Chapter 559 Before Departure

The morning light breaks, and the traces left by last night's rain and wind are only the faint fragrance of flowers in the house and the freshness of the earth.

The summer wind passes through the corridor and gently blows the gauze curtain of the study.

Jiang Xinghuo was sitting in front of the case, wearing a green shirt and writing with a pen.

""Huangzhou Cold Food Post" is really difficult to write."

Jiang Xinghuo put down his pen halfway through writing, rubbed his sore elbow and smiled.

"Master, you gave up halfway." Yu Qian, who was standing nearby and observing, had grown into a half-grown boy. The child grew very fast when he was eight or nine years old, and he looked completely different from when he was younger.

"Master, this is to train your abilities."

Jiang Xinghuo stuffed Yu Qian into the chair.

Su Shi's famous work "Huangzhou Cold Food Post", together with Wang Xizhi's "Orchid Pavilion Preface" and Yan Zhenqing's "Manuscript for Nephew Sacrifice", is known as one of the "three major running scripts in the world". It has only 129 characters, ups and downs, and unrestrained momentum.

It belongs to the type where the brain understands it after reading it, but when it comes to copying, the hand expresses strong protest.

Jiang Xinghuo practiced calligraphy with Jie Jin for several years. Although he was far away from the level of a centipede, unfortunately he still failed to truly stand out in the eyes of famous people.

But just because Jiang Xinghuo couldn't do it himself, it didn't mean that he couldn't count on Yu Qianxing.

Just like many parents who cannot become a dragon themselves, but always hope that their children will become dragons, although Yu Qian is not his son, he is his disciple. In this era, it is a very common concept to be a teacher for a day and a father for a lifetime, so cultivate Yu Qian's calligraphy skills. It can be regarded as "for his own good".

Yu Qian's calligraphy skills are pretty good. In recent years, Jiang Xinghuo has been teaching him many famous teachers. In any case, the educational conditions are much better than those he received in his hometown in Hangzhou. Yu Qian's calligraphy is mainly based on Xie Jin's calligraphy style.

"Master, do you have any deep meaning in writing so badly?"

Yu Qian asked after carefully writing the last dozens of words.

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the handwriting that was obviously better than his own, and was silent for a moment before saying, "Not everything has a deep meaning."

"Do you know what it means for a gentleman to be happy and respectful to his fate?"

"not sure."

"You must respect everyone's destiny. Some people have a window opened, and some people have a door opened. Everyone's strengths are different, and you must learn to be optimistic about your shortcomings."

"oh."

Yu Qian nodded seriously: "But master, your handwriting is really bad."

"Write it ten more times."

Jiang Xinghuo took away the fruit plate cut by Jiang Xuan from the desk and walked out of the study.

Xie Jin is watering the flowers.

It's not the kind of temporary courtesy that comes with a pickaxe to help the boss hoe the ground, but he actually lifts his robe and squats down to water the flowers seriously.

Seeing Jiang Xinghuo coming, Xie Jin turned around and said, "The cymbidium seeds I brought last time have grown so tall in a flash."

"Is this what Lan Xinhuizhi is referring to?" Jiang Xinghuo asked casually.

"Probably."

"Probably? Are there any allusions you're not sure about?"

"Of course."

Jie Jin didn't move his face and smiled a smile that didn't look sincere.

"When I was a kid, I went to a fortune teller and they said I was suitable for growing orchids."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded: "Zhilan is born in a deep valley, and it is not fragrant because there is no one there. A gentleman cultivates morality and does not change his moral character because of poverty. Isn't this good?"

Xie Jin couldn't deny it and just said: "People say orchids are in my destiny and can give me an early warning. When the orchids bloom, I can be careful of bad luck."

"Is it accurate?"

"It's pretty accurate, but then I learned that there are different varieties of orchids. Except that they don't bloom from June to August, they bloom all year round."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and said, "You don't need to follow us when we go north this time. Just stay in Nanjing."

Jie Jin was relieved. He had just returned from Beijing a year ago and really didn't want to bother.

"But there are a few more things."

