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Chapter 1265 Show off 2
In theory, land should be considered an investment. The land here belongs to the royal family. No matter how barren it is, it is still royal private property and is worth some money.

But Oyani said that if you think like that, you are a fool. The emperor approved a piece of land for the church project, but not only did he not spend a penny, he also got a track that goes straight to Xishan for nothing.

Because the nearest quarry for the stone used to build the church was in the mountainous area west of the capital, and it was too difficult to transport such heavy goods with ordinary horse-drawn carriages, only rail cars were the most suitable. If you want the church to be completed smoothly, you have to build a road first, but the emperor and the court will not pay a penny, at most they will give a document to prove the legality of the road.

As a result, Christians raised funds to repair the road, but the ownership did not belong to the church. Instead, it was taken over by the Ministry of Construction, which even lent it to the church for free, without charging any rent.

This is so shameless! The believers donated money to build the road in order to build the church, how come it is now rented?
But the emperor didn't understand this logic. He said that the track occupied the fertile fields along the way and destroyed the city's feng shui. If it weren't for the consideration of the Christians who lived in Ming Dynasty, the construction of the track should not be approved. This is not only not robbery but also a gift, and we should be grateful.

Those who don't understand or don't like it don't have to worry about it. Anyway, horse-drawn carriages carrying overweight stones are not allowed to pass on the roads leading into the city. Otherwise, if these roads are damaged in the future, the church project will be responsible for repairing them. The deadline will be when the church is completed.

"Your Highness, please do not tell anyone about this. His Majesty the Emperor values ​​his reputation very much, and slandering him will lead to retaliation. The reason I mentioned this privately is to remind Your Highness to pay special attention to the Emperor's style of doing things.

He is a person who treats everything as a business, and he is very principled. In a word, he wants to make money. Only on the basis of making money can there be room for negotiation on how much money can be made. If he is not allowed to make money, there is no room for negotiation on this matter. "

In order not to waste his words, Descartes explained the story again after he finished telling it, fearing that the prince did not understand its meaning.

"It's difficult... You don't need to convince me, but them..."

The Prince of Orange nodded to confirm that he understood, and was grateful for Descartes' reminder. But he was not optimistic about the outcome of the negotiation. The main problem was the two people behind him. If he could have the final say, there would be no trip to the East.

"I will do my best. As long as you two gentlemen are not confused, I believe you will change your mind after today. Please look over here. Those mushroom-like buildings are Mr. Galileo's astronomical observatory. Unfortunately, his health is not very good. He is receiving treatment in the medical department and cannot come in person these days."

Apart from the church, the most eye-catching building in the college is not the four-story teaching building, but the observation platform which is taller than the teaching building and located on an artificial earth hill.

"They're not cheap, are they?"

The Prince of Orange had little knowledge of scientific research, but he had heard of Galileo's name, and after expressing a little regret, he immediately asked about the price. Regardless of whether one understands architecture or not, one can tell from the scale that this is something special.

"Each one of them is built with silver, and costs several times more than those teaching buildings. And the most valuable thing is not the building itself, but the astronomical telescope placed inside.

It takes more than 50 skilled workers about half a year to grind the lenses, but the yield is only 10%. I roughly calculated that each lens is almost equal to the value of the same weight of silver. His Majesty the Emperor is impeccable in this regard. He is the patron saint and pioneer of scholars all over the world. If the Habsburg family could take out 1% of the silver mined from the New World for academic research, even if we can only eat one meal a day, people like us will not run thousands of miles away to pursue our dreams.

Although the Dutch Republic is less than one-tenth of the Ming Empire, it is still relatively wealthy in Europe. I hope that under the rule of His Royal Highness, academic research will also be valued. This is not just a game for a small group of people, it can determine the future of the country.

It is not an exaggeration to say this. The reason why His Majesty the Emperor has the confidence to confront European countries, in addition to his vast empire and hundreds of thousands of strong soldiers, is mainly due to this.

Before coming to the Royal College of Science I did not realise that academic research would be so important, but now I am proud to say that it is indeed that important.

Take these astronomical observatories for example. They sound like they are only used to look at the stars. Yes, the main function of the observatory is to observe the position and movement of celestial bodies, but the results derived from this determine the success or failure of many fields.

First of all, when sailing, a sailboat will get lost without a relatively fixed coordinate to refer to on the sea. At this time, celestial bodies become the key to navigation. Whether their position is accurate and their trajectory is precise can affect the life and death of hundreds of people, or even determine the success or failure of a fleet.

Then there is the progress of optical instruments. If you want to see the details of celestial bodies in the distant sky clearly, you can't use ordinary telescopes. In order to see clearly, a series of improvements and innovations are required from glass manufacturing to grinding to calculation of curved surfaces.

The telescopes of the Ming Empire were unique and uncompetitive in the civilian market. Although they were expensive, they were still in short supply every year. With just this one device, several manufacturers controlled by the General Staff Department made a lot of profit.

Part of the money was invested in the army and weapons manufacturing, and the other part was invested in the Royal Academy, so that the professors here would have the motivation to develop clearer and more accurate telescopes. In this way, the purchase of telescopes in the Ming army was basically paid by European countries.

After visiting the astronomical observatory, Your Highness will see something even more exciting and thrilling. Although it is currently just a prototype, it has been transformed for more than two years and is already very close to being a finished product.

The day it comes out, the world will tremble. All traditional energies, including cattle, horses, water, and wind, will have to retreat and cannot even begin to compare. This is a mechanical revolution, and the beneficiaries will affect all of humanity, but the victims will also be widespread.

Your Highness may find it hard to imagine that with its impetus, the efficiency of the factory can suddenly increase tenfold, guns and weapons will be manufactured like flowing water, and then quickly delivered to the front line by vehicles with a carrying capacity of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

It would be hopeless and helpless to fight against such an army. I was once a soldier, and I absolutely do not want to see European soldiers being ruthlessly slaughtered and crushed. The decision is now in the hands of His Highness, at least in part! "

When talking about the research equipment and achievements of the Royal Academy, Descartes could not help but talk endlessly, and his breathing and speech speed became rapid. It was impossible not to be excited. In just a few years, these scholars from Europe, together with the scholars of the Ming Dynasty, witnessed the improvement and development of the scientific system.

(End of this chapter)