The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 380 "Gather the World and Use It"

At 1736:10 p.m. on October 3, , a train from the west, panting and spewing white smoke, slowly stopped at Shatin (now Port Augusta, South Australia) station.

Shatin is the capital of Nanwan Prefecture with a population of over 36,000. It is the meeting point of the Hanzhou East-West Railway Line and the Central Railway Line, and an important railway hub in the south.

In addition, Shatin is also the main trading port in the southern part of Hanzhou. Wool, livestock, wheat, wine, and minerals such as copper and gold from inland areas are continuously transported from this port to various parts of Hanzhou and even the global market.

Leonhard Euler walked out of the box and came to the platform below, then he stretched his body and was about to take a deep breath.

"Mr. Euler, I suggest you not to breathe heavily here." Pierre Bug, a professor of hydrology at the University of Le Havre in France, smiled and kindly reminded him, "Because this platform is filled with a lot of fly ash and countless tiny coal particles visible to the naked eye."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Bug." Euler nodded politely, then said with a wry smile: "The Qi people invented the steam locomotive, which is undoubtedly the greatest achievement for all mankind. However, wherever the steam locomotive passes, it spreads disgusting coal dust and particles everywhere. I think this is likely to be fatal to human health."

"Yes, the emergence of any new thing, while promoting human development and progress, also has its very disadvantageous side." Bug nodded and said, "For example, writing can sometimes pass on civilization and history, and sometimes it can incite war and hatred. Gunpowder can sometimes be used to open mountains and build roads, and sometimes it can be used to kill people."

"Mr. Bug..." Euler hesitated for a moment and said comfortingly, "Mr. Bug, I think both Qi and France are very rational and civilized countries. They should handle the differences and conflicts between the two countries very carefully."

"Really?" Bug just shook his head and said softly, "Among all the politicians in the world, which one is not the most rational and intelligent elite? However, many wars and conflicts are promoted or initiated by these people. And those who die are often the most innocent people, those poor fathers, sad husbands and helpless sons."

"..." Upon hearing this, Ola couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Ten years ago, he was invited to the Russian Empire to serve as a researcher at the Institute of Mathematics/Physics of the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences, and also served as a Russian naval medical officer.

However, during the ten years he served Russia, he experienced the Russo-Swedish War, the Caucasus War, the Polish War, the Frontier War (i.e. the frontier raids launched by the Torghuts and Crimean Tatars), and the Russo-Austrian War which had just broken out, and he enjoyed only a few years of peace.

The Imperial Academy of Sciences where he worked first moved from St. Petersburg to Novgorod and later to Moscow, suffering from displacement. During the several evacuations, the Imperial Academy of Sciences abandoned and damaged many precious equipment and manuscripts, and some senior scholars and experts were frightened and affected by the harsh environment on the way, contracted serious illnesses, and later died unfortunately.

To make matters worse, during this decade, the political situation in the Russian Empire underwent several major changes, from Empress Catherine, to Peter II, and then to the current Empress Anna. As a result, the Royal Academy of Sciences did not receive sufficient financial support for a long time, causing all academicians and scholars to fall into extremely difficult situations during their research.

The noble princes in power were also full of suspicion and wariness towards these foreign scholars. During the crisis of the Polish succession, Euler was even regarded as a French spy and investigated by the secret criminal investigation office led by the Duke of Biron.

Fortunately, many scholars and experts of the Royal Academy of Sciences tried their best to testify for him, which saved Euler from political persecution. However, after this incident, he was dismissed from his position as director of the Institute of Mathematics and many of his research projects were forced to be interrupted.

Considering the continued turbulent political situation in the Russian Empire, Euler left Moscow in May 1735 (due to the butterfly effect, the genius mathematician left Russia early) and prepared to take up a position at the Berlin Academy of Sciences.

It is said that the founder of the Berlin Academy of Sciences was Crown Prince Frederick. Not long after he returned to Prussia from Qi, he founded this academy based on the model of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Qi. He recruited a large number of well-known European scholars and experts to conduct research and exploration in various scientific fields, thereby promoting the development of science and technology in the Kingdom of Prussia.

