Chapter 416 Scientists from all over the world are in my pocket
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These British profiteers, who were the first to deal with the Ming Dynasty merchant fleet, were of course already familiar with how to provoke nobles and capitalists to compete and spend money.
So after Shen Xiang explained the difficulty and harsh conditions of transporting oolong tea, they immediately figured out the reason and fully discovered the business opportunities.
"Dear Shen, can you sell us some more oolong tea? You don't have to go to London, our shops in Dover can make it for you! Also, if you have more exquisite porcelain and higher-end tea, we can
We need some high-end products to get through to the upper class elites and give them a taste."
"In the exhibit you just looked at, wasn't there an exquisite porcelain box inlaid with cloisonné enamel, and wasn't it filled with tea leaves? That kind of product looks good at first glance, can you sell it to us? We will definitely help you open up channels!"
As those British businessmen were talking, they noticed that among the exhibits that Shen Xiang showed them just now, there were a few items that were obviously the most noble and high-end in packaging, and they wanted to buy them with a lot of money.
Unfortunately, Shen Xiang put an end to their thoughts with a tone that left no room for doubt: "You can't move those goods! You can only watch them for sale!"
The British businessmen couldn't help but be stunned: "Are you planning to use it to make samples? Even if it is a sample, do you still have to transport it all the way back to Daming? Well, if you want to keep it for display until you finally return to Daming,
Can you sell it to us again? We can give you a deposit first!"
As they spoke, these people took out the golden florins and ducats.
But Shen Xiang just bowed his hands to the east in a dark and solemn manner, and then explained proudly: "The tea leaves here are all top-grade Wuyi Mountain oolong tea. This kind is called Anxi Tieguanyin, and this kind is called Alishan Dongding Oolong."
, in our Ming Dynasty, it can also be used to pay tribute to the royal family.
As for those enamel filigree porcelain boxes and Suzhou embroidery packaging, they are also imperial porcelain from the official kiln and made by the weaving house! Don’t you understand? These things can be used by the Ming Dynasty royal family! Private trade is not allowed
!
The reason why I can bring this kind of high-quality goods this time is because my Ming Dynasty Rites Department has been entrusted by the emperor and the regent to come to Europe as an envoy. I will give you several national gifts and make favors with some important people. This Mr. Wang
, I am the doctor of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty, and all these imperial gifts must be presented to me."
When the British businessmen heard this, they were surprised, envious and jealous. Naturally, they were surprised that one day they saw the royal tribute of the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, they were jealous because these things could not be sold.
One of them was jealous and couldn't help pointing to the two cloisonné enamel tea boxes and asked: "Are these two cans of Anxi Tieguanyin and Dongding Oolong as national gifts to His Majesty Charles II?"
Shen Xiang shook his head: "That's not true, there are other arrangements for your king. These two boxes are for Professor Isaac Barrow of Cambridge University.
We decided to come to Europe for trade this time because our noble regent accidentally met Mr. Newton, a scholar who went to study in the Ming Dynasty. He was very impressed by him. It was because of his request that the regent sent a trading fleet.
Mr. Newton happens to be Professor Barrow's student, and this time I also brought Mr. Newton's letter and some gifts."
As soon as this statement came out, most of the British businessmen showed expressions of disbelief.
What? He was just a university professor, but how could the regent of the Ming Dynasty actually respect the sage so much? Let someone sail 20,000 nautical miles to give him gifts?
The regent of the Ming Dynasty was probably not the philosopher king in Plato's "Utopia"!
However, not all businessmen are ignorant. At least one of them knows the rank of Yinsaka Barrow, and he can't help but exclaim: "Are you talking about the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University? If it is him, his status
He is worthy of such courtesy."
Seeing that some of their colleagues were showing off, the other businessmen kept silent. They did not want to appear uncultured, although they did not know what "Lucas Professor of Mathematics" was, nor did they understand the value of this title.
.
A farce of warm-up shipments ended with such a dramatic effect, but I have to say that the publicity effect was really good.
…
There was still the last 200 miles to go from Dover to London, and it also took some time to ship and change the packaging.
So when the fleet arrived at the Port of London, it was already the evening of the ninth day of July.
