Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 223: Ingenious Craftsmanship, Enlightenment of All Things

People who often act as emperors understand that image does not belong to just one individual, especially when one is out and about and has no control over one's own activities, one must always make political gestures.

Zhu Yijun originally wanted to go and see the new school.

However, institutions of higher learning also have to rank based on seniority, and cadre colleges must necessarily be ranked ahead of technical colleges.

Since the emperor had left Donghua Gate, he had to put on a amiable smile and walk around the Imperial College.

First, they exchanged ideas on the latest developments in philosophy, namely, the latest doctrines since the debate in the second year of the Wanli reign, namely, the study of principles.

Then, I look forward to the beautiful vision of governing the world together with the students.

Finally, I would like to give some encouragement for the imperial examination three days later.

Only when the students who surrounded him began to show signs of tears did Zhu Yijun hurriedly leave and go to the school across the street.

It has been some years since the emperor last visited the academy.

Two small saplings were planted in front of the gate when the hospital was built. Seven years later, they have grown level with the courtyard wall.

Four lacquered carved pieces of solid wood, gradually getting older and older.

Perhaps because the screen wall with inscriptions was always covered with scribblings, just like in the Imperial College, two guards were assigned to take turns on duty.

Zhu Yijun did not go in immediately, but just stood in front of the gate and looked up at the plaque.

It was Xu Jie’s handwriting, with four big characters - Qiushi College.

The emperor stood there in silence, looking deeply moved, and no one dared to disturb him.

After a long while, Zhu Yijun slowly spoke: "Last time, Master Xu and the Emperor's uncle submitted this name, and I approved it after a cursory glance, without even having the chance to ask about its origin."

He took a careful and nurturing attitude towards the budding science and technology, and never applied too much fertilizer or turned over the soil.

Even though the academy frequently requested him to give him a name, Zhu Yijun tried his best to suppress his bad taste - only a name he gave himself could carry the continuation of the spirit.

However, since the academy was personally planned and built by the emperor, no outsider was qualified to give it the name, and there was no spirit in the academy, so it remained vacant for several years.

At the end of last year, Xu Jie and Zhu Zaiyu suddenly submitted a memorial, saying that the name had been decided and they wanted to write an inscription on a plaque.

Zhu Yijun was busy with other things at that time and had no time to ask.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hong hurried forward and replied: "Your Majesty, this matter should start from last year."

"At that time, Liu Dunkai published a powerful article in the Xin Bao titled "A Criticism of Mathematics since the Thousand Years and Its Future Development Direction", which pointed out that mathematics was not systematic and its future was unclear."

"At the end of last year, the prince of Zheng proposed that together with Cheng Dawei, Liu Dunkai and others, we hold a forum to discuss the law. The main theme is "Reforming our mathematics."

"I don't know the specific details, but I know that at the meeting, the academy reached a great consensus and decided on the name of the academy."

"It is taken from the phrase 'seek truth from facts' in the Biography of Liu De, King Xian of Hejian, in the Book of Han - to seek truth from deduction and verify laws from existence."

“So the name ‘Qiushi College’ came into being.”

Zhu Yijun had a complicated expression and nodded slowly.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he smiled and added, "It's a good name."

After a while, Xu Jie was seen emerging from the gate of the academy, staggering towards them with the help of a cane.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun waved his hand and called for his attendants to follow him: "Let's go."

……

Unlike the Imperial College, the political atmosphere in Qiushi Academy was very thin.

The sons of noble families of high birth were accustomed to seeing the emperor, while the common people of low birth were afraid of him like tigers and wolves, so the academy did not organize any scenes of lining the streets to welcome them or with tears in their eyes, and the emperor also allowed the teachers and students to continue their classes.

Only Xu Jie and a few government officials accompanied the emperor.

"I heard that you held a conference before the New Year to discuss "Transforming Our Mathematics"?"

Zhu Yijun asked casually.

It was he who prompted Liu Dunkai to write the article "On the Criticism of Mathematics since the Thousand Years and Its Future Development Direction".

Of course, there is nothing serious about it. It is just a push to promote the construction of the mathematical system.

As for how to rely on Confucianism and how to establish a school of thought, these scholars have to consider it.

According to status, Xu Jie was naturally the only one from the academy who could accompany the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the academy held a forum last year to discuss the law. It mainly laid the foundation for the 'science of principles', taking logical deduction and practical demonstration as the two paths, and following the path of learning from nature, and established the 'science of natural principles' or 'natural philosophy'."

