Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 847 The Most Difficult Path to Knowledge and Investigation of Things
When Liu Huai learned of Lu You's departure, he was presiding over the opening ceremony of the Academy of Sciences.

Although he was the host, Liu Huai did not overshadow the main guests, but instead took the initiative to play a supporting role, giving the main stage to dozens of scholars.

The first dean, Qin Zhenshun, was surrounded in the center, looking rather smug.

Because of the exemplary role of the medical school, no one dared to underestimate the Academy of Sciences. Naturally, they knew it was a place with a promising future. Therefore, the learned scholars who were invited to become professors did not put on airs and readily accepted the positions.

The first dean, Qin Zhenshun, was born in Qufu, Yanzhou. During the Jingkang Incident, his entire family fled to Sichuan. In the 25th year of Shaoxing, he passed the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty. Later, he followed Zhu Xi, Chen Liang, Zhang Xiaoxiang and others, and returned to his hometown in Shandong after the Battle of Chaoxian.

Qin Zhenshun came from a family with a long tradition of learning, but he was not a bookworm. He was well-versed in astronomy and geography, and proficient in philosophy and mathematics. After arriving in Shandong, he was immediately recruited into the army and became a deputy director of the staff department.

In actual history, Qin Zhenshun's fame was largely due to his great-grandson, Qin Jiushao.

Qin Jiushao was the author of "Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections," in which he solved the problem of solving systems of linear congruences in modern number theory, and proposed numerical methods for solving arbitrary higher-order equations and systems of linear equations. He was a great mathematician of the Song Dynasty.

Of course, Liu Huai knew nothing about these things. Even if he did, he could only sigh that being good at math was truly innate and couldn't be forced.

Your family might hurt you, your friends might betray you, your lover might cheat on you, but math won't. Because math simply won't.

As a mediocre student who devoted himself to the stuntman industry after completing compulsory education in his previous life, Liu Huai's understanding of mathematics was mostly limited to knowing that there were all sorts of high-level concepts, but he could only handle basic problems such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

However, for mathematical geniuses like Qin Zhenshun, a single concept is enough to propel their academic progress by leaps and bounds.

In practical terms, after introducing functions, Qin Zhenshun directly calculated the parabola of the shell and invented an early tangent scale.

To be honest, when Qin Zhenshun placed the tangent ruler in front of Liu Huai, Liu Huai was almost startled.

Isn't this supposed to be a five-thousand-year-old feudal cycle?
How can science develop so rapidly and so prominently?

In fact, Liu Huai was misled by later films, which made him take the Qing dynasty as the norm in history.

To give a simple example, any legitimate dynasty would assess the literacy rate of its officials as a measure of their performance. With a large literate population, the development of various arts and skills would naturally follow.

However, Daiqing is systematically eliminating primary education in the area.

The Ming Dynasty required that fifty households form a community and establish a community school, which was both mandatory and universal.

During the Hongzhi era, the Ming court mandated that "all children under the age of fifteen, regardless of social status or wealth, must attend community schools," with those who violated this rule being punished, including their fathers and brothers.

Dai Qing, on the other hand, successfully suppressed the literacy rate in the private sector to less than one percent by banning private schools and other measures. He severely punished those who opened private schools or taught their own knowledge, and strictly reviewed the lessons taught in family schools.

How can science develop without a large literate population?

Of course, Liu Da Guanren, whose historical knowledge was limited to textbooks and later high-end online novels, didn't think much of it.

He was merely surprised to find such a high-caliber talent under his command, and immediately granted Qin Zhenshun immense authority, imparting to him all the calculus knowledge he had acquired from his high school memories.

This mathematical tool from Sir Isaac Newton instantly captivated Qin Zhenshun.

Before Liu Huai could even introduce the Arabic numerals of later generations, much like the awe-inspiring historical fiction of ancient times, Qin Zhenshun had already simplified the numerical tools by improving the Suzhou numeral system and smoothly popularized them.

Liu Huai could only marvel at the creativity of the Chinese people before giving up.

Who says unknowns can only be represented by X? Who says simplified numbers can only be represented by 1, 2, or 3? I summarized the formula first, and the whole world should naturally use the standards I set.

Although Liu Da Guanren could no longer understand the formulas Qin Zhenshun had listed, it did not stop him from immediately starting to work on the construction of the Academy of Sciences.

The first batch of successful students will become the first artillery generals.

Artillery was a truly technical branch of the military. During the Napoleonic era, the curriculum of artillery schools was planned for five years. In the summer, students participated in live-fire exercises, and in the winter, they studied theory. The theoretical courses included arithmetic, geometry, higher mathematics, mechanics, and ballistics.

They also need to learn geometric drawing and topography. There are many other military subjects as well, such as reconnaissance, siege and defense tactics, tactics, logic, and staff work.

Five years later, some graduates went directly into artillery regiments. The more outstanding ones continued their studies for two years, covering physics, chemistry, and specific artillery technology.

Liu Huai certainly cannot meet these conditions now, but with breakthroughs in cannon casting technology, cannons with a range of 800 paces have completed preliminary experiments, and gunners who rely entirely on vision and experience will be out of the picture before they even step onto the historical stage.

The distance was too great; even with the telescopes now equipped to the chief gunner, the gunners could not aim accurately.

Only through mathematical calculations, combined with tools such as rulers, can the effect of hitting exactly where you point can be achieved.

Therefore, large-scale higher education is urgently needed.

"The world of the future will be a world of knowledge."

