King of Song

Chapter 95 Scientific Inspiration
Sometimes it's just such a coincidence that Lin Zhao didn't expect to come to the West Lake for a leisurely stroll and meet Shen Kuo!

Shen Kuo was a Jinshi in the last years of Renzong. He served as an official in many places.

However, Shen Kuo's famous history is not because of his official position, but because of "Mengxi Bi Tan", which is well-known in later generations, because he is a famous scientist in the Song Dynasty.

Ancient science and technology developed slowly, but each dynasty had its outstanding representatives.For example, Zhang Heng in the Han Dynasty, Zu Chongzhi in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xu Guangqi and Song Yingxing in the Ming Dynasty, Shen Kuo is undoubtedly the most outstanding representative of the Song Dynasty.

His achievements are too numerous to list, such as the discovery of geomagnetic declination, the principle of concave mirror imaging, the flying bird map, and the discovery of oil that will surely be popular in later generations.The "Mengxi Bi Tan" written in his later years has been passed down through the ages and has far-reaching influence.

Shen Kuo passed the Jinshi examination in the eighth year of Song Renzong's Jiayou (1063), and was appointed as Yangzhou manager to join the army and take charge of criminal trials.In the third year of Hidemune Zhiping (1066), he was recommended to the Jingshi Zhaowenkan to edit and proofread books.

Being able to enter the pavilion in the Song Dynasty was a symbol of a bright future, but entering the Imperial Academy was a prelude to Zaifu.What's more, it is still in Zhaowenguan. You must know that the senior scholars of Zhaowenguan are usually the second chancellor of the current dynasty.

Shen Kuo stayed in Bianjing for several years, and only returned to his hometown Hangzhou at the end of last year to visit relatives and take a long vacation.Recently, Shen Kuo has been very interested in geology, and has some thoughts on the formation of the Suzhou-Hangzhou Yangtze River Delta.I went to West Lake today to investigate and look for evidence. I didn't want to hear some grand arguments, and even met Lin Zhao.

At the beginning, Shen Kuo was just astonished by Lin Zhao's knowledge of geography, his insightful insights, and his eloquence.It's amazing that a young man has such in-depth insights!Shen Kuo admired the whole body, and for the sake of scientific research, he was also ready to ask questions without shame.

In the end, what he didn't expect was that this young man turned out to be Lin Zhao!

Lin Zhao's reputation in Bianjing is quite resounding. Last year's turmoil made him completely famous, and his popularity even surpassed that of some ministers.

Shen Kuo was quite curious about Lin Zhao, a young man of influence, but unfortunately he never had the chance to meet him.I don't want to meet by chance today on the Broken Bridge of West Lake.

Shen Kuo was different from Zheng Xie in that he favored reform and supported Wang Anshi.Now that Lin Zhao has been marked with a strong New Party label, like-minded people naturally get closer to each other.

"It turned out to be the famous Lin Dongyang. I never expected to see him here..." Shen Kuo laughed, quite pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to meet Mr. Shen..." Lin Zhao was quite respectful and polite to scientists.
"Dongyang knows?" Shen Kuo couldn't help wondering, logically speaking, he was not that famous, why did Lin Zhao seem to be very familiar with him?The degree of respect seems to be beyond imagination.

Uh... When I get excited, the enthusiasm is too much!
Lin Zhao scratched his head and said with a sneer, "When I was in Bianjing, I heard Wang Yuanze mention Mr. Wang, and I am also interested in the study of physical geography. I admire him very much. It seems that I have been friends with him for a long time."

"So it is!" Shen Kuo was skeptical, but Lin Zhao's attitude really made him happy, even a little flattered.The scholar-bureaucrats of the country only paid attention to poetry, etiquette, and a subset of classics and history.

He has a very low opinion of the way of science and technology, although it has not been despised as a miracle, but few people pay attention to it.For a long time, Lin Zhao's scientific heart has been quite lonely. It is rare to meet a friend with similar interests, and he is still very happy.

"What is the deflection force of the floor tiles mentioned by Dongyang just now? Can you explain one or two things!" Mr. Shen asked with great interest, this is the first time he has heard of this concept!
Shen Kuo put on an attitude of humbly asking for advice, Lin Zhao was still a little proud, being a teacher to a scientist, this feeling is good!Now I finally understand why it is one thing to make money and gain fame through all the people who are committed to inventing and creating, and it is quite fulfilling!
I have been reborn for so long, except for a few dishes and teaching Meng Ruoying to use Arabic numerals, it seems that I haven't made any inventions and creations. Do you want to try some?
Among the four great inventions, the first three seem to have been found, but gunpowder seems to be not used much... As for movable type printing... Bi Sheng seems to be from the Northern Song Dynasty, but he is not sure about the exact year of his birth and death, so naturally he can't be rash... Academic plagiarism is absolutely unacceptable...

Lin Zhao explained: "This ground rotation is biased... because the land we are on is not flat, but a sphere with a large center and small sides... It can rotate. The closer to the middle, the larger the circumference, and the faster the rotation speed. Faster, the greater the attractive force, so that there will be a force of deflection to the right unconsciously, so it is called the deflection force of the earth's rotation..."

The earth is round?Shen Kuo's nephew, Shen Yi, was so shocked that he was speechless, it was unbelievable!After all, in this era, the concept of a round sky and a square place has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people...

Maybe other people will take it as a joke, or call Lin Zhao a lunatic and deviant.But the person in front of him is Shen Kuo, the greatest scientist of this era, his ideas and insights are naturally beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Shen Kuo was also shocked, but he vaguely felt that there seemed to be some truth in his heart, maybe it was true.Suddenly, according to this statement, many previous puzzles seemed to make sense.

