The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 484 Technology is a toy
Fearing that Chen Jingke would go back on his word, Bai Ying immediately took him to Luoxia Academy and selected sixteen students at once.

It wasn't that he didn't want to continue picking, but the director Cheng Yimin turned hostile on the spot.

"Pick one more, and you won't be able to take anyone away today."

"Marquis of Anping? Chen Jingke is just a hands-off manager. How dare he let outsiders recruit students?"

Bai Ying naturally knew that he did it on purpose, but she also knew that she shouldn't be greedy.

Besides, there will be many more opportunities in the future, so we can’t block the road all at once.

So the matter was settled.

Chen Jingke secretly gave Cheng Yimin a thumbs up, the old man's acting skills are very good.

Cheng Yimin glared at him fiercely, giving him no face at all.

Chen Jingke had brought trouble upon himself and could only touch his chin awkwardly.

Cheng Yimin really couldn't bear to part with these students, as each and every one of them was his hard work.

When seeing him off, he said with emotion:
"All good things must come to an end. You have studied in the academy for many years. It is time for you to go out and show your skills."

"If you encounter any problems in the future, don't be embarrassed and come back for help without hesitation."

"Thousands of teachers and students in our academy are all your supporters."

"I believe that you will be able to achieve great results in your positions."

"Be worthy of your ancestors and be worthy of what you have learned throughout your life."

As the dean, Chen Jingke naturally had to speak out:
“Leaving the academy is not the end of learning, but the beginning of another period of learning.”

"I hope you will always remember this saying: never stop learning."

“I also hope that you can apply what you have learned to actual work and not let your more than ten years of study become a joke.”

"Today, when people mention you, they will say that you are students of Luoxia Academy."

"I hope that in the future this sentence will become, Luoxia Academy is the academy where so-and-so once studied."

The students who heard these words were both sad and excited.

But overall, most of them are happy.

This time they were almost like taking the recommendation route and directly obtained official positions.

In the past, most of them would not have had the opportunity to take the imperial examination.

In fact, these students are not very talented, otherwise they would not have been selected.

Cheng Yimin attaches great importance to these students and regards them as the seeds of science.

How can you be easily picked by others before you become a talented person?

But everyone’s talents are different, and the deeper the science, the higher the talent requirements.

Many times, a flash of inspiration from a genius can be worth decades of research by countless ordinary people.

The current situation of Luoxia Academy is very similar.

It was not obvious at first, but as the research progressed, the differences in talent became more and more evident.

Apart from anything else, a simple coordinate system and statistics can stump many people.

By this time, everyone knew it was time to divert.

Those with good talents in science will upgrade normally and study more advanced knowledge.

For those with average talent, it depends on their own choice. They can switch to studying something else or continue their studies.

Although it is difficult to achieve great success, at least I can be a qualified teacher.

Those who have poor talent and are older can only switch to studying something else.

Of course, Luoxia Academy is not just a science academy, there are other subjects to learn as well.

If our college does not have suitable knowledge, we can also go to the law school founded by Li Shanchang or the Yiluo Academy founded by Fang Xiaoru.

In short, there is always a path that suits them.

Most of the sixteen students picked by Bai Ying were of average talent and older age.

Keeping them for further studies would be a waste of school resources and their lives.

Letting them enter society to practice is actually a better approach.

As the saying goes, a master leads you to the door, but the practice is up to you. How much you can learn from Bai Ying and how much you can achieve depends on your understanding and luck.

All in all, the academy has done its best to have a clear conscience.

For the students, this is the best outcome and they can also give an explanation to their families.

They were naturally very happy.

After seeing off Bai Ying and the students, Chen Jingke looked at Cheng Yimin, who looked reluctant, and said with a smile:

"Alright, alright. I know you have a deep bond with the students and you don't want them to leave."

"But the ancients said it well: parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run."

"The students have grown up and their wings are strong. It's time to let them fly."

Cheng Yimin sighed and said, "So many years have passed without me noticing, and I have gone from middle-aged to gray-haired."

Chen Jingke said, "Stop... You do have some white hair, but you are not old enough to have gray hair."

"I can't say anything else, but I can live another 10 or 20 years."

You are not even sixty years old yet, just work hard for me...well, just teach and educate people well.

Cheng Yimin was just expressing his feelings and had no real plans to retire.

It was not easy to find a like-minded person who is also a master in mathematics.

When the history of mathematics is compiled in the future, he will be someone who cannot be surpassed.

He is very motivated now, how could he retreat?

The reason why I feel so emotional is that this is the first time that Luoxia Academy has sent off students since its establishment.

