Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2214 Auxiliary Officer ([-]) Li Zhizao, Matteo Ricci

After Li Zhizao arrived, Gao Pragmatic was pleasantly surprised that an initiative he had quietly promoted for many years had begun to take effect, that is, the application of Arabic numerals.

Not only is Li Zhizao proficient in using Arabic numerals for calculations, he can even use some vertical column calculations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division that are relatively simple in Gao's opinion. This means that the new algorithms he has implemented in the Mathematics Department of Jinghua Craftsman School for many years have at least become popular. There are some groups in Shilin who are willing to try new knowledge, which is a very gratifying thing.

In fact, the level of mathematics in ancient China was not low, but the complex characters and algorithms led to limitations in later development. The vast majority of people, including the vast majority of people with financial resources and energy, often found it difficult to work hard in mathematics, resulting in hobbies There are fewer and fewer pioneering figures in mathematics and mathematics, and the development of mathematics in China has gradually slowed down.

Although, relying on the current era, Ming scholars still have a large enough base globally, mathematics is still developing.However, Gao Pragmatic knew that with the rise of the European Renaissance and the insufficient population due to the expansion of colonies, the European powers would enter a "demand orientation" and force their societies to enter the industrial age.

Once it enters the industrial age, basic sciences such as mathematics based on Arabic numerals will achieve great development in a very short period of time. If the Ming Dynasty cannot keep up with this wave of development, no matter how high someone develops commerce, handicrafts, or even Primary industries will eventually be left behind.

Therefore, mathematics, a basic science, must fully shift to the use of Arabic numerals, and must not stick to old rules and practice "Chinese supremacy."What's more, in Gao Pragmatic's view, the real Chinese dynasty should also be pragmatic and seek truth from facts. I will use whatever is useful. It is "the sea is open to all rivers, and it is broad if it has tolerance."As the old man said: development is the last word.

However, there is a special point to note here. The ancient Chinese mathematics system had a set of "characteristic mathematics" called "chips", which later developed into the abacus.The abacus is not only convenient to use, but also relatively easy to record compared to Chinese. It is precisely because of its existence that when Arabs and Europeans successively adopted the "Arabic numerals" originally originated in India for mathematical calculations, although China Arabic numerals were also introduced, but they were not widely used.

However, "chips" or "abacuses" also have their limitations. Gao Pragmatic will not deny the ease of use of the "abacus", but will continue to promote it. However, when it is used for written calculations and records, Gao Pragmatic not only insists on promoting Arabic numerals at the Jinghua Craftsman School, but has also begun to promote it at the Ministry of Household Affairs in recent years. .

This point has actually been mentioned before. After the restructuring of the Ministry of Accounts, its power and scale have expanded dramatically. Now there are many new staff traveling all over the world, responsible for checking accounts, auditing, supervision, etc., and these staff are highly pragmatic. It is compulsory to study in the Mathematics Department of Craftsman Academy for two to three years.

Two or three years is not a small problem, and most people are not willing to waste such a long time, especially officials.Therefore, high pragmatism cannot force Jinshi gentlemen to learn, so they can only think of other ways.For example, Gao pragmatic picked up the rhetoric of San Bo Gao Gong's "valuing the promotion of people" and vigorously introduced people to join the Ministry of Household Affairs. On the condition of providing food, accommodation and salary, he let them go to the Craftsman School to study mathematics, and then arranged for them to work in the Ministry of Household Affairs. hold office.

It is said that people are qualified to be officials, but in fact you have to queue up and wait for "vacancies" before you have a chance to be appointed as an official.Of course, in fact, not only do you need to be available, but you also need to have connections and even money to really get an appointment.

However, Gao Pragmatic is best at secretly thinking of ways to deal with such "little things": there are many new positions in the Ministry of Household Affairs, and all of them require further mathematics training at the Artisan School. After completing the training, he will be awarded an eighth- or ninth-grade official position based on his performance, and he will officially enter Official sequence.

In the Ming Dynasty, officials and officials were two completely different groups, and could even be said to be two classes.Although some people have passed the Juren exam, they ask themselves that even if they study for ten or twenty more years, they may not be able to become a high school Jinshi. However, their family background is average. If they expect to wait until a vacancy is filled, it may not be much different from winning 20 million in lottery tickets in future generations. Basically, It's equivalent to no chance.

Things are different now. It takes two or three years to go to the Jinghua Craftsman School for further study. As long as you can successfully graduate, you will be granted the status of an official. What a great opportunity this is!As a result, a large number of Juren began to enter the grassroots level of the Ministry of Household Affairs and were assigned to all parts of the country to take charge of finance-related work.

