In the pavilion, Li Si, He Siping, and Li Ang were sitting at the stone table, drinking tea.
According to the reputation of the court and the people, Li Si was an excellent prince who was kind, tolerant, and considerate of the people. For the people, he was considered qualified if he did not disturb people's livelihood and did not condone the wanton behavior of his subordinates.
However, there is one thing that was not mentioned in the reviews - Li Si is still a complete talker.
"Risheng, do you also like to drink Qujiang slices? Qujiang is a good place. Although I have never been there, I have a teacher who is from Qujiang, Tanzhou. He told me that it is cloudy, rainy and foggy there. It is often cloudy, rainy and foggy. There will be bright sunshine at high altitude, rolling clouds and mist on the top of the mountain, drizzle like silk below the mountain, and dark indoors. Every spring, clothes will become moldy..."
"Speaking of mold, I heard that there is something called black rice in Hebei Province. It is not rice, but a moldy substance that grows on sorghum and millet. It is edible when it is not mature yet and tastes fresh and tender. But it’s worth learning. Palace publications say that it is harmful to the soil. Once discovered, it must be eradicated as soon as possible, otherwise the fertility of the soil will decrease and last for several years..."
"By the way, I just got the news yesterday that the Science Society of Jiangnan Province has invented a device that can thresh grains. It can thresh a thousand kilograms of grains in one hour, which is more than twice as fast as the previous manual rice threshing. And The elderly and children can also use it, which is of great benefit to the country and the people. The Neo-Confucian Society plans to issue an initial reward of 5,000 guan, and the court will also provide additional rewards in the future..."
Li Siyi couldn't stop talking. The content of the chat ranged from agriculture to mining, from the drop in gold prices to trade routes in the Western Regions, from horse racing to clothing.
But the topic was careful not to mention the royal family.
The impact of the death of Prince Changxiang and his son some time ago has not subsided. As the prince, Li Si is really not suitable to express any opinions on this matter.
"It's great to have a school. I think back to the early days of Yu, when the country of Yu was in turmoil. Faced with the sudden invasion of the Turks, our ancestors had to make a city alliance with them. But now, three hundred years later, the territory of the country of Yu has not changed much. But the population has increased by 30 million, and the national power far exceeds that of the Turks."
Li Si shook his head and said with emotion: "No wonder many people say that the value of ten PhDs in science is even higher than that of monk Zhuxiao. Maybe one day, we can truly understand all the laws of operation of everything, and no longer have to hope in the dark. The ghosts and gods in it.”
Oh, Prince, what you said is a bit politically incorrect.
Li Ang took a sip of tea calmly,
In today's Yu State, worship of ancestors, gods and Haotian is still the top priority of every year's activities. Emperor Yu, the prince, and all civil and military officials still had to pray to the gods and Haotian at the celebration to bless the country of Yu.
It is not yet time to completely kick the gods off the stage of history.
On the other hand,
The Neo-Confucianism in the academy is developing rapidly, especially in agriculture. From what Li Ang saw, they not only promoted mulberry fish ponds, intercropping and crop rotation technology, but also invented and improved agricultural tools.
Even based on agricultural empiricism, a self-generated nitrogen-fixing bacterial fertilizer was developed in a certain sense - use a wooden box to fill most of the clean river sand, pour in the fertilized soil filtered with impurities, and then add apatite powder, Plant ash, brown sugar and other substances are mixed with water and stirred evenly. Finally, they are stored at room temperature to cultivate nitrogen-fixing bacteria and buried in the soil to increase soil fertility.
Although this technology is known but not why,
But as long as it works.
And when someone grinds out suitable lenses, invents a microscope, and discovers the existence of microorganisms, then agriculture, biology, and hygiene will usher in huge developments.
Li Ang is looking forward to this very much.
He Siping, who had been drinking tea calmly, heard Li Si's sigh, smiled slightly, and said to Li Ang: "By the way, Risheng, I heard that Dr. Su Feng from the Academy and Tantai Leshan Siye are developing a new model aircraft? how is the progress?"
"Well... the progress should be going smoothly, right?"
Li Ang thought for a while and replied: "The last time I went to see it, they were planning to put a lamb into a model aircraft and let it fly into the sky."
"Can a lamb ascend to heaven?"
Li Si's eyes lit up, "Then if the model aircraft is made bigger, can it carry people and cargo? Is it possible to travel thousands of miles in a day?"
"Simple carrying people and cargo is probably feasible. But if you want to transport many people or cargo, you will have to face more problems."
Li Ang replied: “For example, we need to balance the material, weight, center of gravity, thrust, lift, etc. of the aircraft model.
And the most critical thing is the strong wind of heaven and earth.
Once it flies to a high place, the ferocious and violent winds of heaven and earth can easily tear apart steel and mortal flesh. "
"Is that so?"
