University

Ferdinand's agricultural reform plan did not infringe upon the interests of the landlord class. Consequently, it received the support of enlightened landlords, while others mostly looked on from the sidelines, allowing the promotion of the plan in rural areas to proceed smoothly.

Seeing this progress, Ferdinand was very satisfied. As long as results could be produced this year, he could take further steps next year.

With a deepening understanding of Bulgaria, Ferdinand did not intend to initiate any water conservancy projects before securing full executive power.

At present, the Bulgarian peasantry was already living in great hardship and lacked the capacity to bear the heavy burden of such infrastructure projects.

Some might argue that the government or the landlord class could provide the funding. In reality, this was impossible, as the Bulgarian treasury could not afford it.

Furthermore, before the era of massive land consolidation, the Bulgarian landlord class had not yet adopted large-scale mechanized production, nor were they as wealthy as one might imagine.

Unlike the Qing Dynasty, where owning a hundred or eighty mu of land was enough to be called a landlord, and a thousand mu of fertile land defined a great landlord, the situation here was different.

In fact, in Bulgaria, it was commonplace for an ordinary peasant family to own several hundred mu of land; one would be embarrassed to call oneself a landlord without tens of thousands of mu.

The land was vast and sparsely populated. In this era, there was no such thing as environmental protection; as long as one was willing, one could continue to clear wasteland.

This was also the reason why the Stambolov cabinet dared to increase taxes. Even if peasants went bankrupt, they could flee to the mountains to continue clearing land, where the government could not reach them.

Unless driven to a dead end, peasants would not revolt. Historically, Bulgaria had repeatedly increased agricultural taxes to develop industry, yet peasant uprisings rarely occurred.

Having understood the current state of Bulgarian agriculture, Ferdinand felt temporarily at ease. With agricultural output currently meeting domestic demand and even allowing for exports, the need for increased production was not particularly urgent in the short term.

In June, the crude University of Bulgaria was completed. As for the interior, in that era, who would be so picky? Cement floors and a layer of lime on the walls were more than enough.

Historically, Sofia University was also established this year, founded through the generous donations of the brothers Hristo Georgiev and Evlogi Georgiev, though the main building was not completed until 1934.

Naturally, that was not the case now; Bulgaria's resources were limited. Due to Ferdinand's intervention, the Bulgarian government took the lead, supported by the vigorous efforts of all sectors of society.

In just a few months, a manor in the eastern suburbs of the city was converted into a simple university. The conditions were likely comparable to a village primary school from twenty or thirty years prior.

Ferdinand had to focus his energy on the school; the historical Sofia University held the title of a "cradle of revolution," and he could not afford to ignore it.

Although he did not know the inside story of the Bulgarian revolution, Ferdinand remembered one thing: the massive unemployment of Sofia University graduates had laid the foundation for the spread of the revolution.

Ferdinand decided to nip the problem in the bud by implementing a policy of guaranteed job placement. If everyone had a job, they would surely have no time to stir up a revolution!

On July 2, 1888, Ferdinand convened a school management meeting to determine the enrollment numbers for the inaugural class and the division of departments.

"Mr. Minister, is the Prince really going to attend the meeting?" Aleko Konstantinov asked in surprise (a famous Bulgarian writer and current literature teacher at the University of Bulgaria).

The others pricked up their ears, showing their concern. Although those present were luminaries in the field of education, the highest-ranking official they usually encountered was someone from the Ministry of Education.

They had no real concept of Ferdinand as a high-profile university president; electing him had merely been a move to secure funding.

"Of course. The Prince attaches great importance to education. It doesn't start for another half hour, so just be patient and wait!" Chekhov said with a smile.

After exchanging a few polite words, Ferdinand waved his hand to signal them and began, "Alright, let the meeting commence!"

"Very well, Your Highness! Let us from the Ministry of Education begin first!" Chekhov said in high spirits.

"The Ministry of Education began preparing for this entrance examination three months ago. The preparatory work is complete; now, the main task is to determine the number of admissions and the student quotas for each major!" Chekhov finished concisely.

Ferdinand liked his pragmatic work attitude—no long-winded speeches, no trace of bureaucratic style.

"Hmm, let everyone express their opinions now," Ferdinand said with a satisfied nod.

"Our Mechanical Engineering Department needs two hundred students! Everyone knows that Bulgaria is undergoing industrialization, and there is a severe shortage of such talent!" Allen, the head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, said first.

No one else spoke; they clearly acknowledged the validity of Allen's reasoning, but since it involved a competition for quotas, they remained silent. Ferdinand nodded, signaling his attendants to record the request.

"Our Literature Department needs three hundred. Bulgaria was long enslaved by the Ottoman Empire; we urgently need to liberate our thinking and restore our traditional culture. This requires a large number of personnel, and we are in dire need of excellent literary works to enrich the spiritual life of the people!" Aleko followed immediately.

Next came the History Department...

The Physics Department...

The Chemistry Department...

The Architecture Department...

The small University of Bulgaria actually had over thirty departments of various sizes, with a total enrollment request of over five thousand students.

Ferdinand listened with a smile throughout. Frankly speaking, was five thousand a lot? In Ferdinand's view, it was not much at all, but it depended on the context; in later generations, any random university would have tens of thousands of students.

However, at this moment, that was simply impossible. It was estimated that the total number of applicants for the first class in Bulgaria might not even reach five thousand.

Ferdinand looked at Chekhov and asked, "My dear Minister, what is the Ministry of Education's estimate for the number of applicants for the first class at the University of Bulgaria?"

"In response to Your Highness, according to preliminary investigations, the total number of eligible applicants is expected to fluctuate between 4,500 and 5,200!" Chekhov said cautiously.

Ferdinand said gravely, "Hmm! You are all elites of the Bulgarian education sector, and now everyone understands the situation. Based on current circumstances, you all realize that we cannot satisfy everyone's demands!"

"Therefore, for the sake of Bulgaria's better development, many departments will have to make sacrifices!"

The expressions of those present changed drastically. In truth, they were also frightened by the data. How many students did the University of Vienna have? Less than three thousand, right? If the University of Bulgaria were to admit five thousand students at once, they would likely become the laughingstock of the educational world.

The numbers had to be cut, but the question of which departments would be cut more and which less became the issue.

Seeing that everyone was still deep in thought, Ferdinand spoke again: "Everyone knows that Bulgaria established this university for the sake of national development, so the quality of the students must be guaranteed. Therefore, for the first intake, we would rather have fewer, higher-quality students. In principle, the number will not exceed five hundred!"

"In reality, it will likely be even fewer. The current enrollment at the University of Vienna is only about that much, and the number at Oxford University is even smaller! Internationally renowned universities have already set the example for us!"