After settling down in Berlin, he continued to immerse himself in mathematical research and published several high-level papers.

In June 1736, the quadrennial World Science Conference was about to be held in Chang'an, Qi State. Not surprisingly, Euler, who had outstanding performance in mathematics and physics, received an invitation letter from the Royal Academy of Sciences of Qi State, inviting him to go to Hanzhou to participate in this world's highest level scientific exchange meeting.

In order to accommodate the long-distance travel of every invited participant, the wealthy Royal Science Foundation of Qi provided a sponsorship of 100 gold yuan to the invited guests. When passing through ports and territories controlled by Qi, scholars could also stay in the most upscale hotels and hostels for free with their invitation letters, and receive VIP services from local colonial authorities.

The World Science Congress was founded in 1728. It is a large-scale international academic conference covering all scientific categories, proposed by the Royal Academy of Sciences, approved by the former Crown Prince Mingde, and unanimously agreed upon by the cabinet government.

The World Science Congress will bring together the world's top scientists, academicians of various national academies of science, senior researchers, outstanding young experts, and discoverers and contributors in various scientific fields to fully share and exchange scientific and technological achievements and research results that are closely related to human and social and economic development, from microscopic particles to the macroscopic universe, from physical properties to chemical synthesis, from manufacturing technology to industrial deepening, from functional materials to future energy.

Of course, the State of Qi spent a huge amount of money to establish this scientific conference, certainly not to show off their technology and achievements, nor to really share their technology and achievements with the rest of the world.

They are collecting and plundering the world's latest technologies and discoveries in disguise, and at the same time, they are creating an opportunity to recruit top scientific and technological talents from all over the world.

Now that we have arrived at the territory of our Qi State, we must use every possible means to keep those who are considered "useful talents" in Hanzhou and use them for our own benefit.

If you want money, give money; if you want a house, give you a house; if you want status, give you status.

That is to make sure that "all the talents in the world are within our grasp!"

However, to be honest, since two consecutive World Science Conferences were held, all scholars who received invitation letters from the Royal Academy of Sciences of Qi felt proud and honored, whether in the Eastern Qin State with a strong traditional atmosphere or in the European continent with an increasingly strong academic atmosphere.

This means that one has a considerable reputation in the field he is engaged in, and his research results or latest scientific discoveries have been highly recognized by the Royal Academy of Sciences of Qi State, so he can receive such a rare invitation. During the academic exchange, scholars and experts from all over the world gathered together to discuss and exchange with their peers on the achievements or latest progress in their respective fields, which has a positive role in promoting and enhancing both individuals and academic development.

Faced with the recruitment of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Qi or other professional research institutions, few people can resist the temptation.

You know, the annual budget of the Qi Royal Academy is as high as more than 2 million gold yuan. This huge amount even exceeds the annual fiscal revenue of most European countries.

In the Royal Academy of Sciences, you can get the most generous treatment in the world, and you can also get an unimaginable amount of research funding. If you have major research results, various rewards from the Royal Foundation, the Cabinet Government, and private business foundations will make you instantly lost in endless wealth.

Even if you don't want to join the Royal Academy of Sciences, a research institution with a strong official background, there are a large number of private research institutions in Hanzhou for you to choose from. Moreover, the management model of these research institutions is more free and relaxed, and the academic atmosphere is more active.

It can be said that in this world, if you want to do scientific research, there is no more suitable place than Qi.

In addition to the generous treatment and sufficient scientific research funds that are hard to refuse, you can also get the world's most advanced equipment, the most sophisticated instruments, and the most systematic scientific theories here.

Qi was the first country in the world to implement compulsory education, and its people's literacy rate exceeded that of any other country in the world. More than 40 top-level universities were established in Hanzhou and its overseas territories. These institutions not only have rich teaching resources and scientific research facilities, but also attract outstanding professors and scholars from all over the world, and can train more than 100,000 high-quality talents every year.

