There were too many orders and insufficient manpower, so Sun Xian was immediately overwhelmed.
Han Du pondered for a moment, raised his head and asked, "How many manpower are needed?"
Sun Xian sighed and replied, "It's much worse. If we want to deliver all the goods within three months, we will need at least two to three hundred people."
The gap is so big? Han Du suddenly has no solution. If there are only twenty or thirty people missing, then there is still a solution.
"Why is there such a big difference? Haven't we trained people before?"
"Train people? How to train people?" Sun Xian's eyes were confused.
Han Du was speechless for a moment, and then explained to Sun Xian.
"In a word, if our machinery workshop wants to continue to develop and grow, we must continue to cultivate talents. From young apprentices to independent master craftsmen, we must gradually cultivate them."
The more Sun Xian listened, the more he admired Han Du's method. He raised his thumb and said to Han Du, "Sir, this method is really wonderful. If you had told me in advance, we wouldn't be so embarrassed now."
Seeing Sun Xian sighing, Han Du lowered his head and felt a little regretful. He should have thought of this earlier, but he forgot.
"Can't you find three hundred apprentices? Apprentices in mechanical workshops are also paid, so it shouldn't be difficult to find them?" Han Du looked at Sun Xian with some confusion.
In Han Du's memory, many people like to send their children to be apprentices these days. After all, not everyone can pass the imperial examination. For those who fail, becoming an apprentice is not a bad way out.
.
Sun Xian nodded quickly and said, "Of course it's easy to find apprentices, but what's hard to find now is people who can lead apprentices."
"How many people are needed?" Han Du slowly touched his chin and pondered.
"Forty or fifty," Sun Xian sighed feebly.
Han Du suddenly looked up at him and asked, "We can go find someone in the academy!"
"Academy?" Sun Xian frowned and said puzzledly, "Those students all want to obtain academic honors. Do you think you want to be from the academy? But they shouldn't be willing to come to the mechanical workshop, right?"
Not everyone likes machinery, and not everyone is Sun Xian's apprentice and is willing to follow him to the machinery workshop.
Han Du waved his hand, shook his head and said, "You misunderstood. In addition to those who have passed the exam, there are also people in the academy who have not passed the exam."
Sun Xian frowned and said in confusion, "Well, even if they don't go to high school, they will continue to stay in the academy and prepare for the next imperial examination. Why are they willing to come to the machinery workshop?"
Han Du smiled and looked at Sun Xiandao, "What if you fail the exam once, twice and three times? These
There are not many people. Among them, those with good family backgrounds will of course not care about the pressure from life and can continue to take the exam. But what about those people with ordinary family backgrounds? They are the backbone of the family, how can they continue to rely on their family's support?
Provide support and keep taking the exam?"
They are all seven-foot-old men who read poetry and books. Even if their families support them without any regrets, I am afraid that they themselves will be embarrassed to continue to be supported by their families as time goes by.
So these people must first find a way to support their families, right?
And if they continue to work in the workshop, it does not mean that they will not be able to take the imperial examination from now on.
"Is this possible?" Sun Xian was still hesitant, but his heart was beginning to waver.
"Why not?"
Ming Dynasty Royal Academy, six golden characters are engraved on the plaque.
This was written by Zhu Biao himself, then made by skilled craftsmen in the Ming Palace and sent to the academy.
In the dormitory, a thin man in his thirties wearing a green shirt sat beside the bed. He put his hands on his knees, lowered his head and remained silent.
Opposite him is a classmate who is also wearing a green shirt, but this person is very fat. When the originally slim-fitting green shirt is worn on him, it is like being put on a wooden barrel.
Moreover, it is a wooden barrel with a thick middle between the two ends, and the belly is completely stretching the Qing shirt. It makes people doubt that if it were not tied with a cloth belt, he could burst the Qing shirt.
"Brother Jiang is so talented that it would be a pity to give up the imperial examination and return to his hometown." The fat man's name was Huang An. He was wiping the sweat from his forehead and said.
Jiang Shan looked up at his classmate and friend with a smile on his face, "Stop complimenting me. If I am really smart, why can't I even pass the Jinshi exam?"
Huang An immediately raised his voice and said, "That's because Brother Jiang doesn't want to take advantage of others. Didn't Mr. Wu tell you? I want you to be like the light."
"If Brother Jiang was willing to let go of his body a little, I'm afraid he would have been in high school long ago. Unlike me, even if I put my body on the ground, after so many years, there is still no hope of passing the exam." Although Huang An said it with emotion.
, but this was just a deliberate move by him to comfort Jiang Shan.
Huang An's family is well-off, and even if he fails to get any fame in his life, it will not hinder his ability to live well and live comfortably.
But Jiang Shan was different. After hearing Huang An's words, he became even more silent.
Since there are many scholars nowadays, the road to the imperial examination has become increasingly difficult.
It’s getting narrower. Ever since the late emperor built the county school to give all the boys in the world a chance to study, more and more people have taken part in the imperial examinations in the past few years.
In particular, most of these children grew up learning mathematics, physics and chemistry, which resulted in a very large number of people who wanted to be admitted to the Royal Academy, far more than those who wanted to be admitted to the Imperial Academy.