However, as early as two days before the fleet arrived, that is, in the early morning of the seventh day of July, in Cambridgeshire, more than a hundred miles north of London, the leading messenger of the Ming Dynasty fleet had already arrived quickly and brought some letters.
and gifts for warm-up and endorsement.
Early that morning, Professor Yinsaka Barrow had arranged his white wig as usual and was going to explain the derivation of the slope of a curve to a few of his most proud students and two visiting scholars from Shinra - nothing
Wrong, it is the knowledge point of "derivatives of function curves" in later high school mathematics textbooks.
Anyone who has studied advanced mathematics in college knows that derivatives in high school mathematics are actually the basis for advanced mathematics in college. As long as you add a few things, derivatives can evolve into differential calculus, plus the integral part, then
It's complete calculus.
The mathematical tool for deriving derivatives of curves was invented by Professor Insaka Barrow. His student Newton, based on the tutor's derivation algorithm, added the integral part and invented the complete differential.
integral.
It can be seen that the development of science is inherited. Everyone stands on the shoulders of their predecessors and the torch is passed down from generation to generation. Miracles rarely appear out of thin air.
The reason why big figures like Professor Barrow can only attend small classes or have private discussions with individual foreign visiting scholars is because the Great Plague in London has not yet completely ended. Cambridge University was still closed throughout 1667.
state.
In order to prevent the spread of the plague, Cambridge strictly prohibited large gatherings of people in large lectures. Scholars who had ideas and results to exchange could only solve them in private with a few people.
However, precisely because there are fewer people, the academic discussion environment is more relaxed. You don’t have to worry too much about classroom discipline. Everyone can speak freely at any time and can interrupt at any time.
Professor Barrow spoke casually for a while and discussed several issues with others. Just when he felt a little tired and needed a coffee break, a guest suddenly came to the door.
Professor Barrow looked up and saw that it was Dean Christopher Wren.
The college where Barrow and Newton attended was called "Trinity College, University of Cambridge", but this college was not purely a college of science and engineering such as mathematics. University colleges at that time were not divided into majors, and there were not so many specialized mathematics courses.
Home studies mathematics.
Therefore, it is entirely possible that Barrow's boss is an administrative bureaucrat who is engaged in other research.
For example, the Dean Christopher Wren in front of him is actually three or four years younger than Barrow and has less seniority. However, he studied law and followed the official career route, so he became the dean early.
.
On the other hand, Professor Barrow, a highly respected academic authority, will have to wait another six years according to the historical trajectory of parallel time and space. After Dean Christopher Wren Gao Sheng leaves, it will be Barrow's turn to become the Dean of Trinity College.
Dean Lane, a person born in law, certainly has a high emotional intelligence. After entering the room, he took a quick look and noticed that in addition to Barrow, there were several scholars, and even a visiting scholar from Oxford.
He first greeted politely: "It's really an unlucky time for me to come. I didn't disturb your academic thinking, right?"
Barrow also stood up and moved a chair for the dean: "It doesn't matter, we were going to have a tea break, and we just asked someone to boil water. Does the dean have any official business? Let's have a drink together if we are not busy."
When Dean Ren saw that he had brought the topic to tea, he immediately smiled and said: "Isn't this a coincidence? In fact, there are diplomats from London today, bringing several foreign envoys with them, saying they want to visit you.
I was also curious, so I brought them here. Let's have tea together - put away your old black tea. There happened to be a visitor from the Ming Dynasty from the East who brought you a new thing called oolong tea.
"
After Ren said a few words, he went out to introduce people and brought them over. A group of scholars hurriedly got to know each other. Of course Wang Fuzhi, the official envoy of the Ming Dynasty, would not come and was too late, so Shen Xiang was the one to bring him.
A few people who knew English came to see me with Newton's letters.
Barrow was confused for a long time before he finally understood roughly what happened. He took out the letter from his student Newton and read it carefully before expressing his apology for neglecting the distinguished guest.
"It turns out that the Regent of the Ming Dynasty actually responded to Newton's request and came to England to sell special plague medicine and disinfectant and rodenticide to help us overcome the plague. His Royal Highness the Regent's kindness is really from the benevolence of Mexico to Fusang. It is so admirable.
.
