This year's Jingshi is more peaceful than in previous years. Without fireworks, people can't celebrate in a big way, only sacrifices and reunions. However, it can be expected that the Lantern Festival in half a month will be unprecedentedly lively. After all, there are too many disasters in the world, and people in the world cannot always be in deep sorrow.

During the festival, from the imperial court to the various government offices, the office was suspended, and Zhu Gaoxu did not need to approve the recitals anymore, nor did he need to conduct the early dynasty.

So for a while, he spent a lot of time with Miaojin, and the two often stayed in the Rouyi Palace. Other people in the harem already had some complaints about this, and Zhu Gaoxu had to say that Miaojin was writing a book for him, so he had a slight explanation.

Under the huge wooden beams of the Rouyi Hall, the hall with bookshelves on the wall still looks a little empty.

However, Zhu Gaoxu used to study here, discuss with ministers, communicate with Annan Chen here, and now Miaojin is doing a big thing with him; Many memories seem to give this expensive palace a special artistic conception. After all, no matter how luxurious a house is, it is meaningless in itself if it is not remembered by anyone.

Just like the big table in the middle, if it does not have the characteristics of the study of the Han Dynasty Mansion in Yunnan, it is just an abrupt big object.

Miaojin's back is still so beautiful, and her just right body lines have stimulated Zhu Gaoxu's various abstract imaginations, and she only feels that everything around her has a poetic feeling.

She stood on tiptoe, her whole body liness, and picked up an old book on it. She looked back, smiled, and said with a slightly surprised expression, "I really found it!" This is the Book of Ink. ”

Miaojin immediately noticed Zhu Gaoxu's eyes, her smile faded slightly, and her expression became richer. What can be expressed in human language is indeed not as complex as the various subtle emotions revealed in getting along day and night.

"Holy here, it seems that any book can be found." Miao Jin said again.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Some emperors have collected authentic works of Wang Xizhi, rare things like that. I don't pick editions, and it's still not too difficult to get a few books. ”

Miao Jin lowered his head, looked at it for a while, and said, "This book is on the shelf, but there is no dust, someone should have touched it recently." Have you read the Book of Ink? ”

Zhu Gaoxu said with a smile: "This is the advantage of not having to study for the imperial examination." ”

When Miaojin came over with the book, Zhu Gaoxu said: "The 'logic' I just talked about has been discussed in the Book of Ink. In addition, Greece in the 'Far West' (Western, Ming Dynasty refers to Southeast Asia, India, etc. west of Brunei) also has this idea; There is also the Indian study of causality.

Probably refers to a linear, causal way of thinking. This should be the most simple and simple thinking, so the sages everywhere have such records. ”

"What is linearity?" Miao Jin watched with interest for new claims.

Zhu Gaoxu thought for a moment and said, "It's probably like a line with a direction, with a front and back. Time is linear, the past, the present, the future, pass evenly, and mortals cannot change. ”

He went on to say: "If we want to explain 'science' clearly, we have to go back to logic, otherwise we can't say it clearly." Because the scientific method of "understanding the laws of all things" must not only have hypothetical conclusions and experiments to judge the truth or falsehood; There must also be accurate inferences, otherwise the system cannot be expanded. The accuracy of the inference requires logic. ”

Miao Jin said: "I'll take a look at this book first, I haven't read it before. This kind of book is rare in the world. ”

Zhu Gaoxu nodded. The two of them were next to the table, and soon fell silent. It's easier to get along with people who are already familiar with each other, maybe because most of the time you don't need to explain too much, right?

Zhu Gaoxu continued to write and draw on the paper, looking up at Miaojin from time to time. The sunny weather and open doors and windows make it very clear. On her slightly powdered face, when she buried her head, a few green strands that fell off were also clearly visible, faintly shining with the luster of the sun.

Miaojin also found Zhu Gaoxu and was looking at her from time to time, and the two of them didn't say anything several times, just made eye contact.

After a long time, Miaojin finally pointed to the paper in front of Zhu Gaoxu, and couldn't help asking, "What is written on the saint?" ”

Zhu Gaoxu said: "This is an Arabic numeral, invented by the Indo. And these are the letters, the English script. Our Chinese language is richer and more concise in meaning, and can withstand the evolution of time; But the alphabet also has advantages, and English is undoubtedly the easiest to learn. ”

Of course, it is also possible to use A, B, C, D, Zhu Gaoxu is just used to using letters for algebra. And he is also very receptive: all the things invented by China have been learned, why should we reject other people's things?

"Why are the words invented by the Indians called Arabic numerals?" Miaojin asked casually.

Zhu Gaoxu actually likes to talk to her about these things.

But he occasionally realizes that the source of his happiness may just be showing off his knowledge to beautiful women, not to mention that Miaojin is a "talented girl" recognized by many people, and she can write books and speak; The essence is the same as that of a gorilla when he sees the opposite sex and shows his strong body. Maybe human beings are primitive.

