Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 431: Split into Six Parts (Part )
After Lu Jin finished talking about the education system of the new dynasty, everyone was thinking and digesting it silently. Some people were pondering this teaching system, and suddenly they found that the knowledge displayed by Lu Jin was the same as that taught by this method.

Lu Jin usually showed that he was very familiar with the historical context, but he didn't seem to know much about some minor figures or deeds in the past dynasties, such as some famous and large families, which were "common sense". He also knew some Confucian classics, but they were only fragments, and he had not read the Four Books and Five Classics. This was very consistent with his own educational method.
Thinking of this, Tao An suddenly asked tentatively, "Did Your Highness learn according to this method when he was studying?"

Lu Jin was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect someone to ask this, but he nodded and said, "Indeed."

Everyone looked at Lu Jin when they heard this. Tao An asked curiously, "What major did your highness study in college?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "I majored in mechanics in college, which is what you call mechanical engineering. Later, I got a master's degree in mechanics. After completing my master's degree, I switched to a doctorate in materials science, but I didn't graduate, so I came back."

Everyone's gossip spirits were immediately ignited when they heard this. Tao An asked again, "I heard that Your Highness returned from overseas. Could it be that there are such schools in the barbarian countries, from elementary school to university?"

Lu Jin immediately explained, "Of course not, I learned from my parents and my master. I was just talking about the learning process. It's like college by analogy."

Feng Guoyong was also curious and asked, "Your Highness majored in mechanical engineering, why is he so proficient in military tactics?"

Lu Jin continued, "Although I have not learned the art of war, I have received military training, so I know the basics like drill and training, and I have read a lot of miscellaneous books, such as classics like Sun Tzu's Art of War.

"Also, I am quite interested in military affairs and have watched a lot of military films. I can say that I have seen wars, as well as analyses of many famous generals and classic battles, etc."

Everyone was stunned. Chen Yu also asked curiously, "What is the video that Your Highness is talking about?"

Lu Jin hesitated for a moment before saying, "How can I explain this to you? It can probably be understood as something similar to the 'Sky Viewing Mirror' in some mythological stories. It can see people's images and hear their voices."

Everyone was stunned after hearing this and looked at Lu Jin in surprise.

Lu Jin said immediately, "You don't have to think it's something amazing. The physics book of Gongshu Secret Classics explains how to make a video. This thing is actually a way of recording. The recording method you know is to write on paper with a pen, and Gongshu has a way to record the scenes and sounds he sees, and then replay them over and over again.

"For example, if we record a meeting like today or a battle between two armies using a video machine, decades or even a hundred years later, when we are all dead, future generations will still be able to see our current appearance and hear our voices. This is not some magic or sorcery that anyone can learn."

"But it's still unbelievable. No wonder Gongshu compared himself to a ghost or a god." Qin Conglong sighed.

Feng Guoyong also asked, "Did Your Highness bring those films back?"

"No, they were all burned. Such confidential stuff must be destroyed if it cannot be taken away. I didn't even bring back the original version of Gongshu Secret Book. I wrote down this set from memory after I came back." Lu Jin suddenly made up a lie.

"That's such a pity." Feng Guoyong couldn't help but sigh.

"There is nothing to regret. My teacher once said that all wealth is just external things and can be discarded. These things are not brought with you when you are born and cannot be taken with you when you die. Only the knowledge you have learned is yours and no one can take it away.

"So as long as I am alive and the Gongshu Secret Code can be passed down, those magical things will reappear sooner or later."

Everyone nodded after hearing this.

"Okay, let's not talk about this. Who else wants to say something about the Ministry of Education?" Lu Jin asked again.

Chen Yu asked again, "Your Highness just said that there are master's and doctoral degrees above university. What are they? Do you need to continue studying after graduating from university?"

Lu Jin immediately explained, "Yes, the professional courses in college can only be regarded as undergraduate courses. If you continue to explore the knowledge you have learned in depth, you can continue to study for a master's degree and a doctorate. Don't you Confucian scholars also have a doctorate in the Five Classics?"

"Do universities in the new dynasty also have these master's and doctoral degrees?"

