afterglow

Chapter 175 The Needham Dilemma

Engagement, that is, betrothal, China is so big, and customs are different from all over the world.

Especially now that Ming Dynasty is at the turn of old and new eras, the marriage customs of different places, different families, and different identities are even more different.

Maybe a certain village in a certain state or county in the mainland is still using the completely classical marriage process, with matchmakers talking about matchmaking, parents matching, etc.; or maybe people in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Yingtian and other prefectures are already having free love in a chic way.

After leaving the Yamen of the Ministry of War and returning to the Jiangxinzhou garrison, Zhou Changfeng thought about it for a while, and then summoned several married officers to consult them about this issue.

I thought the head of the group had something to explain, but I didn't expect it to be for this?
"What do you want to give as a bride price? Besides the gift money, what else do you want? Some gold ornaments?"

Zhou Changfeng really didn't know much about it, he only remembered the three metals and hardware, such as gold bracelets, gold necklaces, gold earrings, and gold rings.

"I didn't send any valuables at that time, just combs, mirrors and other small things. The only valuable thing was the bracelet." The second battalion commander Chen Min replied.

"My wife's natal family is more respectful, and there are several gold ornaments." Chief of Staff Zhao Hanfeng recalled, "If you are undecided, you might as well prepare all of them."

Zhu Lishuo even joked with a smile: "Well, if you really want to talk about the scene, what kind of jewelry will you give as a gift? Just put a few gold bars on it, and whoever sees it will sigh in admiration."

When Zhou Changfeng heard the words, he glared at him, waved his hands and said, "I bought a gold bar, and I will give you two blows on the head."

Several people present laughed.

After a while, Yao Liangchuan with a calm expression said leisurely: "I think, if you are informal and casual, you don't need to care about this at all, as long as you are sincere."

It's a joke, I'm not a fool, you are a good potential stock, even if you propose marriage empty-handed, your parents will still agree.

"That's reasonable, who is our team leader, who dares to say that he is not an outstanding talent of my Ming Dynasty, I will be the first to cut him!" Xie Wancheng said and patted his chest.

"I think, the most important thing is... Captain, you have to get the house ready first." Fan Qijin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said.

hiss!Makes sense, how could I forget this.

All the officers were quite embarrassed, and they talked about it for a long time, leaving behind the most important thing.

Zhou Changfeng remembered that when he met Xia Xiaoshi's father before, he specifically talked about the house. The latter's opinion is that it is better to buy the urban area. Although it is more expensive and smaller, it is more convenient in life.

"Okay, then I have to hurry up and get ready, the time is too fast, everyone should leave, and go to your own business."

The smiling Zhu Lishuo stretched his waist, "My brother Zhou is finally going to worry about his life's important affairs. Congratulations."

"My age is very young for an official position, but I am not young in life." Zhou Changfeng said helplessly.

Except for the house, there was no constructive advice after asking around, and he didn't have time to inquire about this specifically, so he simply came up with a mixed bag.

I'll fix it all up, so it should be okay, right?
Before leaving, after Zhou Changfeng reviewed the list of officers and soldiers casualties in the bandit suppression operation, he took out his own large square stamp, dipped it in inkpad, and carefully stamped the red stamp on it.

After taking care of the business that needs to be dealt with, he went to the pier and left Jiangxinzhou by boat.

The huge check that Zhu Lingjing gave should not be used lightly. If he went to the city to spend a lot of money to buy a luxurious compound, it would be too eye-catching. I am afraid that Shen Yu would come to invite him to drink tea the next day.

It can be used, but it has to be disassembled and dismantled, and used a little bit.

Zhou Changfeng originally planned to wait at the school gate after school, and then took Xia Xiaoshi to pick out a house together, but he was so bored that he was curious and wanted to go in for a walk, and the guards at the school gate naturally couldn't refuse.

The teaching building here has three floors, and the campus environment is very good, with ponds, pavilions, and waterside pavilions everywhere.

When walking in the corridors of the teaching building, there are large classrooms beside you, where either the teacher is giving lectures or the students are answering questions.

He stopped at the door of the third grade liberal arts classroom, and the content of the history class being taught inside attracted him.

It is roughly the difference in science and technology between the East and the West in modern times. Then a student got up and asked the teacher why Western Europe established a modern science system first?

The teacher naturally couldn't answer.

This question is actually the question raised by the later British scholar Joseph Needham in his book "History of Science and Technology in China": Although ancient China has made important contributions to the development of human science and technology, why did China not establish a modern scientific system or industrial development? revolution?
There are different opinions on this issue, and it is also one of the important research topics for later generations.

It may be extremely difficult to trace the reasons, but it is easy to list specific examples of gaps.

Algebra was completed in 1572 AD, during the Longqing period;

Kepler's laws were completed in 1609 AD, during the Wanli period;

Snell's law was completed in 1621 AD, during the Wanli period;

Analytical geometry was completed in 1637 AD, during the reign of Chongzhen.

Europeans completed the foundation of natural science around the late Ming Dynasty. From the perspective of God, the gap between the East and the West has appeared, but it has not been reflected in large quantities.

During this period of time, Europeans were ahead in science, but still lagged behind China in technology, and there was a lag between science and technology.

A typical example is artillery. Although various types of artillery in the Ming Dynasty had a long history and were considered advanced in the fifteenth century, they fell behind in the seventeenth century.

For example, in terms of design, the entire barrel of the cylindrical general cannon is of uniform thickness, with many redundant dead weights; while the red cannon is spindle-shaped, thicker at the back and thinner at the front, thicker as it should be, and thinner as it should be. , the configuration is quite reasonable.

The key factor that determines the design of the artillery is the "modulus", that is, the ratio of the thickness of the gun body to the caliber, and the ratio of the length of the barrel to the caliber.The Europeans summed up the ideal design range of various artillery, and the resulting artillery has an excellent configuration, and the stress on the gun body is balanced throughout.

There is a record in "Huo Gong Xi Yao" that "Western casting large guns, the length, size, thickness, and thickness are really carefully measured...It must be deduced according to a certain authentic comparison."

However, in terms of casting technology, Europeans at this time were still unable to master cast iron cannons. The Portuguese even hired Chinese craftsmen in Guangdong to go abroad to help them cast cannons.

But it is clear that technological superiority will soon be surpassed.

Without a scientific system, relying solely on the accumulation and improvement of technology spontaneously carried out by craftsmen all over the world is loose and inefficient.

In contrast to Europe, metallurgical technology began to be continuously improved based on the knowledge of chemical elements, and mechanical manufacturing was designed with the help of mathematics and physics.

However, the establishment of a scientific system is inherently quite strange. There are so many civilizations in the world, and only Europe gave birth to science in the end.

So there is no need to regret this. What should really be annoyed is that China failed to introduce the natural science system early.

(End of this chapter)