Chapter 941
Chapter 941
Pan Yun was fed up with the back-and-forth tug-of-war between land and existing taxes; the pie was only so big, and another piece was hidden.
Yu Qian and his group wanted to expose the hidden parts to the world. In addition, they relied on reforming officialdom and saving expenses to increase the national treasury revenue.
This was tantamount to snatching food from someone's mouth. Every time there was a hint of trouble, all sorts of accidents would happen in the imperial court and the inner palace, and Pan Yun would be dragged out and scolded as well.
Her viewpoint has remained unchanged: Yu Qian and his team can continue doing what they want to do, but she can expand the scope of the project. This way, the conflict will be dispersed, and the opposition will be less intense.
There's no better cake than developing science and technology and boosting productivity.
Since the Ministry of Works could make hand-cranked generators, steam engines and such things should not be difficult to make either.
With the technological level of the Ming Dynasty, it was only a matter of time before they could make it.
Pan Yun had already given them the blueprints.
Unfortunately, only those researchers were excited about it; few officials in the court understood the importance of these things. As a result, the Ministry of Works' application for funding was cut again and again, and in the end, it only received the smallest amount. Not to mention using the funds for research, even the wages for the craftsmen had to be squeezed out of the officials' salaries.
Otherwise, how could someone as stingy as Pan Yun have so readily agreed to take out 10,000 taels of silver as a reward fund without even a stutter?
If we want the Ministry of Works to take this seriously, we must make sure these ministers know how important science and technology are.
Pan Jun decided to let them experience the charm of technology through megaphones and radios.
The next day, Zhu Qiyu led his ministers to visit the Ministry of Works.
Hu Cheng warmly received them.
The Ministry of Works has always done the most work for the least amount of money.
Don't assume that officials from the Ministry of Works are rich just because they are needed for lucrative jobs like dredging the Yellow River and building palaces. Quite the opposite.
When it came to managing the Yellow River, the Ministry of Works was supposed to send officials to assist, but the person in charge was never an official from the Ministry of Works.
Now it's a guy named Xu Youzhen. He used to be a Hanlin scholar, and the two people sent by the Ministry of Works are his deputies, only serving as technical advisors, and occasionally being sent to the river to check whether the project is up to standard.
They did the dirty and hard work, but money and supplies never passed through their hands, so naturally they had no opportunity to embezzle.
Needless to say, when it came to palace construction, officials from the Ministry of Works always took the blame, but the credit and actual benefits went to either the Imperial Household Department or the Grand Eunuch.
Hu Cheng, on the other hand, was not interested in things like corruption and bribery; he devoted himself entirely to the research of firearms.
This portion was funded by the Ministry of War.
He himself had no problem with research funding, but the other people in the Ministry of Works did not have much research funding. Before Pan Yun came, everyone did some research within their capabilities according to the requirements of the court, and privately they did research according to their own interests and hobbies.
However, due to a lack of funding, much of the research has stalled.
After Pan Yun arrived, the Ministry of Works gradually achieved good results. Hu Cheng also hoped that the Ministry of Works would produce more good products, so he was very happy and enthusiastic to see the emperor bring so many ministers.
Hu Cheng had a good relationship with Wang Ji and Yu Qian. After bringing the emperor to the Ministry of Works' courtyard, he quietly walked up to the two men and whispered to them to say a few good words for the Ministry of Works.
Yu Qian remained silent, but Wang Ji asked curiously, "What good things does the Imperial Preceptor want to show us?"
Hu Cheng became excited and whispered, "The general will definitely like it, and it will also be of great use in military affairs."
Pan Jun led his men over from another location. Upon seeing the emperor, he immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty has arrived! Come quickly, come quickly! Let's walk around the line, and we can start testing it in a little while."
Zhu Qiyu followed her from the Ministry of Works to the Ministry of War, looking completely bewildered. The journey involved two courtyards and was traversed by only one pipe.
The ministers followed with bewildered expressions. Pan Yun told Yu Qian and the others to stay at the Ministry of War. He held a round receiver to his ear and said, "In a moment, a sound will come from inside. Lord Yu, please listen carefully and see if you can hear it clearly."
Yu Qian raised an eyebrow: "So, are you going to speak on behalf of the Ministry of Works regarding this matter?"
"good."
"How is that possible?" Before Yu Qian could speak, Chen Xun laughed and said, "Grand Preceptor, there are two courtyards between the two departments."
After a moment's thought, Wang Ji said, "If we shout loudly, we can still be heard. Lord Chen has never heard of someone shouting from the mountain, has he?"
Pan Yun pulled Zhu Qiyu away, saying, "It's not about shouting at the mountain, it's about talking like you're face to face."
Pan Yun pulled Zhu Qiyu to the Ministry of Works, picked up a stethoscope from the other end of the pipe and handed it to Zhu Qiyu, gesturing to him: "Your Majesty, shout into the pipe."
Zhu Qiyu opened his mouth, but seeing that the ministers were all staring intently at him, he felt inexplicably ashamed and remained silent while holding the cylinder.
