Song Yingxing

  The steamer headed towards Yangzhou, Edison hid in the cabin to study wireless telegraphy, Liu Ziguo and Peng Jingru counted the silver tickets and gold coins. The Ministry of Revenue's debt was one million two hundred thousand taels, the small emperor gave a budget of five hundred thousand taels, the loot from the Small Luan and the robbery of the official's house in the Ministry of War deducted to give to Zhu Youxiao and various expenses, there were still eighteen hundred thousand taels. Adding the thirty million taels from the sale of stolen goods just now, the total was nineteen million eight hundred thousand taels. Of which one hundred fifty-six million taels belonged to Liu Ziguo, this was a huge fortune.

  Liu Ziguang was carefully counting the silver notes, thinking about how to spend them in his mind. Peng Jingrong said anxiously: "Just now, we made such a big noise when we caught the Mixiang Dragon, and it won't take long for the East Factory to find out that we have been in contact with Song's Traveler. If Wen Huan and others are intercepted, it will be troublesome. We will also be investigated if they are caught."

  "Although the East Factory is all-pervasive, its analytical capabilities are weak. The submarine doesn't have 'Navy of the Great Song' written on it, and by the time they figure out what's going on, Wen Huan will probably have taken the painting to the open sea with him. We'll also be back in Li Guo by then. Although the East Factory can arrest people without any evidence, that only applies within the capital and some provinces under imperial control. Once we're back on our own turf, they'll think twice before making a move."

  "Yes, the imperial court has been corrupt and inefficient in governance over the years. Last year, several Eastern Depot guards were beaten to death by workers from the Imperial Weaving Factory while trying to arrest people in Suzhou. It's no longer like the Zhengde era when the emperor's authority was respected everywhere. Especially in remote areas far from the capital, local bullies and powerful families don't take them seriously."

  Everything went smoothly, and we arrived at Hongze Lake. Looking at the vast lake surface and the white sails scattered all over, I couldn't help but think of the delicious fish pot on the lakeside, as well as the beautiful fishing girl Zeng Cheng, and also Ma Wencai, the arrogant Mr. Ma who burned down someone's house without a fight. Right, now is the time to find Ma Wencai and demand justice.

  He went to the driving platform and told the captain a sentence. When passing by the fishing village where Zeng's mother and daughter lived, they stopped for a while and went ashore to visit their old friends.

  A group of people landed and asked, the villagers said that Zeng's mother and daughter were afraid of Ma's family coming to disturb them again, and they had moved to Hongze County. Liu Ziguo felt a little disappointed, and silently blessed this poor mother and daughter in his heart to live a stable and peaceful life from now on. Since he came, he couldn't return empty-handed, so he chose ten people from the guards, three or four of whom were habitual thieves, and ordered them to disguise themselves and go to Huaiyin County to set Ma's house on fire, rob what they should rob, kill who they should kill, and then take the land route back to the iron factory to reunite.

  As they continued on the boat, Addison came over and hesitated to say something. Liu Ziguang told him to speak freely, and it turned out that his uncle was a lecturer in Hongze County and he wanted to visit him on the way, but was afraid of delaying their journey, so he didn't dare mention it. Liu Ziguang knew that Addison had just received a large sum of money and could finally fulfill his ambitions, and he wanted to share this with his uncle, so why not satisfy this harmless vanity?

  At the moment, Liu Ziguang went to discuss with Peng Jingrong. The eldest sister smiled and said: "I'm afraid it's not just enough to satisfy Mr. Ai's vanity. It seems that someone who misses the fishing girl is also living in Hongze County..." There was a slightly sour tone in her words, and Liu Ziguang knew the principle of not arguing back, so he nodded and left.

  Hongze County town is close to the lake, and there is a relatively large passenger and cargo terminal. The steamship arrives at the terminal to refuel and have lunch. After lunch, Liu Ziguang takes Edison into the city to visit relatives and friends. The two young ladies are somewhat tired and rest on the ship.

  Liu Ziguo and Addison wore loose-fitting green shirts with wide sleeves, wearing square scarves on their heads, holding folding fans in their hands, looking like two elegant scholars who had read a lot of poetry and books. They walked on the stone road of the small town with white walls and blue tiles, which was quite eye-catching. After casually asking someone, they knew where the mansion of Xuezhao Song Daxian was located.

  The county town was indeed small, and after turning a street, they arrived. It was said to be the governor's mansion, but it was actually just a humble one-story courtyard. As they walked to the entrance, Liu Ziguang was about to bid farewell and go find the Zeng mother and daughter alone when he suddenly heard Edison sigh and say, "I wonder if Uncle has finished writing 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature'." He immediately stopped in his tracks and asked, "What book is your uncle writing? What's its title?"