It is my duty to do this, and I will definitely help the two parties communicate, verify the efficacy of Daming medicine for His Majesty the King, and assist the royal family in promoting the purchase, distribution and use of the medicine."
Professor Barrow said leisurely and fascinatedly.
After all, the various strong acids and disinfectants manufactured by the Ming Dynasty, as well as some traditional Chinese medicine for relieving plague symptoms, were previously unheard of and unseen by the British.
So Zhu Shuren had already thought of this problem before the caravan set sail. Selling medicine, if there is no endorsement and blessing from top scholars, people will not dare to buy it. Then it will not only delay the gain of favors and reputation, but also delay the purchase of medicine.
Was it delayed in making money from selling medicine?
Therefore, before selling medicine, you must first bribe some of the other party's big scholars. In fact, it is not called bribery. It is just to let them do some scientific experiments, verify them, and then report the conclusions to the government decision-making departments fairly.
The only authoritative scholar that Newton could contact was, first of all, his own mentor, Professor Barrow, although Barrow was only a mathematician and had little to say about chemical and medical research.
But he is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge and a leading academic figure. After capturing Barrow, he can win more people by relying on Barrow's academic network. This is a key structural hole.
After everyone figured out the purpose of their visit and the details of each other, the atmosphere became harmonious. Barrow's servant boiled hot water and was about to brew black tea. Shen Xiang also immediately asked someone to open a can of frozen top oolong, letting these people
Tasting by a group of English scholars who have never seen it before.
Not to mention, everyone hasn’t even had a sip of tea yet. Just looking at the porcelain and Suzhou embroidery packaging on the outside, you know that the tea inside must be extraordinary. Shen Xiang couldn’t help bragging that these things were used by the Ming Dynasty royal family.
, Barrow felt more and more bright on his face.
"Congratulations to Professor Barrow. Your reputation has spread tens of thousands of miles away. Even the regent of the Ming Dynasty admires and respects you so much." The visiting scholars next to him all followed with emotional intelligence.
"It's really good tea. When I went to the Netherlands to visit Mr. Huygens a few years ago, I happened to be summoned by the Prince of Orange. At that time, he also invited us to drink a kind of tea that was said to be the best, but it was strictly related to the royal family of the Ming Dynasty.
It’s still incomparable if you choose one for your own use.”
Barrow was embarrassed by the praise, so he had no choice but to show off his energy, so that the Ming envoys who came to deliver gifts would not think that he only took gifts and did not do any work.
He bit the bullet and promised: "We in Cambridge lack top scholars in the field of chemistry, but I will leave for Oxford tomorrow and entrust Professor Boyle to help verify the effects of various drugs provided by your country. I don't know, His Royal Highness the Regent of the Ming Dynasty,
Have you ever heard of Professor Boyle? My scoundrel didn't write to him?"
The subtext of Barrow's words is, "Of course it's okay to go to Oxford to find Boyle, but it's not good to go to Oxford empty-handed when you suddenly cause trouble to others."
If Newton had written to Boyle and mentioned Boyle to Zhu Shuren, then the Ming envoy must have prepared a gift.
Shen Xiang was just slightly stunned. Although Newton did not write to Boyle, the main reason is that Newton is still young now. When he left the UK, he was just a freshly graduated undergraduate. It would be good if he could recognize everyone at Cambridge.
He doesn't have any connections in Oxford next door.
However, Shen Xiang has been helping the Shen family in business for thirty years, and he has long been good at dealing with people. He had prepared a lot of temporary gifts in advance, so he quickly lied and said without blushing that the Ming Regent had also been interested in Professor Boyle for a long time.
I have admired the name for a long time, and I still have a heart.
Then he turned around and asked his assistants to distribute two more carts of gifts. Tomorrow he might even go to Oxford for a tour, spreading jewelry, porcelain, Suzhou embroidery and oolong tea.
…
There is no need to elaborate on the details in the subsequent work of recruiting contacts in the academic community.
Anyway, the good reputation of Corporal Li Xian, the regent of the Ming Dynasty, spread faster than the plague virus. Within two days, the top leaders of the British academic circles knew how much the wise philosopher Wang, tens of thousands of miles away, respected his teachers and loved to learn and study.
The subsequent verification of medicinal chemical properties was also very smooth.
