Jingming

Chapter 436: Is the Avenue of Physics about to collapse?
Wang Chonggu has not left Puzhou yet.

After hearing the news, his face darkened, and he first went to the state government office in Puzhou and paid a visit to the master who knew the state.

Then, he returned to Zhang's house, went to Shen's house again, and finally left Puzhou on a fast horse to go north.

At this time, he no longer had the elegance of a scholar, and his expression was stern, more like that of a young general.

Wang Chonggu was prepared to follow the line of Confucian generals, just like Wang Shouren and Tang Shunzhi.

Shanxi is close to Hetao and Xuanning, so there are naturally many good horses, so Wang Chonggu is now galloping fast and graceful.

He knew that the news going to Taiyuan would be faster, but going south from Taiyuan was simply the fastest post road. On the way, he would always run into Xu Jie, who was in charge of the project.

At this moment, the emergency rescue and repairs in Puzhou must have begun.

The bridge has not collapsed, but the iron cables have been torn. Who knows if there will be major problems under the pull of the leaking iron boat piers?

If we talk about the direct access to the local Public Security Department and the Metropolitan Police Department, they usually have a lot of contacts, but the special service team of the Public Security Department and the internal police factory and provincial personnel belonging to the Jinyiwei are all direct systems to Tianting, which is very common. Show less in front of others.

You can't hide it. What you need to consider now is how to deal with the aftermath.

The queen's mourning period has just passed, and no one has started to bury her.When the emperor was originally in a bad mood, if he was not careful, the emperor would be furious and investigate.

At Pujin Bridge, Liu Xian rushed there with the mobilized dock workers.

Now, he had taken out his military uniform from the package he carried with him, as well as the epaulettes representing the rank of lieutenant.

At this time, the coolies who had worked with him before realized that an official had sneaked into their midst.

Are you in a hurry?

Liu Xian had no intention of paying attention to their reactions, and looked at the Puzhou Prefectural Government Office and the bridge-guarding generals stationed on both sides of the Pujin Bridge.

These are the soldiers arranged by Shanxi in various prefectures after the military reform.The leader was actually a lieutenant colonel, leading a thousand people.This is not only because of the importance of Pujin Bridge, but also shows that Puzhou is the most important defense area in southwestern Shanxi.

Because in the entire Shanxi, the number of generals and soldiers now should be only seven or eight thousand.

Today’s arrangements are also simple.

"First inflate all the skin bags," the lieutenant colonel general arranged, "then go to the dock to mobilize some boats. Has the camp brought all the rubber for wrapping the wheels? Stabilize the bridge piers first!"

After that, he loudly asked an official from the Pujin Bridge Management Office, which is directly under the Shanxi Provincial Government: "Where are the replacement cables and workers?"

"General Lu, there are still five bundles of iron ropes prepared in the warehouse. They are already pulling them here, and there are also workers." The official looked a little pale, "But to pull the iron ropes up, someone has to climb to the top of the iron pillar to install them. Pulley. The master pulley maker was invited to the Taiyuan Gang... to help..."

The lieutenant colonel surnamed Lu was furious: "No one else understands? How can you pretend?"

"...That's not difficult. There are tongues and grooves on the top of the iron pillars... But the pulley is not light, and you have to carry a rope up. Now the iron boat on the bridge pier is leaking, and it is not stable..."

"Who is not afraid of heights and has great strength?"

At this time, there was another crisp sound in the distance, and another iron rope was broken and pulled hard from the air to the water.

"...Hurry up, row the boat to the bridge pier first, and tie all the skins to the broken iron boat!" The man surnamed Lu also looked at Liu Xian, "Brother Liu, please take the laborers at the dock with you." Go over there first and help stabilize the bridge piers. Brothers who know how to swim will take turns to go into the water, plug the hole, and scoop out the water in the compartment of the iron boat that has been filled with water! After this matter is done, the province will be in trouble There’s a reward!”

Liu Xian saw that he seemed to be commanding, so he turned his head and looked over there, knowing that although the bridge piers were fundamental, the cable-stayed cables were also crucial.

An iron boat serving as the foundation of the floating platform under the bridge pier leaked, and the entire bridge pier naturally became uneven in strength.Nowadays, the iron cables hanging on the iron pillars are being broken one after another. The wooden bridge deck laid on the iron cables that have been pulled up horizontally is not light.

"General Lu, despite his humble position, he is not afraid of heights. He is good at climbing trees. He considers himself to be quite strong." Liu Xian hugged him. "There are more than ten iron boats on the bridge piers. There will be no serious trouble for the moment. Let's pull the bridge deck first." If it doesn’t collapse, it can last a little longer.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lu, a local from Shanxi, looked at him and said decisively after a moment: "Okay, thank you Brother Liu. You and Lieutenant Liu can tell you clearly where you are."

