Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Emperor Has an Idea, and the Navigation Instrument Succeeds

Emperor Chongzhen heard Zhang Zhimu say that the gold and silver seized by the Dutch in Xiaoliuqiu (Taiwan) were the flesh and blood of the people there, and nodded heavily. After a pause, Emperor Chongzhen said to Zhang Zhimu very solemnly: "Zhang Dongjia! I've been visiting the kiln these days, and I'll take some time to take a closer look. But now I see a problem that requires you to think of a solution for me right now. Your telegram calls are simply too convenient. No matter where you go, you can pick up the phone and talk about anything. Needless to say, in my Forbidden City, there is a little thing that makes people run around, which is simply too time-consuming. Moreover, I think that it is not only a matter of time and labor, but also that with the telephone and telegraph, everyone is in a different state of doing things. Therefore, Zhang Dongjia had to call me to Beijing no matter what. In the city of Beijing, we should also build a telephone office like your kiln. If you really have a problem, you can put a phone in my Forbidden City. ”

"Your Majesty! We'll do what you say! Zhang Zhimu sighed and said, "Alas! To tell the truth, the electric poles leading from Shanxi to several passes in Taihang Mountain have already been erected. Without your voice, we could not have gone any further. Without your words, the officials in Zhongshu Province didn't dare to let us lead the phone line there. As for the phone number in Beijing, it is even better. Next year, the power plant in Beijing will also be able to generate electricity, and only with electricity can the telephone and telegraph be used. I immediately asked them to choose a place in Beijing to build a larger telephone office. Beijing's telephone bureau must be large-scale and magnificent. We'll give you a small switch in the Forbidden City. It is specially used for talking in the Forbidden City. ”

"Great! You have to use the same switch as you. You can pick up the phone and dial your kiln gang! "Emperor Chongzhen has done a lot of homework these days, and he is already very familiar with the telephone exchange.

Zhang Zhimu laughed when he heard it and said, "It seems that the emperor has really seen a lot of things these days!" However, the switch you look at is already lagging behind. Those are tubes, and now we have stopped making these switches. The switches that were immediately produced were transistors and some integrated circuits. Such a switch is much smaller and more reliable! It's not like that kind of switch piled up in a big house. The computer room of the electron tube cannot be cooled without air. Transistors are much better! ”

"Really!" Emperor Chongzhen was curious about these mysterious things, "I'm going to see the transistor switch you said." I know that a transistor radio is much smaller than an electron tube. ”

"Huh! All right! The emperor is interested, when he wants to see it, he can see it when he wants! Zhang Zhimu smiled and said.

"This stuff is so much fun! You can't see anything when you put it here alone, but when you put it outside, it's amazing. Now Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan can all be dialed directly by phone, right? Emperor Chongzhen asked.

"Yes! Huguang will be able to do it right away. Zhang Zhimu said, "The experiment we are doing can modulate many telephones on a single coaxial cable. That is to say, if we lay out a line in the future, we can have several phone calls at the same time. And after modulation, the effect of long-distance calls will also be much better. Not as much noise as it is now. ”

"Good!" Emperor Chongzhen said sincerely, "When I arrived at Yaogang, my first feeling was that all of you people here were doing business. There is no one who cheats, this is what those people in our Ming Dynasty can't compare! I wonder what the grown-ups will think after reading it? ”

"What the emperor said is," Zhang Zhimu said, "Your Majesty, I want to wait for the emperor to read it and point out what we still have shortcomings." The so-called bystanders are clear! When you weren't here, I often went to the king and the king of Zhou to ask them for advice. The more people think about the problem, the more comprehensive it will be, and the fewer mistakes it will make! ”

"That's good!" Emperor Chongzhen was very touched, in the past, Emperor Chongzhen didn't believe in anyone, and he often regretted his arbitrariness. It seems that there are too many things to learn from the kiln people.

