"Your Majesty." Chen Ji saluted.

"Chen Qing, what do you think of Professor I?" Yun Xi smiled.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty's lecture is naturally good, Chen Shicai is looking out the window, all the students are looking at the podium very seriously, and no one is distracted, which shows that Your Majesty's teaching is good. Kechen has the audacity to say, why do you teach these things to students? Chen Ji said.

At this time, Yun Xi was naturally in the Five Cities Academy, and he had just finished teaching a class. This is the seventh class he taught in the Five Cities Academy, and after listening to the first six classes for a while, Chen Ji felt that the emperor's views were a little strange, but after all, they were very useful things, and he did not raise any objections after the class; But he thought the content of today's lesson was really useless, so he couldn't help but mention it to Yun Xi.

Yun Xi's expression remained unchanged, and he said lightly: "Aiqing thinks it's useless for me to teach them today?" ”

"Your Majesty, although what Your Majesty teaches the students today is about the fire gun, even if the students are generals in the future, why do they need to know the principle, original, and principle that the fire gun can fire projectiles?"

"The minister has never been a general, and if he fights with soldiers, the minister naturally does not dare to speak falsely; Ke Jianye went to Annan in four years, and went to the Western Regions last year, and the ministers were followed by His Majesty's grace and saw how the generals commanded. In Chen's opinion, they only need to know the range of the firebolt and how to use it to be of maximum use, so why do they need to know the principle of firing the projectile? Chen Ji bowed and said.

In fact, in his opinion, as a commander of the army, he doesn't even need to know these things, he just needs to know the advantages and disadvantages of the firecrackers, and be able to determine when to send the firecrackers to the battlefield; But he thought about it and felt that most of the generals appointed by Yunxi gradually rose from the grassroots level, and at least served as a thousand households for a period of time, so those were also included in the things that generals should know. But he still firmly believes that he doesn't need to know the principle.

"Aiqing is right, as a commander of the army, he really doesn't need to know; But as an official of the General Armament Department of the Metropolitan Governor's Office, you need to know this. ”

"Even when it comes to firearms, there are a thousand possible variations, and different craftsmen propose different directions of improvement. Although the Ming Dynasty was wealthy, it did not have enough money to try every improvement direction proposed by the craftsmen, which required the officials of the General Armament Department to choose a beneficial improvement direction. ”

"But if the official in charge of this errand has no knowledge of the principles by which firearms can be used, how can he tell which craftsman is beneficial? It's because they need to know the principle. Yun Xi said.

"What Your Majesty said naturally makes sense, but how many of these fifty students will be officials of the General Armament Department? The ministers have the audacity to say that there are at most two or three people, and maybe even none of them. The principles of firearms can be roughly explained before they are about to go to the General Armament Department as officers, and there is no need to teach them at this time. Chen Ji said again.

"What Aiqing said I think is a bit biased." Yun Xi was not angry, and still said calmly: "If it is as Aiqing said, then what is the use of students learning vocal music and calligraphy?" Is it just because this is something that Confucius thought should be learned? ”

"I don't think so. The reason why I ordered that vocal music and calligraphy should be taught in both the Guozijian and the Lecture Martial Arts Hall, the Royal Academy, the Women's Academy, and even the Five Cities Academy was because learning these things could cultivate a person's sentiments and make him a gentleman, or at least not a person who would fight the basket. ”

"I thought that the things I had personally taught them would have the same effect. I don't mean to make my students gentlemen, but to teach them a way of thinking by telling them the principles of firearms. ”

"Ai Qing Shicai should have heard it, I didn't tell them directly, but took out a few firearms to demonstrate on the spot, and let them demonstrate themselves, and then disassembled the firearms to let them see the internal structure of the firearms, pay attention to what plays a role when firing the projectile, and deduce the principle of firearm firing step by step."

"Through this method, they learn the way to think about problems, and they will use it in the future, no matter which yamen they are officials in, or even if they are not officials."

And isn't that exactly what the sages wanted? There is a saying in "The Book of Rites: University": "Enlightenment is in the object, and the object is then known." "The so-called knowledge is in the object, and the words want to know the thing, and the thing is exhausted." I thought that what I had taught them was exactly what I had learned. ”

"Your Majesty has a point. It's the minister's thinking that is biased. Chen Ji himself was not a particularly conservative person, so he was persuaded and bowed.

"It's good that Aiqing can figure it out." Yun Xi said this, and said: "Aiqing remembers that the next time I come to the Five Cities Academy to give a lecture, I will prepare a wooden barrel with holes in the side about seven minutes high, and prepare a scale, a wooden barrel filled with water without holes, and a heavier scoop. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Ji didn't know what the use of Yun Xi asking him to prepare these things was, but of course His Majesty's words could not be violated, so he agreed.

Yun Xi gave him a few more words, asked about the situation in the school, and rode out of the Five Cities School.

He then rushed to Prison Gezhi with his guards. Yang Shiqi was very surprised when he heard that His Majesty was coming, and immediately came out to greet him, and when he saw Yun Xi kneeling down and saluting, he said: "Chen Ge Zhi Prison Supervisor Yang Shiqi has seen Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live!" ”

"Aiqing, get up." Yun Xi smiled and asked the guards to pull him up, "You don't have to be so courteous to me. ”

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the ministers should bow no matter how they behave in their manners." Yang Shiqi said with a smile, bowed down and asked, "Your Majesty has something to tell your ministers today?" Why didn't Xuanchen enter the palace for an audience? ”

"I don't have anything to do, but I happened to pass by Ge Zhijian on a trip out of the palace to have a look." Yun Xi smiled.

Yang Shiqi didn't believe this. If you see a few casual words on the road, and you all enter the door of Gezhiyuan, you must have something to order. But His Majesty didn't say it now, and he wouldn't ask, but he was more careful, and said respectfully: "In that case, Your Majesty, why don't you guide Your Majesty and take a look in the Gezhi Courtyard?" ”

"Okay." Yun Xi said with a smile, and then turned around in Gezhi Courtyard under the leadership of Yang Shiqi.

"Yang Qing. I remember that at the end of last year, when I first set up the Gezhi Academy, I told you a few questions, and asked you to come back and ask the people in the Gezhi Institute to study why this is the case. What are the results now? Yun Xi asked as he walked.

"Your Majesty, after the minister returned to Gezhi Prison that day, he instructed people who were proficient in mathematics to study, and some problems were studied, but some problems were still not studied."