Section 17 Bopu Observations

He was very interested in mathematics, and when he was a teenager, he read many European and Arab works, and studied geometry and algebra. However, outsiders' enthusiasm for mathematics only thinks that it is necessary to operate and settle accounts - inevitably there are some ignorant people who make fun of him: saying that Mr. Li loves money as much as his life, and he is afraid that Mr. Ledger will have black money, so he is good at learning mathematics.

Li Luoyou has occasionally heard such words, although there is no need to argue, but he secretly smiled bitterly: the vast majority of Chinese people's concepts of mathematics still stay at the level of the simplest arithmetic application. Li Luoyou has read many works of Chinese and foreign mathematicians, and has also had contacts with the mathematicians of the time, but this thing exists as a kind of "thing" in a very small circle. Many people think that this is a useless "miracle skill", and the only compliment is to say that it is: "dragon slaying" - if there is an application, it can only be used in the astronomical calendar. Who can use it to live a normal life?

With Li Luoyou's cultivation of algebra and geometry, he is also a rare mathematical talent in this time and space. But this talent is almost useless. On weekdays, he can only solve geometry and algebra problems for recreation. I can't help but feel like I haven't met a talent from time to time.

The content of the Nine Chapters of the Book of Numbers is broadly similar to the scope of number theory, but it is not a purely mathematical theory, and it contains many practical application examples, including the celestial calendar, measurement, market transactions, tax calculations, etc. It is both theoretical and practical. Li Luoyou is quite interested in this,

The more he looked at it, the more intrigued he became, so he spread out the paper on the table, took out a quill and calculated the examples, a habit he had left over from his youth when he had studied with the Jesuit priests.

He has vertigo, and after a long time, he can't help but feel a little dizzy. After getting up and walking a few steps, he simply went back to the deck to get some air. As soon as I got out of the hatch, I saw that Sweeping Leaf was actually climbing on a box, holding on to the mast and watching. When he saw his master come out, he quickly jumped down and waited.

"What's so nice?" Li Luoyou wondered, "It's not the same." ”

"Yes," Sao Ye said respectfully, "The master has taught me that the little one is watching the salt boat." ”

Li Luoyou looked and saw a group of ships sailing on the left side of the ship. This group of ships are all small and medium-sized ships, including two-masted fortune boats, wide boats, rice boats, and wind towing boats. There are different types of boats. It's just that the bow of each ship is painted with white words: "Linyun", and there are Arabic numerals on the back Li Luoyou was taken aback, he recognized Arabic numerals, and he usually remembered that this kind of number was also used in private accounts. However, it is a very rare phenomenon, and it is the first time I have seen such a direct paint on the boat gang.

"Is this a ship on the high ground?"

"That's right, it's a ship that carries salt." The captain said, "This is the port of Mayuan, and there is a salt farm." ”

In this way, Li Luoyou had a slight impression: there is indeed an official salt farm here, which belongs to the Haibei Lifting Division.

"Where is this salt going to go?"

"Of course it's Bopu." Said the boat boss.

The Australians were selling smuggled salt Li Luoyou thought to himself, he looked at this group of salt ships, about ten, sailing in groups, each with a deep draft, and there was a lot of sea salt on it. Such a blatant transportation of illicit salt, this group of people is really bold

The fleet remained in a regular formation, one following the other in a single column. The sailors, like those on the patrol ship I had just seen, wore short blue coats, and some of them carried long bird guns on their backs, guarding the sides of the ship. Li Luoyou secretly counted that there were at least four people carrying bird guns on each boat. There were also a few ships with strange things on the building, a round goblet-like base with a long black chest, behind which stood two sailors who did not know what to do. Li Luoyou guessed that it might have been a kind of Australian cannon - they were known for their sharp firearms, and it is not surprising that several Ming and Western firearms did not have firearms.

With such a jiashi, it is no wonder that the government can only pretend to be deaf and dumb. Li Luoyou thought. The seizure of illicit salt has always been a matter of catching small and magnifying things. Those who are caught and punished are nothing more than a few catties and dozens of catties of peddlers, and the arrest of a big one with a few stones is already a big case, and no one dares to provoke the real big smuggled salt dealers who are trafficked by dozens or hundreds of people. It is not only the smugglers who dare to fight for their lives, but also because the gentry are often involved behind this kind of business.

