The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 751 The Blessing of Two Great Empires Serving One Person
Xingtang Taiping Prefecture (Ma'anshan), Jiangsu Province
This Anhui-based little fan of Nanjing brother in later generations was a very wealthy and politically high administrative region at that time.

Its jurisdiction included the later Ma'anshan City and Wuhu City, as well as Gaochun and Lishui counties in Jiangsu Province.

In terms of the rank of the chief official, the chief official of Xingtang Taiping Prefecture was not a prefect, but a prefect. His rank was not the fourth rank, but a third rank official. He could participate in court meetings and report directly to the emperor at the end of the year.

It has the same configuration as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture in Nanjing, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture in Beijing, the prefect of Guangzhou Prefecture in the Southern Capital, the prefect of Hexian Prefecture in Xingtang, the prefect of Chang'an Prefecture in the Western Capital, and the prefect of Osaka Prefecture in the Eastern Asahi.

The reason for this configuration is that after Mo Zibu's ancestors followed Dongguan Bo He Zhen to surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang, they were placed in the guard post of Taiping Prefecture. Therefore, this place can be regarded as half of the emperor's ancestral home.

Of course, the more important reason is that Jiangnan is becoming more and more important now, and even Emperor Mo Zibu wants to be closer to them.

Only in this way can we quickly mobilize their enthusiasm for building the country and draw blood from these wealthy people to build the country.

Naturally, nothing can better strengthen the feelings of both parties than the emperor being your fellow villager. The emperor is from your hometown, so isn't it your duty to support him?

At the same time, this very clever way of winning over can also serve to balance the Fujian and Guangdong meritorious officials and wealthy business groups.

After all, the people in the Fujian and Guangdong nobles and wealthy merchants group control too many interests and are rather wild in nature. It is not a good thing to allow them to dominate the market.

As for the effect, it is naturally extremely good. Now everyone in Jiangnan regards the emperor as their own fellow villager. Even in the martial arts world and even in the court, one can often hear arguments about whether the emperor's ancestral home is Lingnan or Jiangnan.

The rise of Xingtang Taiping Prefecture can actually be seen as a microcosm of the Dayu economy, especially the development of modern science and technology represented by steelmaking, steam engines, and alchemy.

Because the original capital of Xingtang Taiping Prefecture was in Dangtu County, Mo Zibu's ancestors served in the garrison here.

But eight years ago, the capital of Xingtang Taiping Prefecture was moved to the foot of Ma'anshan, which is the center of Ma'anshan in later generations, in order to carry out industrial construction.

However, Mo Zibu did not name the city after the mountain of Ma'anshan as later generations did. Instead, he continued the word Taiping from the Ming and Qing dynasties and simply called it Taiping City.

With the establishment of Taiping City, the rich coal and iron mines surrounding Ma'anshan, the convenient water transportation on the Yangtze River, and the unrivaled education level in China became important driving forces for its take-off.

The biggest driving force is the level of education.

You should know that in Jiangnan during the Ming Dynasty, fishermen and farmers could recognize 200 to 300 words and recite poems.

Although it was suppressed during the Qing Dynasty, it is estimated that the literacy rate among men was still 35 to 40 percent, which was much higher than the national average literacy rate of about 8 percent and certainly no more than 10 percent.

A certain literacy rate not only brings a high acceptance of new things and the ability to learn quickly, but also compliance with discipline, making them simply the best industrial talents.

Therefore, the entire Xingtang Taiping Prefecture was established only fifteen years ago, and Taiping City (Ma'anshan) was established only eight years ago, but it had already become the first industrial center in Jiangnan.

There are four steel mills with an annual output of 20,000 tons of pig iron, hundreds of other small and medium-sized steel mills, and countless blacksmith and hardware factories.

In the 1796st year of Guangzhong () alone, Xingtang Taiping Prefecture produced tons of pig iron, although it was far surpassed by the tons of pig iron produced by the Nanhai steel circle formed by Guangzhou, Foshan, Halong, Shilu and Tiandu.

But this figure was equivalent to England's output at the time, 40,000 tons more than the total of France, which had begun to resume steel production, 150,000 tons more than Tsarist Russia, and more than seven times that of Prussia.

To match the steel mills, various heavy industrial industries were also established one after another, including a steam locomotive factory and the world's largest explosives factory operated by Fuxing Company, all in Taiping City.

At that time, this small city, which was not very important in later generations, had a population of 870,000 in the urban area alone, three Imperial Colleges, and countless other schools. It ranked 13th among the major cities in Dayu.

The cities that could be ahead of him were famous cities like the two capitals of the north and the south, the two capitals of the south and the west, Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Among the three imperial academies owned by Taiping Prefecture, the Royal East-West Friendship Academy, built in the 1796st year of Guangzhong (), was the most important.