Yes, Luoxia Academy has been established for more than nine years, except for those who dropped out for some reason.

This was the first time I saw off the students in a proper manner.

The reason is not complicated.

The students enrolled are not very old, generally around 11 or 12 years old, and the youngest is only six or seven years old.

Subsequently, they would recruit one to two hundred people every year, all of whom were children of this age group.

It is normal to study here for ten or eight years.

The reason why we specifically recruit children is because science subjects place the most emphasis on foundations, which need to be cultivated from an early age.

And we have to admit that children’s learning ability is better than that of adults.

Especially between the ages of teens and twenties, this is the period when thinking is most active and inspiration is most likely to burst forth.

In a few years, continued aging of the body will affect the mind.

In terms of experience, one will be bound by the rules and regulations learned before and it will be difficult to break through the old knowledge framework.

Therefore, the only formal students in Luoxia Academy are children.

If adults want to join, they must be extremely talented, but there are very few such people.

Moreover, when they grow up, they are willing to join Luoxia Academy to study. Basically, they have no worries about food and clothing and truly like science.

To put it bluntly, he is the kind of person who has nothing to do after eating.

People like this don't even think about graduating, and would like to study and research together in the academy for their entire lives.

Therefore, these sixteen students were indeed the first group to be officially sent away.

And everyone could sense that the departure of these sixteen people was not the end, but the beginning.

More students will leave next.

Chen Jingke was used to the flow of students, and he did not spend much time in the academy, so he did not have deep feelings about it.

Cheng Yimin was different. He moved his family to the academy and lived and ate with the children every day.

Watching them grow up in person gives you a different feeling.

In addition, as I get older, I can't stand separation.

He naturally felt uncomfortable thinking about the children leaving.

But he was not the kind of pretentious person. After he complained a few words, Chen Jingke comforted him and he returned to normal.

Then he got down to business: "Some students are old, and it's difficult for them to achieve much in their studies due to their limited talents."

"Forcing them to stay in the academy is harming them, and they should be given an explanation."

"Have you figured out how to arrange them?"

Chen Jingke said sternly: "The academy arranges a way out. This cannot become a rule or a norm. Otherwise, it will easily form a party that will bring disaster to the country and the people."

"But now is a time when we are looking for talent, so we really can't let the first few batches of students go easily."

"We need to arrange a suitable position for them to display their talents and benefit the country and the people." Cheng Yimin waved his hand and said, "Don't tell me these clichés. Just tell me how to arrange it."

Chen Jingke paused for a moment and said awkwardly, "I'm used to it... In the next few years, students who graduate will have three destinations."

"Technical officials of the imperial court, the steam engine research institute, and the national academy."

This national school in the feudal state refers to the Imperial Academy in the feudal state.

The Imperial College was an institution of the central court, so the state naturally could not use this name, so it was changed to National Studies.

Cheng Yimin frowned: "You still need people even if you want to close the country?"

Chen Jingke nodded and explained: "It is unrealistic to popularize mathematical knowledge among the people now."

"In order to promote the development of science, we can only start with the rich and powerful families."

"The students in the national studies of each feudal state are basically children from wealthy families. Teaching them will have better results."

"Moreover, most of these children of the rich and powerful will become bureaucrats in the future. Letting them learn science will also help to popularize it in the future."

"What's more, Xie Jinshen has written to me several times in Nanyang asking for people, so we still have to give him face."

Cheng Yimin had to admit that what Chen Jingke said was the reality.

If you want to study science, you have to do a lot of experiments, which ordinary people can't afford.

It is the same principle as the poor in literature but rich in martial arts.

As for asking the imperial court to bear the cost... the imperial court also cannot afford such a huge expense.

Therefore, the current promotion of mathematical and scientific knowledge among the public is more of a popular science purpose.

Just tell them why it happens, without telling them the principle.

If it is just for popular science, anyone can write a special textbook and teach it. There is no need for students to receive professional training.

As mentioned earlier, these students are seeds.

The most talented ones stayed behind to continue their studies and research more advanced mathematical and scientific knowledge.

Most of the rest will go to suitable places to teach and cultivate more talents in mathematics and science.

The national studies of each feudal state gathered a large number of children of the powerful and wealthy, and were undoubtedly the most suitable places.

In fact, this is also the development path of Western technology in the past.

It was originally a toy used by nobles for entertainment and competition.

The technology at that time was still very backward and its application was almost zero.

Even if a discovery is made, it is difficult to apply it to real life.

To put it bluntly, it cannot be converted into benefits.

For example, you extract oxygen, then what?

There is no more.

The application of oxygen came much later.