Zhu Yijun listened carefully.

It has already made a name for itself and established itself as a discipline. It is only one step away from establishing a sect, which is to organize the theories and publish them for the world.

"Among them, Prince Zheng, Liu Dunkai and others took the path of logical deduction and came to me to open a separate department of 'Theoretical Mathematics'."

"Cheng Dawei took the path of practical demonstration and opened a separate department for 'applied mathematics'."

Xu Jie bent down and stretched out his hand, leading the way, occasionally answering questions to the emperor.

Zhu Yijun slowed down his pace so that the 78-year-old man wouldn't have to gasp for air. He couldn't help but jokingly said, "Master Xu, do you mean that there are now factions in Qiushi Academy?"

Xu Jie was also a former prime minister who had held political office. He couldn't help but smile knowingly when he heard this.

When it comes to dealing with people, there are always ups and downs.
However, Xu Jie still tactfully avoided the question: "Your Majesty, you are joking. The affairs of the academy cannot be called a mountain. It's just that the direction of learning from nature is different."

"After opening the School of Theoretical Mathematics, Prince Zheng and Liu Dunkai further divided the fields into geometric mathematics and algebraic mathematics, which they studied separately. However, this did not prevent them from studying mathematics together all night long."

"And the School of Applied Mathematics has also divided into physics and statistics..."

Old Xu is a first-rate bureaucrat in the world.

Even though he had no idea about the specific research content, it did not prevent him from making a confident summary in his report.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "It will be convenient for Xu Qing to ask the inner court for funds if we go in different directions."

Although they talk a lot, there are very few people who can reach the level of "research" at this stage. Most people can only help Zhu Zaiyu and others and play a supporting role.

There is certainly a need for standardization in these numerous directions, but they are more of a convenience for old bureaucrats to ask for research funds.

Of course, he doesn't mind.

Xu Jie smiled in agreement. The emperor had been in power for many years and had developed a keen insight.

As he laughed, the emperor's figure gradually blurred in his cloudy eyes.

Dressed in Taoist robes, he is aloof and unrestrained, with a heart as clear as a mirror and very meticulous.

It's like an old friend returning.

"...That's fine, but you asked the Armory Bureau for gunpowder and other prohibited items without authorization, and you also injured my cousin. What crime should you be charged with?"

Xu Jie came back to his senses in a daze.

The group had already arrived at Li Chengming's duty room. The emperor was poking at a pile of iron lumps, muttering non-stop.

Li Chengming had not yet finished his lecture, and Xu Jie was happy to chat with the young emperor: "I, an old minister, only have my salary to collect now. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy on me and do not punish me again. Please do not punish me again."

Zhu Yijun smiled. Although he didn't believe it or not, the emotional intelligence of these court officials was indeed impeccable and they spoke in a very coherent way.

I really wish there was an ancestral law that after the cabinet ministers retire, all of them will stay in the capital to entertain the emperor.

"Is this the prototype of the 'train' that Li Chengming tinkered with?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously, pointing at the lump of iron.

This train is not that train.

It is said that Li Chengming borrowed the idea of ​​the waterwheel to change the power. He successively failed projects such as the "windmill" and the "magnetic car", and then developed the "train" using gunpowder as the power.

In the final analysis, it is just a way of driving, just to go around in circles.

Xu Jie had no idea what was going on, so he briefly explained the cause of the incident: "When your majesty inspected the pasture, he was involved in a horse corruption case. After he took charge of the Beijing camp, he stopped sending soldiers to work."

"Whether it's the rising price of cattle and horses or the shortage of workers, it has seriously affected Captain Li's mill business."

"I don't know what inspired me to use the waterwheel mechanism on the mill."

"Anyway, it's all repetitive motion. If water can drive it, then other forces can certainly do the same. So I started to think about these things..."

Zhu Yijun did not look up. While listening to Xu Jie's explanation, he looked at Li Chengming's train from different angles.

It has to be said that for most mortals like Li Chengming, profit is the primary driving force.

He had heard to some extent that the emperor's uncle's family monopolized 30% of the mill business in the capital.

However, in order to increase production capacity and reduce costs, they began to think about optimizing the process, which was indeed a bit too real. Zhu Yijun was complaining in his heart when he heard a movement behind him.