Li Si shook his head regretfully after hearing this, "I still hope to have a manned aircraft model that can withstand the strong winds of the sky and the earth. Through the strong wind layer, I can see things in the sky clearly."
"Maybe it will happen in more than a hundred years."
Li Ang smiled, with a lot of thoughts in his heart.
The most precious thing about the model aircraft that Su Feng and the others are developing is actually not the precious metal materials and talismans used, but the seemingly primitive engine itself.
Suppose a farmer or laborer who is engaged in physical labor works ten hours a day. The power he can produce with his arm strength is only one-fifteenth of a horse on average.
Therefore, one horsepower engine can replace the labor of about fifteen people.
One hundred horsepower equals fifteen hundred people.
Once the engine solves the problems of energy, consumables and other issues and is officially put into production, it will inevitably cause unprecedented impact and innovation.
Textile, mining, metallurgy, transportation...
It would be a vigorous industrial revolution. The small-scale peasant economy where men farmed and women weaved would be vulnerable to the power of industry.
Li Ang came to his senses and swept his eyes across Li Si's face without leaving any trace.
After experiencing the case of Li Shenbin, the son of Prince Chang Xiang, he no longer had any trust in the Li Yu royal family and the Emperor Yu who was known as the Mingjun Holy Master.
In most literary and artistic works of Memory of Another World, the emperor is always portrayed as wise, or at least as being deceived by treacherous ministers. It seems that as long as the traitorous ministers are dealt with and the pros and cons are clearly stated to the emperor, the problem will always be solved.
To a large extent, this is not a mechanical laziness on the part of the creators of literary and artistic works, but in that environmental context, the emperor is the source of secular power. Traitor officials can still be killed if they make mistakes, but if the emperor goes astray, there is no simple and clear solution at all.
Emperor Yu, since he could raise his hand and let Li Shenbin go because of the ancient Eight Proposal Rules,
So when he realized the "terrible" impact that engine and industrial innovation might have on the imperial power,
Will they try to stop it again?
If he and the imperial court are determined to restrict and hinder industrial development, will the Academy stand on the opposite side of the imperial court as Li Ang expected?
Li Ang is not 100% confident in this.
Science and technology are not omnipotent. They need the nourishment and nurturing of social systems and the protection and guidance of secular power.
Facing the future ruler of the Yu Kingdom, Li Ang still maintained a calm smile.
The position of mountain chief...?
The chat with Li Si and He Siping was quite pleasant. In addition to confirming that the Yu State court was still aware of the value of the engine, Li Ang also got some gossip - the prince's gossip, which can basically be regarded as unofficial. fact.
The Southern Zhou emperor's physical condition has improved recently. During the Chinese New Year, he was still bedridden and kept drinking medicine. Now he can leave the bed, handle government affairs, and even go to court to meet with ministers. His complexion also looks the same as that of ordinary people.
Therefore, the Southern Zhou envoy who originally accepted the responsibility of seeking medicine did not mention hiring a doctor from the state of Yu to return to Southern Zhou to treat the emperor when he came to Chang'an this time.
Instead, they performed normal mission duties, such as greeting Emperor Yu about his health and delivering national gifts. In addition, several of the best Southern Zhou disciples were sent to the Academy to study as exchanges.
As for the other thing, it is even more important.
The headmaster of Haotian Dao Sect has come out.
The illness of the Southern Zhou emperor affected the safety of the southern border of Yu State. Then the news about Haotian Sect is related to the trends of all countries in the world.
The history of Haotian Dao Sect can be traced back to the Yin and Shang Dynasties. The earliest Haotian prophets came down from Mount Taihao and came to the world to spread Haotian's teachings.
For thousands of years, Haotian Dao Sect has controlled most of the world's beliefs. When the throne changes in some kingdoms, Haotian priests need to be present to personally canonize the new king.
Haotian Dao Sect also relies on its transcendent status and power to balance the relationships among all nations. Eliminate the war between the two countries, punish heretics, destroy demonic sects, etc.
And when there are problems within the Haotian Dao Sect and it is unable to intervene externally, the turmoil between countries will often get out of control.
For example, one of the reasons for the demise of the former Sui Dynasty was that the previous Haotian Headmasters either disappeared mysteriously or died for unknown reasons, which caused violent conflicts within the Haotian Dao Sect and left no time to balance external disputes.
The impact of the incident has lasted for two hundred years. Even now, Headmaster Haotian spends more time in seclusion than out of seclusion. Even if he comes out of seclusion, he rarely announces his will to the outside world.
Those devout believers in Haotian may have become more devout and fanatical because of the reappearance of the leader.
But Li Ang...
I just hope that the head master can believe in Haotian devoutly and stop interfering with the secular world.
————
To the west of Jing Kingdom.
