Chapter 1628 The Secret of the Steam Engine
During the previous visit to the guns and artillery, Bai Kesi had already taken the initiative to introduce that Haihan had introduced steam engines into the weapon manufacturing process. However, due to limited production capacity, it was only used to manufacture high-end weapons equipped by the Haihan Army. The two places they just visited were not visible. Even though Fei Cexian was full of curiosity about this and wanted to know how Haihan used steam engines in the weapon manufacturing process, since Haihan did not take the initiative to arrange it, he could not take the initiative to make this request.
However, the manufacturing process of the steam engine is also one of Haihan's top secrets. If he could see the process of manufacturing the steam engine, Fei Cexian could still submit a report to the court on this topic, which would inevitably result in a reward from the capital.
The group of people left the rifle assembly workshop, and there was actually a carriage waiting outside. Fei Cexian was invited to get on the carriage, thinking that the place where steam engines were produced must be in the mountains and forests further away, and they would need to take a carriage to get there.
Unexpectedly, after getting on the carriage, the carriage walked back and forth, and then crossed the railway track from a flat area to the other side. Only then did Fei Cexian notice that there were many factories here hidden in the mountains and forests. Not long after, the carriage stopped. After Fei Cexian got out of the car, he found that the factory buildings here were the same as the two places he had been to before. They were all gray brick houses with many windows on the walls and ceilings. There were excellent lighting conditions. Just like the place where weapons are produced, there are soldiers with loaded weapons standing guard outside the door.
As soon as the group walked outside the factory, they could hear the unique sound of metal friction and collision of steam engines coming from inside the factory. Fei Cexian wanted to speed up, but seeing Bai Kesi's unhurried look, he could only suppress his excitement and slow down to follow.
But after entering the factory, Fei Cexian was not able to understand the situation inside at the first time. The factory is full of various operating machinery. The huge axles convert the energy released by the steam engine into mechanical energy through gears and belts, and process all kinds of strange-shaped metal parts. Above the steaming boilers, They all have chimneys leading to the roof, and it looks like there are many more pillars supporting the roof in the interior space.
Fei Cexian didn't come back to his senses for a moment: "Isn't this the place where steam engines are manufactured? Why do these huge machines in operation in the factory look like steam engines?"
"Master Fei is right, these are indeed steam engines. A lot of the processing work for manufacturing steam engine parts is done with steam engines." Bai Kesi proudly introduced: "This can transform our work efficiency from purely manual The level has improved dozens of times, and the construction period for manufacturing steam engines has also been greatly shortened. ”
Using machines to build machines may sound a bit convoluted, but it is indeed a symbol of Haihan's gradual industrialization. The several machining equipment transported during time travel were mainly used to create various steam-powered machine tools, and then used these machine tools to create more processing equipment, as well as military and commercial versions of steam power devices. This process took hundreds of years in its original history, but in the hands of the Haihan people who had fully mastered steam technology, it only took a few years to complete this evolutionary process.
Fei Cexian couldn't help but curiously asked: "Then how do these produced parts become a steam engine?"
Baikes responded: "These parts need to be further polished and surface treated before they are sent to another place for assembly. Assembling a steam engine requires about hundreds of parts and a group of skilled workers takes about two It takes about a day to complete the assembly of a steam engine. However, if it is a large steam engine like the one currently in the factory, the assembly time may be several times longer.”
Fei Cexian listened carefully and did not interrupt, but Bai Kesi stopped there and did not mention whether he would visit the place where the steam engine is assembled later. Fei Cexian was secretly angry. Previously when he went to see the place where rifles were made, he only saw the assembly process but not the production process. But now when he was looking at the manufacturing of steam engines, he only saw the production but not the assembly process. This arrangement was clearly the result of Hainan. The Han people deliberately allowed themselves to see only part of the entire production process. In this way, even if I see all these scenes, I will not be able to restore Haihan's production process after I go back, let alone have the Ministry of Industry to imitate it.
