Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 268 Science and Technology Revitalize the Nation!

At Fengtian Gate, civil and military officials gathered, drums and music resounded, and the place was newly decorated.

Among the people at the front of the group, besides officials, soldiers, and eunuchs, there were two who seemed out of place.

The two men had dark skin and were not wearing official robes.

Especially his hands, which were covered in calluses.

There was black ash in the crevices of my fingernails and in the fingerprints.

It's clear that they've thoroughly cleaned it multiple times.

Even with repeated washing, it's difficult to get it completely clean in a short time.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he appeared both excited and uneasy.

Meanwhile, a large number of people and people from all walks of life had gathered in Fengtianmen Square.

Of course, in addition to ordinary people, many people from the firearms battalion, the industrial university, and the research institutes established by Zhu Yuanzhang also gathered here to watch the ceremony.

Looking at the two figures sitting in the front row, everyone's eyes were filled with envy.

My heart is burning with passion.

The reason is simple: the fact that His Majesty held such a grand and magnificent commendation ceremony for these two individuals who made significant and outstanding contributions to cement and steel demonstrates His Majesty's support for industrial development.

As Your Majesty said, supporting science and technology and using science to revitalize the nation is not just empty talk.

Rather, they are genuinely willing to put in a lot of effort.

They are willing to offer plenty of benefits.

These people have a bright future ahead of them.

If I do well in the future, I may well receive the same grand treatment from His Majesty as the two before me.

His Majesty convened such a grand assembly, in front of civil and military officials and numerous common people, to commend them.

Even if that doesn't happen, just considering how much importance His Majesty attaches to this, these people still have a lot to contribute.

They were rewarded for making any contribution, something they had never dared to dream of before.

After all, artisans and their works have always been associated with inferiority.

Now, Your Majesty is going to make a big correction to this matter, to give them a proper name, and to give these people, who were previously looked down upon by many people, a proper status!
It is said that since His Majesty has placed increasing emphasis on craftsmanship, many of them have now been able to clearly feel the tremendous changes that have occurred in their social status and other aspects.

When people mention them, they no longer look down on them as they did before.

Even the sons in the family getting married and the daughters marrying out are much more popular than before.

These were all brought about by His Majesty.

Now that Your Majesty has done such a thing, the ones who should be commended are Wang Fang and Liu Cheng, who have made significant contributions to reinforced concrete.

But in reality, it wasn't just the two of them who benefited.

Those of them who work in these industries also benefit greatly.

After His Majesty bestowed such praise upon the two of them, the artisans and the art of craftsmanship will surely see a significant improvement.

Their status will inevitably rise accordingly.

Being able to hold one's head high and walk with a straight back is just one of the benefits; there are countless other advantages as well.

"...Since last year, when I advocated science, revitalized technology, and promoted the prosperity of the nation through science and technology, all sectors of society have been working hard to contribute to the prosperity of our Great Ming Dynasty."

People from all walks of life are working with great enthusiasm, and many people have emerged who have made significant contributions.

Many results have been achieved.

Among them, Wang Fang and Liu Cheng made the greatest contributions.

Wang Fang made groundbreaking progress in cement research and development.

It produced exceptionally good cement, far superior to ordinary adhesives.

These things are beneficial to the country and its people, and are cheap to produce, far exceeding the cost of mortar and concrete...

Insufficient steel production has always been a major problem restricting the development of our Great Ming Dynasty.

Without enough steel, it is impossible to produce more advanced weapons.

There is no other way but to make my Ming army stronger in combat.

Why can't my Ming army have a stronger ability to fight abroad, expand territory, and defend the country?

Without enough steel, the daily lives of many of us will be greatly affected.

Liu Cheng, the master craftsman, has been working tirelessly since receiving the order, his thoughts and actions all focused on fulfilling the mandate I have entrusted to him.

All of these are about how to develop better steelmaking techniques.

He succeeded; he really did develop a more efficient smelting technology...

