Although Zhu Cixiang didn't understand what he said before, when he heard his father's words now, he naturally understood his father's intentions. I thought that if what my father said really came true, whether it was military equipment or other things, it would indeed make the Ming Dynasty more powerful.
Therefore, he responded respectfully and sincerely: "Father, I understand!"
By this time, others also understood that the key to the emperor's teaching to the prince was what he just said. I just gave an example before, but it is very shocking. The emperor must have had a purpose in summoning so many ministers to listen.
Some courtiers with clever minds quickly understood the emperor's intention.
In the future, the emperor will definitely pay attention to this aspect. It is related to whether the Ming Dynasty will be stronger and whether the Western barbarians cannot be surpassed. That is what the emperor said, to avoid being beaten if they fall behind!
If it were a hundred years ago, it would be absolute nonsense to say that Xiyi would be very smart and might surpass the Ming Dynasty and be more powerful than the Ming Dynasty!
However, in the Chongzhen Dynasty, many scholar-bureaucrats had seen the new things brought by the Western Yi, and also heard the knowledge they talked about. As Chen Zilong believes, in terms of exploring the essence of things, that is, seeking to know the truth of things, Xiyi actually went ahead of the Ming Dynasty.
To give a very simple example, the Western Yi brought telescopes, which could actually be used in the military. There are also cannons, and the cannons of the Western Yi are more powerful. The red cannons of the Ming Dynasty were either purchased from the Western Yi or cast by the Western Yi. Even how to fire the cannon more accurately, the Western Yi was asked to teach them. In addition, Xiyi's ships were faster than Ming's ships.
All of these have shown a sign that the Western Yi are definitely not ordinary barbarians, they are capable. It is possible that China will surpass the Ming Dynasty in all aspects in the future.
Just now, if Xiyi and Ming Dynasty are adjacent...
Thinking of this, many people suddenly didn't dare to think about it.
While they were thinking about it, they heard Emperor Chongzhen say: "I believe that with the over 20 million people in the Ming Dynasty, even if we pick one in a hundred, there will definitely be more smart people than the Western Yi people. As long as we go in the right direction..."
At this point, he raised his voice and declared in a decisive tone: "In this world, I am the strongest, Ming Dynasty!"
This also means that after the Ming Dynasty, we will not only explore the books of sages and sages in the Four Books and Five Classics, but we will also start to explore the agricultural affairs department and the agricultural affairs department, to put it harshly, even the craftsmen's work. To understand the truth, and then apply it, so that the understood truth can play a huge role.
Moreover, Emperor Chongzhen tied this matter to the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who opposed it would be tantamount to opposing the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, these important ministers present are actually smart people who have risen through the ranks of officialdom, and none of them are really stupid. The wise and powerful emperor has decided so, and no one will object. Only some people who are pedantic in reading will feel that they are challenged by the books of sages and make blind comparisons.
Therefore, Xue Guoguan took the lead, and everyone bowed to Emperor Chongzhen and said: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Emperor Chongzhen listened and nodded. He gave them so many examples and said so many exaggerated words, which shocked them enough. If there were still people who would jump out to object, they were obviously not suitable for being an official, and they would just take off their hats. , let him play by himself.
He waited for these ministers to finish flattering, and then announced: "As for the few things I just said, you can go into more detail. Please listen carefully."
Upon hearing this, it was natural that all the officials, including the prince, listened attentively.
"Gunpowder that is many times more powerful than this gunpowder does not exist for the time being. You need to do experiments, that is, mix a variety of different things, or heat them, etc., to produce new things. Among these new things, There will be things with various uses, one of which is this powerful gunpowder." Emperor Chongzhen began to act like a magic stick again, and said to these people, "This kind of thing is the turning of stone into gold. I can be sure that it is absolutely existing."
When the people in front of him were surprised, Emperor Chongzhen continued: "I can give preliminary drawings for the use of force caused by steam, which mainly involves the application of physical knowledge, how to create it, how to improve it, etc., and also There will be many difficulties, but they can certainly be overcome!”
