After watching for a while, it was not beyond Zheng Zhilong's expectation. When he tried to attract people from both hemispheres, there were no more than sixteen people. In fact, when the per capita cost was more than one tael of silver, there were relatively few people.
Each team of people who went to pull always felt that others could not pull, or that others were not as strong as themselves. They were discussing the techniques of pulling, etc., and the discussion was very enjoyable, but in the end, they failed to pull.
After watching for a while, Zheng Zhilong asked the coachman to turn around and go back to the inn.
For him, he has seen what he needs to see. Through this incident, he has gained a better understanding of the person in the palace, and his goal has been achieved.
The coachman had also succeeded in making a little more money, so he said nothing more and even rushed them to the inn.
Only Zheng Sen still felt a little regretful and was wondering. Logically speaking, since there is nothing inside and it is not a whole, why can't it be opened?
Anyway, he thought about it for a long time, but he just couldn't figure it out. Finally, he asked his wise father for advice: "Dad, my child is stupid and I can't understand why. Logically speaking, shouldn't this be easy to pull apart?"
How could Zheng Zhilong deal with the strong atmospheric pressure? However, it did not prevent him from maintaining an image in front of his son. He just replied lightly: "Why do you need to ask me about such a simple matter? Think about it yourself!"
After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes and rested his mind again.
Zheng Sen was helpless after hearing this and had to think about it by himself.
After arriving at the post station and settling down, the officials at the inn station reported the news of their arrival in the capital.
Only the next day, Zheng Sen went to the palace to pay an audience.
Emperor Chongzhen encouraged him and praised him for his great contribution in purchasing and running errands in the south of the Yangtze River, which effectively relieved the pressure on the court and made great contributions. He hoped that he would continue to work hard and continue to purchase enough supplies for the court, especially grain.
In response to this, Zheng Sen was naturally very excited and immediately expressed his sincere assurance that he would definitely continue to work hard to do this well.
Subsequently, he submitted the account books he brought with him and the purchase records signed by him, the Procuratorate, and the East Factory to the emperor for verification.
Then, Zheng Sen also raised a question to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, the Jiangnan Procurement Yamen only has about three million taels of silver in its hands. This procurement matter will only be enough for next year!"
In order to purchase enough grain and grass materials, the price cannot be cheap, especially iron materials.
You must know that in the past year, all the grain and grass supplies in the entire north, including the supplies for launching the Ningyuan War, were purchased by the Jiangnan Purchasing Office. This amount is very astonishing.
Of course, it was also due to Zheng Zhilong's influence in Jiangnan, Fujian and Guangdong, as well as purchasing from Nanyang through maritime merchants, etc. Otherwise, it would be impossible to exchange for so many supplies with money.
Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen was well aware of the financial consumption of purchasing yamen in Jiangnan.
At this time, after flipping through the account book Zheng Sen submitted, when he saw the balance figure, he still sighed in his heart: The money is not enough.
Although the output of the gold mine in Zhangjiakou has increased after the first year of operation, this output is still very limited for Daming's huge material demand. The profit of the glass factory is also much higher than last year.
, but it is not enough to make up for the shortfall.
After all, we still have to wait until the entire tax system is normal before the fiscal system can be normal.
However, although there is no war in the north, everything is waiting for improvement. It is the first year of recuperation, and Emperor Chongzhen exempted taxes; while in the south, because they want to rectify the place, they are raising thieves to respect themselves, and they use the name of thieves and bandits to treat the local area.
The squire took action, but he couldn't collect taxes for a while.
The easiest way to get money is to confiscate your home!
However, if the house is searched again, who should be searched?
Here in the north, so far, it seems that we can't find a suitable target for house confiscation?
Otherwise, go back and ask Liu Weichao to see if you can find a suitable partner?
Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about this, but did not show it. After praising Zheng Sen, he said to him: "The technology of the Ming Dynasty is advancing rapidly. As my trusted minister, you are also in charge of the Jiangnan Procurement Yamen.
, you must know these things, even if you are not proficient in them, you must at least know what is going on."
After a pause, he made a decision: "You will go to the Ming Dynasty Royal Academy of Sciences to study for two months, and then go back to Jiangnan after spending the Spring Festival in the capital!"
When Zheng Sen heard this, he immediately remembered the experiment on the two hemispheres and asked curiously: "Your Majesty, does it take sixteen people to pull the hemispheres outside the palace?"
"Oh?" Emperor Chongzhen asked in surprise when he heard this, "How did you know?"
So far, he has not received any news that anyone has separated the two hemispheres.
In fact, it was actually tested in the palace and it took sixteen people to pull it apart. Emperor Chongzhen asked those burly Han generals to try it, and it took eighteen people to pull it apart.
Of course, if there were really strong men, sixteen people would probably be able to pull it apart. After all, these Han generals are just showy and useless.
