University

Ferdinand's agricultural reform plan did not harm the interests of the landowning class. It therefore won the support of the enlightened landlords, while most others watched from the sidelines. Promoting it in the countryside went smoothly.

Ferdinand was very pleased with the progress. If they could produce results this year, they could take things a step further next year.

As his understanding of Bulgaria deepened, Ferdinand decided not to undertake any water conservancy projects until he had secured full governing power.

The Bulgarian peasantry was already struggling to make ends meet and could not bear the burden of water conservancy projects.

Some might say the government could pay, or that the landowning class could foot the bill. In reality, neither was possible. Bulgaria's finances could not bear the cost.

And before the large-scale consolidation of landholdings, Bulgaria's landlords had not yet widely adopted mechanized farming, nor were they as wealthy as one might imagine.

Unlike in the Qing Dynasty, where owning eighty or a hundred mu could make someone a landlord and a thousand mu of fertile land made them a great landlord,

in Bulgaria, it was perfectly ordinary for a peasant family to own several hundred mu of land. Unless they had tens of thousands of mu, they would hardly dare call themselves landlords.

The land was vast and sparsely populated. In those days, no one talked about protecting the environment. Anyone who wished could simply keep clearing wasteland.

That was also why the Stam Cabinet dared to raise taxes. Even if the peasants went bankrupt, they could flee into the mountains and keep clearing land, beyond the government's reach.

Unless driven to the end of their tether, peasants would not rebel. Historically, Bulgaria had raised agricultural taxes many times to develop industry, yet peasant uprisings were rare.

After learning about the state of Bulgarian agriculture, Ferdinand felt reassured for the time being. Agricultural output was enough to meet domestic demand, with products still being exported abroad, so the need to increase production was not especially urgent in the short term.

In June, the crude University of Bulgaria was completed. As for the finishing touches, who would have fussed over such things in those days? A cement floor and a coat of lime on the walls were quite enough.

Historically, Sofia University had also been established that year. It had been founded through the generous donations of the brothers Hristo Georgiev and Evlogi Georgiev, though its main building would not be completed until 1934.

That was no longer the case now. Bulgaria's resources were limited. With Ferdinand's intervention, the Bulgarian government took the lead, backed by strong support from all sectors of society.

In just a few months, an estate in the eastern suburbs had been converted into a modest university. Its facilities probably rivaled those of a village primary school from twenty or thirty years earlier.

Ferdinand had no choice but to turn his attention to the school. Historically, Sofia University had even earned the title of "cradle of revolution," so he could hardly afford to ignore it.

Although he did not know much about the inner workings of the Bulgarian Revolution, one thing had stuck in his mind: mass unemployment among Sofia University graduates had laid the groundwork for the spread of revolutionary ideas.

Ferdinand decided to nip the problem in the bud with a guaranteed job assignment. If everyone had work, surely they would have no time to make revolution!

On July 2, 1888, Ferdinand convened a school administration meeting to decide the number of students admitted in the first intake and how to divide the faculties.

"Minister, is the prince really coming to attend the meeting?" Aleko Konstantinov asked in surprise. (A renowned Bulgarian writer, he currently taught literature at the University of Bulgaria.)

Everyone else pricked up their ears, eager to hear. Though everyone present was a prominent figure in education, the highest-ranking officials they usually dealt with were from the Ministry of Education.

They had little idea what to make of Ferdinand, a high-ranking prince serving as their university president. When they had nominated him, it had been no more than a way to secure funding.

"Of course. The prince takes education very seriously. The meeting doesn't start for another half hour, so just be patient and wait!" Chekhov said with a smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ferdinand waved his hand to signal for quiet and said, "All right, let's begin the meeting!"

"Very well, Your Highness! Then let's have the Ministry of Education go first," Chekhov said in good spirits.

"The Ministry of Education began preparing for this entrance examination three months ago, and all the arrangements are now in place. The main things left to decide are the number of students to admit and the quota for each major," Chekhov said succinctly.

Ferdinand liked this practical approach to work. There were no long-winded speeches and not a trace of bureaucratic posturing.

"Good. Let's hear everyone's opinions," Ferdinand said with a satisfied nod.

"Our mechanical engineering faculty needs two hundred students! Everyone knows Bulgaria is industrializing, and there's a severe shortage of people with these skills!" Allen, the head of the mechanical engineering faculty, spoke first.

No one objected, clearly accepting Allen's reasoning. But since the issue also involved competing for places, no one else spoke up. Ferdinand nodded, signaling his attendant to take note.

"Our literature faculty needs three hundred students. Bulgaria was enslaved by the Ottoman Empire for a long time and urgently needs to liberate people's minds and restore its traditional culture. That will require many hands. We also desperately need outstanding literary works to enrich the spiritual lives of the people!" Aleko spoke next.

Then came the history faculty...

The physics faculty...

The chemistry faculty...

The architecture faculty...

This little University of Bulgaria had more than thirty faculties, both large and small, and their requested admissions quotas added up to over five thousand students.

Ferdinand listened with a smile the whole time. Frankly, was five thousand really that many? To him, not at all—but it depended on the place. In later generations, any university could have tens of thousands of students.

But that was simply impossible now. Bulgaria might not even have five thousand applicants in its first round.

Ferdinand turned to Chekhov and asked, "My minister, how many applicants do you estimate the University of Bulgaria will have in its first intake?"

"Your Highness, based on our preliminary investigation, we expect the total number of qualified applicants to fluctuate between 4,500 and 5,200," Chekhov replied gravely.

Ferdinand spoke with equal gravity. "All right! You are the finest minds in Bulgarian education, and now everyone understands the situation. Given the circumstances, it's clear that we cannot meet everyone's demands!"

"So, for Bulgaria's future development, some faculties will have to make sacrifices!"

Everyone's expression changed dramatically. In truth, they too had been shocked by those figures. How many students did the University of Vienna have? Fewer than three thousand, probably! If the University of Bulgaria really admitted five thousand students at once, the whole group would become a laughingstock in educational circles.

The numbers had to be cut. But which faculties would face the biggest cuts, and which the smallest? That was the problem!

Seeing that everyone was still deep in thought, Ferdinand spoke again. "You all understand that Bulgaria established this university to advance the nation's development. We must therefore ensure the quality of our students. For the first intake, it's better to have too few than too many. In principle, we will not admit more than five hundred!"

"In practice, the number will be even lower. The University of Vienna admits no more than that, and Oxford University admits even fewer! The world's renowned universities have already set us an example."