The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 111: Revitalizing the Nation through Science and Education
"Look, this is 1!" Ma Xun walked with his hands behind his back, "Start now, write them all from 0 to 9."

These are really not that difficult. Zhu Chong and his friends are not children anymore and have a certain foundation, so they can easily accept some numbers.

Zhu Su raised his head and said bitterly, "Uncle, why is this word so strange? It's better to capitalize it. I don't like abbreviations."

The capital letter is naturally "壹" or "一", and Ma Xunjiao's Arabic numerals become abbreviations.

"Study hard for me. I will teach you addition, subtraction, multiplication and division later." Ma Xun said with a straight face, "I will teach you the multiplication formula later. You must learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division well!"

Zhu Chong raised his head and said, "Uncle, we also know some Nine Nine Techniques."

The multiplication formulas appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and are generally similar to those used in later generations, except that now they start from 'nine times nine equals eighty-one' and end with 'two times two equals four'.

Ma Xun laughed, "That's great, I'll teach you multiplication and division in a moment. Don't use counting sticks anymore, just do mental arithmetic!"

There is no need to teach nephews advanced mathematics, Pythagorean theorem, etc., but they still need to learn some simple basic mathematics.

Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Su immediately looked at Zhu Chong, obviously dissatisfied. If it weren’t for their second brother’s talkativeness, their uncle would never have given them more homework!
Zhu Chong acted like the second elder brother, "What are you looking at? I told you to study but you didn't study hard. Even if your uncle doesn't punish you, I will punish you."

Zhu Gang and others immediately stopped their attacks. It was the second brother's fault for being unreasonable. Since he was the second brother, he was the elder brother.

Liu Shuning sat aside with a smile, helping Ma Xun when necessary and giving guidance on her nephews' studies.

"Remember this, your mother gave me a ruler." Ma Xun pointed to the ruler on the table and said, "The great scholars in the main hall dare not beat you, but I have received the imperial decree, so I can beat you no matter whether you are the King of Qin or the King of Yan."

Zhu Di complained quietly, "If you want to talk about it, talk about Lao Wu, why do you have to talk about me!"

It's OK that he's not as good as the eldest brother, and he's not as good as the second brother. The fifth brother is more favored than him. Among these brothers, he is the fourth brother who is neither good nor bad, and is the easiest to be ignored.

Ma Xun pretended not to hear and continued, "You are princes, you must learn how to march and fight, and you must also understand some principles in the classics. It's just that I don't ask you to be proficient in these numerology and physics, but you must learn the basics."

Zhu Chong asked curiously, "Uncle, how do you know so much? Are you really fleeing with grandpa?"

Zhu Gang and others also became curious. Their uncle had been wandering outside since he was a child. Although he had never admitted that he had begged for food or worked as a monk, his father and mother had already sent people to investigate, but his uncle just refused to admit it.

It would be fine if he knew medical skills and could read, but how come he knew so much more?
"My Ma family has passed down poetry and literature, this is the source of our family's learning!" Ma Xun immediately raised his voice and said, "My Ma family's ancestors have Jinshi, is it abnormal for me to understand these things?"

Zhu Su immediately said, "Then the Queen Mother doesn't understand these things either? The Queen Mother loves to read history books, and she is also familiar with the classics, but these uncles don't understand."

Knowledge is a very complicated thing. Ma Xun cannot be considered truly knowledgeable according to today's universal values, because he only knows the basics of the classics.

Ma Xun immediately glared and said, "How can we teach the same thing? Your mother is a woman, and I am a man!"

Zhu Su did not believe this lame excuse, but he had to admire his grandfather whom he had never met. As for the Ma family's family tradition of learning and poetry and books, no one could question it.

My mother was very good at classics and epic poems. Although my uncle could not pass the examination to become a scholar, he was extremely good at miscellaneous studies. No wonder the ancestor of the Ma family was a Jinshi during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty.

It is a pity that the ancestor of the Ma family, Grandpa Ma Mo, was not a member of the "Millennium Dragon and Tiger List" in the second year of Jiayou, but he was also an official of the Ministry of Works and was posthumously awarded the title of Taibao.

"One plus one equals one, and one plus two equals two."

The courtyard became lively, and there was also the sound of reading.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood outside the courtyard and whispered, "My little brother is really good. These little guys dare not not study hard."

"The teachers in the main hall didn't dare to punish the younger brothers, but my uncle really beat them!" Zhu Biao said with a smile, "The third brother came to me to complain yesterday, so I punished him to copy books."

Ma Xiuying immediately became unhappy, "He dares to complain?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also angry, "The punishment is too light! They were told to study hard but they didn't pay attention, yet you dare to complain? You are such a disrespectful bastard!"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely protective of his children, he also attached great importance to their education. Zhu Biao began to receive systematic education at a very young age, and the same was naturally true for other princes and princesses.

It was normal that the ministers in the Ohondo did not dare to punish Zhu Chong and others, but it was also right for Ma Xun, their uncle, to punish them.

Zhu Chong ran to complain, and he would definitely be forced to play in the mixed doubles match.

