First Minister of Ming Dynasty

First Minister Section 494

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help laughing, "Are you worried that if I play with these things casually, I will deceive you?"

Liu Sanwu blushed, and shook his head quickly, "Mr. Zhang is impeccable and considerate, how could he deceive the emperor?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty is using it on Zhongshan Mountain! He's tired of looking at it."

……

Zhu Ying said that Zhang Ximeng had prepared a lot of subject lectures, which was true, but he didn't know everything.

In fact, Zhang Ximeng still attaches great importance to the development of science and technology.

When Zhu's army entered Chuzhou, the most important thing was to protect the blacksmith furnace and preserve the workshop handicraft industry.Afterwards, every time a place is captured, craftsmen are the most valued.

Moreover, Zhang Ximeng also enrolls craftsmen in the army and enjoys the same treatment as soldiers.

Later, the patent law was promulgated, and great rewards were given to inventions and creations.

These things are well documented.

It's just that in view of the gathering of warriors in the Ming army, they are extremely powerful, which makes people ignore the technological progress of the Ming army.

But these advances are real.

For example, the armor of the Ming army is lighter and stronger, and the weapons are also extremely sharp and durable. This alone has greatly reduced casualties. From middle and high-level generals to ordinary soldiers, the casualty rate of the Ming army is very low.

Secondly, things like telescopes were produced before the founding of Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Ximeng thought it would be troublesome at first, but after dealing with several old gentlemen, such as Zhu Sheng and others, he learned that in the pre-Qin period, there was a saying that crystal stones were used to treat eye diseases.

Obviously, that crystal stone is not edible.

Working in the Eastern Han Dynasty at the latest, there were already craftsmen who could skillfully polish crystals and make glasses.

And there are not only crafts, but also theories. Mozi recorded a lot of optical knowledge.

Literati like Zhu Sheng, who are getting old and have bad eyesight, can't see small script clearly, so they often buy themselves a pair of glasses for reading.

After Zhang Ximeng entered Yingtian, he found a group of craftsmen who could polish crystals.

He first ordered a batch of reading glasses, carefully observed the level of craftsmanship, and then asked the craftsmen to make some concave lenses. Then naturally, one afternoon, Zhang Xianggong, who was sitting under the grape trellis, was hit by a grape, and suddenly had an epiphany. Then "clairvoyance" was invented.

The appearance of clairvoyance naturally gave the generals great help. Standing tall and seeing far, it is more convenient and smooth to command.Thousands of soldiers, like arms and fingers.

But that's all.

After all, there is no subversive effect.

Zhang Ximeng thought about it for a while, and understood what was going on...Crystals existed naturally, but they were polished by craftsmen and turned into telescopes, and they were far from being turned upside down.

What really matters is the material!

Only a breakthrough in materials can really change the world... such as glass!

When Zhang Ximeng began to pay attention to glass, he discovered another problem. Glass is not a rare thing, and it can also be traced back to the pre-Qin period.

It appeared widely at that time, and was used as a substitute for jade, inlaid with decorative utensils, such as jars and sword handles, all of which had the habit of using glass.

When Zhang Ximeng read the historical materials, he sighed that the origin of all things is the Spring and Autumn Period.

In fact, in the land of China, for a period of time, technological inventions were highly valued, and there was an era when craftsmen were respected... As for why they changed later, it seems that there is no need to say more.

In addition to the very early glass making, Zhang Ximeng also found that the craftsmanship has been passed down from generation to generation. In the Yuan Dynasty, there was a special jade bureau, which, as the name suggests, was used to make glass.

It's just that from the pre-Qin period to the Yuan Dynasty, most of the fired glass was stained glass.

And the use is also different from that of later generations. Most of these glasses are used to replace jade wares.

This also involves a problem, that is, the glass technology developed in China in the past dynasties is different from the transparent glass that is popular in later generations, and belongs to the technological tree of lead-barium glass.

The next thing is simple, there are craftsmen, and there is no lack of craftsmanship. You just need to correct the technology tree and change the route of soda-lime glass to get the finished product.

But it turned out that Zhang Ximeng still thought about the problem simply.

