In order to dispel Zhang Zhidong's doubts, Li Yu added: "Fertilizer can be purchased by villagers, which can support the fertilizer industry. Villagers will buy more if they see that it is effective, thus forming a virtuous commercial cycle." This kind of business logic Other officials simply dismissed it because they still looked down on business.
However, Zhang Zhidong had been engaged in railways, ironworks, and manufacturing bureaus for so long, and he had some knowledge of Western learning, so he did not reject this view.
Moreover, it will not be easy to promote chemical fertilizers in the early stage. The people are too poor, so they need to spend some money to enter the market first like later generations of enterprises.
It is best for local governments to cooperate and support, but local officials in the late Qing Dynasty were really unreliable and troublesome. The only one I can think of is Zhang Zhidong.
Zhang Zhidong thought for a while and said: "If this is true, it will benefit the people. I want to investigate a few things about the bile fertilizer you mentioned." Li Yu corrected him: "It is nitrogen fertilizer, a chemical element. "
"It turns out it's also chemistry," Zhang Zhidong is now very interested in chemistry.
"So I really need to know more about it." Li Yu said: "Your Excellency is wise." Zhang Zhidong sighed: "After meeting you today, I realized that there is still so much missing. I thought that with steel, everything would be ready, but now it seems , It's just a beginning." Li Yu said: "Everything is difficult at the beginning, but it's good to have a good beginning." Zhang Zhidong said: "It makes sense, Hanyang Arsenal and Steel Pharmaceutical Factory have laboratories, sir. Then I can give you some guidance together with Mr. Hua." Li Yu said with a smile: "It's a pity that I really don't know anything about gunpowder." Zhang Zhidong said: "It doesn't matter, our Hanyang manufacturing is not bad now, let's put the gunpowder first. Let it go. The laboratory that Zhong Hu originally set up in the steel pharmaceutical factory is quite well equipped. If sir can use it, he can make it work." Li Yu actually doesn't know as much about chemistry as mathematics, but now he mainly pays attention to application. , will not use too advanced chemical theory.
And after a few decades, the development of chemistry has actually become closer and closer to physics. After all, after the vigorous development of quantum mechanics, everyone finally understood that chemical reactions are originally the interactions of electrons in the outermost layers of elements.
As the governor, Zhang Zhidong still had a lot to do. After watching the Hanyang Iron Works together, he had to go back to work. Finally, he gave instructions: "Ruoxi, accompany Mr. Li Yu to visit our school, and then find someone to help Mr. Li." ." Hua Shifang also hoped to ask Li Yu more for advice, and readily agreed: "Don't worry, sir." At present, schools in Wuhan are basically concentrated in Wuchang. After the three of them took the ferry back to Wuchang, they said goodbye temporarily, and Zhang Zhidong went back to handle official duties. .
Hua Shifang finally had time to ask Li Yu about mathematics and physics. Hua Shifang said: "To be honest, apart from the "Zhou Bi Suan Jing" and "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" in our early years, I mainly read the books translated by my brother Ruoting, such as "Elements of Geometry", and the books written by my brother. Books such as "The Theory of Parabolas" and "Examination of Repeating Decimals" seemed to be out of touch with the latest mathematical progress in the West, so I tried my best to buy it after I saw in the newspaper that a Chinese person had written a mathematics book. Mr. I am really impressed by his mathematical level!" Li Yu said frankly: "Actually, my mathematical level is not that strong. We are far behind in this aspect. There are many mathematicians in the West who are much better than me." Hua Shifang said: "But I see that your book "Fractals and Chaos" has profound principles, rigorous interpretation, and uses such profound mathematical knowledge. It also won the Swedish King's Award. It is completely top-notch." Li Yu said with a smile: "It's really That's ridiculous." When it comes to Li Yu's background in physics, he is indeed somewhat confident that he will be among the best in the world, but in mathematics, he really doesn't dare to brag about it.
He is good at mathematics because of physics. Li Yu also participated in physics competitions when he was in high school. Friends who have experience in this area must have felt: the ceiling of difficulty in physics is mathematics!
If you want to study physics, you must first be good at mathematics. For a person who likes and wants to study physics in depth, what often defeats him is not physics, but mathematics.
Of course, this refers to theoretical physics research, but later experimental physics also played with mathematics, and the accuracy requirements were simply abnormal.
At least the earliest batch of purely theoretical physicists, such as Einstein, have already felt the influence of mathematics.
