There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 398 Good things come in pairs
The restoration of Xunzi's ancestral worship, along with the worship of Sun Simiao, Zu Chongzhi, and Zhang Zhongjing, were only the first steps.

Including these four in the Confucian Temple for worship will inevitably spark controversy among Confucian scholars and literati, but their significance is indeed sufficient.

There's Xunzi, the Medicine King, the Sage of Medicine, and a family of hereditary officials in mathematics and astronomy. Even if there are disputes among scholars and Confucianists, they can only nitpick and cannot criticize their scholarship; they can only criticize the differences between schools of thought.

However, the issue of schools of thought can be refuted by Confucius's "education for all," and the Confucian temple originally worshipped sages and philosophers, so what does it matter which school of thought the sages belong to?
It should be noted that Zhu Xi, one of the twelve philosophers enshrined in the Temple of Confucius, was brought into the Temple of Confucius by Kang Mazi.

Zhu Xi is also the only one among the twelve philosophers in the Temple of Confucius who was not a disciple of Confucius.

Zhu Xi alone can silence all the public opinion.

Nanjing Imperial Palace.

The officials had all taken their leave, and Nie Yu was sitting alone in the imperial study.

On the desk in the Imperial Study, there was a sheet of paper covered with names.

Leaving aside the other names on the paper, two names were particularly unexpected.

Cai Lun and Bi Sheng?
Cai Lun, a eunuch of the Eastern Han Dynasty, made his greatest contribution by improving papermaking techniques, thus separating the papermaking industry from the textile industry and pioneering a new papermaking handicraft industry. He was revered as the "Sage of Paper" by papermakers of later generations.

Bi Sheng, a woodblock engraver of the Northern Song Dynasty, came from a commoner background. He invented and improved movable type printing, and his invention is considered one of the Four Great Inventions, alongside Cai Lun's papermaking technique.

Nie Yu's first step was to first honor Sun Simiao, the inventor of gunpowder, and then proceed to honor the other two great inventions.

The compass was impossible to lift, because Nie Yu didn't know who invented it, and there was no record of it in historical books. Even the exact time when the compass appeared was disputed.

But it doesn't matter. Being ranked third among the Four Great Inventions is enough to demonstrate the importance that the new Han Dynasty placed on it.

Nie Yu's purpose was also very clear: he wanted to use this form of worship in the Confucian Temple to let the world know the importance that the new Han Dynasty attached to natural science.

Cai Lun was a eunuch, and Bi Sheng was a craftsman.

The fact that both of them could be enshrined in the Temple of Confucius must have had a profound inspirational effect on the people of the world.

As long as you can achieve results that benefit the country and its people, even if you were just an ordinary craftsman or even a peddler before, the emperor will be able to overcome all objections and add you to the ranks of those worshipped in the Temple of Confucius, allowing you to enjoy the incense offerings of the people alongside Confucius.

The temptation is just too great. Let alone in ancient times when the importance of the incense offering was placed on the lineage, even in modern times, if you were given the opportunity to enter the Confucius Temple and stand with Confucius, would you take it?
Of course, while the incentive effect is there, the resistance will certainly be greater than imagined.

Sun Simiao, Zu Chongzhi, and Zhang Zhongjing were all normal people, and they certainly deserved the title of sages. Their conflict with Confucianism was merely a matter of school of thought.

Cai Lun and Bi Sheng were different; they were eunuchs and commoners (although Emperor Yongzheng abolished this practice, the concept remained). What right did they have to be enshrined in the Temple of Confucius?

Under the rule of the new Han Dynasty, there were indeed no slaves, and the kneeling ceremony for officials was abolished. However, class distinctions could not be eliminated, nor could they be eliminated.

The stigma of scholars discriminating against eunuchs and craftsmen is a deeply ingrained habit that has been passed down for over a thousand years and cannot be corrected in a short time.

Nie Yu looked at the name on the paper, thought for a moment, and then put it away: "The task is arduous and the road ahead is long, let's put it aside for now!"

……

Just two days after the discussion on the sacrificial ceremony at the Confucius Temple, the Ministry of Works submitted a new memorial.

"The cement has been successfully developed?" Nie Yu asked in surprise as he looked at Yao Hongyi, who had come to report the good news.

Yao Hongyi, beaming with joy, said, "Your Majesty, not only has cement been successfully developed, but the Ministry of Works is now even able to mass-produce cement independently."

Although it is called cement research and development, the method is not complicated. The formula is readily available, mainly limestone, mixed with various clays, ores and other raw materials.

The key to cement production lies in the firing process itself. The biggest challenge is raising the furnace temperature, which requires a high temperature of 1400-1500 degrees Celsius to produce usable finished cement.

A temperature of 1500 degrees Celsius might not even be a concept to them.

In terms of stainless steel materials used in later generations, the furnace temperature generally did not exceed 1300 degrees Celsius, while the traditional steelmaking methods of the Ming and Qing dynasties did not exceed 1200 degrees Celsius (the bloomery process of the Qin Dynasty reached 1000 degrees Celsius).

A difference of two or three hundred degrees in furnace temperature is not a problem that can be easily solved, and the cement produced will almost certainly not have the same properties.

Indeed, that was the case. Yao Hongyi continued, “The cement Your Majesty mentioned earlier, although the Ministry of Works has now successfully developed and its effects are indeed very good, it can be used to build houses with great efficiency. However, its hardness and strength are still insufficient. The craftsmen of the Ministry of Works have tried to add sand and gravel to it, but the effect was not outstanding. I'm afraid it cannot be used for building city walls and water conservancy projects as Your Majesty wishes.”

