The four craftsmen saluted Zhu Zhanyi, and Zheng He asked him to sit down first and introduced him one by one.
The fattest one among the four has dark skin, a bald head, and a scar on his face, which is very scary from the root of his ear to his cheek.
His name is Fang Qiang, and he is the chief engineer of Zheng He's fleet. He is mainly responsible for the construction of ocean-going ships. Although he looks scary, he has the honesty and hard work of a Chinese farmer, and he is a reliable craftsman.
The shortest one is estimated to be no more than 1.6 meters tall. Although he is not tall, he is full of tendons. His name is Zhang San. The outlaw Zhang San is the manufacturer of weapons for Zheng He's fleet.
The other two tall men are two brothers, Li Si and Li Yu. Their father was a captain of Zheng He's fleet and the best blacksmith. He passed away a few years ago. Their smelting and forging skills are extremely good.
OK.
Zheng He saw that he was an expert at first glance, and the four craftsmen he hired were carpenters, blacksmiths, and weapons masters, each with their own strengths.
Zhang San couldn't wait to ask: "Your Majesty, Fifth Highness, we have studied the devices that Mr. Zheng brought back. Among them, I think the most exquisite one is the connecting rod. Such a simple device can convert simple up and down motion into the rotation of the wheel. It is exquisite.
"
"The most amazing thing is that His Highness the Fifth Prince was able to figure out this from the simple discovery of boiling water and opening the lid of a kettle."
The four of them started talking to each other. Zheng He stood up and motioned for them to stop first. Then he waved to his subordinates to bring out an enlarged version of the "steam engine".
It was the enlarged version that Zhu Zhanyi made before. Zhu Zhanyi went around and looked around. The connecting rods and wooden wheels were very well made. These were probably made by the carpenter Fang Qiang, but the technical content of these things was not very high.
, the connecting rod can be slightly improved.
As for the kettle, they made an enlarged version of the kettle, even the spout was enlarged in proportion to the original. Zhu Zhanchen smiled bitterly, not sure whether he was praising them for their meticulousness or saying that they didn't use their brains.
The four of them looked at Zhu Zhanzhen with expectation as if they were waiting for the teacher to announce their test results.
Zhu Zhanzhen looked at the device in front of him and was quite satisfied with the craftsmanship of several people, especially the kettle. The smelting process for making such a large kettle was naturally good.
In fact, Zhu Zhanzhen underestimated the craftsmen of this era. After all, the Ming Dynasty had a Shenji Camp that could make muskets and artillery. Although the manufacturing technology was backward, the level of craftsmen was not low.
"Master Zheng, the kettle is just a phenomenon I observed at that time. You don't need to rely on a kettle to make a steam engine."
"No need for a kettle?"
"Yes, you should have experimented before. Can you tell me what makes the wheel move?"
Fang Qiang said: "The water in the pot is boiled and the lid is opened. The movement of the lid drives the wheels."
Zhang San shook his head. As a weapons expert, he obviously observed more: "It's the heat. It's the heat that drives the lid."
"Yes." Zhu Zhanzhen confirmed his idea and said: "Yes, it is heat, or to use a more accurate name we call it steam."
Zhu Zhanchang opened the small physics class and explained to them that steam pressurizes the pot to open the lid.
"So we don't have to stick to the shape of the kettle. We don't need a kettle. We just need the steam produced by boiling water. The kettle itself only exists for the generation of steam."
Zhang Sanyi slapped his head: "I'm just stupid, thank you Your Highness for clearing up the confusion."
From this moment on, the four craftsmen in front of them no longer had any thoughts of despising the boy in front of them.
"Steam is introduced into a closed space, and there is a device like a kettle lid connected to the connecting rod. It can be called a piston or a movable plug."
"Piston, this is a very good name." Zhang San praised it.
Zhu Zhanzhen continued: "It must be airtight." As he spoke, he drew a simple flow chart and schematic diagram on the paper.
Zheng He and several craftsmen looked at it very carefully, and Zhang San was amazed. He didn't know how this child could have so many wonderful ideas hidden in his head.
"Your Highness, this seems wrong. If you keep pouring steam into it, will it explode?" Zhang San discovered the problem. Although he had not studied air pressure, he recognized it.
Zhu Zhanchen also drew a pressure relief hole in the closed space, and the switch of the pressure relief hole was connected to the connecting rod.
"The switch here opens when the piston is pushed to the top, steam is discharged, the piston falls, and after falling, the steam is turned off to continue pressurization."
Zhang San's eyes widened with excitement on his face: "Wonderful, wonderful, where is the connection location for Your Highness?"
"You have to try this many times to find out, but since it is a regular exercise, there must be a most suitable place."
"That makes sense." Zheng He couldn't help but applaud.
If a few people were still amazed by Zhu Zhanzhen's idea before, now they really feel that it is possible to realize it.
I thought that even if I had this idea, it would take a long time to develop before it could be realized, but now it seems that it is right in front of my eyes, and a simple painting is clear and clear.
"Master Zheng, we are going to take action now." Several people were already eager to give it a try.
Zheng He said with a smile: "Wait a moment, don't rush, let's think about the things we can think of in more detail on paper first."
Several people started to discuss again, and Zhu Zhanyi was listening on the side and mentioned that the inner wall of the seal should be smooth enough.
You can't tell everything at once, otherwise won't people think it's strange?
Slowly and step by step, he did not expect to be able to build a steam engine at once. There was a process of research and experimentation.
It wasn't until it was almost time for dinner that a few people let Zhu Zhanchen go. Zhu Zhanchen had become aware of these people's thirst for knowledge and spirit of exploration, and he was simply tireless.
Before leaving, Zheng He said very respectfully: "Fifth Young Master, starting tomorrow, I will order someone to build it as soon as possible and present it to you." His respect came from the bottom of his heart, and it was not just because of Zhu Zhanzhen's identity.
"Master Zheng, if the thing can be made, please show it to Grandpa Huang and father first."
"I understand, Master, you are thoughtful."
Chu'er, who was accompanying the whole carriage today, was extremely puzzled: "Sir, why did you make this iron lump called a steam engine?"
Zhu Zhanzhen smiled, opened the car curtain and asked: "For the sake of the Ming Dynasty outside, where the country is rich and the people live and work in peace and contentment."
Chu'er was even more puzzled.
"Chu'er, have you ever seen a battle?"
"I've only seen rebellious refugees." She was born in the first year of Yongle. She had heard about the war on the border but had never seen it.
"Have you ever seen starving people everywhere, hundreds of thousands of people in a city being massacred, the enemy taking pleasure in killing our old, weak, women and children, and even competing to see who could kill more, with heads rolling on the floor, even babies unable to escape the bayonet, and countries signing treaties that were humiliating and humiliating to the country?
, the land is ceded and compensation is paid, and the people on their own land are reduced to third-class people and bullied. Can you imagine a world like this?"
In the Ming Dynasty, when the country was prosperous and the people were strong, even a palace maid as a low-class person could not imagine such a life. However, such days have existed in history for nearly a hundred years.
