In this unexpected bet, Emperor Chongzhen took advantage of the fact that these well-educated scholars did not know much about science and beat them in knowledge. It was equivalent to winning in what they were best at. This feeling made Chongzhen
The emperor is in a very good mood!
Therefore, at this time, he was full of achievements and did not care about anything else but inspected the nearby Tongzhou Bay.
After all, the purpose of Tongzhou Railway Station is to transport materials between Tongzhou and the capital, so it naturally has to be built next to the port.
Of course, if Emperor Chongzhen wanted to inspect, the factory guards would naturally have to clear the place, and ordinary people nearby could only stay inside.
But even so, it did not hinder the interest of Emperor Chongzhen and his wife and children.
In Tongzhou Bay, there were also ships parked specifically for the emperor and senior officials of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Chongzhen had been staying in the palace for a long time, and he was very curious about these. During the inspection, he wanted to board the ship to have a look.
However, when he was about to go up, for some reason, it suddenly occurred to his mind that his brother fell into the water and fell ill, and eventually became ill, so he stopped temporarily and just asked Queen Zhou and others to board the boat to have a look.
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Emperor Chongzhen himself pointed to the ships in front of him and said to the courtiers following him: "Let me ask you, what did you think of when you saw these ships?"
He Fengsheng and others were a little confused after hearing this. They looked up and scanned the many ships in Tongzhou Bay and were speechless for a while.
However, since the emperor asked a question, he couldn't help but answer, so he tried to answer: "Hundreds of armies contending with each other?"
"A lot of waste is waiting for something to be done?"
"The country is peaceful and the people are safe?"
"..."
They guessed one, Emperor Chongzhen shook his head, and guessed another, and Emperor Chongzhen shook his head again, but no one guessed what the emperor meant.
So, they almost unanimously turned to look at the eunuch, the eunuch responsible for the ceremony. Isn't this a roundworm in His Majesty's stomach? He should have guessed it, right?
However, at this time, Wang Chengen was smiling as he showed his identity as Emperor Chongzhen, ignoring their inquiring looks.
After waiting for a while, Emperor Chongzhen saw that they still couldn't guess, so he smiled and said to them: "Study things to learn, and then think of them as practical. Looking at these ships, can't you think of how to improve them?"
When He Fengsheng and others heard this, their faces immediately turned red: Your Majesty, this is actually a test of their knowledge!
Could he be showing off his scientific knowledge again?
Although they thought so in their hearts, they had no solution at all. This was because the emperor mentioned the reason for studying things to gain knowledge, and this was also advocated and emphasized by the sages!
Thinking like this, they looked at the densely packed ships docked on the water again, trying to think about how these ships could be improved? What kind of reasoning can they come up with?
To be honest, at this time, these talented top talents of the Ming Dynasty, their minds are in a state of confusion!
Only Song Yingxing, who was behind them, laughed silently, because he knew what the emperor wanted to say!
The emperor has already discussed this matter with him, and it is something he is planning to do in the next stage. However, there are currently insufficient manpower, and the available manpower has been assigned to the Railway Department, which must first ensure the construction of the railway and the operation of steam trains.
However, although Song Yingxing guessed it, he did not say anything. Obviously, he did not want to disturb the emperor's elegance. Besides, these senior officials of the Ming Dynasty should be more impressed. This way, it would be easier to promote scientific knowledge!
"Why, you can't think of anyone?" Emperor Chongzhen looked at his group of ministers, feeling very happy, but pretended to be surprised and asked, "I thought you just took the steam train and gained something.
Maybe he will learn something through studying things and come up with something that will benefit all people in the world!"
As soon as he said these words, even though these people were all veteran officials, they couldn't help but blush.
You know, they are all proud. Especially in terms of knowledge, they fought among millions of people in the Ming Dynasty, walked out of the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination, and then stayed in the officialdom for decades before they achieved what they have today.
In terms of talent, knowledge, and knowledge, to be honest, each of them felt that they were definitely better than the emperor!
There should be no doubt about this!
However, now, I had just lost a bet to Emperor Chongzhen, and I was already very humiliated. In front of Emperor Chongzhen, I felt like I was a village man who had never read a book. Besides being shocked, I was still shocked!
Now, facing so many ships, and after the emperor heard the news, no one could answer the question. Is it embarrassing?
Absolutely disgraceful!
Even if they are old officials, they can't help but blush a little when they are questioned one after another by Emperor Chongzhen!
If it's just weird and obscene skills, then that's it.
But now, the emperor has said that this study of things to achieve knowledge is to benefit all people in the world! And this is one of the purposes of Confucianism! How can it be said that benefiting all people in the world is a strange and obscene technique?
Just like the steam train, who dares to say that it is a flashy and obscene technique?