"Of course there is, but that is more academic. After undergraduate studies, your master will not teach you. You have to study and explore on your own and come up with new things. It is equivalent to you Confucian scholars founding a school of thought and proposing new theories. You have to get recognition from others and teachers before you can be promoted to a master's or doctoral degree.

"After getting a master's or doctoral degree, you can apply for a position in the Academy of Science and Engineering, or stay in a university to teach, become a university teacher, and in the future be promoted to a university professor or even a president, and then continue to train new talents for the court. Of course, you can also take the civil service exam and enter politics."

Everyone nodded in understanding, and Wang Guangyang spoke again.

"If we follow your highness's request and rewrite a set of textbooks from elementary school to high school, and even textbooks for various subjects in college, we need to be proficient in so many things and write textbooks that are recognized by the whole world. This is a huge project, no less than compiling a set of history books. It may require a lot of manpower."

"That's true." Lu Jin said immediately, "Won't we have another imperial examination in September this year? At that time, we can select a group of knowledgeable people to go to the Ministry of Education to compile books.

“In addition, universities can also collect relevant books from the public for their professional courses, and then the Ministry of Education can compile them into textbooks. We can also recruit talents from the public. If you know any talented people, you can recommend them to me.

"As for mathematics and natural sciences, I will let Meng Zhifang preside over it and compile it based on the Gongshu Secret Codex. I will then personally review and approve it. This way, we should have enough manpower."

Everyone nodded at this point, and Lu Jin suddenly spoke again.

"Speaking of compiling teaching materials, there are three more things I almost forgot to mention just now."

Chen Yu asked, "What is it that your highness is talking about?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "In cooperation with the compilation of textbooks, we must also promote pinyin, that is, phonetics and rhyme books, and also promote vernacular Chinese. The existing characters also need to be simplified to reduce the difficulty of learning so that more people can learn and learn quickly."

Everyone frowned when they heard this. Lu Jin said it simply, but any one of these three things would cause a big discussion in the court and even in society.

Li Shanchang immediately said, "I can understand the rhyme book, as almost every dynasty has compiled rhyme books, but what does Your Highness mean by promoting vernacular writing and simplifying writing? Why must this be done?"

Lu Jin immediately explained, "The promotion of vernacular Chinese is to support the promotion of scientific education. Gongshu's scholarship is different from Confucian classics. The words used must be precise and rigorous. There must be no ambiguity. One is one, two is two, ice is cold, fire is hot, and no one can question it. However, it is impossible to do this with classical Chinese. Only vernacular Chinese can be used.

"Just like your Confucian classics, a sentence can have many interpretations. In order to interpret the classics, there are even many Confucian schools, and they can fight each other. But in Gongshu's knowledge, this will only appear in new and uncertain fields. Once it is determined and everyone agrees on it, it is the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, and no one can question it!"

Everyone frowned even deeper upon hearing this.

Lu Jin continued to explain.

"Let me give you an example. For example, in the Analects, 'The people can be made to follow a path, but they cannot be made to know it.' Is that how you all learned it?"

Everyone nodded immediately, and Lu Jin asked again, "Who can explain this sentence?"

Wang Guangyang immediately said, "This sentence comes from The Analects of Confucius - Taibo, which means 'You can let the people follow the guidance of the saints without letting them know why.'"

Lu Jin asked again, "Why don't you let the people know why?"

"Because the way of the sage is difficult to understand, it is not easy for ordinary people to know it. All they need to know is that it is right to do so."

However, Lu Jin said, "This is the Analects you studied, but my teacher gave me five different interpretations of this sentence."

"Five?" Wang Guangyang was stunned, and a bad feeling came into his mind.
"Yes, one is what I just said, 'The people can be made to follow it, but they cannot be made to understand it.'

"The second is, 'If the people can do it, let them follow it; if they cannot do it, let them know it.'

"The third type is, 'If the people can be led, let them be led; if they cannot be led, let them know.'

"The fourth type is, 'The people can be led, but they cannot be led without guidance; they can be led to know it.'

"The fifth type is, 'Can the people be made to follow it? No. Can they be made to understand it?'"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Confucian scholars present were immediately furious.

"This, this, this, this. How can a saint's classic be interpreted in this way?!"