After a pause, he continued: "I heard that during the Wanli period, a man once sat on a chair full of rockets, intending to fly into the sky. This idea is actually a good one. But he never thought about the rocket consumption. How can we come back safely after doing this? Why not try it first with pigs, cattle, sheep and other livestock? I mentioned this example just to say that in fact, our Ming Dynasty does not lack people with ideas and hands-on skills, but there are still few."
After hearing this, many people looked at each other with questions in their eyes, but it was obvious that none of the people present had heard about the Ten Thousand Households Feitian incident.
Emperor Chongzhen ignored them and just used this matter to raise the topic and said: "I just lifted the Kongming lantern, the bamboo dragonfly, and even the kite, etc., which are actually a way to fly into the sky. What is the reason behind it, please understand it, and then go Use it. I believe that one day, people will be able to fly!"
At this point, he raised his voice and emphasized loudly: "Even if one generation can't do it, then two or three generations will do it. One day, there will be a time to realize the dream!"
After finishing speaking, he glanced at everyone in the courtyard, and then announced again: "For this reason, I have decided to allocate one million taels of silver from the inner treasury, and deposit 500,000 taels each in the two Beijing banks. The annual interest will be used To reward those who have ideas and are willing to study, the name is Kaiwu Scholarship!"
Over the years, there has been a lot of money in the inner treasury. Not only is the textile factory opened by the queen making money, but the most important thing is the glass factory's dividends. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen was considered very wealthy and immediately allocated one million taels of silver.
When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but take a breath.
Although the interest rates offered by the emperor for bank deposits are now very low, a deposit of one million taels, no matter how small, is still 20,000 taels, right? If we divide the northern and southern capitals, it would be ten thousand taels each. The most important thing is that in this way, there will be ten thousand taels every year. This is really a big deal!
They could imagine that after this news spread, many people would be tempted. But, I don’t know the specific regulations?
While they were thinking, they heard Emperor Chongzhen say again: "I think it is better for talented people to study these things than to do nothing, wear women's clothes, and miss the land of fireworks! The Ming Dynasty's atmosphere must also be changed. It’s time!”
Starting from the middle of the Ming Dynasty, living conditions improved, especially in the Jiangnan area. Once they had money, they began to enjoy life and turned to live a luxurious life. If this trend does not change, there will still be no hope for Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen has long been thinking of ways to change this.
However, changes in living habits do not mean that they can be changed. Now Emperor Chongzhen's decision can be regarded as one of the means to guide the change of atmosphere.
Xue Guoguan and others heard this and were deeply convinced. If they were allowed to choose, of course it would be better to let them delve into the knowledge of biology. Therefore, they all agreed with the emperor's decision.
Their reaction was within Emperor Chongzhen's expectation. In fact, he also knew that he could not eat hot tofu in a hurry. Therefore, there was no immediate announcement that the imperial examinations would be reformed or the natural sciences would be compulsory. It would be better to guide them first and make them interested, at least after Ming has a certain number of people, and then announce these.
And to be honest, for the time being, this matter is not yet popular. Because those who can study these must first be scholars, and then have the ability to purchase experimental utensils, sufficient research time, etc. In other words, it was these princes who accompanied him to study. They are the most suitable to carry out these studies, and use them to drive the noble children of the Ming Dynasty, official families, etc. With such a foundation, it is suitable for large-scale promotion.
At this time, after Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, one thing he didn't expect was that Chen Zilong and Song Yingxing both came out and reported to Emperor Chongzhen that they were not capable enough to be promoted to the position of Yuanwai Lang in their respective departments. The reason was that they actually couldn't answer the questions the emperor asked why. More than anything, they are just records.
In response to this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but laugh out loud and said: "My two dear friends, don't belittle yourselves. I can say that no one in the world can understand except me. You and the other two have already I, the Ming Dynasty, know best. So, if I don’t choose you, who else can I choose?”
These words made Chen Zilong and Song Yingxing feel a little more comfortable. They looked at each other and stopped insisting.
"However, you two dears must work hard to avoid being caught up by the young people." Emperor Chongzhen smiled and glanced at the princes accompanying him, letting them feel his eyes on them before he said, "Learning has no end. But we can’t stop moving forward!”
