In the Fengxian Palace, Zhu Yuan rubbed the oversized globe in front of him, pretending to ponder and think for a moment, facing a family of three on the side, he didn't dare to get too distracted, retracted his attention, and quickly returned to the 'Wujing system' issue just now.

Turning the Chinese side of the globe to Lao Zhu, Zhu Yuan said: "Ancestor, before talking about the Wujing system, I still have to briefly explain to Niangniang and His Royal Highness why this is so, which actually still involves the study of economics. ”

Hearing the words 'economic science', Zhu Biao, who was already curious, cheered up some spirits.

Lao Zhu had already exposed his eldest son to a lot of knowledge provided by Zhu Yuan, including the globe around Zhu Yuan, but he had not yet taken out the study of economics.

At the moment, listening to Zhu Yuan say this, Lao Zhu groaned slightly, thinking that the Yuan court has been destroyed, and next, the focus of the Ming Dynasty is to develop the economy, and the eldest son is also fourteen, and he should indeed get in touch with more relevant knowledge.

So he nodded: "You can just say it." ”

Seeing that Lao Zhu agreed, Zhu Yuan was about to speak, but he was temporarily stuck, he needed to say too much, he couldn't finish three or two sentences, and he didn't know where to start for a while.

This has to be done with caution.

Because of the association about 'Hongwu Twenty-five Years' just now, Zhu Yuan realized that back in this era, compared to Lao Zhu, the boss on the bright side, Zhu Biao is the more difficult one, and if he doesn't handle it well, the consequences are unpredictable.

Therefore, even if a teenager looks harmless to humans and animals, Zhu Yuan does not dare to take it lightly.

After pondering for a moment again, Zhu Yuan finally said: "There are too many questions about the study of economics, even if it is talked about late at night today, it is impossible to finish it. ”

Before the eldest son could speak, Lao Zhu, who noticed that Zhu Yuan was obviously restrained, had already waved his hand, and said with a smile: "Even if you talk about it, just continue from what we just said, this is a university question, and it is normal for Biao'er to be unclear for a while, so you don't need to accommodate him too much." ”

Zhu Yuan heard Lao Zhu say this, and saw that Zhu Biao also modestly echoed and nodded, so he also pretended to be relaxed and said: "First of all, let's briefly describe the agricultural era and the industrial age. Since the beginning of the historical records of China, thousands of years, until the current Ming Dynasty, production is mainly farming, so it is called the agricultural era. After thousands of years of development in the agricultural era, it has been difficult to fundamentally improve productivity, which leads to the increasingly limited production and distribution, and then leads to the continuous replacement of dynasties. 'Production' and 'distribution' are two important basic concepts in the study of economics. ”

As he spoke, he looked at Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao thought about it a little, but he didn't really understand it in his heart, after all, there were too many new words in Zhu Yuan's words just now, but he still nodded on the surface: "Roughly...... Know. ”

Zhu Yuan continued: "The solution is to achieve a breakthrough in productivity from another angle, which is the industrial age that I conceived for my ancestors. What is the Industrial Age? To give you the simplest example, I do sea fishing in Minzhou, and if you want to fish, you need craftsmen to make boats, you need craftsmen to make fishing nets, and so on, boats and fishing nets, because they are made by craftsmen, can be called 'industrial products', and we use these industrial products to fish, which is equivalent to another kind of 'production', which is different from the traditional 'production' of growing crops on the land. Actually, this example is not appropriate, but because it is already a fact, it is brought out for His Highness to understand. To put it simply, the industrial age is a new era in which various industrial means and industrial products are used to achieve more efficient production far beyond agriculture. ”

Speaking of this, in the face of the more obvious doubts in Zhu Biao's eyes, Zhu Yuan gestured to the booklet that was still pressed on the knee by Lao Zhu: "The steam engine on the album in the hands of the ancestors, as well as many other instruments, are all kinds of production tools necessary for the industrial age. In the industrial era, through various industrial tools, we can achieve a hundred, a thousand or even ten thousand times more production efficiency of manpower in the traditional agricultural era, so we can get more production results, and if there are enough production results, we can feed enough people. As long as the people are well fed, there will be no turmoil in this world, even if it is a hundred years and thousands of years. ”

Zhu Biao still seemed to understand, but in the end, he couldn't help nodding.

