"How is the transformation of the steam engine going?" Wan Lei came to Chongdao Hall early that morning. As a secret scientific research organization, Chongdao Hall currently has more than 50 men and 35 women, spending tens of thousands of dollars every month. Lei spent thousands of silver dollars, but if he had not received royalties from patent transfers, he would have gone bankrupt.
Spending money is not a big problem. The biggest problem is that a large part of Chongdaotang's manpower is assigned to research and improve steam engines. However, nearly a year has passed and many technical difficulties still cannot be overcome. The biggest difficulty is to increase the power and maintain stability. The output of the train is just a dream if it does not overcome the difficulty of low power.
"Sir, you can see for yourself." Chixin, who came to receive the reception, opened a warehouse and saw more than twenty people working inside. Wan Lei waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be polite, and then came to a room that was two meters high and four meters long. In front of the large boiler, a fire has been lit in the boiler. The rolling steam drives the piston to reciprocate. The piston drives the crank, and the crank drives the flywheel.
"About how many revolutions per minute?" Wan Lei asked.
"It's about thirty revolutions, but the speed regulating mechanism is still somewhat lacking, causing it to be fast and slow at times. We tried to use it to bring it to the spinning machine, but because of the uneven speed, the yarn was easy to break, and the production efficiency was low," said Chicheng. .
"How powerful is it?"
"The maximum output can reach nine horsepower, but the relatively stable output is only six horsepower." The so-called horsepower is a power unit defined by Wan Lei. It is actually easy to convert. One horsepower is equal to one hundred and fifty in one second. Lift a ten kilogram object one meter up.
"This still doesn't work, the power is so low." Wan Lei frowned. The power is only six horsepower, which is obviously too small. I'm afraid it can't even drive a fully loaded train.
"We have also thought about increasing the power, but the cylinder, piston, slide valve and other components are not strong enough. If the furnace temperature is raised, the cylinder may explode," said Chi Xin.
"The current cylinder is assembled, right? I'm trying to make a one-piece large cylinder. You guys quickly come up with a set of design plans. The cylinder slide valve and other things should be cast in one piece as much as possible, and the connection cannot be cast in one piece. Just think of other ways to strengthen the parts." Wan Lei said.
"Well, we'll do it right away, but increasing power is just one problem. There's another problem, which is to maintain a constant output of power. We've designed many sets of speed regulators, but the effect is always not good." Chicheng said.
"Let's put aside the issue of speed for now. The Pingbao River Railway is about to be repaired. I want a high-power locomotive. As for the speed of the train, it doesn't have much impact. The most important thing is that it can move. Yes. Let’s arrange for some people to design the wheel linkage system and braking system. I want the train to go and stop whenever it wants, understand?”
"Understood, as soon as the new cylinder is delivered, we will start trying to assemble the locomotive."
"The assembly site of the locomotive needs to be changed. In the near future, I will have people clear a piece of open space in the south of the city, build a station, and lay some sections of rails. You can go there and experiment, so as to avoid the trouble of dismantling and assembling it again. "
After watching the steam engine, Wan Lei walked around the Chongdao Hall again to see the living conditions of these Taoist priests. At this time, there were nearly a hundred Taoist priests in the Chongdao Hall, and many houses were expanded inside the hall. It can be said to be a big " "Taoist Temple", the only difference is that Chongdao Hall refuses all tourists to visit, so it is not very popular.
"Sir, there is the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion in front of you. All our research results are stored in it." Chixin pointed to a small stone house with a closed door and introduced: "The Tibetan Red Pavilion is divided into two floors. The first floor above ground mainly hides some Taoist Tibetan scriptures. As well as some introductory books on physics and chemistry, the underground floor is where the written descriptions and design drawings of important inventions are stored. Only a few people can enter the entire Taoist hall, and ordinary people must obtain approval if they want to borrow them."
"Well, technology is a sharp weapon. If it falls into the hands of good people, it can bring benefits to the people. If it falls into the hands of evil people, it will be a weapon to kill and suppress people. You must be careful."
"Sir, what you are saying is that technology is neither good nor bad, but the hearts of the world are unpredictable. We must guard the Sutra Pavilion and prevent technology from falling into the hands of evil people."
"It's not that serious. Some technologies that are beneficial to people's livelihood should be promoted as much as possible. Just some important ones such as metallurgical technology, cannon casting technology, gunpowder making technology, poison making technology, etc., try not to leak it to avoid improper use. and innocent.”
"Well, that's the truth. Not long ago, Junior Brother Yoshitsune invented a thermos flask. I've seen it. It's worth promoting, but I want to transfer the patent."
"Have you got all the thermos flasks out? You are really the lucky star of the world." Wan Lei couldn't help but feel happy. The so-called thermos flask is actually not complicated in craftsmanship. It is a double-layer glass liner that has been evacuated and coated with mercury. Prevent the flow of heat. The inner tank is fixed to a sturdy outer shell, and a sealing plug is added.
