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Chapter 1012 – 1008【Steamboat】

Chapter 1012 1008【Steamboat】

Woke up in the morning, washed up, and Golitsyn ran to the dining room.

“Sir, I have prepared the equipment for the experiment you are going to do today.” Golitsyn said.

“Come over and have dinner,” Pascal said with a smile, “I forgot to tell you that there is no work today. If you want, you can accompany me to the riverside to watch the steamship test sail.”

“Steamboat?” Golitsyn couldn’t understand.

Pascal explained: “There is a steam engine in China, and foreigners are forbidden to study it, but it is still possible to watch it from a distance. In the southwest of the suburbs of Nanjing, there are many chimneys emitting black smoke. That is the smoke from the steam engine.”

Golitsyn still didn’t understand, and couldn’t help but ask, “Is that Eastern witchcraft?”

Pascal laughed and said, “You can also understand it in this way.”

When Pascal went out, he not only asked Golitsyn to follow him, but also brought his servants along with him.

All the way to the edge of the Yangtze River, where thousands of people have gathered.

Suddenly, the imperial guards cleared the way, and Zhao Han showed up with the royal family. But instead of leaving the city, he climbed up the north city wall and waited on the majestic tower.

Xu Zhengming, who is in charge of developing the steam engine, is by Zhao Han’s side at this moment.

He has improved the steam engine again, changing the single cylinder to a double cylinder, which greatly improves the efficiency of the machine. The steamship used for this test voyage uses a twin-cylinder steam engine, and the inventor is Xu Zhengming’s son and apprentice.

“Your Majesty, you are ready.” Xu Zhengming said.

Zhao Han nodded and said: “Then let’s try the voyage.”

Xu Zhengming raised the flag in his hand, and his son and apprentice received the news and immediately ordered the steamship to set sail.

“Woooooh~~~”

The twin-cylinder steam engine had already been preheated, and the steam hit the whistle, making a loud scream, and the chimney on the ship emitted more dense black smoke.

Paddles are installed on both sides of the hull. This thing is ready-made. There were paddle boats in the Song Dynasty. In the past, the pedals were stepped on by manpower, but now they are driven by steam engines to move forward slowly in the Yangtze River.

Zhao Han looked at the binoculars for two minutes and asked, “Can it be faster?”

“The boiler will have to burn for a while before it can reach the fastest speed.” Xu Zhengming explained.

Zhao Han didn’t press anymore, but turned around and asked the concubines: “How is this thing?”

“It’s too slow.” Fei Rulan said.

Fei Rumei said: “The smoke is too much.”

Liu Rushi smiled and said, “It would be great if we can improve faster.”

Zhu Yuxi asked: “Isn’t this really pedaling?”

“…”

After the concubines had finished speaking, Zhao Han asked Zhao Kuanghuan: “What does the prince think?”

Zhao Kuanghuan replied: “As it is now, it doesn’t seem to be very useful, and the machine needs to be continuously improved.”

The steamboat in front of me is about as fast as a person walking. If a person runs on the shore, he will leave the steamship behind in minutes, and the cruising range is less than 200 miles. When the coal is burned out, he has to go to the shore to refuel.

It has great scientific value but no practical value.

The royal family was not very satisfied with the steamboat, but Golitsyn, who was standing on the shore, stared at the monster in the river with dumbfounded eyes.

“Witchcraft… Really witchcraft, witchcraft bought from the devil!” Golitsyn kept muttering.

Pascal said with a smile: “This is natural science, a different kind of witchcraft. I am using my research on air pressure to help Qin Tianjian improve the steam engine. Maybe the steam engine will run faster in the future.”

As the steamship drifted away, the people on the shore cheered, some of which were mixed with ridicule.

As for the joke, of course it is the slow sailing speed.

According to the original historical track, after more than 20 years, the French proposed the idea of a steam ship. But no one paid attention to it, and the steam engine was not efficient enough to support this idea into practice.

More than a hundred years later, a Frenchman built a steamship, and the steamship was blown up during the trial voyage. Another American built a steamship, which was destroyed in a storm and killed. Then the Americans built a steamship and sailed in the inland river, but the river operator stopped it and dragged the boat to the shore and seized it.

Until Fulton appeared, Napoleon first supported him in building the ship. Due to the unstable center of gravity, it was blown over by wind and waves during the trial voyage. Then he pledged allegiance to England, but was ignored by the Britons. With the money earned from England, Fulton returned to the United States to do it himself, and the steamship finally succeeded in its trial voyage.

“Your Majesty, I must lead my disciples to continue to improve.” Xu Zhengming was afraid that the emperor would be unhappy.

Zhao Han smiled and said: “Don’t worry, take your time, you guys have done a good job.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding.” Xu Zhengming heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that the emperor is very kind.

Zhao Han suddenly said: “Have you ever thought that if you lift up the hull in a strong wind and waves, the paddles on both sides of the hull will leave the water. One side is low, and the paddles on the higher side will spin as well.”

Xu Zhengming was in a daze when he heard this. This was a question he hadn’t thought about.

Zhao Han continued to remind: “Didn’t you build a flying machine? That kind of device that resembles a bamboo dragonfly can be used in a steamboat. I call it a propeller. If you install the propeller under the water at the stern, you can turn the steamship into a flying machine.” Push away.”

“Your Majesty is wise!” Xu Zhengming admired him sincerely.

Technological progress is not always smooth sailing.

Zhao Han, who is not even half-baked, can only give some kind of advice, and leave the specific operation to professionals.

