Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 117: To open the imperial examination, the great case writing technique [Subscribe]

Liu Kuan returned to the Science and Technology Department and told Su Quan about the matter first.

Su Quan asked worriedly, "Liu Fulang really doesn't know how to maintain the bridge?"

Liu Kuan smiled bitterly, "I really don't know - otherwise why would we go to the bridge to check and then formulate a plan based on the situation in our Ming Dynasty?"

Su Quan then asked, "How long does a bridge like this, made of steel and concrete, usually last?"

"I don't know about that either—but I do know that this cross-river bridge outside has been in use for over sixty years, but it was completely renovated a few years ago."

"Under normal circumstances, with proper maintenance, it should be able to last another 30 to 40 years."

"Although no one in the Ming Dynasty knows the full range of maintenance and repair techniques, and they also lack some of the necessary materials, the Ming Dynasty's use of the bridge is very low."

"Therefore, I can't estimate exactly how many years this bridge will last."

Liu Kuan said this and was about to leave.

Su Quan said, "I'd better go with you."

Liu Kuan shook his head. "Now that Doctor Su is gone, what should we do if another accident happens in the power research group?"

After saying that, he turned around and strode out.

After leaving the court, Liu Kuan asked Ah Hu to go back home to get him a set of clothes that would allow him to move around easily.

He took a carriage, escorted by Wang Guangyue and others, and went directly to the cross-river bridge.

About half an hour later, Liu Kuan's carriage stopped in front of the South Bridgehead.

Liu Kuan got out of the car, looked at the two statues for a few seconds, then walked straight to the sidewalk and walked towards the middle of the bridge.

In fact, Liu Kuan would come to this bridge once every once in a while, but he rarely paid attention to certain details.

This is probably a habit developed before time travel - modern infrastructure such as roads, bridges, high-rise buildings, and various vehicles are all commonplace for people in later generations.

Even though our daily lives depend on the convenience brought by some of these facilities, few people pay attention to the subtle changes in the facilities, and even less think about their upkeep and maintenance.

Only after many years, especially when you have been away for several years and come back, will you suddenly realize that a road, bridge, square, stadium or other facility that you thought was built not long ago has become like an old photo that has been improperly stored, and has lost its fresh color and become dilapidated.

At this time, Liu Kuan looked carefully and found that some paint and coating on the bridge railings were indeed peeling off, especially near the bridge deck.

Some of them peeled off earlier, and the steel exposed to the air did show signs of rust.

Liu Kuan stopped only when he reached the middle of the bridge.

He thought that perhaps it was because the bridge underwent routine maintenance every year, and the area of ​​peeling coating and paint was still very small compared to the entire bridge.

As for how to solve it - forget about re-galvanizing, you can only repair it with paint.

Of course, the rust must be dealt with before repairing.

As for more maintenance methods, Liu Kuan has not thought of them yet.

He felt that he could hold a meeting in the Science and Technology Department or even the Ministry of Industry to pool ideas.

As he walked back, Liu Kuan checked the bridge again.

The bridge is cleaned every day, and it is done very carefully. In addition, the behavior of tourists is strictly restricted, so the sanitation has always been good and there are no problems with the drainage system.

Then, Liu Kuan took a horse-drawn carriage to the place where the railway and the highway intersected and went to the railway bridge to check.

Sure enough, I found that the paint on the steel here was also peeling off, but the overall condition was okay...
The next day.

Liu Kuan came to Fengxian Hall and submitted a memorial to Zhu Yuanzhang - it was just for Zhu Yuanzhang to see first, and it would have to be sent to the cabinet to go through the process later.

When Zhu Yuanzhang took a look, he saw that the cover of the memorial was inscribed with "Measures for the Maintenance of Bridges and Railways (Trial)", which was the same plain and unpretentious name as Liu Kuan's previous memorials.

This is very much to his liking.

I started reading it immediately.

After a while, he finished looking at it and said, "Rust removal, painting, and wrapping key parts of the bridge with tarpaulin. Is there nothing else besides these?"

Liu Kuan said, "I have discussed this with my colleagues in the Ministry of Works, and this is all we can do at the moment."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Isn't it too long to do routine inspections and maintenance every three months? Wouldn't it be better to change it to once a month?"

Liu Kuan was slightly taken aback, then said, "If Your Majesty is not afraid of wasting supplies and money, once a month would be better. However, according to my humble opinion, once every three months is about enough."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Almost, but that's not enough. The importance of this cross-river bridge is beyond words. To extend its service life for a few more years, wasting some supplies and money is nothing."

Liu Kuan didn't say anything, but thought to himself: You are the emperor, you have the final say.

Zhu Yuanzhang then said, "Your memorial says that with proper maintenance, the bridge can be used for another 30 to 40 years. How can that be enough?"

"In thirty or forty years, I'm afraid our Ming Dynasty still won't have the ability to build such a cross-river bridge, right?"

Liu Kuan thought for a moment and said, "Building this kind of super-large bridge structure requires not only some advanced materials and construction techniques, but also some large-scale machinery."

"The former is easier to say, but as for large-scale machinery, the possibility of it being built in 30 or 40 years is extremely small."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment, then drummed his fingers on his desk. "It seems we must urgently develop science and technology. We plan to reopen the imperial examinations next year and make mathematics a compulsory subject." "We will also establish optional examinations on 'natural sciences' and 'crafts' to select talented individuals who can contribute to the development of science and technology. What do you think?"

Liu Kuan wasn't too surprised when he heard this.

