My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 417 Recalling the Spirit of the Han and Tang Dynasties
August 12th.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the festive atmosphere in the capital is stronger than in previous years.

Ordinary people in the capital city didn't have much spare money, so they naturally didn't have any idea about celebrating festivals. Celebrating festivals was more like getting through a difficult time, and the saying that the end of the year was difficult to get through was more prevalent than many New Year customs.

But it's different now.

Besides having more money at home and pursuing a higher quality of life, many people are also busier than before.

This is also a characteristic of the industrial age. Compared to the agricultural age, which was not as time-sensitive, people in the industrial age are much busier.

With people going to work or school, families have fewer days to travel and relax, so naturally they value their precious holidays more.
The Mid-Autumn Festival itself signifies family reunion, thus giving this festival an even higher level of meaning.

During this period, shops in the capital city introduced a new type of mooncake.

Mooncakes have existed for a long time; the Song Dynasty tradition of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is recorded in the "Dongjing Menghualu".

However, the mooncakes back then weren't exactly round, and there wasn't a universally accepted method or style for making them.

It wasn't until the early Ming Dynasty that Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang would reward his ministers with Mid-Autumn Festival pastries, which marked the beginning of the prototype of the mooncake.

However, the crust of the shortbread is crispy. Su Ze had eaten it once when he first transmigrated, and the taste was similar to the Suzhou-style mooncakes of the original time.

Moreover, the fillings were quite simple back then, and many shortbread cookies were filled with solid dough. Su Ze ate them once and never ate them again.

This time, the shops in the Eastern Palace began selling a new type of mooncake.

The flour dough containing egg liquid, along with a large amount of sugar, makes the baked mooncake crust even softer and more flaky.

Fillings made with jujube paste, red bean paste, and sugar can be described as a sweet bomb in this era, but they are more likely to capture the hearts of ordinary people.

These days, apart from the very elite, who can afford to eat candy every day?

These mooncakes are all pressed using molds, and they are printed with auspicious phrases such as "reunion and happiness." They sold out as soon as they were launched.

From then on, the children of the capital had one more thing to look forward to during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

However, Su Ze maliciously speculated that he didn't know when these sweet mooncakes would become a sweet burden.

The Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere has become even stronger with the launch of new mooncakes.

The powerful and wealthy families all hired opera troupes and prepared to set up stages for performances.

This year, the government also funded the construction of a temporary stage in front of the Crystal Palace Expo, inviting opera troupes to perform as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.

In these days of family reunion, farewells also occur simultaneously.

Military orders are absolute. After receiving the order, the Zhenbei Army completed its assembly within five days. People from the capital flocked to the North Gate to watch the army set off.

Many of the soldiers in the Beijing Garrison were sons of the capital, and parting was always filled with sorrow, let alone being sent to the bitterly cold north.

Li Rusong also stood in the crowd. Zhu Shikun was gone, and now Xia Zhongxiao was gone too. Only their Kelu Army remained in the capital.

Li Rusong is not usually a sentimental person, but he is feeling a bit melancholy now.

I don't know when I'll be able to go to the battlefield.

Along with the army heading north, a group of officials also went to take up their posts at the Andong Governor's Office.

If the Zhenbei Army were to march north, the officers would feel a mix of joy and sorrow. They would be saddened by leaving the capital, but happy that they would finally have the opportunity to make a name for themselves on the battlefield.

However, Tang Jinxing, who was assigned to the Andong Protectorate, was truly tragic.

To help Li Chengliang, Tang Jinxing is now going to reunite with him.

The Andong Protectorate was even located north of Liaodong, a region of frozen soil and forests inhabited by the Jurchen people, a wild and untamed frontier!

What's the difference between going here to become an official and being exiled?
After years of hard study, I finally passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, and went from Liaodong to the capital to serve as an official, but now I have to go back!
Thinking of this, Tang Jinxing regretted it so much that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have spread the news in the Ministry of Personnel back then because of Li Chengliang's favor!

Tang Jinxing looked worried, and an official from the Ministry of Works came over and asked:

"Is that Lord Tang from the Ministry of Personnel?"

Tang Jinxing had served in the Ministry of Personnel for several years and knew many officials. He recognized this official from the Ministry of Works as Sun Huaiyuan, who, like himself, had originally been a sixth-rank official.

This is another unlucky guy just like me.

When the Andong Protectorate was established, all the six ministries and nine ministerial offices sent people to fill the civil service positions within the Protectorate.

Having shared a similar plight and knowing they would be serving as officials together in the future, Tang Jinxing tried to win over Sun Huaiyuan. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Sun Huaiyuan asked:
"Lord Tang, which years did you choose?"

