Chapter 228: 226 Expansion Plans Moved Up

The Regional Commander's headquarters.

The courtyard where Xiong Wencan had been received was now used for hosting important guests; a maidservant had even been hired to handle the cleaning.

Today, six scholars arrived — including Xiao Shixuan — all of them mathematics enthusiasts.

Because Xiao Shixuan had been given the title of Doctor of Mathematics and was drawing a salary equivalent to that of an Assistant Magistrate, everyone knew that Zhao Han placed great importance on mathematics. When those above show a fondness, those below will follow suit, and more and more people were now studying the subject.

Only, the great majority of scholars were still stuck at the level of elementary-school mathematics.

"Mr. Zhao!" The six scholars rose to their feet in unison.

Zhao Han smiled and raised a hand. "All of you, sit."

Once they were seated, their gazes shifted to the person behind Zhao Han — it was Zhao Zhenfang, who had come along.

A blackboard stood upright in the very center of the courtyard, and the group sat on chairs arranged around it.

Zhao Han walked up to the blackboard and said, "All of you are outstanding figures in the study of mathematics. The first reason I have invited you here today is to establish a Mathematics Society. This Mathematics Society will be similar to a literary society: you will ordinarily exchange and discuss mathematical problems, and each quarter you will publish an issue of the journal Mathematics, presenting the results you have achieved in the recent period. This year, the Regional Commander's headquarters will allocate twenty taels of silver as dedicated funds for the establishment and development of the Mathematics Society."

The six men were quite delighted. They were all considered oddities among the scholars, and they had never imagined they would receive such regard from Zhao Han.

"You can discuss the details of the Mathematics Society among yourselves later," Zhao Han said, picking up a piece of chalk made from chalky clay. "Today I will talk about two things: one is logarithms, and the other is analytic geometry."

As a humanities-track student, Zhao Han had already forgotten most of his advanced mathematics; he had also forgotten a good deal of what he had studied in middle school and high school.

Analytic geometry was taught in middle school, while logarithms were first-year high-school material. For these two things, Zhao Han could only remember the conceptual foundations; any deeper exploration would have to rely on Xiao Shixuan and the others to research.

Zhao Han could not afford to wait any longer. He had to put the fundamental concepts out there, or who knew how many years it would take for them to be born in China.

This was because logarithms and analytic geometry were extremely important — they were the key mathematical tools for advances in astronomy, navigation, mechanics, economics, military science, and other technologies. Or rather, it was precisely the development of astronomy, navigation, mechanics, and so many other fields that forced methods of numerical calculation to improve, and thus in Europe they gave birth to logarithms and analytic geometry.

Without these two mathematical tools, astronomy, navigation, and mechanics would develop until they hit a bottleneck and could break through no further.

Just this very year, Descartes had also come up with the concept of imaginary numbers.

China at this moment lagged far behind, but Zhao Han's appearance had narrowed that gap. Over ninety years ago, the equals sign appeared in Europe, but it only came into widespread use a little over forty years ago. Thirty-six years ago, the greater-than and less-than symbols appeared in Europe; six years ago, the multiplication and division signs appeared in Europe; and this year, Descartes used the radical sign for the first time.

At the very least, the mathematicians under Zhao Han's rule would use the radical sign before the European mathematicians did.

Also in this very year, Descartes founded analytic geometry!

On the blackboard, Zhao Han drew a cross-shaped coordinate system. On the horizontal axis he marked the abbreviated symbol for "A," on the vertical axis he marked the abbreviated symbol for "B," and at the intersection he marked "0."

Did it suddenly come back to you?

This thing was analytic geometry. Centuries later it would be seen everywhere, but right now it was something brand new.

As Zhao Han traced it out stroke by stroke with the chalk, all six scholars were at once astonished and overjoyed, as if a door to a new world had been thrown open before them.

Zhao Zhenfang grew more and more confused the longer she listened, as though what was written on the blackboard were a book from heaven. She glanced at the six men beside her; every one of them was utterly absorbed, and they all seemed to understand it.

