Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 748 The outside world is wonderful
People feel sleepy in spring, tired in autumn and nappy in summer. People tend to feel sleepy in the afternoons in spring.

Although Fang Chongyong did not indulge himself at night and did not play during the day, he had endless official documents to review, which piled up like a mountain in his study. After reading through the piles of files, he also felt backache and headache.

He was busy from morning to night, and by the afternoon, Fang Chongyong was still yawning.

"Sir, Ma Daifeng wants to see you. He says he has something important to announce."

Da Congming walked in and reported in a low voice.

Lao Ma? Didn’t we ask this guy to research the steam engine before? He hasn’t shown up for a long time. Could it be that he has researched the steam engine?

Fang Zhongyong was overjoyed and immediately called Da Congming, "Come in! Go get a pot of wine!"

Soon, Ma Daifeng, with dishevelled hair and a black face, walked in. He didn't care about drinking, and the other party Zhongyong saluted and said, "Your Majesty, I have made a good thing, please go to the scene to observe."

Oh wow! Here it comes! Is this finally the beginning of the steam age?
Fang Chongyong was very excited and followed Ma Daifeng to an abandoned coal mine outside Kaifeng County. He saw a "kowtow" beam at the well mouth, which was common in later generations, but it was a bit larger.

This thing is connected to a wooden "transmission mechanism", one end of which is fixed to some unfortunate donkey, and the other end is the center of the circle, fixed to the ground and cannot move.

Ma Daifeng whipped the donkey a few times with a whip, and the donkey began to circle, the kowtow beam began to move up and down, and the "dragon head" at the wellhead began to spew water.

It seems to be a little different from the steam engine I imagined. It seems to have been made, but it doesn't seem to have been made. I can only say "it seems to have been made".

"Sir, this device uses animal power to absorb water. It can remove the water in the coal mine. Even a pit two meters deep is not a problem. I have tested it elsewhere."

Ma Daifeng said with a little pride.

This thing is useless?
No, no, no, this thing is very useful. It is much faster than using wooden buckets to drain water manually.

"Well, not bad, not bad."

Fang Zhongyong nodded, and a flash of disappointment passed through his eyes.

He thought it was something else, but it turned out to be this?
Isn’t this the water pressure pump recorded in Song Dynasty documents? I didn’t expect it to be invented in this era.

Of course, these technologies are actually all inherited from the same source. Various branches have appeared since the Han Dynasty and are not Ma Daifeng’s “discovery”.

He simply used animal power and transmission to compress the vacuum, integrating some of the past technologies together.

Even if the donkey is not used, the same effect can be achieved by prying the crank with hands.

Of course, the force was definitely not as strong as it is now.

"Is there any way to pry this kowtow beam by boiling water?"

Fang Chongyong pointed at the hanging beam and asked.

Although this organization is not complicated, there are actually many details in it, which are all explored through long-term practice and the accumulation of predecessors. It is not easy at all.

"Boiling water?"

Ma Daifeng was stunned and had no idea how to do it.

Is there any connection between boiling water and turning the crank?

In Ma Daifeng's opinion, the water in the pit was "pulled up" by the donkey with great effort, and the principle of atmospheric pressure was not involved at all.

However, in fact, the water in the pit was not sucked out, but was "pressed out" by atmospheric pressure.

If you don't understand this, there will be no way to make subsequent improvements or even qualitative changes.

The purification and classification of natural sciences seems to be a process of quantitative change leading to qualitative change, which takes time and cannot be rushed.

Fang Zhongyong took a deep breath, forced a smile on his face, and encouraged Ma Daifeng:

"If you improve it slowly, this thing is not useless. If you make it smaller, it will be very useful for digging wells.

If the object is small, there is no need for a donkey, nor for these accompanying gadgets.”

Fang Zhongyong pointed at the donkey that was shaking its head innocently beside him and said.

"Yes, yes, yes! Oh, why didn't I think of that!
Well water, this thing is so convenient!"

Ma Daifeng slapped his forehead and suddenly realized that his thing had to discharge water quickly, and it was used to empty the water in the mine, so the discharge volume had to be large.

But what is the purpose of an ordinary well producing so much water in one go?
Since such a large displacement is not needed, it can be made small and operated by manpower.

"That's good, that's good. I have something else to do, so you go ahead and do your work."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hands in a disinterested manner. Ma Daifeng was still lost in thought and had no idea of ​​this. He frowned, as if he had come up with a plan but was just a breath away from coming up with it.

