Only scientific and technological progress in physics, chemistry, mechanics, etc. can unleash comprehensive power and provide substantial impetus for epoch-making inventions such as the steam engine.

The emperor was well aware of this, but he did not give any further instructions and let the Academy of Sciences tinker and figure it out on their own.

Through this process, a group of talents will grow. Only by doing it yourself and repeating the test can you leave a deep impression and be more conducive to the subsequent production.

Accumulation, whether in terms of technology, talent, or experience, is necessary and cannot be skipped in many cases.

"Hurray!" May led the little princess over, her face flushed with exercise, and said with a smile, "I got first place in the final exam again this year."

The emperor smiled and said, "Doesn't the school have rewards? Do you want to get some more from me?"

Wu Yue laughed, not feeling embarrassed at all, and said, "Hot pot is delicious. I want to go there to eat it later."

"You only know how to eat." The emperor scolded lightly, but with a smile on his face, he said: "In a few days, I will send someone over to let the teachers and students of the school taste hot pot."

After a pause, he added, "Go to the Academy of Sciences for an internship with these two professors. If you can make a name for yourself, I'll reward you."

Wu Yue tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, for the sake of your reward, I will do my best."

"Intelligence is innate, but diligence is also indispensable." The emperor pondered for a moment, then reached out and took off the jade pendant from his waist, handed it to Wu Yue, and said, "Remember my expectations of you, and don't let me down."

May took it with both hands, bowed and thanked, and fiddled with it happily, as if saying to herself, "It must be very valuable."

This guy wouldn't be pawned off in exchange for something delicious, would he? The emperor opened his mouth, but finally stopped giving him the long-winded reminder.

"Wuyue is extremely intelligent," Xu Fuyuan said. "She's been to the Academy of Sciences and helped Zhao Dabao!"

The emperor nodded and said, "He's just a little greedy and likes to play around. He's still young, so there's no need to be too strict with him."

"I'm greedy?" Wu Yue stuck out her tongue and said, "I'm just greedy. Actually, everyone is the same, just pretending. No one is as honest as me."

The emperor thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense. He smiled bitterly, shook his head, and turned away.

Xu Fuyuan and Wang Jizhong hurriedly bowed to see her off. May followed the emperor, chatting and laughing with the little princess, all the way to the school gate.

"Sister Wu Yue, come to the palace to play when you have time!" Zhu Shumei was reluctant to leave and turned back to wave her little hand.

"Okay." Wu Yue waved her hand and said with a smile, "When Zhao Dabao finishes the toys I designed, I will send them to the palace."

The two little princesses waved their hands and reluctantly boarded the carriage.

The emperor looked back, and Mayu bowed and said goodbye with a proper bow. He smiled, then got into the carriage, and the wheels rumbled as they drove towards the palace.

Using impressions and thinking from later generations, the emperor could make fairly accurate analysis and judgments without having to observe every detail.

In his opinion, the junior high school of Shaoying Academy was quite satisfactory. Moreover, in ancient times, being able to achieve such a level of excellence was already superior to the schools of the Western Yi.

Adjustments and improvements are certainly necessary, but we must also move forward through trial and error. After all, we cannot be too independent of the times.

Once you've learned and mastered your knowledge, you need to find a place to put it. And you need to do it well, so that others will envy you. This will inspire more people to learn, and allow more children to break free from the traditional education of the Four Books and Five Classics.

In a few years, three to five years at most, we should have enough teachers and it will be time to establish a normal school.

The emperor withdrew his gaze from the window and made a decision in his heart.

Establishing schools, starting from towns and then gradually expanding to rural areas, is the inevitable path to developing cultural and educational undertakings, and is also the correct way to popularize education and improve the cultural level of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

This involves financial investment, but most importantly, the training of teaching staff. Although the conditions are not yet mature, they are almost there.

Graduates of the junior high school section of the Shaoying Academy were fully qualified to teach in elementary schools. Teachers' salaries were paid by the state, and were not much different from those of officials receiving salaries.

……………….

The footsteps of spring are approaching quietly, and the breath is already blowing in our faces.

Spring plowing is related to the harvest of the year and is also the time when people are the busiest and most tired.

Local officials also had their busiest work period, dealing with major disasters. Newspapers reminded them from time to time, and the emperor always took it to heart.

Shaanxi had experienced a severe drought, and the two memorials made the emperor both happy and worried.

A heavy snow fell during the spring plowing season, and the drought that had lasted for more than a year showed signs of easing; but the snow fell at the wrong time and froze most of the seedlings to death.

Is this going to make me feel like I'm on a roller coaster?

Although the emperor knew that the disaster had just begun and had made preparations for long-term disaster resistance, he was still happy and relieved when he heard good news.

Well, if the seedlings died from the freezing, they would be replanted. There were crops with short growing seasons, and with the irrigation facilities built last year, there would always be some harvest at the end of the year.

Moreover, the emperor required local governments to store grain and continuously transport supplies, so even if there was no harvest, there would be no risk of famine or large-scale migration.

The emperor has already approved the massive construction project plans reported by Shaanxi before the New Year. All of them are work-for-relief projects, including road and bridge construction, water conservancy projects, warehouse construction, and housing construction. This year, they will also be adding railway construction.

There is no shortage of work, and where there is work there is food. If you calculate the cost, the funds required to build these projects are not worth the food distributed.

In other words, the court and government actually made a profit. In normal years, if they had hired workers, the cost would have been much higher than it is now.

In years of great disasters, the people were able to have enough food to eat, and they were extremely grateful and satisfied.

If both sides are satisfied, this disaster relief model can be sustained for a long time and help the court survive the most difficult decade or so.

As expected, the memorial was soon submitted. The Shaanxi governor reported that seeds had been distributed from the government warehouse, and the people had replanted.

Regardless of whether there were any other unexpected disasters, the emperor could breathe a sigh of relief and turn his attention to the two major military operations of recovering Qiantao and conquering Luzon.

Recovering Qiantuo should have been relatively easy, as the Mongolian tribes moved north in spring and summer and returned south in autumn and winter. To be more precise, the Qiantuo region was their wintering base.

Therefore, even if there was a battle, the Mongolian tribes would not be able to hold out for long. And the tens of thousands of well-equipped Ming troops were no match for the numerous Mongolian tribes.

The Qiantao region was well-suited for agriculture, a factor that the emperor prioritized. Occupying a barren land would be too costly, at least not a burden to be added during a major disaster.