To break the monopoly of knowledge by the scholar-official class, the feasible way is to popularize education.
But Lao Zhu has been doing this, but with little success.
Studying in this era is a very expensive thing that ordinary people can afford.
In the second year of Hongwu, when the world was first settled, Lao Zhu summoned relevant officials and proposed that "the establishment of schools is the first priority of the country."
Subsequently, the entire state machinery of the Ming Dynasty quickly started to work, investing a lot of manpower, material resources, and finance to build schools.
There are Imperial Colleges at the central level, and schools at different levels such as government schools, prefecture schools, county schools, and social schools at the local level.
A total of more than 36,000 students are enrolled in each year from all over the country.
This was a very remarkable number in a feudal dynasty where illiteracy was widespread.
These students are called "Linshan students".
Linshan means meals provided by the public.
The state supports students, and all students study at public expense, including living expenses.
Every holiday, the court would also give rewards.
When a student reaches the age of getting married and having children, the court will also give him a bride price to marry him.
However, this system was not implemented for many years.
Most of the officials in the imperial court did not agree with the fact that the country invested so much money in running official schools, but they had to do it because of Lao Zhu's strict order.
After Lao Zhu's death, except for the Imperial College, almost all official schools in various places were abolished.
Zhu Yunxuan knew that it was not easy to popularize education in Ming Dynasty.
Soon, he and Yao Guangxiao came to the place where books were printed.
Many craftsmen are busy.
The huge wheels rotated rapidly, and the craftsmen skillfully took out the characters on the wheels and put them into the printing plate.
Since the invention of movable type, printing has advanced by leaps and bounds.
The mass printing of books also greatly promoted the spread of knowledge.
But Zhu Yunxuan only looked at it and shook his head gently.
Although movable type printing is good, the typesetting process is still extremely complicated and time-consuming.
The grandson came in person, and the craftsmen were all excited.
"Your Highness Taisun, although clay type is good, the clay is easily damaged and there are still many inconveniences."
"Wooden movable type is difficult to carve and the density is uneven."
"And when these two are mostly printed into volumes, they are often unclear and of low quality."
"If copper movable type is used, the cost is too high."
"After repeated research, I discovered that the movable type cast with "lead" can produce books with full and clear handwriting, extremely high quality, and the movable type itself is not easily damaged."
A craftsman reported to Zhu Yunxian.
As he spoke, he presented a piece of paper that had just been printed with movable lead type.
As we all know, Taisun valued invention and creation.
Craftsmen who propose technical improvements will be given generous rewards.
The craftsman invented movable lead type, and he couldn't wait to take credit from Taisun.
Lead type?
Zhu Yunzhen was slightly startled.
The name Gutenberg comes to mind.
This man is known in the West as the inventor of movable type printing, although in fact Bi Sheng pioneered movable type printing about four hundred years earlier than him.
Movable type printing was a huge technological advance.
But clay type still has many shortcomings.
Such as insufficient firmness, damage and unfavorable storage, and cannot be used for secondary printing.
Wooden movable type is limited by the wood, and the texture is uneven. Good wood is too hard and difficult to carve. It deforms after being wetted, and it is difficult to separate when it is stuck together with chemicals, etc.
As for copper movable type, the biggest problem is that the materials are expensive and the production process is very complicated.
In comparison, movable lead type has many advantages.
With the invention of movable lead type, a media movement was launched in the West, and knowledge was rapidly popularized.
Gutenberg is therefore regarded by many Westerners as an important figure who influenced the course of history.
Where in China is there no talent?
With just a little incentive, someone quickly invented movable lead type.
He didn’t even do any coaching.
Zhu Yunzhen sighed in his heart and couldn't help but feel a little absent-minded.
Next to him, Yao Guangxiao took the paper, looked at it, and praised: "The printing is exquisite and the handwriting is full. Compared with engraving printing, it is even better. Good! Very good!"
"Not bad!" Zhu Yunxuan also praised: "You can find a new way and invent movable lead type, which should be rewarded. What is your name?"
"Return to Your Majesty Taisun, the Living Seal of the Little Man King." The craftsman responded generously and decently, not at all as reserved as others.
Zhu Yunxuan looked him up and down, then asked with a smile: "How many years have you been engaged in movable type printing?"
"Not even a few years." Wang Huoyin said with a look of shame on his face: "Originally, my family still had some money, so farming and studying were my top priorities. Later, when my family fell into decline, I had no choice but to become a craftsman."
"It was also when I was a child that my father often played with farm tools in the courtyard and also did movable type printing, so that he could earn a living through this."
Was he born into a wealthy family?
But the average wealthy family does not play with farm tools and utensils at home, let alone do movable type printing.
This is something a servant would do.
Learning is valuable than anything else.
The young master, of course, only thinks about studying.
This Wang family is a little different.
Suddenly a bright light flashed in Zhu Yunzhen's mind.
Wang family? king……
He quickly asked: "You are from the Wang family, could you be a descendant of Wang Zhen?"
Wang Huoyin was extremely surprised: "That is my father. I didn't expect His Highness the Grand Sun to know my father's name."
Your father is an agriculturist and agricultural mechanist who can go down in history.
