There was a heavy flow of people outside Changmen in Suzhou City. A four-wheeled cart broke through the flow of people and advanced on the bluestone street. Pang Yu sat cross-legged on the frame. The driver in front was shirtless. He was dragging two ropes to pull the four wheels.
It doesn't seem to be too strenuous to wheel the cart.
This kind of four-wheeled car almost sticks to the ground. It sounds like he is riding in a car, but when he looks around, the pedestrians around him are taller than him. He can only see a piece of legs and feet. Pang Yu feels like he is being led through the streets.
A monk walked by with a tower on his head. The tower was half a person tall. Looking up from Pang Yu's cross-legged position, the top of the tower was swinging back and forth and was about to fall down at any moment.
"Stop, stop!"
Pang Yu couldn't bear this experience. After saying hello twice, the driver immediately stopped the car. Pang Yu rubbed his legs and got out of the car, then stood up from the ground. Guo Fengyou immediately came to his side.
They had already left the city five miles from Changmen, and there were still many houses along the way, and the number of pedestrians had not decreased at all.
"Second brother, how big is Suzhou City?"
He Xianya was riding a unicycle, and the driver had to work harder than a four-wheeler, as he had to rely on his shoulders to bear part of the weight.
Pang Yu has been in Suzhou for three days and has almost walked all over the city. The overall layout of Suzhou's capital city is three horizontal and four vertical. The waterways in the city are crisscrossed, giving full play to the benefits of water transportation, forming the Taihu economy with Suzhou as the center.
The area was the most densely populated area in the Ming Dynasty, so Suzhou was far more than just Suzhou City. The densely populated towns in the entire Taihu Lake area were extensions of Suzhou.
When Pang Yu left the city today, he discovered that in terms of business, the prosperity outside the city even exceeded that inside the city.
As for the part Pang Yu walked, six or seven miles out of the city, it was still in the form of a town. In such a huge urban complex, three days was only enough to visit the main streets.
He Xianya got out of the car, and Pang Yu asked for directions, heading north along a river.
Suzhou is surrounded by streams and rivers inside and outside the city, with boats and boats on the rivers passing by, and green trees and grass everywhere along the streets. Compared to small places like Tongcheng and Anqing, the greenery is better, and it has more of a gentleness of a water town.
Most of the women on the street wore plain long skirts with narrow sleeves, which were more elegant than those in the streets of Nanjing. There were also some new styles that had not been seen even in Nanjing.
He Xianya looked around and then whispered, "In the past, those women in Tongcheng said 'Su Yang' all the time. Whenever Su Yang came, it became popular all over the city within a few days. Now that I have arrived in Suzhou, I realize that the Su Yang in Tongcheng is a bit nondescript."
Pang Yu smiled and said, "This has been the case from ancient times to the present. No matter whether it looks good or not, you must first catch up with the trend."
"However, when it comes to craftsmanship, Suzhou is definitely the first. The Hu silk fabrics, books, earrings, folding fans and other things we looked at these two days are all perfect. Compared with the craftsmanship in Suzhou, the craftsmanship in other places is a bit rough.
No wonder the women in Tongcheng always ask if they are from Suzhou."
"Today we are going to see this. I heard that it is a famous craftsman in Suzhou. It is rare that he can also write books."
He Xianya said worriedly, "Then he is a scholar. I wonder if he will neglect us."
"He has no fame."
Pang Yu smiled proudly, "I'm not even a supervisor, so I don't have the right to ignore us."
He Xianya thought about it and then agreed, "If we take the flag tomorrow, Anqing will be on guard. How dare a craftsman be left out in the cold?"
"After taking the flag, I am only temporarily guarding the situation. When the Ministry of War comes down, I will officially be on guard in Anqing."
When Pang Yu mentioned his official position, he couldn't help but put his hands behind his back and straighten his body a little straighter.
At this time, when we reached the bend of the river, we found a small courtyard on a protruding position, surrounded by rivers on three sides. A large locust tree in the courtyard was very eye-catching, and a lantern hanging on the door had a thin word written on it.
When Pang Yu walked to the door, Guo Fengyou had already taken the lead and picked up the door knocker and knocked it several times.
The courtyard door opened quickly, and a servant came out and said politely, "What do you want, distinguished guest?"