The two of them made outstanding contributions to scientific research and technology.

At first glance, these two things seem unremarkable.

But in reality, it is extremely important, affecting every household and the national economy and people's livelihood.

This is of paramount importance to the enhancement of the overall national strength of our Great Ming Dynasty.

It is of utmost importance to national prosperity, military strength, and the well-being of the people!

Therefore, we should give them high praise...

After the master of ceremonies announced the start of the ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and ascended the Fengtian Gate tower.

Holding a wooden megaphone, he raised his voice and addressed the crowd below.

Even today, Zhu Yuanzhang uses many modern terms when he speaks.

Such vocabulary conveys meaning more accurately.

He doesn't need to worry about others not understanding.

Firstly, Chinese is a language with a continuous tradition, and although many words are relatively new, their meanings are easily understood when considered in context.

On the other hand, people will naturally speculate on what he says.

Furthermore, after he revealed it, quite a few people even began to study and use it.

"Please, Master Craftsmen Liu Cheng and Wang Fang, come forward. We will personally present you with your medals!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Cheng and Wang Fang stood up and walked towards the stage.

When Liu Cheng tried to get up, he almost couldn't stand up.

This is because I was too excited; my legs felt weak.

This was an unprecedented spectacle, and the honor bestowed by His Majesty was one that no one had ever imagined in their lives!

As the two stood up and walked toward the podium, they felt as if they were floating on clouds.

This was something they had never imagined before.

Even after the steel and cement were installed, it was just a matter of feeling that the task assigned by His Majesty had been completed.

Being able to receive even a small reward is already incredibly exciting and makes me extremely happy.

I am already extremely satisfied.

But who could have imagined that His Majesty would give them even more!

It was to a degree that they could never have imagined before, even in their dreams!
It completely exceeded my expectations and desires!
The two master craftsmen felt as if they were floating on clouds.
When Liu Cheng stepped onto the podium and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, his legs went weak.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang had made it clear to them beforehand that there was no need to kneel or bow during the award ceremony.

When they finally met Zhu Yuanzhang, they couldn't help but kneel and bow before him.
Zhu Yuanzhang took the initiative and grasped Liu Cheng's hand.

"No need to kneel, no need to kneel."

This is an award, no need to kneel.

Zhu Yuanzhang used force to pull Liu Cheng up.

Liu Cheng was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes, feeling that His Majesty was truly a good emperor.

There is no better emperor in the world than him!
Not only did he not make himself kneel, but he also held his hands in front of so many people and held such a grand meeting specifically for the two craftsmen to commend their merits! Such an honor was only given when a large army won a great victory or when the list of newly appointed top scholars was announced.

No, even when the list of newly appointed top scholars is released, the emperor will only receive them and hold a banquet, which will take place within the imperial city.

It has never been done with such grandeur before.

How could a craftsman like myself be treated so well by His Majesty?
His Majesty's kindness to the two of them truly exceeded expectations.

They promoted the two of them to positions that were not rightfully theirs.

He immediately decided that he would not wash his hands for at least a month after returning home!

This is the hand that His Majesty has shaken!

Zhu Yuanzhang released Liu Cheng, gesturing for him to stand properly on the platform, and then shook hands with Wang Fang.

Having learned from Liu Cheng's example, Wang Fang did not forget the instructions His Majesty had given him earlier, and suddenly changed his mind, wanting to kneel and bow to His Majesty.

When he shook hands with His Majesty, he bowed deeply, filled with excitement.

They all had to bend over to the ground.

At that moment, tears welled up in his eyes.

His Majesty has given them far too much.

Next, people arranged by the Ministry of Rites presented the medals on a red lacquered tray lined with silk.

This medal is made using a gilding technique and is exceptionally beautiful.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhu Yuanzhang personally pinned the medals on the chests of the two men.

During this process, they were moved to tears once again, more emotional than ever before...

"What happened today is to tell you all that science and technology can revitalize the nation, and that we should attach importance to scientific and technological innovation so that our Great Ming can walk on two legs in the future. This is not just empty talk."