Originally this was a good thing, but when the Imperial College saw that its opponents were getting stronger and stronger, they immediately ran to the emperor and cried, demanding that more imperial examinations be added to increase the number of scholars for Imperial College students.
"Your Majesty, if we do not increase the number of scholars in the Imperial College, I am afraid that within a few years all the scholars in the world will be occupied by academies." These were the original words of the Imperial College.
This kind of behavior of making extravagant moves when one's strength cannot be compared is very despised among scholars.
But the Imperial College can no longer care about so much. Even if you are laughed at by the scholars, it is still much better than being ostracized by the academy and disappearing.
And Zhu Yunye didn't know what he was thinking, but he actually agreed to the request of the Imperial College. The original quota of 600 Jinshi without any subject was divided into two, 300 people who took the Four Books, Five Classics and Eight-Part Essay test, and three people who took the Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry test.
Hundreds.
In an instant, all the pressure was put on the academy. In the past, there were 600 Jinshi scholars, and the academy almost had to take over 500. Now, the number has been reduced by half.
This makes it twice as difficult for academy students to pass the Jinshi exam, unless they choose to take the Four Books and Five Classics exam.
But as a student of an academy, how can you easily abandon what you have learned and take the exam for the Four Books and Five Classics? Although the academy openly encourages students to take the exam for the Four Books and Five Classics, young people have the arrogance of young people and choose to take the exam for the Four Books and Five Classics.
Almost all of them are looked down upon by people who take exams in mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Unless they are very old, almost no one in the academy would choose to take the Four Books and Five Classics exam.
What Mr. Wu meant by asking Jiang Shan to let go of his skills was to ask him to choose to take the Four Books and Five Classics test.
There is no other way. The competition in the academies for taking math, physics and chemistry exams is really too fierce. It's like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge.
After the memories gradually emerged in his mind, Jiang Shancai smiled freely and said, "If this is the way to get the Jinshi title, then I would rather not do it!"
Huang An smiled helplessly, "Brother Jiang is admirable for his talent and ambition, but since Brother Jiang is determined to do mathematics, physics and chemistry, why not stay in the academy and why do he have to go back to his hometown?"
"My parents, wife, and children are living frugally in my hometown just so that I can stay in the capital and gain fame. Unfortunately, I have let them down after so many years." Jiang Shan sighed heavily, "I am also a person who has passed my thirties.
, can no longer rely on
It’s time to go home and take on the responsibilities of the whole family. I know what you are worried about. Don’t worry, even if I return to my hometown, I will continue to study hard and continue to take the imperial examination."
When Huang An heard this, he immediately became anxious, "Brother Jiang, don't be ridiculous. What can you do even if you go home? And how can the environment in your hometown be compared with the academy? Even if you continue to study on your own after you go back, how can you do that?"
Is it more convenient to communicate with classmates in college?"
"If Brother Jiang's family encounters difficulties, I can give you a sum of money to help you ease through this. Listen to me, you must not return to your hometown. Only by staying in the capital and in the academy will you have a chance!"
Jiang Shan knew that Huang An had good intentions, and the chance of passing the Jinshi examination was indeed much greater if he stayed in the academy than if he returned to his hometown. However, he was unwilling to owe Huang An any more favors, and waved his hand to stop what he was going to say.
He shook his head and said, "Brother Huang has taken care of me a lot these years that Jiang has been in the capital. There is no need to mention the money."
"Alas~" Seeing Jiang Shan's firm expression, Huang An knew that it was useless to persuade him, so he punched his palm suddenly, feeling sorry for Jiang Shan.
According to Mr. Wu, with Jiang Shan's talent and learning, if he hadn't been a bit unlucky, he would have passed the imperial examination last time. Even if he failed the last time, as long as he stayed in the academy to study for three years, he would be able to wait until next time
Passing the imperial examination is almost certain.
But once Jiang Shan returns to his hometown, that won't necessarily be the case. It is precisely because of this that Huang An feels pity for him.
Jiang Shan stood up calmly, turned around and started packing his things.
Just as Jiang Shan was putting everything in the package, a man hurried into the dormitory. This was another friend of Jiang Shan, Zheng Hui.
"What's wrong with you?" Huang An saw that Zheng Hui's face was red, there was dense sweat on his forehead, and he was panting and out of breath.
Zheng Hui glanced at the cup placed on the table and took a sip of it without disgust.
After taking a deep breath, he grabbed Jiang Shan tightly and said, "Brother Jiang, you don't have to go back to your hometown."
Jiang Shan knew that Zheng Hui had good intentions, but he had already made up his mind and could not change his decision just because of his advice.
He patted the back of Zheng Hui's hand twice gratefully and said with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Zheng, for your kindness, but I need to go back home."
Zheng Hui immediately grabbed Jiang Shan's hand tightly with his other hand, and said quickly, "The mechanical workshop is recruiting people in the academy. The conditions offered are very generous. Not only a place to live, but also 20 coins per month."
The salary. Don’t Brother Jiang want to take care of the family? The salary of 20 yuan is enough for Brother Jiang and his family to live a decent life, right?"