Chapter 102 Movable Type Printing

These people not only hold knowledge, they also hold powerful power. Many of them even hold high positions, have the right to speak, and can label others.

Officials from aristocratic families used their power and influence to weave a huge network of personal connections both inside and outside the court, covering every aspect of the Yan and Han dynasties. It had expanded to the point where even the emperor was helpless against them.

During the reign of Emperor Ling, in order to fight against the children of aristocratic families in the Imperial Academy, he set up the Hongdumen School, and employed talented people from humble backgrounds or even common people as officials, hoping to use this to fight against the aristocratic families.

The results of it?
In the end, the people died and the politics ceased, without causing any waves.

Why is this so?
Because starting from Liu Bang, the Han Dynasty implemented the system of recommendation. If the emperor wanted to govern the world, he could only rely on officials from aristocratic families or celebrities to recommend talents, because government affairs could only be handled by scholars who mastered writing and knowledge, possessed wisdom and connections.

In this era, most people who can afford to read are from aristocratic families and wealthy families.

Therefore, even the emperor had to tolerate their existence and watch their power continue to expand.

Wang Jing now wants to break this monopoly, but any attempt will inevitably lead to fierce resistance from the aristocratic families. It is no exaggeration to say that he has enemies all over the world.

Xun You was worried about this and had to remind Wang Jing of the difficulties and dangers involved.

But is Wang Jing the type of person who would retreat when faced with difficulties?

If he really wanted to be a salted fish, he could just lie down and watch the world's ups and downs.

But now that he has decided to change this cannibalistic world, he has naturally prepared himself to be fearless of any difficulties and obstacles. No matter who the enemy is that stands in his way, he will just do it!

It was with this realization that Wang Jing was not afraid of the impending pursuit and blockade. Instead, he looked into the distance, holding the lofty ambition to change the world, and said loudly: "I want to reform the world. There has never been a successful reform without bloodshed in this world. Therefore, even if rivers of blood flow, I will carry it through to the end and never compromise."

Xun You felt Wang Jing's determination, and was also inspired by his ambition to break down and then rebuild. He was willing to become his vanguard: "My lord, if you have such a grand plan, I will follow you till death!"

Early the next morning, notices were posted on the twelve gates of Luoyang City, and even literate soldiers were arranged to recite them on the spot.

Suddenly, many illiterate people came to join in the fun.

"What does it say?"

"Marquis Qi posted a notice to recruit craftsmen, saying that he wanted to promote movable type printing and improve papermaking. He said that with these two technologies, people all over the world could afford to read and every household could learn to read."

As soon as these words came out, many people immediately showed surprise and excitement, and even spoke with a tremor in their voices: "Movable type printing? What kind of magic is that? Does it work?"

"It should be some kind of magic. How would I know if you ask me? I'm not a god."

"So, could it be that Marquis Qi is really a deity descended to earth? Otherwise, how could he master such a miraculous immortal method?"

"Needless to say? Marquis Qi must be a deity descended from heaven, otherwise how could he drive out the evil star Dong Ze and save our people from the water and fire?"

"I'm telling you, I secretly worshipped the clay doll of Marquis Qi before I left the house yesterday, and today I won two strings of cash in the gambling house. It really worked!"

"Is that true? Where did you buy the clay figurine of Marquis Qi? I'll buy one right away and offer a roast chicken as an offering. It will definitely be a sign of my sincerity!"

"Hey, there are people who sell this in Luoyang Market, and a clay sculpture is only ten cents!"

The people who were superstitious about ghosts and gods immediately cried out in amazement.

For them, the concept of movable type printing was too difficult to understand, and many great scholars who were well-read in poetry and literature might not be able to comprehend the relevant technical details.

However, the common people can understand and accept magic instantly.

Anyway, to them, movable type printing is actually no different from magic. They don’t understand the details of it either, but they just know it must be very powerful.

For a time, the news about movable type printing and Wang Jing being a god who had descended to earth spread like wildfire in the streets and alleys, to the point where almost everyone knew about it. Any child on the street could tell about it. It was obvious that the secret guards were fanning the flames and creating momentum behind the scenes.