"This statement is quite fresh. I think the second and third ones may be more in line with the original intention of the saint."

"absurd!"

"What's so absurd about this? If you think about it carefully, these five explanations actually make sense. The one who came up with these five explanations is a true scholar."

"What a true scholar! It's clearly a perverted theory!"

Lu Jin just watched them silently. A group of people almost got into a fight, so why should they be afraid of Confucianism? The right to interpret the Confucian classics of the Xin Dynasty alone is enough for those Confucian schools to fight each other for a lifetime. Want to unite to resist Lu Jin? That's overestimating them.

With just a few sentences and punctuation marks, he could easily grasp this group of great scholars.

Bang bang bang————

Seeing that everyone was arguing endlessly, Lu Jin clapped his hands immediately, "Okay, silence!

"I am not here to listen to your lectures today, nor do I want to know how to interpret this sentence. I only give this example to prove to you that traditional classical Chinese has too many ambiguities and is not rigorous enough. "Take this sentence just now for example. Even if you follow what you have learned, the people can be made to follow it, but they cannot be made to know it. If Confucius had spoken in vernacular Chinese, how could there be so many ambiguities for you to argue about? If he had spoken in vernacular Chinese, would the saint's teachings be so difficult for the people to understand and learn? This sentence itself is the meaning of promoting vernacular Chinese!"

Everyone shut up immediately after hearing this.
Lu Jin continued, "Let me give you a few more examples. In the physics book of Gongshu Secret Classic, the definition of explosion is as follows: 'In a limited space, rapid combustion produces an explosion.' How can this sentence be written in classical Chinese to be accurate and unambiguous?
"In another article on physical optics, light travels in a straight line in the same uniform medium. How should this sentence be written in classical Chinese?

"In an article on physics and electricity, it is said that when a conductor cuts magnetic flux lines in a magnetic field, an electric current will be generated. This is the most basic principle of artificial lightning. If you don't express it accurately, students won't understand and won't be able to learn. Then you won't be able to build a generator. If you can't even generate electricity, how can you control and utilize the power of lightning?

“This is the significance of promoting vernacular Chinese!”

This time everyone finally nodded, but Tao An continued to ask with a frown.

“I understand your Highness’s intention to promote vernacular Chinese, but I still have a question.

"I do not doubt that Gongshu has the ability to create lightning, but I heard from Your Highness that you want to put this heaven-defying magic into the school and teach it to ordinary students?"

"Yes." Lu Jin nodded immediately. "If I don't teach it to my students, who will work for the court? Do you expect me to build a telegraph myself?"

Wang Guangyang immediately asked, "What is a telegraph machine?"

"A telegraph, as the name suggests, is a machine that uses lightning to transmit messages. It can send messages thousands of miles away in an instant.

"Let me give you an example. For example, in the future, a telegraph line is laid between Jiankang and Dadu. The scouts of the Shengwu Army outside Juyongguan discover that the remnants of the Yuan army are gathering and preparing to attack the pass. At this time, the scouts immediately go to the post office in Dadu and send a telegram to the court in Jiankang. In a cup of tea, we can see the news of the alarm at the border, while the Yuan army is still hundreds of miles away.

"Then we can immediately send a telegram from Jiankang to the Shengwu Army garrison near Juyongguan, ordering them to go to Juyongguan for support. In just a cup of tea, all the garrisons near Dadu will have received the order from the Privy Council. By the time the Yuan army arrives at the pass, our reinforcements will have already arrived at the pass.

"We can even take advantage of the time difference and send a surprise force to ambush the Yuan invaders on their route ahead of time, catching them off guard. Or we can send two surprise forces to sneak behind the Yuan invaders and cooperate with the soldiers guarding the pass to attack them from both sides. We can annihilate all the invading enemies at the pass and not a single one of them will be able to return alive!

"Such a military and national weapon, do you think we should build it?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Feng Guoyong immediately asked, "Your Highness, is there really such a magical weapon that can transmit messages thousands of miles away and arrive in an instant?"

"Yes, didn't I tell you, telegraph machine?" Lu Jin affirmed.

"If it really exists, then of course we have to build it! With this telegraph machine, we can protect the border from worries, and the Hu people will never think of plundering our territory again!" Feng Guoyong said excitedly, slapping his thigh.

