If the Tang Empire won, it would say to its opponents: "You damn well behave yourself in the future, or be careful that I wipe out your entire clan. Pay tribute obediently every year!"
<...Five years had already passed since the Song Dynasty was thrown into turmoil.
Zhao Huan was already twenty-eight years old that year.
Over the past five years, he has personally experienced too many things and come to understand a truth.
The imperial court's organizational structure was simply too vast, its interests too deeply intertwined, and its social dynamics too complex.
In terms of innovation, the vitality is far too low.
If the first industrial revolution of the Song Dynasty had been entirely left to the imperial court, then it would have been over.
A year ago, Zhao Huan had secretly had a private manor built here as his base among the common people.
He wanted to personally support a private trading company, to put pressure on Tang Ke's Ministry of Commerce, and also on the Academy of Sciences.
He wanted to set some examples for the merchants in the Song Dynasty, so that they could see hope.
Instead of the imperial court doing everything.
Private trading companies also need resources; there is a competition between the two sides, as well as a symbiotic relationship.
No one knew that the emperor had already begun to push things forward behind the scenes.
When Ye Chong developed a steam locomotive that the Imperial Academy of Sciences of the Song Dynasty could not produce, and applied for a patent, and with the protection of the laws of the Song Dynasty, this would be a considerable fortune.
This patent is registered under the name of a company called Yongsheng Trading Company, and the nominal owner of Yongsheng Trading Company is Ye Chong.
Ye Chong was neither good at management nor at business, so Zhao Huan found someone to help him.
Once a case is created where someone becomes incredibly wealthy through inventing something new, then ordinary businesspeople will see huge business opportunities in inventions and creations and smell the scent of money.
That way, not everything will be piled up at the Royal Business School.
In this way, construction professionals will be sought after.
Their experience at the Royal Business School would then be used to develop advanced weapons for warfare and explore the fundamental natural sciences.
Ye Chongdao said, "I only know a little about that steam locomotive."
"It's alright, I've already prepared one, it's in the workshop, just come with me!"
Zhao Huan stood up and led Ye Chong toward the workshop at the back.
Ye Chong was surprised to find that there was a workshop in the manor.
This Mr. Zhao looks refined and scholarly; he's clearly a learned man. Why would he be interested in such things?
That's really strange!
The workshops in this manor were quite large. After entering, Ye Chong found that it had everything, including steel furnaces and a place to forge swords and weapons.
Although each place is small, it has everything.
He thought for a moment, then thought, "What's that old saying again?"
Although sparrows are small, they still have all the internal organs in their bellies.
He didn't know why this Mr. Zhao had set up these things here, but for someone who had grown up in a workshop, this place felt especially familiar.
He originally came to Tokyo to find a job, but he ended up here.
In the open space of the workshop, there was a steam locomotive, exactly the same as the one Ye Chong had seen half a month ago.
I heard that there were only twenty of them in the entire Song Dynasty, and they came from the East and West Workshops of the Military Equipment Bureau.
Only prime ministers or high-ranking officials can possess it.
This Mr. Zhao is no ordinary person!
Ye Chong was thinking about these things.
“Brother Ye, I have a steam locomotive here. You can take a closer look at it and make improvements according to your plan. If you need anything, just tell Lao Qin, and he will give you everything you want, anything.”
Zhao Huan pointed at Qin Hui, who was standing to one side, and Qin Hui quickly said to Ye Chong, "Just tell me what you need, young man."
Although Ye Chong came from a poor background, he was still shrewd. After all, he was unfamiliar with the city of Tokyo and had been brought here.
This Mr. Zhao is giving him money and other people. Where in the world is there such a good thing?
Zhao Huan saw Ye Chong's worry and continued, "As long as we manufacture steam locomotives, we can apply for patents according to the laws of the Great Song Dynasty. In the future, everyone who uses steam locomotives will have to pay us. Half of this money will be yours, and half will be mine."
Ye Chong then realized that these merchants were indeed like that.
He accepted this reason.
"I'll give it a try."
“Alright, my Eternal Life Trading Company has a subsidiary called Huaxing. I will have Lao Qin make you the owner of Huaxing Trading Company and register you with the Ministry of Commerce. You will be a legal owner as defined by the laws of the Great Song Dynasty. The patent for the steam locomotive will be placed in Huaxing Trading Company.”
Ye Chong had no concept of what a trading company was; he only knew that if he succeeded in this, he would make a lot of money.
That alone is enough to motivate him.
After talking with Ye Chong for a while longer, Zhao Huan left and returned to the palace.
Over the next few days, Ye Chong began working on modifying the steam engine.
Zhao Huan did not disturb him, but instead took the opportunity to stroll around the university with Shi Xun.
Since universities have now started offering a subject called physics, Zhao Huan is eager to understand how well the students are accepting the course.
He had read the textbook on that subject, and it was essentially a different concept from physics in later generations.
Current physics merely describes phenomena and has not yet delved into the essence of things.
For example, why does heating cause iron to deform, and to what extent should iron be heated to deform?
These are all based on the experience of the Academy of Sciences, and no specific answer has been given regarding the temperature.
In any case, after all this, Zhao Huan was quite disappointed.
But he quickly came to his senses, after all, he had transmigrated from another time.
The fact that people in ancient times could begin to learn about these things from books was already a great step forward.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!