Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 292 His Highness the Crown Prince is full of tricks! [Seeking monthly votes]

"I will see you, Your Majesty!"

As soon as Li Shimin entered the gate of the Academy of Sciences, all the officials bowed to him.

At this moment, Li Chengqian, accompanied by researchers such as Zhang Tie, emerged from the Academy of Sciences laboratory, smiling and bowing to him: "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

"Yes, Your Highness, you may rise, all of you!"

Li Shimin raised his hand in a gesture, then looked around and said with a hint of surprise, "This is the Academy of Sciences you built?"

"Yes, Father, this is the headquarters of the Academy of Sciences, which was jointly built by President Liu of the Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Works, and the Jiangling Construction Bureau!"

Li Chengqian smiled and replied, then introduced Liu Rengui to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin nodded calmly, glanced at Liu Rengui, and then said to the ministers behind him, "Today, the Crown Prince invited us to visit the Academy of Sciences. If there is anything you don't understand or are unclear about, please ask enthusiastically. After you return, each of you should write a memorial and submit it to me. I want to hear your understanding of science!"

"what?"

The ministers were all astonished, thinking, "No way, we have to write reviews for this?!"

But then Cheng Yaojin quickly spoke up, "Your Majesty, do we generals also have to write?"

"Write! Everyone must write!"

Li Shimin gave an unquestionable answer, then turned his gaze to Li Chengqian and said calmly, "The Crown Prince is currently promoting new learning, and this Academy of Sciences is the gathering place for talents of new learning. You don't understand anything, so how will you recognize and make good use of people in the future?"

"This"

The ministers exchanged glances, their faces filled with bitterness.

But Li Shimin's words were an imperial edict, leaving them no room for refusal.

Soon, the ministers, carrying out Li Shimin's mission, began to tour the Academy of Sciences, accompanied by academic researchers specially arranged by Liu Rengui.

These academic researchers are well-versed in new learning and possess ample theoretical knowledge, making them ideal guides.

Li Chengqian, Liu Rengui, and Zhang Tie accompanied Li Shimin and his trusted ministers.

Of course, this also includes members of the Li Tang imperial family such as Li Tai, Li You, and Li Yuanchang.

After all, the whole world is progressing, and as a member of the Li Tang imperial family, there is no reason for us not to progress as well.

Li You, in particular, had an immense admiration for his elder brother Li Chengqian. Whenever he had the chance, whether or not he was in front of Li Shimin, he would ask Li Chengqian a question first.

He stomped his foot on the ground and asked Li Chengqian with great curiosity, "Brother Crown Prince, when I was outside the door just now, I heard someone say that there is something called cement in Jiangling that can be mixed with sand and gravel to make concrete. Looking at the ground under my feet, it doesn't seem to be paved with stone slabs or tiles. Is it made of concrete?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian glanced at Li Shimin subconsciously, then smiled and said, "Brother You has a good eye; this is indeed a concrete floor. It's fair to say that almost 80% of the floor in the entire Academy of Sciences is made of concrete!"

"This concrete is amazing! It's not only smooth, but also very strong!"

"Yes, that's the nature of concrete—strong and durable!"

"Heh, just by stepping on it a few times, the Prince of Yan knows how solid this concrete is. I wonder what the Prince of Yan's foot is? Could it also be concrete?" Li Tai couldn't help but sneer.

"Hahaha!"

The ministers burst into laughter.

Li You's face immediately darkened.

At this moment, Li Shimin asked curiously, "What is cement?"

"Father, this way please!"

Li Chengqian didn't offer any further explanation and directly led Li Shimin and the others to the laboratory.

There happened to be a few bags of leftover cement from the renovation.

"Father, please look, this is cement."

Li Chengqian, wearing gloves, grabbed a handful of cement from the bag and showed it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin frowned, seemingly feeling that it was no different from dust and dirt, and that it didn't look like something that could turn sand and gravel into solid rock.

Moreover, in terms of strength, concrete is certainly comparable to rock.

But then Li Chengqian chuckled to himself, "Cement and sand, plus a certain proportion of water, will form concrete after mixing. But the strength of concrete does not entirely depend on the concrete itself. Sometimes, to increase its strength, steel bars or bamboo strips are added to make it more resistant to compression and tension."

