New Shun 1730

The Count of Savoy was a hereditary count, not a technical bureaucrat. He could only listen to the judgment of professionals on the questions of this exam.

"How difficult is this exam?"

"At least three questions are academician-level. The rest are about artillery, navigation, navigation, trade and other issues."

The Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg has only been open for four years, but the group of academicians is a gathering of elites. Except for young people like Euler and Goldbach who have just emerged and are not yet famous, the rest have been famous for a long time.

The person sent by the Academy of Sciences made such an evaluation, which surprised the Count of Savoy.

He asked about various questions carefully, and after comparing and considering, he laughed.

"Can Chinese warships sail to Siberia?"

The representative of the Academy of Sciences shook his head, thinking that no matter what kind of warship, it is impossible to sail to Siberia.

"If Russia owned Guangdong, would it choose to develop Siberia?"

The Academy representative still shook his head, thinking that Peter the Great had fought for 20 years for the estuary. If Russia owned Guangdong, it would certainly not have the mind to develop Siberia.

Count Savoy didn't understand too much about technical things, but he had a clear understanding of the diplomatic situation.

After asking about the test questions again, he had made a rough judgment.

Thirty years ago, Russia's navy was still a small sampan and human oars, but now, Russia's navy has the three-deck Ingelmanland, and has a force that can try to compete with the Swedish and Turkish navies.

Restricted by ports, talents and money, it is far from being comparable to Britain, France and the Netherlands, but it has also risen to become a navy that can control regional waters.

Russia's reforms have to face many problems, the rights of the nobles, the constraints of the Privy Council, the struggle for the Tsar's throne... All of this does not exist in Dashun.

Savoy is very sure that even a duke is just a minister in front of the Chinese emperor, and has no power to resist.

The situation of the Privy Council seizing power in Russia is almost impossible here.

He didn't know that every family has its own problems.

The resistance to reform in Russia lies in the great nobles and the Privy Council.

And Dashun actually faces heavier resistance than Russia's reform.

However, Savoy would not understand and it is hard to imagine.

At least in just a few months, he could not know that the problems faced by Dashun were much more difficult than those in Russia.

All he could see was the imperial examination bureaucracy for selecting talents, nobles like the Duke bowing their heads in front of the emperor, wealthy people and overwhelmed goods, a long seaport, a monopoly on porcelain, tea and silk and a wealth of tens of millions of yuan a year...

So, in his opinion, it seems that if Dashun wants to reform, it only needs a figure like Peter the Great.

A gentle push.

The rest is all there.

This exam further demonstrates Dashun's attitude towards reform.

Even if the questions in these exams are not the average level of Dashun officers, it is enough to prove that the Chinese emperor seems to be a person who is willing to reform.

With money, people, and a heart, no powerful nobles, and no religious conflicts... Savoy was convinced that the reform of Dashun seemed to be much simpler than that of Peter the Great. If Peter could have an annual income of 10 million when he reformed, I am afraid that Russia would have already marched to Berlin and the whole of Europe would tremble. And in Savoy's view, the Chinese seemed to be able to easily get an annual income of 10 million by selling porcelain, silk, and tea.

Russian tea, rhubarb, silk, fur, etc. are all official monopolies. It is easy for him to imagine how much money Dashun could earn in a year if it made these things official monopolies.

As an outsider watching the excitement, Savoy could not know how much resistance there was to reform within Dashun, and it was even more impossible for him to know that an annual income of 30 million was too little compared to the huge empire, and he would not know that Dashun had no real powerful nobles but a group of privileged forces that were almost the same as the powerful nobles and controlled the entire grassroots.

So Count Savoy was afraid at first, and then he began to be happy after being afraid.

Judging from these questions, the Chinese were preparing to build a navy, otherwise it would be impossible for four of the ten questions to be about naval navigation, surveying, and trade.

After more than a year of negotiations and contacts, he gradually understood the "subtlety" of Chinese characteristics, and vaguely felt that this seemed to be another signal from the Chinese emperor: China's future strategic direction is the sea, and places like Siberia can maintain peace.

