Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 273 The key point is the plants

The upcoming social changes and the advance preparation for such changes cannot be discussed once.

This first conversation was actually a general and general conversation.

With the matter so important, after the conversation, Zhu Yuanzhang reviewed the collected conversation materials and began to convene relevant people to hold further meetings on various aspects.Among them, Zhang Yifan, who knows the future situation best, will definitely not be able to escape.

The first thing the imperial court needs to do now is to build a steam engine factory. Before that, it needs to issue shares and raise funds.

The management model, structural design, etc. of this steam engine factory are all brand new to people of this era.Even if we have all the examples in Xiangshan County as a reference, it is not enough.

Apart from the Ming Dynasty Bank, this steam engine factory will be the first truly large state-owned factory in the Ming Dynasty. If it operates, it will have a very important reference role for the subsequent establishment of state-owned factories.

In addition, the Ministry of Household Affairs is also busy setting up a patent office, and this thing is new to people of this era. How to operate it is another problem.

As for Zhang Yifan, although he knows some models of later generations, he cannot be blind. Investigation is also needed to know what kind of model is suitable for the actual situation of the Ming Dynasty at this time.It is very easy to become acclimatized if you directly copy the practices of later generations.

For this reason, just the actual steps of setting up a steam engine factory, which does not involve specific factory sites, workers, etc., are very time-consuming and energy-consuming.

But for Zhu Yuanzhang, these are not problems.With a clear future, all difficulties encountered are not difficulties.Whether he wants people or things, or makes the final decision, he has enough courage to do anything.

To this end, he spent most of his energy on this aspect.Another small amount of energy is naturally devoted to preparations for war in the north.

At this time, thanks to the end of the wars in Yunnan and Liaodong, the world is peaceful, except that the enemies on the grassland have not been conquered, there is nothing else.Otherwise, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely not be able to spend the most energy on internal affairs reforms.

While they were busy, the preparations that Zhu Biao had started at the beginning of the year finally reached a new stage.

Zhang Yifan was overjoyed when he heard the news and rushed to the East Palace and met He Gui, an "acquaintance" whom he had met several times.

As for the He family in Dongguan, He Zhen finally decided to send his second son He Gui, who was in charge of the Nanyang route, and his sixth son He Hong to serve the prince.

At this time, seeing the arrival of the Prince Consort, He Gui quickly took his younger brother and bowed respectfully to Zhang Yifan.

He clearly remembered his father's instructions. It was impossible for the He family to get ahead in the Hongwu Dynasty.However, the future of Ming Dynasty lies with the prince.There is also the Prince Consort, which cannot be ignored.

The prince and the eldest son-in-law are taking the lead in going to sea, and the He family has been appointed. The He family has no choice but to go ahead with this matter. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, the prince and the eldest son-in-law must take the lead. The prince-in-law was satisfied.

In this way, at least he will get the best reward after the prince ascends the throne and proclaims himself emperor.Even if it doesn't succeed by then, considering the He family's dedication, it will definitely make the He family go a step further.

Now, with the three experiments on the steam engine and the things being discussed in the court, everyone can see that the prince-consort's favor has gone one step further.

Not to mention the importance that the current emperor attaches to the Prince Consort, just the relationship between the Prince and the Prince Consort is enough to make people understand what the future of the Prince Consort will be like!Not to mention, it is said that the emperor's grandson has now become a fan of the prince consort. He especially likes the prince consort to go to the East Palace and will not let him go.

The great prince-in-law today is far from the great prince-in-law when he first arrived in Xiangshan County!
With these thoughts in mind, He Gui's attitude became more respectful.

Zhang Yifan didn't feel much about it.Nowadays, all outsiders are so respectful when they see him, and he has already become numb. It is possible to distinguish the difference, just say hello and start talking.

First, Zhu Biao talked about the preparations. Generally speaking, the ships were all ready-made and capable of long voyages. They were also equipped with cannons and other firearms. As for the personnel, some were deployed from the army to redeem the guilty prisoners. There are also recruitments.Of course, the He family also brought some of their servants.Zhu Biao even found a few Persians, formerly called Semu people, who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty during the Ming Dynasty's war against the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.

