Chapter 4854 The great scholar of the world
Li Chengqian had always thought that the power of guns and artillery lay in gunpowder, but this was the first time he heard that the craftsmanship of making guns and cannons was equally important. He asked in confusion: "Is it really so difficult to make guns and cannons?"
Fang Jun smiled and said: "The Ministry of War is the richest yamen among the six bureaus. This matter has been impeached by the censor. However, the benefits, treatment, and expenses of the Ministry of War are no different from the other five bureaus. So where is the money spent? The answer is the Foundry Bureau.”
After taking a sip of tea, he felt that it was necessary to popularize the power of natural science to these people: "Whether it is a gun barrel or a cannon barrel, if you want to maximize the power of gunpowder, it must be tightly sealed and not breathable. This can only Casting. As we all know, the biggest problem with cast devices is uneven density distribution. How to solve this problem will not be explained in detail, but if you think about it, you will know that a large-scale Experiments, continuous improvement of steel formulas, continuous improvement of casting processes, tens of thousands of skilled and experienced craftsmen working around dozens or hundreds of blast furnaces day and night, year after year, steelmaking and casting, how much energy does this require? ? Besides, if there is no right direction, it will be useless to work ten times or a hundred times, and this is the advantage of Datang. ”
He looked at Li Chengqian seriously: "Your Majesty, compared to casting techniques and steel formulas, these craftsmen are where the Tang Dynasty far surpasses the smelting techniques of the world. A craft may only be produced by a genius with a single thought, but it requires excellence. It can only be achieved by the great efforts of craftsmen, and these craftsmen need long time, high intensity, and immeasurable money to train them. They are the real wealth of Datang."
Li Chengqian didn't like the craftsmen very much, but he understood the reason: "I'm not a fool who will bury these craftsmen. You used to do it in the Ministry of Industry and now in the Ministry of War to promote and reward craftsmen. Every day I don’t know how many people are impeaching you, but I’m blocking them all. I don’t understand this kind of thing. Just work hard and I’ll block it for you if there’s any trouble.”
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"So what you're saying is that even if the barbarians learn the formula of gunpowder, they definitely can't learn the craftsmanship and smelting of making guns and cannons?"
"The formula can be understood at a glance, but the craftsmanship requires years of accumulation and precipitation. While they are chasing us, we are still moving forward faster than them. How can they catch up?" < br>
Fang Jun looked directly at Li Chengqian, his eyes glowing: "But the most important thing is that we can deeply understand the importance of these things. We cannot blindly work on the classics and history collections and moral articles, with Confucianism as the key link and nature as the supplement. Both must be grasped, both hands must be strong!”
We cannot blindly exaggerate the importance of natural science. When people do not have moral ethics and benevolence in their hearts, powerful science and technology will become a fierce tiger and will eventually suffer backlash.
Even though Confucianism has obvious shortcomings, it can make society peaceful and humane. The "state of etiquette" is not a sarcastic term, and it cannot be learned by anyone who wants to learn it.
Li Chengqian nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, although I am not as wise as the late emperor in terms of wisdom, martial arts, culture and military skills, I am definitely not a foolish king. Now that I have seen the wonder of nature and the power of observing things, how can I go against the grain and cut off my own arms? No matter what Until then, the Foundry Bureau will always be the top priority of the empire's exploration of natural science, and no one can stop it."
Although Emperor Taizong had almost finished all his achievements on land, conquering cities, conquering territories, and opening up territories to the extreme, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky to go further. But now the Tang Dynasty is tyrannizing on the ocean and has destroyed countless countries. The ships spread the power of Tang Dynasty throughout the world along the route. This was the basis for him as an emperor to prove his "competence" to the world.
The foundation that supports his maritime hegemony is natural science, shipbuilding, gunpowder, guns, navigation...
New materials and new technologies have opened a new door. Once you have experienced the world through this door, how can you close it?
When the merchant ships and warships of the Tang Dynasty traversed the seven seas, the ship ports and docks of the Tang Dynasty spread all over the world, and the divine power of the Tang Dynasty shocked all countries, who dares to say that Li Chengqian is not worthy of the throne of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty?
Liu Ji shook his head and sighed secretly. Fang Jun is the best at drinking ecstasy soup. Look at His Majesty's blood-soaked and high-morale appearance. Not only has the purpose of restricting the navy's power been failed, but even this contract will definitely No changes can be made.
He does not feel that he is short-sighted, nor does he feel that he is narrow-minded, but now the expansion of sea power far exceeds that of land. This is unprecedented. In the past, the rough and dangerous sea has become a smooth way to gather wealth and promote national prestige. Countless merchant ships and warships cruise the ocean every day, thousands of miles away...
The rules of operation and the control of risks made him feel deeply confused and at a loss. This was the reason why he was disgusted with everything on the sea.
But now it seems that sea power has become a necessity for the development of the times. Whoever cannot control the sea will be eliminated.
Liu Ji frowned and was secretly worried. At his age and serving as a minister, should he still light up the lamp and study every night? But if you don't learn, you will fall behind. There are countless people behind you who are eyeing this position eagerly.
