My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 695 The Steam Engine
Hundreds of officials gathered in Zhan Shi's mansion. Zhu Zhanhe called all the officials he could find, intending to open their eyes to everyone.

"Prince, why are you so happy today that you have called us all here?"

When Yang Shiqi entered the hall and saw so many people, he couldn't help but curiously asked Zhu Zhanhe. Judging from the smile on Zhu Zhanhe's face, there must be some happy event.

"Yang Shangshu, don't worry, everyone will know later!"

Zhu Zhanhe deliberately kept it a secret and waited until almost everyone arrived before he had the toy locomotive brought over.

Although it was a toy, it was relatively heavy because of the solid materials. The two craftsmen worked together to lift it out. Then Zhu Zhanhe personally added water to it, and then ignited the charcoal under the boiler.

The onlookers watched Zhu Zhanhe busy with this weird little car for a long time. He was talking about water and fire. No one knew what he was going to do.
"Brother Tao, do you know what His Highness is doing?"

At this time, someone in the hall approached Tao Qiong and asked in a low voice, because Tao Qiong was from the Ministry of Industry and was responsible for developing various equipment. He was usually very close to Zhu Zhanhe, so he felt that Tao Qiong might know about Zhu Zhanhe. What is Zhan He doing?

Unexpectedly, Tao Qiong shook his head in confusion and said: "I don't know. His Highness asked me for a few craftsmen before and said he wanted to make something. It was probably this strange car, but such a small car can do it." What?"

Seeing that even Tao Qiong didn't know, the others around him became more curious, so they stopped whispering and focused on watching Zhu Zhanhe's movements.

As the charcoal fire burned, the water in the boiler was finally boiled, and a stream of white steam spurted out.

As the steam spurted out, the front of the steam locomotive trembled slightly. At this time, Zhu Zhanhe also took a few steps away, leaving only the front of the steam locomotive in the center of the hall.

As the boiling water in the boiler boiled more and more, the white steam spewed out finally drove the steam engine to run. The wheels on the front of the toy car began to rotate slowly, and the front of the car finally drove forward.

"Huh? It's moving! This car can actually move!"

The officials who were watching saw the front of the car moving on its own, and many people screamed in shock. Legend has it that Lu Ban would build a wooden carriage that could move around on its own, but they did not expect that such a car actually existed in reality. .

Yang Shiqi, Li Qi and others were also greatly surprised. They saw the car running faster and faster, and the officials in front of it were so frightened that they also dodged. Fortunately, the hall was big enough, otherwise there would be no space for the car to run.

But in the end, the car hit the wall. Zhu Zhanhe stepped forward to adjust the direction, and the car ran away again. As long as the fuel and water inside were not used up, its power would not disappear.

The toy car ran around the hall for several times, and finally it slowly stopped because the charcoal inside burned out.

Seeing the car stop, all the officials shouted "hoo!" and surrounded it. Some of the bold ones reached out to touch the car, but accidentally touched the hot boiler, which made them scream in agony. Fortunately, they were quick to withdraw their hands. , but not injured.

"Everyone, please be careful. This locomotive is powered by steam, and the boiler on the vehicle is quite hot."

After Zhu Zhanhe saw it, he stepped forward to remind him.

"Your Highness, how can steam drive a car?" Li Qi was the first to ask after hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words. Other officials also looked at Zhu Zhanhe curiously.

"You should all have seen the power of steam. When boiling water for tea, after the water boils, if the kettle is not removed in time, the steam will even push the lid of the kettle open. As for me, the driver, I actually use this principle to lift the lid of the kettle. Steam is converted into power for cars..."

Zhu Zhanhe said, using the toy steam engine head as a teaching aid, he explained the principles of the steam engine to everyone on the spot.

There was no stupid person present, and the principle of the steam engine was very simple. Coupled with Zhu Zhanhe's explanation, everyone quickly understood it. Of course, they only understood the principle. They did not need to understand the manufacturing and structure of the steam engine. .

"I see, you can make the car move by itself just by boiling water over charcoal fire. Your Highness is really amazing. Many people have seen stoves boiling water, but they would never think of using it to drive a car."

Yang Shiqi couldn't help but praise at this time.

But praise is praise, but Yang Shiqi felt that Zhu Zhanhe was making a fuss out of a molehill. After all, no matter how exquisite the car was, it was just a plaything, and there was no reason to call so many ministers here.

But just as Yang Shiqi finished speaking, Tao Qiong in the crowd suddenly clapped his hands and shouted excitedly: "I understand, your highness is a talented person. If this car is made bigger, people can ride on it." , isn’t this a car that can run on its own without the use of human or animal power?”

As soon as Tao Qiong's words came out, he finally reminded everyone present, and Yang Shiqi also suddenly realized that of course a mere toy is not worthy of so many people watching, but if you can build a car that can run by itself, that will be different. .

"Haha, Tao Qiong, you are right. This toy is just a model I made for you guys in the Ministry of Industry. I plan to let you make a real steam locomotive. If this kind of car runs, it will be much better than a horse-drawn carriage. !”

Zhu Zhanhe laughed again and said again.

"Your Highness, the cost of burning charcoal for this steam locomotive must be greater than that of a carriage, right?"

At this time, an official objected, because in his opinion, the car needed to be burned with charcoal fire, which would definitely cost a lot. The horses only needed to eat grass, which was much more cost-effective than a steam locomotive.

"Steam locomotives can burn wood, coal and charcoal. Although the cost is high, steam locomotives can run day and night as long as they have fuel and water. In contrast, horses need to rest, and raising one can The cost of a good horse is also astonishing.”

Zhu Zhanhe patiently explained.

He did not mention the speed of the steam locomotive, because at the beginning, the speed of the steam locomotive was really not as fast as horses, but as technology improves, the speed of the steam locomotive will only get faster and faster, and no matter how good the horse is, it will not be able to catch up. .

Tao Qiong had already moved closer and carefully observed the steam locomotive several times. Then he suddenly raised his head and said, "Your Highness, I think this steam engine can not only be used on cars, but can it also be used in other places?"

After hearing Tao Qiong's words, Zhu Zhanhe also replied with excitement: "Yes, steam engines have a wide range of applications and can also be used on ships. Then steam ships can run day and night, which is much better than current sailing ships." In addition, it can also be used in textile, iron smelting and other industries..."

Zhu Zhanhe also looked excited when he talked about the prospect of steam engines. Tao Qiong was even more fascinated. In contrast, the other officials could not understand what they were talking about, but they could guess from their expressions. Come on, this steam engine should be a very important thing.

(End of this chapter)