Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 516 The Art of Slaying Dragons! Stealing the Merit of Heaven!

Late at night.

Another glass of baijiu went down my throat.

With his eyes glazed over from drunkenness, Ethan Mel slammed his glass down.

Seeing this, Zhong Xiaoai quickly gave Zhao Ruilong a meaningful look.

This is the ambassador of Iran!

We can't let him keep drinking like this.

If someone gets sick from drinking it, wouldn't that make us an international laughing stock?

As a religious person, drinking alcohol is already a major taboo for him, and tonight he drank so much...

Zhao Ruilong nodded slightly.

Last year, my father was promoted, and I came to Yanjing and drank for several days straight.

From then on, Zhao Ruilong no longer wanted to drink any wine, no matter how expensive or good it was.

If it weren't for Ethan Mel's 'spending a fortune' tonight, I wouldn't have been able to drink with him until now.

I glanced at my watch; it was already eleven o'clock.

Tomorrow I will fly to the Western Regions to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new energy industrial park.

This was not only Huilong Group's largest energy investment project in western China in the first half of 2003.

This was also the first major investment attraction project completed by Zou Kangyong after he took office as the top leader of the Western Regions.

Once this industrial park is completed, the western region will be able to gradually develop a new energy industry, converting the abundant wind and solar energy in the area into electricity, which can then be sold to the eastern region through the supporting ultra-high voltage transmission lines.

This project is not only about the development and utilization of clean energy for the local area of ​​Western Regions, but it will also create a large number of jobs and generate tax revenue, which is of great significance to economic development and regional stability.

Because the project is so important, not only does the local leadership attach great importance to it, but many high-ranking officials from various ministries also accompany President Guo to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. As an important investor, how could he possibly be absent?

"Mr. Ambassador!"

Zhao Ruilong called out softly.

"Hmm, what's wrong, Mr. Zhao?"

Ethanmel slowly turned his head.

His eyes were blurry with drunkenness, and he swayed his head unsteadily.

It's obvious they've had quite a bit to drink.

If I drink any more, I'll either black out or throw up.

Zhao Ruilong laughed and said, "We've had a good drink and a good chat tonight. I think it's getting late, so how about we call it a day?"

"what???"

Isemel exclaimed in surprise.

Taking advantage of his lack of restraint, he slapped Zhao Ruilong on the shoulder.

"Mr. Zhao, we've only just begun!"

"Are you out of wine? I'll tell them to bring more! Two more bottles!!"

Zhao Ruilong shook his head and laughed, "No, there's still wine. It's just that I have important business to attend to tomorrow, so I really can't drink anymore."

"If you feel you haven't had enough fun tonight, how about we make another date when I get back in a few days?"

"In a few days? In a few days..."

As Ethan was muttering to himself, he suddenly looked dejected and said:

"In a few days, the Americans will probably have already started attacking us!"

"Why are we, the Ilanks, so miserable?"

Ethan Mel cried and pounded on Zhao Ruilong's shoulder.

Zhao Ruilong was speechless.

Why are you patting my shoulder when you're so upset and agitated?

Moving Ethanmel's hand away, Zhao Ruilong stood up and said:

"Since things have come to this, Ambassador, please don't be sad anymore. I really have something to do tomorrow, so I'll take my leave now!"

"Wait a moment!!"

Ethan Merri quickly reached out and grabbed Zhao Ruilong.

"May I ask you one last question?"

Zhao Ruilong slowly sat down.

"Please say!"

After Ethan released his grip, he looked at Zhao Ruilong with a pitiful expression.

"I know war is inevitable, and I know that no matter how we resist, it will be in vain. The Americans will definitely defeat us easily, and the war will definitely be a one-sided affair."

"I want to know, when we rebuild after the war, what should we focus on so that we can become stronger like you? So that we won't be a disorganized mess that can be easily overthrown and defeated!"

Zhao Ruilong frowned slightly and thought for a moment.

"I think the key postwar reconstruction you need to do is not infrastructure, but ideological education!"

"Taking advantage of this war, which has disrupted the existing power and capital structure and the past social order, we should focus on ideological education!"

Ethan looked puzzled.

"Focus on ideological education? Why?"

"Because knowledge can change one's destiny!"

Meeting Ethan's questioning gaze, Zhao Ruilong asked sincerely:

"Have you ever thought about why so many countries and regions in the world are so easily infiltrated, misled, and instigated by others to engage in turmoil and conflict, yet many people still believe they are acting righteously?"

"Ultimately, it's because their elite class has been bought off, and their ordinary people, lacking sufficient ideological awareness, are easily brainwashed and become puppets of others."

"Why is our Dragon Kingdom getting stronger and stronger? It's because after we drove out the invaders, even though we were poor and everything was in ruins, we started to carry out literacy campaigns, strengthen ideological education, and improve the public's awareness."

"In our nine-year compulsory education, not only are subjects such as Chinese, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geography taught cultural knowledge, but also history, politics, and moral education are taught to improve ideological and cognitive levels."