Perhaps, this is an ally that can temporarily maintain peace.

Once Dashun goes to sea, it will inevitably face the power of Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal. As for Russia, it will take some time to get out of the Baltic Sea, let alone Southeast Asia, so it will naturally not have any conflicts with Dashun on the issue of Nanyang.

Savoy is happy to see the disputes between China and Western European countries in Southeast Asia. At least at this time, this is beneficial.

…………

The next day, the answers to the exam were issued.

The emperor hosted a banquet for those Luosha students who participated in the exam, and the ministers attended the banquet together.

At the beginning of the banquet, Count Savoy took the Luosha students who participated in the exam to pay homage to the emperor.

This has nothing to do with knowledge, but only because Count Savoy believes that Russia's foreign policy will have to take China into consideration in the future, and to show diplomatic goodwill to the Dashun officials after they "euphemistically and implicitly" expressed their ambition to the sea rather than the bitter cold of Siberia.

After talking a lot, they all bowed.

Liu Yu translated: "Your Majesty's knowledge and love for science, from Ireland to Japan, no monarch can compare with your Majesty's knowledge. I wish your Majesty a lasting legacy."

The translation of the words of congratulation is not so important.

Liu Yu translated loudly, and the ministers in the court knelt down and congratulated together: "Your Majesty's name spreads far and wide. Long live my emperor, and our country will be forever solid!"

A group of people knelt there in unison, with Liu Yu and the imperial guards standing beside the emperor.

Li Gan really enjoyed listening to these flattery words.

It's just a few words for the minister, but these Rakshasa people can actually say such words. It feels very different. It really feels like their reputation has spread far and wide.

Li Gan also remembered Liu Yu who actually proposed the question. He had naturally seen those questions. He had a certain foundation in geometry and algebra. He could do some of them, but he really couldn't do some of them.

He trusted Liu Yu, so he did not show the questions to the missionaries before the assessment. But as soon as the exam was over, he found Bai Jin and others. Even Bai Jin could only solve a few of these questions, and he couldn't solve the rest.

Hearing a burst of flattering praise, Li Gan felt secretly happy, but he kept his attitude and said calmly: "You are all Rakshasa heroes. You should study more and solve these problems in the future. Then the first question I don’t know the answer to the question, it’s just a guess. You can bring that guess back to the West. If you can solve it, I will give you a big reward.”

After speaking to the Rakshasa people, he said to his ministers who were kneeling on the ground and shouting long live: "In the past, Emperor Taizong emphasized practical learning, and there are countless subjects in the six arts of a gentleman. You should also study more in the future."

"Get flat."

After listening to these words, all the courtiers thought that your Majesty meant this... I am afraid that the ban will have to be banned, but this Western practical learning should not be cut off. In this way, in the future, the good families of the six counties in the Wude Palace will benefit...

When the ministers were safe, Li Gan rewarded some purses to those Rakshasa students who answered two or three questions as an encouragement.

Then there was a banquet, and everyone drank and laughed. Li Gan thought that Liu Yu was quite capable of doing some tricks.

In the beginning, it was just because Liu Yu kept saying that Dashun's military system was backward, so the military parade exposed himself and was self-defeating.

Li Gan was thinking about how to show his strength in front of outsiders, when Liu Yu came up with such a strategy.

It feels really good to be praised as "the most knowledgeable monarch from Ireland to Japan".

When you are an emperor, it is easy to pretend, but the key is to have the opportunity to pretend, and to pretend in style. There are so many people listening to flattery every day, and the threshold is getting higher and higher, often not satisfying the deepest part of the soul.

The siege on the Ergun River in northern Xinjiang pretended to be quite successful that day. Now I feel comfortable again, and I feel really happy.

He had learned some outside geography from those missionaries, and knew that Ireland was the Hibernia in the previous "Kunyu Wanguoquantu", but Byzantium had fallen for three hundred years, except for those who still used Latin to preach. The Romans no longer had this Nea or that Nea in Roman times.