This was the Imperial Academy specially built by Emperor Mo Zibu to house Western scholars, mainly exiled scholars from France. Half of the professors in various disciplines were top scholars from Europe, and a considerable number of students also came from Europe. Once it was built, it became one of the top Imperial Academy in Dayu.

At this time, the Mathematical College of the Imperial East-West Friendship Academy was crowded with people, at least three to four thousand people had poured in, many of whom came here because of its reputation, and some even came all the way from Guangdong.

Because today, the Frenchman Joseph Lagrange, dean of the School of Mathematics at the Royal Academy of East-West Friendship, will give a lecture in person.

The content of the lectures not only included his own lifelong research and experience in analysis, but also included Lagrange's lectures on the mathematical achievements of another contemporary mathematical master, Leonhard Euler.

The branch of mathematics called analysis at this time was further improved into an important branch of mathematics and was called the beginning of modern mathematics. The famous calculus, integral calculus, etc. in later generations were all included in it.

In this era, Leonhard Euler, one of the only two masters of analysis, had passed away, and Joseph Lagrange was the only remaining figure, a kind of founder.

It is natural that such a person would cause a sensation if he were to give a lecture on his life's work and his views on Euler's research.
At the same time, another French mathematician, Pierre-Simon Raspes, will also give lectures.

Laspus's lectures focused on mathematics and astronomy.

Although Laspus was not the top mathematician, he highly respected Euler. His research also followed Euler's direction. His teaching of Euler's mathematical achievements might be more in-depth and detailed than Lagrange's.

At the same time, Laspus's achievements in astronomy were far superior to those in mathematics. He was an absolute authority in the theory of planetary motion, the theory of lunar motion, and the origin of the solar system - the nebular theory.

The magnum opus on celestial mechanics, Celestial Mechanics, which Laspus was about to publish, was the founding work of this discipline.

"There are too many people, and the students are too enthusiastic. We can only accommodate no more than a thousand people, and the classroom can only accommodate a maximum of three hundred people."

In the professor's villa area, at Lagrange's home, Laspus, who was about to give a lecture, had no time to prepare for it because too many people came, far more than they expected, and obviously more than the number of people to teach.

You have to know that there was no audio equipment at that time, only primitive speakers, which meant that the number of people attending the class was greatly limited, otherwise many people would not be able to hear clearly.

Hearing what Laspus said, Wang Lai, a mathematician and professor at the college who was from Shexian County, Anhui Province, smiled and said in a mixture of Chinese and French:

"Don't worry, Mr. La. The mathematics you two taught today is the most advanced at the moment. Such profound knowledge has its own threshold. Even if some people come, they won't understand.

So I think Zhu Li, the prefect, will soon send police to maintain order and select those who are qualified to enter the classroom to attend the lecture."

Raspus was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that Seris was different from France. Their officials were not nobles passed down through blood, but scholars who studied and entered school through the imperial examination system.

Therefore, in Seres, the status of scholars was very high because there was a possibility of constant transfer between them and officials.

If you are a scholar today, you may be an official tomorrow; if you are an official today, you may very well be a scholar tomorrow.

For this reason, the government attaches great importance to matters such as lectures.

Raspus sighed. This was completely unimaginable in France. They did not have the ability to hold an academic event in Paris and get the mayor of Paris to serve them.

Thinking of this, Laspers, who was already a bit obsessed with power and had a weak backbone, narrowed his eyes with laughter.

This feeling is really great. Compared with the false flattery of scientists by the so-called kings in Europe, this feeling of bringing scholars both material and spiritual enjoyment in terms of social status, economic benefits and other aspects is really wonderful.

Sure enough, not long after, in the 1787th year of Guangzhong (), the list of successful candidates was announced. The first place in the second class, which was the fourth place after the top three places, was announced. The prefect of Taiping Prefecture, Zhu Li, who was from Ningguo Prefecture, Anhui Province, came in person with the associate magistrate in charge of teaching and the magistrate of Taiping County. There were also dozens of yamen runners from Taiping Prefecture outside the door.

"Don't worry, everyone. I have already prepared the examination room. Wan Tongzhi will be in charge of the exam. Only those who pass the exam will be allowed to attend the class. However, the exam papers still need to be written by you."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Mayor. It is our honor to prepare examination questions for the brightest students from the East and the West."

Even someone like Lagrange, who didn't really want to come to China but was forced to come to China by Cao Zhenyong, the special envoy to Western Thailand, had to admit that this feeling was truly wonderful.

