[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-great-tang-starting-off-by-vindicating-li-er":3,"chapter-great-tang-starting-off-by-vindicating-li-er-great-tang-starting-off-by-vindicating-li-er-chapter-41":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Great Tang: Starting Off by Vindicating Li Er",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2351172,4596,"Chapter 41: Popular Science Expert, Artificial Rainfall","great-tang-starting-off-by-vindicating-li-er-chapter-41",41,"\u003Cp>\"Hehe... Changle, the world we live in can be called Earth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we were to keep walking eastward, without deviating from our direction at all, we would eventually return to the Hibiscus Garden.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Su Liang finished speaking, Changle had already opened her mouth wide, looking at Su Liang with an expression of disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This... this is just too fantastical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To prove to Changle that the Earth is round, Su Liang immediately gave an example: \"Changle, if the ground were flat, why is it that the further a large ship sails at sea, the less you can see of its lower half?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Changle had not yet seen the ocean at this time, it had long been recorded in books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding what Su Liang said, Changle also knew of it, and for a moment, she could not refute him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Changle was speechless, Su Liang immediately patted her head and said, \"Alright, stop overthinking it. Would your husband ever lie to you? When there is an opportunity in the future, I will certainly take you all on a trip around the Earth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the ancients of this time already had a certain understanding of the heavens and the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Tang Dynasty, the theories of the \"Canopy Heaven\" and \"Spherical Heaven\" already existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding the Canopy Heaven theory, it is recorded in the *Book of Jin: Treatise on Astronomy*: \"It says the sky is like a canopy or a hat, and the earth is like an inverted plate; both heaven and earth are high in the middle and low at the edges. Below the North Pole is the center of heaven and earth, where the land is highest, and it slopes down in four directions; the three lights [sun, moon, and stars] hide and shine, creating day and night. The center of the sky is 60,000 li higher than the location of the winter solstice. The land below the North Pole is also 60,000 li higher than the land below the outer rim, and the outer rim is 20,000 li higher than the land below the North Pole. Heaven and earth rise and fall in accordance with each other; the sun is always 80,000 li away from the earth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Canopy Heaven theory first appeared during the Western Zhou period, when it was believed that heaven was noble and earth was lowly, that heaven was round and earth was square, and that \"the sky is round like a canopy, and the earth is square like a chessboard,\" with the dome-shaped sky covering the flat, square earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the embryonic form of the Canopy Heaven theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, during its development, there were several different views. Because the round canopy of the sky could not match the edges of the square earth, some proposed that the sky did not touch the earth but hung high above it like a large umbrella, supported by eight pillars around the perimeter of the earth, with the shape of heaven and earth resembling a pavilion with a dome-shaped roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The myths of Gonggong angrily striking Mount Buzhou and Nüwa patching the sky were based on this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the Warring States period, people began to doubt the aforementioned Canopy Heaven theory, so it was revised to \"the sky is like a canopy, and the earth is like an inverted plate,\" meaning that the sky is spherical and the earth is also spherical, and it was believed that the North Pole was located at the center of the celestial dome, with the sun, moon, and stars rotating around it incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the Western Han Dynasty, there were still people who insisted on this view, and the *Zhoubi Suanjing*, written at that time, was the representative work of the Canopy Heaven theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Canopy Heaven theory usually explained the rising and setting of the sun, moon, and stars as being caused by changes in their distance during their movement; when they were far away, they could not be seen, and when they were close, they could be seen shining. This explanation was rather forced, and the Canopy Heaven theory was refuted by more and more astronomical observation facts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Xiong of the Western Han Dynasty proposed the \"Eight Difficulties of the Canopy Heaven,\" refuting the theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Canopy Heaven theory still had a certain influence in ancient China; the \"Dome Heaven\" theory proposed by Yu Song of the Jin Dynasty was a continuation and development of the Canopy Heaven theory. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a theory combining the Spherical and Canopy theories also appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spherical Heaven theory is another cosmological theory from ancient China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spherical Heaven\" refers to the idea that the sky is perfectly round; some compared it to a large bird's egg, some to a large chicken egg, and others to a large pellet. This cosmological theory sprouted during the Warring States period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 4th century BC, the Zhao Guo thinker Shen Dao said: The sky is not hemispherical, but like a pellet, it is a complete sphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he did not discuss the shape of the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to guess that the earth was spherical was Hui Shi, a man from the State of Song during the Warring States period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui Shi once said: The spherical earth, although limited in volume, can be traveled around continuously if one keeps walking south, endlessly. Hui Shi not only believed the earth was spherical, but also that the sky was spherical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Influenced by this thought, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, a folk astronomer from Sichuan named Luo Xiahong created a spherical armillary sphere to demonstrate celestial phenomena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Luo Xiahong's armillary sphere was still very simple, it is the earliest known armillary sphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is said that when the armillary sphere was first made, many people did not believe it could be of any use. However, when Luo Xiahong demonstrated it in a basement, people were astonished to find that the constellations marked on the armillary sphere matched the actual celestial phenomena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consequently, Luo Xiahong's fame spread, and the armillary sphere became widely known.