Even the steam engines in the factory have experienced a lot of hardships. In ten years, more than 20 boilers were blown up, killing and injuring more than 30 boiler workers. The **** lesson gave birth to the advent of the safety valve, and now the steam boiler will finally not explode easily.

Zhao Han said: “While improving the steam ship, the steam car must also be produced.”

“It is already under construction.” Xu Zhengming said.

As for the track, there was something like it in the Qin Dynasty, and Nanyang discovered the remains of the wooden track of the Qin Dynasty that was several kilometers long. The shape is similar to that of train tracks, and the wood has been treated with anti-corrosion treatment, and it has not been seriously rotted after more than 2,000 years.

According to the situation in the Nanyang Mountains, it should be used by the Qin Dynasty to transport ore.

For unknown reasons, the mines after the Qin Dynasty no longer used rail transportation. Until the late Ming Dynasty in Europe, mine tracks appeared again, and they were not as good as those in the Qin Dynasty.

When Zhao Han was still in Jiangxi, the mines in his jurisdiction began to use wooden rails one after another, and the power was of course mules, poor horses and scalpers.

Now steam engines have been widely used in iron and steel smelting, not only the output of iron and steel has increased, but also the price has continued to decline. This has just had the condition of laying railroad tracks, and the research and development of steam train should also be put on the agenda.

The train was invented, and it must be put into use in the north first.

The mountains and rivers in the south are rugged, the laying of railway tracks is difficult, and the rivers are criss-crossing. It is more convenient to take a boat than a train.

Zhao Han has already thought about the route of the first railroad track. From the Xishan Coal Mine in Beijing to Tianjin, the Beijing Coal Mine can be shipped to the south from Tianjin.

With the experience of the first railway, the second railway can be built longer, from Beijing to Shanhaiguan.

The third railway is longer, from Shanhaiguan to Shenyang.

The fourth railway is under construction in Guanzhong, Chencang-Xi’an-Huayin.

The fifth railway, Tianshui-Lanzhou-Wuwei-Zhangye-Jiuquan, has been built outside Jiayuguan to strengthen the connection between the inland and the Western Regions.

These five railways are planned to be completed within 40 years, and I don’t know if Zhao Han can live that long.

Isn’t American silver imported too much?

Putting money on the railway can not only alleviate inflation, but also absorb the surplus labor force in the north.

Anyway, Zhao Han created several disconnected railways, all of which were relatively flat sections. When technology improves in the future, future generations will extend and connect the railway, and even build the railway to the grassland area.

Zhao Han returned to the palace with his wife and children, but there was a Mongolian prince by the river, watching the steamboat in silence for a long time.

This Mongolian prince is called Ayuqi, who lived in the Zhungeer tribe in his childhood, and his grandfather was the Zhungeer Khan. Then he went to Tibet with his grandfather to worship the Buddha, and then under the leadership of his grandfather, he crossed the entire Kazakh grassland and came to the lower reaches of the Volga River and the coast of the Caspian Sea to live.

More than a year ago, Ayuqi brought 500 people to the Kazakh Khanate, planning to return to Tibet to visit his teacher (a certain unspeakable lama), and by the way, he took some monks to the Caspian Sea to preach.

When he arrived in Qinghai, he realized that Qinghai-Tibet had changed.

So he asked his deputy to go to Tibet, and he brought people to Nanjing, claiming to be the Turghut Ministry to ask for a seal.

The Han soil is really rich, and the Han people are really powerful!

A Yuqi watched the street scene all the way, and followed the officials of Honglu Temple to Zhongshan Temple to stay. After a few days, he was finally received by Emperor Zhao.

“You are actually Oirats?” Of course Zhao Han knew “The Legend of Heroes Returning to the East”, but he was still surprised that a group of Mongolians went to the Caspian Sea to graze.

The protagonist of The Legend of Heroes Returning to the East is Ayuqi’s grandson.

Ayuqi said: “Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor, we are the Turghut Department of Wara Mongolia.”

Zhao Han asked again: “Do you really live in the lower reaches of the Volga River?”

Ayuqi corrected: “Your Majesty, the Volga River is what the Russians call it, and we Mongolians call it the Ezile River.”

“How’s the situation over there?” Zhao Han asked curiously.

Ayuqi said: “The Russians are very strong in the middle and upper reaches, and they also built castles in the lower reaches. We have been fighting the Russians for a long time. The Russians are weak in field battles, but the castles are very difficult to deal with. Some Cossacks are Russian accomplices. There are also some The Cossacks, our allies, join us in fighting the Russians.”

The Cossacks, who were enemies of the Torghuts, mainly operated in the Volga River Basin.

The Cossacks allied with the Torghut Ministry mainly operated in the Don River Basin.

Ayuqi continued: “I was on the way to Nanjing, and I heard that His Majesty is also at war with Russia. The roots of the Mongols are in China, and the Mongols are willing to be the pioneers for Your Majesty, and will never stop fighting the Mongols on the Ezile River!”

These words were so funny that Zhao Han almost laughed.

From Jiayuguan to the Volga River, there is a distance of 108,000 miles. Anything that is said is nonsense, and their obedience to the Chinese emperor is purely a show.

Of course, Zhao Han was very happy to be able to disgust Tsarist Russia, and decided to give Ayuqi a thousand muskets as a gift.

After all, Ayuqi’s grandson, historically led his tribe back east, half of the 170,000 people died on the way.

I would rather die in half than return to China, and refuse to accept the rule of Tsarist Russia, which shows how cruel the oppression of Tsarist Russia is.

(Only one update.)

(end of this chapter)