Jiang Xinghuo thought for a while and said: "The first thing I just remembered is that Sanyang's calligraphy is correct and he is easy to hold poetry gatherings. Now it is vaguely known as 'Taige style'. I'm afraid it will become a trend in the future and the world will Scholars followed suit one after another, but lost the interest of calligraphy. Your running script is free and easy, and your cursive script is the most respected in the world. You should print more calligraphy stickers, it would be a pity not to keep them."

Xie Jin was slightly startled. This was a trivial matter, and it was understandable.

I didn't print before because Xie Jin was a crazy person and felt that if others learned his own handwriting, especially cursive script, it would be in vain if others learned it.

"The second thing is your job."

Jiang Xinghuo took two steps away from these flowers and plants. He didn't mind looking at these flowers in his spare time to relax his mood, but if he was asked to raise them, he would definitely not raise them when faced with those annoying little flying insects.

But Xie Jin really likes to deal with flowers, plants and insects.

Probably because no one likes to play with him since he was a child.

"Honglu Temple is responsible for receiving foreign envoys and guests. Now the Ming Dynasty is dealing with more and more foreign countries. The Ministry of Rites has a responsibility, and Honglu Temple also has a responsibility. There is no small matter in foreign exchanges, and it is to maintain the majesty of the Ming Dynasty."

Jie Jin stood up and looked at Jiang Xinghuo.

"No matter how our Ming Dynasty does things sometimes, for these foreign envoys, the basic respect must be. You understand what I mean. Respect is not conniving, nor is it letting them rub their noses and think that Ming Dynasty is weak and can be bullied, but We must not only respect some of their customs, but also adhere to our etiquette and maintain the majesty of Ming Dynasty.”

"I see."

Xie Jin nodded.

Jiang Xinghuo handed the fruit plate to Jie Jin. Jie Jin looked at the strange Nanyang fruits on it and was afraid to eat it. He was afraid of disturbing Jiang Xinghuo's good intentions, so he could only insert a bamboo skewer and put it into his mouth. It tastes very sweet when I think about it.

"South Vietnam killed the Han envoys and slaughtered them into nine counties; King Wan killed the Han envoys and hung their heads on the North Tower; North Korea killed the Han envoys and killed them immediately."

Jiang Xinghuo said softly: "Similarly, in today's world, no country can disrespect the Ming Dynasty."

Jiang Xinghuo placed his slender hands on the railing of the corridor and stood up slightly. He looked at the flower garden in the corridor, which was full of flowers.

Seeing that this era is moving in a better and better direction under his leadership, Jiang Xinghuo also feels quite relieved.

"Japan wants to be coy and conciliatory, North Korea wants to beat them hard, Ryukyu needs to be kind, and as for the Southeast Asian countries, just give them both kindness and power."

"Will we see the day when all nations come to court in the future?" Xie Jin asked.

"All nations? If you include those tribes, maybe."

"But these things are still too far-fetched."

Jiang Xinghuo thought for a while and then said: "In the next few years, the focus should be on the West. Chen Cheng has already set out to be an angel stationed in the Timur Khanate. Fu An and Yang Dewen are rare people with past experience in the West. The available talents, whether they are from Ceylon or Southern India, or the Aries Dynasty, or the Mamluk Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty must have good dealings with them. These are the largest empires in the world at present, second only to the Ming Dynasty east of the Manchurian Strait. as the central economic entity.”

"As for the more distant west, those small countries on the European continent are actually not economically more advanced than the countries centered on the Tamerlane Khanate. However, those are countries that cannot be contacted until Zheng He continues to explore. ”

"Is there any more?" Xie Jin asked.

Jiang Xinghuo was about to speak, but glanced at Yu Qian who was copying hard in the window behind him, and swallowed his words.

Xie Jin understood what Jiang Xinghuo meant.

"Anyway, be careful."

After finishing the fruit plate, Jiang Xinghuo placed the fruit plate on the suspended bench in the corridor, took out a hand towel and wiped his hands.

"rest assured."

"If you are in doubt about something, you can ask Duke Rong if anything will go wrong with him."

Nowadays, in the temples of Nanjing, the power of Jiang Xinghuo's reform sect is already quite impressive, just talking about the chief officials of the Six Branches and Six Temples.