"Is this place Mr. Bo Yu's residence?"
The boy looked at Pang Yu and said, "I wonder where this distinguished guest comes from?"
"I am from the Anqing Army. I was introduced by Mr. Ma, the governor of the army. I heard that Mr. Bo is making bronze cannons for Mr. Zhang, so I came here to ask for advice."
(Note 1) The boy's face softened, he gently opened the door and took the lead to walk inside.
Pang Yu strolled in and saw that it was indeed different from ordinary people's homes. The garden was filled with wooden frames, as well as various saws, hammers and other tools.
There was a bronze cannon on the ground, placed casually in the courtyard.
A man in his thirties was sitting in the courtyard, holding a kuji in his hand. He looked up at Pang Yu, his eyes confused for a moment, as if he had not yet broken away from his thoughts.
The boy stood beside the man and reported in a low voice. Pang Yujie saluted honestly and said, "Pang Yu, who is guarding Pang Yu in Anqing, has met Mr. Bo."
Bo Yu blinked and seemed to have come to his senses. He quickly stood up and said, "It turns out he is the garrison officer, but he came to ask about the cannon."
"I came here to ask for advice from sir."
"Previously, Mr. Zhang heard that the rogues had entered Anqing, so he immediately arranged for a villain to make bronze cannons, saying that they would be used to defend the city of Anqing. The villain hurriedly made a cannon in the past month. When he heard that the rogues had retreated again, the governor's Yamen had nothing more to say.
I thought Mr. Zhang didn’t want it anymore.”
Pang Yu smiled politely and said, "Zhang Dutang has conquered the territory, and what he said is true, and he will definitely make it."
That day we were making cannons for Anqing, so I could use the cannons with the troops under my leadership. Zhang Dutang asked me to come over and take a look first."
"Guardian, come this way."
Bo Yu was a little excited. He didn't even put down the gun in his hand, so he led Pang Yu to the cannon. He pointed at the cannon proudly and said, "Pang Shou, look at this cannon. It's six feet long. It shoots five rounds.
Jin, use three kilograms of medicine, fire the cannon once outside the city, and leave two cannon pits 350 steps away. If it hits anyone, it will be broken into pieces."
While listening, Pang Yu knelt down and took a closer look. The barrel of the gun was thick and thick, and the ears were fixed on the gun frame with iron hoops. The gun frame was very low, just like the four-wheeled vehicle that Pang Yu was sitting on just now.
This makes this artillery very different from the front-loading artillery in Pang Yu's impression.
"Mr. Bo, this gun is very sophisticated, but why is the gun mount so low? If we are going to operate on the official road, the wheels will not have deep ruts."
Bo Yu said confidently, "This cannon is mainly used to defend the city. It moves on the city wall. I looked at it on the Suzhou city wall and couldn't stop the wheel.
Moreover, this shape is also based on the mount of the Thai and Western Hongyi cannon. If it is used appropriately in Liaodong, it will definitely be unmistakable.
The great advantage of having a body made entirely of bronze is that it can be made from the iron mold used to cast agricultural tools, regardless of the season, and there is no need to waste time drying the clay mold."
"I see, I wonder how much this cannon weighs?"
"More than a thousand pounds."
Pang Yu felt a little confident after reading this. His knowledge of this kind of front-loading cannon was all from movies. The only thing that could be said about it was the appearance. At least the gun mount must be improved, otherwise there is basically no mobility.
"Mr. Bo's preparation is very good, but the most important thing is to meet the needs.
Now that the bandits have retreated, I feel that the purpose of the cannon should be changed. The first thing is the weight and mount. It must not only be light but also strong. I need it to be able to travel fifty miles a day on the official road, for at least ten days, and be usable. It can be pulled by up to four horses, two horses are best. The gun mount and gun body can be easily disassembled for loading and unloading. The gun body must have pendants for hoisting, and the price must be cheap."
He Xianya and others looked at Pang Yu in surprise. They did not expect that Pang Yu could make such a specific request. It sounded like Pang Yu knew how to shoot, and the stick god really had great powers.
Bo Yu was stunned for a moment, and moved his mouth several times without making any sound. Hearing this, he finally couldn't help but said, "I only received the initial one hundred and fifty taels of silver for this cannon, and I will use it from the iron mold." One hundred taels, this copper is expensive..." "I will make up any difference. I bought this cannon."