Use coal to boil water to turn it into water vapor, then condense the water vapor to create a vacuum, let the atmospheric pressure pressurize the water, and finally use it in the mine, so that more coal can be obtained.

Coal can be used to smelt steel, further promoting industrial development.

It can be said that this series of technology trees is very much like the routine of stepping on the left foot and the right foot to soar on the spot. The correlation between several industries is very strong, supporting and promoting each other.

To develop industry, we must develop heavy industry, otherwise it will be impossible to use machines to produce machines to replace handicrafts.

The production of machines requires steel that is several orders of magnitude greater than the current social demand, and the smelting of steel requires iron ore and coal.

Various types of steam engines are the inevitable products of the intersection of the coal, iron and mining industries.

Steam engines, steel, mining, and transportation, namely trains and railways, will greatly enhance logistics and transportation, and then passively transform all aspects of society.

All of this requires more coal and more iron at a lower cost. Therefore, the next breakthrough in scientific and technological development should be in the direction of mineral mining and exploration.

Fang Chongyong came to a conclusion that made him a little depressed. Pumping water into the mine is a common need encountered in coal mining in recent years, and this is just a minor inconvenience.

The other bottlenecks are almost countless and seem to be endless.

Suddenly, Fang Chongyong felt that Li Lu and the other guys were really fucking boring.

Even if he became an emperor, what would that do? Even if he had all the power in the world, what would that do? He had always been living in a "low-level" environment, and had never seen the splendor of later generations.

He hasn't even invented a steam engine, but he still thinks he's awesome. Even if you don't want to achieve that, at least you should try hard, right?

Because of ignorance, they are arrogant and complacent. It seems that there is no shortage of such people everywhere.

Fang Zhongyong's thoughts floated through his brain and turned into a silent sigh.

"Sir, you seem to be very dissatisfied with Ma Daifeng?"

On the way back to the government office, Da Congming, who had been silent until now, asked in a low voice.

"Oh? You figured it out?"

Fang Zhongyong glanced at him and asked with a smile.

"Sir, your disappointment just now is beyond words.

But I think that thing of Ma Daifeng is very useful. When digging coal, you need to pump water a lot. It's not difficult to find a donkey. You can just install it on the spot when you need it. It's very convenient.

The government doesn’t need to be too harsh on him.”

Da Congming tried to smooth things over for Ma Daifeng.

"Indeed, I think too much." Fang Zhongyong sighed and expressed his agreement.

The ancients had never seen those scenes, so what Ma Daifeng came up with was already very impressive to them. To apply what you have learned, to use new things where they are actually needed, and to use them well, is already a very impressive talent.

Da Congming didn't understand what Fang Chongyong was dissatisfied with.

It cannot be said that what he thought was wrong, it’s just that he was too smart not to know it.

In fact, Fang Chongyong is a real "lonely man" in this era.

"You have been with me for several years and have gained a lot of experience. Do you have any idea of ​​being sent out to serve as a provincial governor?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Dacongming and asked.

It must be said that Dacongming has been very steady in the past few years and has done a good job as a "leader's secretary". In this position, there is no need for merit, as long as there is no trouble, it is a great achievement.

It is obvious that Dacongming has received systematic aristocratic education since childhood, so it is not surprising that he behaves like this.

In this era, except for the soldiers who could fight, the rest of those who came from the grassroots were craftsmen, and even becoming a craftsman was not easy.

Expanding the breadth and depth of universal education is a long and arduous task.

"Sir, you are joking. Without you, I am nothing. I can't do anything even if I am sent out."

Da Congming smiled awkwardly and politely rejected Fang Chongyong.

What's the point of him being a Bohai prince and serving as a governor in the Tang Dynasty? At this moment, only a fool would stay away from Fang Zhongyong.

Seeing that Dacongming had no intention of leaving Bianzhou, Fang Chongyong did not take it seriously. When the two returned to the government office, they found that Yan Zhuang and others had been waiting for a long time, as if something happened.

"What happened?"

Fang Chongyong saw Yan Zhuang's solemn expression and asked with some confusion.

"Your Majesty, the latest news from Guanzhong is that Li Baoyu from Hedong has already conquered Puzhou and is heading straight for Chang'an!"

Yan Zhuang reported in a deep voice, and everyone stayed outside the study and did not go in.

"Ah."

Fang Zhongyong nodded, his face showing no emotion, and he remained calm. Yan Zhuang and the others saw that Fang Zhongyong didn't seem too nervous and had a backbone, so they also calmed down.

The group came to the government office's study and sat down, and Yan Zhuang handed the intelligence sent by the spy to Fang Chongyong.