In addition to the chief officials of the two key departments of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Household Affairs, there are also the chief officials of the Guanglu Temple Huang Ziwei, the Taichang Temple Minister Yuan Gong, and the Honglu Temple Minister Xie Jin, plus the chief officials of the four departments of the President's Reform Affairs Yamen They are not idle people either. It can be said that at a rough glance, they already have a small percentage of the country.

However, if you include his deputies and others, it's not that impressive. Zhu Gaochi's power is even more powerful.

And if we expand the scope to the entire middle- and lower-level officials in Nanjing, they are still dominated by conservatives. This is because it is not easy to climb the official career. Over the past thirty years, these people have long been entrenched. Although they cannot rise, they can still It is also difficult to remove them from the ranks of bureaucracy. You can only wait for the passage of time and automatically eliminate them.

Fortunately, time was on Jiang Xinghuo's side.

The foundation of the reform is becoming more and more solid, and in the Ming Dynasty's ideological world, the trend among scholars has quietly changed. Two years have passed, and Neo-Confucianism has lost its position of completely dominating the ideological world, replaced by The mind science spread at the speed of cell division, and various schools in eastern Zhejiang, headed by the Jinhua School, were also integrated by Jiang Xinghuo, raising the banner of utilitarian practical learning.

Although there is no contention among a hundred schools of thought, at least the three-legged pattern has been realized in the ideological world.

In the academic and administrative system, from the imperial court to the chief ministers and then to the governments and counties, the topics began to focus on practical policy content. At the same time, the content of the Four Books and Five Classics also changed. Xunzi's thoughts became more and more complex. It is said that with the publication of one edition after another of the "Encyclopedia of Ming Dynasty/Yongle Dadian", students began to no longer be completely blinded by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but cast more eyes on past history.

The imperial court did not hesitate to spend huge sums of money to launch the "Focus on the Six Classics" project. With the efforts of Kong Xilu, Gao Xunzhi, Cao Duan and others, the evolution of Confucianism's pre-Qin original Confucianism theory and the subsequent ancient literature school and modern literature school, It became clear.

At the same time, after more than two years of development, the basic subjects of modern science, such as physics, chemistry, and astronomy, have also made great progress and are sought after by the students of the Imperial College. The scientific spirit and experimental principles have also given the ancient The school has brought new changes.

In short, although there are still some controversies in the ideological and academic circles about Jiang Xinghuo’s complete system of new learning (practical learning + science), as well as some prejudices that can never take off colored glasses, on the whole, the new learning is indeed constantly developing. And it is getting stronger and stronger.

——People will always stand on the side of the truth.

Because of this, whether it is the Ming Dynasty Administrative School, the Imperial College, or the imperial examination, the ideological changes of young people are conducive to reform, so Jiang Xinghuo is not in a hurry.

He just had to wait.

In ten, twenty, or thirty years, all the old officials will become officials, and the entire court will be filled with people who were influenced by his thoughts and became officials. By then, the reformists will naturally become the mainstream, and his words will become the mainstream. It has become an "ancestral method" in a sense, so what is there to be anxious about?

However, he still needs to train Yu Qian well.

The stubbornness and some extremes in Yu Qian's character are deeply rooted in his genes and cannot be completely changed by the acquired educational environment. Jiang Xinghuo can guarantee that the education and abilities that Yu Qian will receive here will be better than the environment in his hometown. Yu Qian is stronger, but it is not a good thing to let a child see things that are beyond his age and understanding too early. Trying to encourage others may not necessarily lead to the desired results, so Jiang Xinghuo always controls what Yu Qian comes into contact with.

"This kid is too smart and stubborn." Xie Jin looked at Yu Qian and whispered.

"I asked him to write it ten times, but he would never just write it ten times. He was afraid that he would have to thoroughly understand "Huangzhou Cold Food Post" before he would stop."

"He won't understand what you mean."

"He is very similar to Su Shi. If I throw him into a coal mine, he will be so happy and willing to work. Do you believe it?"

"letter."

"So, I hope he can learn something from Su Shi who was demoted to Huangzhou and not be so stubborn."