Being in this country with a strong scientific and technological atmosphere is simply the ideal place for scholars to pursue scientific truth and explore the future.

In addition, as the richest country in the world, Qi has very complete infrastructure in education, medical care, transportation, etc., which can provide high-quality living conditions for outstanding talents from all over the world.

"So, Mr. Ola is already fascinated by this country and is planning to live here?"

The train stopped at Shatin Station for thirty minutes, which gave Bug and Ola the opportunity to buy some local snacks from the vendors. They also bought a bottle of wine and took it back to the box, where they had a sip and chatted about their experiences and feelings during the trip to Hanzhou.

It is obvious that since arriving in Guizhou, Euler has been full of endless yearning and expectation for this country, and is somewhat intoxicated by the wealth and power displayed in many aspects of this country.

Perhaps out of the pride and self-esteem of a Frenchman, although Buge was shocked and envious of the prosperity and development of Qi in his heart, he still believed that his homeland was only temporarily backward and was only a few steps behind Qi in all aspects.

As long as the French government can make up its mind, eliminate many bad policies at home, increase investment in education and science and technology, vigorously develop industry and commerce, and encourage industry, I believe France will soon catch up with the level of Qi.

After all, our Kingdom of France occupies the most central part of the European continent, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. With a population of over 20 million, we definitely have the foundation of a world power.

The State of Qi was simply a few steps ahead.

"Mr. Bug, my teacher at the University of Basel, Mr. Bernoulli (the Swiss mathematician Johann Bernoulli), came to Qi five years ago to gain a deeper understanding of calculus theory and became a researcher at the Institute of Mathematics at Jianye Tiangong College."

Euler took a sip of the wine in the glass and savored it carefully. He felt that the taste was no less than the wine produced in Porto, France. Then he put down the glass and said with a smile: "As we all know, in the field of mathematics, especially calculus, Qi has always been at the forefront of all countries in the world. My teacher Mr. Bernoulli also said in several letters to me that the few years in Qi were the period in his life when he gained the most knowledge. Those system theories and knowledge are the most cutting-edge today, which benefited him a lot in calculus."

"So, under the persuasion of your teacher, and with the many generous treatments that the people of Qi might offer, you plan to stay in Qi to seek better development?"

"Mr. Bugge, as a scientific researcher, isn't your biggest dream to obtain the latest results or the latest discoveries?" Euler did not take Bugge's slightly sarcastic tone seriously, and said seriously: "Do you know? Three years ago, my teacher won the highest Royal Physics Award in Qi for accurately calculating the orbits of planets. For scholars who pursue scientific truth, this is the greatest recognition and the highest honor for him. You know, Mr. Bernoulli had spent six years calculating the orbits of planets and had never made much progress. But he only spent two years in Qi, with the support and help of many researchers and the assistance of a large number of precision instruments, and completed the final calculation work in one fell swoop."

"So, I think that doing scientific research in Qi may be the best and ideal place. Every study we make, every result we obtain, and every truth we explore will greatly promote the development and progress of mankind."

"...but it is more about promoting the development and progress of Qi."

"Qi is also part of the world." Euler smiled. "Scholars who are interested in scientific research can use Qi's superior research environment and sufficient research funds to obtain results in many related unknown fields, which will eventually benefit all mankind."

Hearing this, Bug sighed slightly and said nothing more. He held two chopsticks in his right hand and, imitating the Qi people, clumsily picked up the side dishes on the plate and put them into his mouth to taste them carefully.

"Perhaps, when I arrive in Qi, my diseased right eye can receive the best treatment and recover my vision."

Ola subconsciously reached out and gently touched his right eye, his heart full of anticipation.

During this period, Qi's medical level was the best in the world. While many doctors in Europe were still using ignorant methods such as bloodletting and enema to treat various difficult and complicated diseases, Qi had established a relatively complete and scientific medical system and was able to implement effective treatments for some complex cases.

So is there any chance of recovery for my increasingly weak vision in my right eye?
(End of this chapter)