To fire soda-lime glass, the biggest problem is that it requires a higher temperature, which is far less easy to fire than colored lead-barium glass.

Therefore, the temperature of the furnace must be increased, and then the artisans who fire glass and the artisans who make iron come together!

Ashamed to say, these two groups have never cooperated before.

Glass craftsmen look down on blacksmiths at all... What are you playing with?

Isn't it just a worthless iron bump?

Making weapons and kitchen knives are all about killing and killing.

You see, we burn glass, and what we burn out is called medicine jade!

A gentleman is like jade!

We are making jade.

Jade can only be bred by the beautiful spirit of mountains and rivers.

What we burn glass is to surpass the heavens and the earth, and it is the means of gods!

Moreover, our finished products are all for dignitaries, and the queen's phoenix crowns all have our products.

How do you blacksmiths compare with us?

Good guy, it turns out that there is a discrimination chain in the artisan!

Zhang Ximeng severely criticized the glass craftsman, and personally organized a joint research... Not to mention, under his interference, Daming's glass firing technology made a leap forward, and finally in the eighth year of Hongwu, it was fired in large quantities. out of clear glass.It can also be fired before, but due to the problem of impurities, there will be a faint green color.

Until the eighth year of Hongwu, the problem was completely solved, and the good product rate reached [-]%.

At the same time, the iron smelting industry in the Ming Dynasty also improved a lot.

It belongs to forging ahead and making progress with each other.

Moreover, Zhang Ximeng also found that due to the barriers of the industry, craftsmen are very reluctant to communicate with other people, not to mention outsiders, even in their own industry. They guard against each other, just like guarding against thieves.

Although Zhang Ximeng severely criticized this situation, he felt that this kind of problem was difficult to solve.

Unless the basic science is disseminated, more people can understand the technology and participate in the invention... take off the mysterious veil of various technologies, so that craftsmen can't cherish themselves.At the same time, the status of craftsmen must be improved to solve problems smoothly.

So this is why Zhang Ximeng decided to come and give lectures.

In the past few years, he has completed the redesignation of provinces, reformed the official system, established the Ministry of Commerce, established compulsory education, and opened up connections with overseas countries.

It can be said that everything is ready, and the next step is to promote scientific progress and explode productivity, and then with an unparalleled mighty force, he can lead the Chinese people to advance triumphantly!

But before that, Zhang Ximeng had to set off from Jiangzhou, go to Jimin School, and go straight to his destination.

Liu Sanwu came to welcome Zhang Ximeng, and among the gentlemen who came with Liu Sanwu, there were also Qi Tai, Lian Zining and others, all of whom were famous teachers.

Zhang Ximeng just greeted them and gave them a few words of encouragement.

After all, with Zhang Ximeng's self-cultivation, he can still be calm.

After all, even if it is garbage, if it is sent to a power plant, it can generate electricity.

Don't discriminate against people just because they are idiots.

After all, it's not their fault that they are idiots, and the person who promoted them to that position is a fool.

Zhang Ximeng went to Jimin School calmly.

At this time, the Jimin Academy was about to boil.

what?

Zhang Xiang is going to give a lecture!

The sages of the time, the master is alive.

King Lu's right minister, No. 1 of the emperor's prime minister.

Master Fu Guoyuan!

On Zhang Ximeng's head, there were too many halos, each of which could blind the eyes.

There are so many students, including teachers, who do not admire Zhang Ximeng.

Soon, the teachers and students of Jimin Academy learned the good news. They needed to select a few students who were both good in character and learning, and went to meet Zhang Xiang.

There is no student who is not excited and scrambles to sign up!

Perhaps there is only one exception, and that is Zhang Shuning!

This kid discovered for the first time that his father is so popular?

What if I see my dad?

What if people know that he is Zhang Xiang's son?

oh my god!

Who will tell me?

Zhang Shuning hugged his head, wanting to cry but no tears.

But at this moment, a person came to Zhang Shuning and suddenly said, "Stand up."

Zhang Shuning subconsciously stood up. The person who came was his teacher. The teacher stared at Zhang Shuning carefully for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"What a good child! He grows up well and has good grades. Not only can he read, but he can also ride a horse and shoot arrows... This is the student of Jimin Academy. He has all six arts. He is very good and can't be better!"