He then spoke with great interest: "Persia on the Arabian side or the great cannibals are more powerful. After they conquered India, they found that the Indians were very good at mathematics, so they arrested the Indians and taught the Arabs. As a result, people in other places thought that it was invented by the Arabs, hence the name.

Wasn't gunpowder invented by our Taoist priests? It was also learned by the Arabs first, and it is estimated that some people in distant places now still think that gunpowder was invented by the Arabs. ”

Miao Jin accepted this statement, "Those who are good at arithmetic are not necessarily good at fighting wars and governing the country." ”

Zhu Gaoxu smiled: "Exactly." Tianzhu used to have a lot of recruits, and soon after, the outsiders over there should be Ming visitors? ”

Miaojin's brows furrowed, "The saint still hasn't said what is written." ”

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly said: "Triangle, hook three strands, four Xuanwu, Miaojin should know." ”

Miaojin nodded.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "The triangular calculation in the pre-Qin period, probably after the Tang Dynasty, the calculation was more perfect. So I'm trying to figure out how to use this thing, trying to check the cannon meter. ”

He took out a few more drawings, "This is the fortress, the drawings have been revised countless times in the past few months. My idea was to use a concave polygonal fortress to increase the coverage of the fire crossover at all angles. However, this design has a very obvious weakness: if the enemy throws all kinds of flowering shells with long-range heavy weapons, such as return guns, it will still pose a threat to the defenders above. The countermeasure is to use the artillery on the fortress to carry out targeted killings of the enemy's heavy weapons.

With the current Hanwang cannon, which has been improved several times, the firing range is completely sufficient, and the key is that the accuracy is too poor. Now the artillery can only rely on the experience and estimation of the soldiers, so it can only attack very large targets, such as city walls and dense phalanxes. I'm trying to make a cannon watch so that the cannon can hit distant targets more accurately. ”

Miao Jin said curiously: "I used to read the Sui and Tang scripts, and I thought that fighting was won by bravery. ”

"The current war also requires courage, but it is no longer the courage of fighting, but the courage of spirit." Zhu Gaoxu said.

Miao Jin nodded and said: "That book "The Life of King Han", I also wrote this kind of paragraph. ”

Zhu Gaoxu saw that she was very interested, so he continued to explain: "The method I have come up with for the time being, there are two observation points. If Miaojin and I were to be two observation points...... Let's stand apart, be farther away, and reduce errors. ”

The two stood for a distance, and Zhu Gaoxu raised his voice: "Miaojin is one of the observation points, next to me is the position of the cannon, and the desk is the target of our shelling." Is this a triangle anymore? ”

Miaojin nodded in response.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "The distance between the two of us is fixed, which can be measured in advance as a known condition. Now we use a long rod with a sight, pointing at the "target" desk, and the size of the two corners also comes out. It is known that there are two angles of size and one side length, and using trigonometric calculations, the range of the shelling can be calculated immediately. ”

Miaojin pondered for a while, and a happy smile appeared on her face: "You can still do this, it's amazing!" ”

Zhu Gaoxu also smiled: "This is the power of science. ”

"There are sights on the artillery, three-point one-line observation, and the direction is very simple," he said. In the past, the reason for the inaccuracy was that it was impossible to grasp the distance and proximity, and it was common for the shells to land hundreds of paces away.

As long as the shelling distance is calculated, the firing range can be controlled by the elevation angle. The use of this is the kinematic calculation, the trajectory of the shell is a parabola, we wrote about it the day before yesterday. ”

Miaojin said innocently: "I wrote it down according to the meaning of the saint, but I didn't understand it too much. ”

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Miaojin suddenly asked: "The concubine doesn't understand, 'Far West', England, have I been to the fleet of the Dynasty?" ”

Zhu Gaoxu was speechless and couldn't answer. Of course, he can quibble, the Ming fleet has come into contact with people from afar in the Western Ocean and the like. But Miao Jin is too close, it's easy to tell a lie, how easy is it to explain everything?

Sure enough, Miaojin then asked softly: "What we have written these days, I think it seems to make sense." But I don't understand, where did the Holy One come from? ”

There was silence in the hall for a while, and Zhu Gaoxu finally spoke, but he seemed to be looking left and right: "Everyone can't fully understand everything around them, but it won't affect everyone's life." As long as you're not worried about what you're going to eat next, or if it's cold and you don't have warm clothes, most people don't bother with anything else. Only those who are particularly persistent will be obsessed with the truth all their lives. ”

Miao Jin observed Zhu Gaoxu's face and nodded thoughtfully.

Zhu Gaoxu said again: "Can Miaojin keep it secret?" ”

She immediately smiled.

(Tianjin)