Then Zhang Yifan spoke.He did not lie, and said directly to He Gui: "The most important significance of your voyage this time is to record the situation along the way, including the ocean conditions, mainland island countries, etc. When you go to a place, you must inspect the local area. Characteristics can be used by our Ming Dynasty. If they are close, you can stamp your official seal and ask them to send special products to the Ming Dynasty to receive rewards. If they can't come, you can bring their special products back. Remember..."

Having said this, he emphasized: "The more primitive the social form, which is similar to the lifestyle of savages, the more attention must be paid to what they eat and what they use. If you can bring it, you must bring it. Because these When things arrive in the Ming Dynasty, not only can they be eaten or used directly, but maybe with our civilization, we will find them of greater value!"

"But you are definitely limited in what you can carry this time. Don't bring anything that is difficult to carry, such as living animals. It will be too much of a burden on you, so you don't need it. The key point is the plants, do you understand?"

To be honest, He Gui didn't really understand.He felt that Ming Dynasty didn't have enough food and clothing, so how could he see what the barbarians said was food?
However, it was the prince-consort who said this, and he said it very seriously. He did not dare not listen, and quickly expressed that he understood.

If Zhang Yifan hadn't made it so clear, it is estimated that the urine of these ancient people would mainly bring auspiciousness. Giraffes in Africa, kangaroos in Australia, etc., just eating and drinking on the road of these animals can kill them.

With this in mind, Zhang Yifan asked, "If you have any difficulties, you can raise them now."

He Gui had sailing experience in Southeast Asia. Hearing these words from the Prince Consort, he remembered his father's instructions and replied: "It is indeed difficult to go on a long sea voyage like this. But the villain has already prepared, even if there is another Difficulties will be overcome. If nothing else, the most difficult thing about going to sea is the fear of getting lost at sea. However, my sixth brother has learned how to use the sky ruler, so he should be able to do it..."

The compass is used in navigation, mainly by judging the instantaneous orientation of the ship (east, west, south, north), and calculating the ship's navigation trajectory based on the ship's speed, thereby inferring the current geographical location of the ship.However, this alone is not enough for sailing on the sea.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the "celestial ruler" for measuring the height of celestial bodies appeared.If in the original history, Zheng He developed the "Cross-Ocean Astrology Art" on the basis of the "Measurement Ruler" when he went to the West.However, this astrology is said to be an invention of the Arabs.

In this place where the Ming Dynasty was founded, the best celestial positioning technology was to use a celestial ruler.He Gui first emphasized the difficulty, and then showed off the He family's mastery of the most advanced technology, to show that the He family was really dedicated to the things that the prince and the prince consort valued.Upon hearing this, Zhang Yifan immediately smiled, and then ordered Zhu Wu, the guard at the palace gate: "Bring the things in!"

Zhu Biao, He Gui and others were all a little curious after hearing this. They didn't know what he was going to bring in at this time.
Faintly, He Gui felt that maybe what the prince consort was going to bring in was related to his answer just now?

But he wasn't sure, so he had to watch first.

After a while, Zhu Wu came in carrying a plate covered with satin from others, placed it on the coffee table next to Zhang Yifan, and then backed out of the hall.

Zhu Biao looked at something covered under the satin and asked with a smile: "Yifan, what is this?"

Upon hearing the question, Zhang Yifan looked at Zhu Biao and replied: "A tool for measuring the position of a ship in the vast sea requires the help of objects in the sky, and cannot be used on rainy days. But in terms of accuracy, it needs to be The measuring ruler is many times higher than today's, so even if it is used on a ship, there won't be much error!"

When He Gui heard this, he thought that this was indeed the case. The Prince Consort had really created something better than a measuring ruler!The younger brother He Hong beside him opened his eyes wide and full of expectation.