He was also the inventor of wooden movable type and the wheel typesetting plate, and was one of the few scientists in history.
With such a famous person, who wouldn’t know?
"Everyone in the world talks about cultivating, studying and passing down the family, so why doesn't the imperial court take these two as top priorities?"
Zhu Yunzhen said: "Agriculture is the foundation of a country, and books are the carrier of civilization. Your father not only emphasized agriculture and wrote books, but also invented wooden movable type and the wheel typesetting plate. He made outstanding contributions to printing. Of course I know that."
Wang Huoyin was very excited when he heard his grandson praising his father.
"You can invent lead movable type, and you are worthy of being Wang Zhen's son." Zhu Yunxuan smiled and said: "Today I will confer on you the ninth rank official position and reward you with five hundred taels of silver as a reward."
"I hope you will continue to work hard and make more inventions in the future."
Wang Huoyin knelt down and paid homage again, with tears streaming down his face: "Thank you, Your Majesty the Grand Sun."
After his family fell into decline and he became a craftsman, he suffered a lot.
Unexpectedly, I would be able to obtain an official position again today.
"Although movable lead type is good, there is a better way."
Zhu Yunxuan stated the purpose of his trip.
He sent for a piece of wax paper.
"Use a hard pen to write on the wax paper to make a wax plate, and then place it flat under the gauze..."
Based on his memories from his previous life, he told how to make and use a mimeograph machine.
Compared to firearms, mimeograph machines are much simpler.
The required wax paper, ink, hard pens, etc. are all available.
This simple mimeograph machine was a huge technological leap compared to movable type printing.
Hand-pressed mimeograph machines were still widely used in a large number of primary and secondary schools until the 1990s.
Especially in many rural primary and secondary schools, which cannot afford to buy books of test papers, teachers make up their own questions and then use hand-pressed mimeograph machines to print test papers for students to complete questions and take exams.
In his previous life, Zhu Yunxuan tinkered with this type of mimeograph machine and printed test papers when he was in primary and secondary school. He was extremely impressed by it.
The principle and structure are very simple, and the printing efficiency is improved by tens of millions of times.
It was impossible to build the machine right away, but while Zhu Yunxuan explained the principles and manufacturing methods to the craftsmen, he also ordered all the materials such as wax paper, gauze, ink, and hard pens to be prepared.
After a simple experiment, he printed out a page of books.
Wang Huoyin was stunned.
Just now I was proud of myself for inventing movable lead type.
At this time, he suffered a huge blow.
Compared with the wax paper mimeograph invented by His Highness Taisun, his movable lead type seems like a joke.
With a mimeograph machine, what else is needed?
His Highness Taisun just gave himself a commendation, a reward of silver and an official title, probably just because he was Wang Zhen's son.
Otherwise, how can a technology that is not used at all be worthy of praise?
He was extremely disappointed and dazed.
Zhu Yunxuan noticed that Wang Huoyin's expression was wrong, so he smiled and said: "Although your movable lead type is not used, it is very good if you can invent it."
"Only with God's blessing can I come up with the mimeograph machine."
"If not, the movable lead type you invented will be used for hundreds of years to come."
"Gu granted you an official position and rewarded you with gold and silver, not because you are Wang Zhen's son, but because the technical improvements you proposed are worthy of Gu's heavy reward."
"You don't need to be downcast. You should use this as an encouragement to study technology and make more inventions and creations."
Wang Huoyin was both ashamed and moved: "My grandson's words, I, Wang Huoyin, will definitely keep them in mind. I will work hard in the future and make great achievements. I will live up to my grandson's high expectations and my father's expectations." name."
Zhu Yunxuan nodded and told the craftsmen to make the hydraulic press as soon as possible.
Compared with the large amount of manpower and material resources required for movable type printing, the printing cost of hydraulic press is very low and the printing efficiency is high.
Using a hydraulic press, printing no matter how many books you want is a breeze.
The mass printing of books will inevitably lead to the widespread dissemination of knowledge, thus affecting the entire society.
Reading and literacy will no longer be monopolized by wealthy families.
Zhu Yunzhen turned around, only to see Yao Guangxiao still standing there blankly, as if he were a wooden chicken.
"You stupid monk, where are you still entering meditation?" Zhu Yunxuan laughed.
"thump!"
Yao Guangxiao suddenly knelt down.
"His Royal Highness Taisun invented the hydraulic press today, which has enabled books to be widely distributed throughout the world. His achievements are comparable to those of the three emperors. Daoyan has created thousands of scholars in the world. Thank you, Your Highness Taisun!"
He kowtowed heavily and bowed deeply.
Yao Guangxiao has never been like this since he followed Zhu Yunxuan.
Because although he is a monk, he is still a Confucian scholar at heart.
In his eyes, nothing in the world is greater than reading.
The invention of the hydraulic press gave Yao Guangxiao a glimmer of hope that everyone in the world would be a scholar and be literate.
There will be no more Baiding in the world.
Civilization spreads throughout the four seas, and education reaches all peoples.
Even the ancient sages could hardly match these achievements.
What Yao Guangxiao worshiped was not the grandson of the Ming Dynasty, but the saint of the world.
It was at this moment that he truly surrendered to Zhu Yunxuan and had no objections.
(End of chapter)