Pang Yu patted the cold copper cannon. Although it didn't look very good-looking, it was a usable cannon. It was much better than the Baizi cannons sent to Tongcheng by the Anqing Prefecture.
Bo Yu's mood improved a lot. He rubbed the back of the other hand with the hand holding the cake and said, "Then I'll find a boatman and ask how to transport it to Anqing Mansion."
The sale of the bronze cannon was completed, and the relationship between the two became much closer. Pang Yu was more concerned about the cannon, and he cared more about the person who made the cannon.
While listening to Bo Yu's words, his eyes fell on the kuji in Bo Yu's hand. It turned out to be a pair of rimless glasses with ear hooks. The ear frames were made of copper, and the place connected to the lenses was made into a petal shape. Not only was the craftsmanship superb, but it was also Very beautiful.
Pang Yu remembered what Fang Yizhi said about polishing telescopes, and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Bo can also make lenses?"
"This thing is used a lot, and there are many people looking for it to be made. I need to deliver some of it every few days."
"Can Sir, can you sharpen the lenses used in telescopes?"
"Natural is fine."
Bo Yu looked around and suddenly remembered that he was still in the courtyard. He quickly asked Pang Yu to go back, but did not enter the house. After walking around the house, there was the big locust tree. There was a bamboo pavilion next to the locust tree. Standing on the river bank, surrounded by some green bamboos, the pavilion is small but artistic.
Bo Yu asked the boy to make tea, then turned around and went into the house to take out a copper pipe. He pulled it out in front of Pang Yu. It turned out to be a telescopic three-section telescope with a length of more than one meter.
He Xianya and others were waiting outside the pavilion, and it was eye-opening to see this kind of thing. This telescopic tube alone was high-tech at this time.
This telescopic telescope is not comparable to Fang Yizhi's simple wooden tube. It is much more sophisticated in craftsmanship and more convenient to use.
Pang Yu took it in his hand. It felt quite heavy and seemed to be made of copper. He asked Bo Yu, "I saw a gentleman in Nanjing making a telescope. He made reference to Tang Ruowang's "Telescope Theory". I don't know." Is this the case, sir?"
"The "Telescope Theory" contains only about a hundred words about the method of making a telescope, and its light path diagram contains many errors. If that young master had followed the law, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to make it.
The defense officer can go outside and have a look."
Pang Yu raised the telescope and looked at the river on the left. After a moment, he asked in surprise, "How come this telescope made by Mr. is an inverted image?"
Bo Yu shook his head and said, "I'm using two convex mirrors, which will produce an inverted image. But the objects made using this method can see farther and have better magnification. Thais and Westerners often use telescopes to observe stars, and the inverted image is Also available.”
Pang Yu held the one-meter-long telescope and looked through it for a moment, "I can think of ways to turn the image upside down."
This time it was Bo Yu's turn to be surprised, "Guardian, do you know telescopes?"
"I can still draw the light path diagram, but it's too hasty here. It will take some time after returning to Anqing."
"Then can you please send me a copy when the time comes?"
"The most ingenious thing about making a mirror is the change in how it is used.
To take a certain method out of uncertainty, it must be taught face-to-face before it becomes clear.
If we just rely on books, there will be errors."
Bo Yu looked at Pang Yu in surprise, "The defense officer actually read "Distant Mirror" in person, it's unbelievable..." Pang Yu smiled enigmatically, he just looked through it at Fang Yizhi's place, but he
Remember well, I just remembered this paragraph.
"As Mr. Bo said, this "Distant Mirror Theory" contains many fallacies.
I was originally a scholar, but I have entered the Imperial College.
Because I saw that many people had difficulty seeing, I devoted myself to studying optics for many years in order to benefit the people, but little did I know that the world would no longer be peaceful."
Pang Yu shook his head sadly, "Jiangbei is so big that there is no room for a quiet desk.
I was angry and focused on military science, ballistics, and artillery, hoping to be used by the country one day. I decided to abandon my writing and join the army. Fortunately, I defeated the rogue bandits among the common people in Tongcheng, and was valued by Zhang Dutang. I will soon take up the post of Anqing garrison."
