The eleventh year of Wanli is the year of the Imperial Examination.

In the past, the imperial court would not change the date no matter what happened in the past, but this year it was different, and the imperial court met two conditions.

One is centered on Beijing, and everyone from top to bottom has enriched their understanding of the plague; the other is that the well-connected telegram network has increased the court's ability to plan major events in a unified manner.

This has delayed the examination by one and a half months to avoid the aftermath of the Tongzhou plague.

The canal is circulating thousands of boats, and Huai'an Prefecture is located in a superior position. Warships, merchant ships and civilian ships are endless. The two sides of the city are full of boat viewers. This is a grand occasion that is always the year. It is a time for outings. Children on the bridge are hailing with tourists, holding railings on the bridge and selling the latest telegrams. Farmers on the shore have already set up stalls to sell fresh fruits, vegetables and meat for boat passengers to choose from.

In the coal-ship station outside Huai'an Prefecture, an imperial newest four hundred-material steam warship was parked in the port. Sunlight hit the dock and pushing the coal-cart truck along the small tracks. The shirtless back of the Caogang workers shines under the bronze skin, shiny and shiny.

Next to the dock, a group of shaved children looked out from afar under the guidance of the old man and looked at the new warship with armor and large chimneys from afar, telling what it was.

"Iron can float in water because it is thin; the boat can move without sails, because there are propellers at the tail; the power of the propeller is not in the wind, but in the lighter in the trunk of the boat, the lighter burns with coal, and a boiler is filled with water. The water boils into gas and rises up, and the piston moves forward. There is a small mouth in front of the piston, one left and one right, and it is taught to cycle back and forth, so as to drive the propeller to rotate like the wind... Do you know, who made this steamer?"

The children were young and shaved with their heads, but the biggest one was just starting to grow their hair, all wearing all kinds of clothes. Some were carrying them behind their backs and holding a cross-wood hand hidden in their sleeves. They were hanging silk puppets at the corners of the wood, listening with relish. When they heard the husband's question, most of them were confused. Some said Lu Ban, and some said that they were made by the Jade Emperor, chattering for a while, but it was a bit outrageous anyway.

Some of the answers are very close but not accurate, like what was done by Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, and was given by the Lord of Dragon and Tiger.

At this time, we can see how important the experience brought by age is. Only the older one is the most calm and answered: "It is the Minister of the Eastern Ocean, Mr. Chen."

"Yes, the steamer was made by Mr. Chen of Jinghai. It was first used to build military weapons bureaus and textile cotton in textile factories. Later, it was the main staff of Zhou, the Steam Bureau of the Ministry of Industry. He was ordered by His Majesty to load it onto a ship, and today's steam ship was first established."

"Students must remember that if you are interested in the imperial examination in the future, you will be required to take the exam."

After saying this with great sincerity, the old man continued to shaking his head with his hands behind his back and said, "Can the students see the closed window on the side of the ship? That is called the cannon window. There should be a General Zhenshuo behind each window. When I was in my prime, I had never seen any boat installing four cannons. Now there are four cannon windows on one side. These ships are the foundation of the country facing north and the Wulianghai, the West Portugal and the West to control the world."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man applauded and said not far away. Before the old man could blame him, the man came forward. He was a young Confucian scholar. He apologized with a smile: "Senior, please don't blame the students for being rude. Just now, I passed by here, and the teacher gave a lesson and made the students stare at them. The students couldn't help but shout."

"Student Ye Xianggao from Fuzhou has not asked the teacher for his honorary name?"

"You young man is polite, Xiang Gao, a good name. I am the professor of Huai'an Prefecture, Shi Yinchang. Judging from your youth, you came here from Fuzhou Prefecture. Is it the candidate who went to Beijing to take the exam?"

The head of the county school is the teacher, and the head of the prefecture school is the chief of the prefecture. Most of them are juren and are from tribute students and are appointed by the vassal officials. For example, after Hai Rui first passed the imperial examination, he was appointed as the teacher of Nanping County, Fujian Province. Later, he was promoted from this position to the magistrate. He was an official but had no rank, equivalent to the director of the Education Commission and the principal of the county No. 1 Middle School.

The senior official of the prefecture is a professor and must be a Jinshi. He is directly appointed by the court and is under the ninth rank.

In fact, whether it is a teaching or a higher-level professor, he has great power, but he is of low rank and poor treatment. He requires officials to be frugal and frugal, and to be humble and honest.

As soon as Master Shi Yinchang said, Ye Xianggao understood that he was an official appointed by the court, and he was an old Jinshi.

The official position is only from the ninth rank, but he may be the most respected person in the entire Huai'an Prefecture.

Officials distinguish between clear and turbid. Clear is not clean or turbid. Instead, it means that officials such as magistrates and prefectures have high positions and are powerful. The opposite examples to them are naturally the teacher. Professors have high academic requirements and are busy with their work and pay less money.

Even if the whole world is looking at money in this era when silver has flowed into the country before, no one will disrespect the professors and education of them. It can even be said that it is precisely because everyone is chasing money that they respect them more.

"I don't know that the master is here, the student..."

"Okay, there's no need to be so polite. I'm not wearing official uniforms."

Shi Yinchang lowered his head and told the older students to take care of his classmates. He then took a few steps to the side and smiled at Ye Xianggao with his beard, "Actually, the teaching is not very good, right? I know that most of these things are known to young people. Now that I am old, the court wants new schools in various places to teach students these unheard things, which is too difficult."

"The Grandmaster's words are wrong, your words are correct. Although there were no steamships in the world when the state established the Four Oceans, when such children grew up, the steamships must be the foundation for the Ming Dynasty to shock the barbarians to control the world."

Shi Yinchang knew that he was wrong and sighed, "I don't know these things. They all rely on their lifetime teaching experience. They were the first to be the instructor of Xiuwu County. Later, they became the instructor of Pinglu County. After they passed the Jinshi exam, they became professors of Huai'an Prefecture. Thanks to me, I was a Jinshi in the second year of Wanli. Most of the people on the same list had military affairs overseas, so someone could ask for inquiries. However, when they were in great office, they were reluctant to pay attention to me, the professor at the end of the list back then."

"I have to guess from a few words, young master, do you think it will be useful for me to let the students learn these in the future? I am not skeptical about these recent knowledge. I don't understand these knowledge, but I know that they are useful, but I can't trust myself and I'm old."

Ye Xianggao didn't know what he saw in the eyes of the unsuccessful old juren in front of him. Perhaps he saw it but was unwilling to be sure that the old professor felt that he had been abandoned by the times.

Before Ye Xianggao answered, Shi Yinchang smiled with his beard and said, "There are many people saying things, and I finally teach my students. Today I will bring you, the young student whom I have never met, and I have talked for a long time. It will not delay your efforts. I hope you can go to Beijing to get a gold medal. I will also take the children to the official boat there to ask if I can take my students on the boat to see it."

"Although the Huaian Prefecture guards the canal boats and the steamboats have come and come a few times, I have never been on it. These ships are all from the Nanyang Army. They are too strict in their military management, but I should let the children see it."

Ye Xianggao turned his head and looked at the official boat, raised his hand to the old man: "It's better to let the students ask for the senior."

He got off that boat.
Chapter completed!