  "My third uncle on my mother's side, Song Yingxing, styled Changgeng, was the third place winner in the Jiangxi provincial examination in the 43rd year of Wanli. He started writing 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature' before he went to Hongze as an educational instructor, I don't know how far he's gotten with it by now. What? Do you know my uncle?" Addison asked, puzzled.

  "I've heard of it, let's go and take a look at the old man's house together." Liu Ziguang waved his hand, the author of China's first great encyclopedia was a household name, didn't expect to run into him here, of course we have to go pay our respects.

  A gentle knock at the door, a child of about ten years old came to open it. Seeing Edison, he exclaimed with surprise: "Dad, Brother Cong is here!" Edison pulled the child and said: "Not seeing you for a few days, Brother Shihui has grown so tall."

  A man in his forties heard the sound of talking coming from the back hall and walked out with a brush in his hand. Seeing that it was his nephew bringing guests, he was extremely surprised and delighted, and hurriedly invited them to come in and have some tea.

  Entering the main room, separating the guests and hosts to take their seats, the children ran to the side house where their mother was to report back and boil water for tea. On this side, Edison introduced to his uncle: This General Liu is the nephew's great benefactor, not only saving his life but also having the kindness of knowing him. Then he detailed what happened at the meeting in Mojie Lake that day and afterwards helped redeem the land and houses, investing 100,000 taels in research and development.

  "It's indeed our benefactor from the Ai and Song families." Song Yingxing got up and gave Liu Ziguang a deep bow. "I don't know where General Liu is serving as a general?" Having traveled extensively for many years, he knew that in this era, generals were not only found in the imperial court, but also among the armed forces of local powerful clans.

  Liu Ziguo stood up and returned the courtesy: "I am the deputy commander of the Weiguo Iron Factory in Xuzhou Prefecture. I have long heard that Lord Song is well-versed in the classics, history, and various schools of thought, and has traveled extensively throughout the country, with in-depth research on agriculture, iron smelting, weaving, shipbuilding, and weaponry. I have always admired you from afar, and today I am honored to meet you, and I must seek your guidance."

  Song Yingxing stroked his beard and smiled, "So it's the General of Liguo Iron Factory. I used to be a steelmaster in your iron factory for half a year. I must say that your boss Peng is a genius. His invention of the steel furnace increased the steel production of the Ming Dynasty tenfold overnight. It's thanks to such sharp steel weapons and armor that the imperial army was able to hold off the Qing invaders for so many years. As an academician, I just want to enjoy a quiet life and have some meager salary, which allows me to focus on writing at home. My book 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature' is also intended to pass on various techniques of our great Ming Dynasty to future generations. Take a look..." He turned back to his desk, picked up a stack of manuscripts and handed them to the two men.

  "The Heavenly Creations" Volume 1, Chapter 6 is mainly related to agriculture. "Nai Li" mainly discusses the planting and cultivation techniques of crops such as rice, wheat, millet, broomcorn millet, sorghum, hemp, and beans, as well as production tools, including various water conservancy irrigation machinery, and provides a detailed introduction to the rice cultivation technology in Jiangnan.

  "The Book of Sericulture" includes sericulture, silk reeling, weaving, cotton spinning, hemp spinning and wool spinning production technology, as well as tools and equipment, with a focus on the advanced sericulture technology in Jiaxing and Huzhou areas of Zhejiang Province, and the silk and cotton spinning technologies, and also illustrates the structure diagram of large-scale jacquard looms.

  "Zhang Shi" introduces plant dyes and dyeing techniques, focusing on indigo planting and extraction, as well as the process of extracting dyes from safflower, and also involves color matching and mordant methods for various colors.

  "Jing Jing" describes the processing technology of rice, wheat and other crops, focusing on the processing of rice grains with windmills, water mills, stone rollers, earth mortars, wooden mortars and flour sieves.

  "Zuo Xian" discusses the production places and manufacturing techniques of sea salt, pool salt, well salt, etc., especially focusing on sea salt and well salt.

  Gan Shi describes the cultivation of sugarcane, sugar extraction and production techniques and tools, as well as honey and maltose.

  The middle volume contains seven articles, most of which are about handicraft techniques. "Tao Yuan" describes the manufacture and tools of bricks, tiles and ceramics (especially white porcelain and celadon) used in building construction and daily life, from raw material preparation, blank making, glazing to firing in a kiln.

  "The Treatise on Casting" is the most detailed record of China's traditional casting technology, focusing on the description of bronze bell, iron pot and copper coin casting techniques and equipment, including lost wax, solid mold and no mold casting three basic methods.

