Tibet

Nearly 60,000 scholars took the second examination three days after the end of the imperial examination. The venue was still the previous imperial examination camp. This time it was the joint examination of the three schools of Taixue, Engineering and Agriculture. Of course, the number of people who applied for Taixue was the largest, exceeding There are 40,000 students, while Engineering and Agricultural Sciences each have 7,000 or 8,000 students. However, the number of students admitted to the three schools is the same, 500 students each. This makes the admission rates of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences much higher than that of Taixue.

Today is also a special day. In the morning, Emperor Li Ye brought Prince Li Tan and all senior executives above the fifth level to the agency office outside Beicheng.

Today is the day when the steam engine is shut down, and it is also a big day when the steam engine is successfully developed.

From September last year to the present, the steam engine has successfully operated for a full two hundred days and successfully achieved its goal.

Li Ye took his son Li Tan's hand and walked into the gate of the government agency, followed by more than a hundred officials. Ordnance Supervisor Li Cang led the way.

Li Tan is ten years old this year. He is studying in Hongwen Hall under Wang Hong, a doctor in Hongwen Hall. His grandfather Li Dai will also teach him when he has time.

Hongwen Hall is affiliated to the East Palace. It is not only a library, but also a traditional aristocratic school. There are only more than thirty students, basically the children of high-ranking officials above the third rank. The requirements are extremely strict and the academics are the highest, so that real talents can be cultivated. .

After Li Tan was canonized as prince, he should teach alone, but Li Ye still let him study in Hongwen Hall to cultivate his collective consciousness.

The agency's order, Yao Chunshan, and his apprentice Wei Jincheng led Li Ye and other senior officials to the huge steam engine. The piston was still moving back and forth in the cylinder, driving the crank and connecting rod to rotate, and ultimately driving dozens of cotton gins to operate. .

Li Ye found that the noise was much less and the human ear could bear it, so he smiled and asked: "The sound is much quieter!"

Yao Chunshan bowed and said: "To report back to Your Majesty, we used the principle of axle bearings on carriages to make fine steel bushings, fixed them with fine steel pins, and lubricated them with a lot of grease. Basically there is no harsh rotation and friction sound."

The shaft bearing is the bearing. It appeared on the chariot during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It was made of bronze, with a round outside and square inside, with four inner corners. The end of the shaft is in the shape of a mace, which is placed inside the shaft bearing and fixed with a pin to drive the wheel to rotate. It is very sturdy and durable, ensuring chariot battles in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

This is inheritance, why steam engines were able to be manufactured in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. In addition to the maturity of bellows technology, there are also two thousand years of mechanical technology inheritance.

Chinese dynasties have attached great importance to the development of science and technology. Except for the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, our current understanding is that ancient Chinese rulers believed that science and technology were miraculous and cunning. This understanding came from the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. This is indeed the case in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. In order to rule The Han people enslaved the Han people and did not hesitate to kill all science and technology.

But in the thousands of years before the Manchu Qing Dynasty, rulers of all dynasties attached great importance to technology, because technology can bring about military changes, agricultural development, and accurate calendars. This is what all rulers care about most. A strong army, plenty of food and good weather.

The splendid scientific and technological culture created by China over thousands of years was eventually stifled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but it made Western science and technology possible.

At the same time, the West used various despicable and deceptive methods to plunder the achievements of thousands of years of Chinese civilization and appropriate them as its own.

Without thousands of years of scientific and technological inheritance and accumulation, how could the West have experienced a sudden explosion of science and technology in a short period of time?

Each technology requires decades or even hundreds of years of continuous practice to know whether it is practical, and then it is constantly adjusted and practiced for a long time. Only then can practical experience be accumulated and passed down from generation to generation.

Inheritance and accumulation are the essence of the development of science and technology. Any revolutionary technology will not appear out of nowhere. It must stand on the shoulders of its predecessors.

This is the saying goes, 'One general's success will lead to ten thousand bones drying up'.

"How do you solve the problem of steam boiler explosion?" Li Ye asked again.

Yao Chunshan said quickly: "Your Majesty, we have tried repeatedly and designed a valve. When the steam pressure inside reaches a critical point, it will break through the valve and the steam will be ejected. However, this kind of valve will cause too much steam to be ejected. .