"Perhaps people have learned the lesson 'Who is afraid? You can live your whole life in the mist and rain'?" Xie Jin joked.

"Then there's no other way."

Jiang Xinghuo laughed.

Yu Qian in the window behind him was frowning and copying the handwriting persistently, without noticing what the two people outside the window were saying.

——————

In the next few days, Jiang Xinghuo explained in detail all the matters concerning the current reform.

The conventional ones are matters such as examination law, currency recycling, maritime trade, diplomacy, clearing land, road construction, etc., while the more special ones are the research and development of steam engines, machine tools, and flintlock guns, as well as the local progressive household registration tax and family separation. Pilot work on policies such as notary tax and integrated grain payment for gentry.

Things are complicated, but fortunately, each department can now perform its duties, and even if Jiang Xinghuo is not in Nanjing temporarily, it can still operate normally.

In addition, I met Jing Qing's two daughters and made an on-the-spot investigation into the current income levels and working conditions of workers in the industrial and mining areas around Nanjing.

The day of going north gradually approached, and on the eve of departure, Jiang Xinghuo and Yao Guangxiao met again in the study.

The moonlight was like water, shining quietly on the two of them, and the air was filled with the sadness of parting.

"Life is about gathering less and being apart more, so there is no need to feel sad."

Yao Guangxiao took out two pairs of insoles from his cassock and handed them to Jiang Xinghuo. He had just visited Ningbo recently and returned to his hometown in Changzhou County, Suzhou Prefecture.

Jiang Xinghuo took the insole: "How is your old sister?"

"Fortunately, she just told me that she had a toothache recently and couldn't eat, but she lost all her teeth."

"That's gum pain. First use ice cubes to relieve the pain, then rinse your mouth with green salt mixed with water, and then send someone to bring some allicin there, which may reduce inflammation and reduce swelling."

Yao Guangxiao nodded, his bald head shining brightly in the moonlight.

He asked again: "How is Kong Xilu's cultivation of penicillin?"

"I have already poisoned three death row inmates in the prison, and they all passed away peacefully."

"."

"It doesn't look easy."

"It's not easy to do. Science rarely succeeds overnight."

The chat between the two was as aimless as ever. The old friend drank tea and chatted, talking about whatever came to mind.

"Zhu Yunwen has been dead for so long, and the remnants of Bao Zhao have not been caught yet?" Jiang Xinghuo suddenly asked.

"Ji Gang raises the bandits to respect themselves."

Yao Guangxiao smiled inexplicably: "Otherwise, how could he complete the target of becoming a legal practitioner?"

Yes, we will catch two this year and three next year. As long as they are not uprooted, there will always be work to do.

Now is not the Hongwu Dynasty, there are not so many opportunities to build the prison. The hawks and dogs like the Jinyiwei spend their time with snot in their noses. The only mission that can be called of some value is gone. How can they survive?

After all, Jin Yiwei also gives out year-end reward packages.

Obviously, although the test method is very useful, as time goes by, people below also figure out bugs.

Of course, if they were placed in other departments, those who had not done the same thing for several years would definitely have their quota deducted. However, the Jin Yiwei was special, so the emperor saw through it without telling them and allowed them to mess around.

"We still have to find some work for them." Jiang Xinghuo thought for a while and said.

"for example?"

"Go to Liaodong to hunt for the heads of the real girls, go to North Korea to win over North Korean dignitaries, and go to Japan to spy on the big names. There is a lot of work, why do you stay at home all the time?"

"Then please call me, it's a matter of memorial." Yao Guangxiao drank another cup of tea. People tend to feel less when they get older, but the more they drink, the more energetic they become.

Jiang Xinghuo replied: "Well, when the time comes, let Cao Song go to Beijing with me and let him lead a group of people. The Japanese affairs must be taken care of as soon as possible. It will be difficult to complete the reservation just relying on the early spies and the people of the White Lotus Sect. Did you see how the Timur Khanate conducted reconnaissance missions in order to expedition to the Ming Dynasty?"

"You see, you really put in the effort."

