Go back to the past and be a schoolboy

Chapter 79

Friendship is friendship, and work is work. Cheng Nuo still insisted on paying the deposit for the seal. Besides, the money was not much, because personal requests changed the friendship, so it was not worth the loss.

Originally, he made an appointment with Cai Yuanpei, Liang Rengong and others to return to Beijing together, but a sudden incident happened in Suzhou Province, which forced Cheng Nuo to cancel the return plan, and waited for the incident before deciding when to go back.

When he came to Zhang Jian's room, his face was full of anxiety, and he was walking around non-stop. When he saw Cheng Nuo coming in, he grabbed him.

"Zhiyuan, there is going to be a big mess in Suzhou Province. The so-called local parents and officials are all doing nonsense, and they don't care about the consequences."

Cheng Nuo moved two chairs, let him sit down, and said with concern: "Mr. Zhang, what happened that made you so anxious? Is it about cotton seeds? Don't worry, I'll send someone to support you as soon as I get back. The days won't be long."

Zhang Jianji frowned, and nodded his crutches heavily: "If it's about my own family, I don't need to be so angry. A few days ago, the neighboring county was hit by hailstorms, and many crops in good fields were destroyed. At that time, farmers were distressed about food and gathered More than 3000 people went to the county office to petition, asking the county magistrate to go to the countryside for surveys, but the police shot and arrested them. The crowd was so angry that they rushed into the police station, and the house was almost torn down."

Cheng Nuo was surprised. It was just a natural disaster and the county magistrate turned it into a man-made disaster. He was not afraid of being laughed at when he said it, so he said: "Those common people are also pitiful. There is no harvest this year, and the government still treats them like this. It is really infuriating. , I’m afraid this matter will not stop here.”

"Later, the county magistrate promised to punish the murderer and conduct a survey, and the farmers disbanded." Zhang Jian continued, supporting his crutches, "I'm worried that this matter may become an introduction. Soon Suzhou will usher in the rainy season. When the flood season arrives, the weather will be severe." It will be more changeable, and the life of farmers will be even more difficult at that time, and such things may emerge in endlessly."

No wonder Zhang Jian is so sensitive to the weather. When he reclaimed the wasteland in Tongzhou in his early years, he encountered strong typhoons, heavy rains and high tides twice. He was unprepared beforehand, and more than 50 embankments were washed away, causing huge losses.At that time, in order to cope with the meteorological disaster, two to 3000 people were specially recruited to build the embankment day and night. At the critical moment, Zhang Jian personally led the team and worked with the migrant workers to build the embankment, which escaped disaster.

Although it is just a hailstorm right now, it has caused riots in neighboring counties. I have to say that the life of the people along the coast is really difficult, and they urgently need a way to solve the problem.

Following this line of thought, Cheng Nuo quickly found a breakthrough point: "Mr. Zhang, I thought we could set up a meteorological observatory to predict the future weather in advance, and summarize the adverse effects of severe disastrous weather and pests on the growth of crops over the years. , and give farmers corresponding countermeasures to avoid risks as much as possible.”

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jian's face turned from cloudy to sunny, and the smile could not be hidden in the wrinkles: "Zhiyuan, I'm waiting for your words, let's go, please come back to Tongzhou with me, our family's Junshan The Meteorological Observatory is short of a Dinghaishenzhen."

Cheng Nuo suddenly realized, smiled and shook his head: "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, they say that people who do business have the most active minds. At first I didn't believe it, but today I have to accept it. You have been waiting for me for a long time. "

Zhang Jian was a little helpless: "The establishment of meteorological stations in various countries is originally the responsibility of the government, and it should be the same in our country. The government would rather not take care of this? If the localities do not make their own way, they will never know what the weather is and where the basic knowledge of agriculture is. Life will always be in the unknown, so what about future development."

On the way back, Cheng Nuo learned that after Zhang Jian suffered a loss, he raised funds to build the Nantong Museum Meteorological Station in the middle hall of Nantong Museum. The first of its kind.

Later, when he served as the head of agriculture and commerce of the Beiyang government and the president of the Water Conservancy Bureau, he ordered the establishment of meteorological observation stations across the country. The central Zhili province and agricultural and forestry institutions at all levels set up a total of 26 observation stations. This is the first time in domestic history that the central government The government adopted a modern meteorological scientific observation system nationwide. Unfortunately, after Zhang Jian resigned and returned to the south, the Beiyang government had funding problems, and most meteorological observation stations were forced to close down.

Now he has built another meteorological station in Junshan, Tongzhou. The houses are all built, and only professional instruments and technicians are needed to settle in. It is really frustrating to catch up with such a mess.

Faced with this problem, Cheng Nuo is best at macro guidance, pointing out a direction, and he is also afraid of specific scientific research, especially in this unfamiliar field. Otherwise, he would not have established a science academy, and would have rolled up his sleeves to go to battle on his own up.

After arriving in Tongzhou, I was not in a hurry to visit the Junshan Meteorological Observatory. Instead, I locked myself in the room and began to sort out the popular science materials I had seen, the science museums I visited, and the history of science and technology I had read overnight. guidebook.

It may seem full of loopholes to meteorologists in later generations, but it definitely has important reference value 100 years ago.

