Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2323 Fengshan (Twenty) Cangzhou, Changlu

In the early morning of Tianjin, a grand departure ceremony was being held. The imperial chariot and its entourage set off from Tianjin on a dragon boat, heading south to the next stop, Cangzhou. The scenes along the way were spectacular, like a flowing scroll, slowly unfolding before the eyes of the world.

The dragon boat, the only specially built royal canal ship for this trip south, is a giant water beast that symbolizes the majesty and glory of the royal family. It is long and strong, with high bow and stern, and there are delicate dragon patterns painted on the hull, which is magnificent and golden, as if a real dragon is leaping above the waves.

At this moment, on the bow of the ship, the Ming emperor Zhu Yijun was wearing a royal robe, majestic yet elegant. He stood at the bow, looking into the distance, and casually waved goodbye to the teams on both sides of the river that were seeing him off. On both sides of him, the Han generals were wearing uniform golden armor, holding spears, looking majestic, guarding the emperor's safety, and also demonstrating the strength of the empire.

Even though everyone knew that they were merely part of the emperor's ceremonial guard, and that the real guards were either the imperial cavalry riding south on both sides of the canal, or the imperial guards on the dragon boats and other accompanying vessels, it did not affect these tall and burly generals in golden helmets and armor from winning cheers by their appearance.

Following the emperor's order, the dragon boat slowly started, the oars cutting through the calm water, stirring up ripples. Along the canal, the people had already gathered, they prostrated themselves on the ground, holding incense and candles, watching the dragon boat sail away, their hearts filled with gratitude and awe for the imperial power - according to the notice issued by the Tianjin Governor's Office yesterday, the emperor has issued an order: Tianjin officials, civilians, and soldiers have made great contributions in welcoming the emperor, and all taxes, miscellaneous contributions, and corvée labor will be exempted by half this year.

Gao Youshi had planned to exempt half of the taxes along the way before the Fengshan Ceremony, and even the fiscal budget for the year after the exemption was prepared early. For the emperor, he only needed to announce it once the emperor arrived at a place.

This was one of the reasons why Gao Youshi was so trusted by Zhu Yijun, who once awarded him a treasure: "He has prepared everything for himself." For Emperor Wanli, who was used to being a hands-off boss, he could hardly imagine how disastrous the government would be if he lost Gao Youshi, a "prepared" assistant minister.

On the other hand, it was really great to have Gao Youshi in charge of the court affairs! There were almost no troubles that needed to bother me. Even if there were occasional troubles, I could just ask Gao Youshi. He would definitely have a solution.

The scenery along the way changes as the dragon boat moves forward, from the bustling Tianjin, to the vast fields, to the winding rivers, every piece of land is bathed in the glory of the holy journey.

At this time, Zhu Yijun had already returned to the boat to rest, and the person who was summoned was undoubtedly the chief minister of the cabinet, Gao Youshi.

Zhu Yijun, who was tossing the "Nuremberg Egg" in his hand, was laughing at the moment and said, "Rixin, although this thing is new, after playing with it for a day, I have found that it is still not as accurate as a water clock or hourglass, let alone a sundial. In just one day, the time difference has exceeded half an hour."

Gao Youshi smiled and said, "This device has only been invented for a few decades, and there are still many aspects of the mechanism that need to be improved. A difference of half an hour a day like this is actually quite remarkable. As far as I know, when this 'pocket watch' first came out, the error could be as long as two or three hours a day."

Zhu Yijun laughed and said, "If the error reaches three hours a day, then what use is it for telling time? Looking up at the sky is more accurate than it."

Gao Fusi smiled slightly and said, "But now the error of the pocket watch in His Majesty's hand has been reduced to just over half an hour. Remember, it has only been about fifty years.

So can I speculate that in another fifty years, the timekeeping error of this instrument will be comparable to that of a water clock? Your Majesty, please remember how big a water clock is, and how big this pocket watch is? How troublesome it is to use a water clock, and how convenient it is to use a pocket watch? "

Zhu Yijun's smile gradually froze, and after a while he could not help but ask: "If the army carries this item, wouldn't it be much more convenient than a water clock or hourglass? If our two armies agree to attack the enemy together, with this item, it may save a lot of trouble."