Pan Yun urged, "The person opposite is Lord Yu, so just call him Lord Yu."
Zhu Qiyu held the cylinder to his ear and hesitated before calling out, "Minister Yu?"
Pan Yun: "Speak louder!"
Zhu Qiyu instinctively shouted, "Minister Yu!"
The ministers couldn't help but burst into laughter. Zhu Qiyu's face turned bright red. Chen Xun laughed loudly, "Grand Preceptor, there are two courtyards between us. Even if Lord Yu has the sharpest ears, he won't hear it."
Pan Jun then lifted the emperor's hand and pressed the cylinder to his ear. Amidst a chorus of low laughter, a hesitant voice came from inside the cylinder: "Your Majesty?"
Zhu Qiyu was taken aback, and suddenly looked up to look around, but did not see Yu Qian. He quickly asked, "Is Lord Yu still in the Ministry of War?"
"Naturally, it's still with the Ministry of War."
The voice from the cylinder was a step behind, but it caught the tail of the voice and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty is still in the Ministry of War, while Your Majesty is in the Ministry of Works."
Zhu Qiyu looked at Pan Yun with surprise, and after a moment said, "Yes, I am still in the Ministry of Works."
The ministers then realized that the emperor wasn't speaking to them, but rather seemed to be conversing with Yu Qian.
Everyone fell silent.
Zhu Qiyu was very excited and said to the cylinder, "Minister Yu, is General Wang by your side? Please ask him to say a few words."
Wang Ji, who was standing next to Yu Qian, scratched his head and took the cylinder almost immediately after Yu Qian handed it over.
After the emperor and his minister had a conversation, Zhu Qiyu reluctantly handed the cylindrical tube to the other ministers to listen to.
So the ministers started playing a game of telepathy between the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.
Some ministers, annoyed by the large number of people, grabbed their official robes and ran to the Ministry of War to queue up there, while also confirming whether the person they were speaking to was indeed from the Ministry of War.
Thus, the officials of the six ministries had the privilege of seeing ministers of the third rank and above jogging back and forth between the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.
Yu Qian and Wang Ji also jogged over, looking excited.
Wang Ji was already sixty-eight years old, but he still jogged along the way, his face full of excitement. His eyes looked at Pan Yun as if they were filled with sunlight; he had never looked at his wife with such fervor when he was young.
Wang Ji hastily clasped his hands in greeting to the emperor and then rushed to Pan Yun, his face beaming with excitement: "Imperial Advisor, isn't this thing called 'Thousand-Mile Ear'? We ordinary people can actually use it!"
Yu Qian also looked at Pan Yun with surprise.
Zhu Qiyu snapped out of his daze and quickly said, "Grand Preceptor, with this, can I communicate with you without the Yellow Talisman?"
Writing on yellow talismans was still too troublesome. The characters had to be written very small, and sometimes it would take four or five talismans to write just one thing. Before putting pen to paper, one had to think it over and over again, simplifying a sentence into just a few words. It really tested one's literary skills. Zhu Qiyu felt that his literary level had improved a lot in the past few months, comparable to when he was a child studying with the Grand Tutor.
Chen Xun had also tried, but Cao Nai snatched the cylinder away. He could only come over with a look of unfulfilled desire, looking at Pan Yun with a complicated expression: "Grand Preceptor, you cultivators have kept this from us for so long. Everyone said that your magical artifacts could only be used by cultivators, such as the Universe in the Sleeve, the Eyes and Ears that can see and hear a thousand miles, the Earth Escape Technique, and the Water Escape Technique. We have always admired them but dared not say it out loud. In the end, we can use them too."
Pan Yun waited until they finished speaking before saying, "This is not a magical artifact; it is an ordinary artifact. Any craftsman who has learned the technique can make it, and anyone can use it."
"An ordinary artifact?" Wang Ji murmured, "How could an ordinary artifact transmit sound over a thousand miles?"
“This is the power of technology,” Pan Jun said. “Technology can enable people who do not cultivate the Tao to travel thousands of miles a day, transmit their voices across thousands of miles, and video chat across thousands of miles, just like people who cultivate the Tao. Oh, it’s like talking face to face.”
Yu Qian suddenly remembered what Pan Yun had said yesterday, and he narrowed his eyes slightly: "Is this what you were talking about yesterday, the power of technology?"
"Not bad!"
Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and declared with boundless pride, "Build it! I want this Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission System!"
Pan Yun spread his hands and said, "It's not possible right now."
Zhu Qiyu: "Huh?"
"Your Majesty, one cannot become fat in one bite; you must give us time to grow."
"But didn't we just hear that?"
“It’s only two courtyards apart, so the cost is manageable. But if you want to talk to Sun Yuanzhen, you’ll have to lay the cable from Beijing to Hangzhou, and that’s not just about laying the cable,” Pan Yun asked. “Leaving aside the technical issues, do you have the money?”
Zhu Qiyu: ...Money, money, money, why is it money again?
Yu Qian narrowed his eyes slightly and said directly, "Money is not a problem. How long will it take? Can your technology extend the cable from Beijing to Hangzhou?"