Taihao Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, the plain stretches as far as the eye can see, with green grass.
Thousands of trees in the mountains are flourishing, and ancient trees are towering into the sky.
A young man with a face like a crown jade and wearing a black robe walked through the stone path built by devout believers in the forest and walked into a magnificent hall.
The hall was solemn and quiet, with only the crisp sound of clogs treading on the blue jade floor.
Wherever the young man went, the priests who were discussing matters in low voices subconsciously lowered their voices and lowered their heads to show respect.
Tap tap tap.
The young man walked through the corridor with a gentle smile, crossed the aisle, stopped at the corner, and looked up at the towering dome above the narrow aisle.
Haotian has no specific image, so there will be no portraits painted on the dome of the palace like some temples.
Instead, there was a complex pattern composed of countless metals and gems.
Various colored gemstones symbolize the stars of heaven and earth,
The metal lines woven with fine gold and mithril represent the movement of the stars.
Any gem that spreads is enough to cause collectors and even the rich to go crazy.
The exquisite system that controls the movement of gems and metal wires is the result of the amazing talents of skilled craftsmen and outstanding astronomers.
This pattern not only shows the starry sky, but also reflects the specific positions of the stars in real time.
In the view of Haotian Taoism, it is Haotian who created all things, including humans, and secretly formulated the rules for the operation of all things.
Otherwise, there is no other theory that can explain why the movement of stars is so regular and contains beauty.
The young man looked up at the ever-changing patterns on the dome with fascination. It took him a long time to come to his senses and step through the door.
call--
It was obviously the summer of July, but heavy snow was blowing by.
The young man's expression remained unchanged as he walked slowly in the snow. His clogs squeezed the white snow and stepped on the stone slabs carved with complicated patterns.
The Haotian Dao Sect has one headmaster and four cardinal priests. This palace belongs to the Juyu Priest, who is responsible for comprehending Haotian's will and making predictions.
Just because Priest Juyu came from the north and liked wind and snow, he used the formations buried in the palace dome and rock formations to create a world of ice and snow in the scorching heat of July.
Plop——
A carp was pulled by the fishing line, jumped out of the ice cave, fell on the ice, was picked up by a pair of old and wrinkled hands, and was gently thrown into a wooden barrel filled with water.
"You're back."
The old man, or Priest Juyu, who was fishing by the ice lake did not turn around and continued to fish by himself.
The young man straightened his black robe and knelt down respectfully in the snow, "Teacher, the results of my stargazing on the Endless Sea are consistent with those on Taihao Mountain.
Constellations such as Rigel, Antares, Xuxiu, Osu, Xuxiu, etc. have all dimmed to varying degrees in the past two years. "
"..."
Priest Juyu lowered the fishhook for a moment, then returned to normal, and said calmly without looking back: "I understand."
"teacher..."
The young man's lips moved slightly. As the eldest disciple of the distinguished Priest Ju Yu, he firmly believed that every move of his master had a profound meaning, so he was not dismissed by his master's light words just because he spent two years wandering on the endless sea. And angry,
He was just sincerely curious, hesitated for a long time, and then asked softly: "The stars are getting darker, does this mean anything?"
"It doesn't mean anything, it just confirms a groundless conjecture of mine."
Priest Ju Yu murmured to himself, then suddenly raised his head and chuckled: "It's rare for the headmaster to come out of the mountain. Presumably, he saw the same thing as me.
Maybe, there's more than what I saw.
By the way, you rest in the mountains for a few days and prepare to set off to Yu State with the envoy. "
The young man was slightly startled, "Yu Guo? We and Xuegong are not..."
The Academy took the opportunity to develop when the Haotian Dao Sect fell into internal chaos.
And the Yu State, which relies on the Academy, is completely unlike other countries that show absolute respect and loyalty to the Haotian Dao Sect - they do not need a priest to witness the succession of the throne, and the annual taxes they pay to the Haotian Dao Sect are pitifully small. .
The most critical reason is that the Neo-Confucianism ideas spread by the Academy go against many of the classics previously compiled by the Haotian Dao Sect.
For example, Taoism claims that birds, animals, flowers, birds, insects, and fish are all created by Haotian, follow the rules, and operate perfectly.
However, the Academy improved plant varieties and forcibly modified crop traits.
For various complicated reasons, many people on Taihao Mountain regard the Academy as a thorn in their side and a thorn in their flesh.
The two sides have been fighting openly and secretly for hundreds of years.
"This is the order of the headmaster. At the invitation of the head of the academy, outstanding young people from various temples are selected to go to Chang'an to exchange experiences with the academy and compete on the same stage."
Priest Ju Yu paused and said calmly: "Jing Kingdom, Zhou Kingdom, Turks and other countries will also send disciples to participate.
The winner will get the opportunity to enter Zhanquan. "