Lao Zhu felt that because of the arrival of his son, the attention of his precious twenty-third grandson turned to the other party to a large extent, he was not depressed about this, but was very pleased, and saw his son looking at the picture album on his lap with hope, and said with a smile: "Listen to Yuan'er first, and I'll show you later." ”

Zhu Biao turned back to Zhu Yuan.

Zhu Yuan paused for a short time and gestured to the globe in front of him: "If you want to enter the industrial age, on the one hand, it is the means of production, and on the other hand, it is the means of production, for example, some of the most common, land, minerals, water sources, etc. Just now my ancestor and I happened to talk about this, according to a certain unit of measurement that I am familiar with, the current land area controlled by the Ming Dynasty is actually only about 3 million square kilometers, but if we want to ensure that a new industrial era has enough means of production, these 3 million square kilometers of land are far from enough, therefore, we need to expand outward, and expand the land of the Ming Dynasty to ten times the current ......"

Speaking of this, Zhu Yuan gestured to the globe on the side: "...... Roughly, it is north to the polar regions, south to the South China Sea, west to the Western Regions, and east to the ocean. ”

This time, Lao Zhu's father and son did not speak, and Ma, who had been listening quietly, couldn't help but say: "This ...... Such a large territory far exceeds that of the Han and Tang Dynasties, even if it can be conquered, how many troops are needed to garrison it, let alone ...... For example, the Far North and the Western Regions are wild lands, so what is the use of them? ”

If it weren't for taking care of the faces of the three men in this hall, Ma would almost have to say words like 'labor and money' and 'great joy'.

Zhu Yuan could understand Ma's reaction very well, and had to patiently analyze the various resources available in each region in detail.

However, when Zhu Yuan's words fell, Ma Shi still said: "Even if what you say is true, how can these 'oil' and 'potash ore' be transported to my Middle Earth tens of thousands of miles away?" ”

Zhu Yuan smiled and said patiently: "Niangniang, the answer is on the album in the hand of the ancestor." Not to mention the rest of the follow-up, as long as the most basic steam engine is realized, the steam train is built, and through the railway network that runs through the whole country at that time, the current three-month journey can be shortened to three days. ”

Shortened to three days in March?

This is completely out of the scope of Ma's imagination, and she can't help but question: "How to shorten it, can it still fly?" ”

"If you fly," Zhu Yuan still said patiently, "it may only take three hours, and the method ...... Yuan'er is also attached to the album. ”

Myths confuse the public!

That was Mars' first thought.

Zhu Biao looked at the album in his father's hand again, becoming more and more curious.

Faced with Ma's questioning, Zhu Yuan had to say to Lao Zhu: "Ancestor, let's show the pattern of the steam engine to His Highness and Niangniang, and I'll explain it by the way." ”

Lao Zhu nodded, opened the book with a smile like a treasure, and put it on the lap of his son, who was sitting between the husband and wife.

Ma and Zhu Biao looked at it together.

Zhu Yuan also began to explain: "The principle of the steam engine is actually very simple, using the power generated by the expansion of water vapor when water vaporization, repeatedly pushing the cylinder piston, forming a reciprocating motion that can be circulated, this outward output of kinetic energy, and then through the transmission system, can achieve a lot of specific mechanical movements, such as the forward movement of vehicles and boats, for example, used to strike iron, or, made into a pumping machine, from low to high pumping and so on. ”

This time it was Zhu Biao who opened his mouth and looked up: "The water boils and turns into water...... Steam, I know, but, Hanlin, this water vapor, can it have the kind of power that you say will propel the vehicle forward? ”

