I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 356: Enlightenment (3)

Visconti's young Duke, Alfred, was lost in a happy dilemma.

If he were to compare his current state of mind, it would be akin to having one billion won in his bank account but being unable to decide how to spend it, seriously contemplating the best way to use it.

“How much should I educate the common people?”

No matter how much education he provided, if he followed the direction Fabio instructed...

He would undoubtedly earn the sincere respect of all the serfs and laborers, and his power would become immeasurably stronger than it was now.

Previously, he had to watch his back around the other nobles, but now, just as the emperor could strip titles with the slightest pretext, Alfred was no longer bound by their influence.

‘Duke Sforza also reduced someone to a country bumpkin with just a few words.’

Although he had not been born an emperor, and thus could not wield such authority, at least within his own territory, he would be able to control everything as he wished.

“But I can’t just stop here and be satisfied.”

Power, honor, lust, money... these were things one could never be satisfied with by taking just one bite.

There might be people who had never tasted these things, but once they did, they would continuously crave them.

To obtain them, a person would even sell their soul to the devil.

Alfred naturally wanted even a little more honor, even a little more power.

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“How should I teach them to earn their absolute support? Simply teaching them that it was I, Fabio’s man, who gave them prosperity might not be enough.”

Alfred fell into deep thought.

What else could he teach them that would make them like him even more? Moreover, how could he naturally instill the legitimacy of his rule into them?

“What’s the best way?”

Alfred recalled his time in the army when he thought about how to approach the common people.

When he was appointed as a squad leader at the suggestion of his father, the Duke of Visconti, although he wasn’t mingling with the serfs due to his status as the heir to the Visconti family...

He remembered, from deep in his memory, the conversations he occasionally had with the non-commissioned officers, where they mentioned the serfs.

‘The soldiers often struggle because they can’t read or write.’

Struggling meant being in a difficult situation.

Being in a difficult situation meant that if someone solved the problem, they would be extremely grateful.

“I can teach them to read and write through the priests in the village.”

His military experiences proved valuable here as well.

He had participated in many actual battles during his military service.

He had served as a company commander in the frontline units, as a battalion commander in a division participating in wars, as a staff officer in the rear, and even as a division commander...

‘They always highlighted favorable stories, and hid any unfavorable ones.’

The army of the country Fabio had lived in during his previous life also operated in the same way.

Although they boasted about raising soldiers’ salaries, things like tasteless rationed meals or poor dining conditions were always disguised in the media as “a little better than before.”

Problems like military abuse, assault, or crimes were generally handled with little fanfare.

This had been the same, from ancient times to the 21st century.

Even in the medieval fantasy Toscana Empire, things were no different.

“If I teach the common people history, about how great our Visconti family is, and how much we care for them, they’ll believe it without a second thought if I teach them even a little bit.”

If Fabio had heard this, he would have clapped and said that his father-in-law had grasped one of the extreme sides of enlightenment.

Only telling good stories about the leader to make them respect and strengthen loyalty—that was his plan.

‘I think it’s a pretty good method, even if I say so myself.’

“The children’s minds are soft, so the village priests can teach them first. Then, if the children pass on that knowledge to the adults, they’ll believe it without doubt. If it’s too extreme, the adults will be suspicious, so I’ll need to mix in a bit of fabrication.”

Well, his grandfather supposedly loved the people so much that he spent all his money on the serfs, leaving just enough for the nobility to maintain their dignity.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

He planned to omit any mention of how the Visconti Dukes had spent sleepless nights thinking only of the people, even to the point of being self-sacrificial during times of famine.

Such tales were as believable as claiming that sand turns to flour [N O V E L I G H T] when rolled on it or that pine cones turn into grenades when touched.

So, he would adjust the narrative to say that his grandfather occasionally went on stealth missions to punish bad nobles, or that he recognized the poverty of the serfs and ate very simply during famines to contribute to relief efforts.

“The village priests and even the city clergy are probably struggling because donations are down, so if I promise them more donations if they teach as I want, things will go smoothly.”

Being forced to play the role of a noble's lapdog was torture for the clergy...

But even scholars, if starved for three days, would climb over a wall.

Besides, considering that the priests of the Deus Church were already heavily taxed due to the civil war in the Holy Empire, how happy would they be to accept “unofficial donations”?

“Alright, I’ll organize this and put it into action immediately.”

Alfred also decided that he would report this to the emperor.

There was no need to anger the emperor, who held absolute imperial authority, and to ensure the prosperity of his family, he needed to become closer to the emperor.

Our father-in-law is quite an extraordinary man.

I only suggested that we inform the serfs and laborers through mandatory education about the value of the happiness they currently enjoy.

But my father-in-law, believing that was not enough, added everything.

Teaching them to read and write, slightly beautified imperial history lessons, etc...

A curriculum that could inject a ton of national pride into the uneducated empire’s people.

And then he used the priests’ lack of money to hold them with “unofficial donations.”

For every one thing I suggested, he thought of ten more to add.

Thanks to that, I am now being summoned by the emperor.

“I’m sorry to call you so late, but young Visconti here had an interesting idea. I wanted to ask you before we reflect this in our policies.”

At this point, asking about other ministers who were unaware would be a second-rate move.

Because if I asked, the emperor would surely reply something like,

‘Those fools wouldn’t even be able to match 10% of what you’ve done.’

If that statement were to be leaked by the ‘servants pretending to respect secrecy’...

How would the ministers think of me?

It’s annoying when a person brags, but it’s just as annoying when someone denies a compliment when it’s clearly deserved.

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

“The young duke here says that the people of the empire don’t know the value of the happiness they’re enjoying right now. I agree with this statement. If we don’t learn, we won’t know. How great our parents’ grace is, or how much Deus has blessed us, humble humans.”

“I agree with Your Majesty’s words. Without education, we cannot know.”

“And so, he suggested that we teach the people about how much we, the emperors, do for them, and what the past emperors have done for them. He also said that since the world is changing, serfs should at least be taught how to read and write and perform basic arithmetic.”

He had only mentioned a lucky idea, but already suggested basic education.

If he’d taken one more step, he would have advocated for elementary schools.

Of course, he didn’t go that far, but...

Even the current suggestion is a proposal that is centuries ahead of its time.

Providing basic education to all the people and eliminating illiteracy.

‘The future of the Visconti family looks bright.’

The Visconti family’s coin will definitely rise.

“What do you think?”

“If Your Majesty seeks to strengthen your imperial authority, it is essential to educate the people. Right now, they are only praising Your Majesty because their basic living conditions have improved.”

Human intelligence has always been the same, but in pre-modern times, most people didn’t ask questions like, ‘Why am I living? What is the purpose of my life?’ because nobody taught them.

Why? Because nobody taught them.

I was born a serf, so I thought I would live and die as one.

But with the advent of schools and the advancement of education, children of workers’ families now learn “Why are you alive? This is the goal of life.”

People can now ask themselves, “Why am I living?”

“If we teach them why they should be loyal, they will willingly offer their loyalty to Your Majesty. Forcing them to do it is one thing, but showing them why they should do it and then asking them makes all the difference in efficiency.”

“Indeed.”

“It’s similar to proclaiming a just cause in war. That’s why I think following my father-in-law’s suggestion will benefit Your Majesty.”

And this is also a preparation for war.

We must never forget.

The goal of compulsory education was not to make people more human...

“A soldier who knows how to read and write, and understands why he fights, is strong, Your Majesty.”