This is why the nine pillars outside the Academy of Sciences can support such a large roof.

"Oh?"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow, seemingly instantly intrigued.

Because when he was outside, he also saw those nine pillars, which were indeed very magnificent.

He asked with great interest, "Can your ground withstand being hit by a hammer?"

"sure!"

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "If you don't believe me, Father, you can have someone try it with an iron hammer!"

"it is good!"

Li Shimin readily agreed and turned to the generals, saying, "Who among you will give it a try?"

"I!"

Without saying a word, Yuchi Gong stepped forward.

All the officials looked over.

But then Li Shimin laughed and said, "Jingde, be careful not to break the ground where the Crown Prince is!"

"If it's damaged, then this concrete is nothing special!"

Yuchi Gong chuckled and said something, then immediately had someone bring an iron hammer and began smashing it against the ground.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Among all the officials, Yuchi Gong was the most powerful, and even Cheng Yaojin was no match for him.

As he pounded the ground with his hammer, besides the loud noise, some debris flew out from the ground.

Everyone, including Li Shimin, was greatly surprised.

Only the researchers at the Academy of Sciences smiled without saying a word.

Because concrete is known for its compressive strength.

What is resilience? It means that the more you confront it head-on, the stronger it becomes.

You might be strong enough to hammer a dent into it, but it's almost impossible to smash it or create a hole in it.

Because the force exerted by the hammer is dispersed the moment it contacts the concrete.

Breaking a piece of concrete is actually quite simple; just prop up both ends of the concrete, and you're guaranteed to smash it into pieces.

This is why steel bars and bamboo strips are added to concrete.

The main purpose is to increase the tensile strength of concrete.

To try and smash a whole concrete floor like Yuchi Gong did is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Sure enough, as Yuchi Gong's forehead began to bead with sweat and he started to show signs of exhaustion, while the ground remained almost completely intact, Li Shimin immediately raised his hand to stop him and said with great approval, "This concrete is truly amazing. From now on, the city walls, palaces, and roads of my Great Tang will also be built with concrete!"

"No, no, no!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian quickly stopped Li Shimin, saying:
"Don't say that, Father. Concrete is very expensive to build. Constructing palaces, city walls, and roads requires a lot of concrete, and the Jiangling Cement Plant's production capacity is completely insufficient!"

"Judging from what His Highness the Crown Prince said, this cement is very difficult to produce?" Fang Xuanling, standing behind Li Shimin, couldn't help but ask curiously.

Li Chengqian glanced at him and nodded, saying, "The Grand Secretary is right. Just building this Academy of Sciences has exhausted three years' worth of cement reserves at the Jiangling Cement Plant. If we use cement on a large scale, it certainly won't be enough!"

"Then could we build more cement plants? That way we can produce more cement, right?" Changsun Wuji said thoughtfully.

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, saying, "Theoretically speaking, building more cement plants can indeed increase cement production, but the initial investment and costs for cement plants are also very high."

"What's the big deal? If His Highness the Crown Prince can teach us how to make cement, we're willing to contribute money and effort to build more cement plants!" Cheng Yaojin's mind worked very quickly, and he immediately expressed his opinion to Li Chengqian.

The other officials were not stupid either; they naturally saw the potential of cement and quickly followed suit in expressing their support to Li Chengqian.

"Yes, Your Highness, we can also contribute money and labor to build a cement factory!"

"Your Highness, please teach us how to make cement!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"okay!"

Seeing the officials approaching Li Chengqian one after another, Li Shimin immediately stopped them with a stern face and severely criticized them, saying, "Look at yourselves! Where is the demeanor of court officials? How can you act like mercenary merchants?"

"Besides, can't you see how important this is? How can you so easily make it public?"

After speaking, he looked at Li Chengqian and frowned, saying, "Let the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household Department take charge of the cement plant, and let the imperial court build it!"

"Your Majesty, simply building a cement plant is not enough; we also need the technology to produce cement," Duan Lun, the Minister of Works, quickly reminded Li Shimin upon hearing this.

