The next day Chen Jingke went to the palace and met Li Shimin and Li Chengqian in the Manlu Hall.
Today Li Shimin's state has completely changed from before, and he looks full of energy.
As for the reason, just look at the few thin memorials on his desk and the mountain of memorials on Li Chengqian's desk.
However, Li Chengqian was also in good condition. For him, this was also a dream day. When he saw Chen Jingke, he also cast a grateful look.
Chen Jingke showed his big white teeth at him, which immediately amused both of them.
Li Shimin smiled and said: "Okay, okay, I know your teeth are white, tell me what you want to do with me."
Chen Jingke was not angry and explained his purpose: "I want the armillary sphere drawings from the Taishi Bureau, so I came here to ask you for a note."
Li Shimin didn't mind giving him the blueprints. Although astronomy and astrology were prophecies that ordinary people were not allowed to learn, Chen Jingke was obviously not included.
However, he was also curious about what Chen Jingke wanted the blueprint for, so he asked: "What do you want the blueprint for? Do you want to learn astronomy?"
Chen Jingke shook his head and said, "No, no, I'm not interested in astronomy. I'm just interested in the structure of the armillary sphere itself."
Li Shimin asked doubtfully: "The structure of the armillary sphere? Is there anything magical about it?"
Chen Jingke thought for a while and said: "Just like waterwheels and various hydraulic tools, if certain structures of the armillary sphere are used well, amazing machines can be built."
Li Shimin immediately became interested. Waterwheels and hydraulic machinery are so useful.
Through the efforts of Datang craftsmen, hydraulic machinery has become more and more widely used, which has been of great help to Datang.
There were also trains, ships, phonographs, etc. that were only in the stage of drawings and toys, which made him very interested in the machinery Chen Jingke mentioned.
So when I heard that there was a new machine, I quickly asked: "Tell me, what kind of machine can be built."
Chen Jingke said mysteriously: "Hey, keep it secret for now, and you will know when it is built."
Although Li Shimin wanted to know, he did not ask further. Instead, he smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll wait for your surprise... If you don't satisfy me, you will be punished."
Chen Jingke patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, no one dares to say this baby is useless."
Li Shimin said nothing more, picked up his pen and wrote down a handwritten edict.
This thing has not been certified by the prime ministers, so it has no legal effect. The reason has been explained before and I won’t go into details here.
However, what Chen Jingke had to do was not a big deal. He just went to the Taishi Bureau to copy a drawing. This handwriting was enough.
After getting the note, he was about to leave when he remembered what happened yesterday, and told Li Shimin his plan to form an alliance with Confucianism, including the reasons.
Li Shimin was not surprised at all, but asked: "Are you so sure that the future will turn out like what you said?"
Chen Jingke affirmed: "I am 100% sure that this is the development process in my hometown... The elders in the family have also conducted countless deductions, and finally reached this result."
Li Shimin said thoughtfully: "So you have been forcibly promoting Chinese civilization from the beginning, and you are sure that this path is correct. Is this the origin of it?"
Chen Jingke said: "Yes, this is why I established the Gewu Research Class at Zixiaoguan. First, cultivate a group of science talents and build a good framework for science."
"To achieve this goal, the academic and political system is also very important. Only the academic and political system can continuously cultivate a variety of talents."
"So in the future we will have to reform the teaching materials used in schools. Students should not only learn Confucian or Taoist classics, but all schools of thought, and they must also learn science."
Li Shimin questioned: "Human energy is limited. One classic is enough to study for a lifetime, so how can one study hundreds of schools of thought?"
Chen Jingke pointed at himself and said, "What do you think of me?"
Li Shimin stopped talking. In terms of knowledge, Chen Jingke was indeed "erudite and knowledgeable", but he only had the word "Bo" and was useless other than that.
But who dares to say that he is useless? Who dares to say that he is not a talent?
Chen Jingke continued: "Of course, if we train people like me who are knowledgeable but not sophisticated, it will also be a failure."
Li Shimin smiled and said: "You are very self-aware."
Chen Jingke glared at him angrily. Considering that the other party was an emperor, he could only break his teeth and swallow it in his stomach. He said sadly: "This kind of teaching philosophy is to learn first and then master."