Don’t underestimate this small thermos flask. It can not only keep hot water, but can also be used to hold ice. With the supply of ice, the temperature can be easily controlled, and some experiments that are sensitive to temperature requirements can be done at any time. . You can even make a small constant temperature room to store some items that have strict temperature requirements.
In fact, there are three difficulties in making a thermos flask, one is the glass blowing process, the other is the sealing process, and the third is the evacuation process. The glass factory outside Peking has been established for more than a year, and the glass blowing process has matured. , can blow out vessels of various shapes, but the difficulty lies in sealing, especially vacuuming.
You know, there are no air extractors in this era. It is of course impossible to pump the glass inner liner to an absolute vacuum. However, Yoshinao actually found a way that was not a solution: he made A simple piston air extractor is similar to the principle of an air pump, but the principle is reversed, and the air can only go out but not in.
After reading it, Wan Lei said with great satisfaction: "This thermos bottle is worth promoting. With the thermos bottle, ordinary people can drink hot water at home all the time and save a lot of firewood. As long as the price is reasonable, I believe it will be able to be used once it is launched." Very popular.”
"We think so too. Manager Zhao from the glass factory came here two days ago and wanted to discuss patent transfer with us. Seeing that our husband is not here, we dare not agree for the time being."
"Ask Manager Zhao to come to me. I will discuss with him in detail and try to get as much patent royalties as possible. This Chongdao Hall is still too crude and needs to be greatly renovated." Wan Lei is never stingy with scientific researchers, so let him Only when they have good food, clothing, and housing can they be determined to engage in research, and only when they produce research results can they earn more patent fees. This is a virtuous circle.
"That's a good idea. Grand Master will come over in a few months, and he will definitely bring more people over." Chixin said happily, who wouldn't love to live in a big, spacious and clean house.
Wan Lei was in a good mood after coming out of Chongdao Hall. When the Jingzhong Guard waiting outside the door saw him, he hurried over and handed over a piece of information. When he opened it, he felt even better. This is Li Chengkun The good news came from the messenger - 30,000 invading enemies were annihilated and the Tatar army general Mahatsa was captured. The troops were rushing into Daning. As the main force of the Tatar army in the east was defeated, Daning The city is just around the corner.
"Da Ning, we finally got it!" Wan Lei's face was full of joy, because Daning is the western gateway to Liaodong. He had arranged it for so long, scooping up Guangning City, and even scooping himself up as bait, wasn't it just to scoop up the big dragon? Ning, do you want the Second Army in Liao to take the strategic initiative?
"Sir, even if Daning is scooped out, I'm afraid that the Tatar tribe will not give up and will raise troops to counterattack." The guard captain behind Wan Lei reminded.
"The line from Daning to Quangning is a strategic buffer zone. We occupy Daning, and the Tatar army will attack with a large number of troops. If you can defend it, you can't. If you can't, withdraw and fight mobile warfare, which will continue to consume the combat power of the Tatar army. Let the Tatar army The Tatar people know that if they fight with our Peiping army, they will only suffer losses and will not get any benefits at all. Then they will be honest."
There was no way, the Peking Army occupied Liaodong, the defense line was stretched, and the troops began to be stretched thin. Wan Lei did not want to confront the Tatar army immediately. After so many actions, he still wanted the Tatar leader Guilichi to understand the situation: Can the Peking Army Not to be trifled with!
"Sir, the so-called wildfires never burn out, but spring breezes blow again. The nomads in the north are just like weeds. After killing this group, another group will come. It is not good to always be like this. Is there a fundamental solution to the problem of nomads? way?"
"Yes, of course there is. If we have trains and railways, we can easily divide the grassland, making it impossible for the nomads to travel and unite. At that time, the initiative lies with our army. We want to control the Tatars on the grassland. If the Tartars are driven away, drive them away, kill them if they want, and enslave them if they want to be enslaved.”
"Can building railways really cure the nomads?" The captain of the guard obviously didn't believe it.
"Of course. The reason why the nomads are interested is, firstly, that they are brave and fierce, and secondly, because they are highly mobile and can easily form alliances. There is only one way to break this situation, and that is to divide the grasslands and let the various Mongolian tribes work independently. If we live in the same place and cannot swim, we cannot unite. It will be easy to defeat each one."
"The railway is actually a blockade and supply line. We can set up fortresses and sentries along the railway, and deploy heavy troops in designated areas. Once we find Mongolians approaching the railway line, we will kill them one by one, and annihilate each group when they come. Kill until they dare not come near."
"Even if the Mongols concentrate all their strength to attack our stronghold, we can also defend it by setting up barracks and quickly transport troops and horses along the railway line to the front line. Our mobility is higher than that of the Mongols. How can they defeat us? Even the Mongols The situation is overwhelming, and our garrison can easily return along the railway line and then organize a larger offensive."
"So, the railway is a sharp weapon against the Mongols. With the railway, the nomadic people's troubles that have lasted for more than a thousand years will no longer happen again."