"what?"

Sun Huaiyuan asked in confusion:

“Isn’t this a procedure set by your Ministry of Personnel? I volunteered to go to the Andong Protectorate this time.”

"Voluntarily sign up?"

Tang Jinxing was stunned for a moment. There were idiots who volunteered?
Those military men went to Liaodong hoping to make a name for themselves. Can you civil officials really make a name for yourselves on the frontier?

All that was heard was Sun Huaiyuan saying:
“Your Ministry of Personnel has established regulations that allow candidates to serve as border guards for three or five years. I, Sun, chose the five-year option.”

"After serving five years in the Andong Protectorate, as long as you pass the examinations after five years, you can be promoted by half a rank upon returning to the capital."

"Officials received double salaries, with the other half going to their families in the capital. Their children had priority in school admissions and could also be allocated public rental housing in modern earthen buildings."

“Sun has served as an official in the capital for many years, but has never accomplished anything. This trip to the Protectorate General of Andong can be considered as giving his family an explanation.”

"Could it be that Lord Tang chose three years? I've calculated it all. Three years and five years are actually about the same time, but five years gives children preferential treatment when entering the Imperial Academy's preparatory courses and the Military Academy's preparatory courses. That's a very good deal."

Is there another option?
Tang Jinxing was so devastated that he asked for leave to go home and rest after talking with Zhang Siwei, and was unaware of the matter in the ministry.

No, why don't I have a choice?

Your Excellency, I want to be chosen too!

Tang Jinxing wished he could rush back to the Ministry of Personnel right now and ask if he could return to court in three years.

"I heard that it was Su Hanlin who suggested it to Minister Yang, and Minister Yang approved it. Minister Yang is truly a good official!"

"Lord Tang, you come from one of the Six Ministries, you must be a talent that Lord Yang has his eye on, right?"

"It is said that Lord Yang recommends talented people regardless of personal relationships, and he is even willing to send out his own capable people. It is indeed true!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Jinxing's heart finally died!

He originally wanted to clarify these absurd rumors. This Minister Yang was not a gentleman who knew how to use people well; he was simply a petty person who wouldn't hold a grudge overnight!
But he dared not say it, fearing that if these words reached Yang Sizhong's ears, he would never be able to return to Beijing in his lifetime!

Forget it, I'll go to Liaodong first, and then try to request a transfer back.
-
The memorial requesting the expansion of Liaodong was passed. This marked the beginning of the Northeast expansion era, with large numbers of people from the inland areas migrating to the Northeast, ultimately transforming the frozen land into their homes.

The establishment of the Andong Protectorate declared the Ming Dynasty's control over the Northeast and Far East regions, gradually transforming these areas into stable territories.

This Far East land also brought territorial wars, with a neighboring country, driven by a thirst for territorial expansion, posing a new threat to the borders.

[National fortune +2.]

[Prestige +1000.]

[Remaining Prestige: 1700.]

Su Ze closed the [Portable Ming Dynasty Court] app, and it actually gained so much prestige?

Su Ze thought about it and concluded that this was probably related to the growing public sentiment of "restoring the Han and Tang dynasties".

Since the Ming Dynasty won several wars against foreign powers and obtained considerable spoils of war, the people's expectations for a prosperous era have increased.

"Reclaim the lost territories of the Han and Tang dynasties" was the slogan first put forward by the New Gentleman's Daily, and it was then quoted by major newspapers.

The New Gentleman's Daily even examined maps from the Han and Tang dynasties, including the Western Regions controlled by the Han and Tang, and published them as separate maps.

This map was also a huge hit. Not only did the map published by the New Gentleman's Daily sell out, but even pirate booksellers in the capital went to reprint it, and the market was in short supply.

It seems he has hit the nail on the head regarding public opinion, which is why he has gained so much prestige.

Su Ze has done a lot of things that are welcomed by the people, so why didn't he do so much more before?

Su Ze had a guess.

This "prestige" probably refers to the prestige of those who have influence over the country.

In the past, this group consisted of "officials," or more narrowly, the "civil service class."

Because only this level of prestige can determine the direction of policy.

However, with the emergence of more social classes, even the imperial court has to take into account the voices of many classes when formulating policies, and the groups that can influence the government have also increased.

The urban population in the capital region, caught up in a frenzy of reviving the Han and Tang dynasties, also developed their own needs.

By catering to their needs, one's prestige naturally increases.

Of course, this was just Su Ze's guess. He closed the [Portable Ming Dynasty Court], and a moment later a person dressed in craftsman's clothing walked into the newspaper office workshop.