Liu Yu already had a unified translation name in his book A Brief Examination of Western Countries, and Nia in each Roman era was replaced by a simpler country name.

Although these Rakshasa people included even the King of Japan when they compared him, which was unseemly and a fly in the ointment, considering that these people couldn't tell much apart, this fly in the ointment was acceptable.

I also heard Liu Yu say that nowadays, in all European countries, anyone who aspires to become a wise king has an academy of science, which seems to have become a standard feature. It is said that even some duchy states have an academy of science, and Li Gan is indeed determined to have one. We have to allow Westerners to continue to communicate in order to spread their reputation far and wide. Otherwise, we can only install it at home, which is not enough.

As the saying goes: The minister's wife is secretive to the minister, the minister's concubine is afraid of the minister, the minister's guests want to ask for anything from the minister, all of them regard Xu Gong as beautiful. Now Shun has unified the country and has two million people. The ladies in the palace and the left and right are all selfish of the king. All the ministers in the court are afraid of the king. All the people in the four realms are seeking from the king. From this point of view, the king's pressure needs to be disguised in the four seas before he can enter. Deep in the soul.

After the banquet ended, Li Gan asked Liu Yu with a smile.

"Your ability is truly superior to that of others. Even Bai Mingyuan does not have such arithmetic skills. In this case, if I really build an academy of science in the future, I hope you will preside over it."

This was just a joke. Liu Yu hurriedly said: "I have the ambition to become a prince, and I am willing to find a way to become a prince. I am not modest. For this matter of the Academy of Sciences, your Majesty should hire someone else."

Li Gan showed a playful smile, stared at Liu Yu for a long time, and said slowly: "What you said is half true and half false. Looking for a title, looking for a title, if you just want to find a title, then you are not sincere. talk."

It could be heard that the emperor was in a good mood, and it seemed that the flattery was in the right place. Even so, Liu Yu was not afraid and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I am naturally happy to see our court establish the Academy of Sciences. However, the Academy of Sciences is the same. It takes at least ten or twenty years for a fruit tree to bear fruit. Science is science, and technology is technology. Even those who know the most about mathematics and geometry may not be as good as those who don't know how to operate a cannon and sail a ship. sailor gunner."

"I only hope to have the opportunity to show my talents and let the world know the skills of practical learning. Only in this way can more people in the country learn this knowledge that will take decades to bear fruit. I have a red mouth and white teeth. Even if your majesty is wise, you can If you know it, how can others see the beauty in it?”

Li Gan just smiled and didn't answer.

Liu Yu performed very well today, which made him quite proud. The attitude of the Luocha delegation also proved that Luocha was willing to make peace, and the resolution of the Junggar issue made Li Gan look up to Liu Yu.

He had been loyal and obedient before, so Li Gan probably knew what Liu Yu wanted. Ordinary rewards might not be acceptable, but if he didn't reward, it would really make the minister feel disappointed.

After a moment of silence, he said, "You are right. We need to let more people see the benefits of this science. Since you have this ambition, I would like to ask you, if you train a battalion of 7,500 soldiers, all according to the Western military system, how long will it take?"

Liu Yu's heart was pounding for a while, and he thought of the famous slogan of the previous dynasty, "Ping Liao in Five Years", so he said, "It can be done in five years."

"Hmm..."

Five years is just the right year.

It will take about five years to build new clothes for the Khalkha Mongols, build post stations, train cavalry, and prepare food and grass before going to war against the Junggar tribe.

"How much do you think it costs?"

This question was difficult for Liu Yu to answer.

A completely European army is indeed very expensive.

In order to inspire the sense of honor of soldiers, European military uniforms are more gorgeous than each other. A few decades later, the cheapest French private soldier needed about 200 francs for a set of uniforms. According to the exchange rate of 1 franc to 0.3 grams of gold, it was about one tael of gold and ten taels of silver.