There is no doubt that these officials who have received the new arithmetic education are far better in "business ability" than those earlier officials who only read the books of sages.After they enrich the grassroots level, they can form a three-level mechanism of "governor and inspector - household commissioner - local officials" to better fill the power gap between officials and officials in the past, and greatly improve the past situation of "officials not asking about common affairs". , the officials deceived the superiors" is a terrible situation.

Now, Gao Pragmatic was surprised to find that not only officials dispatched from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development had a basic understanding of using Arabic numerals, but even officials like Li Zhizao who were not dispatched from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development but liked mathematics began to take the initiative to learn and even learn Arabic numerals. Not bad.

Gao pragmatically gave Li Zhizao materials in the morning, and Li Zhizao came to hand in the task shortly after noon.Gao Yuanfu was very appreciative. Not only did he praise him repeatedly, but he even reviewed it on the spot. He also gave Li Zhizao some pointers on how to simplify calculations. This in turn shocked Li Zhizao, thinking that Gao Yuanfu was truly a talented person. , really learn everything.

Why do we say that we should learn “things”?Because Li Zhizao was surprised to find that Gao Yuanfu's calculation method was very similar to that of his friend from the West. In the end, Li Zhizao couldn't help but inquire and asked: "Yuanfu is erudite and is really a model scholar... I wonder if Yuanfu can Have you ever met some Western monks?"

Gao Pragmatic laughed when he heard this and said, "You mean the Catholic missionaries?"

Seeing Gao Pragmatic, he did not mention "Western monks" but directly pointed them out. Li Zhizao was overjoyed and hurriedly said: "So Yuan Fu also knows these people?"

Gao Pragmatic laughed and said: "The Rixin Building of our Pavilion is a combination of Chinese and Western styles. It was designed by our Ming craftsmen and Italian architects. In this case, how could our Pavilion not know about the Catholic missionaries? ? However, I have not yet met the priest you know in person. If he comes to Beijing one day, you can invite him to come to our house to talk about it."

Li Zhizao was shocked and asked: "Yuanfu also knows Mr. Xijiang?"

This "Mr. Xijiang" made Gao Pragmatic stunned for a moment, and he hesitated: "Isn't his name Matteo Leach, or Matteo Ricci?"

This question made Li Zhizao even more surprised, and he quickly said: "I didn't expect that Yuan Fu even knew Mr. Xijiang's original name. Yes, Mr. Xijiang's original name was Matteo Leach. Later he gave himself a Chinese name, which is exactly Matteo Ricci. As for Xijiang, this is his nickname. There are two other nicknames, namely Xitai and Qingtai."

Matteo Ricci’s number?I really don’t remember this Gao pragmatism.On the contrary, it was his original name, which Gao Pangshi had known before.But this is not a problem. Matteo Ricci is a very smart person. In Chinese terms, he is well versed in the method of "adapting measures to local conditions." As soon as he arrived in China, he studied Chinese, Chinese culture and folk customs, so he quickly named himself Chinese name, but I didn’t know he even had a number... I wonder if there is a pinyin?
Thinking about these things pragmatically, he forgot about them. He just smiled and nodded, and said to Li Zhizao: "Matteo Ricci is a talent. He is not only knowledgeable, but also knows how to get along with us. I think you must be here. He feels like a spring breeze, right?"

"What Yuan Fu said is absolutely true, and Mr. Xijiang is indeed true." Li Zhizao's answer did not shy away from anything.

Gao pragmatic continued to smile and asked: "Did he mention some missionary matters? For example, establishing a Catholic church somewhere in the south of the Yangtze River, or even simply in the capital? Or, did he hope that you or people around you would convert to Catholicism?" Li Zhizao was still very direct and nodded: "It was indeed mentioned, but... the official has not agreed yet. He only said that he can help him test his voice in the capital."

"Whose tone? Is it from my cabinet, or simply testing the emperor's tone?" Gao pragmatically asked.

He still kept smiling, but after all, Li Zhizao had been an official for two years and knew that this matter was different from his interactions with foreigners like Matteo Ricci.Although China has generally not interfered with folk religion, the Ming Dynasty was different from other dynasties. It used this power before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and later experienced events such as the White Lotus Rebellion, so it was more concerned about these matters. Sensitive.

Li Zhizao said cautiously: "Xiaguan views his teachings as advocating good rather than evil. He is not like a bandit, so he has no power to refuse. As for the so-called Tantan tone, it is actually mostly perfunctory..."

"There is no need to be perfunctory." Gao Pingshi said calmly: "My cabinet reached some tacit understanding with his predecessor many years ago. There is no obstruction to Catholic missionary matters, but there are some prerequisites.

