Chapter 1781 Inspected by Gezhi Academy - Excited Wen Yuan and Talking About Gravity
After rewarding Zhang Xuexi, Yun named the machine he invented. Of course, the name was steam engine. The name was very appropriate, and Yun couldn't think of anything better. As for Zhang Xuexi's opinion, let alone he didn't dare to say anything against it.
, even if he dared, he would have been so happy that he didn't know how to argue. He would kowtow and thank him for everything he heard. That's how the name was decided.
Seeing Zhang Xuexi like this, Yunben wanted to give him a few more instructions, but he could only wait for another day and take a few children to leave his yard. Yang Zhu gave a few instructions to the guards and told them to take care to protect the steam engine.
After a while, he helped Zhang Xuexi back, turned his head and quickly followed.
"Dad, the reward given to him is too much." After leaving the yard, Wen said: "A machine that can only pull thirty or forty kilograms of weight is both a promotion and a title. Later, it was officially issued.
The good times have given you many treasures, too much."
"You think so?" Yun said softly and looked at Min'er and Wen Luo. Wen Luo obviously didn't care about how his father awarded Zhang Xuexi, and had no expression on his face; Min'er showed a disapproving expression on his face, obviously disapproving of it.
Wen Yuan's words. He looked at Wen Yuan again, but was startled when he saw Wen Yuan's expression, and asked: "Wen Yuan, what do you think of your sixth brother's words?"
"What did Sixth Brother say?" Wen Yuan was stunned for a moment and said, "Father, my son was thinking about things just now and didn't hear what Sixth Brother said."
"You didn't hear what Wen said? What are you thinking about?" Yun asked.
"Father, if my son hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that there really was the power of water and fire in the world." Wenyuan said: "Some people usually say that humans are created by taking over the heaven and earth, but in my son's opinion, using water and fire
The power of the machine is what conquers the world. Although the machine Zhang Xuexi built can only pull thirty or forty kilograms of objects, he himself said that it can be improved. After improvement, even if it is only 20% better, it can still pull fifty kilograms.
Anything over a kilogram."
"This is just such a small machine. What if we build a large machine dozens of times larger than this machine? It can pull objects weighing more than a thousand kilograms."
"Manpower and ox power will eventually be exhausted. Although the combined strength of dozens of people can pull a thousand-jin object, sometimes, some places cannot accommodate dozens of people, nor can dozens of people pull together. Some things just can't be done.
There is no way to do it; but with this steam engine, these things can be done."
"What's more, the Ming Dynasty has fewer people and more land. Many fields have to be abandoned due to lack of manpower. Merchants in the city are constantly recruiting people from the villages and offering wages that are much higher than what they can get from farming, luring farmers to enter.
He works as a clerk or craftsman in the city. Dad, my son is not opposed to the development of industry and commerce, but after all, agriculture is the basis, and we should ensure that there are enough farmers to cultivate the land so that there will not be insufficient food."
"Steam engines will not be used on farmland for a while. After all, farmers in the countryside don't have much spare money and cannot afford steam engines. But if various factories in the city can use steam engines, they can save a lot of manpower. Since there are
With steam engines that can save manpower, they will no longer hire so many farmers to work in the city, and more farmers will stay in the countryside to farm, which is of great benefit to the court."
"What's more, if steam engines become cheaper in the future and the wealthier farmers in the countryside can also afford them, farmers will drive the steam engines to cultivate the fields, and one person can take care of hundreds or even thousands of acres of fields. Then there is no need to worry about the lack of food in the world.
Having food to eat is not only a great good thing for the court, but also a great thing for the people."
"But at that time, because one person can take care of so many fields, I am afraid that the land annexation will happen again, and the number of refugees who have lost their land will increase again. What to do with these refugees will also be a headache for the court. The simplest thing is
The natural way to deal with this is to drive them all to the vassal state. After all, the vassal state has a smaller population and a larger area. Even if one person can take care of hundreds of acres of farmland, the population is still insufficient. But if you do this, I am afraid that the branches will be weak and the branches will be weak." Wen Wen
Yuan thought about the treatment of refugees again and couldn't help but speak out.
However, he immediately realized that these words should not be said casually, and his voice gradually became lower, and he added: "My son believes that his father's reward for Zhang Xuexi is extremely appropriate, and the invention of the steam engine is fully worthy of such a reward."
Yun looked at Wenyuan with approving eyes. Firstly, because he realized the great use of steam engines, and secondly, he could think of the possible consequences of steam engines becoming popular and even being used by farmers for farming. Although in fact, because of the decline in productivity
With development, there will be more and more jobs, not fewer and fewer, but even many outstanding politicians in Europe in the 18th century did not think of this, and could not force it on Wen Yuan.