Although Fei Cexian had long known that the Haihan people were good at calculations, of course he would still feel uncomfortable being manipulated by the other party like this. It's just that these places are originally Haihan forbidden areas, and outsiders are usually not allowed to enter at all. Being able to arrange such a visit is already a very special treatment, and you can't say anything wrong about the other party.
Fei Cexian looked at the steam engines, but he didn't feel any joy in his heart. Although he knew that the place Bai Kesi took him to see was a real production site, he really couldn't understand these huge machines. Mechanical equipment, even with the expert Bai Kesi explaining it from time to time, he was still confused and couldn't understand it.
Why were the Haihan people able to come up with these complex mechanical devices, but the Ming Dynasty couldn't even imitate them? Fei Cexian even had such an over-the-top idea for a while. If Ming Dynasty had such advanced technology, it would be far superior to Haihan in terms of resources and manpower, and it would have a wider range of uses, and the national power of the entire country might rise to a higher level as a result.
"Does Mr. Fei think that if these things are developed in the Ming Dynasty, they may have better prospects than Haihan?" As if he had seen through Fei Cexian's thoughts, Bai Kesi's question immediately pulled him out of his thoughts. return.
Fei Cexian forced a smile and said: "Isn't it like this? Our Ming Dynasty is only a lot more skilled craftsmen than your country, but we just don't understand the structural principles of this steam engine. If we can learn the secrets, with the national power of the Ming Dynasty, we can produce more in one day The steam engine is probably better than that of your country in one year.”
Bai Kesi also smiled and responded: "Master Fei takes it for granted. If this thing is so easy to make, someone should have copied it by tomorrow. Besides, you are still trying to find out the structural principles of the steam engine, and we would have already There is already more advanced equipment, but it has not been put into large-scale production. Mr. Fei, the technological gap between our country and your country is not just as simple as a steam engine. Even if your country has craftsmen who can copy it, it will be difficult. Meeting the requirements for commercial use, let alone military use, is easy on paper, but starting from scratch is not as simple as Mr. Fei thought.”
Fei Cexian actually didn't understand why Bai Kesi could say with such certainty that Haihan had an absolute advantage in technology. Could it be that these people really knew it from birth and were better than others in everything they did, as rumored?
But Bai Kes said something that he noticed. What is a more advanced device than a steam engine? Is it an advanced steam engine? But judging from Bai Kesi's tone, it shouldn't be that simple. However, Bai Kesi's next words made him temporarily put this idea behind him: "As for the manufacturing technology of steam engines, our country can actually provide paid transfer. Mr. Fei, would you like to consider it?"
Fei Cexian was just about to ask how much it was, but then he thought about it. He was afraid that Bai Kesi would try his old tricks again to lead to that commonplace topic, so he asked cautiously: "Master Bai, don't you want to talk about it again?" For technology transfer, the territorial dispute between the two countries must be resolved first, right?”
"Master Fei is really smart. He guessed it right at once! But he didn't hit it all..." Bai Kesi's face did not show any embarrassment after the trick was exposed, and continued: "If we want to talk about the technology transfer of steam engines, just the previous disputed areas It’s definitely not substantial enough. Your country needs to show more sincerity.”
"No, no." Fei Cexian immediately waved his hand to refuse. For the Ming Dynasty, territorial sovereignty is much more important than a dispensable thing like the steam engine. Without the steam engine, the Ming Dynasty has continued its rule for more than two hundred years. With this thing, it may not be possible to achieve immediate success and pacify the Ming Dynasty. War in the Central Plains and the North. And taking the initiative to cede territory to other countries in exchange for something that is still considered sacred to many people, this option will definitely not be approved by the court.
Seeing Fei Cexian's repeated refusals, Bai Kesi smiled even more happily. Of course, Haihan had no plans to transfer steam engine manufacturing technology to Ming Dynasty. He was just making fun of Fei Cexian. If Fei Cexian is really moved by this, then Baikes will naturally open his mouth and then offer a condition that the other party cannot accept to persuade him to leave.