Because he was too involved in the middle, the glutinous rice cakes that were brought for dipping were almost dipped into ink, which made Cheng Nuo think it was quite amusing. If he really wanted to eat ink, maybe a hundred years later, a celebrity dipped in ink would be added to the children's books.

"Wind direction and wind speed diary, Fulton mercury barometer, self-recording thermometer, dry and wet bulb thermometer, self-recording rain gauge theodolite, cloud circle." Zhang Jian asked after repeatedly looking at the list of meteorological instruments submitted by Cheng Nuo : "The Junshan Meteorological Observatory has nothing else besides the dozen or so instruments on paper?"

"By the way, there is still a sundial from our ancestors, that is, we don't need foreign goods for it." Cheng Nuo was also very hungry, and said while stuffing glutinous rice cakes into his mouth: "It's better to prepare two more radio transmitters. One on the mountain and one at home can quickly notify everyone in case of extreme weather.”

"As long as there is an effect, these investments should be made. Looking at the instrument list, I am afraid that it will be insufficient, and what is missing." Zhang Jian nodded, and handed the list to the servants on the side, asking him to prepare as soon as possible.

In fact, Zhang Jian, who has been dealing with meteorology for more than ten years, is already a beginner. The reason why he approached Cheng Nuo is because he is one of the top talents in the domestic scientific community, and see if he has any unique ideas to add.

Similar to the sports industry, the domestic meteorological field is basically controlled by foreigners at this time, and the professional instruments and the right to speak are all in their hands. Outsiders do not know whether the meteorological interpretation is scientific and correct. It is the No. [-] Meteorological Observatory in the Far East that he sent people to study. ——Xujiahui Meteorological Observatory was also built by foreign missionaries. Its main service targets are still passing foreign ships, with little involvement in agriculture.

To really change the status quo, we have to wait until Mr. Zhu Kezhen and others come back, and it will gradually improve after several efforts.

Now Cheng Nuo puts a pile of facts before him, which coincides with Zhang Jian's early plan, and his trust in him has been raised to a higher level.

Standing on the Junshan Meteorological Observatory and looking down, you can have a panoramic view of the beautiful surrounding scenery. Looking at the broad Yangtze River, visitors can't help being broad-minded.

Zhang Jian's face showed a rare exhilaration: "The Yangtze River is far away, and the five lakes are spring when the sun sets. Zhiyuan, there are many famous mountains in Tongzhou, and Langshan is the most famous. It is rumored that the monk Jianzhen who traveled to the east once stayed there for a while. The reputation of "the first mountain in Jianghai", but I chose to set up a weather station in Junshan, do you know the reason?"

Naturally, Cheng Nuo couldn't be bothered by this question, and after looking around, he gave the answer: "Although the scenery is slightly inferior to Selecting Army Mountain, it is far better than the weather. Fushan confronts each other, and the situation is excellent. Ships traveling north and south on the river can easily see the beacons on the mountain. People in Tongzhou City and Dongxiang, looking at Junshan Mountain in the distance, can also raise their awareness of paying attention to weather forecasts. It will be of great benefit to the public.”

"Besides, I guess Mr. Zhang still has something on his mind that outsiders don't know." At this point, Cheng Nuo deliberately played tricks.

Zhang Jian was still nodding his head repeatedly, but his curiosity was aroused by the second half of the sentence, and he half-believed and said: "I have never mentioned this concern to outsiders. Zhiyuan, what you guess may not be true."

Knowing yourself and the enemy is the only way to win a hundred battles. Cheng Nuo will not easily make friends with others. These days, he has also gotten to know Zhang Jian in private. The mentor is the old man Songchan."

"Yes, it is my mentor, and also the teacher of Emperor Tongzhi and Emperor Guangxu." Zhang Jian nodded.

"And his hometown is the Fushan Mountain on the south bank of the river I mentioned earlier, which echoes Junshan Mountain." Cheng Nuo explained with a smile on his face, "Junshan Meteorological Observatory is like "Wangyu Terrace" in Ma'anshan in Mr. Zhang's mind. , and the meaning of missing the teacher, this kind of approach combines science and humanities, which makes me admire."

After speaking, Cheng Nuo bowed deeply.

Zhang Jian didn't want to accept this great gift, so he hurriedly stepped forward to support him, preventing him from bending down, and his mouth was full of admiration: "Zhiyuan, you are like a roundworm in my stomach, otherwise, I will fall into love with you!" I will give you some shares in the factory, and the two of us will have a big fight."

Cheng Nuo didn't want to trap himself in the cotton textile industry, so he refused with a smile: "You don't get paid for nothing, and I can help Mr. Zhang in this state."

With the help of Cheng Nuo, the business of the Junshan Meteorological Observatory began to expand. In addition to basic meteorological observations, it also took care of compiling and receiving weather telegrams from various stations in East Asia, drawing weather maps, making short-term weather and hydrological forecasts, and collecting and sorting. Natural disasters, agricultural meteorological research, etc.

However, these things are only limited to the Tongzhou area, so there is no need to regularly publish them in the main magazine of "National".

Of course, it is obviously not enough to set up a weather station in one area, at least one in every province. It is a pity that Cheng Nuo has no meteorological talents under his command, so he can only anxiously look forward to the return of the boss. A letter from Cheng Nuo is sent to the United States again Harvard University, to Zhu Kezhen, a former student who is now a PhD student.

(End of this chapter)