Australians are so bold, who are the gentlemen behind them? Exaltation can be regarded as a backer for them. The tall official was connected to Gonggong Yang in the Beijing Division......

However, even Gonggong Yang may not dare to support them for such a mess. Australians are clearly not that simple. The convoy of salt-carrying ships gradually fell behind. Li Luoyou looked at Mayuan Harbor, and the salt pans on the coastline looked very dazzling in the sun. Between the salt pans, there are windmills, with huge wings slowly rotating in the wind, and this huge windmill has become a scenery along the coast of Mayuan.

"It's a lot like the scenery of the Netherlands." Quark commented.

"What are these windmills for?" Li Luoyou asked.

"I think it's for carrying water." Quark said, "Otherwise I can't think of any use." ”

"If it's to lift water, Weishenme has to lift the seawater," Li Luoyou commented, "Wouldn't it be better to open a canal to bring the sea water into the salt pans?" ”

At this time, the direction of the wind pushed the ship a little closer to the shoreline, and I saw that there was a wooden platform next to the windmill, and at the top of the high platform was a series of ditches, which were full of bamboo strips, which were densely packed but very regular.

Li Luoyou looked very carefully, but the distance was still farther, and he could barely see that the windmill was indeed lifting water, and the water that was lifted was constantly poured onto the high platform and then dripped down.

Li Luoyou's concept of salt making comes from books, and he probably knows that salt production must be made first, and then salt is made by boiling or sun drying after making salt. After watching it for a long time, I still didn't understand what this was doing.

Of course, quarks don't understand, and there are many things that they don't understand, such as in the inland place, billowing black smoke comes out, and it goes straight to the sky under a clear sky, is there a place where there is a fire?

"Every day." The captain of the ship seemed to see the passenger's doubts, "This kind of black smoke can be seen everywhere in Lingao. It's all from brick chimneys taller than trees. The little ones don't know what they do with the stove every day. ”

The ship soon arrived at Bopu Port, leaning on the Lingaojiao Wharf - the natural stone embankment stretches out more than ten wooden trestle bridges into the harbor after renovation, as the passenger and cargo wharf of Bopu, small and medium-sized ships can directly lean on the side of the trestle to get on and off passengers and load and unload goods.

Li Luoyou stood on the deck, looking at the Bopu Harbor, which had suddenly become thriving—a port he had never even heard of before. There are many boats in the harbor, but they are very neatly arranged, one after the other moored by the pier. He noticed that although the surface of the water was not large, it was clear that there was a divided area for the mooring of the ships, and that the water surface was marked with colored floating objects, and that the ships had their own routes for entering and leaving the port, and they looked orderly.

"It's a big iron ship." The boat boss pointed to the other side of the harbor, like an enthusiastic tour guide.

Sure enough, it was very big, and Li Luoyou gasped. The height of this ship is comparable to the city wall of Guangzhou, no, I am afraid that it is even higher than the city wall, and the volume is even larger. How much can I load? I'm afraid that the goods of 100,000 stone will not be able to fill the warehouse.

Fengcheng Wheel is completely beyond his understanding. Li Luoyou's first feeling was that this was not something that people could make.

"God" Quark spoke on his behalf, "This thing can only be built by the devil"

Li Luoyou nodded. Thinking of the ship's boss saying that Lingao is full of chimneys spewing black smoke. Could it be that these Australians are devilish believers, and they are practicing secret black magic here to enhance their liliang?

His heart could not help but become vigilant, he touched his cross and silently recited the Rosary.

"England could not build a tenth of the largest ships of its kind," Quark continued, "and it is incredible, that it is impossible for man to build such a huge ship." With that, he quickly drew a cross.

"God forbid." Li Luo couldn't help but worry about his soul.

"Hehe, it's scary." The boss of the ship is probably familiar with this reaction for a long time, and seems to be very proud, "This ship is still iron, do you say it is unusual?" Tsk, a small iron nail will sink to the bottom if it is thrown into the water, and it can float on the sea to make such a big boat."