Pang Yu's face was full of compassion, and his words were full of righteousness. When Bo Yu heard this, his face was filled with admiration.
Bo Yu suddenly clapped his hands, "Pang Bantou, Pang Bantou from Tongcheng, Pang Bantou who used to be independent in the civil society, no, he is Pang Pang. Your Excellency, he is a prisoner of students and then joins the army. He can be said to be versatile in both civil and military affairs, and his talent and virtue are even more admirable."
.
Bo also thinks like an adult, all his skills are for the benefit of the people, and there is no room for sloppiness. Bo has done all the crafts personally, and what he has learned is also very complicated, but the ballistics that Da Da just mentioned is
What kind of knowledge?"
Pang Yu waved his hand and said, "It specializes in studying the flight trajectory of cannonballs. It requires the use of sine, cosine, etc..." "It turns out that Pang Pang also understands sine and cosine."
Bo Yu screamed again, which startled Pang Yu. He thought that there were no such trigonometric functions at this time, so he just took out these things casually to fool Bo Yu, but he didn't know that Bo Yu had this reaction.
"In my next work, "Traveling the Sea, Measuring the Sky, and Knowing the Nearness and Farness of the Sun", sine and cosine are often used. Some Jesuits usually discuss it, but people in the government understand that Pang Pang is the first, and Pang Pang said that sine and cosine can also be used.
It is still unheard of to use it for firing cannons.”
Pang Yu coughed and said, "Thank you, Mr. Bo, but I do have an in-depth study of mathematics and geometry. The trajectory of the cannonball just mentioned not only uses sine and cosine, but also involves the muzzle velocity of the cannonball, air humidity, altitude, wind direction and speed,
Height difference, the rotation of the earth, any factor will have an impact on the impact point of the cannonball. What is the muzzle velocity is the speed at which the cannon comes out of the chamber..." The more he spoke, the bigger Bo Yu's mouth became. What Pang Yu said
It's a bit strange, but when you think about it carefully, it seems to make sense, although it's very vague, like opening a window that leads to nowhere.
Pang Yu basically used up all the ballistics knowledge he learned from watching sniper movies. Bo Yu was confused, but he also had an inexplicable admiration for Pang Yu.
"If Mr. Bo is interested in these things, he can come to Anqing and study with me. He can not only increase his knowledge, but also make wares for the country. It kills two birds with one stone."
Bo Yu showed a troubled expression, frowned and thought for a long time, "It's hard to leave my homeland, and there is still a lot of unfinished work on hand. I want to learn about... optical path diagrams and ballistics, so it doesn't hurt to go for a short time. I'll wait for you. Plan now, stay here and think carefully."
Pang Yu didn't press him, and chatted with Bo Yu about other utensils, and didn't leave until around noon.
Bo Yu reluctantly said goodbye and saw him off for a long time before returning.
He Xianya couldn't get a word in from the moment he walked in. When he left the door, he finally couldn't help but said, "Second brother, when did you learn optical path diagrams, military science, and ballistics?"
"I didn't learn."
"Then..." He Xianya lowered his voice, "Mr. Bo went to Anqing and asked you what to do if you learn these things?"
Pang Yu said nonchalantly, "The bronze cannon and the telescope are both things I need. Fortunately, this person knows how to do it. Let's cheat first."
...Note 1: Bo Yu, a skilled craftsman from Suzhou in the late Ming Dynasty, once made his own armillary spheres, water cannons, mines, and ground crossbows. When the rogues entered Anqing, he was entrusted by Zhang Guowei to make bronze cannons.
He is the author of "The Theory of Things", "The Illustration of the Armillary Sphere", "The Illustration of the Jian Ping Yi", "The Illustration of the Peeping Tube to Fix the Central Star", "The Theory of Timing with the Hourglass", "Traveling the Sea to Measure the Sky to Know the Far and Near Sun" and "Distinguishing the Heavenly Shape from the North to the South".
He was especially good at making telescopes. The telescopes Bo Yu made were of the three-section telescopic Keplerian type. In the 1950s, there were still telescopes he made still in the world. After testing at that time, they showed an inverted image. This shows that Bo Yu had not yet solved the problem of Keplerian telescopes at that time. The problem of the direct image of the mirror.