We're going to get serious.

They are the best role models!

In the future, you should strive to make greater contributions to the field of science and technology!
In the future, it's not impossible that you will be the ones standing here receiving awards!

We also look forward to the day when some of you will come to claim your awards!

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his voice and looked at the many people watching the ceremony, especially those from the Industrial College, the Firearms Battalion, and various research institutes.

Zhu Yuanzhang's words immediately brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

This marked the climax of today's commendation ceremony.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

"Long live!!"

Everyone shouted in unison, and the sound shook the sky.

Especially at the industrial university, the eyes of the researchers, workshops, and craftspeople everywhere gleamed with excitement.

They all felt they had a particularly bright and great future!
Even though His Majesty had previously spoken at length about valuing science and scientific research.

However, none of these actions were as moving or as convincing as this commendation, which made people believe that His Majesty was sincere in this matter.

They're really serious about this.

This matter should be given an extremely important place.

Not only them, but also many nobles and even civil officials present had some different thoughts.

I believe that we should also pay attention to science and technology, as well as His Majesty's advocacy of revitalizing the nation through science and technology.

I plan to send some of my nephews and nieces to these places in the future so they can study.

Whether they can actually learn something is secondary.

Most importantly, this concrete action allows them to clearly demonstrate their support for His Majesty's words.

At this moment, many people couldn't help but think of Liu Bowen.

I greatly admire Liu Bowen.

It is widely known that Liu Bowen did not encourage his son to take up official positions, but rather had him devote himself to the study of arithmetic more than a year ago.

At that time, many people still thought Liu Bowen was shameless and a sycophant.

But now, when they look at this matter again, their thoughts are completely different from before.

This is hardly an act of currying favor with superiors.
It was clearly foresight!

Liu Bowen was just too clever.

They were way ahead of them.

Compared to Liu Bowen, these people are still far inferior.

At that moment, some people decided that they would study more closely how Liu Bowen acted in the future.

From now on, I will learn from Liu Bowen and work with him.

They did exactly what Liu Bowen did.

Working under such a smart person can't be too bad...

After the commendation ceremony ended, everyone dispersed.

However, the impact of this commendation ceremony did not dissipate after it ended.

On the contrary, the real impact began to ferment and expand rapidly after these people dispersed.

To tell many things to many people.

Many industrial universities and research institutes, after the meeting, only hurriedly ate a few bites of food before rushing straight into their research institutes.

I've decided to strive for excellence and not waste my time.

We must take this matter seriously and achieve corresponding results!
Following Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions, the Ming Daily then went all out to give this grand event extensive coverage.

The news spread rapidly from the capital to the surrounding areas through the Da Ming Daily, reaching more and more places in the Ming Dynasty.

Its influence has been further enhanced.

This caused a huge uproar, giving countless people a completely new understanding of scientific research and technology.

Of course, there were also many scholars and traditional intellectuals who were furious and criticized Zhu Yuanzhang for what he did.

Behind the scenes, who knows how many strange things they said and how many emperors they cursed.

Zhu Yuanzhang was prepared for this; he had prepared the butcher's knife and was ready to kill more people.

However, this time, although many people were dissatisfied and increasingly felt that the emperor was incompetent and tyrannical, and was doing all sorts of reckless things.

However, he only grumbled in private.

No one gathered together again to strongly oppose the emperor on this matter, as they had done before.

This made Zhu Yuanzhang feel both disappointed and pleased.

Sure enough, we can't be too lenient with these people; they should be killed if necessary.

After killing many, the remaining people became more obedient.

Then you can carry out what you want to do.

……

With a loud bang, the Jiangxi Provincial Governor smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces.

Without a doubt, the land survey being conducted in Jiangxi had hit a nerve with him.

This made his face look extremely ugly.

After sitting there brooding for a while, he gritted his teeth and made a decision...

(End of this chapter)