Pan Yun's lips curled up, and she held up five fingers, saying, "Five years!"
Yu Qian immediately nodded: "Okay, we can wait."
"Wait, wait a minute," Zhu Qiyu hurriedly said, "Minister Yu, what do you mean by 'money is no problem'?"
Yu Qian's eyes sparkled as he said, "Your Majesty, I was short-sighted yesterday. The Imperial Advisor is right. Once technology reaches a certain level, money will no longer be a problem."
Pan Jun clapped his hands and laughed for a while before saying, "Of course, since Your Majesty and everyone else have come all this way, I naturally won't just bring out this one thing. There is another thing, which is the only thing that can truly transmit sound over a thousand miles right now."
Pan Yun asked Hu Wei to bring out the wireless telegraph machine.
Hu Wei placed it very carefully. Pan Yun said, "I have to especially thank the two craftsmen, Song Yang and Lian Cheng. It was they who fired the crystal tubes I requested, which made the telegraph machine possible. I thought this thing would take several years to research, but I didn't expect that the craftsmen of my Great Ming Dynasty could be so skilled."
Hu Wei said excitedly, "The Imperial Advisor has already provided the detailed blueprints. If we can't even make this, we're really incompetent."
Pan Jun shook his finger and said, "No, no, no, there are many techniques involved that are not available in the general public. If I say you are amazing, then you really are amazing."
Even now, the Ming Dynasty's economy, culture, and technology still lead the world, a level that the West cannot even come close to.
Unfortunately, after the late Ming Dynasty, science and technology began to stagnate, while the West, after several revolutions, not only surpassed China but also left it far behind.
Many crafts have emerged, but they have not been systematically applied.
Pan Jun knew that once these things were unearthed and put into use, they would develop with vigorous vitality.
She merely pointed out a path using blueprints.
But if the path is to be truly opened up, it still depends on the emperor and all the ministers in this courtyard.
Only when they realize the power of technology will they value it.
Pan Yun explained to them the principles of the wireless telegraph machine.
With the exception of a very few individuals, no one present could understand it.
Yu Qian didn't understand, but Wang Ji and Hu Cheng did. To Pan Yun's surprise, Chen Xun was the one who understood the best.
Chen Xun not only understood the principle, but also tried it himself. He first manually cranked the generator to start the telegraph machine, and then clumsily operated it according to the code given by Pan Yun.
Pan Yun looked at Chen Xun with a light in her eyes and praised, "Impressive, Lord Chen. You are the third person who understands it immediately and can even operate it."
Chen Xun was somewhat proud. He pondered, "In this way, as long as the right people and passwords are provided, it can replace the '800-li urgent delivery'..."
Pan Yun said, "It can't be said to completely replace it. If the telegraph machine is destroyed, human transmission of messages is still the safest method."
Wang Ji said excitedly, "But this would be of great benefit during wartime, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Qiyu nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand. These are war supplies, and the army must be fully equipped first. If, if the army had these things last year when I personally led the expedition against the Oirat..."
The ministers remained silent.
Zhu Qiyu turned his head away, wiped his tears, and smiled, "It's not too late now, Chen Xun."
"The minister is here."
"Give the Ministry of Works funds and order them to build twenty telegraph machines first."
Pan Yun added, "There are also hand-cranked generators."
“Yes,” Zhu Qiyu asked, “How much?”
Pan Yun looked at Hu Wei.
Hu Wei said nervously, "Yes, about five thousand taels."
Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said, "Give them eight thousand taels!"
He said, "Do a good job, and I will reward you."
Hu Wei was just a craftsman. Upon hearing this, he knelt down with a thud and loudly replied, "Yes!"
Zhu Qiyu quickly helped him up and said with a smile, "A man's knees are worth gold. You are the pillars of the country. Except for grand ceremonies, you do not need to kneel before me."
Hu Wei's eyes were slightly moist as he looked at the emperor with admiration and reverence. At this moment, he wished he could give his life for the emperor.
The usually meticulous Chen Xun surprisingly didn't haggle and agreed, saying he would allocate the funds to the Ministry of Works as soon as he got back.
The emperor pointed to the still-used communication tube and asked, "What about this? How much would it cost to research this?"
Pan Yun: "There are a lot of these. We'll have the Ministry of Works write a plan for you. Once the required materials are listed, we can estimate the cost."
The emperor and his men were more interested in the telegraph, since they couldn't understand or even fully comprehend the telegraph machine. They only knew that the electromagnetic waves emitted by the telegraph machine would travel between heaven and earth, be received by another telegraph machine, and then decrypted according to the existing code points and lines...
They could understand each word of this passage, but they couldn't understand it when put together. First of all, what are electromagnetic waves?
Zhu Qiyu neither understood nor asked. He felt he didn't need to understand it; he only needed to know that it was usable and useful.
However, a megaphone is still more direct.
Honestly, if they hadn't tested the microphone first, and Pan Yun hadn't taken out the telegraph machine, no one would have believed it.
How could she say she could transmit sound over a thousand miles and then do so? (End of Chapter)