Suddenly, Emperor Chongzhen remembered something, "That's right! Zhang Dongjia, you got the little emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to Yaogang, and that Concubine Zhuang, what are you going to do with them in the future? ”

"Haha!" When Zhang Zhimu heard the emperor's words, he laughed and said, "The emperor is well-informed!" That Concubine Zhuang Niangniang and Emperor Fulin originally lived in this building, and their house was not built. When you came, they moved to the back building! ”

After a pause, Zhang Zhimu said: "Your Majesty, it's actually very simple to kill them!" It didn't cost much money to bring them to the kiln. Your Majesty, have you ever thought about it! If we kill them, their people, if we don't kill them, we will find ways to retaliate. But when they surrendered, they lived in the kiln, and their people were not to be obedient. We will take time to carry out reasonable governance, so that everyone psychologically feels that they will have a good life if they follow us. Isn't it all safe? ”

"Uh-huh! Reasonable! Emperor Chongzhen said, "You should have this mind!" O us adults! When you hear a little bit of news, you don't use your brain, and you shout nonsense, how can you have such a vision? ”

"And! Emperor. Which Concubine Zhuang is not an ordinary person. She is a member of the Horqin tribe of Mongolia. Some time ago she wrote a letter to her father and brother. Told them about what we were doing here. I asked Concubine Zhuang to invite her father and brother to the kiln to have a look. I promised that as long as they wanted, their children, we could arrange for them to study in Yaogang! Now there are many Mongolian children studying in Yaogang! As long as everyone keeps in touch with each other and understands each other, they can get along very peacefully. Conquest by force can only be temporary. But it can't be conquered without force. In the future, we will build railways and highways to the grassland, so that everyone will be closely linked together and common prosperity, which is the way to achieve long-term peace and stability! ”

"Hey! Talking to Zhang Dongjia is a pleasure. Hearing you say this, I feel like my heart is clear! Emperor Chongzhen said with emotion, "How many years." For the first time, we felt that no one would dare to invade us again. It's a great feeling! ”

"Your Majesty! This is the beginning, we have arranged everything around us! We are going to sail our warships all over the world. Sell our products all over the world and buy the best things in the world! Only by carrying out overseas trade can we afford to raise a strong naval army for a long time. With the backing of a strong water army, we can make overseas trade bigger and stronger! Zhang Zhimu said.

"Good!" While Emperor Chongzhen said yes, he was obviously still thinking about the matter in Beijing, "When will the railway from Datong to Zhangjiakou be completed?" ”

"At least two years." Zhang Zhimu said, "This section of the road is through the mountainous area, and it is very difficult to repair. We sent a lot of people to work on the construction, but in some places, some people can't do it, such as tunneling, just such a large working face, you have to drill a little bit of holes and then charge and fire the cannon to collapse. ”

"I think you will also build the railway from Zhangjiakou to Beijing? Otherwise, it will take more than two years for Datong to reach Zhangjiakou, and two or three years for Zhangjiakou to Beijing. When will Beijing be connected to trains? After Emperor Chongzhen understood the importance of the train, it seemed that he was anxious about the train in Beijing.

However, Zhang Zhimu never planned to build the railway from Datong to Zhangjiakou, and the emperor's suggestion could not be directly rejected, so he had to say: "Your Majesty, railway construction is a very technical work. You can't do it by anyone! When we finished the construction of that section of the railway, I arranged for them to go over and organize another team to start the construction of the railway from Zhangjiakou to Beijing. ”

Emperor Chongzhen is still a more serious person, and said: "That's it, Zhang Dongjia!" I saw that there was no battle to be fought between the officers and troops of Shanhaiguan and Zhongshu Province, so I transferred tens of thousands of people. You send some technicians, and you support some tools. Let them build the railway from Zhangjiakou to Beijing at the same time. What do you think? ”

"Haha!" Zhang Zhimu laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you said, what else can I do?" I had to do it! I think the emperor is in a hurry to do things more than me! ”

"Huh!" When Emperor Chongzhen heard Zhang Zhimu agree, he smiled happily and said, "I'm really in a hurry!" I also know that the food of our officers and soldiers is really too bitter! They are involved in the construction of the railway, and you give them a little better food. I see that the officers and men can compete to participate in the construction. ”

"Your Majesty, don't worry about these! We will not let the brothers who participated in the construction fail. The tools they use, the overalls they wear, the gloves and shoes they wear, we will provide them according to our standards. The food should also be of the same standard as our workers, and some kiln coins will be taken out for everyone. Those who have done well and made fast progress should be rewarded with rewards! We have a whole set of ways to do this. When I went back, I arranged for them to do a railway planning and design from Zhangjiakou to Beijing. We have built a power plant in Zhangjiakou, Beijing, and many things are easier to do with electricity! ”

"After that, the trains were all open. I can get on the bus in Beijing and go to Zhangjiakou, Datong, Yaogang, Tongguan, Xi'an, Lanzhou, and then to Jiayuguan. On the train, you can sleep if you want, and you can do whatever you want. It's a breeze! It's fast and safe, and you don't suffer any sin! Emperor Chongzhen imagined.

