Chapter 2514 The Power of Steam
Since the day humans became intelligent, they have been full of fear and worship of the irresistible force of nature.
The stars are changing, wind, rain, thunder and lightning, earthquakes and tsunamis... Human beings realize how insignificant they are in the face of the power of nature. While trembling, they also personify these natural phenomena and interpret endless gods to set off their own insignificance and fragility. .
It seems that only the gods hidden in invisible places can control these irresistible forces in the universe. How can mortals overstep them?
Everyone's eyes were focused on the emperor, and naturally they all saw the ugly steam engine. No one knows what it is, but when the fire in the boiler gradually ignites, the cold water in the water tank gradually boils, and a trace of steam overflows, even under the late summer and early autumn sun, it is still steaming and white, and it is faint. Something doesn't feel right.
It seems that there is a mysterious force that is constantly struggling, hoping to break free from certain constraints and break out of the cage.
There was no instrument to measure pressure. The craftsman relied entirely on the experience gained after countless boilers exploded due to excessive pressure. After the water in the water tank completely boiled and sufficient steam pressure was released, he decisively opened the valve.
In an instant, violent steam rushed out of the water tank, rushed into the steam engine like an army, slammed into the piston along the intake duct, and violently pushed the piston into motion.
The piston was pushed by the powerful energy to make a reciprocating motion, and then the exhaust gas was released from the exhaust pipe, turned into a line of white gas along the chimney, and rushed straight into the sky, making a low whine.
Everyone was shocked.
The ministers who were close could see clearly and understood that this might be the steam released after the water in the water tank was boiled, but they never thought that the steam of sufficient volume could be so powerful. The gears on the steam engine were spinning faster and faster, driven by the steam, and everyone's face turned pale and they were at a loss.
After a kettle of water is boiled, the lid can be opened, but after a tank of water is boiled, the steam produced is like a few fierce horses or a few bullocks...
As the gears rotated faster, the craftsman standing on the steam engine suddenly moved a wrench, as if starting a certain device, and saw that the entire steam engine and the water tank moved violently, and then the wheels at the bottom began to slow down. Turning, it began to move forward slowly.
Everyone was stunned.
There are no horses, no oxen, and no manpower. Even Kunming Pond is tens of hundreds of feet away. There is no power of water flow to draw on. Even in this situation, a steam engine that is as small as a small car has no power at all. Any power-assisted drive that was visible to the naked eye began to slowly move forward along the iron bars buried in the ground.
The exhaust gas released from the chimney was like a sledgehammer hitting people's heads, completely subverting everyone's cognition.
What is the force driving this thing forward?
The crowd of onlookers "boomed" and almost went berserk. Fortunately, there were too many soldiers around to maintain order. Under continuous pressure, the situation became slightly stable.
In fact, even the soldiers themselves felt terrified...
His Majesty Li Er stood among the heavy guards, his eyes as wide as copper bells. He has always been known to be intelligent and his views on everything are accurate enough, but the only power he can think of is the steam after the water tank boils. ...However, it is just boiling water. Countless people have seen it countless times since childhood, but who can imagine that the steam after boiling water can actually produce such great power?
Is this really just a common phenomenon, or is there a god controlling all this behind the scenes? !
His Majesty Li Er, who has always been calm and calm, thinks that everything in this world is under control. After the Xuanwu Sect incident, he once again developed the confusion and fear that everything in front of him was beyond his control, and even completely surpassed all his life experiences. .
People are always in awe of the unknown.
He first looked at Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, Yu Mingshi and others who looked excited and flushed. These people can be said to be unparalleled masters. They no longer have mundane things in their hearts, and what they have been yearning for and pursuing throughout their lives. The power that transcends the world and explores the origin of heaven and earth naturally becomes extremely excited when faced with such an unimaginable situation.
Maybe...is this machine really capable of controlling the power of the Five Elements?
His Majesty Li Er was reluctant to believe it, because he felt that the so-called power of the Five Elements was the most mysterious energy between heaven and earth. How could it be controlled by such an ugly iron lump?
But what he saw before him surpassed all previous cognitions. He could not explain the occurrence of this situation.
His Majesty Li Er put his trembling hands in his sleeves, looked at Fang Jun not far away, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, suppressed his throat, and tried his best to prevent his voice from trembling: "What is the principle of this thing?"