Li Shimin paused for a moment, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Would the Crown Prince be willing to share the technology for making cement?"

"I refuse!" Li Chengqian refused outright.

Li Tai, who was standing to the side, suddenly became very excited and wanted to jump out and criticize Li Chengqian, but Su Xu behind him pulled him back in time and shook his head to signal him not to be impulsive.

As expected, Li Shimin seemed unsurprised by Li Chengqian's refusal, and didn't even show any anger. Instead, he pursed his lips and said indifferently, "Your Highness, please make any requests you may have. As long as they are appropriate, I will grant them."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian was slightly surprised, thinking to himself that Emperor Li Er was becoming more and more savvy.

So he pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, there are two main reasons why I do not agree to your proposal. First, the technology of the Academy of Sciences is the result of research by its researchers, and we must respect its research results. Second, the Academy of Sciences can authorize the use of its technology, whether it is for the court or for the common people. But it is only an authorization."

"Take building a cement plant as an example. The ministers can build it, and the imperial court can build it, but it must be done according to the rules of the Academy of Sciences. For example, the Academy of Sciences can acquire a certain share through technology licensing, and then receive profits according to the shareholding when the cement plant becomes profitable!"

"Of course, there is another very important point: the core technology of cement must be in the hands of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the partners can only engage in most of the production work."

"This"

Upon hearing this, the ministers and Li Shimin exchanged bewildered glances.

Although they all knew that Li Chengqian would make rather demanding requests, they did not expect that Li Chengqian's requests would be this demanding.

In fact, the reason Li Chengqian invited them to participate in the opening ceremony of the Academy of Sciences today was to lay a solid foundation for future scientific development.

In Li Chengqian's plan, the Academy of Sciences will make many inventions and creations in the future, and these inventions and creations will not only contribute to the development of the country, but also support the development of the Academy of Sciences itself.

After all, every scientific research project is very expensive, and it's impossible for the national treasury to bear the cost forever.
Therefore, the revenue generated through technology licensing is far greater than the revenue from directly participating in production, and it also provides better control over the risk of technology leakage.

But then Changsun Wuji said thoughtfully, "So, according to the Crown Prince's idea, we'll contribute money and effort, but in the end, we won't get any technology?"

"That's the idea, but you can make money. Moreover, the Academy of Sciences will not collaborate with multiple companies on a single technology. To protect everyone's interests, a single technology will be collaborated with a maximum of three companies."

Li Chengqian readily admitted it, but quickly changed the subject: "However, you don't need to worry that the Academy of Sciences will hinder your production, because the Academy will sign a contract with you. It will only be responsible for technical support and will not participate in management and operation."

"This"

Upon hearing this, the ministers looked at each other again.

At this moment, Li Shimin frowned and said, "Why can't the imperial court be an exception? Isn't the Academy of Sciences part of the imperial court? Isn't it its duty to serve the imperial court?"

"Didn't Father Emperor promise that the Academy of Sciences wouldn't get involved in politics and would even be responsible for its own salaries? Does Father Emperor intend for them to starve?"

"What do you mean they'll starve? The imperial court can give them salaries!"

"That won't work."

Li Chengqian refused again, saying, "Father is the emperor, and as the saying goes, a ruler's word is law. Since Father has already agreed, he cannot go back on his word!"

"you!"

Li Shimin was angered by these words and was about to explode when he suddenly heard a curious voice from not far away: "Brother Crown Prince, what is this? Why is there wire in the water?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice.

Li Youzheng picked up the wire that Li Chengqian and the others had just used for their discharge experiment, his face full of curiosity.

"do not want!"

When Li Chengqian saw Li You pick up the wire, he was startled and quickly stopped him, saying, "Put that wire down immediately!"

"what?"

Li You looked completely bewildered and asked, "Why?"

Although he spoke with a question in his mouth, his hands did not follow through.

He picked up a wire with his bare hands and then reached for another wire.

The moment he touched the wire, he trembled violently, then froze, his eyes wide open, as if petrified.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Seeing Li You standing there in a daze, Li Chengqian rushed over in exasperation and scolded him in a low voice, "This contains sulfuric acid! Do you know how dangerous it is? One drop can disfigure you!"

