Water Margin people

"Your Majesty, is ten million silver coins too much?"

Jiang Jing was a little hesitant. Five million was the number he had calculated and it was definitely enough.

"Not much. We should build a better school as much as possible. Children are growing up, so we must ensure they have enough food!"

Sun Lei shook his head. He didn't think that 10 million was too much for education expenditure. The biggest beneficiary of education was Qi State, so some amount of money had to be spent.

As for why Jiang Jing tried to dissuade him, Sun Lei understood that it was because he was worried that the expenses would be too high and the tax burden would not be sustainable.

The imbalance between national revenue and expenditure was a sign of dynastic unrest.

But Sun Lei was not worried about this. Qi was not the stupid dynasty before. If there was no money, then just rob. There was plenty of money overseas, and all the solutions were thought up by people.

After looking at the money in the warehouse, Sun Lei came to a heavily guarded area outside Liangshanpo.

"His Majesty!"

Tang Long and Meng Kang were already waiting at the door to greet Sun Lei.

"I'm here today to see the results of your research this year!"

Sun Lei looked at Tang Long and Meng Kang and spoke.

"Your Majesty, please come in!"

The two men saluted Sun Lei. They have been spending money continuously over the years, first on gunpowder, artillery, and firearms, and starting last year, Sun Lei also issued an order for steam engines.

Tang Long and Meng Kang were completely confused about the steam engine. They had no idea what a steam engine was and had no idea what it was.

But after Sun Lei used a vivid description of the lid of the kettle being lifted up by the steam, they understood a little bit. To put it simply, it means to boil water and use the water vapor to move things.

After a brief study, Tang Long felt that it was not difficult. The biggest problem was the size and material of the parts.

The material problem is easy to solve. Qi State’s current smelting technology is quite advanced, and it can produce metals of various materials.

As for the drawings, you have to ask professionals. Fortunately, there is no shortage of talents in the world, especially in drawing, there are many painters in the world.

"Your Majesty, they are all talents recruited from all over the country. Among them are the descendants of Su Song, Yan Su, and Shen Liao from the previous dynasty, as well as geniuses from all over the country."

Meng Kang pointed at the people lined up to greet him and said to Sun Lei.

"Not bad, very energetic!"

Sun Lei nodded. Their hair was messy and some of them had not shaved, but they looked like they were doing something.

"Let's go and see the results!"

Sun Lei led everyone into the research site.

Once you enter the high walls, you can see many large sheds, with steel mechanical structures underneath.

“Is this what you studied?”

Sun Lei looked at those steam engines with some hesitation. To be honest, he had never seen a real steam engine. In his era, steam had become a thing of the past, and internal combustion engines and electric motors had become the mainstream.

It’s not that Sun Lei hasn’t thought about motors. He knows this thing very well. It is also the simplest of the three machines. Both generators and electric motors are equally difficult.

But the country does not need these now. What it wants is to move from steam engines to internal combustion engines, so that giant ships can be independent of wind power, and trains can connect the entire country and extend outward to become a reliable support for the army's external defenses.

"Your Majesty, these are experimental models. Their power is not very high, but after continuous iterations and updates, they are now complete. Although they cannot drive the locomotive of a ship, they can still drive a loom."

A young designer introduced the machine to Sun Lei and asked someone to start the steam engine to demonstrate the power of the machine.

Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, shovelfuls of coal were sent into the furnace, the bellows were pulled, and the coal quickly burned. "Your Majesty, this bellows only needs to be pulled by manpower when it is started, and it will be driven by itself once the steam starts."

The research institute introduced again, this kind of machine has been very popular for a long time, as early as the Han Dynasty, people used water power to drive bellows.

As the fire increased, the water in the boiler began to boil and steam gradually rose. The pistons, connecting rods, bearings, and gears all began to work, and the loom began to move repeatedly.

“This thing can actually weave cloth!”

Lu Zhishen stared with his eyes wide open. He had never thought that a machine could actually weave cloth.

"Right now the loom can only produce single-layer solid-color cloth, but we have started to improve the mechanical structure and will be able to produce better cloth next year."

The researcher excitedly said that the cloth woven now is just a single layer of cotton cloth.

"Your Majesty, with this kind of machine, human labor can be greatly liberated, and the weaving women workers can be liberated. They no longer have to sit in front of the loom and do repetitive work every day. They can turn to embroidery and study ready-made clothes."

The researcher said that currently weaving is a very hard job, and many female workers complain about the mechanical labor. The key is that the output is also limited. With this machine, it is different. As long as the machine does not have any problems, it will not be a problem to work continuously for a month. People only need to ensure the supply of silk thread.

"nice one!"

Sun Lei looked at the constantly turning loom and said with a smile, "This is a very good first step. Improving production efficiency through machinery starts with the loom."

"Next year's funding has been prepared. You can expand the scope of your research. I will give you five years. In five years, I want to see steam engines with locomotives running on rails, and steam-powered ironclad ships sailing on the sea."

Sun Lei looked at the researchers and said that the steam engine he wanted should be able to do more than just weaving.

"To drive the locomotive? A steam-powered ironclad ship!"

The researchers' faces were full of excitement. Driving the locomotive was nothing. The current steam engine could also carry the locomotive slowly, but it could not carry much. But a steam ironclad ship was terrifying.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Those researchers saluted Sun Lei excitedly. They did not feel any difficulty but were trembling with excitement. They were all considered as idlers in the eyes of the world and had ideas in their minds that were not understood by the world. But now they had the opportunity to realize their dreams. How could they not be excited?

Sun Lei went to the Weapons Research Institute again and saw that the research on firearms was already on the right track, and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns had begun mass production.

"Yue Fei, you are familiar with this thing. Before the expedition in March, you must bring out the soldiers!"

Sun Lei looked at Yue Fei and said, a long expedition naturally requires sophisticated equipment.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Yue Fei immediately accepted the order.

"Your Majesty, the artillery has also been improved."

Ling Zhen said with a smile, pointing at the mortar next to him.

"This cannon is made of the latest steel. It doesn't have a long range and isn't very powerful, but it's lightweight and can be carried by a soldier alone."

Ling Zhen introduced.

“This thing is good!”

Yue Fei took a mortar and weighed it. The weight was equivalent to that of a heavy weapon, which was completely acceptable.

"Although we cannot break into the city, we can still suppress it with firepower..."

Ling Zhen said as he took the mortar to the martial arts arena for demonstration. Sure enough, its power was much smaller than before, but its lightness made up for it. (End of this chapter)