"Wei Chen has learned a lesson!" Chen Zilong and Song Yingxing listened and responded respectfully.
In this way, this time the emperor's lecture ended. After Emperor Chongzhen left with the prince, there was a buzz in the courtyard. The people here couldn't even wait to leave the palace, so they couldn't wait to discuss it.
"Do you think we will be able to fly into the sky one day?"
"The Emperor can still lie to you? It must be possible!"
"Yes, the Kongming Lantern is waiting to take off with its candles, so why can't it take people with it?"
"If I could go back to Jiangnan after a short sleep, haha, I travel back and forth between the two places every day, how great it would be!"
"..."
For them, whether it is flying to the sky or escaping from the ground, it is all unimaginable. The level of concern about these two matters even exceeds the other military weapon mentioned by the emperor, and is more powerful than the current gunpowder. Many times more new gunpowder. Except for the attention of senior civil and military officials, no one discusses this matter at all.
After they left the palace, the content of Emperor Chongzhen's lecture spread like wildfire. It didn't take long before everyone in the capital's teahouses, restaurants, and streets were discussing the matter enthusiastically.
It has to be said that human beings' longing for flying is really not comparable to ordinary things. This is the first thing almost everyone discusses.
Under the prompting of the wise and powerful emperor, they would have a heated discussion on Kongming lanterns, bamboo dragonflies, kites, birds, etc., anything that could fly in the air, trying to discuss the principles of flying after dinner.
Sometimes, what you see and hear seems very ordinary, so you just look at it and don’t think too much about it. For example, many people have seen and played these flying methods, but they just haven't thought about why.
But now, the wise and mighty emperor whom they admire very much has made an assertion that if he understands the truth, he can make people fly into the sky. With the emperor as a guiding light, it is conceivable that many people are thinking about this not only when chatting in restaurants and teahouses, but also when sleeping and using the toilet.
For most people, this is where the interest lies. This interest may not last long, but no matter what, it has aroused their interest, just like a seed buried in their hearts. As long as something happens in the future, the seed in their hearts will be stimulated.
There are also some people who think about this matter for fame and fortune. Not to mention that if you discover something, you may get 10,000 taels of silver. It can be seen from the fact that the emperor took out as much as a million taels of silver from the inner treasury to encourage him, and also used this to teach the prince. , how much the emperor attaches importance to this matter.
As long as I can make some achievements in this area and spread the news to the emperor, I will definitely please the emperor. In this way, fame, fortune and wealth are naturally out of the question.
This incident also gave Chen Zilong and Song Yingxing a sense of urgency. They remembered very clearly that the emperor was encouraging their students, those princes to accompany them to study in this area. He thought that if he was surpassed by his own students, then the prince master would be too shameless!
Therefore, they all secretly decided that they should let their subordinates worry more about things in the yamen, and they should grasp the most basic things. In fact, if they really do this, as Emperor Chongzhen said, at least the two of them are the people who know the most in Ming Dynasty and have more resources than others. If they want to achieve results, they are the two of them.
On Zheng Zhilong's side, on the way back home, he reminded Zheng Chenggong, telling him to pay more attention and ask more why, so that he could attract the emperor's attention and be taken seriously by the future emperor. But who knows, Zheng Chenggong shook his head and replied: "Dad, my son still wants to use the new ship made of those things to sail across the sea, beat the shit out of the Western Yi, and win a title!"
He is the son of the Pirate King, so he naturally knows the current gap between the Ming Dynasty and Xiyi. Otherwise, how could it be possible that such a small number of people from Xiyi, who came from thousands of miles away, could occupy the territory of the Ming Dynasty? Their boats were fast and their cannons were far away. These things had all been used to bully the Zheng family. The Zheng family defeated the Hongyi because they relied on the large number of people on the boat to lead the Hongyi into the harbor. If they were at sea, there would be nothing we could do against them. This is a shame!
When Zheng Zhilong heard his son's answer, he immediately remembered what the emperor said. After the end of the year, there will be a military knighthood, and some soldiers will survive until the day of the knighthood. He knew that this time it would definitely not be his fault, and it was useless to be envious!
He was also a little curious, who would be so lucky when the emperor ennobled him this time?
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