1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 968 Scholars

On October 10, Chang'an.

"Dear Mr. Hook, I was very surprised when I received your letter from the Hanzhou continent. At the same time, I also express my deep regret and regret for your choice to go to a foreign continent to serve an oriental country. "

"It is said that Qi is a very secular country, and there is no religious belief that rests on the soul. Although they have inherited and continued the splendid Eastern Chinese civilization, they are located in the remote southern New World after all. Oh, please forgive me for saying this, because The world map passed down from Qi to Europe clearly shows the location of Hanzhou, a lonely continent in the middle of the ocean. I don’t know how this country has established close ties with the surrounding civilized world in this geographical environment and how they absorb advanced cultures and create various cutting-edge sciences.”

"Of course, whether it is the information from the United Provinces or the rumors brought back by our English merchants, they all show that Qi is a rich and powerful country. They can produce many industrial products that we cannot produce in Europe. , can manufacture water pumps and blowers whose performance is far superior to that of our England imitation, and even the legendary steam locomotive with greater power. All the advanced industrial manufacturing shown in Qiguo, our colleagues in the entire Royal Academy of Sciences It was very shocking and very puzzling.”

"I am very grateful for your invitation to come to Qi for a visit and investigation. But in view of my current physical condition, I have to regret to decline your kindness. Yes, the damn gout is tormenting my body, making me There's simply no way to make a long trip."

"As for the law of universal gravitation you proposed, it is believed that the motion of celestial bodies is the result of a central gravitational force, and that the gravitational force should be inversely proportional to the square of the distance. This profound astrophysics problem, there is a young man in our Royal Academy of Sciences in England, Isaac Newton, who was doing similar research. A little different from you, you think that the trajectory of a projectile on the surface of the earth should be elliptical, and that if the earth could be penetrated, the object would return to its original place. And Newton My point of view is that the trajectory of the earth may be a spiral, which will eventually reach the center of the earth. I cannot give you a corresponding judgment on this, because this is beyond my knowledge reserve.”

"However, you mentioned that His Majesty the Emperor of Qi highly affirmed your research and praised your discovery as the greatest physical achievement in the past 100 years. I have reservations about this. You know, secular kingship, Although it has the supreme status in a huge empire, from a scientific point of view, it cannot make an authoritative determination of a scientific discovery. Of course, in our Royal Academy of Sciences, even His Majesty the King will not rashly criticize what our scholars have learned. Any scientific achievements made should be recognized by authority. Science is very rigorous and sacred. Forgive me, I don’t think the emperor of Qi State will be involved in this esoteric scientific research. He should be with our King of England The same, obsessed with the gentleness of many noble ladies and the enjoyment of various luxurious materials."

"..."

Robert Hook, academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Qi State and senior professor of Chang'an Industrial Research Institute, saw this, and a mocking smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The emperor of the Great Qi Empire was regarded by Robert Boyle, an academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences, as a science novice, a "happy king" who indulged in pleasure. If this assertion is known by many domestic scholars and experts, they will definitely be criticized by them Littered to pieces, they may even be torn to shreds by individual radical groups.

In Qi State, no one will pay more attention to scientific research than His Majesty the Emperor, and no one will be more reckless in scientific investment than him. Moreover, His Majesty the Emperor has dabbled in various cutting-edge sciences, such as physics, chemistry , machinery, celestial bodies, oh, yes, he has very high attainments in architecture, and can design all kinds of beautiful buildings.

His Majesty the Emperor's support for scientific research far exceeds that of any king in the world.Many research institutions in Qi State, including the Royal Academy of Sciences, have never discounted their annual budgets, and the amount is also increasing year by year.

In this country, there are experts and scholars with profound knowledge, intermediate and senior craftsmen with special skills, explorers who tirelessly realize certain inventions (or discoveries), and even ordinary people who make improvements to certain machinery or tools. Respected and admired by people.In addition to high honors, they can also obtain high remuneration or bonuses.

As an academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Hooker has profound attainments in physics and mechanical manufacturing. He not only enjoys a special academician allowance, but also holds a large amount of scientific research funding because he presides over several scientific research directions.