"I am Li Chengming, the paid commander of the Imperial Guard, and I am here to see Your Majesty!"

Turning around, I saw Li Chengming rushing over and bowing outside the door.

Judging from how anxious and sweaty he was, he probably ran here after class - he felt as nervous as if he heard a relative's child had come to his house and was fiddling with his valuable belongings.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Cousin, you've arrived just in time. Come here and tell me about your mechanism. How did you use gunpowder?"

"If you can't explain it clearly, I will have to forbid the academy from using prohibited items like gunpowder for the sake of your cousin's health."

As he said this, he pointed to the train in front of him.

After all, he is a royal relative, so Li Chengming naturally wouldn't be restrained.

He stood up and walked to the emperor: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for making a fool of myself."

Perhaps because of his injured shoulder, which made it inconvenient for him to dress, Li Chengming wore a loose robe, which made him look like a naval admiral.

He glanced at Li Jin and Xu Jie, and realized that he had completely sold out to the emperor by messing around with his own affairs.

When he heard that he was prohibited from using gunpowder, he became even more anxious.

Li Chengming took a deep breath, pointed at the iron lump and explained in a serious manner: "Your Majesty, I call this thing a train. It is composed of valves, cylinders, rods, axles, and wheels."

"When using it, you first open the valve, put gunpowder into the cylinder, ignite it, and the rod is driven by the explosion, which drives the shaft and finally makes the car rotate."

As he spoke, he pulled the connecting rod in front of him to illustrate how the axle and the car were driven.

Zhu Yijun took a breath of cold air when he heard this.

So primitive?
Explosion is technology?
He subconsciously asked, "Gunpowder explosions are very violent, can they be controlled?"

Li Chengming scratched his head, feeling somewhat helpless: "The craftsman suggested that as long as the valve and the cylinder are tightly sealed, there will be no problem. However, after trying it a few times, it doesn't seem to work very well. I'm thinking about whether to improve it or try another method."

After saying that, he pushed Xu Jie aside, pointed at the train in front of him, and looked at the emperor with great joy.

"First, as Your Majesty said, the explosion is violent and difficult to control. If you add too little gunpowder, the cart won't be able to turn a few circles, let alone drive the millstone and other things; if you add too much gunpowder, it will be very dangerous, especially the cylinder, which is difficult to seal. It also needs to be assembled with the valve and rod. If there is a gap or excessive assembly, the effect will be greatly reduced."

"Secondly, the power itself is not of good quality. It is driven by water, which is inexhaustible and does not require human care during the journey. Now my train still needs to add gunpowder frequently, which can only save a little manpower, but cannot replace it on a large scale."

"Thirdly, the control is only satisfactory, like a toad, it moves only when you poke it. Even if the above problems are solved and the millstone can be driven, it can only turn in bursts. The taste of the product is not good, which affects the market."

Zhu Yijun watched Li Chengming talking and felt something strange in his heart.

Although the proliferation of Yangming's followers caused a serious decline in social morality, it also had some benefits.

As the saying goes, there is no construction without destruction. After discarding the moral burden of "a gentleman is ashamed to talk about profit", everyone is good at making money, accepting bribes and bullying the good.

The new doctrines, new morals, and new political environment that were re-established put a severe stop to these despicable and simple ways of making money.

The new approach that can now be put on the table can be summed up in eight words: imperial authorization and opening up for business.

As for Li Chengming's current situation, he keeps talking about replacing human resources and affecting the market.

It is simply the whole process of the nobles degenerating into capitalists!
"As for improvements, the craftsmen have thought of several ways. The first is to change the formula of gunpowder. The formula is the same for a musket that needs to be powerful, but the opposite should be done for a train..."

Li Chengming was still chattering.

Zhu Yijun suddenly interrupted Li Chengming: "Why do you have to use gunpowder to drive it? It is too dangerous. My mother and I are worried that something bad will happen to my cousin."

Li Chengming stopped talking abruptly.

The emperor rejected his "core technology" right away. If Empress Dowager Li had said this, it must have been out of pure concern, but the emperor would probably have said it differently.

Out of trust in the emperor's frequent "flash of inspiration", Li Chengming immediately asked: "I don't have a better idea at the moment, Your Majesty, do you have another idea?"

Cousins ​​are so in tune with each other.