"Of course," Zhu Yuan gestured around, "Your Highness, there is air everywhere around us, and it is the same inside and outside, forming a balance, so you won't feel anything." However, when liquid water is converted into gaseous water, the force generated is actually very large. Well, in fact, another is more vivid, gunpowder. Your Highness, the so-called gunpowder explosion is the transformation of solid charcoal, sulfur and saltpeter powder into a gas equivalent to hundreds or thousands of times their volume in an instant, creating a powerful shock wave that injures people and destroys things. After association, look at this water into gas, compared to gunpowder, it is actually a relatively long and gentle transformation, but its transformation power is still there, so it can be used by us. ”

"That's the case," Zhu Biao looked down at the pattern in front of him again, in fact, he wanted to flip it back, but he didn't move, and raised his head again: "Hanlin, can you build a steam engine for me?" ”

Now, Lao Zhu and Ma also looked at it together.

Lao Zhu was still thinking about the question of the title just now.

The two teenagers, one calling His Highness and the other calling Hanlin, felt a little alienated. However, think about it again, this is not bad, after all, Zhu Yuan's identity was originally twisted by him, and it would be even more awkward if he asked his son to call Zhu Yuan's nephew, or vice versa, uncle.

That's just right.

Hearing his son ask here, he also looked at Zhu Yuan with some expectation.

Zhu Yuan pondered a little and nodded: "If you just make a model of a steam engine, it should be no problem, but if you want to achieve a wide range of applications, I am afraid it will not work without ten or twenty years of accumulation, because this will first require thousands of steam engines." ”

Lao Zhu saw that Zhu Yuan said yes, and immediately said: "Then hurry up and build one and come out for me to see, heh, this time I brought back tens of thousands of craftsmen, and I was going to let you arrange them, and they were all given to you." ”

Where do you need tens of thousands of people?

However, Zhu Yuan did not refuse, and nodded: "It may take a few months." ”

Lao Zhu was looking forward to it, and when he heard this, he suppressed his temperament again: "You take your time, there are many things, and you don't need to be in a hurry." After a pause, he gestured to the album on the side: "There is another one, an internal combustion engine, can it be built?" ”

Zhu Yuan could only shake his head this time: "The principle of the internal combustion engine is actually powered by the gasification of fuel, but this is much more intense than steam, similar to gunpowder, which also involves a lot of technical problems, the key one...... Ancestors, there is no oil in the land of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Lao Zhu still didn't want to give up and asked: "Isn't it okay to have other oils, let people boil more lard and butter?" ”

Zhu Yuan: "......"

Seeing that his precious twenty-third grandson was a little speechless, Lao Zhu grinned, waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's make this steam engine for me first." ”

After a lot of rambling, Zhu Yuan was finally able to turn the topic back to just now: "Let's talk about the Wujing system, the industrial age, which is different from agricultural production that depends on the land. Industrial production can be concentrated, therefore, in the vast 30 million square kilometers of land, set up five capitals, on the one hand, can concentrate the resources of the corresponding area for industrial production, which is the economic level, and the other is the political level, which can strengthen the control of the imperial court over the corresponding area. ”

I just explained so much, and when Zhu Yuan said this, both Zhu Biao and Ma Shi also understood it.

Lao Zhu said: "Tell me specifically, where should these five capitals be located?" ”

Zhu Yuan directly pointed to a position: "First of all, Zhongjing, Yuan'er's suggestion is Dadu." Why not Jinling, I just told my ancestors that the location of Jinling ......"

"Don't say it again, Death Gate, listen to the bad luck ......" Lao Zhu interrupted, turning to the two mother and son who were puzzled next to him: "...... This Jinling City, we can't stay long. ”

Before Zhu Biao could react, Ma had already raised his eyebrows and said, "The husband wants to move the capital, is this a big deal?" ”

Seeing his wife's appearance, Lao Zhu could guess what she was going to talk about, and waved his hand again: "Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry." ”

As the husband and wife were talking, Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuan and asked, "Hanlin, why don't you choose Bianliang?" ”