"Continuous education has not only cultivated more and more talents and greatly improved our social productivity, but also enabled our people to have a high level of political literacy and not be easily deceived."

Ethan Mel paused for a moment, then nodded and smiled:

“I completely agree with that! You Chinese are so politically astute.”

"Even taxi drivers and roadside vendors can chat about current social events and international politics."

"Moreover, the reason why your technology is becoming more and more advanced is indeed because of the continuous efforts in education over the past few decades, resulting in an increasing number of highly qualified talents."

Zhao Ruilong nodded and said, "So if you want to avoid repeating the same mistakes, you must pay attention to ideological education during the post-war reconstruction."

"But the progress of any civilization comes at the cost of excruciating pain. It is no easy task to continuously and vigorously develop education!"

Ethan Mair frowned.

"why?"

Is it because we don't have the money for education?

Zhao Ruilong smiled faintly.

"Of course not, education itself does not require much investment."

"Education can still be carried out even if there are no textbooks or classrooms, or even if we can only write and draw on the ground with twigs."

"The real problem is that our universal education is highly secularized, and much of the knowledge and principles it teaches can be described as dragon-slaying techniques. Are you sure you can learn them?"

Out of respect, Zhao Ruilong naturally refrained from saying more.

The clever Isemel naturally understood immediately.

Having weathered a century of vicissitudes and undergone decades of education.

China has long been a highly secular country.

On this land, not many people have religious beliefs.

Even if some people do believe in science, they also respect science and are not particularly superstitious.

For example, they may believe in luck and feng shui, and often pray for the protection of their ancestors and deities.

But they knew very well that there had never been a savior or a divine emperor.

If you want to get promoted and make money, if you want to change your destiny, you still have to work hard.

Relying on the protection of ancestors and deities will not cure injuries or illnesses, nor will it help one recover.

But in Iran, and in many parts of the world, people still hold deep religious beliefs.

The main reason for this phenomenon is that, after thousands of years of development, religion has become a tool for many locals to make money and a tool for governance.

There are far too many vested interests who want the general public to believe in religion, not science.

In countries like China, where education is conducted in a way that requires school-age children and teenagers to receive compulsory education almost forcibly, compulsory education is still in place.

How can this be?

Let ordinary people know that the world is made of matter and that there are no omnipotent gods or emperors.

Let the people understand that there is only this life and no afterlife, and that the only way to become strong is through self-reliance and hard work.

To make everyone realize that this world is a dog-eat-dog world where only the fittest survive, and that there are no friends between countries, only interests?

The Dragon Kingdom can impart all kinds of scientific culture, historical lessons, political common sense, economic laws and so on to the people without reservation, enlighten the whole nation and make each generation stronger than the last.

But how many countries in the world can do that?

Especially those ruled by capital, religion, and nobility.

In order to maintain social stability and facilitate long-term rule, how could they possibly engage in education without reservation and continuously?

It's enough to teach ordinary people some knowledge and skills so they can become oxen and horses capable of engaging in productive labor.

They were taught the art of "dragon slaying," to understand the concepts of class and oppression...

Isn't that digging your own grave and courting death?

Think of this.

Ethan Meir suddenly recalled the education he had received from childhood to adulthood.

He was born into a prominent family in Ilank and received a good education from a young age.

Later, he went to Europe to study and intern, which allowed him to come into contact with many Western social elites.

He once believed that democracy and freedom were the best remedies for the world and the best policies for governing the country. He thought that as long as we learned and applied them, we could become as powerful as the United States.

But after seeing too many countries' elites being brainwashed and exploited, and witnessing too many wars, conflicts, and economic crises, he suddenly realized the truth.

So-called democracy and freedom are nothing more than pretexts for manipulation by capital.

For the vast majority of people who lack even basic cultural knowledge and cannot even write their own names, how could they possibly understand what democracy and freedom are?

Even many Western elites themselves lack sufficient political literacy and are unaware of the true nature of the world; they are merely puppets of capital.

Because their schools wouldn't teach dragon-slaying techniques, academic research institutions wouldn't conduct research in this area, and the capital-controlled news media wouldn't speak up for the people.

So……

Should ideological education be prioritized during the post-war reconstruction of Iran?

Ethan Merriel thought it was impossible to do well.

Even if we were to do it, we could only cut off a portion of it.

For example, teaching only a portion of scientific and cultural knowledge can help ordinary people become highly skilled workers.

Not only can they farm and herd livestock, but they can also work in factories, operate oil and electricity equipment, and control modern machinery and equipment.

As for the 'Dragon-Slaying Technique,' that's something I wouldn't dare teach at all; it wouldn't make people clear-headed and intelligent.

Otherwise, before they can even rise to power, they'll be embroiled in a chaotic war.

Ismail fell silent.

Zhao Ruilong naturally understood as well.

"If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving now!"

"Okay, I'll see you off!"

As he spoke, Ismail struggled to his feet, supporting himself on the table.

"You should rest for a while, no need to see me off!"

Zhao Ruilong helped Isemel to prevent him from losing his balance and falling.