There was a busy scene in the Weapons Bureau, Zhu Youxiao only brought a few entourages to enter through the side door, and when he found Sun Yuanhua, he was arguing with Fang Yizhi. It turned out that after Fang Yizhi improved the papermaking process in the papermaking workshop, he was sent to the Ordnance Bureau by Zhu Youxiao. After Fang Yizhi was in the Weapons Bureau, he was assigned to Zhu Zhiyu's group of studying steamships. After trying the steamship twice, he asked Sun Yuanhua to reopen the group and specialize in testing the steamship.

Sun Yuanhua naturally does not allow it, because this is a tradition in the Weapons Bureau, as long as you have a new idea, it will give you the opportunity to experiment. Sun Yuanhua found more than a dozen craftsmen for Fang Yizhi, 10,000 yuan, and asked him to experiment by himself. I don't want Fang Yizhi to experiment for three months and build several strange-shaped iron boats, the speed will not be faster than Zhu Zhiyu's, but it cost 20,000 yuan.

Fang Yizhi asked for additional investment for the first time, Sun Yuanhua added 5,000 yuan to him, and added another 5,000 yuan for the second time. Now Fang Yizhi asked for another 20,000 yuan, which angered Sun Yuanhua. You haven't made any achievements at all, and you have exceeded the budget by 100 percent, and you have to add another 200 percent, how can there be such a reason in the world. You ran out of 40,000 yuan, and in the end there was a pile of scrap metal left, and the Ordnance Bureau was not easy to explain. So insisted that Fang Yizhi withdraw from the project, but Fang Yizhi didn't do it, so the two quarreled.

The two were overjoyed to see Zhu Youxiao, and complained to the emperor together. Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about how I can understand it, one by one." Sun Qing, you say it first. ”

Sun Yuanhua told Fang Yizhi's experimental process over and said: "Your Majesty, our Ordnance Bureau has always carried out strict cost control according to what Your Majesty said. His Majesty said that we should allow failure, but if an experimental direction does not get the corresponding results after a long period of experimentation, we should take the initiative to give up, and the minister wants to let Fang stop the research in this direction according to this principle, but he has to say that he is going to succeed, and we can't see any signs of his success. ”

Fang Yizhi said: "Your Majesty, every time a student conducts an experiment, he denies one of his own ideas, which will make the student closer and closer to success." The student calculated, at most, add 20,000 yuan, no, 40,000 yuan, and the minister can make a faster iron boat than Senior Brother Zhu. ”

Sun Yuanhua smiled: "Fortunately, I didn't promise you 20,000 yuan, you see that you proposed another 40,000 yuan." Actually, you're not sure if you can make it for 40,000 yuan, right? Maybe the 40,000 yuan is used up, and you say you want 100,000 yuan, and the Arms Bureau is rich, but you can't put all the money on you alone. ”

Fang Yizhi's face was slightly red, he no longer spoke, but looked at the emperor with hope.

Zhu Youxiao asked, "Sun Qing, what speed can Zhu Zhiyu's ship reach now?" ”

Sun Yuanhua said happily: "Your Majesty, Zhu Zhiyu has made the speed of the ship reach one hour and fifteen miles, which is the speed of flat water and not the speed of smooth water. Fang Yizhi said that he could reach twice the speed of Zhu Zhiyu, but now he can only reach one hour and thirteen miles at most, which is two miles lower than Zhu Zhiyu's speed. ”

Fang Yizhi saw that the situation was not good, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, you can say that failure is the mother of success. ”

Zhu Youxiao understood that even if Fang Yizhi applied to the Patent Office, it would be impossible to get an investment of 40,000 yuan, and if he wanted the Ordnance Bureau to continue to inject funds into Fang Yizhi's project, it would make other researchers feel unfair. And he has an inexplicable confidence in Fang Yizhi, because history has proven his genius.

He smiled and said, "The Weapons Bureau has a rule that it is impossible to repeatedly increase funds for projects that are not produced, and this regulation has not been changed. ”

Fang Yizhi's face darkened, he also knew that Sun Yuanhua had given him additional funds twice, which had actually exceeded the support for general projects, and he had indeed used excess funds, but he had not achieved corresponding results.

Zhu Youxiao continued: "Of course, there is no way to change the rules, but I am very optimistic about Fang Qing's perseverance, so I thought of a compromise plan. ”

Fang Yizhi's eyes lit up, and he only listened to Zhu Youxiao continue: "In order to help researchers like Fang Qing, I am going to set up the Daming Royal Science Foundation, which can provide sufficient research funds, and will not impose a rigid rule on how much input must have output. ”

Sun Yuanhua said: "Your Majesty, this will cause a lot of waste. ”

Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "When applying for this fund, you must write a report on your research ideas, and then a special committee will review and decide whether to provide funds. Moreover, the patents obtained by the researcher who receives research funding must be owned by the Foundation. ”

Fang Yizhi said without hesitation: "Your Majesty, as long as the students can get the funds, they are willing to give up the ownership of the patent." ”

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said: "These patents should be disclosed free of charge or only granted to specialized manufacturing institutions according to their circumstances. For example, military-related patents can only be granted to the Ministry of War and the Ordnance Bureau, while civilian patents can be disclosed free of charge. ”

Sun Yuanhua said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it is better to charge a small amount of patent fees than to disclose it free of charge, and the royal family provides funds, and there must always be some income, so as to fund more research." ”

Zhu Youxiao accepted Sun Yuanhua's suggestion, and the establishment of the foundation was obviously not a one-day success, but Zhu Youxiao, the research fund that Fang Yizhi needed, immediately pulled out 50,000 yuan from him, but asked Fang Yizhi to list the expenditure in detail and finally hand it over to the fund committee.

After Fang Yizhi went out happily, Zhu Youxiao asked about the bearing, Sun Yuanhua said: "After His Majesty said last time, the Ordnance Bureau began to study, and now it is a semi-circular bearing, as for the ball bearing that His Majesty said, it is still being studied, because if you want to make a ball of the same size, even if you have a lathe now, it will take a lot of effort, and the important thing is that you have not found out where you need to use ball bearings." ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "I just found a place to use, that is, the axle of the carriage." The factory wants to build a cement road in the Liaohe River and the Tongjiang River in eastern Liaodong, and use horse-drawn carriages to transport goods, the original horse-drawn carriage axles are not flexible enough, and the ball bearings you have studied can be used in this aspect, and when the rubber is found, the transportation capacity of the horse-drawn carriage can be greatly improved. By the way, I want to call the new concrete road a road, what do you think? ”

Sun Yuanhua muttered: "The word road has existed since ancient times, but it is a little different from what His Majesty says now. ”