Rebirth: Overthrow Song Dynasty

"Engraving? Engraving and printing?" Zhao Chen said.

"Yes! Your Majesty, you may not know the process of printing. First of all, you need to make engraving, which is very difficult and requires a lot of manpower and material resources." Wang Shu said.

"Wang Shu, haven't you heard of movable type printing?" Zhao Chen asked in surprise.

"Movable type printing? What is this?" Wang Shu asked in confusion.

Zhao Chen shook his head, with a helpless expression on his face.

Movable type printing was originally invented in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, and it has a history of 100 years! But now, Wang Shu has never heard of movable type printing! Historically, movable type printing was indeed invented in China, but movable type printing has not been really practical in China! From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, although there were books printed with movable type, the number was extremely rare, and movable type printing has never become the mainstream of Chinese printing! It was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that foreigners broke through the gates of China with ships and entered China. Because foreigners wanted to print Bibles, they introduced type printing improved by the West into China, and the Chinese began to use movable type printing on a large scale.

"Your Majesty, is this important?" Wang Shu asked.

"Chinese people don't value practical learning, but only Confucianism! From ancient times to the present, I have invented many Chinese inventions, but none of them have been applied in practice. What a pity! As for teaching materials, they are mainly distributed to teachers in various schools. At the beginning, they can be used. Yushu, no need to print! As for movable type printing, you can find relevant information after you go back, someone invented this thing a hundred years ago!" Zhao Chen said.

The four great inventions of the ancient Chinese are famous all over the world, especially papermaking and printing, which are important tools for the European Renaissance and the spread of civilization. Unfortunately, only papermaking has spread in China, and movable type printing has not spread! As for the four great inventions of gunpowder, it is even more narrowly used in China, but it has been carried forward in the West!

From ancient times to the present, Chinese scholars only want to be officials, and have never applied the knowledge in books to practical learning. Scholars have never paid attention to the important inventions of practical learning. Zhao Chen sighed endlessly.

"It seems that in addition to reforming education and imperial examinations, we need to encourage innovation and invention throughout the country, give great rewards to innovators, and create an innovative atmosphere in the whole society! There are still many things to do in the future!" Zhao Chen secretly thought.

"When I return, I will check the movable type printing." Wang Shu said.

"In addition to Confucianism and practical studies, I think there should be another item in the textbook." Zhao Chen said.

"Please speak, Your Majesty," Wang Shu said.

Zhao Chen stood in front of the window, silent for a long time, and said, "Collect some of my words and let the school learn."

He mainly wanted to write out some of the spirit of democracy, innovation, and pioneering in his heart, so as to dilute the moderate temperament of Confucianism and transform the people.

"Your Majesty, this is what the Propaganda Department is supposed to do. I have neglected to do so. You must learn this in the school." Wang Shu hurriedly said.

"I'll give you three months to write a set of simple books first, and then show them to me! Also, spread the news now to inform the people that the imperial court is about to carry out large-scale educational reforms," ​​said Zhao Chen. .

"I understand!" Wang Shu nodded, and then left.

Zhao Chen stood in front of the window, looking outside, it was actually cloudy outside.

"After the baptism of war, although the land of Central Plains has suffered a lot, many corrupt literati have also been eliminated at the same time! The land of China in front of me is like a blank sheet of paper, on which I can draw freely! This reform of education and imperial examinations is very important to me. It’s just lip service and talk, but the actual implementation will require a lot of manpower, cost a lot of money, and the impact on society will be beyond imagination! After the education reform is carried out smoothly, the imperial examination reform will naturally be carried out smoothly! Change the people's thinking through education, let the people pay attention to practical learning, value creation, and be willing to open up. In this way, even if there are no other reforms, China will definitely be much stronger than it is now in ten years or a hundred years! The reason why China is strong now is that That is because of the invasion of foreign races, our potential was forced out, and in the future, we will appear powerful without being forced by others." Zhao Chen secretly said.

*** ***

It's the wheat harvest season, and the sky is covered with overcast clouds. The farmers in the Yanyun area are hurrying to harvest their crops.

In the afternoon, officials of all sizes and guards in Yanjing City were dispatched one after another to help the people around Yanjing harvest wheat.

At a place more than ten miles south of Yanjing City, the sky was getting darker and darker, and it started to rain gradually, and it took another half an hour before all the wheat was harvested.

At this time, lightning and thunder began to thunder in the sky, and the rain became heavier and heavier.

An old farmer, soaked all over his body, rushed to the eaves at the entrance of the village, and several middle-aged men greeted him.

"Old Liu, have you finished harvesting the wheat at home?" a middle-aged man asked.

"The harvesting is finally over! Thanks to the help of the young men in the army!" the old farmer reassured while wiping the rain off his body.

"Great Song and Daliao are completely different!" A middle-aged man dressed as a Khitan suddenly said.

"Naturally! If it was under the rule of the Liao Kingdom, their officials and troops would have been fine if they didn't come to oppress us. Where would they help us harvest the crops?" The old farmer nodded.