Now he understands Zhu better than he did in later generations. He knows that once Zhu is determined to do something, he will act decisively and vigorously, and even the reform of the court system can be described as drastic.

Of course, Lao Zhu is not simply reckless, but rather meticulous and even far-sighted.

Thinking of this, Liu Kuan bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Mathematics has many uses. Later generations will regard it as a key skill in governing a country. It should be listed as a compulsory subject in the imperial examination."

"As for natural sciences and various crafts, I'm afraid very few scholars today have knowledge of this kind. They can only be included as optional questions in the exam to select specialists."

Zhu Yuanzhang was quite interested in this and asked, "How did mathematics become an important technique for governing a country in later generations?"

When Liu Kuan heard Lao Zhu's question, the first thing he thought of was "big data" and "artificial intelligence".

But these two things are difficult to explain clearly to Lao Zhu, and the explanation is not very meaningful.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, in fact, all dynasties have regarded mathematics as an important tool for governing the country, but they have not been clearly defined and taken seriously."

"For example, a general going to war needs to know the number of soldiers, horses, money and food, and also needs to know how much money and food will be consumed under certain circumstances."

"Another example is taxation – how much can a population and a certain amount of land produce in a year, and what is the appropriate amount of tax the court should collect."

"For example, the construction of palaces, the building of river embankments, the relief of disaster victims, the formulation and distribution of salaries, and so on, all rely on mathematics."

"It is precisely because the application of mathematics in these matters is so common, and the problems involved are relatively simple, that it has been neglected by successive dynasties."

"I have heard that throughout history, the governance of the country was mostly based on Confucianism on the outside and Legalism on the inside. In my opinion, Confucianism and Legalism should be combined in parallel."

Zhu Yuanzhang was thoughtful at first, then smiled and said, "You really hold mathematics in high esteem."

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't seem to take mathematics more seriously after hearing what Liu Kuan said, he couldn't help but feel moved. He asked, "Your Majesty, do you know how many people there were in Chang'an during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "According to many historical records, there should be a million people - this is nothing. Our capital now has 700,000 to 800,000 people. I believe that in a few decades, the population will also exceed one million."

Liu Kuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Historically, even though the capital later became Nanjing, it was still the most populous city in the Ming Dynasty. The permanent and floating population combined were approximately 1.2 to 1.3 million."

"At that time, Beijing had been the capital of the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years, but its population had never exceeded one million."

"While Nanjing's population was large, it was nothing compared to Chang'an during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. According to later research, the combined permanent and floating population of Chang'an during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty was 2.2 to 3.5 million, almost double the later population of the capital!"

Even with Old Zhu's cunningness, he couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this.

Over a decade after the Ming Dynasty was founded, the population of the capital had been growing by tens of thousands every year. He had already realized how difficult it was to govern a city with such a large population.

So he asked in confusion, "With a population of over two million, how did the Tang Dynasty ensure the stability of the capital? With so many people, if there was a civil unrest, how could it be controlled?"

Liu Kuan said, "Of course it relies on mathematics. Your Majesty, don't forget that the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty had a subject called Mathematics."

"Mathematics played so many roles in governing the Tang Dynasty that I won't enumerate them all. I will only mention one example that became quite famous in later generations: the art of case writing."

"The Great Case Writing Technique?"

Liu Kuan knew that the Great Case Study was just a fabrication by later generations based on the imagination of big data, but he did not hesitate to use it to shock Old Zhu and make mathematics have a higher status in his heart.

He said, "It is said that during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the Tang Dynasty established the Jing'an Division to ensure the stability and safety of the capital. They worked with the Bad People to monitor all matters in the city and handle all cases promptly."

"In order to be efficient, all information about everyone in Chang'an, including all shops, workshops, and residences, as well as all types of materials entering and leaving the city, was compiled into documents according to regulations and sent to the Jing'an Division. These documents were then stored in the division's document library according to a certain pattern."

"Officials with strong memory and good math skills were selected to be responsible for managing and reviewing the documents."

"For example, if a murder occurs in a certain neighborhood, even if the victim is just an ordinary citizen, as long as the location and the people involved are reported to the Jing'an Division, the case can be quickly solved by reviewing the relevant case files!"

"It is also because of this great case filing technique that anyone with ulterior motives who enters Chang'an will be easily discovered by the Jing'an Division if they do something bad, unless they do it without any ill intentions."

"And because of the Great Case File Technique, there's nowhere to hide. He'll be quickly apprehended and interrogated, and the threat will be neutralized!"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not know that Liu Kuan was describing an institution in later film and television dramas. After listening to Liu Kuan's description, he could not help but feel fascinated.

"No wonder the Li family was able to govern the Tang Dynasty better than the Han Dynasty. They had such a powerful organization like the Jing'an Division to protect them."

"Since its establishment, the Jinyiwei has been far more capable of gathering intelligence and monitoring officials than before, and we were secretly proud of it. But now, compared to the Jing'an Division, it's nothing."

"It seems we need to allocate more money and food to the Jinyiwei and raise some of their requirements."

"And mathematics, it really should be given more attention!"

Zhu Yuanzhang originally planned to reopen the imperial examination system for the first time, with mathematics accounting for only one-fifth of the required examination content.

Now I have secretly decided that mathematics should at least occupy one-third of the required examination content!

After coming to his senses, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I never thought that the Li Tang Dynasty had such a wonderful method as the Great Case Writing Technique. If the Li Tang Dynasty had it, then our Ming Dynasty can have it too. When you go down, please write a memorial on the Great Case Writing Technique and submit it to me."

Liu Kuan was stunned after hearing this.

　First update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)