Soon after, Liu Xian also arrived at the base of the bridge pier in a boat.

From a distance, the shaking range of the bridge pier base is very subtle.But as we got closer and the water flowed against it, we could see that the shaking was not too small.

But seeing that the bottom of the tall iron column is actually pressed against several straight or curved steel plates, the shaking of the bridge pier has less impact on the shaking of the iron column.

An unknown number of kilograms of weight weighed on the base supported by more than ten iron boats, and several iron anchors fell to the bottom of the river to stabilize the movement forward, backward, and left.

Although Liu Xian knew that there must be great wisdom in this bridge, he still felt that it was too dangerous at this moment.

After all, it is just floating in the water, and the iron pillar has never penetrated deeply into the river bed.

But this is the Yellow River. If the river is not cut off in the middle, how can we build bridge piers in the middle of the river?
Liu Xian didn't have time to think too much, so he tied an arm-thick hemp rope around his shoulders, put a cowhide bag on his shoulders, and began to climb up one of the iron pillars.

This iron pillar is more than twenty feet high, with an iron ring cast on one side for both hands to grasp and to step on.

The two pulleys in the cowhide bag were quite heavy. When Liu Xian climbed to a height of five or six feet, the rope tied around his waist became heavier and heavier.

The person below who loosened the rope will naturally not pull him. This is just the weight of the stretched rope itself.

The higher you climb, the heavier it gets.

Liu Xian looked down and saw that there was a lot of noise down there.

Several men who knew how to swim took turns holding their breath and submerging themselves into the water to press down on the cowhide blocking the hole.Many people gathered around one of the dozens of holes left in the base, using wooden buckets to scoop out the water that had entered the iron boat compartment.There were also people nearby who kept blowing air into the sheepskin bag handed over by the Mongolian people, and then tied it to the iron ring reserved at the waterline of the iron boat.

Seeing that Lieutenant Colonel Nalu responded in an orderly manner, Liu Xian breathed a sigh of relief.No matter what, in order to ensure that the Pujin Bridge is not lost, a lot of arrangements have been made in advance.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, and it wasn't just the first time something like this happened.

Liu Xian climbed up again, but now he felt that it was not so stable and was quite wobbly.

However, strangely enough, from here, although the remaining iron cables are also swinging slightly, the bridge deck looks stable.

However, before he could climb another two feet, another iron rope broke.

This time, the iron cable broke not far from the bridge deck.The iron cable stretched diagonally was longer, whistling towards the crowd beside the base.

"Beware!"

"what!"

Liu Xiancai shouted and saw several people being beaten by the iron rope and falling into the water.

He gritted his teeth and now only concentrated on climbing up.

Another iron rope was missing, and the iron pillar swayed significantly more.

It seems that they are all linked together, and their strength restrains each other, so they are usually as stable as Mount Tai.

The rope that had stretched for more than ten feet around his waist pulled Liu Xian down. Liu Xian sucked in his breath and concentrated on climbing up.

When we reached the top of the iron pillar, we saw that there was indeed a tongue and groove there, which was where the iron pulley was placed.

And here you can see that the iron cables that are pulled diagonally to the bridge decks on both sides have many thick tongue and grooves on both sides, and inside them are square iron blocks with iron rings stuck. On the top, there are thick iron hooks connected to the iron ropes.

"...Lieutenant...Lieutenant, rope..."

Someone was shouting anxiously below. Liu Xian was breathing a little quickly. He looked around and found the beam connecting the two iron pillars, which allowed people to sit down for a while.

He stuck the pulley on the groove, and when he untied the rope around his waist, his arms suddenly dropped.Gritting his teeth, he passed one end of the rope through the pulley, and then he kept lifting the rope up and putting the other end down.

It was windy high up on the Yellow River, and Liu Xian didn't expect that he would stay here for so long once he came up.

After that, there were still so many things he needed to do.Although more workers climbed up later, they could only check the wear and tear of the iron rings on the iron pillar side of the broken iron ropes, and could only correct the straightness of the new iron ropes.The iron cables only need to be hoisted by the workers through the pulleys, but after the other end is connected to the bridge deck, only Liu Xian can hook the iron hooks into the iron rings with the help of the workers below.

Then I have to switch to another iron pillar...

The progress was not fast, Liu Xian was soon exhausted and sweating, and his arms began to become more and more sore.

Pujin Bridge has been suspended for nearly half a month since that day. Xu Jie, who arrived here the next day, personally supervised a comprehensive inspection, repairs and replacements. Naturally, he also met with local civil and military personnel who were able to deal with the situation, as well as Liu Xian.

