অধ্যায় তিপ্পান্ন: মো ইয়াং!

qin mu was awakened early in the morning, losing all his sleepiness.

however, this was not due to any romantic entanglements, but rather because today held a matter of paramount importance.

after five years of toil, the engineers of qin family village's heavy machinery factory, under his guidance and instruction, had finally forged a steam engine.

in truth, science boiled down to two simple things: boiling water and throwing rocks.

boil water well, and one could harness limitless energy.

throw rocks effectively, and one could protect their home and country.

with the advent of the steam engine, qin family village would rise to a whole new level.

it was equivalent to laying the cornerstone for rapid development.

one had to eat a meal bite by bite, and the tree of technology could not sprout overnight; otherwise, he would not have taken five full years to polish a qualified generator.

although he could not compare to those predecessors who could craft divine artifacts with their bare hands, reality was reality, not a novel.

rising early and finishing his morning workout, he took pang hu and er niu with him and walked toward the heavy machinery factory.

the factory director's surname was mo, and his name was mo yang, a legitimate descendant of the mohist school.

a thousand years ago, the mohist school advocated universal love and non-aggression, boasting countless disciples, but by now, its numbers had withered away.

yet this mo yang truly possessed some capability, coupled with an immensely arrogant disposition. he usually styled himself as a hermit, looking down upon everyone.

however, he had a sickly mother and an infertile wife and child, which gave qin mu the opportunity to win him over.

at present, his mother's health had recovered, and he had been blessed with both a son and a daughter, living a happy and fulfilling life.

with the help of master ming zhai, when qin mu found the gathering place of the mohists, they were dirt poor and stubbornly refused to serve in official posts.

though he did not quite understand it, qin mu respected them, for these people truly possessed ideals and ambitions.

nowadays, with confucianism standing alone, mainstream doctrines like the mohism that once reigned supreme were mercilessly suppressed the moment they showed their heads.

one could tinker with mechanical arts, but advocating for their doctrines would lead to a swift and mysterious death.

thus, the mohists mostly kept a low profile simply to preserve their lives.

meanwhile, qin mu’s philosophy of seclusion happened to coincide with theirs.

coupled with the guarantee of master ming zhai, mo yang led over a hundred members of the mohist clan to join qin family village.

these people were qin mu's prized treasures.

did they really think they could ignite an industrial revolution by casually hiring a few blacksmiths?

don't be foolish. what did aristocratic families rely on to monopolize learning throughout the realm?

it was the monopoly on knowledge.

and the mohists happened to monopolize mechanical arts.

they were also one of qin mu's greatest sources of confidence.

the mohist people were exceptionally low-key in their daily lives, wearing coarse cloth garments and straw sandals. even when they possessed fine clothes, they refused to wear them, looking just like ordinary farmers in the fields.

mo yang was no exception. in his thirties, he looked like a wizened little old man.

he always held a dry tobacco pipe, never letting it leave his hand.

yet, they truly saved qin mu a world of worry.

they would never betray him, nor did they harbor any malicious intentions.

after a little guidance and study, they became qualified senior fitters.

"old mo, how are the preparations coming along?"

"we are ready for the experiment at any time!" mo yang flashed a grin, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

this fellow possessed a head full of solid theory and could fashion all sorts of components by hand with effortless ease.

the reason mo yang had led his entire clan to relocate was not merely to repay a favor, nor was it solely out of regard for master ming zhai.

he moved purely because he admired qin mu's mohist philosophy. he had little respect for erudite scholars with mere empty talent, but he deeply revered a true mohist possessing both benevolence and genuine skill.

the very instant qin mu crafted a generator with his bare hands, mo yang knew that qin mu was worthy of being the contemporary paramount leader of the mohists.

after a millennium, the mohist school once again had its own paramount leader.

although he was the current leader of the mohists, he was by no means qualified to be called the paramount leader.

the paramount leader was someone who could guide the mohists back to their former glory.

he fell far short of that qualification.

pity that, despite racking his brains, he had still been unable to make qin mu agree.

yet he refused to give up. he believed that as long as he persisted, qin mu would eventually be moved by him.

"cai yue, take the village chief over," mo yang called out, waving to his younger sister.

before long, a tall woman dressed in black approached.

her sleeves were rolled up, her arms crossed over her chest. her skin had a healthy wheatish tone, her figure was remarkably tall, and her short hair was tied up loosely.

she disdained makeup, facing the world with a bare face yet carrying herself with poised grace, exuding the aura of a confident, independent woman.

her name was mo cai yue, mo yang's biological sister, twenty-three years old and still unmarried.

this was solely because she spent her days hammering iron and delving into mechanical arts, leaving no one daring to approach her.

yet her talent perhaps even surpassed that of mo yang.

upon seeing qin mu, a trace of a smile finally appeared on her face as she bowed to him and said, "teacher, please follow me."

the reason cai yue called qin mu teacher was because mo yang had insistently demanded that she take qin mu as her master.

qin mu originally had no intention of taking on students, especially since cai yue was actually two years older than him.

but he could not withstand the persistence of either mo yang or cai yue.

considering the future development and management of the village, qin mu tacitly accepted this status.

shortly after, cai yue led qin mu to the steam engine.

the steam engine was quite large, yet not crude; rather, it was the kind that could be directly applied to industry.

qin mu walked around the steam engine a few times, nodding in approval. "not bad, it looks exactly like the blueprint. we can begin the experiment."

hearing the praise, a hint of a smile touched cai yue's face, and she immediately instructed the workers to boil the water.

as the coal was ignited, the steam engine began its reciprocating motion, and billowing clouds of steam rose into the air.

qin mu stared at it for over ten minutes, and not a single issue arose.

he immediately made a checkmark in his notebook. "the airtightness is excellent, the continuity is seamless, and the kinetic energy is also impressive... next, we must verify its endurance; it must run for a long time.

if it is to be applied to industry, quality must be guaranteed. this is the key to our village taking flight."

qin family village had a large population but scarce arable land; relying solely on farming would never lead to prosperity.

more than ninety percent of the villagers could not even write their own names, making skilled labor entirely unsuitable for them.

therefore, jobs that required no mental strain and relied purely on manual labor were the most fitting for them.

to some extent, this was also a form of providing relief through labor.

qin mu stayed in the factory for a full two hours, during which time the steam engine experienced zero malfunctions.

he glanced at mo yang, cai yue, and the others. "the quality is good and meets my requirements. however, the fire must not be extinguished; keep it burning continuously. i want to see how long it can sustain operation.

once it passes this final inspection, we can begin mass production and put it into use at the fastest possible speed!"

"understood, village chief (teacher)!"

mo yang also let out a sigh of relief. qin mu's standards were extremely strict, and this version of the steam engine was already the twentieth iteration.

only now had it barely satisfied his requirements. dozens of mohist members had poured their efforts into it day and night to conquer the various bottlenecks.

success had finally been achieved.

the members of the mohist clan erupted in cheers.

they looked at qin mu with boundless fanaticism.

in the eyes of the mohists, such a behemoth of iron was no less miraculous than the legendary wooden ox and flowing horse.

it was absolute earth-shattering innovation, capable of surpassing all predecessors.

"village chief, does the promise you made me last time still count?" mo yang asked, looking at qin mu with hopeful eyes.

"of course it counts." qin mu smiled. he had once promised mo yang that once the steam engine was successfully built, he would grant him a single wish, provided it was within his power.

mo yang nodded, glanced at his younger sister, then looked at the rest of the mohist clan, taking a deep breath. "good! then my wish is for the village chief to become the paramount leader of the mohist school!"