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

Chapter 431

The chemical industry in the first half of the [-]th century was really profitable, so Sumitomo could keep pace with Mitsubishi and Mitsui through the chemical industry.

The chemical industry is a huge category, but the early chemical industry is actually the most well-known to the public, including fertilizers, rubber, dyes, etc., and then plastics; the early pharmaceutical industry can also be classified as the chemical industry.

Each is an important industry closely related to the economy and people's livelihood.

However, the threshold for the chemical industry is not low, especially for China at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China. The first thing to be solved was the talent problem.

Yu Heqin is a very talented person who can take up the banner of chemistry.

But no matter what, we still have to walk step by step, one meal at a time, and there is no doubt that we still have to solve the problem of education, which is too difficult to do alone.

Li Yu and Yu Heqin talked about the current chemical industry.

"When I first arrived in Japan, I discovered that they were manufacturing something called fertilizer powder. According to the manufacturer, it can increase soil fertility on a large scale and increase farmland production. Later, I bought it back and did some research on it, and found out that it was ammonium sulfate. "Yu Heqin said.

Li Yu said: "It is a type of nitrogen fertilizer, and it does have good effects."

Yu Heqin said: "Food is the foundation of the country. I have seen too many hungry people who can't eat enough. I am very interested in this kind of chemical industry that can benefit the people."

Li Yu said: "But the production of chemical fertilizers is too complicated. On the one hand, the investment is huge, and if there is no suitable technology, the fertilizers produced may not be as efficient as increasing production."

Yu Heqin said: "But what I have seen in Japan proves that it can indeed increase production effectively."

Li Yu sighed: "I know, but there are many wastes waiting for development in the country. No matter how good the fertilizer industry is, it has to be pushed back."

"Why?" Yu Heqin asked.

"Because the land is in the hands of the landlords, and the landlords don't care about the lives of the hungry people." Li Yu spread his hands.

Yu Heqin said helplessly: "What a world!"

Li Yu continued to explain: "And Japan is able to produce ammonium sulfate because they have other heavy industries that produce waste gas such as sulfuric acid."

"I thought it was the result of Sumitomo Chemical." Yu Heqin said.

"Heavy industry is also owned by the Sumitomo Consortium, and capital has always been profit-seeking. If they see that fertilizers can earn profits, they will promote it themselves." Li Yu said.

"So, Sumitomo didn't want to solve the food rations of Japanese farmers?" Yu Heqin asked.

Li Yu said, "What else do you think?"

Yu Heqin slammed the table: "These chaebols!"

Li Yu said: "Unless there is easy-to-obtain fertilizer, it will be even more difficult to promote chemical fertilizers now. Have you heard of the guano war?"

"Guano? War?" Yu Heqin shook his head.

"In the past, fertilizers were all organic fertilizers or farmyard manure. But a few decades ago, people discovered a large amount of guano in a desert in South America, which was tens of centimeters thick. It was a natural fertilizer field," Li Yu said.

Yu Heqin immediately said: "South America? Will it be developed by Europeans again?"

"You guessed it right," Li Yu said, "the British came here after smelling the smell of bird droppings. Bird droppings are rich in N and P. There was a fertilizer craze in Europe, so a large amount of bird droppings were shipped to Europe."

Yu Heqin couldn't help frowning: "The taste of bird droppings is really memorable."

"Not only guano, but saltpeter mines were later discovered here, which further increased the value. This area is located at the junction of Chile, Bolivia and Peru, and the three countries started fighting over guano and saltpeter." Li Yu said.

"Did they really get into a fight because of bird droppings!?" Yu Heqin said.

"No," Li Yu said, "the boundary has already been drawn, but a Chilean company had already been mining on the land assigned to Bolivia, so the two parties signed a contract that Chile would give up this place in the future, but Bolivia would not be allowed to do anything about it within 25 years. Chilean mining companies raise tax rates.”

Yu Heqin said: "It sounds reasonable."

"If this continues, it will indeed be a win-win situation, but if nothing else, accidents will happen," Li Yu continued, "Just four years later, the Bolivian government experienced a financial crisis and the military was severely underfunded. To solve this problem, Bolivia made the foolish decision to unilaterally raise taxes on Chilean mining companies.”

"If I were Chile, I would definitely not do it. After all, there is a contract." Yu Heqin said.

"This is not over yet," Li Yu said, "and then Bolivia made an even more stupid decision—confiscating and auctioning off all the assets of the Chilean mining company!"