At the opening ceremony of the Academy of Sciences, Liu Huai, a particularly great man, waved his hand and said.

As the vice dean, Zhu Xi stared intently at Liu Huai, a book in his hand, looking every bit the part of a great Confucian scholar of his time. As the vice dean of both the medical school and the academy, Zhu Xi had already discovered many strange and unusual things through his theory of investigating things, and he was also the scholar who appeared most frequently in the official gazette.

He had completely stopped his research in physics and instead plunged headlong into the field of biology through medicine, while also summarizing a bunch of mechanical problems.

Zhu Xi is currently at the dock using his "Investigation of Things" to investigate pulley systems. Even before the three laws of mechanics were developed, he had already begun force analysis. Who knows what strange discoveries he might make in the end.

It is estimated that after some time, once Zhu Xi has systematically studied mathematics, he will undergo another qualitative leap.

As Zhu Xi's "On the Investigation of Things" became popular, more and more things were investigated, and the desire of scholars and officials to become great Confucian scholars grew stronger.

In the official gazette of Shandong in the first month of the lunar calendar, someone even offered a reward of 300 strings of cash, wanting someone to answer a question they couldn't understand: Why do arrows always fall to the ground after being shot, instead of soaring into the sky? What is the fundamental principle behind this?
To be honest, Liu Huai was also extremely surprised when he saw this question. However, he did not directly bring up the law of universal gravitation to demonstrate his power, but chose to wait and see.

As expected, this seemingly insignificant problem could not withstand close scrutiny and sparked countless discussions among scholars and officials.

In the past two months, the Dibao Newspaper Office, located next to the Jiedushi Mansion, has been receiving letters from famous scholars and Confucianists from all over the country every day, with all sorts of speculations in them.

The Taoist perspective leans towards the discussion of reality and illusion;

It leans towards Buddhist teachings on human nature;

Those who lean towards Confucianism discuss purity and impurity.

There are countless varieties.

There was even a letter from Dang Huaiying, the newly appointed director of Haizhou Shipyard, in which he made a judgment based on buoyancy experiments comparing iron ships, stone ships, and wooden ships with iron blocks, stone blocks, and wooden blocks.

It is said that all things in the world live in the air, just as fish live in water. However, the air cannot support all things, but the water can.

These remarks naturally sparked a heated debate about buoyancy, but some people quickly refuted them in the official gazette, saying that buoyancy does exist, but it is a separate issue from the falling of all things and cannot be mutually proven.

Dang Huaiying later frankly admitted this and shifted her research focus to buoyancy.

The extensive discussions among the literati of Shandong, Central Plains, and Hebei over the past five months, besides showing a trend of great ideological liberation, have also greatly promoted the development of private printing plants, which can be considered an unexpected bonus, as the lead type in government-run printing and papermaking factories is almost sparking.

The discussion about gravity has yet to reach a conclusion. The closest to the truth, and the one that is accepted by various scholars, was proposed by Chen Liang.

There is an invisible and intangible force on the ground that pulls on everything at all times.

As for the extent of this power and how it is generated, we must seek the truth through the joint practice of all wise men.

In a recent issue of the local gazette, Lin Fanrong, a renowned scholar from Jinan, began to extend his discussion from the concept of Earth's gravity, questioning the common-sense conclusion that "the size of an object determines the speed of its descent." He also proposed designing an experiment and inviting other scholars to witness it.

How did we end up going in circles and back to verifying the three laws of mechanics?
In response, Liu Huai, who had been merely a spectator throughout the entire event, could only sigh, "There are so many heroes in the world."

As a time traveler, I only made a start and built a platform. Those pearls that had been obscured in history were eager to show their brilliance. Why would they need external moonlight to illuminate them?

It makes sense, really. Although Liu Huai confidently told Xin Qiji that the times progress in a spiral, most civilizations in the world, once they're finished, are finished forever; once they've fallen, they've sunk to the bottom, with no possibility of revival.

So what about Rome? What a glorious civilization, what a great empire, where is it now?
Was their civilization truly as solid as the marble Colosseum?
Only Chinese civilization is truly perpetual and truly spirals upward.

And these individuals who make up Chinese civilization are the most worthy of respect and awe.

Even if a mere time traveler accomplishes something, what does it amount to in the face of such a powerful and prosperous people?

After a long period of reflection and contemplation, Liu Huai still offered assistance to the best of his ability.

First, the Jiedushi's office prepared to publish a new official gazette, "Gewu Bao," which would be published once or twice every ten days, specifically for discussing the issue of investigating things.

In addition, officials and commoners who made new discoveries were rewarded with titles, ranks, and honors—virtually everything imaginable.

In particular, those scholar-officials were officially designated as great Confucian scholars, making them famous throughout the world.

Finally, a nearly 1,000-acre plot of land nestled against the mountains and beside the water was designated in Jinan Prefecture to establish the Academy of Sciences.

The thought that countless theoretical discoveries worthy of being recorded in history would be made in this Academy of Sciences filled Liu Huai with a surge of pride.

Isn't this how a true man acts? He considers the long term, not just the present!
Until the opening ceremony ended, Liu Huai was still in high spirits. However, when a military envoy brought news of Lu You's journey south, Liu Huai's expression visibly fell.

"Bi Dalang, take fifty riders and come with me!" Liu Huai gave the order with a cold face, then smiled at He Boqiu: "Chief Clerk He, I ask you to maintain order."

After saying this, Liu Huai handed the document in his hand to the bewildered He Boqiu, then immediately mounted his horse and left.

(End of this chapter)