In the past, artisans in the Ming Dynasty dressed in short jackets and trousers. In fact, this was the basic attire of ordinary laborers. The Confucian robe was a garment worn by scholars, and it was impossible to work while wearing it.

As the lives of ordinary people in the capital improved and the number of people engaged in craftsmanship increased, there was also a demand for "work clothes".

Nowadays, artisan clothing is generally made of durable cotton fabric, and it has evolved into overalls (similar to the Minions), just like in the original timeline.

Su Ze couldn't help but sigh. Sure enough, the development of mass-market clothing is ultimately about adapting to work and life. Overalls are convenient for working, so it seems inevitable that they would become popular.

Zhang Bi was originally an apprentice engraving artist in a printing shop. After inventing the rotary printing press, Su Ze recommended him to become a craftsman official.

Although the craftsman official was a low-ranking official, he was still considered to be in the ranks of officials, but Zhang Bi still liked this craftsman's attire.

Zhang Bi was one of Su Ze's former subordinates before he became famous. The "Yuefu Xinbao" was Su Ze's first achievement after entering politics, so Zhang Bi still referred to Su Ze as "Editor-in-Chief".

"Editor-in-Chief Su, the clock I mentioned last time has been completed!"

Zhang Bi was very talented in mechanics, and after improving the printing press, he became fascinated with clocks.

Clocks are arguably the most sophisticated and complex mechanical devices. Zhang Bi disassembled and studied them, investing all the bonuses he earned from the printing press into them.

After Su Ze learned of this, he gave Zhang Bi the Western clock that Tu Zeming had given him, and at the same time, he took out a sum of money to support Zhang Bi's research on clocks.

Zhang Bi was indeed very talented in clocks. After listening to Su Ze's description, he figured out a set of mechanical principles and designed a special mechanical device called escapement.

After inventing the escapement mechanism, Zhang Bi's clocks achieved a significant improvement in accuracy.

In Su Ze's view, Zhang Bi's clocks were already very precise, far surpassing those of Western clocks of the same era.

Most Western clocks of that era only had an hour hand; the only one that could be accurate to the minute hand was the high-end precision clock that Tu Zemin gave to himself.

The clocks made by Zhang Bi already have a second hand, and the error is within one minute per day.

That's already an amazing level of precision!
Such a clock is actually more than sufficient for telling time.

But Suze needs more than just a timepiece.

When sailing, determining latitude at sea is very easy. Both sextants and the star charts used by Zheng He can measure latitude very accurately.

However, longitude is much more difficult to determine.

Two routes for measuring longitude:
One was to create an accurate clock. After determining the standard time, the method of calculating longitude using the time difference between the local time and the standard time was called the clock method. This was also the reason why Su Ze funded Zhang Bi in an attempt to create a more precise clock.

The second method involves measuring celestial phenomena, using the positions of stars to calculate time, using stars as clocks to calculate time differences, and finally calculating longitude. This method is called the Celestial Clock Method, which uses the heavens as a clock.

This route is what Huang Ji, the junior scribe at the Nanjing Astronomical Observatory, is currently researching.

In Nanjing, Huang Ji not only surveyed and drew star maps himself, but also collected star map data from the public, and at the same time, he asked various ports along the coast to collect star map survey results from various countries.

Huang Ji wrote to me recently, saying that he has made a new breakthrough in the celestial clock method. He has found a pattern in the moon's trajectory and seems to have discovered a way to calculate standard time using lunar phases.

All the investment over the years has finally paid off.

Zhang Bi placed an exquisite clock in front of Su Ze and said to him:

"Editor-in-Chief! This is a new clock I've created! On land, the error over ten days is less than one second!"

"so tall!"

Su Ze looked at the clock with delight; its precision was more than enough to serve as a marine chronometer!

But Su Ze then asked, "But is this clock accurate on the ship?"

The most important clock is the marine chronometer. The environment at sea is different from that on land. The turbulent waves and humid sea air have a great impact on clocks. A clock that is accurate on land may not be accurate at sea.

Zhang Bi said confidently, "Editor-in-Chief, I found inspiration in the ivory carving of the embroidered ball and used a multi-level balancing device to ensure the stability of the clock even in bumpy environments."

Zhang Bi disassembled the outer casing, and Su Ze saw a device similar to a camera gimbal from later generations, and couldn't help but admire Zhang Bi's ingenuity.

Zhang Bi then introduced his process of using bimetals to counteract the thermal expansion and contraction of metals in order to cope with the effects of humidity and temperature, and concluded by saying:
"Editor-in-Chief! This humble servant is willing to take clocks overseas to verify the feasibility of the clock method!"

(End of this chapter)