Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Hearing Emperor Jing say this, Fang Zheng Yi was both surprised and gratified.

His father-in-law was still insightful after all.

If his boss in his previous life had this kind of vision, he wouldn't have been reduced to a salted fish.

Of course, it's also possible that he didn't get his hands on his boss's daughter.

"I've only done a little insignificant work. The invention of the steam engine and even the train mainly relies on the students within the Dongjiao University. Without these grassroots scientists, I can't accomplish anything."

"Many grains of sand form a tower, many fox furs make a robe. Today's miracle is by no means the work of one person."

Emperor Jing said with satisfaction: "Achieving success without taking credit, you truly are my son-in-law. After this, present me with a list. I will generously reward all those who participated!"

Immediately, he looked at the steam engine prototype and exclaimed: "So, this is science? Although I often see news about Dongjiao University in the newspapers, it seems my understanding of science is still far from enough..."

Thinking back, whether it was the cannon or the hot air balloon, although they were also very shocking.

But they could still be understood and reconciled through imagination.

However, this iron lump in front of him, the magical ability to drive a giant object of ten thousand pounds simply through the ubiquitous and unremarkable steam, has already far exceeded imagination.

The assembled officials and ministers couldn't help but nod in agreement.

At this moment, they could finally understand why Fang Zheng Yi was so enthusiastic about so-called science.

The productivity it demonstrated today was an earth-shattering change.

Now, if any scholar dared to jump out and accuse this thing of being a frivolous trick, they would be the first to disagree!

Fang Zheng Yi said in a timely manner: "That's right, the potential of science is endless. As long as the imperial court continues to invest and encourage countless people to devote themselves to it, it will surely create more miracles in the future!"

"Not only steam, but even the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning in nature may be used by our Great Jing in the future!"

The ministers looked at each other.

Although they were shocked and disoriented today, saying that lightning could be used by humans was a bit of an exaggeration.

They couldn't just climb up the pole, could they?

"Can lightning really be used by humans? Isn't that already a celestial feat?" Emperor Jing asked with great curiosity.

Fang Zheng Yi smiled slightly: "Regarding the research on lightning, Dongjiao University does have some, but there is currently no substantial progress. This is just my beautiful vision for the future."

Emperor Jing and the officials felt a sense of loss, but at the same time, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The visual and conceptual impact they received today was too great. If science could also control lightning, it would be too terrifying.

Seeing everyone's expression, Fang Zheng Yi also felt deeply regretful.

He didn't study hard when he was in school. He only remembered that he could make batteries with fruit...

A lot of the knowledge in his mind was learned from online novels. Those damn online novel authors were all uneducated and only knew about steam engines. Now, he was completely lacking in the field of electricity.

Therefore, he had given very little guidance to the research institute in the county in this regard.

However, it wasn't a complete lack of contribution.

In the corridors and hallways of the Physics Department of Dongjiao University, there were still 'prophecies' he had extracted from his fragmented memories.

【Electricity generates magnetism, magnetism generates electricity.】

【Left hand force, right hand electricity, palm facing the magnetic field lines.】

【The future is the era of alternating current.】

【Five blessings, one amp.】

....

Fang Zheng Yi himself didn't quite understand these scattered things. The teachers and students of Dongjiao University were obviously even more confused, so there had been no breakthrough discoveries in the field of electricity so far.

However, he expected that there should be considerable progress by the time he was old.

"Regarding the introduction of steam engines and trains, I think everyone probably understands it.", Fang Zheng Yi said, "Our Great Jing could previously be seen as a strong warrior, but with the railway, it's like having its Ren and Du meridians opened, leaping to become a martial arts master."

"How to proceed on this road in the future is in the hands of the imperial court. I've said what needs to be said, please enjoy your meal."

After hearing him finish, Emperor Jing pulled him to the banquet and patted the chair next to him, signaling him to sit down.

Then, he personally poured a glass of wine.

Fang Zheng Yi happily drank it down. Seeing this, the ministers began to chatter and discuss.

Almost no one touched the dishes on the table. Everyone was talking about the prospects of the railway and the changes it might bring.

Although it hadn't happened yet, their excited expressions made it seem as if the railway had already spread throughout the north and south of the country.

However, many people still looked worried. Zhang Dongxiang stood up, raised his wine glass, and said to Fang Zheng Yi: "Master Fang, I have a question."

"Please speak."

Zhang Dongxiang said: "This steam engine will greatly release manpower. Is there any real evidence for this? You must know that if a large number of people leave the land, this is no small matter. If it causes turmoil, then the happy event will turn into a disaster."

Fang Zheng Yi said seriously: "Of course, I'm not speaking without any basis. Laying railways and operating railways themselves require a large number of laborers, and industries such as steelmaking, timber, and all industries surrounding the railway require a massive amount of manpower."

"I can understand everyone's concerns, but what is truly worth worrying about is if the imperial court really has the courage to build railways all over the country, the shortage of manpower will instead become a limitation. Regarding some cases in this regard, I will write a memorial later and submit it to the court for everyone's reference."

After hearing this, Zhang Dongxiang's brow relaxed a lot, and he smiled: "I hope it will be as Master Fang says."

Someone in the crowd laughed: "Lord Zhang is overthinking things. This is just the beginning. How this steam engine should be used in the future is still uncertain. Just talking about trains and railways, if railways are laid all over the world, and all the coal in my Great Jing is mined, how many years will it last?"

This voice immediately awakened everyone.

That's right, although the cost of running a train is extremely low on a single trip, if it is applied on a large scale, what a terrifying amount of coal would be needed?!

This is indeed a thought-provoking question.

Someone immediately followed up with a loud voice: "If there is no coal, then burn firewood! I understand, anyway, it's boiling water, it's the same no matter what you burn!"

Fang Zheng Yi found it amusing. These old fogeys were quite thoughtful, even thinking about the long-term problem of insufficient coal resources.

However, this kind of argument was really a common idea in his eyes.

Warnings about the exhaustion of coal and oil resources were constantly being issued, but this statement had been constantly slapped in the face.

Every time before it was exhausted, another batch of resources would be discovered, and a large number of alternative energy sources would be created at the same time.

Fang Zheng Yi smiled and said: "Burning firewood is theoretically possible, but how can firewood compare to coal's burning intensity? You can't just pull a few carriages of firewood wherever the train goes, right? Then what goods are you carrying."

Speaking of this, he paused: "However, what everyone said is not completely unreasonable. The demand for coal by steam engines is huge, but we can completely continue to explore new minerals, and we can also buy overseas minerals at low prices, so it doesn't count as a problem."

"The most important thing is our understanding of this world. As everyone can imagine, before the waterwheel was invented, water was only used for drinking. But with the waterwheel, water flow became a source of power."

"Before the steam engine was invented, coal was only used as fuel for heating and ironmaking, but now, through steam, it has become a source of power."

"What does this mean? This shows that the essence of resources is knowledge, it is the understanding of the world. As long as the truth is endless, the power of the train will never be exhausted, everyone can rest assured!"

.....