When Meswold and others asked about the price of the new carriages, Zheng Cai was also introducing the performance of these new carriages to the Spaniard Sevikos, and finally pointed to the rubber tires on the wheels of the carriage and said, "Look, Mr. Sevikos, this is the use of rubber that we have developed."

In addition, when you return this time, you may report to His Excellency Governor Fernando Silva and His Excellency Attorney General Monfalcon that the two ships of rubber in their names have been sold at a price of 300 yuan per tonne. And I'm sure that the price of rubber will continue to rise next year.

The question now is whether they will be able to ship more rubber out of Mexico. I know you've been wanting to get a replacement for precious metals, and now you've found it. Of course, if you can successfully introduce rubber trees in the Philippine Islands, then it will be even more profitable. ”

As a close confidant of Governor Silva, Severikos was born into a vassal family loyal to the Silva family, and the length of his tenure in the colony depended entirely on Silva's will, which made him far more loyal to Silva than the other officials in the colony, but that did not mean that he did not have the wealth at his fingertips.

The smuggling operations cooperated by the big men and the Chinese, Severikos naturally only had to watch, but if rubber plantations were opened on the Philippine island, colonial officials like Severkos could easily get a large piece of land for themselves.

Zheng Cai's words really moved Sevikos's heart, but he still said with some hesitation: "Mr. Zheng's proposal is really good, but my annual income is less than 1,500 pesos, which is equivalent to such a medium-priced carriage."

Land in the Philippines is worthless, but if you want to grow a rubber forest that has never been seen here, you can't do it with the lazy natives of the country. At the very least, it takes people who know the art of horticulture and a large number of honest and reliable people.

And before the rubber plantation is mature, it needs to be continuously invested. To be honest, I probably can't afford that kind of investment. ”

Zheng Cai looked left and right, and then lowered his voice and said to Sevikos: "Actually, we in the Taiwan Strait Patrol House still hope to establish a friendship with you and your colleagues.

If you and your colleagues can turn a blind eye to the demarcation of the land, then we are happy to provide you and your colleagues with a loan to purchase the labor to take care of the rubber plantations, and we will also provide some assistance in the introduction of rubber trees. ”

In the previous agreement between the two sides, in order to prevent the Chinese from encroaching on the Philippines in the name of developing the Philippines, Philippine colonial officials decided to demarcate the land developed by the Chinese in a specific area to prevent the spread of Chinese power to the whole island.

The minds of colonial officials were of course brilliant, but the implementation of such a policy required the efforts of middle and lower officials, such as Severcos.

Severcos didn't hesitate for long, why couldn't he fight for his future when the Governor and the Attorney General could send envoys from Mexico to God.

"Mr. Zheng, you should know that the matter of demarcating land is not something that I can decide alone..."

Zheng Cai responded with a smile: "Of course, as long as Mr. Sevikos can provide a list and introduce us to one or two, we will take care of the rest." By the way, the Taiwan Strait Patrol Office has recently captured a lot of people in Vietnam, if you and your colleagues are interested..."

Just when the Wanshang Expo was held in Tianjin, Zhu Youzhen also took the time to go to the Wensi Institute to listen to Xu Xingsheng introduce some new products made of rubber. Not to mention rain boots, raincoats, umbrellas, etc., what made Zhu Youjian's eyes light up was a pair of shoes with rubber soles.

He took it in his hand and looked at it over and over for a long time, before he asked Xu Xingsheng on the side: "These shoes look good, but I don't know if they are strong?" How much does a pair cost? ”

Xu Xingsheng immediately replied: "These shoes are sturdy, and the minister asked people to wear them and climbed the mountain road for a week, and there was nothing wrong with them." Especially on gravel roads and wetlands, it is not slippery, and it is much better than those cork-soled boots.

However, it is not very breathable, and the smell of foot sweat is greater after wearing it, so I am afraid that the nobles do not like it very much. But its price is really not cheap, the cost alone costs seven or eight cents, and if it is sold, it must be priced at least one yuan, which is equivalent to one-third of the monthly salary of an ordinary worker, or the price of a stone of wheat. ”

Zhu Youzhen thought for a while and said: "In this way, first order 10,000 pairs for the new army and see the effect." If a pair of shoes can be worn for half a year, it will not be much more expensive than the cloth shoes worn by the army now..."

When Zhu Youzhen was discussing the issue of shoes with Xu Xingsheng, Lu Qi suddenly stepped forward quietly and whispered in his ear: "Your Majesty, there seems to be an accident on the side of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and Xu Shangshu is rushing over." ”

Zhu Youzhen turned his head to look at him in some amazement and asked, "What happened?" Even Xu Shangshu rushed over? ”

Lu Qi thought for a moment before replying, "It seems that there is a problem in the chemistry laboratory, one researcher has died, and two others are in a coma." ”

Zhu Youzhen's heart was suddenly pinched, he immediately put the shoes in his hand into Xu Xingsheng's arms, turned his head and walked towards the door, and commanded: "Then what are you still doing in a daze, hurry up and prepare the car to go to the Academy of Sciences, and stop Mr. Xu first..."

Chongzhen, who hurried to the Royal Academy of Sciences, saw Xu Guangqi standing in the crowd outside the chemistry laboratory, and he was relieved.