  "Chuan Che" specifically deals with transportation vehicles. It first uses data to indicate the structural components and materials used in various ships and vehicles, and also explains the driving methods of different types of boats and cars, such as the principles and manufacture of steam trains and steamships.

  The "Tie Du" system discusses the forging techniques of iron and copper wares, ranging from large iron anchors weighing tens of thousands of catties to delicate embroidery needles. The manufacture of various production tools such as axes, chisels, hoes, saws, etc., as well as welding and metal heat treatment processes are also discussed.

  " Huo Shi " involves the techniques of calcining limestone, coal mining, calcining alumina and arsenic, and discusses the classification of coal, excavation, and underground safety operations.

  "Grease" introduces the oil yield, oil properties, uses, and technical tools for extracting oil from sixteen kinds of oily crops using pressing and water substitution methods, as well as discusses the production method of Chinese tallow tree seed oil and the technique of making candles with it.

  "Killing Green" discusses the types of paper, raw materials and uses, and details the complete set of craftsmanship and equipment for making bamboo paper and skin paper, with production operation diagrams attached.

  The lower volume has five articles, also belonging to industry. "Wu Jin" discusses the mining, washing, smelting and separation techniques of metals such as gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead and zinc, as well as steel casting and various copper alloy smelting, including drawings based on the Li Guo Iron Factory's blast furnace.

  "The Excellent Soldier" involves the manufacturing technology of weapons such as bows and arrows, crossbows, and spears, as well as chariots and warships.

  "Dan Qing" mainly describes the manufacturing technology of ink and pigment made from pine smoke and lampblack, as well as the production of silver vermilion used in stationery.

  "Qu Ge" records the raw materials, proportions, manufacturing techniques and uses of medicinal yeast, Danqu and wine mother.

  "Zhu Yu" describes the pearl fishing in the South China Sea, jade mining in Hetian, Xinjiang, and also talks about the methods of underground gemstone mining and processing techniques, including agate, crystal and glass.

  Liu Ziguang was extremely shocked, and indeed it was a great encyclopedia, with tens of thousands of words that were the lifeblood of this ancient scientist. Every technical term was something he had personally practiced and learned, and for so many years he had traveled no less than tens of thousands of miles. Such a monumental work was completed in a small, dilapidated courtyard in Hongze County, truly astonishing.

  Addison and Song Yingxing had countless scientific questions to explore as soon as they met, while Liu Ziguang's ingenious and forward-thinking ideas made them sigh in admiration. Time passed quickly in the fervent academic atmosphere, and before they knew it, the whole afternoon had slipped away. Song Yingxing's eldest son, Shi Hui, ran over and said: "Dad, Mom says to keep Brother Cong and the guests for dinner, and asks how much money to buy rice."

  Song Yingxing glanced out the window, it was already getting dark, he reached into his sleeve and felt around, only to find two or three copper coins, awkwardly withdrew his hand and said "I'll take my leave" before walking into the back hall.

  Before long, the back hall transmitted Song Yingxing's low voice and the woman's slightly sharp tone, words like "wine... rice... golden hairpin... dowry". Addison smiled awkwardly and explained to Liu Ziguo: "Third uncle is a generous person, he likes to make friends with farmers and workers, the salary of the county school is very low, he often uses it to help people, and getting into a fight with his wife over not having rice to cook is not the first time."

  Poor but great scientist! Liu Ziguang took out a 50-tael silver note and handed it to Edison, saying: "I'm not convenient to show my face, you're the one who's like an outsider, go ahead. After getting rich, it's only right to show some filial piety to your uncle and aunt. Let's not have dinner at home tonight, let's go to the county town's restaurant for a few drinks."

  Addison didn't take the silver ticket, saying that he was already prepared here. He took out a stack of large-denomination silver tickets and went into the back hall. After talking for a while, all three came out. Song's daughter-in-law had a vegetable color on her face, looking like she hadn't enjoyed much happiness with Song Yingxing either. However, after just receiving the silver money from her nephew's filial piety, she was still very happy and offered to cook for the children as a courtesy to the guests. As a woman, it wasn't good to show off, so she didn't follow them to the wine tower to eat, letting the three of them go by themselves.

  Three people left the house and rushed to the best wine tower in the county, chatting along the way. When they walked to a street corner, they saw many people gathered around something, vaguely hearing the drunkard's loud shouting and the woman's scolding. Song Yingxing shook his head: "The rascals in the capital only kick the widow's door at midnight, but here, they bully widows and orphans as soon as it gets dark."

  Liu Ziguang didn't say a word, and walked straight into the crowd, because his keen auditory system told him that the woman's voice was consistent with the voice of Zeng Mu's mother, Zeng Jiaoniang, in his memory.

  Little brother has arrived