Li Yu even thought of what happened to Mi in the Asan Kingdom in later generations.

Yu Heqin said: "No wonder the problem can only be resolved by war."

"Although Bolivia was provocative first, their military strength was no match for Chile. Even if they united with Peru, they were still defeated miserably. In the end, Bolivia humiliated itself, not to mention the precious guano and saltpeter, and even its own location All the land on the Pacific coast was also lost and became a landlocked country. Peru also lost a large area of ​​territory, and all the saltpeter mines were taken away, leaving only a pile of guano." Li Yu said.

Yu Heqin said: "It sounds pretty good with bird droppings."

"But now there will be synthetic fertilizers soon, and bird droppings are just bird droppings." Li Yu said, "Why else wouldn't Japan import bird droppings? Naturally, synthetic fertilizers are more effective, and they are better than shipping them all the way here. The freight is cheaper than bird droppings with a high nose.”

Yu Heqin said: "It seems that we have never heard of such a good dung pile. In this case, we will eventually be unable to do without synthetic fertilizers."

Li Yu nodded: "We will definitely do it in the future, but what I tell you so much is that there is no need to focus on chemical fertilizers now. Even if there is a technological breakthrough, it will not help."

Yu Heqin sighed: "I understand. It's just that I feel a little sad when I see so many farmers facing the loess and not having enough to eat every day."

Li Yu said: "You can buy it at this stage. If we declare it domestically in the future, there may be some enlightened big landowners who are willing to use it."

Yu Heqin said: "That's all."

In fact, many countries in later generations also buy chemical fertilizers. Even countries like Asan, India, which has the largest arable land area in the world, still rely heavily on imported chemical fertilizers.

hard to imagine.

But this is also a historical reason. When we first founded the People's Republic of China, Europe and the United States blocked technology and were forced to study the fertilizer industry.

India has both sources, and can easily buy fertilizers on the international market.

One is short-term pain, the other is long-term pain...

China has really been blocked by technology for almost a century, so blocked that it almost has to do everything on its own.

Li Yu still had to let Yu Heqin study the fertilizer industry carefully. It would be good to break through the blockade as soon as possible.

Yu Heqin suddenly said again: "By the way, brother Shucai, you are a giant in science. I have a question I want to discuss with you. Follow me."

Li Yu followed him to his residence, and Yu Heqin picked up a notebook on the desk: "When I was studying abroad, I read many chemistry works and often wanted to translate them into Chinese, but many terms were quite troublesome. Because it needs to be created out of thin air. In the early years, Mr. Xu Shou had translated a large number of chemical elements into Chinese, but when I was studying organic chemistry, I found that there was no similar translation."

Li Yu said: "It's a very good job, I can really help."

Yu and Qin participated in the creation of many words in organic chemistry.

Li Yu sat at the desk and discussed each item with him. In fact, Yu Heqin already had relatively complete ideas, and some of the names were already very modern, such as Chun.

Li Yu made some additions: "The 'alcohol essence' you wrote would be easier to translate as ether. Then introduce the words alkane, alkyne, and alkene. They all have the word "fire" next to them, which implies their properties and makes it easier for people to get started. For example The three-carbon correction in your book can be directly called propane."

Yu Heqin said excitedly: "As expected, even Mr. Mendeleev would praise your chemistry skills. Brother Shucai, you are simply a genius in chemical translation! You even used the heavenly stems and earthly branches! How did you come up with the idea?"

Li Yu said with a smile: "The name is born naturally, and it can be obtained by chance."

Yu Heqin gave a thumbs up: "What a poem!" Li Yu said: "I only mentioned an idea, and you have to complete the overall naming rules."

Yu Heqin pointed to the words "Organic Chemistry Nomenclature Grass" on the cover of the notebook, "I will complete it as soon as possible."

Li Yu looked around his room at this time and saw pens, inks, paper and inkstones on the table, some scrolls next to them, and a guqin in the corner.

Li Yu smiled and said: "Your study is really decorated like a scholar's study."

Yu Heqin said: "These are not decorations."

"Isn't it a decoration?" Li Yu asked, "It can't be that you can paint realistically and play the piano?"

Yu Heqin said proudly: "You were right this time."

Li Yu was shocked: "Aren't you kidding?"

"Don't believe it? If you don't believe it, I'll play the piano for you!"

Yu Heqin sat next to the guqin, then plucked the strings and started playing ancient music.