Li Shanchang suddenly asked, "What kind of telegraph machine is this? How much money and grain would it cost to build one from Jiankang to Dadu?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Lu Jin, hoping that this incredible weapon would not be too expensive.

Lu Jin thought for a moment before saying, "For a wired telegraph, the telegraph machine is the least valuable. The most expensive part is the wire in the middle. I calculated before that it is about 2,200 miles from Jiankang to Dadu. It would cost about 1,000 strings of copper coins to pull a telegraph line, which is about 7,000 kilograms of good copper. If converted into silver, 1,000 taels of silver would be enough."

Wired telegraph only requires tinned copper wire with a diameter of 0.5 mm. Bare wire is enough and does not need to be wrapped with rubber. Tin plating will not rust. One kilometer of copper wire weighs about six and a half kilograms. From Beijing to Nanjing, it is about 1100 kilometers, so it is less than seven thousand kilograms of copper.

Don't think it's difficult to pull copper wire, because it doesn't need to be very long. Just make one 200-meter wire a piece, and connect it with a relay in the middle. Erect a wooden pole every 50 meters, and use four poles and a relay to connect them.

In fact, the wires are not the most expensive. In comparison, the poles may be more expensive, because from Nanjing to Beijing, a distance of 1,000 kilometers, it may take 20,000 wooden poles.
But the advantage was that several telegraph lines could be installed on one set of poles, thus spreading the cost.

As for the power supply, a hand-cranked generator or lead-acid batteries can be used. A battery box can be placed on the telephone pole every ten kilometers, and only one hundred batteries are needed for one thousand kilometers. In the internal security forces along the line, a communications company will be established in each county to be responsible for patrolling the lines, replacing batteries, and performing daily maintenance.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They had all been prepared for the high price of this artifact, but Lu Jin only wanted one thousand taels.
One thousand taels may be a huge sum of money for ordinary people, but for the imperial court, it is a drop in the bucket. Spending one thousand taels to build an infrastructure with extremely high strategic value is worth it no matter how you look at it!

Li Shanchang was also surprised, "Such a heaven-defying artifact is so cheap?!"

"Is it cheap? Not bad. Actually, I just calculated the material cost of the copper material. I haven't calculated the processing cost and the installation cost. It only requires about 7,000 kilograms of copper.

"As for the cost of the telegraph line, you can calculate it this way. For every 100 miles, you need 300 kilograms of copper, and 1,000 miles means 3,000 kilograms of copper. Don't ask me for a quote in the future. Just calculate it based on this distance.

"Also, in fact, the court does not have to spend any money to build this telegraph line, and it can even make money." Lu Jin said immediately.

"How can this make money? How?" Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this.

Lu Jin then explained.

"My idea is to support the army with civilians. We have to build lines anyway, so it doesn't matter if we build one or two. It's only one thousand taels per line, so why not build three? One military line for the Privy Council to transmit military intelligence, one for the Executive Yuan to transmit government orders, and the last one for civilian use.

"Open post and telecommunications offices in all cities along the line from Jiankang to Dadu, and open paid telegraph services to the public. Let me give you an example, such as moving the capital to Yanjing in the future." Lu Jin suddenly looked at Chen Yu and said.

"For example, Mr. Zhonghang, your hometown is Jiankang, right?"

"That's right." Chen Yu nodded immediately.

“What if, after the capital is moved in the future, you go to Yanjing to be an official and miss your family very much, or have something to tell your family, but if you write a letter and send someone to send it back to Jiankang, it will take at least 18 days even if it is shipped by canal.

"But now we have the telegraph. You only need to go to the local post office in Yanjing and send a telegram to the post office in Jiankang, specifying the recipient's address. If you send it in the morning, it will be delivered to your family in Jiankang by the afternoon at the latest. It's such a convenient way of communication. It can be sent in the morning and arrive in the evening. I will charge you 20 or 30 coins to deliver this letter for you. Are you willing to use the telegraph?"