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Luo Xiahong, Xianyu Wangren, Geng Zhongcheng, Zhang Heng, and others further developed the theory of the Spherical Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Zhang Heng, who made a comprehensive summary of the Spherical Heaven theory, ultimately making it a highly influential cosmological structure system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his book *Notes on the Armillary Sphere*, Zhang Heng expounded his views: \"The spherical heaven is like a chicken egg; the celestial body is round like a pellet, and the earth is like the yolk inside the egg, residing alone within. The sky is large and the earth is small. There is water inside and outside the sky. The sky envelops the earth just as the shell wraps the yolk. Heaven and earth each stand upon Qi and float upon water.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Heng not only provided a systematic explanation of the Spherical Heaven theory in theory but also, based on the experience of his predecessors, created the \"Water-Powered Armillary Sphere\" to vividly express his Spherical Heaven ideas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this \"Spherical Heaven\" cosmological theory represented by Zhang Heng was a significant improvement over the \"Canopy Heaven\" cosmological theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It recognized that the Earth is spherical, and based on this theory, it could also explain phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses, and could even predict the dates and times of solar and lunar eclipses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was precisely because of these progressive aspects of the Spherical Heaven theory that, after its inception, it was quickly accepted by astronomers and became the most far-reaching cosmological theory in traditional Chinese culture, maintaining a dominant position in the astronomical field for over a thousand years from the Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should be said that the Spherical Heaven theory is far closer to the reality of the universe's structure than the Canopy Heaven theory, but it also has obvious shortcomings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, it considers the Earth to be the center of the universe, which is clearly limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, some of the claims of the Spherical Heaven theory are also inexplicable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take the phrase \"Heaven and earth each stand upon Qi and float upon water\"—when the sun, moon, and stars, which are attached to the inner wall of the celestial sphere and rotate with it around the Earth, move below the horizon, how do they pass through the water?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said that the ancients were quite wise; comparing the entire Earth to a chicken egg, with the sky as the white and the earth as the yolk, is indeed somewhat reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is just that considering the Earth to be the center of the entire universe is too limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a night of hard work, Su Liang had also made a globe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Su Liang had people invite Li Shimin and the others over to give them a good popular science lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After everyone arrived at the Hibiscus Garden, Su Liang took out the globe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, Su Liang also depicted the solar system. Seeing this, everyone was puzzled. The \"Spherical Heaven\" theory had long had corresponding theories, and now that Su Liang had engraved the world map on a sphere, it was indisputable, especially since they trusted Su Liang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But facing the \"solar system\" diagram Su Liang brought out, everyone did not understand what Su Liang meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Liang looked at their puzzled gazes and immediately explained: \"Hehe... I suppose everyone knows the theory of the Spherical Heaven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Spherical Heaven theory is correct about one thing: the world we live in is indeed a sphere.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Comparing this entire world to a chicken egg, with the sky as the white and the earth as the yolk, is also indeed correct.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, everyone nodded one after another. So far, they knew everything Su Liang had said, they just lacked concrete evidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were more concerned about what Su Liang would say next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is just that this world... is not the center of the universe,\" Su Liang said lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, everyone's brows furrowed even tighter. At this moment, they were all staring fixedly at Su Liang, waiting for his next words. They were already accustomed to listening to Su Liang's explanations and firmly believed that he would give them a reasonable explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe... does everyone know how day and night come about?\" Su Liang asked, looking at the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, everyone seemed to remember something and cast their eyes toward the solar system diagram Su Liang had brought out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did they notice many terms on it, among which terms like Sun, Moon, and Earth were marked within circles of varying sizes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very center was clearly the Sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, Su Liang had also drawn the orbits of the major planets on it, as well as the orbit of the Moon around the Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master Su, is this 'Moon' marked on your diagram representing the moon?\" Fang Xuanling asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Duke of Liang is correct, that is exactly it!