When we first got on the train, they all admitted that this was an important weapon for a great country! It would benefit the country and the people!
Huang Zongzhou, the imperial censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who usually considered himself knowledgeable and often contradicted Emperor Chongzhen, suddenly bowed to Emperor Chongzhen and said: "I am an old minister with little talent and little knowledge. May your Majesty give me some advice on how to examine objects, improve ships, and benefit all people?"
When he started like this, others were uncomfortable with it, so they all followed suit and reported to Emperor Chongzhen: "I have little talent and little knowledge, so please give me some advice from your majesty!"
Let these erudite and wise men of the Ming Dynasty admit in front of him that they are lacking in talent and knowledge and ask for advice, instead of asking for advice because of the relationship between the emperor and his ministers. This made Emperor Chongzhen feel as happy as the sun.
But on the surface, he still had to pretend to be an old master, so he suppressed his joy and said to them with a smile: "Didn't you just take a steam train? Such heavy things are made by burning coal in a steam engine."
, which converts thermal energy into kinetic energy to pull the entire steam train. In this case, if the steam engine is modified into this ship, then do you think this ship still needs this sail and people to pull people and row it? Land transportation has steam engines.
If it can be improved, can water transportation be improved again?"
"..." When Huang Zongzhou and others heard this, they were all shocked. For a moment, they were speechless: Is this okay?
In fact, they can’t even understand why steam trains are so powerful, so how could they possibly think of applying steam engines to ships!
Not to mention, in Emperor Chongzhen's words, it was the first time for them to hear the words about converting heat energy into kinetic energy, and they could not understand it.
After thinking for a while, Ni Yuanlu asked Emperor Chongzhen with some doubts: "Your Majesty, I look at that steam train. It is huge and extremely heavy. It doesn't matter if it is placed on land. If it is put on a ship, won't the ship sink?"
?”
Someone asked a question, which scratched the itch of Emperor Chongzhen. He wanted to be a teacher, so he immediately glanced at Ni Yuanlu approvingly, and then asked him: "Then I ask you, what if this ship is made of steel?"
Hearing this, Ni Yuanlu and others couldn't help being surprised, and looked at each other. Finally, Ni Yuanlu asked: "No wood?"
If the wooden boat was covered with iron sheets, then they would still be able to figure it out. After all, it is common sense that wood floats on water. If you add some iron sheets, it would be okay.
However, if everything is made of steel, from a cognitive point of view, this is a bit nonsense, right?
However, their intuition told them that things that go against their knowledge are not necessarily wrong. This point has been corrected several times by Emperor Chongzhen, and they have learned enough lessons.
When Emperor Chongzhen heard his question, he immediately smiled and said: "Of course it does not use wood, it is made purely of iron. What do you think?"
"..." When these civil servants heard this, they were speechless for a while, and then Huang Zongzhou asked tentatively, "Can this also float on water?"
Emperor Chongzhen laughed when he heard this, and then asked his ministers seriously: "Why do you think this thing floats on water? Do you have any idea of this thing in the nature of heaven and earth?"
also?"
In layman's terms, he asked these ministers whether they paid attention to the laws of heaven and earth in their daily lives.
To be honest, if you ask these great Confucian scholars who are proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, you really won't know this question of his. Instead, ask the boatmen, and you might be able to get a similar answer.
Emperor Chongzhen naturally either really wanted an answer or wanted to embarrass his ministers and give them a blow, so he deliberately tested them.
At this time, seeing that they could not answer, Emperor Chongzhen said calmly: "Forget it, I am free today anyway, so I will tell you about the rules of heaven and earth. Please listen!"
At this point, he began to talk about buoyancy, density, volume, etc., blurting out words, deliberately using some unintelligible words.
Of course, there were actually some words, and he couldn't use anything else to explain them. He just copied what Liu Weichao had said to him. Anyway, he understood the general meaning.
"...In this way, no matter what it is, as long as the calculated buoyancy is large enough, it can float on the water." Emperor Chongzhen finally taught him a bit like an old master teaching his students, "The same goes for steel, with the addition of a steam engine.
The same can be said for steel!"
Having said this, he pointed at the many ships in Tongzhou Bay, and then said with a little emotion: "If the ships are modified in the future and no longer rely on wind power and direction, do you know how much damage it will bring to the Ming Dynasty?"
Convenience? Apart from anything else, if the materials from east to west, north and south are not complementary enough, in the future, if there is a famine in one place, will it be possible for people to starve to death like it is now?"
After finishing speaking, he looked at He Fengsheng and others and said very seriously: "These are all changes brought about by scientific knowledge. Learning this scientific knowledge well and using it for the people will be a blessing to all people in the world. I think you and others