Zhu Yijun nodded immediately: "I see, isn't it similar to blowing a fish bubble? Blow air into one end, the fish bubble will swell, and let air out from the other end, which will push the connecting rod."

Li Chengming thought for a moment and nodded slowly: "About the same."

Xu Jie on the side glanced at Li Chengming. This Captain Li was still not familiar with politics. When he was absorbed in thinking, he spoke casually subconsciously.

Zhu Yijun naturally would not argue with his cousin about this trivial matter, and said to himself: "If that's the case, why choose gunpowder? Isn't it enough to just hit the connecting rod? For example, how about blowing air?"

Li Chengming sighed: "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, this was my original plan."

"But the wind force is too weak, and it is difficult for the mechanism to collect wind, which is not enough to push the connecting rod."

The craftsmen all said that it would be impossible to drive it with wind unless they went to the mountains and used huge blades.

This restriction has no commercial value for Li Chengming.

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "It's just air, it doesn't necessarily have to be wind, how about water vapor?"

Li Chengming was stunned.

Water vapor?

He couldn't help but frown, and subconsciously wanted to refute: "The power of water vapor is a little weak..."

Zhu Yijun simply interrupted him: "My cousin only said mild water vapor."

"When boiling water in the inner court, the steam can only lift the lid of the pot."

"You and I both know that when my grandfather was refining the elixir, if he was not careful, the water vapor could lift the top of the furnace and soar several feet!"

"Why is there such a huge difference in power between the two?"

After hearing this, Li Chengming immediately remembered what he had just said about the sealing of the cylinder body.

Without even thinking, he blurted out, "The old Taoist's furnace must be very well sealed!"

He slapped his thigh and paced back and forth in the room: "Yes! Yes! This is a good idea! Seal the cylinder and pour boiling water vapor into it, and it will naturally move the connecting rod!"

“You don’t even need to add ingredients frequently. You just need to boil water below.”

"But the water vapor needs to be discharged. This should be easy to do. Just add a cold pipe downwards, and the water vapor will turn into water when it encounters it."

"In this case, the valve may need to be divided into in and out control. I have to ask the craftsman how to design it specifically."

"His Majesty……"

Li Chengming turned his head to look at the emperor, only to see that the emperor and a group of eunuchs had dark faces, while Xu Jie and other bureaucrats looked up with their heads raised and tried to hold back their laughter.

Bad! I got carried away and said the wrong thing!

Li Chengming realized it belatedly.

He was about to kneel down in panic and apologize, but Zhu Yijun snorted coldly and took the initiative to explain the matter: "However, it is probably inevitable that the mechanism and parts will be useless."

A steam engine is not something that can be easily made. As an industrial industry, it requires a lot of prerequisite technologies.

Bearings, seals, and high-pressure resistant metals are not achieved overnight.

Even when it comes to the key theoretical part, the systematic study of the work done by gas expansion, we are completely in the dark and can only make up some empirical stuff to provide some guidance.

But then again, what the capitalist market lacks most is demand.

Once there is a demand, a first generation of products will just be usable, and then the technology can be slowly optimized - at least we have to take a step forward on the road of iteration first.

Li Chengming was still secretly regretting calling Emperor Sejong by his nickname. Upon hearing this, he quickly took the opportunity given by the emperor and said, "I am going to report this to your majesty."

Zhu Yijun turned his head: "Oh?"

Li Chengming paused and said, "Your Majesty, I think that nowadays, the craftsmen of various parts and mechanisms not only have different standards, but they even regard them as secrets and pass them on by word of mouth."

"If two parts are made by different blacksmiths, they are like water and fire that cannot coexist. At best, they will fail, and at worst, they will cause harm to people."

He paused, and said in a somewhat resentful tone: "This is how I was injured this time!"

Zhu Yijun glanced at Li Chengming and realized what his cousin wanted to say.

"It was only then that I found Dean Cheng of the School of Applied Mathematics and built a mathematical model to calculate the coordination between them, and then I found the problem."

"I think we can use the wisdom of the Mohists to order the Ministry of Industry to set standards for basic parts, mechanisms, and organs, classify them, register them, and have them circulated by the Ministry of Industry."

“This not only makes it easier to use them together, but also allows mathematical verification if there are any omissions, and subsequent optimization and improvement can also be based on evidence and reason.”

“Only by integrating and synthesizing in this way, and by studying and polishing it, can we surpass the work of nature and create all things!”

(End of this chapter)