After saying that, he immediately put on leather gloves and prepared to pull the wire out of Li You's hand.

But at that moment, Li You said in a trembling voice, filled with reluctance, "Big Brother Madam, I feel... I feel like I'm about to become an immortal."

"You're a ghostly immortal! You've been electrocuted!"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes and then forcibly pulled the wire from his hand.

At this moment, Li Shimin and his ministers curiously gathered around.

But Wei Zheng spoke first: "May I ask, Your Highness, what is this electricity you speak of?"

"Yes, Your Highness, what is electricity?" Yuchi Gong asked curiously.

Li Chengqian said helplessly, "The so-called electricity is actually just like lightning in the sky, something produced by the movement of electric ions!"

"Thunder and lightning?"

The ministers were taken aback and couldn't help but look at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with a surprised expression and said, "The Academy of Sciences has already mastered the technology to generate lightning?"

"How can this be!"

Li Chengqian quickly denied it, saying, "Lightning is lightning, and electricity is electricity. How can you put it? You can compare lightning to an official position. If lightning is the prime minister, then the electricity we produce is just a minor official. They are completely incomparable!"

"Then what is the purpose of your electricity production?" Li Shimin couldn't help but ask again out of curiosity.

Li Chengqian glanced at Li You, then at the assembled officials, and frowned, saying, "If we're talking about the purpose, my initial goal was to create a communication tool that would allow the front lines and command to communicate quickly, eliminating the need for messengers to run back and forth, truly enabling us to win battles from the outside and strategize within the command tent."

"what?!"

When the ministers heard this, they were shocked.

Even Li Jing was stunned by Li Chengqian's words.

But then he suddenly asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, is what you say true?"

"this."

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Li Jing and smiled, "Theoretically speaking, it is possible, but actual research will probably have to wait for some time."

"But how is that possible?"

"Anything is possible if you study it with your heart, and the principle of sound transmission is also very simple!"

As he spoke, Li Chengqian picked up a paper cup from the table and handed it to Li Jing. Then he picked up another paper cup, walked a distance of about ten feet, and said to Li Jing, "General Li Jing, put the mouth of the paper cup to your ear, cover one ear, and listen to what I'm saying. See if you can hear me."

"it is good!"

Li Jing was also a very straightforward person.

He immediately put the rim of the paper cup to his ear amidst the curious gazes of his ministers, and then covered his other ear with his hand.

"Hello, General Li Jing, can you hear me?"

"This"

When Li Jing heard Li Chengqian's voice coming from the paper cup, he was so surprised that his eyes widened and he turned to look at Li Shimin.

Without saying a word, Li Shimin stepped forward, took the paper cup from his hand, and held it to his ear.

But then Li Chengqian laughed and said, "Father, that's the principle behind a megaphone!"

"If we replace the wire connecting the paper cup with an electrical wire, and then use the principle of electromagnetism, we can achieve sound transmission over long distances!"

"This"

Li Shimin was stunned when he heard the sound coming from the paper cup.

If, as Li Chengqian said, something could truly be created that could transmit sound over a thousand miles, then the landscape of warfare would undergo a radical transformation.

Because he knew better than anyone that the battlefield situation could change in an instant, and that if an opportunity was missed, a victory that seemed within reach could be lost in an instant.

Therefore, this technology can absolutely be called a divine skill.

"call"

"call"

Everyone, including Li Shimin, involuntarily increased their breathing.

Because this thing is many times more important than the cement and concrete we just talked about.

"Your Highness, could you please..."

"can!"

Before Qin Qiong could finish speaking, Li Chengqian interrupted him with a smile: "However, if you want to have this, you must first support the military reform!"

Only advanced armies deserve to use advanced equipment.

I rub!

So His Highness the Crown Prince was waiting for us here!
Upon hearing Li Chengqian's words, the generals immediately understood.

What was the point of attending the Academy of Sciences' opening ceremony? It turned out to be another trap.

Just like the last Double Ninth Festival banquet, it was full of routines!
(End of this chapter)