Li Yu was completely convinced!
It seems that not only foreign scientists understand art, but also domestic ones!

All of them are quite versatile.

Einstein could play the piano, Planck and Boltzmann could play the piano, Bachla, who later won the Nobel Prize, was a vocal master, and Yu Heqin in front of him could play the guqin.

Is it possible that people in the scientific community don’t know how to play music?

no!Li Yu was deeply stimulated and felt more and more that he needed to develop an artistic hobby, otherwise he would not be able to open a salon and chat with them.

But don’t tell me, the traditional musical instruments must have ancient charm.

At the end of the song, Li Yu clapped his hands and said, "Okay! It's a pity that it's more like playing the piano to a cow at this time, because I don't understand music at all, I just think it sounds good."

Yu Heqin smiled and said: "It's enough that it sounds good. It doesn't matter whether you understand it or not."

Li Yu pointed to the scrolls: "Are there paintings in this?"

Yu Heqin nodded: "Yes."

Li Yu asked again: "Could it be that you painted them all?"

"I drew it." Yu Heqin smiled.

Li Yu smiled and said: "It's so elegant. Compared with you, I suddenly found that I am a bit vulgar."

Yu Heqin said: "That's wrong! Brother Shucai is a great talent. I just have a wide range of hobbies and play around. There is a poem that I really want to give to brother Shucai."

Yu Heqin picked up his pen and wrote on the paper:

"The melancholy cabin head is deep into the night, and Shenzhou looks back with few bosom friends.

I was born in a floating boat, and the snow surged thousands of miles away from Taobo Mountain. "

His calligraphy and literary talent are also good.

Li Yu later learned that Yu Heqin no longer engaged in the chemical industry in his later years, and he was known as Mr. Wuyin, which meant that he was hidden in his favorite five arts of calligraphy, painting, poetry, piano, and dance.

Li Yu said: "I will keep it carefully."

-

When he returned to his residence, Li Yu met Li Shutong, who had just come to Japan to study.

Along with them came a young and beautiful Japanese woman and an old man.

"I'm really sorry that I came to see Brother Shucai so late." Li Shutong said.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. It's not that you have a mobile phone...ah, it's not that you have a convenient communication tool. It's normal to be late for a few days." After Li Yu finished speaking, he asked them all to enter the house.

Li Shutong introduced the two people who came with him: "Mr. Kusakabe, Sachiko, this is my friend Li Yu."

Both parties said hello.

Li Yu discovered that this young Japanese woman named Sachiko seemed very ambiguous to Li Shutong.

Li Yu asked: "Shutong still studied calligraphy and painting in Japan?"

Li Shutong nodded: "I specifically studied Western oil painting. During this period, when I was learning sketching, I discovered that some habits in Western painting are really good."

Li Yu thought for a moment: "You're studying character sketching?"

Li Shutong nodded: "Exactly."

Li Yu immediately understood that this Japanese woman must be his art model.

This kid is really messing around.

Li Shutong said: "By studying Western art, I discovered that the human body is such a beautiful thing, and the beauty lies in the most unpretentious places."

Li Yu thought, that's not beautiful!Not only do you feel beautiful in your heart, but you also feel beautiful in your body!

Li Yu joked: "Isn't Tokyo very hot?"

"Hot?" Li Shutong shook his head, "It's not hot at all."

Li Yu smiled and said, "Seriously."

Li Shutong didn't understand the meaning of Li Yu's words, so he said: "In addition, I found that the mixed bathing of men and women in Japan also has natural beauty! Original beauty! It inspired a lot of my art."

Li Yu was too embarrassed to expose him!

But it should not be said that Li Shutong is a true master of art. Perhaps people can really find inspiration and beauty in places that ordinary people cannot see.

Well, Li Yu felt that he was too vulgar, ahem, in terms of art.

Li Shutong was also very talented. He was good at everything, including calligraphy, painting, music composition, and poetry writing.The key is that everything is very artistic and an absolute talent.

In addition, there is no mention of his emotional intelligence. Or is it called love luck?
In Tianjin and Shanghai in China, I have stories with countless brothel girls, and there are countless stories.

Not long after I came to Japan, I not only learned how to draw, but I even got close to a Japanese model.

Service, capitalized service!
If he writes an art guide + an emotional guide, it will definitely become a bestseller during the Republic of China.

Maybe the first half of my life was too exciting and too complete, so I became Master Hongyi in the second half of my life.

(End of this chapter)