In fact, the letter did not say anything else, just saying that Li Baochen had been defeated in Puzhou and had led his troops back to Chang'an, trying to resist stubbornly. However, the Hedong troops were obviously more capable and had high morale. They successively broke through Huayin and other cities and headed straight for Chang'an.

It seems that Li Baochen might have a decisive battle with the Hedong troops under the city of Chang'an.

This is the intelligence network that has been operating in Bianzhou for many years. It has sent back news at the fastest speed, but it is still uncertain whether there have been any new changes during the period when the news was sent back.

I think, Li Baochen has been on the battlefield for many years, it is impossible that he can't resist for even a few days, right?
"Oh, there's one more thing."

Yan Zhuang seemed to remember something and continued:

"Recently, there have been rumors from the north that the Shuofang Army and the Huihe people seem to have joined forces.

There is another prince in their hands, but it is not clear which one it is. The Shuofang Army leaders seem to want to nominate this prince as the legitimate heir, and then support him to marry the Uighur princess and win over the Uighur forces.

However, it seems that these people have not reached a complete agreement and have not announced it to the public yet.

Although the Shuofang Army was blocking the news, the Uighurs were big mouths and the news spread widely.

Merchants who trade horses on the grasslands all know something about this. Of course, these are just rumors, and I cannot verify their authenticity. "

Yan Zhuang whispered to Fang Zhongyong.

He also heard it from merchants from the north who came to Bianzhou to sell horses. This matter was not a secret on the grassland, but he didn't know whether it was true or not.

Before, the Huihe people joined forces with Huangfu Weiming. After Huangfu Weiming was defeated by Fang Youde, the Huihe people withdrew from the Central Plains.

They originally had a great hatred with the Shuofang Army, but for some unknown reason, there were rumors that they were going to work together.

Fang Chongyong folded his arms and pondered in silence.

In fact, it is easy to deal with the Uighurs, and this situation is not surprising at all.

The Huihe people had a tribal system, with several large tribes jointly managing major affairs, while minor matters were handled by each tribe on its own.

As long as a Khan is replaced, foreign policy may be completely reversed. It is normal for them to join forces with the Shuofang Army.

Of course, the current situation in the country has changed a lot since the Hebei rebellion. The Shuofang Army chose to sit on the other side of the river and watch the fire, but it may not be the case now.

It can only be said that this is a different time. Many people are looking at Chang'an eagerly, one more is not too many, one less is not too few.

It is not uncommon for various families to form alliances and any situation to arise. They are just struggling to survive.

“If Li Baoyu and his men seize Chang’an, I’m afraid they will soon be able to establish contact with Hexi.

With the help of Hexi, it is not impossible for Li Baoyu to stabilize the situation in Chang'an."

Yan Zhuang said worriedly.

Li Baoyu is different from Li Baochen. Marshal Baochen is a soldier with no background, while Li Baoyu, whose original name was An Zhongzhang, is a prominent figure of the An family in Liangzhou.

Their background is much deeper than Li Baochen's.

Although An Lushan was arrogant in history, he was actually not worthy of being a member of the Liangzhou An clan. From the very beginning, they had been cutting ties with An Lushan and did not admit to having any relationship with him.

Even at that time, An Lushan had troops from two towns in his hands and was deeply favored by Ji Ge.

From this we can see that Li Baoyu and others have a very high opinion of themselves. Even if they are not Tianlong people from Guanzhong, they can be considered Tianlong people from Liangzhou.

"If Li Baoyu and his men can recruit the Shuofang Army, then the situation will be very unfavorable to us."

Yan Zhuang said thoughtfully, and everyone in the room looked tense.

"Now is the critical moment to capture Jingxiang, we can't spare any time to deal with Li Baoyu."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand, signaling Yan Zhuang not to scare himself.

The key is that there is no use in being anxious!
The current situation is a typical one where you fight yours and I fight mine. There is no need to follow other people's pace.

By swallowing Jingxiang, we can control another place of wealth, and the next step is to continue to develop the water transport on the Yangtze River.

What Li Baoyu wants to do, what happens to the Shuofang Army, are now beyond Fang Chongyong's control.

Even if you send a lobbyist to "explain the pros and cons", those people will probably just treat it as a joke. Why bring shame upon yourself?

"Don't be distracted by thinking about the things in the north. Our goal now is to capture Xiangyang and completely eliminate Li Lu! Everything else has to take a back seat!"

Fang Chongyong made the final decision, ending the discussion.

(End of this chapter)