Chapter 196: Your Journey to Jiangxi
As Zhao Sheng rejoiced at the restoration of his good name, far to the north, in Qingjian County, a scholar named Zhao Sheng was burning the midnight oil, poring over books in Petroleum Temple.
Zhao Sheng had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, never achieving official status, but he was a man of integrity. The local villagers often sought his help to write letters home or read official notices, and he always obliged. In his leisure time, he would recount stories from his books to the villagers, earning their deep respect.
One evening, as he was engrossed in his reading, a young monk slipped in, his voice urgent: "Sir Zhao, quickly, run!"
Zhao Sheng blinked. "What's wrong?"
The young monk whispered, "Government agents are here to arrest you! Someone's spreading rumors that by lighting a lamp in an isolated temple at night, you're writing military treatises to incite rebellion, just like the rebel Huang Chao in the folk tales!"
Zhao Sheng was aghast. "Where did such a notion come from?"
The young monk insisted, "It doesn't matter how it came about, just flee! The officials will be here any moment."
It turned out that the situation in Qingjian County had grown tense. With uprisings erupting across various counties in Shaanxi, the authorities were on edge. The slightest rumor of rebellion would send officials into action, arresting people without distinction and torturing them into confessions.
Zhao Sheng gritted his teeth. *Damn it. All I wanted was to study diligently, pass the next imperial examination, and bring honor to my ancestors. Why is this happening to me?*
He fled all the way to Jiejia Gully, but a large group of yamen runners were hot on his heels.
Zhao Sheng was a frail scholar, unaccustomed to physical labor, so he couldn't outrun the officers. Just as he was about to be captured, thunderous shouts suddenly erupted from all directions. A vast crowd of common people, armed with hoes, wooden clubs, and other implements, surged forward.
"Damn the officials! Don't you dare touch Sir Zhao!"
"Sir Zhao is a good man! You're slandering him without discerning right from wrong!"
"Today, we rebel!"
"Beat these yamen runners to a pulp!"
The surging masses instantly crushed the yamen runners to dust.
Early morning, late April, the first year of Chongzhen.
Li Da burst out of the blacksmith's forge, a small spring clutched in his hand, laughing uproariously. "Hahahahaha, I did it! I finally did it! This thing's elasticity is back, hahahaha, I succeeded!"
Li Daoxuan, who had just woken up and was munching on a sticky rice dumpling by the diorama box, was drawn to Li Da's commotion and quickly looked over.
Li Da ran quickly to the base of the watchtower, not daring to ascend, and shouted up at the third floor: "Saintess, are you awake? Look, look at this!"
He watched as Gao Yiye peeked out from the balcony.
Li Da immediately placed the spring between his palms, pressed hard, then released it, and the spring sprang back with a "boing!"
"See? I did it! Hahaha, I did it!"
Gao Yiye no longer had dark circles under her eyes. In recent days, Li Daoxuan had tried to summon her less, allowing her more time for painting during the day so she could sleep soundly at night.
She watched Li Da's demonstration with a smile and said, "Uncle Li, showing me this won't help; I don't understand it. But don't worry, the Heavenly Lord has already seen it!"
Li Da shouted towards the sky, "Heavenly Lord, did you see it? I... I did it... I heated this thing until it glowed red, then rapidly plunged it into cold water. Its elasticity recovered a little! While it's not as springy as before, at least it doesn't just flatten when pressed."
Li Daoxuan mused to himself: *You've stumbled upon the 'quenching' method by accident. Excellent.*
However, Li Da's method was still crude. The quenching process had more refined steps, which Li Daoxuan had already researched, but he hadn't rushed to give them to him, hoping Li Da would think more deeply on his own.
"Do you know why heating it until it glows red and then rapidly cooling it in water restores some elasticity?"
"No... I don't know." Li Da shook his head.
Li Daoxuan sighed internally: *Just like most ancient technologies in my era, they know how it works, but not why. Alas!*
*You know that water boils into gas, but you don't know that when water is heated, the thermal energy of water molecules increases, which in turn increases their average kinetic energy... So even if you know water boils into gas, you still don't truly understand anything.*
*You've learned that a spring, when heated red and then rapidly cooled, regains its elasticity, yet you don't know that the quenching process causes atomic spacing to shrink and internal stress to increase, thereby restoring the spring's elasticity.*
*You think you understand, but in truth, you don't.*
*All of this is due to a lack of fundamental science!*
Li Daoxuan quietly instructed, "Yiye, call for Daoist Ma."
A moment later, Ma Tianzheng arrived. Unlike ordinary villagers, he glowed with fervor upon hearing the Heavenly Lord's summons. Before the watchtower, he prostrated himself in the highest Daoist ritual: "Disciple Ma Tianzheng awaits your command."
Li Daoxuan said, "Li Da, place the spring in Daoist Ma's hand. Also, fetch a bag of cement and give it to Daoist Ma."
Li Da quickly complied.
Ma Tianzheng held the bag of cement and the spring, looking from one hand to the other, utterly bewildered. "Heavenly Lord, what are your instructions? This disciple... cannot comprehend."
"I have a glorious yet arduous mission for you," Li Daoxuan declared. "Take these two items and make a trip to Waxi Pailou, Fengxin County, Jiangxi. There, you'll find a scholar named Song Yingxing, who has repeatedly failed the imperial examinations and is feeling disillusioned. Once you find him, place these two items in his hands. First, demonstrate the spring's elasticity to him, then teach him how to use cement."
Ma Tianzheng said, "A mere trip to Jiangxi is no challenge for this disciple; it's hardly arduous. I shall depart at once."
Li Daoxuan nodded. "Go, then! Be careful on your journey."
Ma Tianzheng vowed, "I will protect these divine objects with my life!"
Li Daoxuan shook his head. "Protect yourself first. If these items are lost, you can return to Gao Family Village for more. But if your life is lost, it's gone forever."
Ma Tianzheng was moved to tears. "The Heavenly Lord is benevolent; this humble body of mine is of little consequence."
He quickly packed his belongings, tied his puttees, grabbed some dry rations, and carefully concealed the small bag of cement and the spring. Only then did he leave Gao Family Village and set off towards Jiangxi.
Li Daoxuan then turned his attention back to Li Da. He first awarded him a silver ball as a prize, then said, "Your research on this spring is excellent. Now, you can move on to tackling the next challenge. While you're researching new firearms, don't forget to take on several apprentices and teach them how to make the muskets you already know how to craft. We have gunpowder now; it's time to produce a batch of transitional firearms."
Li Da eagerly accepted the command and happily returned to the Craftsman Well.
Just then, the sound of voices echoed from the main road outside. Li Daoxuan turned his head and immediately saw Magistrate Liang Shixian and Patrol Inspector Fang Wushang, followed by a large contingent of yamen runners and soldiers.
The officials had come to visit again.
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