Chapter 849

When Qin Mu first participated in the imperial examinations in the Great Tang, he harbored a dream of using technology to change the world.

Unfortunately, Li Er and Zhangsun Wuji joined forces to shatter his dream.

They shamelessly usurped his timeless, wondrous writings and even wanted to kill him to end the matter once and for all.

At that time, Qin Mu hated them to the bone!

Now, having ascended to the throne as the Emperor of Great Qin, he governs such a vast world.

Qin Mu places more importance on the promotion and improvement of technology than any other emperor in history.

Consequently, the idea arose to find people to begin compiling technical books.

The common people are full of hidden talents, and many ingenious ideas have been born among them. But because they were not valued, many were submerged in the long river of history.

Qin Mu wants to encourage artisans to speak out about everything they know.

Let those who come after continue to think and dig deeper on this foundation. The accumulation of technology is completed bit by bit in this way.

The most important point is still the encouragement through the system.

"Li Ke, this matter must be handled beautifully! I will grant you another power; you have the qualification to issue monthly retirement stipends to the artisans you verify!

The first batch: ten thousand people! Anyone who writes a book with technical value can participate in the verification.

The amount of the monthly retirement stipend is five thousand copper coins per month!"

Li Ke was startled.

The Emperor is going to spend a fortune.

Before this, artisans could only get paid if they did manual labor. A skilled artisan's monthly income was basically around five thousand copper coins.

But now, as long as they are willing to write a book, they can receive the monthly retirement stipend issued by the imperial court even without doing manual labor.

This is absolutely a great, unprecedented reform!

Ten thousand people, each receiving five thousand copper coins per month, is a terrifying sum of fifty million.

Li Ke was also secretly shocked by this figure.

"Your Majesty, if they can receive such a stable income without doing manual labor, I fear the artisans will develop a sense of laziness.

Moreover, the pressure on the national treasury will be immense!"

It is normal for Li Ke to have such concerns. After all, he has only just arrived in Great Qin, and his thinking still follows the mindset of the imperial court back in the Great Tang.

At this moment, someone arrived.

Shen Kuo and Xu Guangqi entered the great hall together and bowed to Qin Mu.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Shen Kuo had previously presided over the construction of the canal leading to Tuyuhun in Tibet, which is now completed.

Therefore, he returned to Chang'an to await orders.

"It is just as well that you have come; there is a matter at hand that requires you to handle it.

Starting from today, the Great Qin Academy of Engineering is officially established. It is limited to one hundred members, who will enjoy high monthly stipends specially issued by the imperial court.

Shen Kuo, Xu Guangqi, you are responsible for reviewing the artisans across the country and selecting suitable candidates for admission."

Academy of Engineering?

It wasn't just Li Ke who was dumbfounded.

Even Shen Kuo and Xu Guangqi appeared very surprised.

They had never imagined that the Emperor would elevate those artisans to such a high position!

In the past, they were merely the lowest-ranking craftsmen.

"Your Majesty, is this appropriate? An artisan's skill is not the key to governing the imperial court!"

Qin Mu waved his hand, rejecting this statement.

"Previously, artisans were not valued; even master craftsmen with excellent skills were only seen as people doing manual labor.

Now, I want the people of the world to begin to respect artisans and admire them!"

These words were spoken with great impact.

Among those present, Shen Kuo could be considered half a craftsman.

He is very keen on spreading these technologies, but he only understands the technology and does not do the work himself.

Even in his heart, he prioritizes being an official and considers manual work shameful.

However, starting from today, all of this will change.

Shen Kuo still didn't quite understand, so he cupped his hands and asked.

"Your Majesty, why elevate the status of artisans? Is there some important reason here concerning the rise and fall of the nation?"

In the agricultural era, everyone's thinking revolved around agriculture.

Qin Mu's decision today is to prepare to begin letting Great Qin slowly step into the industrial era.

Without industry, there is no wealth!

If a nation wants to be more prosperous, it must elevate the status of industry.

"Great Qin's produce is abundant, but that is not enough. I want the goods manufactured by Great Qin to be sold throughout the world and to capture all the wealth under heaven!"

What a way to capture all the wealth under heaven!

Li Ke, Shen Kuo, and Xu Guangqi were all stunned.

They thought Great Qin was already rich and strong enough!

But in the Emperor's eyes, the current situation is clearly far from enough.

He even wants to raise the status of artisans, encourage more people to become artisans, create more things, and earn all the money in the world!

Li Ke began to mourn for the Great Tang.

Often when such moments arrive, the first to suffer a great loss is always the Great Tang.

"Your Majesty, but because the people of Great Qin are wealthy, prices are on the high side. How can the common people be made to buy the same things if they are sold to the Great Tang?" Qin Mu's counter-question left Li Ke speechless.

"Are books in Great Qin expensive? Do the people of Great Tang buy them?"

Li Ke having such thinking also represents most of the court officials.

They think that the things manufactured by Great Tang artisans and Great Qin artisans are about the same.

In reality, they are wrong.

Great Qin's books are a very good example.

They interpret very well what is meant by high quality and low price.

On this matter, Qin Mu does not want to explain too much to them.

Limited by their horizons, there are many things they cannot possibly see.

Only by waiting for the future, when they witness that miraculous scene with their own eyes, will they sigh that the Emperor is always prescient.

"You don't need to understand; just do as I say!"

"We obey your decree!"

Li Ke, Shen Kuo, and Xu Guangqi felt somewhat discouraged.

Not only did they fail to provide effective suggestions, but they couldn't even understand what the Emperor was saying.

How great is this gap?

Although being discouraged by the Emperor is a matter of course, they still felt somewhat ashamed in their hearts.

They could only go down and execute their respective tasks.

Qin Mu did not explain this matter thoroughly.

Actually, there is another effect.

Don't the artisans of the Great Tang want to improve their status?