“Yes, it’s fine.” Nie Yu nodded and said, “It’s already quite good that it can be used to repair houses. Cement is convenient, and it can greatly save labor costs in building houses and free up manpower. This is a good thing.”

Nie Yu hadn't really considered using the first-stage cement product for urban construction and water conservancy projects; he was content with simply making it widely available for civilian use.

In any case, the Han Dynasty doesn't currently have a great need for cement to build cities or construct water conservancy dams. For future cement production, Nie Yu has already given orders to the Ministry of Works to focus on overcoming the technical challenge of insufficient furnace temperature.

Once the furnace temperature can be raised, not only can genuine finished cement be produced, but higher furnace temperatures can also be used to smelt better steel, as well as to independently fire glass, porcelain, and so on. At that time, the Han Dynasty will no longer need to rely on the marketplace, and it will be able to have its own complete industrial production line.

While cheating might feel great in the moment, technological advancements are also very important.

Otherwise, if Nie Yu dies one day, the industry and technology of the Han Dynasty will immediately revert to pre-liberation levels.

Upon receiving the good news from Yao Hongyi, Nie Yu immediately issued an edict to all the craftsmen in the Ministry of Works who participated in cement firing, granting them all a raise and a reward.

Meanwhile, the craftsman who tried to mix in sand and gravel to create primitive concrete received a verbal praise from the emperor: "Not bad."

Although this imperial edict praised the emperor without any substantial reward, a single word of praise from the emperor was already a great honor.

At least, in the Ministry of Works from now on, this craftsman will not be able to do whatever he wants, but he will certainly not be harassed in the slightest.

After distributing the rewards, Nie Yu then issued an imperial edict ordering the Ministry of Works to immediately begin constructing cement kilns in various provinces, preparing to mass-produce cement on a large scale.

This first batch of finished cement products can be offered to ordinary people, merchants, and officials and wealthy households. Cement can only be used to build cities and dikes, not houses and factories.

First, encourage people to use cement. Once people have tasted the benefits of cement, then the country will have a good reason to promote a revolution in cement-making technology.

……

Good things come in pairs!

Just a few days after the cement was successfully fired, before Nie Yu had even issued an order to promote cement in various provinces, Fujian sent two urgent military reports.

Nie Yu took the translated telegram and almost burst out laughing.

The first military intelligence report stated that Li Nanxin, the admiral of the Fujian Navy, had passed away at the end of last month.

The second military intelligence report stated that a mountain uprising had broken out in southern Fujian.

It's not surprising that Li Nanxin died of illness; he should have died long ago. If he didn't die this year, he would have died next year in history. The Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, Jue Luo Changlin, originally wanted to keep the death a secret, but Li Nanxin's prolonged absence made even the most foolish generals guess that something must have happened to their old military leader.

The uprising of the mountain people in southern Fujian was also related to the death of Li Nanxin.

The news of Li Nanxin's death spread so quickly that even Governor Jue Luo Changlin couldn't suppress it.

Upon hearing the sudden news that the Fujian governor had died, these mountain people of southern Fujian immediately launched an uprising.

If they don't revolt soon, they will go hungry. The Han dynasty has already banned the import of salt and grain from outside Fujian.

Fujian is a region covered with towering mountains, unsuitable for agriculture, which is why the Maritime Silk Road existed in history.

It's not that Fujianese people like doing business or are good at it; it's just that they have no choice—if they don't do business, they'll starve.

Even the fact that the people of Fujian like to engage in armed conflicts and have a strong clan mentality stems from the fact that Fujian is too poor and has a very low grain yield, so they have to risk their lives to fight for survival resources.

Why is there large-scale cultivation of ** in Fujian?

Because ** can be exchanged for money, and money can be used to buy food.

Now, the new Han Dynasty has banned the import of grain and salt into Fujian. These mountain people in southern Fujian are on the verge of starvation. If they do not revolt, they will all starve to death in the mountains.

The uprising of the mountain people in southern Fujian was mainly concentrated in the three prefectures of Tingzhou, Zhangzhou, and Quanzhou.

The people of southern Fujian are known for their fierce and valiant nature, and these three prefectures are among the most valiant. In the past, armed conflicts between the three prefectures were frequent.

However, now that the three rebel armies have temporarily joined forces, the Qing army in Fujian is completely unable to resist them, and they don't even put up any resistance, running away as soon as they see the rebel army coming.

In less than a month, the mountain militia of the three prefectures had almost conquered half of southern Fujian and were trying to make contact with the magistrate of Ruijin County.

The second report of military intelligence from Fujian was submitted by the magistrate of Ruijin County; the first report came from a spy in Fujian.

These mountain militias from southern Fujian went to great lengths to rebel and even conquered half of southern Fujian. Their goal was quite simple: to find the Han people and surrender to them.

They wanted to be obedient subjects of the Han Dynasty, to be entitled to land and to eat the Han Dynasty's grain!
Seeing this, Nie Yu was both speechless and amazed. It was truly a case of someone sitting at home having territory delivered to their doorstep.

He has no plans to take Fujian for the time being. The autumn grain harvest has just begun this year, and Nie Yu will not send troops to take Fujian until at least next year.

Well, before the big man even made a move, half of Fujian had already delivered itself to their doorstep!
(End of this chapter)