Yao Guangxiao also sighed. He had seen the captured map drawn by the Timur Khanate. The Timur Khanate spent more than ten years sending countless business groups and missions to study the topography of the northwest of the Ming Dynasty. More thorough than the Ming Dynasty.

"We can look down on Japan strategically, but we must not ignore the preparation work tactically. When we arrive in Beijing, we should start some preparations for the cross-sea expedition to Japan."

Yao Guangxiao nodded and just said: "Actually, in my opinion, the cross-sea conquest of Japan is not the most important thing. Although Japan has a population of tens of millions, the Muromachi shogunate is not strong in suppressing internal affairs, and so many vassal states oppose it. The shogunate did not have a unified concept of identity. As long as the Ming Dynasty made it clear that it did not intend to annex the entire Japan, it would be difficult for them to unite under the shogunate because of the Ming Dynasty's expedition. Instead, they would take advantage of the strong support of the Ming Dynasty to seek revenge and grievances. Complain and overthrow the Muromachi shogunate."

"I think the most important thing is the progress in obtaining the four important national weapons."

Yao Guangxiao looked at the tea leaves floating in the teacup with a solemn expression.

"The steam engine is one piece, and the potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes are three pieces."

"Others are secondary. For Ming Dynasty, they are only the icing on the cake. The things that can really determine the fate of Ming Dynasty are these four things."

"The thing about the steam engine. Alas."

Jiang Xinghuo relied on his memory and guided the senior technicians in the workshop to create a prototype for testing, but the prototype and the finished product were completely different.

Steam engines in the early industrial revolution were used to pump water from mining areas. The steam engines developed by Ming Dynasty are also pumping water steam engines.

The water pumping steam engine is mainly composed of a pot, a fire chamber, a condensation chamber, a cylinder, a piston and other parts. The pot is used to hold water, the fire chamber is used to burn fuel to heat the water in the pot, the condensation chamber is used to cool the steam, and the cylinder is used to contain the steam. Pistons are used to convert the pressure of steam into power.

Sounds simple, right?

The whole working process is nothing more than adding water to the pot, igniting the fuel to heat the water in the pot, the water is heated and evaporates to produce steam, the steam enters the cylinder and drives the piston to move, converting the pressure of the steam into power, and the piston drives the gear to rotate, thereby driving the water pump to work. Pump the water out of the mine.

This thing can be used to pump water in mining areas and grind in mills. Improved models can also be used in existing industries such as textiles and papermaking in the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that the future is unlimited.

But the problem is that the ideal is very full and the reality is very skinny.

The current trial-produced steam engines not only have poor piston efficiency (even not as good as manual shaking), but also have extremely serious exhaust gases. But if this is all, then it is not unacceptable. If there is too much exhaust gas, stay away. If the piston efficiency is poor, find ways to improve it. In fact, the most important thing is The only problem is that airtightness cannot be solved.

If it is a structural problem, it can be easily solved with the superb structural techniques of Chinese craftsmen, but the problem of airtightness is not so easy to solve.

Craftsmen have tried lead pads and copper pads, but the actual results are not ideal. Steam leaks are serious, work efficiency is low, and they are still frequently damaged.

For this reason, Jiang Xinghuo had previously ordered the overseas staff of Daming Fruit Co., Ltd. to find rubber trees. He didn't know how the early steam engines solved the problem of airtightness, but it was definitely right to put rubber on them.

The rubber tree was found and the rubber was shipped back, but how to get vulcanized rubber for sealing has not yet been solved.

Jiang Xinghuo pulled out a stack of drawings from under the table in the study room and spread them out on the table. It was the design sketch of the steam engine. Jiang Xinghuo drew it by himself. Every stroke and every stroke contained his expectations for the future.

Jiang Xinghuo sighed softly, with a hint of exhaustion and helplessness between his brows: "Currently, the research and development of steam engines does face many difficulties. Although craftsmen have a deep understanding of its principles, there are still many problems in the actual production process. There are technical problems that need to be overcome.”

