A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 100 Invitation

Li Yu still doesn't know the news from Sweden. He is still writing a paper on chaos theory every day. This is not a small project, and once it is published, it will be shocking.

Of course, it may just be a shocking wave in the field of mathematics.

After all, the development of mathematics is ahead of other disciplines, and it is a purely abstract content, which cannot cause a huge sensation like the discoveries of physics and astronomy.

Totally understandable.

In addition, it is to teach Emperor Guangxu.

Emperor Guangxu has really aroused a lot of enthusiasm for Western learning, especially geometry and chemistry. He actually likes geometric construction and various experiments in chemistry very much.

It’s easy to understand that I like chemistry. On the one hand, experimentation is indeed interesting and fun, but the most important thing may be the common problem of emperors in all dynasties: always thinking about alchemy or something, and even dreaming that maybe I will really try to make an elixir of life.

However, Emperor Guangxu still had his own selfishness. He wanted to use this to understand the principle of chemical toxicity.

Although Guangxu never said it, he was really afraid that he would die early.

As for how to die, what he fears the most is death by poisoning.

Standing 100 years later, Li Yu knew clearly that he did die of arsenic poisoning, but who was poisoned to death is an eternal mystery.

And even if he really becomes the top chemistry award, it is impossible to guarantee that he will not be poisoned to death.

After all, it is hard to guard against house thieves.If you survived the first day of junior high school, can you survive the fifteenth day all the time?
Hades told you to die in the third watch, who would dare to keep someone to the fifth watch!
For Guangxu, Hades was not any poison at all, but Cixi herself!

Therefore, even if he becomes a master of chemistry, he will not be able to escape.

This is all predestined, whoever tells him to be in the emperor's house is a dead end, as unsolvable as the n-body problem.

As for his liking for geometry, it is because Guangxu is not sensitive enough to numbers, and algebra is difficult for him, which is not as intuitive as geometry.

What's more, Emperor Yongzheng's scavenging into acres was very effective, and geometric measurements were often used, which is also a reason.

Although Li Yu hated all the emperors in the Qing Dynasty, he only had a good impression of Yongzheng.

Yongzheng's historical evaluation has been greatly underestimated.

What Kangqian prosperity is, it's all bullshit.Originally, the Qing Dynasty was almost dying in the last years of Kangxi, but Yongzheng pulled him back abruptly, saying that it is not an exaggeration to say that he continued the life of the Qing Dynasty.

Qianlong, including his own descendants, basically enjoyed the blessings left by his father, but Qianlong was defeated in one dynasty.

Guangxu may want to revive the court like Emperor Yongzheng, but it is a pity that he does not have Yongzheng's skill and courage.

So even if he can be in charge of the government, the Qing Dynasty will definitely end, the same ending as Chongzhen.At most, it may be at Jiaqing's level, and after some struggles, he finally chose to lie flat.

But Guangxu wanted to learn, so Li Yu naturally taught him more. Geometry is indeed easier to teach.

After all, Guangxu was an adult, and Li Yu didn't completely follow the textbooks in elementary school.

When Guangxu first learned English, he couldn't find a suitable one. Instead, he really used an English textbook brought by a foreigner from abroad for his daughter.

Li Yu's thinking has always been on the level of strategic planning, and it is by no means just teaching Guangxu 1+2=3 and other cramming content.

Li Yu has met many good teachers. Although he is not a normal student, he is still very impressed with the core of education.

He knows that "knowledge" and "knowledge" are two different things.

Basically, any adult can know elementary school mathematics, but it is not an easy task to teach children well.

Moreover, Li Yu is, after all, a modern person who is proficient in Western learning. Human beings have developed so much in the past 100 years, so the depth of his insights is much higher than that of people in the same period.

Guangxu studied very hard, and this day he even asked Li Yu for advice on geometry.In fact, it was Li Yu who gave him several elementary school geometry problems on calculating the shadow area, all of which were relatively elementary problems on adding auxiliary lines.

But with too many auxiliary lines, Guangxu obviously felt that he couldn't figure it out. He complained: "Li Jiaoxi, is it useful to do this kind of problem? I just want to prevent the officials from cheating me when measuring the land in the future."

Li Yu said: "If it is limited to this, then it is true that there is no need to learn any more, but if your majesty wants to further understand Western learning, now is just the beginning."

He will not be used to Guangxu.

Guangxu said: "Of course I want to learn Western learning, but it's too difficult to learn like this. Is there no quick way?"