He owns a three-entry courtyard provided by the government free of charge in Chang'an City, which is elegant and quiet, and employs two servants to take care of the daily life of him and his family.For daily trips, the exclusive carriage of the Academy of Sciences is responsible for pick-up and drop-off.Even if he needs to go to other places in the country for investigation and research, there will be young assistants or scribes from the Academy of Sciences who will book a comfortable and luxurious train box for him in advance, accompanied by corresponding guards.

In Qi State, like all scholars and experts, Hu Ke enjoys an incomparably affluent life. He doesn't need to worry about any trivial matters at all, and can devote himself to endless scientific research.

As early as decades ago, Qi State promulgated the "Knowledge and Patent Protection Law", which provides legal protection for the inventions and creations of enterprises and individuals. patent (invention), will bear serious legal consequences.

As a result, various inventions have become a kind of mass activity in the territory of Qi, which is continuously carried out by various people on a very small scale.Among these inventions, some are fundamental and macroscopic, and some are subordinate and microscopic.The former is more original, while the latter is mainly improved and more practical.

The technological change of Qi's industrial revolution means that human beings have made another great leap forward in the past since the invention of the wheel.In the state of Qin in mainland China, the output of a worker operating a hand-operated power loom is 20 times that of a purely manual worker.In Qi State, one loom driven by steam power is equivalent to the capacity of 200 hand spinning wheels.It is no longer a dream that a locomotive can transport goods that require hundreds of horses to transport, and at a much faster speed.

Inventions and innovations have not only changed production efficiency, but more importantly, changed production methods, which have changed people's lifestyles and promoted population growth.In less than 20 years, with the growth of Qi's economic strength and the improvement of medical level, the domestic population has doubled to nearly 1000 million.

Although there is a large influx of immigrants, the population of Qi has increased.However, since the mainland has achieved superficial reunification, large-scale wars have gradually ended, and the economy and people's livelihood have gradually recovered.The large-scale immigration campaign initiated by the Qi State has become unsustainable, and it is only maintained at about 12 to [-] per year.

Correspondingly, the scale of natural population growth in China has gradually expanded. Each couple has an average of 5-8 children. It is conservatively estimated that the natural growth rate is about 3.5-4%, and the annual population increase is 30-35. .

The population of Qi State increased, and most of them moved into the cities, taking the lead to walk out of the agricultural era in the countryside.The standard of living in cities is often three to five times that of rural areas, and the vast majority of urban residents are more or less able to read and write, while in rural areas, most farmers are illiterate (mainly new immigrants).Compared with the countryside, the economic activities and economic opportunities in cities are simply innumerable.

Cities mean open culture, modern life and secular thinking, while rural areas are closed, traditional, and conservative. The difference between urban and rural areas is also the difference between modernity and tradition.

Preliminary statistics show that in the mainland of Qi and several nearby overseas territories, there are more than 3000 towns with a population of more than 10, and four cities with a population of more than 20.It is believed that with the gradual advancement of industrialization and the extreme prosperity of commerce, Qi will usher in a period of turbulent urbanization.Even if in the next ten to 30 years, huge cities with a population of 50 to [-] people appear in the mainland, it is not surprising at all.

Chang'an City, as the capital of the Great Qi Empire, although the registered population is only over 10, actually has a large number of non-registered people living here, including officials who came to Beijing, businessmen who came and went, visiting scholars, Young people with job opportunities, college students studying at school, and diplomats and family members of various countries (including vassal states) stationed in Qiqihar, if combined, the population of the entire Chang'an city will easily exceed [-].

And just in the last half month, countless people have poured into Chang'an City, preparing to participate in the two most grand events of the Daqi Empire this year-the Science and Technology Expo and His Majesty's [-]th Christmas Celebration.

The annual tech fair is, well, also known as the Royal Medals of Science.The earliest origin is that the royal family evaluates many industrial inventions (discoveries) every year, and rewards scholars, experts, and craftsmen who have made outstanding achievements, so as to encourage the whole society to pay attention to scientific research and industrial inventions. , to stimulate the innovation enthusiasm of the people.

