Nathan Foster knew that later on, Andrew Williams's reforms took many detours, leading to numerous setbacks and eventual failure, so he wanted to give him some guidance—perhaps the fate of the reforms could be changed, even if only a little.

Now Andrew Williams was still young and highly adaptable. Teaching him now could change his thinking and principles. If he waited another ten years or so, teaching him would be like words going in one ear and out the other; the Vice Minister's stubbornness was not ordinary.

Nathan Foster refilled his own teacup and asked with a smile, “Let me ask you first: what is the essence of reform?”

Andrew Williams thought for a moment and said, “The essence of reform is to promote benefits and eliminate drawbacks, to change all the old rules and systems that hinder the prosperity and strength of the Song Dynasty!”

Nathan Foster shook his head. “That is the direction of reform, not its essence.”

“Then what do you say is the essence of reform?” Andrew Williams began to get stubborn, seriously debating with Nathan Foster.

Nathan Foster dipped his finger in some tea and casually drew a circle on the table, then made a cross inside the circle, and said lightly, “This is the essence of reform. Put simply, it’s about dividing the cake!”

Andrew Williams was stunned for a moment and muttered, “Dividing the cake?”

“Exactly! Dividing the cake.”

Nathan Foster continued, “The wealth of the world is this big cake. The powerful and privileged take too much, while the common people and the court get too little. That’s why there are so many problems, the country is weak, and the people are poor. The so-called essence of reform is to cut away a portion of the wealth from the privileged and give it to the court and the people.”

Using the simplest language, Nathan Foster tore away the surface to reveal the bloody essence. Andrew Williams was struck as if by lightning, completely stunned.

He had always believed that the weakness and poverty of the Song Dynasty were due to various outdated customs and bad habits hindering its path to prosperity.

For example, the court’s discrimination against the military, or the government’s excessive control over resources related to people’s livelihoods, and so on.

As long as these old customs and habits could be broken, the government streamlined, and relationships clarified, then the “three redundancies” dilemma of the Song Dynasty could gradually be reversed.

But today he heard a completely different “dividing the cake” theory, and suddenly realized that his previous thinking had been too superficial.

But Andrew Williams was not so easily convinced. He immediately retorted, “That’s not right. Military reform shouldn’t have anything to do with dividing the cake, right?”

Nathan Foster shook his head. “The biggest problem with the military is redundant soldiers. The Song Dynasty supports a million-strong army, and the court’s finances are overwhelmed. Am I wrong?”

“That’s true!”

“Have you ever thought about how many corrupt parasites are hidden among these million soldiers, desperately sucking up military funds?”

Nathan Foster fixed his sharp gaze on Andrew Williams and continued, “If you want to reform the military system, reduce redundant soldiers, cut military expenses, or actually use the funds for the soldiers, whose interests will you be infringing upon? Isn’t that dividing the cake?”

A flash of insight struck Andrew Williams, and he fell silent, no longer arguing, but humbly listened to Nathan Foster’s earnest teachings.

“Where is the foundation of reform? It lies in the supporters. The more supporters, the more solid the foundation. But don’t expect the privileged to support you—that’s like asking a tiger for its skin. The real supporters are the common people, the emperor with real power, and the countless mid- and lower-level officials who, like you, long to make the country prosperous through reform. This means you need to unite everyone you can, even the old farmers in the countryside, even the eunuchs in the palace. As long as they all say reform is right, then countless voices together will shake the world!”

Andrew Williams sighed softly, “It’s easy to say, but how hard it is to do!”

Nathan Foster smiled slightly and said, “It’s easy to say, but actually not hard to do. That’s what I meant earlier by not having the right method.”

Andrew Williams had completely forgotten Nathan Foster’s age. He stood up and gave a deep bow. “Please teach me, young master!”

“To gain everyone’s support for reform, you first need to let everyone see the benefits of reform. This means starting with a pilot program—a single prefecture or county. Once a pilot succeeds, then you can promote it more widely, and you’ll gain everyone’s recognition and support. At the same time, whatever obstacles and opposition you encounter in the pilot, and how you resolve those conflicts, that’s called accumulating experience, and it also gives all supporters confidence. Once there’s confidence, anything can be accomplished.”

Nathan Foster took a sip of tea and continued, “The second method of reform is to proceed step by step, from easy to difficult. It’s like chopping down a tree—you can’t fell a big tree with one stroke; you have to chop it bit by bit, starting at the weakest point. In the end, even the sturdiest tree will fall. So reform can’t be rushed; it must be advanced gradually, step by step.”

Nathan Foster’s words were like a knife, stabbing deep into Andrew Williams’s heart, opening a wide gap. Not only did a fresh breeze blow in, but his heart was also illuminated.

At this moment, voices came from outside the door—it seemed his grandfather had returned.

Nathan Foster stood up and said with a smile, “Let me give County Magistrate Williams one more piece of advice: in reform, you must learn to compromise, and try not to fight the privileged to the death. The best way is for everyone to make the cake bigger together, and when dividing the new cake, give a bit more to the court, a bit more to the people, and try to touch the bottom-line interests of the privileged as little as possible. That way, resistance won’t be too fierce, and the reform will succeed. That’s all I have to say—County Magistrate Williams, think it over carefully!”