"Malicious". In her heart, Hua Shifang believed that Li Yu was a super master, and said: "To be able to write such an excellent mathematics book, his attainments are definitely top-notch, sir, you are so humble." Li Yu said with a smile: "There are heavens and heavens, and there are people outside the world. And it depends on me alone. It's not enough. It would be most important if more people could learn Western learning from an early age." Hua Shifang said, "Sir, you are right! I have been teaching mathematics at Ziqiang School in my early years." Although Hua Shifang's mathematics level is among the best in the world It's nothing, but at least he knows advanced mathematics. In terms of mathematics teaching in China, he is definitely several ranks higher.
"With my husband here, I believe the academic level of the students in Ziqiang School will not be low." Li Yu said. Hua Shifang smiled bitterly and said: "It's a pity that the students' level of Western learning is still low, and not many can learn equations in algebra. My brother and I have been trying to find a few outstanding students as our direct disciples for many years, but we have been unable to do so." Li Yu said: "Today's momentum can only be cultivated slowly, and the foundation is indeed weak." Hua Shifang said: "And there is no arithmetic in Ziqiang School at present, which is a pity."
"Are the only students studying foreign languages?" Li Yu asked. Hua Shifang said: "Ziqiang School recruits more than 120 students every year, and they basically study foreign languages. Only some students study chemistry for use in the Hanyang factory." In terms of the number of people alone, this scale is not bad. The first enrollment of the Capital University School There are only more than 100 people.
Li Yu could only say: "Sooner or later, the situation will change." Li Yu knew in his heart that he should indeed strengthen the training of political and legal subjects as well as science and engineering subjects, but he could not say that Ziqiang School was wrong. After all, foreign languages are indeed of more practical significance to officials.
Li Yu asked: "In Ziqiang School, do students who study foreign languages also study various Western subjects?" Hua Shifang said: "Of course they must learn it. The main subject is foreign language, and other subjects such as arithmetic, physics, chemistry, geography, history, natural history, etc. Financial management, public law, negotiation, drawing, gymnastics, and military drills all need to be studied.”
"Then I understand." Looking at it this way, it is really like the compulsory education stage in later generations. The content of learning is comprehensive, but it is relatively basic and it is difficult to touch advanced knowledge.
Just like the Capital University, students are cramming in primary and secondary school content, and it will take at least ten years for them to mature.
Hua Shifang said: "Fortunately, Xiangshuai has always attached great importance to education. In addition to a few colleges and universities, many primary and secondary schools have also been built in various places." Zhang Zhidong's emphasis on education was also inherited from his father.
Zhang Zhidong's father, Zhang Ying, was a civil servant. According to the system of the Qing Dynasty, most civil servants could only serve as academic administrators or county magistrates.
Zhang Ying had better luck. After serving as a county magistrate for many years, she became the magistrate of the state. For someone with an ordinary background like him, this is almost the limit of lifting a person.
After all, it’s not easy to win the exam. The dividing line for entering the ruling class is Juren, and scholars are still very far from this line.
A simple calculation: in the Ming Dynasty, there were only 1,100-1,200 candidates nationwide for each rural examination. A total of 110,000 candidates were admitted in the entire Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, there were 1,500 candidates nationwide for each rural examination. A total of 150,000 candidates were admitted in the entire Qing Dynasty. .
There were more than 1,500 prefectures and counties in the Qing Dynasty. There were about 10,000 people alive every year, which averaged about seven people in each county. These seven people, plus the county magistrate, were the highest ruling class in the county.
Juren already has a lot of rights. Anyway, as long as you are successful, a lot of local people will come to identify your relatives and friends, begging to put their property, land, and household registration in the name of the juren to avoid paying taxes and performing corvee.
If Fan Jin won the exam, he would go crazy. If you are a Jinshi, the upper limit is even higher. But this is all old school. In two years, the imperial examination system will bid farewell to the stage of history.
Speaking of Zhang Ying, when he was the prefect of Guizhou, he often sent two officers to patrol the whole city at night. One of them carried a lantern and the other carried a tung oil basket, walking in the streets and alleys.
When he met a scholar who was reading at night, he would fill up his lamp with oil. This is
The origin of the word "come on" is quite interesting. It's really a genuine come on. Li Yu said: "Education should really start from childhood. The younger the children, the sooner they are exposed to Western education, the better." Hua Shifang agreed: "What you said is so reasonable and summarizes the key point." Li Yu said: " Why don't we look at these colleges and universities first? How about we take a look at the elementary schools first?" Hua Shifang felt that there was nothing wrong with them. They were all new schools anyway, so she said, "No problem. There happens to be one nearby. Let's go and have a look. .”
