People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 464 There are still masters
Liu Hong was a little helpless. Times had changed and Confucianism had faded out of the mainstream. From now on, the Liu family would learn the natural sciences and go to school.

To be honest, his knowledge of mathematics and astronomy and calendar is actually quite in line with the needs of natural science, otherwise Xu Chen would not have repeatedly hired him for Xuanxia Academy.

But he had some selfish motives based on traditional concepts.

Before this, knowledge had never been a public good, but rather a kind of intangible property, which was family learning.

Either it is passed down from generation to generation, or even if knowledge is to be spread, it is a transaction based on making profits for oneself or the family.

He was a little reluctant to let Liu Hong spread knowledge to the world.

But the problem is that the threshold for learning mathematics, astronomy and calendar is too high. Both his son and grandson seem to have no talent in this area. This makes Liu Hong very helpless. If this continues, all his knowledge will be buried in the ground.

So when Cai Wenji took the opportunity to recommend a student, Liu Hong hesitated for a while, but finally nodded.

On the one hand, it would be difficult to offend Cai Wenji. After all, she was the daughter of an old friend, and he had indeed been taken care of by Cai Wenji many times. It would be inappropriate if he refused to agree to such a small matter.

Moreover, Liu Hong was indeed unwilling to let all his knowledge be lost, so it was not a bad thing to accept a disciple to inherit his legacy.

Of course, he only agreed verbally, but did not say that he would definitely accept it. After all, he would not refuse everyone who comes to him, so he would at least investigate it first.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Cai Wenji was naturally happy, and then she took Xu Chen away from here for a while. Liu Hong sat on the edge of the field, waiting for them to send people over.

Xu Chen and Cai Wenji were traveling together, and on the surface, they were just the two of them, but in fact, they were secretly followed and protected by personal guards. This time, not only the personal guards but also Zhou Liang came with them.

Not too long after, Zhou Liang appeared on the path, and he looked quite nervous.

Zhou Liang obviously knew that it was time for him to be tested.

After he came to Liu Hong, he bowed carefully and said, "I am Zhou Liang, your honor, sir!"

Liu Hong turned his head and glanced at Zhou Liang. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. It was not that Zhou Liang was special, but he didn't expect that someone like Zhou Liang would come.

Zhou Liang in front of him was wearing simple clothes, but they were washed clean and white. His skin was a little dark and his face looked honest and kind. At first glance, he looked like someone who had been bullied.

Such a person was obviously just an ordinary commoner, and this was exactly what surprised Liu Hong.

He thought Xu Chen and Cai Wenji were going to such great lengths to speak for their trusted relatives, but he didn't expect that in the end it was just such an ordinary person. This also made Liu Hong a little curious about what was so special about Zhou Liang.

Liu Hong pointed to the ground beside him and said, "Come and sit down."

Zhou Liang hurriedly responded and sat down. He didn't dare to move or speak casually. He just waited blankly for Liu Hong to test him.

When Liu Hong saw Zhou Liang's honest appearance, he immediately looked down on him, but he still patiently asked, "Who are you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Liang replied in a deep voice: "I come from a commoner family. I was fortunate enough to study there after Xuanxia was founded. Now I have graduated from Xuanxia Academy. Because I thirst for your knowledge, I come here sincerely to study." After hearing the words "Xuanxia Academy", Liu Hong looked at Zhou Liang with a higher opinion. Regardless of his background, he was at least a talented and studious person.

Liu Hong had received invitations to teach at Xuan Xia Academy several times, so he naturally knew something about this place. Although he rejected Xuan Xia's invitation, he had to admit that this academy was quite impressive.

Anyone who can graduate from here can definitely not be considered mediocre, which at least makes Liu Hong feel a lot more balanced.

Liu Hong asked again: "I know a little about Xuanxia Academy, and the subjects there are very diverse. What did you study?"

Zhou Liang said honestly: "Students study agricultural science, mostly studying the cultivation of grain and livestock species to increase agricultural production."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Liu Hong's eyes suddenly lit up, and he dug into the field and plucked some corn ears: "From what I have seen, Xuanxia's grain production is obviously higher. The reason is one, the innovation of agricultural tools, and the other, the high-quality grain varieties."

Zhou Liang nodded: "Indeed."

Liu Hong handed over some corn ears in his hand and said, "Did you cultivate this high-yield grain?"

Zhou Liang took the corn ear and did not rush to answer. Instead, he carefully observed it and fiddled with it for a while before he was able to roughly determine: "Judging from the characteristics of these ears, they are indeed more in line with a high-yield grain we once cultivated. Compared with the past, this grain can increase the yield by about 20%."

Less than 20%
When Liu Hong heard this, he knew that Zhou Liang was not lying, because the grain production here was indeed like this, with an increase of about 20%.

This time, he liked Zhou Liang even more. Less than 20% might sound like a small amount, but in fact, this achievement was so great that it was unimaginable. 20% of the food could save countless lives.

Perhaps it was the natural tendency of technocrats to focus on reality, and now he had a much better impression of Zhou Liang.

When he took another look at Liu Hong's plain appearance, he no longer thought he was so ugly. Compared with his achievements, his background and appearance were not worth mentioning.

"That's right. With this contribution, it's worth it for the Prime Minister to recommend you."

Liu Hong nodded, and after a moment's silence, he asked again: "Having said that, since you are studying agricultural science, why do you want to learn my knowledge? Is there no connection between the two?"

"Because the students will be sailing out to sea in search of the continent soon, so they need to study astronomy and astrology to assist in ocean voyages." Zhou Liang answered very straightforwardly.

After hearing the reason, Liu Hong suddenly understood why Xu Chen suddenly came to visit and learn from him.

Whether astrology is useful for navigation, even though Liu Hong has never been to sea, one can imagine that it must be useful, because astrology itself can be used to determine the direction with certain means, and even if it is studied deeply enough, it is possible to divide the earth into vertical and horizontal directions.

Before Liu Hong could respond, Zhou Liang continued, "The Prime Minister said that after crossing the ocean, we will reach the New World, where there are several important crops. As long as they are cultivated, the yield can be far greater than that of grains. If we can bring them back, the benefits they can bring to the people of the world will far exceed these high-yield crops. If students learn astronomy, they will be more confident of reaching there."

When Liu Hong heard this, he was stunned for a moment. He really didn't know such a thing existed.

He thought that this high-yield grain was already amazing enough. Now after hearing what Zhou Liang said, he realized that there were actually masters out there. If that was the case, then he really had to go to the New World.

(End of this chapter)