"This is the time when children are growing their knowledge. The first task of education is to broaden their knowledge and try to expose them to as many different kinds of knowledge and concepts as possible."
"When they have some experience and know what they like and want to do, let them choose a path they like to specialize in."
"For example, those who like arithmetic should concentrate on studying arithmetic; those who like literary creation, let them learn how to write poems, songs, articles and novels; those who are interested in medicine should study medicine..."
Li Shimin suddenly understood and said: "So you only received the first stage of education and came to Datang before the second stage, right?"
Chen Jingke shook his head and said: "No, no, no, there is a third stage. This stage is called excellence."
"It means selecting the best people from the second stage and studying with the best teachers to do research...and I have already completed the second stage of education."
Li Shimin said in surprise: "Oh, what did you choose in the second stage? Why do I think you know a little bit about everything but are not good at anything?"
Chen Jingke said angrily: "Writing, I chose writing in the second stage. Otherwise, why do you think I can copy... can write Journey to the West and write so many articles?"
In fact, he studied journalism, but why did he not engage in this industry?
Let's put it this way, if you want to work in this industry, you either have to learn to be blind, or you have already entered it.
He didn't want to be blind, and he couldn't tolerate his conscience, and he didn't want to go in, so he chose to stay away from this industry.
Writing is also a compulsory skill for journalism majors, so it’s not a problem for him to say that he studied writing.
Li Shimin said unexpectedly: "You have actually developed the ability to only learn writing?"
Chen Jingke said: "What's strange about this? We also have people who specialize in farming. The rice seeds I brought were researched by them."
"In addition to rice seeds, there are also wheat that can produce a thousand kilograms per mu, and cotton that can produce eight or nine hundred kilograms per mu... Hey, it's a pity that I brought rice with me when I came to Datang."
Of course, high crop yields are not just a matter of seeds, fertilizers are equally important, but there is no need to elaborate on these with Li Shimin.
Seeing him mention these seeds, Li Shimin had no doubts. He had seen with his own eyes how high-yielding the rice brought by Chen Jingke was, and it was unknown how many people regarded it as auspicious.
It turned out that in Chen Jingke's hometown, they were artificially cultivated, and there were more than just one kind. It can only be said that the gap is too big, and Datang really lagged behind this mysterious family in all aspects.
At the same time, it also strengthened his confidence that the Tang Dynasty must have these things. The Chen family can use the power of the family to research these in hundreds of years, and the national power of the Tang Dynasty will only complete it faster.
Thinking of this, he said: "Write down the details about education in your hometown and give it to me, and I will see what is worth learning from."
Chen Jingke said: "Okay...but we seem to be talking about an alliance between Taoism and Confucianism. What do you think?"
Li Shimin said: "Since you have confidence, then do it, but be careful not to be taken advantage of again."
Chen Jingke replied: "Don't worry, you will gain wisdom after every experience." He didn't believe in himself, but in Wu Shu.
After saying the matter, he said goodbye and left, going straight to the Taishi Bureau.
After he left, Li Shimin asked Li Chengqian: "What do you think of what he said?"
Li Chengqian knew that it was about education, so he replied: "It is indeed a direction. It doesn't matter what school of thought, the important thing is to make the Tang Dynasty more prosperous and powerful."
Li Shimin said: "You still missed the point. The biggest advantage of this method is that it can completely end the situation where a certain theory is dominant."
Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's true. The phrase that Jing Ke often talks about is... yes, it's called a dialectical approach to problems."
"I didn't understand it before, but now I understand it a little bit. If a person has studied hundreds of schools of thought since he was a child, he can indeed absorb the strengths of each school and look at problems dialectically."
Li Shimin was very pleased and reminded: "But don't believe too much in the methods he said. It's not that he has any bad intentions, but the Chen family is just a family after all and is easier to manage."
"The Tang Dynasty is too big, and many small and inconspicuous problems will turn into big problems. The methods that can be used in their family may not be applicable in the Tang Dynasty."
"So his method can be used as a reference, but it cannot be fully trusted."
Li Chengqian said respectfully: "Thank you Aye for your teaching, I understand."
…
Chen Jingke went all the way to the Taishi Bureau and successfully found Li Chunfeng.
Fu Yi, the previous Taishi Ling of the Taishi Bureau, passed away at the beginning of the year at the age of over eighty. Li Chunfeng, the second in command, was successfully reorganized and became the new Taishi Ling of the Tang Dynasty.