Gao Fusi nodded first, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty does have a use, but this is only a small part of the role of the pocket watch industry."

Zhu Yijun was quite surprised. He took the "Nuremberg Egg" in his hand and looked at it. He frowned and said, "Except for the exquisite carving of the shell, I can't see that it has any other functions besides telling time."

Gao Fusi smiled and pointed at the pocket watch in the emperor's hand, saying, "Your Majesty, you know that the exquisiteness of this pocket watch is not only in the measurement of hours, minutes and seconds, but also in the wave of scientific creation it has triggered. I have studied it carefully and found that although it is small, the more refined it is, the more it can promote the leap of precision machinery.

At the same time, the refining of metals and the creation of new alloys can also be improved due to the needs of clock making. Your Majesty, I am not exaggerating, these skills are the cornerstone of our Ming Dynasty's mechanical industry."

Zhu Yijun seemed to understand what he said, but after a moment's silence, he still couldn't fully understand it, so he said, "I am not an expert in this field, so please explain it in more detail."

He began to change his self-reference from "I" to "I", and changed his address to Gao Youshi from "Rixin" to "Yuanfu", indicating that he had realized that this conversation had escalated from casual chat between classmates to a meeting between the emperor and his ministers, and he had to take it seriously.

Gao Guoshi explained: "Items like this must be widely circulated in order to play a role and benefit all people and industries. As the emperor just pointed out, if the army uses this item, the cooperation of each camp can save manpower and be more punctual. In fact, not only the army, but also thousands of industries can benefit from it.

However, if we want to promote it, we must reduce the cost. For example, brass cannot be all brass. Perhaps it can be made into some brass alloy, such as bronze. Of course, I am just giving an example. The specific alloy still needs to be carefully studied and tried and tested by craftsmen from all sides. And in this study and trial and error, we may be able to discover the different uses of various alloys and use them in other fields. This is to promote alloy creation. As for metal refining, it is naturally in its category. It can also be developed and improved in this process and then used for other purposes. "

"Oh... I see." Zhu Yijun nodded and said with a smile, "What Yuanfu said makes sense. There are always many things in the world where one tries to plant flowers but they don't bloom, and one plants willows unintentionally but they grow into shade trees. I understand."

Gao Youshi added: "Not only that, Your Majesty, I have also realized the mysteries of physics by looking at this pocket watch. For example, the rhythm of the pendulum and the meshing of gears all require a deep understanding of the principles of force, energy, and motion. Such research is of great use to our astronomy, navigation, and even daily measurement.

I have heard that people in the West used the sophistication of clocks and watches to measure celestial phenomena and determine longitude and latitude, which enabled them to sail without hindrance. As a result, the Portuguese and Spanish people were able to travel across the five oceans, either for trade or to dominate territories, and they called themselves "the land on which the sun never sets."

Since ancient times, China has been no less than the West. They had Rome, and we had the Han. Rome had long since fallen, but the Han people have been passed down for hundreds of generations. This is why China is superior to the West. Now that the Ming Dynasty knows that the West has this way of development, how can we be content to lag behind? I dare to ask the emperor to pay attention to it. Although the pocket watch is small, the related science is great. It is for the Ming Dynasty to consolidate its national strength, explore the four seas, and then trade with all countries and harvest their strength. "

Zhu Yijun listened attentively, his eyes revealing a yearning for the unknown world, and he nodded repeatedly: "What Yuanfu said is very inspiring, I must take it seriously."

Unexpectedly, Gao Youshi continued before he finished speaking: "Your Majesty, the study of mathematics may also flourish because of pocket watches. The ratio of gears and the measurement of time all require complicated calculations; the theory of calculus and the art of geometry can be applied from this. I think that pocket watches are a fusion of science and art, and may even gradually promote the method of education and add mathematics to the imperial examinations."