"I heard that Lieutenant Liu stayed up there for more than two meals and lost strength after coming down. I wonder if he has recovered now. Do you want to see the doctor again?"

"It's okay to be in a humble position." Liu Xian clasped his fists, "Thank you very much Xu for participating in politics."

He already knew that this was Yan Guolao's protégé, and he was also the chief of the royal study room.Four years ago, he took up the post of Shanxi Zhengsanpinyou to participate in politics. This time, he hopes to return to the central government after the general change, or to serve as the governor of a province or even the governor.

However, I heard that the current practice is to go back to the Eight Departments to be a minister, and then serve as a local governor for one or two terms before entering the State Palace. I don't know what will happen to him.

After Xu Jie thanked him cordially, he frowned when he was alone.

Why should an outsider do such a crucial thing for the Shanxi South Road guerrillas guarding Puzhou?
Is it possible that there are no generals in the Puzhou camp who are not afraid of heights but also loyal and brave?
On the way to Puzhou, his staff met the Wang family's son.

At this time, Puzhou's secret report must have reached Beijing.

This Pujin Bridge... Xu Jie, who had stayed in the Imperial Study Room for so long, knew that the emperor would not ignore this matter.

Isn't it because Xu Jie knew that the emperor would be very happy to build this experimental bridge?
The aftermath must be properly dealt with, as well as the two people who were hit by the iron rope, drowned and died of serious injuries...

Xu Jie didn't know whether it was a disaster or a blessing that he wanted to make this feat.

……

Outside Beijing, Louis returned to the capital of the Ming Dynasty on this day.

After a few years, Beijing has become even more prosperous.

I just got off the bus at Jingshi Station on the Jingguang Straight Road outside Beijing. When I arrived at the open space outside the station, I saw that there was a lot of people there.

There is actually a row of low sheds on one side of the open space, with papers posted on them and large characters written on them.

[Fangji Chou Cloth Factory is recruiting weavers, and two yuan of silver per month will cover food and accommodation]

[Printing apprentice of Qionglou Bookstore...]

【Jinke Waste Plant...】

Louis was already familiar with Ming Dynasty writing, so he was naturally stunned when he saw it.

Looking at the loose or tight crowds in front of the low sheds, Louis felt shocked: Has the Ming Dynasty's handicrafts and commerce reached this point?

"The Beijing-Guangzhou Direct Road is connected. At least many people from Hebei and Henan can come to the capital for two to three hundred copper coins. The heavy industry park and the light industry park are now very busy. Work here, and after two or three years, you will be able to come to the capital again. Live frugally and you will have a wife when you go back. Your Majesty, there is nothing to see in these. Let's go into the city first."

Over the past decade or so, Beijing's accumulated manpower and technological advantages have made it a new handicraft center, and it has been blessed with the efficiency of some of the latest machinery.

The maritime transport bureau, river transport bureau, straight lanes and transfer lines make the circulation of goods here relatively smooth.

Louis entered the city, and when he arrived near the Huitong Hall, which was not far from the government office, he saw the huge building southwest of Chengtianmen again.

On the archway facing the main road in the south, there are the characters "National Beijing Library" with the imperial seal on the back.

At this time, many scholars were walking in and out between the archway and the library door, many of them carrying small boxes.

"...If I remember correctly, it turns out that this should be the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army." Louis asked in astonishment.

"Your Majesty has a good memory. The Fifth Palace has now been moved to the area around the old Tenth Palace."

The official from the Ministry of Rites who accompanied him only said this, but did not say the reason for the relocation.

During the previous renovation of the Imperial City, the main focus was on the Forbidden Palace. According to the emperor's wishes, some things that attracted people to the ground were added, and some precautions were taken for the three main halls and many other important halls.Applying mud and plastering was a fire prevention practice that existed in the Spring and Autumn Period, and this time was no exception. In addition, some new masonry fire walls and fire alleys were built to isolate the fire, and a number of water dragons were built inside and outside the palace.

But the year before last, the Ancestral Temple still caught fire.Although the fire was put out in time, some gods were also burned.Taking advantage of the opportunity of reconstruction, the new government offices of the Eight Departments and Five Prefectures were officially put on the agenda.

The National Beijing Library and the eight official offices have a new look.

"The Huitong Library is not far from here. I wonder if I can go in and take a look at this library?"

"This... Your Majesty, don't be in a hurry. I'll wait until I submit the report and ask questions."

In fact, the library is open to the public, and you only need to pay a deposit and apply for a license.But he really had to ask if the envoy from the foreign vassal was allowed to enter.

Louis was being received. At this time, the atmosphere in the imperial study was tense again.

The person who now serves as the chief of the imperial study is Zhu Wan, who is 47 years old.