In this case, how could ordinary people possibly do research? Even if they wanted to, they didn't have the capital.

Only the powerful and wealthy have the energy and strength.

The powerful and wealthy study this not for the pursuit of truth or anything like that.

The purpose is actually very simple, which is to use it as a tool for comparison.

Look, I have researched out some good things, but you haven’t.

What, you haven't studied mathematics?
Isolate you.

Later, as the research deepened, more and more results were invented, and scientific and technological knowledge began to be widely used in production and life.

Technology is starting to bring benefits.

At this point, the meaning of studying science and technology is different.

There is a drive for profit as well as a great pursuit of studying the truth.

The country also began to encourage people to study science and technology.

Then more and more people joined in, and technology really began to take off.

Chen Jingke actually didn't want to take this path. Why can only rich people study science and technology?
But reality forced him to do so.

But he also left a huge backdoor, which is the patent.

At present, he will not work on patent law, and even if someone wants to do so, he will be the first to stand up and oppose it.

It's very simple, just make the research results of rich people available to people all over the world for free.

Anyway, these powerful people are rich and can afford these losses.

It's all for the honor.

He has also already thought about it. Once the national studies of each feudal country are on the right track, he will set up a science and technology award.

Specifically reward those who make breakthroughs by giving them money, honor and even power.

I believe that those powerful people who have nothing to do and have nothing to do will rack their brains to study these things.

If a genius appears among ordinary people and develops something new, his destiny can be changed through awards.

When productivity develops to a certain level in the future, the imperial court will be able to fully popularize the science system.

Then he took the opportunity to propose a patent bill to encourage more people to engage in scientific and technological research.

This is his general plan for developing the technology tree. He had conceived it a long time ago, but he had not yet figured out how to implement it.

Xie Jin went to Nanyang to serve as chief instructor, responsible for the cultural and educational construction of various vassal states in Nanyang.

He knew the importance of mathematical knowledge, so he wrote several letters, hoping that Chen Jingke would send some students to teach in the national schools of various vassal states.

This happened to coincide with Chen Jingke's idea, so he naturally agreed without hesitation.

And I can also do a favor for Xie Jin, so why not do it?

How did he say that... He still has to thank us.

As for the Steam Engine Research Institute, it is now more like the Ming Royal Science and Technology Park, and the things it researches are not just steam engines.

This is where mathematical and scientific talents are most needed.

Even the least talented students of Luoxia Academy received systematic training in mathematics and physics.

They are the most scarce talents in the Steam Engine Research Institute.

In fact, this is also the main practice place for college students, and the cooperation between the two sides is very close.

In the future, a large number of these students will come here to work.

Although Cheng Yimin did not know Chen Jingke's entire plan, he still supported his steps to promote mathematical knowledge.

The plan of sending some students to teach Chinese studies in various countries was also agreed.

Besides, those students went to various countries and became officials, so it was not a waste of their talents.

He also gave Chen Jingke some advice, saying:
"I think we can let those students who are going to teach in the closed countries learn the idea of ​​the Great Harmony World from you first."

“It helps to generalize your ideas.”

Chen Jingke also thought this was a good idea, so he said, "Alright, the training class is about to start, let them go together."

Cheng Yimin nodded, as if he remembered something, and said:

"By the way, a lot of people came here to look for you these past few days, most of them wanted to challenge you, but I sent them away."

"Some of them said they came to you to learn about the Great Harmony philosophy. Do you want to meet them?"

Chen Jingke said indifferently: "Please help select the suitable ones and let them attend the training class as auditors."

Cheng Yimin smiled and said, "You look so nonchalant... You should know Cao Duan, he's here too."

Chen Jingke was surprised and asked, "Who, Cao Duan? The Cao Duan who proposed the idea of ​​controlling Qi?"

Of course he knew this person, but he had not heard of him in his previous life.

He had never heard of this person in his previous life, let alone who was the crown of Neo-Confucianism in the early Ming Dynasty.

He knew Cao Duan, and it was purely a matter of this life.

There's nothing I can do, this person is just too famous.

A child prodigy who can come up with his own ideas at the age of 20...

Of course, he had seen many child prodigies, and the reason he was surprised was because Cao Duan was a firm disciple of Neo-Confucianism.

Previously, the imperial court recruited talented people from all over the country to serve as clerks in the central government for training.

Cao Duan was also among those who were called up, but he refused without hesitation.

The imperial court suppressed Neo-Confucianism, and he wrote several letters to argue against it.

This time, he actually came to me to ask for study.

This aroused his interest, and he said:
"Oh, then I must meet this future leader of science."

(End of this chapter)