At this moment, a eunuch wearing a flying fish robe and a three-mountain crown came in from outside the door. He was of a high rank and could be called a eunuch. When he saw Zhu Li was there, he smiled and said:

"The prefect is here too, so there's no need to go home to look for you." As he said this, the eunuch flicked his whisk.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty the Crown Princess Ye, His Consort Princess Xia, His Majesty the Crown Prince's Consort Wang, along with the Emperor's eldest grandson, the Duke of Wen, and the Duke of Valois of France, will be here to attend the lecture in an hour. Please be prepared to receive them."

“Your Highness the Crown Prince and his companions are wearing the White Dragon Fish uniform this time. They don’t want to attract attention, so they are only escorted by three companies of Yuan Cong’s guards.

Therefore, His Majesty has specially ordered our family to come here, and ordered the prefect to assist in mobilizing the garrison troops of about a thousand households from Taiping Prefecture to come and take charge of security."

After saying this, the eunuch handed over the emperor's handwritten order, the outer court's seal of approval, and the Ministry of War's troop mobilization order to Zhu Li, the prefect of Taiping Prefecture.

In the Dayu Dynasty, the imperial guards and navy were directly dispatched by the emperor's inner court, and no one else had the right to interfere. The sixteen armies of the capital camp and some important garrison troops were controlled by the Privy Council, while the garrison troops of each province were mainly managed by the Ministry of War.

Therefore, according to strict procedures, in order to mobilize the garrison troops in various provinces, in addition to the emperor's handwritten order, the seal of the prime minister of the outer court and the mobilization order of the Ministry of War are also required. Only when these three procedures are complete can the troops be mobilized. This is also a concession made by Mo Zibu to the scholar-official group in exchange for their agreement and support for the country's various reforms.

Of course, this configuration is also needed to better manage the armies in each province.

"The Duke of Valois is coming too? This is really... Her Royal Highness is still too young." When Lagrange heard that the Duke of Valois was coming, he looked happy but also a little worried.

Because the Duke of Valois was the son of Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Louis XVI, and Crown Prince Mo Zhousen of Dayu.

This child is destined to bear a lot of things from the moment he is born.

In Europe, with the birth of this child, in order to gain more aid from Dayu, the regent of the French Bourbon dynasty's exiled government, the Duke of Anjou, named the child the Duke of Valois in the name of King Louis XVII, Princess Charlotte's younger brother Louis.

This is really a big deal. You know, the title of Duke of Valois has always been held concurrently by the Duke of Orleans, a prince of the Bourbon dynasty.

The Duke of Valois during this period was Louis Philippe, the seventh Duke of Orleans, who was a famous filial son and had his father, Louis the Equal, killed. He later served as King of France for more than ten years during the July Monarchy.

And now, he can give up the title of Duke of Valois, which shows how much expectations the survivors of the Bourbon dynasty in Europe have for China.

Correspondingly, the Bourbon government in exile broke the convention and made their daughter's grandson the Duke of Valois. This was equivalent to, to a certain extent, abandoning the Sacre Code that had been implemented for more than 500 years. Naturally, Dayu could not do the job.

Therefore, when none of his grandsons were granted titles and his brothers were only dukes, Mo Zibu conferred the title of Duke of Wen on this little grandson.

Moreover, the character "Wen" in Duke Wen's name comes from the warm-water port on the west coast of North America, which is Vancouver in later generations. This is the most important stronghold of Dayu in North America, with a population of 170,000.

It can be seen that Emperor Mo Zibu Mo also invested a lot of money.

This is also the reason why Lagrange is a little worried. This child is so important and is only a little over one year old this year. He has to take him for such a long distance. What if something happens to him?

But since the people were already here, Lagrange and the others could only quickly come up with the questions and then make preparations for the reception.

Outside the School of Mathematics, somehow the news that the Crown Prince and his family were coming to attend the lecture was leaked, which made the exam even more heated.

After all, there are only 300 places available. If you pass the exam, you will not only be able to listen to lectures by contemporary scholars of mathematics and astronomy, but also be able to share a room with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the future emperor.

If he performs well and is noticed by the Crown Prince, he will soar to fame. Even if he leaves a good impression through a few conversations, he will definitely benefit greatly in the future.

Especially those students who came from relatively humble backgrounds, their eyes were wide open, full of desire for progress.

Yes, it means humble, not poor.

Because there are no poor people in the south of Dayu today.

As long as you are willing to work hard, there will be endless work for you to do. Maybe it is still far from the life of a rich person, but it can definitely not be called poverty.

At this time in Jiangnan, because Dayu's territory was large enough and its consumption power was strong, its exports were all flagship products of the seller's market. Therefore, although the workers were tired, their wages were definitely not low.

Even in the most ordinary family, if one of the three is working, it is absolutely no problem to have three meals of white rice a day, meat every two days, and kill three to five chickens and ducks a month to satisfy your hunger.