Li Yu smiled and said, "Of course not."

"After all, I am the Son of Heaven," said Guangxu, "I'm always smarter than ordinary people, right?"

Li Yu didn't know where Guangxu's self-confidence came from, so he said, "Your Majesty, do you know Alexander the Great?"

Guangxu nodded: "I know, he is a talented and generous monarch."

Li Yu said: "That's right, as one of the four major military commanders in Western history, he once looked for a shortcut to learning mathematics, but his teacher told him that there is no imperial power in front of geometry."

Guangxu was in awe immediately after hearing this. Compared with Alexander the Great, he was really far behind. Since such a powerful monarch has to learn with an open mind, there is no need to be lazy.

As usual, Li Yu gave him a few more questions on the paper. Cui Yugui outside the door glanced at it, and it was no different from the previous few days. They were all inexplicably square and round shapes.

Cui Yugui kept muttering in his heart: "This is Western learning? It doesn't look like much."

Cixi has almost no interest in what Guangxu has learned. When he was studying the classics, Weng Tonghe had a basic understanding of what Cixi taught, but he really didn't understand these numbers and symbols.

After reading today's teaching content, she said to Rong Lu beside her, "I really don't know what foreigners are doing learning these silly things!"

Rong Lu didn't quite understand either, so he just said, "Foreigners are so powerful. I heard that they have learned from childhood. It must be useful."

"I don't believe it," Cixi pointed to those drawings, "If you want to talk about the blueprints of those powerful warships and cannons, it is impossible to draw them just by relying on them."

"I can't figure it out, too. If it's not too late, I'd better find someone who understands and ask." Rong Lu replied helplessly.

Cixi said: "What are you talking about! At present, in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, apart from Yuan Shikai, there are several people who understand Westernization, and he himself said that he did not understand science."

"Then there is no other way, or the Queen Mother can ask Li Yu directly?" Rong Lu said.

Cixi waved her hand: "Forget it, he is just a man with a little knowledge of the West, and I don't even understand the strength of ships and guns on the battlefield."

Anyway, Cixi only thought that the foreigners were good at fighting, but she didn't want to ask for details.

Cixi said again: "Let's talk about your business again. I am going to betroth your daughter Youlan to Zaifeng. What do you think?"

"Hey!" Rong Lu knelt on the ground with a thump, "The empress dowager appointed a matchmaker, which is a blessing to the slave family."

Although Cixi was a question sentence just now, Rong Lu heard an affirmative sentence in his ears.

Cixi said: "Get up, the matter is settled like this."

Zaifeng, like Zai Zhen, are among the few members of the royal family that Cixi is more optimistic about. Cixi directly appoints a marriage, which will definitely benefit the Ronglu family in the future.

"Boom boom boom!"

There was a knock on the door of Li Yu's house, and it was Ding Weiliang who came.

Li Yu was startled and said, "Principal Teacher, why did you come to me in person?"

Martin was holding a telegram in his hand, "Could you also install a telegraph machine yourself in the future, and all the telegrams sent to you will go to me."

"Telegram? Where did it come from?" Li Yu asked.

"You have won a prize!" Ding Weiliang said happily, "It is the mathematics reward in the newspaper I showed you last time. You really won the prize, 2500 crowns!"

Li Yu was not too surprised, but Martin's next words did surprise him: "The telegram was sent in the name of the King of Sweden and Norway, and I solemnly invite you to write another mathematics paper, specifically explaining your previous answers."

Martin didn't know much about the three-body problem, so he just talked about it in general.

It seems that the introduction that Li Yu dropped before really worked.

Martin continued: "The king also mentioned that if your thesis can pass the professional review, you will receive a reward of up to 15 crowns."

"Ah? 15... ten thousand crowns!"

Li Yu really didn't expect the king of Sweden to be so generous, so he felt a bit like buying a horse with a lot of money in the Warring States period, and he seemed to be an introduction to throw bricks and attract jade.

Weiliang Ding patted Li Yu on the shoulder: "Good job! I firmly believe that you can do it!"

Li Yu didn't think it was too complicated at first, but he must pay more attention to spending so much money.

The progress will be accelerated during the follow-up period. Fortunately, the time is relatively free now, and it is best to get a general idea before the university starts.

In addition, Li Yu should really consider the issue of the telegraph, as it is indeed too inconvenient to communicate now.

(End of this chapter)