Zhang Zhimu also admired Emperor Chongzhen for accepting so many things so quickly, and couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, your brain has not been idle these days!" Accepted so much at once! ”

Listening to Zhang Zhimu's praise, Emperor Chongzhen was also very happy, and said: "I should have come to Yaogang to take a look, trapped in the Forbidden City, I don't know anything, and I think I'm very smart." It's ridiculous to think about. ”

Leaving the Yaogang Hotel, Zhang Zhimu came directly to the command center and told Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He what Emperor Chongzhen thought.

Chen Yufeng said: "The emperor is very motivated! Anyway, he didn't say that we would do these things in the future. Now that he's going to do it, we'll be a favor, so why not? ”

Ouyang He also said: "Beijing and our Yaogang railway and telephone and telegraph are connected, I think the emperor will stay in Yaogang!" What is there to go back to in the Forbidden City! I heard that those princes accompanied the emperor during the day one by one, and they were not idle when they came back, they played everywhere, and no one was willing to go back. ”

"Huh! Now is not the time to talk to the emperor about this matter," Zhang Zhimu said, "Please ask Mr. Lu to arrange someone for this matter!" The railway matter has always been personally handled by Mr. Lu. ”

After this was done, Liu Yun said to Zhang Zhimu: "Mr. Zhang, when you went to see the emperor just now, Shi Tao called over. He is at Lingshui Wharf, and he can get to Yaogang tonight. ”

"Oh! Shi Tao: They have been experimenting with radio detectors and underwater acoustic detectors. Zhang Zhimu said, "It is estimated that this is almost a test!" This is one thing, and there is another thing, I want Shi Tao to take the lead. That's the weather forecast. I have studied this matter with Mr. Lu Bingyi several times, but no one is specifically responsible for this matter. It's something that needs a lot of people to do. In the future, we need to make accurate weather forecasts to ensure safety! ”

"The weather forecast is amazing!" Chen Yufeng said, "I heard that some people will calculate whether it will rain or wind, and I haven't heard that the weather will be predicted in advance!" ”

"I can also roughly predict the weather, but I can't make an accurate forecast." Ouyang He twisted his beard and said.

"Actually, it's not a mystery at all." Zhang Zhimu said, "In the future, I will do science popularization work for everyone." It's just that this matter is too wide-ranging. I think Shi Tao has this ability to organize and coordinate. I think we should set up a meteorological research center first, not to mention forecasting, we can really make forecasts, we still need to do more things! ”

Zhang Zhimu knew that Shi Tao came back to report to him about the radio detector and underwater acoustic detector. Therefore, Mr. Lu Bingyi, Li Di, and Yang Chang and the two groups of people who did not participate in the experiment were notified in advance that they would all go to the small conference room of the Yaogang Office Building early tomorrow morning for a meeting.

Therefore, early in the morning, Shi Tao and several of them came to the Yaogang office building with joy on their faces, and the doorman directly informed them: "Mr. Zhang said! Please go directly to the small meeting room! ”

When they came to the small conference room, Shi Tao and the others found that there were many people here today. Knowing that Zhang Zhimu attaches great importance to their affairs. Shi Tao didn't feel strange at all, Shi Tao knew that he couldn't pay too much attention to these things.

After everyone sat down, Zhang Zhimu arrived soon.

As soon as he saw Shi Tao, Zhang Zhimu said to him, "How is it?" Is today's position worthy of your experiments? ”

Shi Tao stood up and said, "Mr. Zhang, I don't think we can pay too much attention to the two instruments we are experimenting with!" They will change a lot of our sailing habits, and I don't know how many ships will be saved! ”

"Good! You sit down and tell you about your two instruments and your tests. Zhang Zhimu said.

The two team leaders of the radio detector and the underwater acoustic detector respectively introduced the principles of the radio detector and the underwater acoustic detector, as well as the results of their experiments on the ship with Shi Tao this time.

As soon as these instruments came out, Shi Tao, who had been at sea for many years, immediately realized the significance of this thing, so when he experimented, Shi Tao followed step by step. After the test, Shi Tao and the others couldn't suppress their excitement.

