The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 119 The Patriotic and Concerned Crown Prince

With Old Zhu's words...

Luo Yonghao has been officially recruited by the royal family!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying immediately bowed and said, "On behalf of Mr. Luo, your grandson thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

"Besides the new crossbows and the educational matters such as storybooks, your grandson has another piece of great news to tell you—"

Following that, Zhu Xiong Ying took the opportunity to give a general overview of the progress of the modification of firearms such as handguns.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already heard Tao Chengdao report this inside story.

He nodded and smiled, "Although Chengdao is quite old, his skills haven't diminished in the slightest!"

"In his previous memorial to the throne, he specifically mentioned it to us—that this improved hand-held device might be mass-produced? So that it can be quickly deployed to the border troops and the Imperial Guards!"

Old Zhu really hit the nail on the head!

Zhu Xiong Ying straightened up and replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, I was just about to bring up this matter!"

He reiterated his mass production strategy, including the details of the processes.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly and said, "I will inform the Ordnance Bureau about my grandson's method and have them try it out!"

On matters of national importance and the people's livelihood.

As long as it's beneficial, Lao Zhu always acts swiftly and decisively!

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Xiong Ying publicly shared his ideas for adjusting the university.

"Your Majesty, you are wise. Haven't medical subjects already been established within the academy?"

"According to my grandson's previous teaching methods, the original plan was to train a basic doctor within one or two years!"

"After all, as I told you and Grandmother before, our countryside and the army are most in need of these kinds of people!"

"For children from ordinary families, when they catch a cold or have indigestion, there are no doctors to prescribe medicine, so they can only pray to gods and Buddhas, which can lead to serious illness. The number of children who die young is the most heartbreaking."

In reality, the infant mortality rate in the early Ming Dynasty was far higher than imagined, approaching 40% to 50%.

They mainly died from common illnesses such as smallpox, colds, and indigestion.

Currently, while the widespread use of variolation can significantly improve survival rates, its application in the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases still needs improvement.

He paused, then continued, "And the situation in the army is even worse—"

"But I saw it today, grandson. Even the medical doctors at universities these days still follow the old methods, passing on knowledge orally and through hands-on instruction. It takes seven or eight years to become a master like that! This goes against my original intention!"

"On the way back to the city today, my grandson thought about it carefully and realized that he hadn't planned things well —"

Seeing that Lao Zhu was listening attentively, he explained the adjustments clearly and logically.

"From now on, medicine at the university can be divided into two paths!"

"One is to master the profound medical sciences, and as is the case now, we invite famous doctors from the Imperial Medical Academy and folk doctors to sit in the classroom, teach and guide students, and study difficult and complicated diseases, so as to pass on medical theories and skills."

One option is a crash course in medicine, specifically designed to teach practical and easy-to-learn skills!

Just like in later generations, symptoms such as the common cold and fever can usually be cured with common medicines after diagnosis.

The purpose of accelerated medical education is to enable students to identify common symptoms in order to determine the appropriate medication and treat the symptoms accordingly!

In this way, the number of minor illnesses that develop into major illnesses and lead to death can be greatly reduced in rural areas!

As for the Ming Dynasty at present, its medical system is actually quite comprehensive.

For example, in the central government area, there was an Imperial Medical Academy, which was divided into thirteen departments, including general medicine, minor medicine, and women's medicine, and was fully responsible for the medical treatment of the royal family and the medical administration guidance of the whole country.

In local areas, the prefecture level established the Department of Medicine, the state level established the Department of Classics, and the county level established the Department of Training.

Not to mention the public welfare pharmacies that started as early as the third year of the Hongwu reign!

However, there is still a significant shortage of medical personnel at the grassroots level!

Whenever an epidemic broke out, the imperial court could only temporarily dispatch and recruit doctors from places such as the Imperial Hospital.

Zhu Xiong Ying's idea was to shift the focus of medical education in the Ming Dynasty from elitism to popularization!

This aligns in many ways with Zhu De's universal ideal of saving the people!

Furthermore, the existence of Huimin Pharmacy acts as a huge platform, providing employment opportunities for graduates of accelerated medical programs!

Most importantly, there is the existing "Collection of Effective Surgical Prescriptions," as well as "Universal Relief Prescriptions" compiled by his fifth uncle Zhu and others.

The medical books here contain practical methods for treating external injuries, stopping bleeding, and bandaging, all of which can be used as teaching materials!

"And in my grandson's view, this crash course in medicine doesn't require teaching obscure theories of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, or meridians; it only teaches practical, symptom-based treatment!"

"For example, what medicine should be used for a cold caused by wind and cold? How should a cough and fever be treated? How can indigestion in young children be prevented? How should women take care of themselves before and after childbirth?"

"Grandpa, look, this is all practical knowledge. Even common people who don't know many characters can learn it on their own by listening to and seeing it often! Apprentices learning to read can graduate in as little as six months or as long as a year!"

"If this were done at a university, and the professors and their students proved it worked, then it could be extended to the prefectural city area. We could set up some specialized schools, train them in basic pharmacology, and assign them to rural areas to serve as resident doctors in public pharmacies! With subsidies from the imperial court, they could provide free medical treatment to the people!"

"The same principle applies to the Ming army—"

The establishment of the university was originally rushed!

In these details, Zhu Xiong Ying originally planned to operate and adjust simultaneously.

The classification of medical students is also being gradually improved and perfected!

Conversely, doing it too perfectly can arouse suspicion.

And all of this is inseparable from Lao Zhu's support!

After all, once the accelerated medical system is established and widely adopted by practitioners, it will inevitably infringe upon the interests of medical households!

At this point, the intervention of imperial power is necessary!

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, stroking his beard without stopping.

When his eldest grandson mentioned the original intention of establishing the medical school, he saw the benefits in it!

The detailed methods discussed today are even more to the point!

Old Zhu laughed and said, "Last year, after listening to my eldest grandson's words, I knew you wanted to tear down the barriers to learning medicine!"

"At the time, we were still wondering what Da Sun would do?"

"Now that you've explained it to me, I finally understand!"

"This isn't difficult. Let's talk to your father about it! Just like what Da Sun said, let's conduct the experiment at the university first, and then discuss its popularization—"

As always, Lao Zhu remained vigilant and cautious regarding certain institutional changes.

But as soon as he opened his mouth...

Zhu Xiong Ying knew that it was highly likely to succeed!

After finishing his business, he was in no hurry to leave.

Instead, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

This is a sketch of an alcohol distiller.

In the early Ming Dynasty, both the military and civilians knew that liquor could remove foul odors, relieve pain, and prevent ulceration.

However, these are mostly low concentrations, resulting in limited disinfection effects.

There are no established standards for cleaning, disinfecting, and bandaging wounds!

Now, the Northern Expedition is imminent.

It is necessary to adopt available methods to enhance the survivability of the Ming army!

Therefore, it was very necessary to produce and store high-concentration alcohol through royal means!

"Grandpa Emperor, look at this!"

"This idea came to me after my grandson saw people brewing wine!"

"As for its use, it's precisely for distilling high-proof spirits!"

Fire liquor?!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, as if he had suddenly thought of something.