"That's right, the current court and emperor are far better than the previous court and emperor!" The people beside them said one after another.

"Do you know? Just now an official asked me who in our village was the best farmer. Guess what, they actually went to the Qian family in Dongtou to ask the Qian family how to farm!" Yu ran over, and then said to these people.

"There is such a thing? Why are they asking this?" The old farmer asked in surprise.

"I heard that the imperial court is going to write agricultural books!" the young man said.

"Oh!" The old farmer nodded.

There are very few books on ancient Chinese agriculture, and even if there are, they are out of touch with the public.

"The imperial court will soon open education and schools in all states and counties across the country. At that time, the students in the schools will also learn agriculture!" said the young man.

"Students in the school study agronomy?" The old farmer was stunned for a moment.

"Are you talking nonsense, right? All you learn in the school are the studies of saints, how can you learn agriculture?"

"Yeah! When will the school be able to learn agriculture? I've grown up, and I've never heard of such a thing!"

The people around are chattering.

"I will never lie to you! This school is very different from the previous ones! The teachers in these schools are enshrined by the imperial court, and students from poor families can enroll! However, the official said that the imperial court had limited funds. The number is not very large, but it will gradually increase! At the beginning, only some students from poor families could enter public schools, and the rest were still in private schools! But whether it is a public school or a private school, you must study agriculture! It is said that It is His Majesty's will to join the agricultural school! His Majesty said that he will use decades to allow children all over the world to go to school, and entering the school in the future is not only for the purpose of becoming an official, but also for the purpose of increasing knowledge, which can be used in practice!" The young man said.

"This...if it wasn't for Zhongju to become an official, who would go to school?" The old farmer shook his head.

"Old Liu, you can't say that! It's good that our children can read and increase their knowledge through books! Moreover, there is no need to spend money in the public school, as long as they go there with food every day." Young humane.

"There is such a good thing without spending money?" the old farmer said in surprise.

"It is said that His Majesty called agriculture practical learning. From now on, the imperial examinations will also test practical learning! Your Majesty said, if you only read the books of sages, don't work hard, don't know the five grains, and don't understand the truth, how can you govern the country?" The young man said. Again.

"Your Majesty's words are right! I don't understand that some scholars don't know anything. What do they rely on to be an official? Can someone who knows a few words be an official? It's not right to think about it!" The old farmer agreed this time road.

"That's right! If the officials know how to farm, they will be able to manage the place better."

"In my opinion, this practical learning is more useful than Confucianism."

The surrounding farmers talked a lot, and they were very much in favor of adding practical learning to the imperial examination.

*** ***

Above the sea, the waves are rolling, and at this moment a large ship is shuttling across the sea.

A dozen or so people, old or young, were standing on the bow of the boat, and these people were all dressed up as shopkeepers or accountants.

"I heard that the imperial court wanted to write a book on arithmetic, and we are the best in arithmetic in the south of the Yangtze River, so the imperial court took us to Yanjing." A grey-haired shopkeeper said with a smile on his face.

"I also heard that in the future, all schools in the world will learn arithmetic. This is a great thing! Math is not only used for business, it can also be used at home on weekdays! When the court is an official, all kinds of statistics, You also need to learn arithmetic!" A middle-aged man said.

"Yes! We can participate in the compilation of mathematics, and we will be famous in the history books in the future! I also heard from people in the court that His Majesty wants to meet us in person!" One of them was the youngest, who looked only twenty The early accountant said.

"Your Majesty is going to change the law this time! It has been five or six hundred years since the imperial examinations from the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the present! In fact, when Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty and Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty started the imperial examinations, there were still subjects such as arithmetic and law. Unfortunately, in the Tang Dynasty , Mathematical Sciences and Legal Studies are no longer taken seriously, and when I rule, Mathematical Studies and Legal Studies will be completely abolished! Your Majesty will join Mathematical Studies again this time!" A man dressed as a scholar shook his head.

"Your Majesty does not list arithmetic as a separate subject. I heard that in the future imperial examinations, no matter it is Confucianism, arithmetic, or agriculture, you will have to dabble in various subjects!" the middle-aged man said humanely.

"You have to dabble? In this way, the imperial examination will be even more difficult!" said the shopkeeper who spoke first.

"I don't know about this! But I heard from the officials who picked us up that the imperial examination requires extensive knowledge, not profound learning. The imperial examination is not about selecting scholars. Even if you are a master of Confucianism, if you don't know practical learning, you may not be able to pass. Examination. The treatment after the examination may be very different from before, and it may not be possible to reach the sky in one step..." The middle-aged man said.

"I heard that in addition to arithmetic, some other craftsmen were also invited to Yanjing! We were originally said to be proficient in 'unique skills and obscenities', and the world despised them. ’, it’s really a blessing for me!”

"Although my arithmetic is not the study of a sage, it is really too much for the world to call it miraculous skills and ingenuity!"

Just as they were discussing, the big ship was getting faster and faster, and it was getting closer and closer to Tianjin Wei.