If Wang Jing did not send people to occupy the propaganda high ground, it would definitely be occupied by the aristocratic families and powerful clans.

Now that he has made the great ambition of making books affordable for everyone in the world, Wang Jing will naturally use the widespread publicity of this matter to push his own fame and reputation to a new peak.

The existence of the power of thought is related to the strength of the art of holy words. Therefore, it can be said that a person's fame often determines the level of his spiritual cultivation, and it is not just a false reputation.

Under the continuous hype of the secret guards, even some students of the Imperial Academy who had originally had many complaints about Wang Jing began to rush to Xianyun Villa in the western suburbs outside the city, wanting to see the real movable type printing technology.

After all, there are tens of thousands of students in the Imperial Academy, and not all of them are of noble birth or have rich collections of books.

They will also benefit from the fact that books become widely available.

As for the Hongdu School, having lost the care of its financial sponsor, Emperor Ling, the school is now living a miserable life. Therefore, at the suggestion of Jia Xu, after Wang Jing announced that he would take over, the entire Hongdu School has long clung to Wang Jing's thigh. If Wang Jing told them to go east, they dared not go west; if he told them to chase a dog, they would never dare to chase a chicken. They would absolutely obey his orders.

Therefore, when they heard that Wang Jing wanted to develop movable type printing and improve papermaking technology, they wholeheartedly agreed.

In a few days, outside the city's western suburbs, on a small river not far from Xianyun Villa, a construction team consisting of more than 3,000 refugees were working hard on the construction site.

They had been struggling to survive like the walking dead because they had lost their land. If they had not received relief from Wang Jing, they would have died in the snow and wind of the previous winter.

Now Wang Jing not only saved their lives, but also got them a new job with a good income. As long as they are willing to work harder, the money they earn will be enough to support their family.

And a large piece of deserted saline-alkali land in the western suburbs, which had been ignored, attracted the attention of countless important figures in Luoyang City because of Wang Jing's actions, just because Wang Jing wanted to build a new movable type printing factory here.

Hundreds of craftsmen were called together to draw blueprints along the river and prepare to build three water wheels as the main power source for the factory.

In order to prevent anyone from secretly sabotaging, Wang Jing even dispatched the Sanqu soldiers, a total of more than 600 people, to protect the industry and workers here. Among them, 200 were Tiger Guards from the Imperial Guards. They were wearing heavy armor, and each of them was an elite member of the Imperial Guards who could fight ten people at once.

In order for the printing factory to be built smoothly, Wang Jing also specially ordered Jia Xu to personally supervise the project, which shows how much importance Wang Jing attached to this printing factory.

The originally noisy construction site was drowned out by the sudden sound of horse hooves. Suddenly, a group of knights appeared on the official road, with high spirits and coming towards the wind.

The leader was dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse, he was young and handsome. Although he was still in his early twenties, there was an aura of majesty between his brows, like an unparalleled sword with an unmatched sharpness, making people dare not look him in the face.

"Marquis Qi is here!"

There was an immediate cry of surprise from the crowd, followed by various gasps of shock.

It was really that Wang Jing's reputation, which he had gained through fighting in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was a bit too scary, causing some evil spirits and monsters with bad intentions to subconsciously tremble with fear.

"You, meet the lord."

"Gongda, please get up quickly."

After Wang Jing got off the horse, he didn't exchange pleasantries and directly asked about the progress of the project: "When can the printing factory be put into use at the earliest?"

Xun You, who was about to report the good news to Wang Jing, smiled and replied, "It's faster than expected. It will be officially put into production in two months."

Wang Jing was shocked: "Did they master the technology of movable type printing so quickly?"

The complete movable type printing technology naturally includes the design drawings of the mechanical device. Otherwise, if it is only done manually, not only will the quality be difficult to guarantee, but the efficiency will also not be very high.

So when Wang Jing heard the news that the company could start production in two months, he was extremely shocked.

Xun You then explained the reason: "It wasn't originally that fast. I can only say that it was all thanks to the great fortune of my lord." "Gongda is joking."

Wang Jing thought Xun You was flattering him.

Unexpectedly, Xun You shook his head solemnly and said, "No, this is really the credit of the lord."

