Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 290 The emergence of machines is to liberate the people!

"Moved."

"Moved!"

"It's really moving!"

The moment the lump of iron on the platform moved, the whole venue was in an uproar. Everyone squeezed forward to see what it looked like when the iron lump moved. Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the "iron horse" had successfully moved.

Before he went on stage, he was worried that the test would not be successful.

After all, it is inevitable that there will be bumps and bruises along the way. If it is damaged, it would be really heartbreaking. Fortunately, such a thing did not happen. The "Iron Horse" moved as expected. Zhou Ning took a deep breath, went to the slowly moving iron horse, shoveled another shovel of coal, and then tied some stones to the logs again to prevent the iron horse from being too strong and rushing out.

It was Zhou Ning's action that made even more people excited.

Not many people could see clearly how the iron horses moved, but they could clearly see the stone logs being dragged.

Although I don't know its exact weight, I think it is more than 100 kilograms.

This is already an adult weight.

It is truly worthy of being called the Iron Horse.

Zhou Ning said: "This 'iron horse' is actually limited because of the limited space. It is impossible to run freely. However, from the scene in front of you, you can see that the iron horse is indeed successful and can indeed carry a group of objects behind it. If the objects behind are not heavy, the speed can be greatly improved. Moreover, this is just a small steam engine. If it is replaced with a large one, it can be further improved."

"This 'iron horse' can carry far more things than an ordinary carriage."

"It may even be used to carry people in the future."

"Our initial idea was to lay tracks. This way, the resistance on the ground would be much less, and it would be much easier to stop and accelerate. The consumption of coal would also be greatly reduced. And this is just the 'iron horse' used on the ground."

"The steam engine can also be used on water."

"Nowadays, many of the Ming Dynasty's ships are pulled by boatmen."

“It’s very hard.”

"If we switch to this, using only coal, I wonder how many trackers can be freed, how much manpower can be saved for the Ming Dynasty, and how much labor can be reduced for the local people. This is all visible to the naked eye."

"In addition, replacing these tracks with other robotic arms can also save more people from having to do a lot of important labor, or even dangerous things."

“That’s what the machine is all about!”

“When I was studying these things before, I actually didn’t understand them.”

"My Great Ming Dynasty is a prosperous country with a large population. Why would we need these things?"

"But when Lord Xia said that machines are meant to 'liberate the people', and Lord Xia really took action to make changes, I changed my mind for the first time, and it was also the first time I realized that the things I made with my own hands could have such a great impact on the world."

“The use of steam engines in salt production was just the beginning.”

"Then there were some things like 'iron horses', 'iron ships', and some mechanical tools, which could greatly reduce the degree of conscription of civilian workers. From ancient times to the present, the people have been burdened with heavy corvée labor, and the Ming Dynasty is no exception."

"Once there is a natural disaster or man-made disaster, there are few local solutions. Even if the court responds, it is difficult to convey it to the local area in time."

“It’s difficult for people to save themselves.”

“But if these tools were available, people’s lives would be greatly improved.”

"Take salt production as an example. By using steam to make salt, the output and quality of salt are greatly improved."

"You can ask yourself, have you ever worried about the lack of salt in the past few months?"

"Even when the stove dwellers rioted?"

When Zhou Ning asked the question, everyone around him was stunned.

After pondering for a while, someone said uncertainly: "It seems that I haven't worried about it. Although the price of salt will fluctuate, I have basically never heard of salt shortage. This has never happened before."

“How can there be a shortage of salt when the machines produce it so quickly?”

“Is this what the machine does?”

"."

More and more people came to their senses. No one had thought about it before, but now that they were reminded, they also realized it.

The efficiency of machine-made salt is so high that even if the cooks make trouble, the machines don't stop much, and salt is still produced as usual. Naturally, there will be no salt shortage crisis.

Deng Muzi's face darkened.

I feel a little unhappy, but I have to admit that this is a fact.

When they first started making trouble, they wanted to affect the salt market, thereby creating a shortage of salt in the market, and then get the people involved. However, the machines in the salt factory never stopped, and they were unable to rush in. In the end, they had to fight alone. Fortunately, many of them were young and strong, which allowed things to continue.

Otherwise it simply won’t last.

Even so, the noise became smaller and smaller.

Because it's useless.

Zhou Ning said, "Now these machines are only used for salt production, but what about in the future? They may be used for farming. When the time comes to plant rice, we can use machines to plant rice day and night. Wouldn't it be faster than humans? With the efficiency of machines, many uncultivated areas may be turned into fertile fields in the future."

"If there is more food, people can survive."

"Even if there are natural disasters or man-made disasters, there will not be a major food shortage problem in the area."

"Even if there is a food shortage, the imperial court can quickly allocate food with the help of the army to provide disaster relief. I don't know how many lives this can save."

“Machines change life!”

"I admit that the emergence of machines will have a significant impact on the lives of many people. I'm afraid there are many cooks, boatmen, and even boat trackers here. But ask yourself, if there is no pressure to make a living, do you really want to do what you are doing now?"

Deng Muzi clenched his teeth, and his heart was completely relaxed.

If it weren't for a living, who would want to make salt every day, work around the stove every day, be roasted by the fire, and transport brine, turn and fry every day? But as Zhou Ning said, there is no way, they have to make a living, and this is all they know how to do now.

Without salt production, they would not be able to survive.

What choice do they have?
Zhou Ning said: "The emergence of machines is to change all this."

"The Ming Dynasty is actually short of people."

“The population is severely under-represented.”

"The court has only intentionally imposed restrictions to prevent the world from being unbalanced and to allow it to continue to run smoothly. However, if some of the manpower that could have been saved was saved and used in other areas, the Ming Dynasty might not necessarily become better."

"Providing food and clothing to the people is indeed a top priority."

"But machines can free up more manpower, allowing these people to do more valuable and meaningful things, making the whole world richer and benefiting all the people in the world. The emergence of machines is to lead the world to a prosperous path."

“Rescue the people from heavy and arduous labor.”

"Let these people do machine-related work, such as assembling machines, repairing machines, using machines, and of course creating machines. All of these are easier than what you are doing now."

“And it’s worth more!”

"Even in coal mining, with the help of machines, more can be mined, and workers don't have to do the most dangerous work. More coal will be mined, and the people will benefit from it. The price of coal will also be reduced, which will also promote the vigorous development of other machine-related industries."

"And then make the world a better place."

"The emergence of machines is definitely not intended to strangle your way to life."

"It is to guide you towards a better future, so don't be too resistant to the emergence of machines, because if you look at it in the long run, you will definitely find that the emergence of machines will actually greatly improve your lives."

"Now, under the planning of Lord Xia, the North will increase its investment in the textile industry."

“Perhaps it won’t be long before everyone in the world can afford to wear and buy clothes.”

“The days when a family wore one set of clothes will also be gone forever.”

“But all this takes time.”

"The court will make better decisions in the future and try to avoid the incident involving the southern stove owner from happening again."

"Everyone should encourage each other!"

(End of this chapter)