After listening carefully, Zhu Yuanzhang entered the room with his wife and children, "Brother, what are you teaching?"

"Multiplication formulas." Ma Xun said with a smile, "After you learn these things, I will teach you multiplication. Don't talk about hundreds and thousands. Even if it's ten thousand, ten thousand, you can calculate it with a piece of paper and a few lines of words."

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little skeptical. "Don't brag in front of us. A few hundred or a few thousand is fine, but what about tens of thousands or millions?"

"Why is it difficult to calculate?" Ma Xun immediately took a piece of paper, picked up the brush and said, "Brother-in-law, just give me some numbers and see if I can calculate it!" After thinking for a while, Ma Xun said, "Don't try to solve the chicken and rabbit in the same cage problem. That problem is too simple."

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became happy, "You are really brave now. How can it be easy to put chickens and rabbits in the same cage?"

"Brother-in-law, many people solve this kind of problem for fun now." Ma Xun said as he wrote on the paper, "It's just that I call it a linear equation with one variable. In the future, there will be linear equations with two variables, etc., which the children won't need."

Not to mention Zhu Yuanzhang was interested, Ma Xiuying was also very interested, because nowadays the chickens and rabbits in the same cage are often just hypothetical methods.

Just do one division and one subtraction, and you can immediately find out the number of rabbits. How easy is that.

However, this method has its limitations, that is, '2' and '4' are even numbers, and they are multiples. If other numbers are used, it will not work.

Ma Xun wrote out the answer in the blink of an eye. "Brother-in-law, this is my way of solving the problem. Doesn't it look simpler?"

Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head awkwardly, then looked at Ma Xiuying.

Ma Xiuying looked at the Arabic numerals, decimals, etc., and looked at Zhu Biao in embarrassment.

Zhu Biao spread his hands and said, "Uncle, what are these written on?"

"Mathematics," Ma Xun said, "These things are never trivial. I don't have the ability to say that mathematics can explain everything in the world. But it can be used for accounting, big and small accounts, or military rations, taxes, etc."

Zhu Biao immediately said, "Uncle, why don't we go to the main hall tomorrow? There are several doctors who are good at numerology there, and uncle can solve the problem with them."

This is really the prince, he knows Ma Xun is not bragging. But how effective is this method, whether it can be promoted, etc., still need to be verified.

Since Zhu Biao himself did not understand, he would not interfere blindly. He would make judgments and arrangements after gaining a deeper understanding of the matter.

If it is not something you are good at, then ask some professionals for help.

Whether you are an emperor or a crown prince, there is no need to compete with great scholars in talent or compare military strategies with great generals. It is enough to know people and use them well.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying were proud and pleased with Ma Xun's "erudition and talent". They were even more proud of Zhu Biao's way of dealing with people.

However, Zhu Chong and others looked even more miserable, as they had more to learn in the future.

If you don't study hard, your uncle will beat your elder brother, and then your father, the emperor and the queen mother will beat you next. Maybe your uncle will even nag you.

Among these people, none of them dared to disobey Zhu Chong and others. They just took the beatings and scoldings, or else they would be beaten even harder!

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said, "Little brother, I heard that you want to teach these things in school. Aren't you afraid that your family's teachings will be spread?"

"Afraid?" Ma Xun suddenly realized, "What is there to be afraid of? If there are a few students who can surpass their teachers, that would be a good thing and would be helpful to the Ming Dynasty."

Ma Xiuying was indescribably proud. Nowadays, many people like to hold back when teaching students or apprentices, but her brother, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, would not hold back and only wanted to cultivate talents for the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded, then asked, "Then let me ask you two more questions. How useful is the magic you teach? What are you thinking about training craftsmen now?"

Ma Xun immediately said anxiously, "Brother-in-law, I have always believed that science and education can make a country strong. How can numerology be useless? Nowadays, many things made by craftsmen are based on numerology. If the craftsmen I trained can produce more and better things with the same materials, is this useless?"

As if worried that Zhu Yuanzhang would not believe him, Ma Xun said, "Hasn't my brother-in-law always been thinking about building water conservancy projects? How much rainwater, how much water enters the pond, how much area can be irrigated, how to adjust the water, all of these can be calculated using numerology."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment before he said, "Some old people can do this too."

This is true, some experience is enough.

"What if these people use numerology to calculate more accurately?" Ma Xun asked in return, "If a local official is transferred to an unfamiliar place and is proficient in numerology, can some local tyrants still deceive him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, and Zhu Biao also reacted, "A craftsman becomes an official?"

"What kind of craftsman can become an official?" Ma Xun said directly, "Who says that only liberal arts students who study classics can become officials? These science students I teach can also become officials in the future!"

This is a substitution of concepts, but what Ma Xun is doing is indeed trying to make some changes.

After all, most of the so-called scholars nowadays are "liberal arts students". Even if there are some who are good at numerology and physics, they are only "minor fields".

Ma Xun never denied the importance of liberal arts, but he also never believed that "science students" could only be craftsmen. They could also make great progress in their careers.

(End of this chapter)