"Back to Your Majesty, my father said it!" Zheng Sen didn't have any consciousness at all and sold his father directly. "My father said that your Majesty will reward you with a hundred taels of silver, and the cost for sixteen people is close to one hundred taels, so it is estimated that
Sixteen people can pull it apart."
Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but smile when he heard that he guessed it from this angle. He thought Zheng Sen was very smart and knew about atmospheric pressure.
In this regard, Liu Weichao once gave Emperor Chongzhen a popular science. In daily life, if you take pot lids, trays and other hemispherical tools, put them in water, and lift them parallel to the water, you can feel the pressure.
In this regard, if you can observe and think carefully, you will definitely have this understanding.
Emperor Chongzhen thought that Zheng Sen was also a person who was good at observing and summarizing. Unexpectedly, it was Zheng Zhilong who inferred the amount of silver reward.
Faced with Zheng Sen's question, Emperor Chongzhen smiled slightly and said: "It's almost the same. Things in these two hemispheres are actually related to atmospheric pressure. If you go to the Ming Dynasty Royal Academy of Sciences to study, you will know the reason."
Zheng Sen was very surprised after hearing this. He couldn't help but have a strong interest in the Royal Academy of Sciences of Ming Dynasty, so he received the order to express his gratitude and concluded his visit.
Watching him leave, Emperor Chongzhen still had a smile on his face.
Although this Zheng Sen didn't make him feel very smart, he was a person who couldn't hide his thoughts. Such a person can be used with confidence.
While he was so idle, Emperor Chongzhen immediately thought of Zheng Sen's father Zheng Zhilong. He was indeed a smart man!
Since you are a smart person, you don't need to beat around the bush, just get straight to the point and say what you want.
Therefore, the day after summoning Zheng Sen, Emperor Chongzhen issued an order to Zheng Zhilong, who was waiting at the post station, asking Zheng Hongkui to accompany him to visit the Tianjin Shipyard before returning to the capital.
Zheng Zhilong had no choice but to obey the order.
And he knew that there must be something worth seeing in that shipyard, otherwise, the emperor would not have issued this decree.
Based on what he saw in the capital, Zheng Zhilong was actually quite interested in the trip to the Tianjin Shipyard. After all, he was a pirate, and he was as familiar with ships as the bowls with which ordinary people eat.
By the way, when he went to Tianjin, because it was daytime, he took a steam train and watched the scenery along the way.
But when we arrived in Tianjin, because it was already evening, we checked into the inn in Tianjin first.
The next day, he went to the shipyard, where he was received by his technology boss Song Yingxing.
Song Yingxing didn't have any airs, but said to him with great interest: "You are the best at naval battles. For the ships I built under orders, you should be the most qualified to evaluate their role in naval battles. If there is anything wrong,
, please correct me more!"
At this time, Zheng Zhilong naturally knew a lot about the situation in the capital. Therefore, he knew that the tech uncle in front of him was definitely a popular person in the eyes of the emperor today.
As a Juren, he has never been in the officialdom, nor has he gone to the battlefield to make military exploits, but he can be awarded the title of Science and Technology Uncle, which is really an anomaly in the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, Uncle Science and Technology, the word "science and technology" is the knowledge that the emperor is most proud of. This shows how much the emperor attaches great importance to the count who has no airs in front of him.
Thinking like this, Zheng Zhilong quickly said: "I don't dare to take it, I don't dare to take it! The villain is just proficient in naval warfare, but he actually has no ability!"
After hearing this, Song Yingxing just smiled and immediately took the lead and took Zheng Zhilong away from the Yamen to the beach.
Of course, he would not stop talking along the way. He asked Zheng Zhilong by the way: "I heard that Xiyi's ships are fast and their guns are far away. It is very difficult to meet them at sea?"
Song Yingxing's knowledge mainly came from what he saw on the way from Jiangxi to the capital to take the exam. In fact, he didn't know much about the situation at sea.
With Song Yingxing's thirst for knowledge, now that Zheng Zhilong is by his side, he naturally wants to ask for more information.
After hearing this, Zheng Zhilong nodded immediately and said with some emotion: "Yes, Xiyi's sailing ships are very fast, and their artillery is far and accurate. If they encounter it at sea, our Ming warships will only be beaten."
Hand. In the past two years, the general has imitated several Xiyi sailing ships, but in the end they are still not as good as the ones used by the Xiyi people!"
There was a deep sense of regret in his words.
Song Yingxing smiled after hearing this and said: "This time I was ordered to renovate the warships, and the goal is to compete with the Western Yi on the sea. You are here at the right time, and you can measure whether our Ming Dynasty's new warships have the capital to compete with the Western Yis."
The Yi warships competed with each other!"
"Oh?" When Zheng Zhilong heard this, he immediately showed a strong interest, and with that kind of expectation, he quickly replied: "That's good. If the warships and artillery are really not inferior to those of the Western Yi, just with the strength of their troops who came all the way.
If you point out the boats and people, you will eventually be able to teach them to behave!"