"Of course I am willing. If we send someone back to Jiankang to deliver this letter, the travel expenses alone will be more than twenty or thirty cents. If we send someone back to Jiankang, the daily meal expenses will probably be more than twenty or thirty cents, and it's not as fast as a telegram." Chen Yu said immediately.

Lu Jin immediately spread his hands and said, "This is the civil paid telegraph service of the Post and Telecommunications Bureau. As long as it is a city along the telegraph line, it can use this telegraph line to send messages. The Post and Telecommunications Bureau charges some fees, and the people can also be more convenient. It won't take long for the court to recover the construction cost through the telegraph fees for sending and receiving letters. After that, minus the daily maintenance costs, the rest is all profit."

Everyone looked at each other and thought, wow, this guy can really make money. This lord of theirs is really amazing. This can also let him think of a way to make money.
Li Shanchang asked again, "Then this kind of telegraph line can be built to other places besides Jiankang to Dadu, right?"

"Of course, as long as you have money, you can build it anywhere you want. Then you can stretch a line from Jiankang to Sichuan, Huguang, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, Gansu, Shenyang, and Goryeo. The imperial court will be at the center and can communicate with all directions at any time. Government orders and military intelligence can arrive in an instant!"

Everyone's eyes lit up at the scene Lu Jin described! What a magical tool!
Chen Yu added, "Doesn't that mean we have to set up post offices all over the country? How much money can we make from telegraph fees?"

As if everyone had been reminded, Feng Guoyong immediately asked, "Your Highness, which department will be responsible for the management of the telegraph, a military and national weapon, and the post office in the future?"

Before Lu Jin could speak, Qin Conglong spoke first, "This post office is mainly open to the public for the delivery of letters. I think it should be placed in the government department, and the Privy Council should not get involved."

Good fellow, seeing that they can make money, they all started to grab the business.
"Ahem." Li Shanchang coughed twice and reminded everyone, "Listen to your Highness's instructions."

Lu Jin then said, "I was originally planning to talk about it later when we split up the Ministry of Industry, but since you're asking now, I'll tell you now.

"I plan to separate the work of building bridges and roads from the Ministry of Works, add the construction of post roads and the operation of post stations across the country, as well as the construction and maintenance of telegraph lines and the operation of post offices across the country, and put them all together to form a new ministry called the Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications.

"Since they are both road construction and mail delivery services, why not put them together for easier management? What do you think?"

Everyone nodded immediately after hearing this. Qin Conglong stroked his beard and said, "This is a very good arrangement. It makes sense. The name of the Ministry of Transportation is also a good one. The roads are connected and the chickens and dogs can hear each other. It is a famous line from the Peach Blossom Spring."

Tao An then said again, "Your Highness, I have another question."

"You said."

"Since the telegraph is such an important military weapon, should we teach electrical engineering courses in universities? If we teach it in junior high and high schools, will the secrets be leaked?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Lu Jin again. Yes, how could such an important thing be learned by just anyone?

Lu Jin said immediately.

"Once the national telegraph network is built, it may be tens of thousands of miles long. Are you planning to have a group of scholars from universities patrol, inspect, and maintain these tens of thousands of miles of telegraph lines every day? Are you planning to have these scholars work in the telegraph office and help the people send telegrams every day?"

"This..." Everyone immediately understood when they heard it, this technology can no longer be covered up.

Lu Jin continued, "Let me give you another example. Suiren discovered the method of making fire, but he did not teach people how to use it. As a result, people did not know what fire was, used it recklessly, and eventually burned themselves to death.

"Gongshu discovered a way to generate electricity artificially, but he did not teach people how to use it. As a result, people did not know what electricity was, used it recklessly, and eventually electrocuted themselves to death.

"This is like making fire. If you use fire well, you can cook and smelt iron. If you use electricity well, you can send messages thousands of miles away. But if you don't use it well, it can kill people. Even if you don't teach people how to generate electricity, at least you should tell them how to use it, right?"

Tao An immediately felt ashamed and said, "I understand now. I am stupid. Thank you for your teachings, Your Highness."

Lu Jin waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's get back to the vernacular and simplified Chinese characters. Does anyone have any more questions?"

Wang Guangyang immediately raised his hand and said, "Your Highness, we know the vernacular, why do we need to simplify this word?"

(End of this chapter)