Zhao Zhenfang felt terribly inadequate. From now on, she would have to work hard at studying mathematics.

Because she found her days very dull, she had asked her brother for a task, wanting to do some work within the Mathematics Society — for example, helping to contact members, organizing research results, compiling and editing the quarterly Mathematics Society journal, and so on.

If she could not even understand other people's work, then how was she supposed to compile and edit the journal?

Over the course of the morning, Zhao Han only covered the most basic material, mainly because if he went any deeper, he himself would not know it either. He tossed aside the chalk and said, "Gentlemen, please stay for a meal. I have official business this afternoon. Farewell!"

"We respectfully see off Mr. Zhao!"

The six men rose in unison and bowed with clasped hands, but then none of them went to eat; they all took out their own little notebooks and began leafing through them.

"Did you understand it?"

"I understood all of it — it was like having the purest ghee poured upon my head."

"Especially this introduction of variables — it can only be called a stroke of divine genius. So many difficult problems from before can now be solved with ease!"

"Mr. Zhao is truly a man of the gods!"

"..."

The six men sighed in admiration there, and then immediately began discussing.

In truth, the content they were discussing was all ninth-grade and tenth-grade mathematics, and the relatively simple parts at that — not even worthy of being used as the major problems on a final exam.

Zhao Zhenfang came bouncing along after him and asked, "Second Brother, can I study mathematics with them from now on?"

"You may. As long as it is something you enjoy doing, that is good," Zhao Han said with a smile.

As the brother and sister stepped out of the courtyard gate, a guard handed over a letter: "Regional Commander, the peasants of Jianchang Prefecture have also risen up. Commissioner Zhao (Fei Ruhe) asks whether we should send troops to take control."

Zhao Han did not even bother with eating. He went back to his office first, had his secretary draft several transfer orders, signed them personally and affixed his seal, and only after they had been sent out did he return to the inner residence.

Jianchang Prefecture also had a princely estate, called the Prince of Yi, whose founding ancestor was the sixth son of Zhu Jianshen.

This line had a considerable reputation for virtue and did not stir up much trouble.

The first Prince of Yi was extremely frugal, kept very few concubines, and was buried with simple grave goods. His eldest son and second son were likewise frugal. The eldest son left no heir, so the title passed to the second son. That second son had five sons of his own, and he voluntarily petitioned to have his stipend rice reduced by two thousand shi.

But those very five sons went on to produce eighty-six grandsons!

By the Chongzhen years, the Prince of Yi lineage had forty men at the commandery-prince level alone, along with countless generals and commandants.

They indeed had a reputation for virtue, because they never made trouble — but the common people of Jianchang Prefecture certainly did not see it that way. This place was just like Raozhou Prefecture: the Single Whip Law had never been implemented here, and even during Zhang Juzheng's reforms, Jianchang Prefecture could not be touched.

This year, Jianchang Prefecture suffered both flood and drought, and the cultist bandits of Nanfeng rose from the ashes. Next door, the Southern Jiangxi uprising was raging merrily, and next door in Fuzhou, peasant associations were being set up — how could the people of Jianchang Prefecture not follow the example?

Right now, Nanfeng County was occupied by the Secret-Secret Sect, and the prefectural seat was occupied by a peasant rebel army.

The Secret-Secret Sect had also gone to Guangchang County to spread its teachings, and it would undoubtedly become the peasant associations' number-one enemy in the future. Such folk religious sects had to be resolutely struck down!

"Did you run into trouble again? Only coming to eat now," Fei Rulan said with a smile.

Zhao Han said, "Chaos has broken out in Jianchang Prefecture. We must take it ahead of schedule, or who knows how many more people will die."

Fei Rulan said, "This morning, Uncle Lin and the Ling family came by. They have arranged a marriage for Fei Chun. The wedding will be at the end of the year; the date has already been chosen."

"Which family is the bride from?" Zhao Han asked offhandedly.

Fei Rulan said with a laugh, "Knowing you dislike entanglements with the great clans, it is the daughter of an old village schoolmaster. I hear she is quite proper-looking, and she can read a few characters as well. Her needlework is also extremely fine — no telling how many matchmakers have come knocking."