\" Su Liang nodded upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then pointed to the Earth marked on the map and said slowly: \"And... the world we live in is the Earth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Su Liang's voice fell, everyone began to observe it carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, Li Shimin looked at Su Liang and asked: \"Virtuous... son-in-law, do you mean to say, could it be that the Sun is the center of the universe?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh... you could say that. The Sun is indeed the center of this universe, just not the center of the entire universe,\" Su Liang said nonchalantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, everyone present was dumbfounded and speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What they had seen today had overturned their previous understanding. Not only that, the implication in Su Liang's words was that there was an even larger universe; how could they not be shocked?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, except for Su Liang, only Little Sizi was relatively calm, after all, Little Sizi was only ten years old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Liang then had someone bring a glass ball, and while pointing at the solar system map, he used the glass ball to demonstrate, looking at the crowd and saying slowly: \"Everyone, the reason this world has day and night is because the Earth revolves around the Sun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the same time, the Earth itself is rotating. One rotation of the Earth takes twelve double-hours.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In this way, only half of the Earth can be illuminated by sunlight, so day is formed, and the other half is naturally night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, everyone understood a little. Although they felt it was incredible, what Su Liang said was indeed more convincing than the \"Spherical Heaven\" theory they had known before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the crowd did not disturb Su Liang and listened quietly to his next words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In addition... the reason we can see the moon is because the moon revolves around the Earth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Liang said while demonstrating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Su Liang's words, everyone suddenly realized and completely understood why one could sometimes see the moon during the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequently, Su Liang continued to explain the causes of phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was confused, but they had already grasped the general meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, Su Liang also gave them a brief popular science lesson on the causes of various weather patterns, telling them to believe in science rather than blindly praying for the heavens to bless them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was becoming more and more excited as they listened, and they all looked at Su Liang with burning eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as Su Liang was explaining how rain is formed, Li Shimin stared at Su Liang with deep eyes and said: \"According to what you say, son-in-law, wouldn't it be possible to change the conditions for rain under certain circumstances?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Liang nodded slightly upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then looked at the crowd and continued: \"That is indeed the case. Under certain conditions, artificial rainfall can be implemented.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving Su Liang's confirmation, Li Shimin was overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These days, Li Shimin had been keeping what Su Liang said earlier in mind. It had not rained in Hebei for more than three months, and it seemed Su Liang might have been right. Li Shimin then fixed his gaze on Su Liang, looking at him with anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Liang felt Li Shimin's gaze and said lightly: \"Hehe... I understand Your Majesty's thoughts, but it is not yet possible to perform artificial rainfall.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not to mention whether natural conditions allow it, we currently cannot send the materials for artificial rainfall to an altitude of 16,000 li.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Su Liang's voice fell, Li Shimin's expression clearly darkened; the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then... how long will it take for you to be able to do it, son-in-law?\" Li Shimin asked, unwilling to give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This... this will probably take about a month,\" Su Liang said lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Su Liang could do it himself after a few days of hard work, but he did not want to be that tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the matters in Hebei had already been arranged properly, and there would be no major problems, just a slightly lower grain harvest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing, Su Liang could not help but think of one thing: if only the Shandong Peninsula and the Liaodong Peninsula could be connected, in not many years, the Bohai Sea would inevitably become the largest freshwater lake in China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the South-to-North Water Diversion Project could alleviate the shortage of water resources in the north, it was still far from enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The average depth of the Bohai Sea is only 18 meters, and the deepest part is no more than 85 meters. The distance between the Shandong Peninsula and the Liaodong Peninsula is no more than 110 kilometers, and there are some small islands in between, so one would only need to build a dam of about 100 kilometers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Liang could not help but hatch this idea in his heart; it seems that after the roads are built, he will have to go out for a walk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The information sent back by the Secret Service in recent days seemed insignificant on the surface, but Su Liang saw it very clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It probably won't be long before Goguryeo unites with Baekje to launch a large-scale military campaign against Silla.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although this matter is of no consequence to the Great Tang, if these two countries take Silla, it is hard to say what the situation will be then.\u003C\u002Fp>",2752,"2026-06-21T02:53:01.560Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","dbb06ebcd99c7d28e071c6c909bb1645ea7dbe2c1594df81d00dd049db045849","great-tang-starting-off-by-vindicating-li-er-chapter-42","great-tang-starting-off-by-vindicating-li-er-chapter-40",63,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fgreat-tang-starting-off-by-vindicating-li-er-cover.jpg"]