Inside the house, the one-year-old Duke Wen of China and Duke of Valois of France completely attracted everyone's attention, stealing all the limelight from Mo Guangqi, the eldest grandson of the emperor born to Wang Zhenyi.

However, Wang Zhenyi didn't care about this at all. She was extremely intelligent, so intelligent that her talent in mathematics and astronomy amazed even Laspers, who had decided to cooperate in research in many areas.

Therefore, Wang Zhenyi would never let her son Mo Guangqi participate in any competition for the throne. This path is very dangerous. She only has this one son. Wouldn't it be better to train him to become a great scholar of the royal family in the future than to let him participate in the dangerous battle for the throne in the past?

"I want to tell you a very sad news." Looking at the more than 30 top scientific and political talents from France in the room, Princess Charlotte's tears suddenly flowed down.

She was sobbing so hard that even the Crown Prince Da Laosen had red eyes. He took Princess Charlotte's hand and held her in his arms to comfort her.

After a long while, Princess Charlotte said in great sorrow, "My brother, His Majesty Louis XVII, King of France, was called by God in Vienna four months ago and has left us for heaven!"

"Ah!" Lagrange, Lavoisier and others were so shocked that they fell to the ground, their faces full of disbelief.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Marquis de Lafayette, who participated in and led the American War of Independence and was known as the hero of two worlds, howled miserably, knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

During this time and space, Lafayette avoided being imprisoned in Austria and then sent back to France, and he ran to China.

Of course, because he had cooperated with the French revolutionary government and failed to protect King Louis XVI, he was quite unpopular.

So, at this time, Marquis Lafayette appeared to be in great pain, and was considering restoring some of his image.

Of course, he was really in pain because he also felt that he was responsible for the death of King Louis XVI.

Inside the house, there was a burst of crying. Many people might not have such deep feelings for Louis XVI, but they certainly hated the French revolutionary government, especially people like Robespierre.

The French Revolution was progressive and great, but this does not mean that all revolutionaries during the French Revolution were progressive and great.

For people like Lagrange and Lavoisier, compared with the once extremely crazy French revolutionary government, France during the reign of King Louis XVI, although it had many problems, was still considered a strong country.

They are suffering now, with a feeling of pain of "Oh my god, how did the country become like this?"

Princess Charlotte was comforted again by her husband, Crown Prince Dasen, and finally calmed down. She began to tell the French people present the news from Vienna.

It turned out that although Louis XVII was rescued by a group of martial arts masters sent by China, his condition was too serious.

Little Louis was not only infected with tuberculosis, but also suffered damage to other organs, both large and small. In addition, he suffered great mental torture during that period, which was far beyond the limit of what a human can bear.

Therefore, even though he arrived safely in Vienna, and even though he received the full treatment and nursing care from Lu Wang's medical officer Mo Zirong, he still did not survive.

After hearing this, Marquis Lafayette suddenly looked at Princess Charlotte who was crying, and he understood something in his heart.

Now that King Louis XVII has passed away, Princess Charlotte's son, the Duke of Valois, who is only one and a half years old, has become the only surviving male descendant of King Louis XVI.

Although France has the Code of Sacre, which means grandsons have no inheritance rights, this is still of great significance.

Especially when this child, who has the royal blood of two countries, and the royal blood of the two most powerful countries on earth, is used outside of France, his appeal will be extremely terrifying.

The old and experienced Lagrange suddenly understood something. No wonder Princess Charlotte took the risk to bring the Duke of Valois here. It turned out that His Majesty King XVII had passed away.

"Laong, today is really not the right time to bring this sad news to you. I think we should cancel today's lecture." Crown Prince Laosen looked at Lagrange and said, using the name Laong.

Lagrange glanced at Big Brother Sen. Although he was not very willing to come, over the past year or so, he had been conquered by China's learning atmosphere and the attitude of truly respecting knowledge from top to bottom.

Coupled with the special status of the Duke of Valois, Lagrange was no longer reluctant to serve China.

Then, this last great master of mathematics shook his head and replied: "Only today do I understand how important it is to have a truly wise emperor who loves all his people.

The lectures must continue, because this is the best way for us exiles to express our gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor and pay tribute to the great Seres civilization.

From today on, we will delve into this ancient and great land, and let the civilizations of the East and the West work together to contribute to it."

Hearing what Lagrange said, although Big Brother Sen knew it was not appropriate to smile at this moment, he couldn't help it.

His eyes were curved into crescent shapes, and his cheeks were puffy because he wanted to laugh but was too embarrassed to do so.

"Great, this is the moment we have been waiting for!" Big Brother Sen replied with great appreciation.

For great scholars like Lagrange and Lavoisier, the difference between teaching seriously and doing things perfunctorily is obviously completely different.

These French people are finally willing to use all their abilities.

(End of this chapter)