In the history of his previous life, he worked until the day he died.
Li Chunfeng was also a semi-mythical figure, but his lifespan did not match his fame, and he died in his early sixties.
Not to mention compared with people like Wang Yuanzhi and Sun Simiao, the famous Taoist priests of the same period seemed to have lived longer than him.
Back to business.
Li Chunfeng had already copied a drawing of the armillary sphere, and when he saw the emperor's handwriting, he gave it to Chen Jingke.
After that, the two talked about the alliance with Confucianism. Chen Jingke said: "I have just told His Majesty about this matter and obtained his support. Daochang Li can feel free to contact Confucianism."
Li Chunfeng perked up and said, "Zhenren Chen has thought everything through. If so, I'm relieved. I'll prepare my words in the next few days, and when I'm confident, I'll go see Academician Kong."
Chen Jingke said: "I'm not in a hurry, you can just take care of it."
After a brief chat, he returned to Zixiao Temple with the drawings in hand.
After returning home, he locked himself in the house and carefully studied the armillary sphere. The more he studied it, the more he marveled at the wisdom of the ancients. This thing was indeed ahead of its time.
But what impressed him most was not the armillary sphere itself, but its dynamic structure.
This power structure has no name. It was just invented as a supporting tool for the armillary sphere. Later, someone modified a special mechanical structure based on it, the escapement.
The core structure of a clock is the escapement.
Yes, the thing he plans to build is a clock.
In his previous life, Chen Jingke had seen the sketch of an escapement, which was a very simple structure.
It's just that he is a literary student and is not very interested in this aspect. He does not remember what the specific structure looks like and cannot restore it.
The watches he brought over were all electronic and could not be disassembled or copied.
So after time travel, he came up with so many inventions, including a steam engine and a phonograph, but he couldn't make a clock.
But he knew that the core of a clock is the escapement, and the escapement was originally part of the armillary sphere's power structure. As long as the armillary sphere is found, this problem can be solved.
It's just that the control over astronomy and astrology in ancient times was extremely strict. Even the drawings of armillary spheres were top secret, and very few people had ever seen them.
Until some time ago, he heard someone say that the Taishi Bureau had an armillary sphere, which was built by the former Taishi Order Fu Yi.
Since Fu Yi built the Armillary Sphere, he must have the blueprints, which are most likely hidden in the Taishi Bureau. When he asked Li Chunfeng, it turned out to be the case.
After careful study, he discovered that the power structure of the armillary sphere at this time was not the escapement familiar to later generations.
The good news is that there is already a prototype of the escapement. Combined with the incomplete sketch of the escapement in his mind, it can be completely restored.
It took two days to finally figure out the sketch of the escapement.
However, it is not easy to turn an escapement into a clock. He cannot remember whether he has disassembled this thing in his previous life, and it is certain that he does not have any relevant memories.
But it doesn’t matter. With the escapement, the rest can be explored slowly.
He did not plan to explore it himself, but planned to leave it to the people in the Gewu Research Class. Firstly, he did not have the energy, and secondly, he wanted to encourage the students in the Gewu Research Class.
These people have been here for more than half a year and are learning boring theoretical knowledge every day.
Although they did a lot of experiments during the period and built some machines by themselves, those drawings were all provided by Chen Jingke, which made them lack some sense of accomplishment.
It's also time to inspire them by letting them come up with an invention of their own.
Ordinary small inventions are not motivating enough, and they can't handle the ones that are too complicated. Watches and clocks are the most suitable ones.
Thinking of this, he came to the outer courtyard and called Li Tai and Cheng Hualiang over.
I unfolded the drawing and showed it to them, told them my thoughts, and even drew a rough outline of the clock.
"The pendulum swings back and forth to provide power...the escapement evenly transmits this force to the pointer, allowing the pointer to beat at a uniform speed..."
"I have calculated that the twelve hours in a day can be divided into twenty-four hours, and each hour can be divided into sixty parts, which I call minutes."
"Every minute can be divided into sixty seconds... Well, one second is probably a little longer than the time of one heart beat..."
Having said this, he pushed the drawing in front of everyone and said: "I drew the drawing of the escapement. How to realize this idea is left to you."