"That boy has good fortune," Zhao Han said, laughing too.

Fei Rulan suddenly said, "Rumei and Zhenfang have both reached the age for marriage as well. Should we not give it some thought?"

Zhao Han shook his head. "No hurry. They are only fifteen or sixteen. Marrying too young makes difficult labor more likely."

"My mother is the anxious one — she's already looking for a match for Rumei," Fei Rulan said.

Zhao Han gave a wry smile. "Don't dwell on these things all day either. It'd be good to find something else to do."

Fei Rulan said, "I do have things to do. The teachers at the Saomei Girls' School are all married women of talent. I often exchange letters with them, chatting idly about literature, opera, and the arts."

Zhao Han thought for a moment and said, "If you like it, you could teach at the girls' school yourself."

"I could?" Fei Rulan's eyes lit up.

Zhao Han said, "If you can't manage a full day, just go for half a day — stay home in the morning, teach in the afternoon."

"That would be wonderful!" Fei Rulan was overjoyed, instantly cheering and skipping about as if she had returned to her girlhood.

Zhao Han had always felt Fei Rulan was somewhat stifled, most likely from idleness at home. Going out to work from now on would be good for her. If they truly seized the realm in the future, she might find it hard to go out at all — the officials would surely oppose it then.

After lunch, Zhao Han held Fei Rulan and took a short nap. Stretching lazily, he went back to his office.

He had not handled many documents when a secretary delivered intelligence: Joseon had surrendered to the Qing.

During the first month, Hong Taiji had marched on Joseon, sweeping all before him and pressing straight to the walls of Pyongyang. The Joseon king, terrified, fled with his eldest son and his officials to Namhansanseong, sending his second son with the royal household to take refuge on Ganghwa Island.

The Ming army received word in the second month and set out to sea in the third month to bring relief. Before the reinforcements arrived, they got the news that Joseon had surrendered to the Qing.

This year the whole country was in utter chaos, bandits everywhere. Joseon's surrender barely raised a ripple — it was only now that Zhao Han received the report.

Zhao Han summoned Pang Chunlai and Li Banghua and produced the secret letter about Joseon's surrender.

Pang Chunlai frowned and said, "The Great Ming is in peril."

"We must seize all of Jiangxi ahead of schedule," Li Banghua advised.

In the past few years, the Manchu Qing had already subjugated the Mongols, and now they had subjugated Joseon. That meant they had no constraints on either flank and could henceforth throw their full strength against the Great Ming — and each assault would surely be fiercer than the last.

Both Pang Chunlai and Li Banghua were alarmed, afraid that Beijing could not hold out.

The truth was, this year's situation was terrifying. Disasters struck more than half of China. The drought in South Zhili and Zhejiang dealt Chongzhen the heaviest blow of all, its impact far exceeding Zhao Han's uprising in Jiangxi.

The Great Ming's tax revenues depended entirely on South Zhili and Zhejiang to sustain it!

Zhao Han said, "The prefectural seat of Jianchang has been taken by the righteous armies, and the county seat of Nanfeng has been seized by sect bandits. I have already ordered the troops, the officials, and the peasant associations to move ahead of schedule."

"That is exactly what should be done," Li Banghua said. "This year we must take all of Jianchang Prefecture, Fuzhou Prefecture, and Raozhou Prefecture. That will leave only the three prefectures of Nankang, Jiujiang, and Guangxin in Jiangxi. We should aim to seize the entire province after next year's summer harvest."

"I concur with this strategy," Pang Chunlai immediately seconded.

Pang Chunlai had come from Liaodong and knew firsthand how savage the Tartars were. Joseon's surrender filled him with a sense of crisis, a fear that one day the Tartars might suddenly storm Beijing.

If that happened, and if Chongzhen moved the court south and divided the realm with the Tartars along the river, Jiangxi would instead become a thorn in the court's eye.

They had to seize Jiangxi as soon as possible, then take Fujian, Guangdong, and southern Huguang. That way Chongzhen would certainly not dare flee to the south.

(End of chapter)