Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 123 Going to the West again!

"Ah?! Are there additional textbooks for the imperial examination?"

The Ming scholars who received this order were completely bewildered: After studying the Four Books and Five Classics for so many years, why were they suddenly adding new subjects?

Most people have some reservations about your educational reforms. It's not that they have any objections to you. After all, since you came to power, the Ming Dynasty has been on a positive upward trajectory, and the lives of the people have truly improved greatly!

[In the face of these undeniably impressive political achievements, any normal human being would be unlikely to have any major objections to you. One could even say: There are only two kinds of people in the Ming Dynasty: your rational fans, and your extreme, crystallized fans!]

[So the target of people's complaints isn't you, but your abrupt behavior of "doing whatever comes to mind"...]

[Yes, your reforms are always based on whatever comes to mind, without any prior preparation, and you just jump right into launching all sorts of new policies... Who can stand that?!]

Just like the recent reform of the imperial examination system, it's not impossible to change it, but could you not suddenly add to the content? And what's more, it's so-called "science" that has nothing to do with Confucian classics... If people are forced to take the exam without any preparation, it would be a disaster!

[With this blow, the results of the last two imperial examinations will definitely be disastrous. Perhaps they could have directly entered the officialdom, but now they will probably have to wait a few more years...]

[Really? This reform ruined my dream of becoming an official! I'm afraid I'll have to continue to settle down...]

"But since this is your order, it means this reform is definitely beneficial. Even if everyone has some complaints about it, they won't directly raise any objections."

Thus, this educational reform was launched in this abrupt manner throughout the Ming Dynasty. Countless students, accustomed to studying Confucius and Mencius, were forced to add a completely unrelated course.

When a speck of dust from the times falls on a person's head, it's like a mountain. Countless people will be crushed to pieces by it... But this is also an opportunity. While some are crushed to pieces, others will defy fate and change their destiny.

This is how change often works. No matter how many bumps and bruises there are along the way, as long as the end result is overall progress, that's a good thing.

Everyone has long been accustomed to it...

[However, everyone is still confused: What is the Prime Minister thinking? Why is he always so hasty in implementing various reforms?]

Are you worried about not having enough time? Or is someone pushing you? Or is it simply because you're impatient?

【What are you in such a hurry for? 】

No one knows the answer, and no one can truly understand you... You are like a solitary charioteer, and the Ming Dynasty is the carriage you steer. The six horses pulling the carriage don't understand why you are anxious, nor do they understand where you are going. Only you know your destination.

[But you can't say that, because there's a tiger on the carriage ready to eat people at any time! ]

So you wield the copper-headed leather belt and whip the horse hard, so as to force it to reach its destination, and then get the powerful weapon that can kill the tiger!

【…】

In the ninety-fifth year of the Chongzhen reign, the Prime Minister added a new subject called "Science" to the imperial examinations. From then on, all scholars in the world were required to study this subject!

But what exactly do we learn in Science?

To solve this problem, you compiled some of the physics and chemistry knowledge you had learned in your previous life into a book, and quickly compiled a few barely passable textbooks!

Although you can hardly remember your life before time travel, you still remember a lot of basic scientific knowledge... While these things are basic, they can indeed set a direction for the development of the Ming Dynasty.

[This includes the principles of weather changes, as well as a preliminary understanding of human organs and cells... the propagation of light, and the existence of heat...]

Why does it rain? Why does the sun shine? What does the Earth look like? What causes the change from night to day? What's the principle behind the four seasons?

What are the heavens and the earth made of? What is the microscopic world like? What are the forms of life? What is the relationship between humans and monkeys...?

[You have some knowledge of most of them. Although these are not profound due to the limitations of your own knowledge, they are enough to refresh the worldview of the people of the feudal Ming Dynasty!] [And this is indeed the case...]

[The readers initially didn't hold out much hope for your newly added so-called "science," thinking it was probably just some fancy tricks. But once they really got into it, they immediately realized what the concept was!]

Although later generations often say that ancient people didn't value science and technology, that's not because everyone in ancient times was anti-intellectual. The reasons are actually quite complex. Firstly, this knowledge was difficult to apply directly to real-life production. Secondly, all the smart people were busy taking the imperial examinations to become officials, and science and technology wasn't part of the exams, so why would anyone learn about it?

[Then there was the court’s ineffective promotion, and even its deliberate non-promotion in an attempt to fool the people…]

[Influenced by many factors, this has led to the stereotype that ancient people did not embrace science and technology, as if everyone in ancient times was anti-intellectual, unwilling to use good things and instead clinging to the old ways...]

[And now, with your vigorous promotion, this knowledge is directly linked to the imperial examination, so scholars will naturally rush to learn it!]

[And most importantly, although the things you talk about are very diverse, they are indeed very basic. The more basic something is, the easier it is to use it in production and life. In this way, they will certainly discover the benefits of this knowledge!]

With this two-pronged approach, your hastily launched education reform quickly emerged from its initial predicament. Initially, everyone was showing little interest, but now everyone was eager to learn...

[Perhaps this basic knowledge isn't enough for them to immediately create the super weapon you need, but it is indeed a seed. As long as this seed can continue to take root in the sun and rain, it will eventually grow into the fruit you desire!]

[As for the time and energy required, as well as the various difficulties and obstacles... you try your best to deliberately forget about this issue.]

[As the old saying goes: The more you know, the more painful it is. Rather than knowing and not being able to change it, it is better not to know from the beginning...]

【Humans are always confused...】

【…】

[However, you still want to try to shorten the time required...so after some thought, you make another surprising move.]

[You first reorganized the core political system of the Ming Dynasty, allowing the six ministers to temporarily form a small "parliament" and granting them arbitrary power to ensure that the Ming Dynasty could continue to operate in an orderly manner even after you left.]

[After doing all this, you finally get rid of the heavy responsibility on your shoulders for a while...]

You want to give yourself a break.

[But taking a vacation isn't just about relaxing. It's also about wanting to find some people to help Ming speed up its tech tree climb!]

Yes, your time is running out... Even if you could reincarnate endlessly, you wouldn't want to waste time anymore, because every time you reincarnate, another world of people sinks completely into darkness... Your time is no longer just your own time; it's also the time of others, even their lives.

【Time is life, efficiency is everything! 】

[The world is changing, time is running out, ten thousand years is too long, you must seize the day!]

【…】

In the ninety-sixth year of Chongzhen's reign, you first entrusted government affairs to the six ministers, and then issued a decree to the nation: "Since Zheng He's voyages to the West, the Ming Dynasty has not crossed the oceans to demonstrate its power to other nations for over two hundred years!"

"The Ming Dynasty has reached its peak, its power far surpassing that of the Hongwu and Yongle eras. We should once again launch our fleet and proclaim our national might to the world!"

“Therefore, I will follow the example of Zheng He and sail to the Western Ocean again!”

……

(End of this chapter)