Professor Boyle, the master of Oxford chemistry, received several boxes of oolong tea and a whole carriage of Suzhou embroidery from the Ming Dynasty, but he was embarrassed not to help the platform. Other well-known professors in natural sciences also started out with at least one box of tea and one box of Suzhou embroidery.
Two days later, with the rapid shipment of new Ming goods in London, the news gradually started to spread. Wang Fuzhi, the envoy sent by the Ming Dynasty, was also formally received by King Charles II of England.
During the interview, Charles II had already learned in advance from Boyle and other authoritative scholars of the Royal Society that the medicines provided by Ming Dynasty should be very effective. Finally, he endured the pain of lack of finances and gritted his teeth and said that he would use the money from the national treasury.
Buy it.
However, the English royal family in the 1660s was not benevolent enough to provide public welfare to the people. This money certainly could not be spent in vain. In the end, businessmen at all levels had to share the burden and pledged this public health expenditure.
Besides, this is also a general rescue of all the people in London, and the big capitalists in London are also among those being rescued. Only when the plague ends soon can London return to normal and they can start doing business again. From this perspective, let the big capitalists in London
Isn’t it appropriate to donate money to fight the national crisis?
That's it.
In the next two months, various disinfectants sent by the Ming Dynasty were widely distributed in London. People also discovered many other applications of these drugs.
For example, Professor Boyle followed the Ming Dynasty instructions and diluted concentrated sulfuric acid thirty times, which can be used to wipe the surgical knife. It is more effective and more thorough than burning the scalpel for disinfection.
This is undoubtedly a benefit for British barber surgeons who generally rely on saws to cut hands and legs in this era. It can greatly reduce the infection during surgery. The cost of this medicine is very worthwhile. After all, a one-day operation only costs as much as
Consuming a few milliliters of concentrated sulfuric acid and diluting it is enough to disinfect the knife.
Moreover, after diluting this concentrated sulfuric acid fifty times, it can also be used to soak and disinfect the gauze used to wrap the wound. However, it needs to be neutralized with soda water after disinfection.
All in all, the various chemical preparations for disinfection, virus, insecticide, and rat poisoning that came from the Ming Dynasty suddenly sparked a new demand in Europe. It is estimated that in the future, the Ming Dynasty’s foreign trade will also be able to add a lot of new chemicals.
Selling silk tea porcelain.
…
It will take time for Ming Dynasty's medicines and chemicals to become popular. Since the fleet needs to stay in Europe for more than two months, Wang Fuzhi and Shen Xiang will not be idle.
We must take the opportunity to separate a few ships. After selling the goods, we can go to Holland, Hamburg and other places for a while. You can also go to France on the other side.
Although there are no major coastal cities in northern France, under the instructions of the guide, Daming boarded the boat and went to Le Havre in Normandy. Then he sailed upstream from Le Havre along the Seine River for more than three hundred miles.
You can get to Paris.
A small amount of unsold chemicals and silk tea porcelain can also be distributed in these places to gain popularity. After all, the 50,000-mile sea route has been sailed here, and the mission cannot only visit England. It must open its eyes.
World, dig more people and spread the word more.
The University of Leiden in the Netherlands and Leipzig in the HRE, these cities eventually had the footprints of Ming envoys, as well as the guidance of foreign scholars who were won over by the Ming Dynasty.
Finally, as a supplement to the propaganda work, the Ming Merchant Fleet specially brought some Chinese books this time, as well as translations translated by the Ming Dynasty. They were nothing more than promoting some scientific discoveries (limited to natural discoveries, not applied technology, applied technology
need to be kept confidential), as well as the customs and customs of the Ming Dynasty.
The publication of these works also set off a new round of Ming fever in the high-level European world, and convinced many European intellectuals that the Ming Dynasty was far more advanced than them. They needed to reflect on the fact that this must be a problem with the European constitution.
Many scholars who were unwilling to do so embarked on the journey to study abroad in the Ming Dynasty and embarked on the road to pursue the light.
Wang Fuzhi and others took a final look at the list given to them by Newton. Except for those who were already highly respected and could not be attracted, the targets who had slightly lower qualifications and were not so nostalgic for Europe were almost always selected. They also searched for more.