"Okay, you are right." Yun said with a smile: "This is what you should think of as a prince and a king of a country. Although the steam engine is not of much use now, it will definitely be of great use after improvement in the future.
He was of great use to the court, and his father felt that the reward given to him was too low. If it were not for the sake of leaving room for him to make improvements to the steam engine in the future, his father would have given him the official title and title of the fifth rank.
." He did not continue to comment on Wen Yuan's penultimate paragraph, but instead told Yang Zhu: "Yang Qing, from now on Zhang Xuexi will give him no matter how much funding he needs to study steam engines."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Yang Zhu hurriedly agreed.
Wenyuan's face was full of excitement. Since he was a little older, his father rarely praised him. Not only did he not praise him, but he criticized him several times because he acted improperly and did not behave like a prince; especially in the Imperial City
During the fight in school, although Yun's voice was not harsh, the disappointment in his words could not be concealed. Since then, Wenyuan has been diligently reading historical books, writing down every word his father said to him, and conscientiously imitating his actions.
A qualified prince; but even though he worked so hard, he had not received any praise in the past two years. Wen Yuan felt a little discouraged.
But today, his father praised him, and he praised him in Gezhiyuan, with outsiders present. How could Wen Yuan not be excited? In fact, Wen Yuan was not excited, but very excited, and there were even tears in his eyes.
"Dad, the second brother said everything my daughter wanted to say." Min'er smiled at this time: "My daughter and the second brother both thought that steam engines were very useful, so they funded Zhang Xuexi's research in the first place. But my daughter did not
Wenyuan thought so thoroughly."
"Of course you won't think as thoroughly as Wenyuan thinks." Yun Ye said with a smile: "This does not mean that you are not smart. My father thinks that you are the smartest among the children; Wenyuan thinks more thoroughly than you, because
Because my father is teaching him how to govern the country, and he also cares about the people. He often goes to the countryside and markets to see how the people live with his own eyes, and he knows more about the people than you do."
"What my father said is really good." Min'er smiled again.
Yun and her eldest daughter joked for a while, and then said to Wen: "Did you understand what your second brother said?"
"My son understands that steam engines are indeed very useful and deserve such a heavy reward for Zhang Xuexi." Wen said hurriedly.
"You don't have to belittle yourself." Yun was worried that Wen Xinsheng would be dissatisfied, so he hurriedly said: "After all, you are younger and you are preoccupied with studying astronomy. You don't know as much about people's livelihood as your second brother. There are some things that you can't think of."
"My son knows." Wen's expression relaxed a little and he agreed again.
Yun nodded, turned his head and asked the guard: "What time is it now?"
"Your Majesty, it's almost noon." the guard replied.
"It's almost noon." Yun thought for a while and said to Yang Zhu and Cao Zheng: "It's getting late, and I don't have time to look at the remaining courtyards one by one. I heard that you and Zhou Qing, Cao Qing, thought about it. Qing is studying why the sun, moon and stars can hang in the sky without falling to the ground. Please take me to Cao Qing's yard, then call Zhou Qing and Siqing, and let me hear the results of your research."
When Yun was talking to the four princes and princesses just now, Yang Zhu and Cao Zheng were standing with their eyes and noses and their hearts down, hands down, not saying a word, even their bodies motionless like statues. At this time, they heard His Majesty's instructions and hurriedly After returning to the normal state from the statue state, Yang Zhu agreed and went to find Zhou Wei and Sichengtang in person. Cao Zheng led a group of people to his courtyard.
After a while they arrived at Cao Zheng's courtyard. Zhou Wei and Sichengtang had also arrived. They bowed and walked into the main room where Cao Zheng usually did research. After His Majesty and the prince and princess took their seats, they also sat aside.
"Cao Qing, please introduce your current research results first," Yun said.
"Yes." Cao Zheng agreed and introduced. After listening for a while, Yun realized that their research had gone astray. Although through inference and verification of astronomical phenomena, it could be proved that the earth under their feet was a sphere, their research ideas We still believe that the universe is shaped like an egg, with the earth floating in it, and we still believe that the earth is completely different from other planets. It is not easy to think that the sun also has a gravitational force on the earth. I have never thought about it. Other planets may also be able to produce gravity.
After Cao Zheng finished his introduction, Yun thought for a while and asked: "Do you have any thoughts on the contradictions in the current research?"
"This," Cao Zheng and the other three people looked at each other. After a while, Sichengtang stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I once proposed an idea, thinking that maybe the earth under your feet only has gravitational pull on everything above the earth, but not on the sun and moon. Stars have no gravity, and the sun, moon, and stars move for another reason. However, this idea is difficult to verify now."
"Do you have any other ideas?" Yun asked again.
Cao Zheng and Zhou Wei both had red faces. Regardless of whether Sichengtang's idea was right or wrong, at least he had an idea, and they didn't even have an idea.