Lin Zhao continued to explain: "Taking Dajiangkou as an example, Dongbuzhou (Chongming Island) on the north bank was only exposed to the water during the Takede period of the Tang Dynasty. Now it is a huge island, and there are many sandbars around it. It may be connected in the future. Continue to increase... On the other hand, there are no islands on the south bank of the general, but deep water rapids, that's the reason!"

As for the most obvious day and night changes, such as longitude and latitude, Lin Zhao felt that it was too complicated, and Mr. Shen might not be able to accept it, so he didn't mention it anymore...

It is naturally more convincing to have real examples to prove it. Shen Kuo has already believed in this theory.Because the river alluvial created the land plain long ago, he has already verified it himself, and he is convinced.

Unexpectedly, Lin Zhao is not only eloquent, but also courageous and knowledgeable!This person is really unknown, in an instant, Shen Kuo's position towards Lin Dongyang is naturally very high.

Although there is a ten-year difference in age, Shen Kuo still had the feeling of meeting each other later and feeling like old friends at first sight. He said with a gentle smile, "Listening to Dongyang's words is better than studying for ten years!"

Lin Zhao chuckled, isn't this what he learned sitting in the classroom for more than ten years in his previous life!It doesn't matter if you are engaged in scientific creation or something, Lin Zhao doesn't want to spend too much time, and he doesn't have much energy at the moment.However, it would be a good thing if Shen Kuo could be enlightened and let this scientist have more research results...

Shen Kuo asked, "Why did Dongyang come to Hangzhou?"

"The government has just decreed that I will be the promotion officer of the Hangzhou/Shiphai Division!" Lin Zhao replied in response.

oh?Shen Kuo has been unemployed at home recently, and the news is relatively not so well-informed.Of course, I don't even know the purpose of Lin Zhao's visit and the disturbance that may be caused.

"The humble house is nearby. Today, I had a very happy conversation with Dongyang in detail. What's more, why don't we go to the humble house for a little while, how about drinking and talking?"

Shen Kuo and Lin Zhao hit it off today, and they did have a lot of knowledge to ask.Furthermore, Lin Zhao had a close relationship with officials and Wang Anshi, and Shen Kuo, who had the same political views, naturally wanted to get closer.What's more, he is originally from Hangzhou, so he should do a little bit of the friendship of the landlord.

This...Lin Zhao hesitated a little, and said with a smile, "Since the master has kindly invited you, I'd rather be respectful than obedient!"

"Mr. Dongyang, Mr. Bie's, the Kuo Biao characters are preserved!" Lin Zhao respected it very much, but Shen Kuo was a little embarrassed, and said, "Why don't I make you more than ten years old, and you can be called a brother..."

"Brother Shen..." Lin Zhaogang opened his mouth, looked back, waved his hands and said, "No, no, I'm afraid that my nephew will be unhappy..."

Shen Kuo's nephew, Shen Yi, followed behind and was even older than Lin Zhao. If his uncle called Lin Zhao a brother and brother, wouldn't he be a generation younger?I can't help but smile, I'm really a little embarrassed...

The Shen family was also a family of officials in Hangzhou. If Shen Kuo hadn't lived with his father who was an official in various places in his early years and had a lot of knowledge, he might not have achieved future achievements.

After walking not far, they saw a huge courtyard with a view of the West Lake in the distance. This was the Shen family's mansion.Looking at the scale, it can be seen that the Shen family is quite prestigious in Hangzhou.

Entering the mansion, exquisite wine and side dishes were served soon, but it was far from the taste of Jiangnanju.Lin Zhao couldn't help thinking, maybe Meng Ruoying was right, opening a branch by the West Lake is a good idea.

After having a happy feast together, Lin Zhao came to Shen Kuo's study to communicate with each other on some academic issues, and they chatted happily with each other.Lin Zhao's inadvertent words touched and inspired Shen Kuo a lot.Scientists of Shenyang University also gained inspiration and discovered a lot of things because of this, and there will be a lot more content in "Mengxi Bi Tan".

In Shen Kuo's study, Lin Zhao saw a huge map. Shen Kuo said with a smile: "I have always wanted to make a map of the whole state and counties in the world to present to the imperial court, but unfortunately I have not been able to do it well..."

Lin Zhao saw that the map was drawn in a rather weird way, and the proportions were very uncoordinated. The Bianjing and Heshuo areas were barely okay, but the south and northwest were obviously elongated, crooked, and distorted...

It's no wonder that the maps of later generations used aircraft and high-tech surveying and mapping tools, so the accuracy is naturally high.In ancient times, the actual measurement was entirely done by manpower, and the accuracy would definitely drop greatly.It’s okay on the plains, but when it comes to mountains, it will be very troublesome if the terrain has large fluctuations, and errors are prone to occur...

Lin Zhao is not very professional about this, but he just reminded: "Sir, it is wrong to measure the distance on the map according to people's walking. There are many ups and downs in the mountains and slopes. Compared with the plains, the difference will be very big, and it will definitely be distorted. If you can Like a flying bird, when viewed from the sky, it is naturally best to make a map with a straight line distance, and the proportions are exactly the same..."

"Birds... the straight-line distance... the ratio..." Shen Kuo muttered to himself, thoughtfully...

Lin Zhao didn't know that his casual words made Song Dynasty's chances of drawing a lot improved.Of course, while Shen Kuo was inspired, Lin Zhao also discovered the New World.

I have to say that Shen Kuo's study is really a treasure.When he turned around and saw something, Lin Zhao's eyes lit up suddenly, and he almost exclaimed!
(End of this chapter)