Since Xu Jie, the fourth-rank general secretary, was appointed as the chief of the imperial study, the threshold for being appointed as the chief of the imperial study was even higher. He was a third-rank official who had already achieved right-wing political participation in Guangdong.

As for the other two accompanying bachelors in the Royal Study Room, one was Hu Zongxian, who was a Jinshi in the 14th year of Jiajing's reign and had already served as a local magistrate, and the other was a Jinshi in the 17th year of Jiajing's reign. Everyone was surprised as to why they were directly admitted to the Imperial Study Room. Shen Lian.

The three people stood aside and looked at the five people standing opposite the emperor: Liu Tianhe, the Minister of State in charge of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Zhai Luan, who was transferred to be the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Yu Chengye, the consort in charge of the Huangming Assets Bureau, and the Construction Bureau after he ascended the throne. Zhu Xizhong, Cheng Guogong, is the president, and Shen Zhongming, who was transferred from the dean of the Engineering College of Huangming University to the dean of the Polytechnic Institute.

Zhu Houcong spoke in a serious tone: "Although Pujin Bridge is an experimental bridge, it should not have problems so quickly. Although Xu Jie's report has not yet come, everyone in charge of this matter should check themselves first. ! The iron consumption is more than [-] kilograms, and an iron ship that has been soaked in water for less than two years is rusting and leaking? Yu Chengye, you have to check every link!"

"...I obey the decree!"

"This is the first big thing that I have done since then!" Zhu Houcong looked at Zhu Xizhong again, "You have to give me a clear answer whether the Construction Bureau did it on its own!"

"...I'll go check it out right now." 25-year-old Zhu Xizhong was sweating on his forehead.

"Shen Zhongming, please send someone to do another inspection." Zhu Houcong looked at Shen Zhongming, "We collect data there every month and inspect the wear and tear, but why are no problems found? And Zhai Luan! The Pujin Bridge Management Office also wants to Regarding the work reported to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the restrictions on movement of vehicles and horses are not in place. How is the maintenance work done?"

Zhai Luan complained endlessly, why did this happen again on the eve of a major national policy meeting?
"I will go and question you now."

Zhu Houcong glanced at Liu Tianhe, and then said coldly: "I attach great importance to the Pujin Bridge! The rivers isolate the two sides, and the method of building this bridge must be explored. Even if some people think that I am just building something that no one has ever done before. It’s such a wonder, and it shouldn’t be treated lightly. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll be furious? It’s only been built for more than a year and there are problems like this. If it collapses immediately, wouldn’t it be a laughing stock in the world?”

Hu Zongxian held his breath and listened to the emperor's final words: "This bridge is feasible. It was carefully calculated by Huangming University and Institute of Polytechnic Studies. If this bridge collapses, will the avenue of physics also collapse?"

Only then did everyone understand why the emperor paid so much attention to this incident that had not yet caused major consequences.

If the issue of Pujin Bridge is related to the new science that His Majesty attaches great importance to, especially the avenue of physics that His Majesty attaches great importance to in recent years, then it will really send a very disturbing signal.

Is it possible that after so many years, people still yearn for the old Neo-Confucianism?

Liu Tianhezhan took a step forward and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I believe that the fact that the Pujin Bridge can be completed and passed through is sufficient to prove that the previous surveys and calculations were correct. However, since it is passable, it is subject to normal wear and tear, inspections and maintenance, and it will naturally become more accessible." There are many new problems. The iron material has been immersed in water for a long time, or something has changed. Anti-rust paint, waterproof rubber mud, wind, sun and water intrusion, and the iron cables have been stressed for many years. All these have been verified. Since it is an experimental bridge, as long as If it’s not a man-made disaster, it’s not a bad thing.”

"Whether there is a man-made disaster or not is something that needs to be investigated." Zhu Houcong looked at Liu Tianhe and said slowly, "Including whether anyone feels that we have spent too much money planting trees in Shaanxi, building bridges in Shanxi, and controlling floods in the Huanghuai River over the past few years. But no effect!"

Liu Tianhe knelt down: "Your Majesty, don't make him angry!"

"No, I want to give the officials a warning." Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes slightly, "In the past 14 years, many of the new officials who have been added after the full implementation of the new law are now trying to accumulate wealth. The queen passed away, and within a few days there were The government and the public are in turmoil. The major national policy meeting is coming soon, and I want to see which people only have official positions and no real things in mind!"

The position of Prime Minister and Minister of State has been initially determined, but there are also other positions of Minister of State and Cabinet positions.

Another group of veteran ministers are taking up their official positions. In the year of changing the leadership, how many people from top to bottom are not interested in official duties?
Zhu Houcong is preparing for a new round of external attention, so the internal affairs must be hammered out again after a few years.

Including the chaos between officials and businessmen that he already knew about!

(End of this chapter)