Zhu Yuan gestured to the globe in front of him: "Your Highness, please see, on the one hand, the geographical location of Bianliang, although it is blocked by the Yellow River, is surrounded by a flat river, which is really not suitable as a capital. On the other hand, if we look at the 30 million square kilometers of land I have planned, Dadu is a position that is biased towards the center, and moreover, Dadu is surrounded by mountains on both sides, which is a natural barrier, and there is an outlet to the sea in the east, which is also convenient for the development of the navy and the development of the sea. ”

Lao Zhu comforted his wife, looked over at this time, and said, "I thought you would treat Dadu as Beijing, this ...... If most of the capital is Zhongjing, where should Beijing be? ”

Zhu Yuan pointed to the north and rowed on the shore of a large lake: "Here, we can build a new city on the shore of the North Sea to control the vast extreme north." ”

The North Sea, later Lake Baikal.

Without waiting for Lao Zhu and others to ask, Zhu Yuan continued: "Beihai is a very special lake, on the one hand, it is very deep, traditional lakes can have a depth of ten zhang, even if it is deep water, but the depth of Beihai can reach more than 200 zhang. On the other hand, Beihai is still a lake, water is the root of all things, and on our earth, the water resources are actually very expensive, because they are vast enough, and because they are deep enough, just a Beihai occupies one-fifth of all the land water resources on the earth, so this is a resource that the Ming Dynasty must absolutely protect. ”

When these words came out, Lao Zhu was taste, Ma was puzzled, and Zhu Biao asked directly: "How does Hanlin know this?" ”

This......

Zhu Yuan looked at Lao Zhu.

Lao Zhu came back to his senses and said to his eldest son: "Yuan'er's experience is quite bizarre, and you will learn a lot from him in the future, you just have to believe it, don't pursue these places." ”

Zhu Biao nodded obediently: "Dad, the child remembers." ”

Saying this, Zhu Biao thought of the big copper cabinet in his father's study again, and thought that the secret should be there.

Zhu Yuan continued: "Let's talk about Nanjing, Yuan'er has two suggestions, one is here, Guangzhou, and the other is above the South China Sea, there is a strait here, which is the only waterway from the South China Sea to leave our continent, called Malacca, just like Tongguan and Juyongguan, such as the strategic artery, in the future, we may be able to build a capital here." These need to be decided by the ancestors and His Royal Highness in the future. ”

Zhu Biao, who listened carefully, noticed the last sentence and nodded subconsciously, feeling very comfortable.

Lao Zhu didn't care much about this detail, just considered: "This ...... It's better to think long-term. ”

"Access to the sea is very important," Zhu Yuan looked at the globe again, and said: "However, when Yunnan is recovered in the future, and we go all the way south, then Malacca will not be our only choice to go to sea in the south." ”

Waiting for Lao Zhu to nod slightly, Zhu Yuan continued: "Besides, Tokyo and Xijing, similar to Nanjing and Beijing, must be separated from our previous considerations, Xijing, Yuan'er suggests that in the future, choose a city in the Western Regions and focus on management, as for Tokyo, ......" Zhu Yuan pointed his finger on the Japanese archipelago, and finally pointed at one place: "Here, it is the most suitable for Tokyo." ”

This Tokyo is, of course, the Tokyo that used to be.

Lao Zhu also immediately asked: "Why are you on that Japanese island?" ”

Zhu Yuan said: "There are still two aspects, on the one hand, resources, Yuan'er said to his ancestors before, Zhoushan Fishery is the largest fishing ground in China, but if we say that the largest fishing ground in the outer sea of our entire continent is not in China's coastal sea, but in the outer sea of Japan, called Hokkaido Fishing Ground, which is one of the four major fishing grounds in the world. ”

Saying that, after drawing a circle in an area outside of Japan, Zhu Yuan continued: "On the other hand, in a short period of time, heh...... I mean, in the next generation or two, if we want to reach another continent on the other side of the ocean, there is only one feasible route, which is to start from the sea off the coast of Japan, go north, and make a circle, so Tokyo has become a very important transportation hub. ”