Quark was still asking if he was really iron, and if anyone had gone up to see it. Li Luoyou didn't say a word by the side, it didn't matter to him whether it was iron or not, such a big ship was shocking enough even if it was made of wood. He shook his head, even a hint of remorse at his decision to come to the high school - he became more and more suspicious that Australians were devil believers - and at least some depraved forbidden technique had been used.

But Quark didn't pay much attention to this, and looked around with great interest. On the embankment there are two parallel black iron bars. The flatbed cart is propelled by manpower, and the iron wheels make a rumbling sound on the iron bars. It seems to be able to carry a lot of heavy cargo on board. Quark looked at two or three people and could push a full flatbed cart to move quickly, some of which were box-type and full of black coal.

"That's a great idea." Quark thought that this method could move heavy loads with very little effort, and that it would be more efficient if they were pulled by horses. However, China seems to have a serious shortage of horses, and it is reasonable to use manpower.

Li Luoyou's eyes were attracted by the tall towers on the embankment. Towers are tall and short, but the shortest ones are no less than two feet. They were built on stone platforms made of iron bars and solid timber, and the top of the towers was oblique with long arms stretched out into the air. A black rope hangs from the tip of the long arm.

Such towers are found all over the bay along the bay. On the other side of the harbor, it is said that the area that is a shipyard is even denser.

"Attention," someone on the embankment shouted as he whistled, "Berth 15 begins loading"

With a booming boom. A long train of flatbed cars drove along the tracks, and both Li Luoyou and Quark were taken aback—this rail car was not propelled by human power.

Not only were there no manpower, but there were no horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, or any other animal they could think of as slaves. There were also no sails on the flatbed. The long flatbed truck roared over on its own.

If anything pulled the vehicle, it was the first one, with a black iron guy the size of half a table and a large round iron bucket. On this black tin cylinder hangs a large wooden board with four large characters written in red, "No Fireworks", and a flame is also drawn.

Beside this strange pile sat the rider, his face blackened, and his clothes mottled and unrecognizable. With a white towel that had turned gray around his neck, the man kept pushing and pulling back with an iron rod in his hand, and from time to time he shouted something to the people on the embankment.

"I've heard that the Australian boat can do without sails and oars, and this car is about the same." Li Luoyou whispered.

Quark? After looking at it for a while, a terrifying look appeared on his face: "Devil"

The flatbed stopped, and with the whistle, several people in blue cloth coats jumped out of the flat car behind them - Li Luoyou found that all the people here were wearing these short blue cloth coats, but some people wore belts around their waists, and some people did not. The common denominator is that they all wear helmets that are presumably made of rattan. Li Luoyou didn't understand what this helmet was for? Could it be that the Australians learned the Nanban in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and practiced rattan armor soldiers?

The men slipped into a circular cage under the tower. They ran around the cage quickly, making it spin. The long arm of the tower rose with all their might, and the others pushed the tower with all their might, turning in the direction of the flatbed. There was a man who kept blowing a whistle and waving two small flags, one red and one green. Li Luoyou looked at it for a while and understood that this was directing the direction of the person pushing the tower winch. Under his command, the long arm slowly reached above the first flatbed truck, and hung a huge iron hook, which the people on the flatbed truck hung onto a pile of net ropes on the truck. Quickly jumped out of the car. At the sound of the whistle, the man in the cage ran again, and the head of the iron frame began to rise.

A large pile of rope net turned out to be a net bag with many sacks and straw bales inside.

The "Squirrel Cage Crane" quark recognizes the thing. This thing is also used in Europe, but it is quite bulky and requires a lot of manpower, this squirrel cage crane looks much simpler, and it is much lighter, which is about what the Australians have improved.

The long arm began to move towards the ship, and there was also a man on the deck whistling and waving two small flags. The long arm moved over the deck, the sling slowly relaxed, and the net bag landed safely on the deck.

The crane then lifts the cargo from another flatbed. This time, it was not a net bag that was hoisted, but a wooden tray with neatly stacked crates, and the top of the box was firmly wrapped in a mesh bag.