As for the more gorgeous hunters, hussars, cuirassiers, etc., the uniforms alone had to be spent at 30 taels of silver per person per year. This money... Dashun could not afford it, at least not now.

If the clothes were not gorgeous, the uniforms of the battalion soldiers, such as blue robes and red tassel felt hats, could be ignored.

The remaining big head was the flintlock and bayonet, which Dashun could not produce on a large scale for the time being and had to be bought from foreign countries. This was especially true since Liu Yu had already said the slogan of forming an army in five years.

After a rough calculation, Liu Yu tentatively said: "If Your Majesty trusts people, then 300,000 taels will be needed in the first year. If there is no need for soldiers, the government will provide armor and various weapons, which should be enough. After that, the military pay will be sufficient, and in five years, there will be a regular army."

The offer of 300,000 taels is not only not high, but also quite low, which is far beyond Li Gan's expectation.

If there is no need for armor and other weapons, this is also a sum of money. Military equipment and weapons only need 300,000 taels. Thinking about it again, if there is no loss or corruption, it seems to be enough.

After thinking for a while, he asked again: "You mentioned immigration and trade with Japan. In five years, we need to train soldiers and immigrate 30,000 people to Nurgandusi. A total of one million taels in five years, is that enough?"

Liu Yu's heart was burning, and he hurriedly said: "Enough! If Your Majesty can agree to one more thing, I can not only train a strong army in five years, but also get a part of copper from Japan every year for the court to mint coins. What's more, after five years, the income and expenditure should be balanced. And there will be dry shares, which will either go to Your Majesty's treasury or to the Ministry of Revenue, and dividends will be distributed every year. It can also ensure that along the coastal line, from Korea to Heilongjiang, there will be villages gradually established on the border."

Li Gan did not ask what Liu Yu was asking for. After thinking for a while, he said: "Is it competing with the people for profit?"

Liu Yu thought to himself, this is definitely not competing with the people for profit.

Can people who can get war horses and instructors proficient in riding and shooting to Japan be called people? Without these things, it is indeed impossible to get the already fixed trade volume from Japan, which is closed to the outside world.

"I guarantee that this matter will never compete with the people for profit. Five years! If your majesty can trust it, there will be a battalion of soldiers available in five years, and 20,000 immigrants will be sent to Nurgandusi, and there will be a surplus gradually. Moreover, the surplus amount can be checked in the accounts, and even if the person is replaced, the government will not be destroyed, and it can be easily taken over. Moreover, at least 20,000 to 30,000 kilograms of copper can be obtained every year to solve the problem of lack of copper for minting coins."

He said the most critical "changing people will not cause the government to be destroyed, and it will be easy to take over", and Li Gan did not consider what Liu Yu's requirements were in his heart, thinking it should not be too difficult.

Liu Yu's words were very well-behaved. He made a guarantee and said that he could change people at any time to show that he had no deep-rooted intentions, so he could give it a try.

The emperor still trusted the loyalty of the children of the nobles, mainly because hundreds of people in his family were hostages in the capital. Duke Yiguo is an old turtle. He has not intervened in military affairs in recent years, so Liu Yu can be used with confidence.

Training soldiers and immigration, these two things, if only one million is spent in five years, it is worth a try.

It can also be regarded as a reward for these two flatteries, and also as a reward for expanding the border to the north by 3,000 miles.

Some people love money, some love fame, and some love profit. It is the right way for the monarch to reward people according to their personality. Liu Yu couldn't see what he wanted for a while, but he kept begging for training soldiers and trade, which are beneficial to state affairs. Rewarding for state affairs, both are beneficial, and it can be regarded as a reward to avoid being disappointed.

Li Gan looked at Liu Yu who was full of confidence, laughed and said: "We need to train soldiers, recruit disaster victims to immigrate to Nuergan, and trade, and we must start from Shandong. If it can really work, I have thought of a good name."

"Qingzhou soldiers, how about it?"

These three words made Liu Yu's hair stand up.