Fang Jun said: "As your Majesty can see, the water in the water tank boils and turns into steam, and the steam drives the entire locomotive forward."
This is no secret.
After the steam engine is successfully developed, it will be put into use sooner or later. It cannot be kept hidden from the world, otherwise there will be no point in research and development.
Using steam to drive a locomotive is not a secret. As long as you observe it carefully, you will be able to understand it sooner or later.
The secret of the steam engine does not lie in its driving principle, let alone its mode of operation. It is too primitive and too simple. There are definitely many smart people in this world, and they cannot hide it from the world. This is why Fang Jun can put it in the world. The reason why it was created in the Tang Dynasty was that the level of science and technology involved was actually very low.
The real secret lies in the materials used to cast the entire steam engine, as well as the materials that prevent steam leakage and create better sealing.
At present, Datang's smelting technology is absolutely unique in the world, more than five hundred years ahead of the entire era. If others cannot obtain the secret smelting recipe, they will not be able to smelt materials suitable for steam engines, and they will never be able to create steam engines. Even if one could be imitated according to the principle, as long as the boiler pressure reaches a certain level, it would only end up bursting.
As for the material that makes the entire steam engine more sealed... No one knows that the Eucommia trees all over the Qinling Mountains can extract natural rubber, and it is impossible for anyone to know the extraction method.
As long as these two technologies are monopolized, the steam engine will never be imitated by others.
Even after the research and development of steam engines was introduced to the academy, the continuous huge capital investment will inevitably make the speed of research and development significantly increase. When those countries in the world have imitated steam engines, perhaps the Tang Dynasty even manufactured internal combustion engines...
His Majesty Li Er didn't know this, and he didn't consider the aspect of confidentiality. He just couldn't understand it, let alone accept it: "It's just water in a water tank. Everyone knows that it boils and turns into steam. How can it produce such a huge power? ”
While he was speaking, the steam engine was gradually accelerating under the influence of steam, driving all the way forward along the laid rails.
Wherever they went, people were shocked and surprised, exclaiming again and again.
The old man Yu Ming who participated in the entire development of the steam engine on the side stroked his beard and said: "Your Majesty, the reason why people think that the power of steam is not so great is that people mostly see this phenomenon in kettles. Just imagine, it's just a matter of time." How much water can be held in a kettle? Boiling is just how much water can be filled? How much steam is produced? When the kettle expands a hundred times, the water contained increases a hundred times, and the steam after boiling will naturally increase a hundred times. If the steam that can only open the lid is added arbitrarily, It’s enough to shake mountains and overturn rivers!”
When speaking, even when facing the emperor, there was a sense of pride that could not be concealed.
When he was initially developing the steam engine, his doubts were actually the same as those of His Majesty Li Er. It was Fang Jun who explained the principles to him, and then he suddenly realized and had a sudden enlightenment.
Perhaps everyone can understand the truth, but the efforts he went through to implement it were entirely done by him personally under the theoretical guidance of Fang Jun, and he participated in the whole process.
Such a world-shattering machine came into being through his own hands. Even if it was all Fang Jun's whimsical idea, it was enough for him to be proud and proud.
His Majesty Li Er felt that he understood it, but he still could not accept it.
Water boils when it boils. This is a truth that has been known to everyone for thousands of years. But why has no one ever thought of developing a machine based on this basis to make it a hundred times, a thousand times or even ten thousand times better than steam to open a kettle lid? The power of?
The steam engine roared away gradually, but the crowd gathered at the foot of the mountain gate and by the Kunming Pool were already cheering like boiling water in a water tank, and the crowds were like waves.
His Majesty Li Er looked back at the mountain gate on the hillside, and finally understood Fang Jun's intention of creating such a steam engine during the opening ceremony.
He wanted to tell all the students and people in the world that the knowledge that this academy will teach in the future is not only about the classics and history, medical and military calculations, but also the ability to control the power of the five elements!
When one day, all the students who graduate from this academy can reach this level, what huge feedback will they give to the empire? By that time, the empire's economy, academia, and military... will have reached a point where the whole world will be shocked?
His Majesty Li Er was confused and quite at a loss.
At that time, the empire might have become an omnipotent monster, swallowing up the world and sweeping away some... (End of this chapter)