He didn't know what "juan" was, but he felt the malice of "sailing against the current or retreating if you don't advance" in this era. Many things are not whether you want to do them or not, but if others do it, you will be eliminated if you don't do it...
*****
Fang Jun did not go home after coming out of Tai Chi Palace. Instead, he rode out of the city through Chunming Gate, surrounded by his own soldiers, crossed Ba Bridge and went straight to Lishan Mountain to inspect the Fang family's farm. This year is another bumper harvest year. The corn production that has been planted in half of Lishan Mountain has surged. Selecting and saving seeds is naturally the top priority. After all, corn has been proven by facts to be a high-quality grain that is not inferior to wheat. As long as the rice is not suitable for planting In the fields, wheat and corn are the best crops...
The snow is falling, and there is no wind. The snowflakes are blowing towards your face while riding a horse, but there is not much chill. The entire Lishan Mountain is shrouded in the snow powder, which has a unique poetic feeling.
Walking straight along the mountain road, there is a river originating from the top of Lishan Mountain. The gurgling water of the river can flood the middle section of the river. The riverbeds on both sides are exposed because of the lack of water. Halfway through, there is a simple dam across the river. The river water in the upper reaches is intercepted, which results in less water in the lower reaches.
An ox cart was parked by the riverside on the roadside. A stooped old man wearing a turban was getting out of the cart with the help of his servants. He turned around and saw Fang Jun and his entourage approaching quickly. Fortunately, he was standing on the roadside with his hands behind his back. .
Fang Jun walked nearby, quickly reined in his horse, stood up, turned over and dismounted, walked a few steps quickly, and said with a smile: "It's snowing here. If you don't warm yourself by the fire in your house and enjoy yourself, what are you doing in the mountains? If this happens, Master Brother Gu is afraid that he will fight me hard.”
The old man had fair hair and a childish face, and was thin in stature. Although he was so old that his whole body was almost hunched together, he was in good spirits. He looked at Fang Jun with a smile, holding back his toothless mouth and said: "You are not too old or too young, your father has seen you." I even want to call you uncle, how can you call me brother and sister?”
The old man's name is Yan Silu, the head of the Yan family in Langya, the eldest son of Yan Zhitui, a great Confucian in the Sui and Tang Dynasties and a world-famous scholar, and the father of Yan Shigu, a great Confucian scholar.
Originally, Yan Shigu was supposed to have died during the Eastern Expedition with Emperor Taizong, but now Emperor Taizong did not ask Yan Shigu to accompany him during the Eastern Expedition, so he has not yet died of illness...
Yan Silu had served in the Qin Palace as a reporter and joined the army. He had a close friendship with Fang Xuanling, and the two families were considered family friends.
Fang Junping has been working for nothing for a lifetime, and he gets an advantage by being nice: "Isn't this the last time when we were drinking, Brother Shigu dragged me and insisted on kowtow and swore sworn vows? Under the kindness, I could only reluctantly agree, you should always You won’t deny it, right?”
"Humph, I don't care about your children's nonsense."
Yan Silu didn't care whether he was a son or a grandson. He turned around and walked towards the river dam: "I was bored at home, so I went up to Lishan Mountain for a walk. I wanted to go to the beacon tower where King You of Zhou used to perform beacon fire shows on the princes to drink and pay homage. , Looking back on the past, I happened to see this river dam and came over to take a look. You are always making new things all day long. What is the purpose of this river dam? ”
The old man had steady steps and was in good spirits. Fang Jun was a little reassured. He held the other man's arm and walked slowly. Hearing this, he said: "It's a rice mill, used to crush corn."
After the corn produced at Lishan Farm is selected and seeded, the rest will naturally be used as food. However, the whole corn cannot be eaten and must be ground into flour or crushed into crumbs...
Yan Silu muttered: "Is it another Laoshi machine?"
Walk into a house with hands behind your back.
Several houses were built side by side on the river dam. They were rumbling at the moment. The river water flowed out from the water channel under the dam. The water flow hit the cast iron propeller drive gear to drive the machinery in the house. The flying blades quickly broke the corn poured into it. Corn crumbs flow out from another outlet...
Yan Silu watched this scene and remained silent.
Fang Jun followed behind, feeling a little complacent: "This is the power of machinery. If it were done manually, it would require at least hundreds of people working day and night to equal the daily output here."
"It is indeed very convenient, but if this happens, wouldn't it mean that many people can't make money by doing work?"
"..."
Fang Jun was slightly surprised. Sure enough, a true scholar is by no means a conservative and pedantic person. He not only keeps pace with the times, but also pays attention to national affairs and people's livelihood in every detail. “When an emerging thing appears, whether it has more benefits than disadvantages or more disadvantages than benefits, the first thing we have to do is to correctly understand and guide it, instead of restricting or even blocking it because of its short-term disadvantages. Exclusion. The rules of heaven and earth are nothing more than the mutual restraint of yin and yang. How can there be any consistent correctness in the world? The pros and cons, the positive and the negative, are the correct ones in the world, rather than the dominance of one family and the exclusion of dissidents. ”