Then Xun You sent someone to recruit a young craftsman to his side.

The man was in his early twenties, with a fair complexion and a face full of the youthful vigor.

Wang Jing recognized his identity and looked a little surprised: "Zhengliang, why is it you?"

It turned out that the man was Lu Fang, the youngest son of the carpenter Lao Lu, and one of the earliest old men who followed Wang Jing all the way from Yanzhou to Luoyang.

It's just that Lu Fang did not join the army. He has been quietly engaged in unremarkable logistical work and is responsible for running industries such as Zuiyue Tower. He also secretly joined the Dark Guards and participated in the manufacturing of the Hundred Blades Casing.

Xun You smiled and introduced Wang Jing, "My lord asked me to gather skilled craftsmen, but I didn't expect that the real skilled craftsmen were right beside me. Zhengliang has now been accepted as a disciple of the Mohist School by Senior Moshi. He has a good talent in several arts and is good at mechanical engineering. Thanks to Zhengliang's help, the progress of research and development has been greatly advanced."

With the help of Xun You, Wang Jing was shocked to realize that an ancient mechanical genius had been hiding in his team. He had not noticed this before and almost let Lu Fang be buried.

Before this, Wang Jing had always trained Lu Fang as a housekeeper, and the tasks assigned to him were to manage accounts, run businesses and the like.

Lu Fang has a good talent for mathematics, so he managed Wang Jing's business in an orderly manner. If it weren't for this accident, Wang Jing would not have known that Lu Fang not only has a good talent for mathematics, but he is also good at mechanical engineering?

Wang Jing only proposed a concept of the mechanical design of movable type printing to Mo Shi, but Lu Fang only took ten days to realize the technology. Although it was with the help of Mo Shi, the speed was still quite fast.

At present, the printing factory has not been built yet. Lu Fang was able to lead a group of ordinary carpenters who could not even read a single word to complete the technical verification on the drawings. He can only be described as a genius.

It’s a pity that there are so many geniuses like him among the people, and all of them are buried because they have no chance to succeed.

Wang Jing secretly felt that the popularization of education must be accelerated. At the same time, he patted Lu Fang on the shoulder and encouraged him: "Zhengliang, you must do this well. Maybe you can leave your name in history in the future."

"I want to leave my name in history? Master, please don't joke with me. I don't even dare to think about it."

Lu Fang touched his head with a simple and honest expression. He had never been praised like this in his life, so he was a little uncomfortable with it.

Wang Jing has never given up on climbing the technology tree. After all, between science and magic, why must he choose between them?
Only children make choices, Wang Jing wants them all.

In order to buy horse bones with a huge amount of gold and attract famous craftsmen who were excluded by Confucian scholars to come to him, Wang Jing decided to use Lu Fang to set up an example.

Wang Jing waved his hand generously and said with a smile: "With such a contribution, how can I not reward you? Zhengliang, just tell me what kind of reward you want, and I will decide for you."

Although Xun You was a Confucian scholar, he did not reject new technologies and new ideas. He was one of the few pragmatic and open-minded Confucian scholars.

Therefore, when he saw that Wang Jing wanted to reward Lu Fang greatly, he was also happy to see it happen and felt happy for Lu Fang.

Hearing this, Lu Fang immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "I don't ask for a high position or a marquisate, but there is one thing I hope the master can agree to."

At this time, Lu Fang's young face was full of determination and courage. He was an ambitious young man who was not burdened by fame and fortune, and still maintained his ideals and worked hard to move forward.

Wang Jing sensed Lu Fang's determination, and immediately stopped smiling, straightened his mind, and asked seriously, "What does Zhengliang want?"

Lu Fang gritted his teeth and said, "I followed Senior Moshi to study Mohism, and I found that the mechanical arts were infinitely mysterious. However, Emperor Wu of the Tang Dynasty only respected Confucianism for three hundred years, and Mohism had no place in the world. I have no other requests, but I hope that the master can reproduce the grand scene of the past when a hundred schools of thought contended, so that Mohism can have a foothold."

Obviously, Lu Fang was originally a carpenter, so he agreed very much with the ideas of Mohism. After all, when Mohism was first established, its purpose was to protect the group of craftsmen and artisans.