So we also installed a very small chimney next to it, and installed a valve in the small chimney. Once the steam concentration and pressure reached a critical point, the valve in the small chimney was flushed open, and then it started to sing, just like the sound of a dysprosium in a bow and arrow. Remind the stoker to open the valve to release the gas.

This is the ancient pressure warning device. It is simple and practical, but it requires hundreds of trials before it can be successful.

"Can the pin be fixed?" Li Ye asked again.

"No problem. Our carpenters use wooden dowels to fix tables and chairs very solidly. And carts, which undergo high-intensity rotation and vibration every day, are also fixed with iron dowels. It's rare to see carts falling apart, especially those with belts. The barbed iron pin is like an arrow. Once it is driven in, it is very difficult to pull it out. "

The barbed iron pin is actually an expansion screw. The same principle applies to the wolf-tooth arrow. Once it is inserted into the body and pulled out, a ball of flesh will come out.

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, car craftsmen discovered in practice that ordinary nails would slowly shake out and fall off when the cart was shaken for a long time. They designed a pin with barbs. After being knocked in, the barbs would fall off. If it gets stuck in, it will be difficult to pull it out.

"Father, what is the use of this steam engine?" Prince Li Tan asked.

This is a good question. Li Ye looked at the officials around him. Many officials were also confused. It was the first time for them to see a steam engine.

Li Ye waved his hand to silence everyone. He pointed to the steam engine and said slowly to everyone: "Many people don't understand what this machine can do? Maybe some officials saw the cotton gin next door and suddenly understood, oh! It turns out it It can ginning cotton and grinding flour. That's right. It can indeed ginning cotton and grinding flour. It can even spin yarn and weave cloth. If you just think about it this way, it is killing a chicken with a butcher's knife.

Why has it been difficult for us in the past dynasties to control Anxi? Because it is too far away. From Chang'an to Tingzhou, it takes more than two months to ride a camel, and it takes a month at the fastest to go there on horseback, because people need to rest and horses need to rest. I I once thought of a way to build a post station every hundred miles, and change horses, people, and carriages at the inn station.

But this will result in each inn having to prepare a large number of manpower and carriages, thousands of carts and thousands of horsemen, and more than a hundred inns! Therefore, the idea of ​​setting up a post station to deliver letters is fine, but it is simply ridiculous and unrealistic to use it to transport goods.

So is there a kind of transportation, like a super carriage, one can pull 100,000 shi of grain? Everyone, the steam engine behind me can be used to build a carriage, put it on, and its connecting rod will rotate to drive the wheels to rotate. , a steam locomotive can carry one hundred thousand stones of grain, is about one hundred feet long, and only needs two people to drive it. It only takes five days and five nights to transport grain from Chang'an to Tingzhou. The same can be done to transport soldiers. "

Everyone was mesmerized by what they heard. This was something they couldn't even imagine.

"Your Majesty, when will it be realized?"

Duan Xiushi couldn't help but ask. He was the one who could best understand the inconvenience of a long journey and was also the most eager.

Li Ye shook his head, "It's easy for me to say it, but it's difficult to do it. It takes time, a lot of iron, and many years of research. But the fastest thing to use is a ship. As long as it is installed on a ship, it will It can drive the propeller to rotate. This is much simpler and can be achieved within a year. Especially when going overseas, there is no need for wind power. You can set off at any time and anywhere. A journey of several months can take more than ten days. Therefore, the steam engine is the first to It can be used on large ships with thousands of stones, and it can be used for inland navigation. "

Li Ye then said to Yao Chunshan: "Immediately recruit craftsmen for training and start manufacturing steam engines in large quantities. The imperial court will order a hundred units first. How much is needed for each unit? Have you calculated it?"

Yao Chunshan lowered his head and thought for a while, "One machine costs 8,000 guan, mainly because it has been repeated several times. Wei Chen estimates that a medium-sized steam engine costs about 3,000 guan. Next, we will go all out to make the steam engine while continuing. Research and make it smaller, so that it can be used by ships with three thousand stone. "

Li Ye smiled slightly and said: "We also need to consider the use in various industries, such as silk cutting, textile

, oil pressing, flour grinding, cotton ginning, dock handling, coal mining, mining, large waterwheels, etc., it is estimated that small steam engines will be used, so you will also need to set up an applied research institute and run schools to cultivate talents. According to my I will write a report carefully based on my ideas. If it is really necessary, I will upgrade the agency. "

Yao Chunshan said excitedly: "I obey the order!"