Zhang Shuning was taken aback, why are you such a good teacher praising your students?

The teacher smiled and said: "Shu Ning, come with me, the school has already decided, you go to meet Mr. Zhang!"

At this moment, Zhang Shuning's head was empty.

what?

Let me meet my dad?

What do you think?

What do I tell him?

Welcome, father?

Isn't this crazy?

Zhang Shuning's whole body is not well.

But how did the teacher know this, he just thought that Zhang Shuning was so happy and stupid, he couldn't help stretching out his hand to hold Zhang Shuning, "Let's go, we have to compare with those students! But our Shuning is good at everything, they can't do it!"

Sure enough, Zhang Shuning passed the examination smoothly, and the school gave him a set of exquisite red clothes, a hat, and flowers on it, making him look like a groom.

"Look, this is our signboard, human appearance!"

The teachers were full of praise, and the students were extremely envious... As for Zhang Shuning, his blood was running cold!

At this moment, a horse galloped up.

"Master Zhang has arrived, there are still twenty miles away! Hurry up to meet him!"

The teachers and students were all shocked, the teacher pushed Zhang Shuning who was completely sluggish, let's go, don't delay the big event!

Just like that, Zhang Shuning, who was like a puppet, was kicked out of the school...

Chapter 687 Study hard

Zhang Ximeng didn't ride a horse, but walked in a cart, and came to Jimin Academy with the others.He is no stranger to this road, after all, he was still recuperating here back then!

"It's changed a lot, the roads are wider, and there are more pavements. It's quite prosperous!" Zhang Ximeng praised with a smile.

Liu Sanwu was by his side, and said with a smile, "At the beginning, Zhang Xiang advocated the establishment of the Jimin School, and today, it has the appearance of the world's first-class school... To be honest, now the literary spirit is gathering, the stars are shining, and the beauty is beautiful. Jiangxi You really can't stop your style!"

Zhang Ximeng laughed and said, "That's true. Right now, Jiangxi has the largest population, the largest number of school-age schoolchildren, the highest enrollment ratio, and the deepest accumulation of teachers. It is indeed the best in the world. But after a while, I'm afraid it may not be so."

Qi Tai, Lian Zining and the others were all taken aback, wondering what Zhang Xiang meant?

"It's natural to talk about luck and luck, but I prefer to analyze economic conditions... After all, it takes almost all the financial resources of the whole family to support a scholar, and it takes the financial resources of a county to support an ordinary school. A better school, It will use the resources of a province, and when it comes to the Jimin Academy, it will need to devote the power of the whole country, and a lot of money will be spent from the national treasury every year."

Zhang Ximeng said: "So I want to say, no matter what time it comes, we must keep one thing in mind. Jimin Academy is a school for people from all over the world, recruiting talents from all over the world, and cultivating talents for Ming Dynasty!"

Liu Sanwu bowed hastily, "I have written down what Zhang Xiang taught me. In fact, in Jimin School, more than [-]% are students from other places, and there are many elite talents among them. Among them, there are Yingtian, Huguang, There are also those from Shaanxi... I believe Zhang Xiang will see them soon."

Zhang Ximeng nodded and smiled, "I'm about to see the demeanor of the students... I just said that the school is supported by financial resources. For Jiangxi, in terms of geographical environment, it is somewhat different from Huaidong Province, Zhejiang Province, and even Fujian Province. Especially in Huaidong Province, Susongchang Town is a place of wealth and prosperity, with prosperous industry and commerce, and sufficient financial resources. They are willing to invest in running schools. They may not see results in a year or two, but they have persisted for decades. After two or three generations , they will definitely rise, this is unstoppable."

"From Jiangxi's point of view, I think Jiangxi should give full play to its advantages in talents, seek wealth from the inside of its head, and be good at taking advantage of good opportunities for industrial and commercial development. The imperial court has given support, so we must not miss this opportunity."

Hearing what Zhang Ximeng said, Qi Tai immediately said: "Mr. Zhang, in fact, we also encourage students to invent and create. Now, a student took the lead to set up a bookstore and print literacy cards. This is a great contribution to enlightenment. "