workers are educated." ”

After listening to this last half-joking sentence, Marx also laughed, this Chinese young man surnamed Jiang was quite reasonable. The key to the development of the workers' movement is the consciousness of the working class! In a certain way, enlightenment is inseparable from the level of education.

It is ironic that the rulers of the capitalist countries are now unaware that the workers, once they have enough knowledge, will burst into a force that can overthrow their rule. Therefore, they are sparing no effort to improve the level of national education, and in order to recruit more excellent soldiers at a lower cost, various capitalist countries are also integrating civic consciousness and military training into national education.

Thinking of this, Marx nodded, looked at Jiang Zhaocong and said, "You can attend the inaugural meeting of the International Workingmen's Association as a representative of the Chinese working class." But you can't go back to China right away, because the Chinese working class is not yet conscious enough, and they will have to grow up for a few more years. ”

Yes, in a few years, when Engels and himself have saved enough money to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the international workers' movement.

Marx smiled and added, "You have to finish your studies first." I would recommend you to the Portsmouth Merchant Marine School, which is the best merchant marine school in all of Europe, and I think the Chinese workers' movement should start with the seafarers. At the same time, you will also be responsible for the organization of the Chinese Workers' Union in the UK, which is also a test for you by the International Workingmen's Association. ”

……

At this time, on the other side of the world, Zhu Jishi was looking at a document titled "The Amendment to the Education Law of the 16th Year of Guangfu". This is a bill that has just been passed by the lower house of the Constituent Assembly of the Ming Dynasty, and is now awaiting the approval of His Majesty Zhu Jishi, the emperor. And the content of the bill, of course, is to make the workers more educated, and it is really digging a self-grave!

However, it seems that Emperor Zhu is quite satisfied with this newly released education bill. This bill is already the second amendment to the education law of the Ming Empire. Previously, in 1861, the lower house of the Constituent Assembly made the first amendment to the Education Law after compulsory education had been piloted for a period of time in the provinces of Yingtian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Northeast China, and Northwest Borneo. The penalty for violating the Act was adjusted from a fine of 50 yuan to a parent who is not allowed to buy land or real estate, hold public office, join the army, have the right to vote, receive or inherit land or real estate, or accept state funding to emigrate to other countries. In short, it is to block the opportunity to get ahead. This is actually more severe than a $50 fine!

The focus of the amendment is now on the right of the girl child to education - in fact, there is a threefold implicit meaning: the liberation of women's productivity, the prohibition of foot binding, and the prohibition of late marriage and childbearing...... Well, although Emperor Zhu himself has a little bit of loli control, the country's growing population still forces him to find ways to postpone women's marriage and childbearing. Although he was not in favor of family planning, it was too early for a girl to become a mother at the age of thirteen or fourteen.

If we can improve the level of education and postpone the childbearing of women until after the age of 20, the population growth rate of the Ming Empire can be reduced a lot - because the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement in this time and space is far less destructive than in the same period in history, so the population of the Ming Empire is likely to have exceeded 500 million now, and it is still on the basis of more than 10 million people who immigrated to Nanyang (excluding Nanyang in the five provinces of Lanfang), Australia and the United States.

In addition, the school education to prohibit foot binding and allow more women to participate in social production and activities can be regarded as the origin of the women's liberation movement in the Ming Dynasty. Foot binding is naturally a bad habit of the Han people, but Zhu Jishi has no way to completely abolish it with a single edict, so he can only get rid of it step by step. First, it ordered all royal and aristocratic women to put their feet on their feet, then it forbade the royal nobles to marry foot-bound women, and then it banned the daughters of officials from binding their feet, and now it has been further extended to the whole people through the guò education law. (To be continued......)