Although he himself admits that everyone's life should be equal, in actual measurement, Xu Guangqi's value is much higher than that of an entire chemical research institute. After all, in the current Ming Dynasty, only Xu Guangqi can carry the banner of Xinxue without worrying about the attacks of those great Confucian celebrities.

Unlike Chongzhen, who breathed a sigh of relief, Xu Guangqi, who understood what had happened to the accident, had a much more grim face. After seeing Chongzhen's arrival, he asked to find a place to talk with the emperor.

Zhu Youzhen hesitated, but still shook his head and rejected Xu Guangqi. He went to visit the researchers who were still unconscious, and asked the medical staff to be sure to rescue them. He also instructed the director of the Academy of Sciences to properly handle the aftermath of the deceased and not let the family have any dissatisfaction, so he followed Xu Guangqi and others to the side and began to inquire about the accident.

Wang Zheng, who already knew what had happened, reported to Chongzhen the cause of the accident, and a researcher synthesized a new substance from red phosphorus and zinc flakes in experiments studying phosphorus compounds.

In order to test the properties of the new substance, he threw it into a glass of water, and a large amount of smoke came out, and the researcher inhaled the smoke and soon fell unconscious, and there were two other researchers in the laboratory at the time, who came forward to drag him out of the laboratory, but the researcher had already died from the smoke inhalation, and the two researchers who dragged him out fell into a coma.

Seeing that Chongzhen was silent after listening to the accident report, Xu Guangqi finally couldn't help but speak: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that the research on phosphorus compounds should be suspended. Chen has always said that we have not even fully understood the properties of phosphorus, so how can we skip to study the compound nature of phosphorus?

In the past six months, there have been 3 major accidents, 35 moderate accidents, and more than 100 minor mistakes in the chemical laboratory because of the study of phosphorus compounds, which shows how dangerous this compound is.

He thought that the researchers of the Academy of Sciences could not be consumed in such boring and dangerous experiments. What is the effect of such a compound when it is studied, in addition to harming human life? ”

Zhu Youzhen immediately shook his head and retorted: "How can this be useless, isn't the purpose of our research on phosphorus compounds to be used as pesticides?"

Judging from today's accident, we are very close to success, and as long as we continue to research, we will be able to obtain a highly effective insecticide, whether it is used in the granary or in the field, it is very effective.

If we stop experimenting now, all our previous efforts will be in vain, and in that case, won't the dead researcher die in vain? ”

Xu Guangqi obviously did not agree with Chongzhen's statement, and he insisted: "Chen doesn't know how great this insecticide is after the research is successful. But he now knew that phosphorus compounds were much more effective at killing people than arsenic.

Your Majesty, even if these compounds were indeed made, how can you be sure that they will be used in the right way, and not in the wrong way? There are still traces of arsenic harming people, but where can ordinary people see that they are harming people with this compound?

The harm of studying this kind of thing far outweighs the little benefit it brings, and it is really harmful. Chen resolutely opposed it, and the Academy of Sciences continued to study it. ”

Xu Guangqi's words made Zhu Youzhen speechless for a while, and from a certain point, what Xu Guangqi said was not wrong. After all, the phosphate chemical industry can be converted into a poison gas production plant in wartime.

Before Zhu Youzhen could speak, Wang Zheng also opened his mouth to advise him: "Your Majesty, Xinxue and the Royal Academy of Sciences are now the target of public criticism, and the famous scholars and scholars from all over the country are already attacking Xinxue as a miracle trick to sensationalize the public.

If they know that the Academy of Sciences has spent a lot of effort, but the result is to develop poisons such as arsenic, I am afraid that the time will be even more demonizing the new science and the Academy of Sciences. What's more, the Academy of Sciences is a place to seek knowledge after all, and there is no need to study such a dangerous thing that makes other researchers panic..."

Hearing Wang Zheng's statement, Zhu Youzhen subconsciously looked at the surrounding crowd, and sure enough, everyone had a sad and frightened look on their faces, pointing in the direction of the deceased from time to time.

At this moment, Zhu Youzhen suddenly understood, and he only now realized that he and Xu Guangqi did not have the same understanding of scientific research.

Xu Guangqi's purpose for scientific research is just to gain some new knowledge so that they can better understand the world. As a Chongzhen with the soul of the afterlife, he just wants to resurrect the laws of the world from these scientific studies, and hopes to get scientific creations that can be used.

Therefore, Xu Guangqi and others are not willing to die for scientific research, because they are not really scientists, but just take science as a hobby. If Zhu Youzhen puts too much pressure on them, perhaps the new academy and the academy of sciences will split first.

Thinking about this, Zhu Youzhen had to make a concession and said: "In this way, the research project of phosphorus compounds will be temporarily sealed, and we will deal with this accident first..."

Hearing Chongzhen's concession, Xu Guangqi and Wang Zheng finally put their minds at ease. Most of the new students in the Academy of Sciences are the children of the families they know, and the loss of any one is unbearable for them.

Because in the Ming Dynasty, the Four Books and the Five Classics are taught even in the countryside, but if you want to get in touch with new learning, you can't enter the door without a certain status.

Zhu Youzhen, who returned to the palace from the Academy of Sciences, thought all the way in the carriage, and when he was about to arrive at the palace, he finally opened his mouth and instructed Lu Qi in the carriage: "You find a place outside the city, establish the Second Chemical Research Institute, and then re-recruit personnel to start researching phosphorus compounds and other compounds..."