You know, for this matter, the He family was willing to risk everything, even the lives of their two brothers.Of course, if they can come back safely, they will naturally gain a lot.But if they can't come back, the He family will be honored, but they will be the victims of the family's glory.

If possible, He Hong certainly doesn't want to die.

He knows how important it is to position a ship on a long voyage!If the Prince Consort's thing is better than the measuring ruler they have, it will make their lives safer.The prince's previous experiences made him full of expectations for the prince's new invention.

At the same time, he was also a little curious, the measuring ruler was the best thing invented in the previous dynasty, how else could the prince consort invent something better than the measuring ruler?

No, Zhu Biao asked the question in his mind: "What is it? Open it and take a look?"

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan didn't want to offend anyone, so he reached out to lift the silk and said at the same time: "This thing, I call it a sextant..."

Listening to his words, I felt that the name was not domineering at all, but when they saw what was on the plate, everyone immediately knew that this thing was definitely a good thing!
If nothing else, you can see at a glance that there are several good things produced by the glass factory. When combined together, can it be a good thing?

A sextant composed of a metal frame, composed of a horizon mirror, a telescope and other components.It has the characteristics of little interference from external human factors, simple operation and strong reliability. Therefore, even in the navigation practice of later generations with highly developed science and technology, it still plays an irreplaceable role and is a must-have equipment for all large and medium-sized ships in the world.

This device had already been considered after Zhang Yifan proposed the voyage.It just so happens that the technology of the glass factory has matured after actual testing, and there is no problem in the production of related accessories.

If in the original history, the principle of the sextant was proposed by Newton who was born in the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, it would take another century before it was finally invented.But now, Zhang Yifan stood on the shoulders of giants and took him out hundreds of years in advance.

At this time, he picked up the sextant and gave a rough demonstration, then picked up a piece of paper on the chassis and said: "This is the operation manual of the sextant. Try to make people familiar with it before leaving. If you still don't understand, Yes, you can come to me and ask for clarification at any time. In addition, it should be noted that there are some differences in the calculation methods of the northern and southern hemispheres..."

Brother He Gui was overjoyed when he heard this.The two brothers immediately hit the snake and put it on the stick, and began to ask Zhang Yifan for advice. Then they knelt down to Zhang Yifan and said: "Preach the virtues of preaching and practice, and the disciples will remember it in their hearts!"

Zhang Yifan: "..."

This is a forced recognition of the teacher!

However, the two people in front of them will be the first to try to complete the circumnavigation of the world in this plane. Of course, it would be best if they could complete the circumnavigation and return to the Ming Dynasty.

For such two people, Zhang Yifan didn't mind if they forced themselves to be their teachers.

So, he accepted their kneeling calmly, then stepped forward to help him up, and said sincerely: "Besides the use of the sextant, if you have any other questions, you can sort them out and ask me together. I can answer them." I will answer all your questions. I hope to solve as many problems as possible for you and ensure that you can return as safely as possible!"

Hearing this, both the He brothers couldn't help but froze.From the words and tone of the Prince Consort's words, they could tell that they were sincere and sincerely hoped that they could return safely!

To be honest, the two of them were sent out by their father with the intention of sacrificing them.But at this moment, they had secretly felt sorry for the magistrate of Xiangshan County and the great prince consort of Ming Dynasty, but they sincerely hoped and made efforts to allow them to return safely.

For a moment, the He Gui brothers had mixed feelings in their hearts: The prince consort is really a good person!

The two brothers looked at each other and understood what the other was thinking at this time. Then, they both turned their heads and kowtowed to the prince-in-law vigorously before standing up.

Five days later, the fleet assembled outside Nanjing and set off.

Prince Zhu Biao and Prince Consort Zhang Yifan went to see him off in person.

Although he did not represent the imperial court, the appearance of the prince and the prince consort also attracted the attention of many people.On the pier in Nanjing, in addition to the martial law area, there were also people everywhere watching the fun and farewell.

Watching the fleet sailing down the Yangtze River, many people were looking forward to whether they would really make a circle back to Nanjing as the prince consort expected?
(End of this chapter)