"Master Fei, there is no need to make a decision in a hurry. You can think about it slowly." Bai Kesi persuaded with a smile: "When you stay in our country for a long time, you will slowly know how widespread the use of steam engines is. The population of our country There are only about 300,000 people, and the labor force only accounts for a little more than one-third. But why can we do many things that your country cannot achieve? Of course, part of the reason is that our country has the magic weapon of steam engine. One steam engine can do it. It takes ten times and a hundred times the manpower. Mr. Fei is a smart man and should be able to figure out how many benefits this thing can bring.”
Fei Cexian said in his heart that I understand all these truths. Your Haihan country has a small labor force, so steam engines are used as labor force. But you are unwilling to sell this thing to Ming Dynasty. If you want to talk about it, you can only talk about the transfer of overall packaging technology, and If it is also linked to territorial issues, how can this deal be negotiated? Although Ming was lagging behind in this area of technology and faced internal and external troubles, its national power was not so weak that it could be manipulated by others. Haihan's price was outrageous, and in the end he was still unwilling to let Ming possess this technology.
As for when Haihan will be able to sell steam engines to Daming, Fei Cexian actually had a hunch after many contacts with Haihan's senior management. He expected that this would probably be the same as the weapons produced by Haihan. He would have to wait until better high-end equipment was mass-produced and promoted for use before export sales of old-fashioned models would be slowly allowed. Fei Cexian has no idea how long this process will take, but it's a bit sad to think that Ming Dynasty can only use what Haihan eliminated.
However, Fei Cexian thought about it. Bai Kesi also said just now that the weapons equipped by their own army would use steam engines in the production process. If this thing is exported to Ming Dynasty, wouldn't Ming Dynasty also be able to slowly explore it? Made more advanced weapons? These rifles produced by Haihan, which are said to be old-fashioned models, can no longer be sold to Daming. Thinking about it this way, it seems reasonable that Haihan would not sell the steam engine to Ming Dynasty.
Of course, Fei Cexian still thinks of the problem too simply. Not to mention that the models and functions of steam engines vary widely. Although steam engines for various purposes have the same principles, they all require special designs during manufacturing. It is impossible to just take a steam engine and modify it. into equipment for processing weapons. And even if you have a steam engine, if you don't master the processing technology related to weapons, you can only stare at the raw materials. The manufacturing of Haihanjun's own rifles involves not only mechanical processing, but also materials science, heat treatment, weapon design and other disciplines, all of which are indispensable. At present, the finished product copied by Daming based on the Haihan rifle can only imitate the appearance, but the performance is still very different.
The structure of a flintlock rifle is already very simple compared to a steam engine. It is difficult for the Ming Dynasty to even imitate a rifle that is both internal and external, let alone a steam engine with a more complex structure and certain requirements for the processing technology of parts. Even small parts such as rubber seals and gaskets are enough to make Daming's imitation fall short.
Of course, for the sake of safety and to firmly control the Ming Dynasty's technology tree, Haihan still strictly blocked the steam engine technology. Each steam engine shipped from the factory has an individual number and is inspected regularly. Even if it is scrapped, it must be recycled as a whole. Block opportunities for inflows to other countries as much as possible. Even knowledge related to steam engines can only be learned in the specialized training colleges in Sanya. So so far, there are quite a few people from the Ming Dynasty who have seen the Haihan steam engine, but there have never been any pioneers who successfully imitated it in the Ming Dynasty.
After visiting several steam engine manufacturing factories, Fei Cexian still had no clue. Bai Kesi deliberately did not explain to him the principles and uses of making these parts, so Fei Cexian could only watch the excitement like a countryman coming to the city. While secretly cursing Bai Kes in his heart for being so unkind for arranging such a tour to torture him, he had to smile and talk to Bai Kes, hoping that the other party would reveal more valuable information. Otherwise, after this visit, he would have seen nothing, and he would not have understood the production process of this steam engine at all.
“It’s getting late, so that’s all for today’s visit.”
When he heard Bai Kesi say these words, Fei Cexian felt faintly relieved, as if he was freed from the predicament.
(End of chapter)