"Well..." Zhu Yijun looked a little embarrassed. "Last time, you added the idea of ​​adding extra points to the elective exam for those with the same scores in the exam. There was some controversy in the court and the public. Now if you want to add mathematics, I don't think it will go smoothly. Let's put this matter aside for now. After a few years, when all the scholars in the world are used to the mathematics test, it won't be too late to promote it."

Gao Youshi didn't object to the emperor's statement. After all, the imperial examination was no small matter, and now was not a period of great unrest. It was safest to cut the Gordian knot and take things step by step.

"Finally, I would like to talk about the importance of standardization and metrology. The accuracy of clocks and watches requires unified standards. If this principle is applied to industry, it will be a blessing for the manufacturing industry of our Ming Dynasty.

Over the years, I have promoted more precise measurements such as 'meter', 'decimeter', 'centimeter', 'millimeter' and 'ton' within Jinghua. Now, with the expansion of Jinghua, it has influenced many partners and may also become popular among the people.

I think if this principle can be extended to other areas, the fineness of our Ming Dynasty’s wares will surely be even better. In this way, in the future, in addition to silk, porcelain, tea and other new goods, we will be able to export them overseas, and our national strength will also be strengthened.”

Zhu Yijun pondered for a long time, and finally said: "Prime Minister is really good at seeing the big picture from the small details! What you said makes sense. The smallness of clocks and watches can lead to the greatness of science and technology. It is a blessing for our Ming Dynasty to have such a minister to assist in the administration. I will think about it carefully and plan for the prosperity of the country."

The two chatted on this topic for a long time, and finally it was time for dinner. Zhu Yijun naturally asked Gao Youshi to stay and eat with him. Gao Youshi did not refuse, and stayed after saying a few polite words.

During the banquet, Zhu Yijun suddenly noticed that the light outside the window had become brighter. He subconsciously looked to the left and saw that the lush trees on the east side of the canal had turned into patches of white land - "white" land in the physical sense. He was startled and asked, "Rixin, what's the scenery in the distance? Why does it look like it's snowing?"

Gao Fusi took a closer look and found that the scenery was really similar in his memory. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Good Pope, please know that it is a salt field. I think the Holy Chariot has approached the territory of Cangzhou, and the outside is one of the northern sections of the Changlu Salt Field."

Zhu Yijun suddenly realized, "Why did it seem like snowing? It turns out that the ground is not snow, but salt."

He paused, looked carefully, and then said with emotion: "It is really endless... I have seen thousands of references to Changlu Salt Field in memorials, and I have only described its size in a general way. Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I am reminded of Lu Fangweng's poem: What is learned from books is always shallow, and one must practice it in person to fully understand it. It is really true."

Gao Youshi smiled and said, "If the emperor feels this way more often during this trip, it will surely be a blessing for the people."

Zhu Yijun became interested and asked, "Rixin, I learned a lot from my trip to Tianjin. I guess you have some good news to tell me about the Changlu Salt Field?"

Gao Youshi's face became serious, and he shook his head and said, "I am ashamed. I am afraid that I will disappoint the emperor. When I arrive in Cangzhou, I want to report one thing: in the early years of our dynasty, there were 24 salt fields in Changlu Salt Field. During the Longqing period, the four salt fields of Yimin, Haifu, Runguo and Sanchagu were merged, leaving 20 salt fields. Since the Wanli period, four more salt fields have been merged in Changlu Salt Field, and now there are only 16 salt fields left."

Zhu Yijun was very surprised and asked, "Why is that?" He paused, and suddenly remembered something very important, and asked in a low voice, "If I remember correctly, your uncle's family, the Zhang family of Puzhou, owns a large share in the Changlu Salt Field... This salt field is like a cornucopia of business, how come it keeps getting bigger and bigger?"

  Gao Youshi sighed and said, "This is a long story."
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PS: It’s a long story, I’ll tell you in the next chapter. By the way, the process of the emperor’s journey south, as you can see from the Tianjin chapter, is to summarize the reform achievements of the Practical School over the past thirty years. Although it cannot be written in full because of the “along the way” relationship, it can be written as much as possible. This is also what the novel should do in the later stage, so that it has a beginning and an end.