During the Xian Qin Dynasty, Mohism was also a prominent school of thought, on par with Confucianism, Taoism, Military Science, Yin-Yang, etc.

However, in the past three hundred years, Confucianism has long unified the Central Plains and completed its ideological monopoly. Even the Huang-Lao school and the Legalists, which were upheld by the founding emperors of the Yan and Han dynasties, can only survive now, let alone other pre-Qin academic schools?

But precisely because of this, Lu Fang’s ideal is more like a delusion.

Just because he actually wanted to overthrow the monopoly of Confucianism, he stood against the aristocratic families and powerful clans.

As soon as Lu Fang finished speaking, Xun You, a member of the Confucian school, immediately looked at Wang Jing anxiously and advised: "My lord, this matter is of great importance. Please think twice."

Once Shandong's request is really agreed to, the Chinese land will inevitably see the pattern of a hundred schools of thought contending with each other, which will in turn trigger a huge wave of ideas.

This move is tantamount to declaring war on Confucianism. One must know that the leaders behind the coalition of princes are all famous Confucian scholars and direct descendants of aristocratic families.

Even the Wang family of Taiyuan was also a member of the Confucian school. Although Wang Jing himself did not study Confucianism, his father Wang Jing and elder brother Wang Gai both did.

Wang Jing pondered in silence, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

Seeing that Wang Jing didn't say anything, Lu Fang's originally uneasy mood suddenly became even more uneasy, and he couldn't help feeling a little discouraged.

After all, Confucianism was flourishing while Mohism was declining. A descendant of Mohism like him, no matter how talented he was, could only be inferior to others and work like a slave.

This kind of sadness that is not recognized by the world is probably difficult to understand unless you have experienced it personally.

After a brief contemplation, Wang Jing finally came to his senses: "Okay, I agree to this. From today on, the Hongdu School will open a Mohist lecture hall to study and spread the art of mechanical engineering and armor."

Although the Mohist philosophy was not spread openly, the lord actually agreed to it at this time?

Xun You was also shocked when he heard this. This move was really beyond his expectations. After all, from a rational point of view, a normal person should choose to refuse.

For the sake of a group of craftsmen and the already declining Mohist school, are they hostile to the Confucian school and even the entire aristocratic family group?
How unwise this is!

Compared to Xun You's shock and disbelief, at this moment, Lu Fang's heart was filled with ecstasy of realizing his lifelong ideal.

Now that Mohism finally has a chance to revive, Lu Fang, as a disciple of Mohism, is extremely excited. He feels as if he is flying into the clouds. Everything seems like a dream, so beautiful that it is almost unreal.

Lu Fang held back his tears, his eyes reddened: "From now on, I will serve my master with all my heart and soul, and die for him in return."

Wang Jing was very satisfied with Lu Fang's attitude and felt that it was not a loss at all.

Anyway, the territory is not big now, and not many bureaucrats are needed. It is okay to fall out with the Confucian school, and it can be held up for the time being. On the contrary, from now on, cultivating a group of Mohist disciples and conducting research on physics may be more beneficial to the development of Chinese civilization.

As for how to train, Wang Jing did not intend to implement the backward disciple system, but to follow the example of later universities and implement the academy system, opening the door wide to select talents from all over the world and teaching everyone.

In the academy, one’s birth or family background is not considered, only personal ability is considered.

This was unimaginable during the Three Kingdoms period. At that time, educational institutions in China were generally divided into two types: official schools and private schools. Private schools were schools of Confucianism founded by famous Confucian scholars from all over the country. The teaching method was also relatively casual, and basically a group of apprentices gathered around the tutor to listen to his teachings.

For example, when Wang Jing was in Chenliu County, the Feibai Jingguan he attended used this teaching method.

Students like Wang Jing could only listen to what Cai Yong, their mentor, said, and occasionally they would get a chance to ask questions.

It has to be said that this way of teaching is very casual and inefficient. Except for a few great scholars with real talents and their talented disciples, ordinary people can hardly learn much real skills from it.

Even poorer students don’t even have the opportunity to attend classes as auditors, and can only go back to work like slaves and dig for food in the dirt.

(End of this chapter)