Later, this award activity was further expanded and formalized, and several awards were added, including physics, chemistry, agronomy, medicine, industrial invention (utility model), etc., aiming at commending and rewarding achievements in physics, chemistry, agriculture, medicine and Scholars, experts and craftsmen who have made the greatest contribution to the country in terms of industrial inventions.

The Royal Medal of Science includes a gold medal bearing the royal dragon, a bronzing certificate, and a cash prize.At present, the amount of the award is 15 Hanzhou silver dollars, which is about the salary of a professor of the Academy of Sciences for [-] years.

Two years ago, Robert Hooke was awarded the Royal Medal of Physics for his theory of universal gravitation and the orbit of projectiles on the earth's surface, in recognition of his promotion and promotion of astrophysics in the United States.

Last year, he won the Royal Industry Invention Award again for his improved wheel-shaped barometer.This year, he and Chu Hourong, a young scholar in the Changan Industrial Research Institute, further improved and optimized the universal joint he invented in England, and were nominated for the Industrial Invention Award.

The invention of the universal joint has attracted the attention of dozens of domestic industrial enterprises, and some people have contacted them one after another, hoping to obtain their patent authorization and carry out large-scale production.

Due to his profound knowledge and extremely high achievements in physics, he was selected as one of the seven judges of the Physical Society in this year's Royal Science Medal selection committee to discuss and select the three nominated physics achievements.

"I don't think the high-altitude balloon invented by Qi Zishu can win the Royal Physics Prize."

When Hooke put aside the letter from England and discussed and confirmed the winner of the Royal Physics Prize with several scholars of the review committee, he very clearly rejected one of the nominations.

"Although, that high-altitude balloon has successfully completed its first flight by carrying the first batch of passengers, um, a cute Hanzhou long-haired sheep. But the flight distance is only more than two kilometers, and it is very regrettable that when the altitude is lowered It was broken by a tree branch and achieved an abnormal landing. This invention, I think, should be handed over to the Industrial Invention Review Committee, rather than listed as a great physical achievement."

"Old Hu, you won't reject Qi Zishu's nomination so easily because he is a child of the royal family, right?" Jiao Zongmin, the head of the committee, frowned and said, "This high-altitude balloon heats the air, making it relatively cold outside. Having a lower density, acting as a buoyant force to displace the whole, is in the realm of physics anyway. Moreover, this high-altitude balloon proves that one great thing is that our tiny human beings will probably conquer the sky.”

"Dear Academician Jiao, I am full of respect for the emperor, and I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to the entire imperial family for their scientific sponsorship." Facing Jiao Zongmin's question, Hook looked a little worried, " Therefore, I have no prejudice against members of the royal family. His Royal Highness Prince Qi Zishu is a very creative young man, and I appreciate it very much. However, in line with the rigorous attitude towards science, I think the high-altitude balloon invented by him does not have the Award conditions. The electromagnetism researched by Luo Anran and his team will be more qualified to win this year's Royal Physics Prize. Because their research direction will lay the foundation for the entire human exploration of electricity and magnetism. The scientific basis and pointed out the direction of development."

"However, Luo Anran and his team only discovered the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, and have not yet obtained a method for generating electric current. Is it not practical enough?" Chang Tianbo, another reviewing academician, said softly.

"In this world, new discoveries will be very difficult. However, once some discoveries are verified, they will create an unprecedented new world. Now that Luo Anran and his team have confirmed the existence of electromagnetic induction, then , to generate a corresponding stable current, it must be very fast. After all, we already have a goal, and the journey ahead is nothing more than a question of speed and slowness. So..."

"Something went wrong!" Before Hook could finish his sentence, an academician suddenly broke into the room, "That high-altitude balloon has taken off again!...Moreover, there are people on it!"

"The high-altitude balloon is carrying people?...Why is His Royal Highness King Jing (Qi Zishu) so reckless, allowing people to easily ride such a dangerous high-altitude balloon?"

"...His Royal Highness King Jing personally boarded the high-altitude balloon!"

(End of this chapter)