If he wants to come to the capital to preach, you can write to him and say you can come.There is no need to be taboo about building a church. Our cabinet can even explain the situation to the emperor, and I believe the emperor will not mind.

but.The prerequisites for all this are the same as in the past - do not try to treat Ming Dynasty as a diocese directly belonging to the pope, and any bishops, cardinals, etc. appointed by it in Ming Dynasty should not attempt to interfere in the government affairs.

In addition, I would like to remind you that if you want to successfully preach in the Ming Dynasty, you should start from the upper class society, especially cultural exchanges - whatever the most advanced scientific progress in Europe, they should use it to communicate with us in the Ming Dynasty.As for Catholic teachings and so on...this is dispensable. "

Li Zhizao was greatly surprised. Seeing that Gao Pragmatic showed no signs of anger, he couldn't help but asked tentatively: "There is indeed some interesting knowledge in Europe, but Guan Yuanfu seems to be only interested in these, but not quite interested in his 'main business' For disdain... Can I ask Yuan Fu, what is the reason for this?"

reason?The reason is that I am an atheist...

"I don't want to talk about the strange power that confuses the gods." Gao Pingshi shook his head and said: "I don't believe in any of the three Abrahamic religions. If you really want to ask, I believe that human desire is the way of heaven."

Li Zhizao actually didn't know what the "Three Abrahamic Religions" mentioned by Gao Jingshi were, but what shocked him more at the moment was the latter sentence, which was what Gao Jingshi said: "Human desire is the way of heaven."

"Human desire is the way of heaven?" Li Zhizao looked shocked: "I wonder what Yuan Fu meant by this statement?"

"Ten days are in the sky, people want to live, so Hou Yi shoots the sun." Gao Jingshi said calmly: "There are thousands of people in the world, they want to live, this is the way of heaven. What I follow, the way of heaven, is Work hard and work hard for the survival of all peoples.

As for God, as for ghosts, or what Matteo Ricci calls "God", I don't believe in them.What's more, the three Abrahamic religions say that man is born with sin... It's a joke, he is born, so how can he be sinful? "

Li Zhizao said subconsciously: "Mr. Xijiang said that the original sin was because Adam and Eve were seduced by snakes..."

"Do you think Matteo Ricci looks different from you and me?" Gao Pragmatic said disdainfully: "The three Abrahamic religions originated in West Asia. They were originally a primitive sect of the Semitic tribe in the local desert. One of them later developed into Ricci. They believe in Catholicism.

This sect was born out of an emerging sect of Judaism about 600 years ago, probably during the period of Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty.Moreover, West Asia is tens of thousands of miles away from China... Zhenzhi, do you believe in such a sect’s so-called theory of the origin of human beings? Do you believe that our ancestors will be what they call Adam and Eve?
As for the classics that they regard as their standards, such as the Old Testament and the New Testament, there are countless fabrications, but anyone with a little knowledge would not accept them.

In addition, although Matteo Ricci came to preach and said that some doctrines and rules were very reasonable, in fact Catholicism has long been corrupted in Europe, and new sects have emerged within them decades ago, such as Lutheranism, Calvinism, etc... I can let you know about these things when I have time in the future. "

Li Zhizao was greatly shocked and murmured: "Yuanfu's erudition is really... unmatched by anyone. It is indescribable how much Xiaguan received today. If Yuanfu hadn't given him a heads-up today, Xiaguan might have had the possibility of becoming a disciple in the future. …”

Don't "maybe", if I hadn't said this today, you would have been one of the "three pillars of Chinese Catholicism" in the future, as famous as Xu Guangqi and Yang Tingyun.

However, after thinking about it, Gao Pragmatic still said calmly: "Although it is not necessary to join the religion, you still have to remember what I said before, and find ways to let Europeans bring their knowledge to the Ming Dynasty."

After Gao Pingshi finished speaking, he paused and added: "It is said that stones from other mountains can attack jade, and you can never have too much knowledge. Zhenzhi, do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand, I will try my best." Li Zhizao took a deep breath and said, hesitating a little, and asked: "But Yuan Fu, if Matteo Ricci and others provided those Europa knowledge, then they insisted on asking for it. Become a religious official..."

"Then come in, you and I are just pretending." Gao Pragmatic waved his hand and sneered: "We have so many stars in the sky that it is unbelievable, and we are not afraid of burning more incense to Jehovah."
-
Thanks to the book friend "This year? How long?" for your reward support, thank you!
Thanks to the book friend "Old West of Altay" for your support with 8 monthly tickets, thank you!

Thanks to the book friend "Zhao unrestrained pig" for your monthly ticket support, thank you!
PS: Many people around me are catching colds. Readers, please take care of yourself!
(End of this chapter)