Chapter 2 He Family
In the glass mirror, He Xi looked at the red official robe and suddenly noticed a few strands of white hair under the hat. Suddenly, he was stunned and felt that he was no longer young.
In the past few years, He Xi has been very tired.
He Xi doesn't think there is any problem in building the city of Beijing. But in other areas, the problem is bigger.
Zhu Yuanzhang's judgment and He Xi's hunch were correct.
Thanks to Zhang Zongde's efforts, the steam engine continued to improve, and there have been several new versions. To say that there has been any great leap forward, of course there is none. But revolutionary progress all proceeds from this little bit of improvement. Rather than changing it all at once.
Here comes the problem.
The promotion of the new steam engine was problematic.
Unless He Xi used the privilege to promote the use of steam engines, almost no one would use the new steam engines. This problem is similar to the reason why China did not have an industrial revolution. It is not cost-effective.
Because of the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there are not many people in the Ming Dynasty today, and there are even fewer people in the north. But who should this number be compared with? Even if He Xi thinks that there are fewer people in the north, there are still 3 million households in Hebei and Liaodong.
Less than 10 million people.
This is certainly the reason why many Mongolians and Koreans migrated here. But this population, even in later generations, is not too small.
Therefore, which one is more cost-effective: adding manpower or adding machines? It’s a choice well worth weighing. Not to mention, the current market division in Ming Dynasty is not the result of competition at all. Rather, it is about exploiting the monopoly of power.
Therefore, the only place where companies can truly compete fully is overseas. The competition here is the most intense, the kind that even knocks out the brains. In the Ming Dynasty, everyone lined up to share the fruits.
The competitive advantages brought about by technological progress have naturally been weakened.
This economic model cannot promote technological development. In other words, if He Xi doesn't make changes. Even the Ming Dynasty had a steam engine and popularized it. In the next three hundred or four hundred years, the Ming Dynasty will always be in the steam engine age.
Even if other new technologies have emerged, it is more likely to be shelved unless there is a sea change.
He Xi looked at herself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and said to herself: "It's coming soon. The storm is coming."
This is also one of the reasons why He Xibai happened.
If we say that before this, He Xi's ideas and plans were all based on reference to the industrial revolutions and social reforms of various countries in history. But now, Ming Dynasty has embarked on its own path, and the routes of other countries are no longer very useful.
And the person who can give He Xi the scoop is almost gone.
If this doesn't make He Xi sad.
He has decided to start a bloody storm. But if this bloody storm is not followed by the dawn of victory, He Xi will not be able to face himself.
"Father." He Yuansi said outside.
He Xi put her black gauze hat on her head, came out and said, "What's going on?"
He Yuansi has been waiting outside for some time.
He is now fifteen years old. He looks like a little adult. Yes, a fifteen-year-old is just a student in later generations, but in this era, he is no longer a student. He had to take on some things. This was not because He Xi didn't care for He Yuansi.
Rather, it was the helplessness of being born into the He family.
He Xi has too many things to do, and some things must be done by others. And do it with people you trust. Otherwise, it would be easy to get out of control. At the same time, He Xi knew better that if he failed, what would be waiting for He Yuansi? Such a matter of life and death cannot be tolerated as a trivial matter.
Not to mention, running errands for your parents at the age of fourteen or fifteen is a matter of course in this era.
He Yuansi said: "Master Zhang will move the steam engine onto the ship for experiment, and it will be carried out in Nanhu. I have checked the previous records, and I estimate that the possibility of success this time is very high. Will father go and see it?"
The task assigned by He Xi to He Yuansi was to study and summarize all the cutting-edge projects of the Imperial College in Beijing.
and
Today, the Imperial College in Beijing and the Imperial College in Nanjing have taken completely different paths. The Imperial College in Beijing has gathered all the talents that He Xi can gather. It can be said that everyone is He Xi's disciple and grandson, which is completely different from the Imperial College in Nanjing.
He Xi even placed all scientific research in the Imperial College in Beijing.
The most important ones are the steam engine project team, the gunpowder project team, the metallurgical project team, the machinery project team, the improved fertilizer project team, etc.
So much so that the annual research expenses of the Imperial College are more than 100,000 yuan.
Don't look at it. The annual taxes of the Ming Dynasty are measured in tens of millions of yuan. You think it is only a few hundred thousand yuan. On the contrary, a few hundred thousand yuan is enough to raise 10,000 elite soldiers and win a counter-insurgency war. Without He Xi's authoritative suppression, this matter would have been impossible to pass.
Since he had made great efforts to engage in scientific research, He Xi could not always pay attention to the progress of scientific research. And He Yuansi happened to be studying at the Imperial College in Beijing. He Xi took the opportunity to assign this task to He Yuansi, and at the same time, it also provided He Yuansi with education.
Just other people's children.
He Xi's own son must understand scientific thinking and the impact of science and technology on society.
He Xi's heart moved and she said, "How about the train?"
He Yuansi said: "It still doesn't work. But from my point of view, there are already some clues. In the past few years, there has been a lot of good news from the metallurgical project team. By adding many other materials to the molten steel, better steel can be obtained. As long as production can be stable, it’s just a matter of time before the train arrives. It’s just------"
He Xi said: "Just what?"
He Yuansi said: "My child feels that the value of steam ships is far greater than that of trains. After all, steam ships can immediately replace current ships and the efficiency is greatly increased. However, if it is a train, it will need to lay a railway, which is too expensive. "
He Xi smiled and said: "Yes, you are right. In terms of economic benefits alone, steam engine ships are the most convenient. Almost if you change them, you will have immediate benefits, but trains are different. It is not only necessary to build trains, but also Build railways. Compared with trains, railways consume more money. I don’t know when the cost will be recovered. But from the perspective of the court, it is different."
"Even without steamships, water transportation is far more convenient than land transportation. Any place with water transportation is more prosperous than a place without water transportation. Steamships are just the icing on the cake. And for many inland places, the exchange of large armies is very difficult. It is estimated that not even one stone of grain has been transported to the front line. Such a place is where the imperial court is weak. Occupy it. It consumes a lot of money every year. If it is not occupied, it will be used by the enemy, but it will be a disaster for China. But with trains, it is different. . Then the country can be consolidated forever."
"My son, I want you to look at the problem from an economic point of view, not to become a businessman. But to know that everything has a cost. Only by weighing the pros and cons can you understand how to do something well. Therefore, you are not only Not only do you have to settle small accounts, but you also have to settle big accounts."
He Yuansi nodded thoughtfully and said, "My child understands. My child will definitely supervise Master Zhang."
He Xi said: "No, you have to respect the objective laws. If it works, just do it. If it doesn't, just wait."
In fact, He Xi was very anxious in her heart.
He Xi hopes to have perfect steam engine technology and promote it all during this war. After all, nothing is more costly than war, and nothing is more demanding than war. This is a good opportunity to promote new technologies, and all new technologies are also a good helper for He Xi Shengli.
However, some things cannot be rushed.
Haste makes waste.
The father and son were talking when suddenly a child ran over from outside and hugged He Yuansi's leg. He screamed indiscriminately.
It was He Sinan.
He Sinan is only three years old now. He has already been able to speak. But what he likes most is running wild and screaming. It seems that this is the only way to vent one's emotions. He Yuansi saw his brother and picked up He Sinan.
"Why are you still here? Go quickly. Don't miss the opportunity." Princess Anqing said, "Today is not an ordinary day."
He Xi shook up his red official robe and said, "Don't worry.
I'll go there right now, I can't miss the time. It's still early, it's still early. "