He paused, lightly traced his finger across the drawing, and continued to explain: "The steam engine seems simple, but the sealing issues, material selection, thermal efficiency and other aspects involved are extremely complex. For example, this cylinder needs to withstand high temperatures High-pressure water vapor must also ensure the smooth movement of the piston, which places extremely high requirements on materials. However, the materials we can find currently are either unable to withstand such high temperatures and pressures, or are too expensive to be used on a large scale. Application, the manufacturing of steam engines is not for display in laboratories, and if it is to be popularized, costs must be controlled."

Yao Guangxiao listened very seriously. He turned the drawing over and glanced back and forth on the drawing, as if he was trying to imprint these complex technical issues in his mind.

But in the end Yao Guangxiao gave up.

He is not this material. When it comes to rebellion, he is good at it. When it comes to handling government affairs and planning military affairs, he is the best in the world. But when it comes to technology, he is really not good at it.

However, Yao Guangxiao knew the importance of the steam engine. It was not only a new way of utilizing energy, but also a major breakthrough for future technological development.

With the steam engine, there are the steam trains and steam ships that Jiang Xinghuo said, which not only represents a great improvement in the empire's transportation efficiency, but also means that the speed of information transmission is accelerated.

Why does the current Ming Dynasty almost reach the limit of expansion when its power extends to the Strait of Manchuria?

To put it bluntly, the first is that there are not enough people to colonize overseas, and the second is that transportation and communication efficiency are too low.

Once steam trains and steam ships appeared, it would not only solve the Ming Dynasty's internal border control problems, but also take its external expansion to a higher level.

A larger overseas sphere of influence means a larger raw material origin and commodity dumping market, which means that the new class of Ming Dynasty will continue to grow in a snowballing manner, and this means that it is one step closer to slaying the dragon!

Yao Guangxiao thought for a moment and asked: "Is there any solution to these difficulties?"

"There are always difficulties."

Jiang Xinghuo changed the subject: "But as long as we keep exploring and trying, there will always be a solution."

"Currently, a group of top craftsmen have been organized in the workshop and are conducting research on the application of rubber. As long as the rubber material can be properly sealed, the loss of steam heat energy will be minimized, and the efficiency of the piston will be solved. After solving the problem, the pumping steam engine can basically be used."

"And with the pumping steam engine, the textile steam engine and the locomotive traction steam engine behind it are a matter of continuous upgrading."

"In the final analysis, starting from scratch is the most difficult thing. Now we still have to solve the problem of 'have something'."

Yao Guangxiao nodded and said: "Potatoes, corns and sweet potatoes, we have to wait until Zheng He arrives in the west before we can consider continuing the voyage to the west."

"What? You really want to go by yourself?" Jiang Xinghuo teased.

Yao Guangxiao was half relieved and half helpless, and said: "As people get older, they always want to seize the day."

Jiang Xinghuo refilled his cup of tea and changed the topic.

"By the way, do you have any suggestions for those people in Beijing now?"

"You know Xu Huizu, so I won't say more."

Yao Guangxiao thought for a while and said: "You have met Gu Cheng once. He has heard of you in prison. He appreciates many of your words and is not difficult to get along with. As for other noble military officials, even if you haven't met him in Nanjing However, I won’t embarrass you if I think about it, because they are basically Zhu Gaoxu’s good brothers.”

"Mainly civil servants."

Yao Guangxiao said sincerely: "After you go north, when facing the civil servants of the Peking Department, your first priority is to stabilize people's hearts. Most of these civil servants have an old relationship with Zhu Gaochi, and they also have many doubts about the New Deal. You need to treat them with sincerity and gradually resolve their doubts. .”

Jiang Xinghuo nodded in agreement: "I think so too. The civil servants of the Peking clan are deeply rooted in Beizhili. We should use gentle means to gradually guide them to accept the New Deal."

Yao Guangxiao added: "However, we cannot blindly compromise. We should establish our authority by killing people and selecting more new people to make them realize the necessity and importance of the New Deal."

"But the most important thing is to develop northern industry."

Jiang Xinghuo put down the teacup and said.

"Yes, if we want to break the situation now, and if we want North Zhili to surpass the fixed figures of South Zhili in competition within just a few months, we can only rely on the industry with the highest multiplier when analyzing from all aspects."