They made detailed surveys with hydroacoustic detectors in the estuary section of the Fen River and the Yellow River to the Wei River, first, to test these instruments, and secondly, these data are really useful! Shi Tao took out the bathymetric map of the main channel of the Fen River mapped according to the detection data, so that everyone could clearly see the situation of the Fen River channel at a glance. There is also a map of sediment and silt points at the mouth of the Wei River into the Yellow River. These pictures attracted Lu Bingyi to leave his seat and pounce on the pictures in front, shouting "Great!" That's great! He couldn't stop saying, "We should let Mr. Tang Jingyao, who is in charge of the river, take a look." By the way, we will immediately get a special survey boat to measure the depth of our rivers and canal bottoms. In this way, we have a basis for the next step of river remediation! ”

Zhang Zhimu interjected: "Mr. Lu, this thing will be installed on each of our boats in the future." When our ship is sailing, it can detect the depth of the channel ahead, and if the shoals and reefs are found in advance, they can give an early warning, so the safety of navigation can be greatly improved? ”

Lu Bingyi said to Shi Tao: "Your navy should set up a survey team to measure the inland rivers and sea lanes, and then mark the depths of each place on the chart. This way it will be much safer to sail! ”

"Mr. Lu's suggestion is also what I want to say to Mr. Zhang today. It's a very big thing, and it's a lot of work that needs to be done. Shi Tao said.

"It's going to happen sooner or later. I propose the immediate establishment of a hydrographic survey. I see that there are two departments, one is dedicated to inland river surveying and the other is specialized in maritime surveying. You'll also be working with the shipyard to produce a few boats that are suitable for your surveying use. If needed, personnel can be transferred from the navy. Zhang Zhimu suggested.

"Good! We'll do it right away. Shi Tao said happily, "There is one more thing, I suggest that it should be carried out immediately." Last time, Mr. Zhang suggested that he cooperate with the wireless detector to build a gun sight, and I think it should be done immediately. Because the accuracy of radio detection range is much greater than that of optical sights, and it is not affected by rain and fog at night, it is more practical. ”

"It's going to be decided today." Zhang Zhimu said, "Yang Chang is here, you have to cooperate with Sun Liang and the others who are engaged in the optical gun sight, and integrate the radio detector with their original gun sight." ”

Yang Chang said: "I'll do this right away when I go back!" ”

Shi Tao said: "The radio detectors and underwater acoustic sondes we use now are only measuring one data in one direction and one data in the other direction. What Mr. Zhang said about the combination of the display, I think we should also get a good grasp of it. ”

Yang Chang took over and said: "You can debug it with the display right away." The original display was all raster scanning, which was inconvenient to work with our instrument. The display we are developing now is from the center of the display along the diameter direction of the outward scanning, if we cooperate with the antenna rotation, so that the scanning line and the antenna are synchronized, then the target position can be detected with the display display, the distance of the target can also be seen very easily according to the scale. Multiple targets can also be clearly displayed on a single screen. Our team that developed this display still has a lot of ideas. I told them to just get the simplest and most practical things out now, and the rest could be improved slowly. ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "I agree with Yang Chang's opinion, there are many things to do in the future. You can only measure the distance of the target now. If you add the Kepler instrument to calculate the frequency offset of the reflected echo, you can calculate the velocity of the target. These things need to be refined slowly in the future. ”

Lu Bingyi returned to his seat and said: "I have never sailed with a ship, but I can imagine that if the ship is equipped with radio detectors and underwater acoustic detectors, it will be like a tiger with wings!" ”

Shi Tao said: "What Mr. Lu said is true. That's why I can't say enough about the results of this experiment. You don't know yet, we are about to set up radio navigation base stations in Shandong, Fujian, Xiaoliuqiu, Zhoushan, as well as Guangdong, Hainan Island, north and south, and the ship will be equipped with radio navigation devices in the future, so you can easily know your location at any time, and you don't have to worry about getting lost! ”

Shi Tao's words attracted a round of applause, except for the secretary who took the minutes of the meeting, all of them were engaged in technology, of course they knew what Shi Tao's words meant.

However, as soon as everyone's applause fell, Zhang Zhimu said: "What I want to tell you today is that we are about to do something greater!" ”

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New progress in "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty": the Battle of Yashan, the defeat of the Yuan army, the counterattack of the Song army, and the landing in Fuzhou.