They arrived by the railway tracks beside the Longshou Canal.
Before Fang Er could say anything, a group of craftsmen surrounded the tracks, pointing and murmuring as if they had witnessed a divine miracle.
The layman watched for the spectacle, while the craftsman observed the details.
Li Shimin, upon arrival, had only seen the running train.
He had failed to notice the extraordinary nature of the rails on the ground.
But these craftsmen were different.
They immediately recognized the immense difficulty in producing even this short section of track.
Regardless of their previous occupations in the Ministry of Works, they could all see their own deficiencies from this sight.
The blacksmiths were astonished that each section of rail was identical, with no discernible differences.
The carpenters, meanwhile, fell into deep thought, pondering why wooden sleepers were laid beneath the rails.
Fang Er was very satisfied with their reactions.
This was the attitude a craftsman should possess!
As the steam pressure built, Zhao Gang opened the steam valve, and a jet of white steam spewed from beneath the engine.
Then came the chugging sound from the contact point between the wheels and the rails.
The craftsmen stared, dumbfounded, at the behemoth that was now moving!
It was utterly unbelievable!
Such a massive steel beast, surely weighing no less than ten thousand jin!
When the train finally stopped,
the craftsmen instantly swarmed around it,
completely disregarding the stifling heat emanating from the engine.
With meticulous attention, they examined every exposed part and every structural element!
Ingenious craftsmanship!
This was their collective feeling.
This creation was simply miraculous!
Fang Er hopped onto the train and clapped his hands.
The gathered craftsmen instinctively congregated around him.
You must have been troubled by why, despite having the blueprints for the cannons produced here, you couldn't craft them to satisfaction in the Ministry of Works!
And as for this train, you traveled here on the cement road. I imagine some of you are curious.
Upon arriving here, you are now my subordinates, no longer belonging to the Ministry of Works!
This Marquis will show you the magic of machinery!
I will show you countless things you have never dared to imagine!
Everyone! Compared to your monthly salary in the Ministry of Works, your pay will be tripled!
The craftsmen were thrilled.
Thank you, Marquis. We will certainly not let you down!
The opportunity to participate in and learn about these creations was something they had never dreamed of.
Moreover, the triple salary resolved their future worries.
Zhao Gang, take them on a tour of the workshops and assign them to their respective areas based on their abilities!
With a wave of his hand from Fang Er, Zhao Gang began leading the craftsmen through the various workshops.
The blacksmith shop, the carpentry shop, the printing shop, and so on.
With each place they passed, some craftsmen stepped forward from the crowd,
introduced themselves to the workshop masters, and immediately commenced their novel work.
In the end, the blacksmith shop retained the largest number of people.
A total of one hundred and twenty individuals.
Zhao Gang divided them into six teams.
Each team comprising twenty people.
The blacksmith shop was the largest workshop within this entire industrial complex.
People were needed for munitions, firearms, cannons, and various other areas.
With the addition of these one hundred and twenty individuals, Zhao Gang felt as if he had received a powerful boost!
Just as this matter was concluded, Hua Niang arrived with a group of women.
Marquis, the people you asked for, I have found them all.
Hua Niang hurried to speak with Fang Er as soon as she saw him.
Dozens of plainly dressed women curtsied in unison.
Greetings, Marquis.
One had to admit, the social atmosphere of this era was commendable.
If this were the Ming Dynasty, trying to find so many women willing to work would likely have resulted in severe criticism from those old scholars!
Fang Er scanned the crowd and then spoke.
Follow me.
With that, he turned to find an unoccupied workshop.
Indeed, the workshops that had been planned so well earlier were now becoming increasingly scarce.
As they passed the workshop where Zhao Gang was working, he asked him to bring out the sewing machine and follow them.
Looking at the rows of workshops before him, it was impossible to tell from the outside which ones were in use.
Fang Er said to Zhao Gang.
In the future, each workshop should have a sign indicating its function.
Zhao Gang quickly nodded and made a note.
Before long, they finally found an empty workshop.
Hmm.
After Zhao Gang brought the sewing machine inside, he immediately fashioned a wooden sign and hung it by the door.
He fetched ink and wrote two characters on it: Sewing.
Fang Er merely demonstrated how to use the sewing machine to the women and then departed.
There was no technical skill involved in its operation.
If any issues arose, Zhao Gang could be contacted directly.
On his way back, Fang Er deliberately detoured to the schoolhouse to take a look.
The children had already begun learning mixed addition and subtraction problems.
Ma Tongyuan was meticulously explaining each problem from the front.
Li Tai listened attentively.
At just eight years old, his young, tender face displayed a thirst for knowledge.
Li Chengqian, on the other hand, was quite the opposite.
Li Ke was also similarly engaged, holding a wooden model of a hand cannon and constantly gesturing beneath his desk.
These three fellows had vastly different personalities!
He stood there until the end of the class.
As soon as Ma Tongyuan emerged from the classroom, he saw Fang Er standing outside the door.
Marquis, what brings you here?
Fang Er smiled.
Nothing much, just came to take a look. By the way, I'll be teaching the next class.
Ma Tongyuan immediately became excited.
He was eager to hear what content Marquis would present when he personally taught the lesson.
The break between classes was a cup of tea,
a rule Fang Er had established from the very beginning.
In minutes, this equated to fifteen minutes.
As Yang Zichen rang the small bell hanging in the schoolyard,
the children who had been playing outside returned to their classrooms.
They looked up at Fang Er, who stood at the podium, their faces beaming with excitement.
The children of Fangjia Village all recognized Fang Er!
Especially those in the schoolhouse.
Fang Er cleared his throat, smiling at the students below.
I will be teaching this class!
Before we begin, I will add a new rule!
From now on, remember to greet your teacher before class starts.
So, what should you do now?
The children below looked at each other.
Li Tai was the first to stand up.
Greetings, Headmaster!
The other children quickly stood up, mimicking him, and greeted Fang Er.
Greetings, Headmaster!
Fang Er nodded.
He pressed his hand down.
Greetings, students!
Please, all of you, sit down.
Once the children had all taken their seats,
Fang Er continued.
Does anyone know why I just called you students instead of children?
Below, there was a uniform chorus of shaking heads.
No one answered.
Even Ma Tongyuan and Yang Zichen, who had come to observe Fang Er's lecture, didn't know how to respond.