I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 795: Iron Dragon
Huang Daolin pointed at the boiler and said, "This boiler is a big problem. At first, I thought of casting it directly with steel, but it needs to contain copper columns, and it needs to install exhaust ports, valves and pipes, so it must leave several openings.

After more than a dozen tests, all failed. Casting the boiler was simply not feasible. First, the holes were very troublesome, and second, it was difficult to ensure that there were no bubbles in the steel with such a special casting.

This is a boiler, it will explode, how dare you allow bubbles to form in the cast steel.

So they thought of using the steel plates from the rolling mill, rolling them into cylinders and then welding them into boilers. But how to weld them? This was another big problem.

The Chemical Institute received the task and used coking coal and limestone to forge. After several experiments, they finally made calcium carbide stone, which can produce acetylene gas when it comes into contact with water. When ignited, it generates high temperatures and can melt steel bars.
After more than a dozen tests, five or six explosions, and more than a dozen injuries, the acetylene welding equipment was finally made.
After the boiler is made, we use the casting process to make the moving wheel and cylinder, and then process them using large planers and precision boring machines.

The piston inside the cylinder is precisely processed by lathes and grinders to fit perfectly with the cylinder wall.
There are also various accessories such as pipes, valves, instruments, etc., many of which are polished bit by bit by craftsmen.

It can be said that without those factories in Luanzhou, no matter how brilliant the idea of ​​steam locomotive was, we would not be able to realize it.

It took us five years from the time the first steam engine was used to pump water in a mine to the time the prototype of the steam locomotive came out.

But during the final inspection, we found that although the steam locomotive could run, it just couldn't run fast. After checking the reason, we found that the sealing was very poor, and the machining accuracy in many places could not be improved. There were always gaps leaking air. How could it be powerful if the air leaked out?
There are also pipes that transport high-pressure gas to the bottom of each carriage as braking power. They are all iron pipes, which are hard but brittle. As the carriages sway from side to side, they can easily bend and break.

Once it breaks, braking won’t be possible, which is a disaster. All these problems almost make us despair! "

Huang Daolin told the story slowly and everyone listened attentively.

"We racked our brains, but we just couldn't get the final kick. In October last year, the third group of the Chemical Institute developed a rubber vulcanization process to produce mature rubber.

The styrene rubber is very elastic and is not affected by any temperature within 150 degrees. We use this styrene rubber to make seals and gaskets.

Although the thing is small, it can plug all the leaks, a little here and a little there, and the steam leakage becomes less and less, and the power of our Type 1 Qianjin steam locomotive is increased.

We use cooked rubber to make hoses to deliver high-pressure gas to the bottom of each compartment. Because it is flexible and elastic, we add a layer of wire mesh outside the rubber hose, which is equivalent to putting a layer of linked soft armor on it.
We solved these problems one by one, and finally in December of the fourth year of the Wanli reign, the Qianjin-1 steam locomotive ran 160 kilometers in one breath and reached a maximum speed of 88 kilometers per hour. Perfect! "

Huang Daolin sighed with great emotion, "Through the development of the Qianjin-1 steam locomotive, we have deeply realized that industry is not as simple as producing more coal and refining more steel.

It is a complete system that requires mathematics, physics, chemistry, mechanics and other disciplines to develop side by side and complement each other, just like cornerstones and bricks, and finally build an industrial tower! "

"Well said!" Zhu Yijun was the first to applaud.

The ministers looked at each other, their eyes flickering and their expressions varied, but they all applauded together.

At this time, Yang Jinshui came up to Zhu Yijun.

"Your Majesty, there's news from the dispatch office that the departure time has arrived. Why don't we get on the bus first and talk on the bus?"

"Okay, let's talk in the car." Zhu Yijun waved his hand.

"Your Majesty, please come this way." Yang Jinshui led Zhu Yijun and everyone else to the back.

Passenger carriages also made a direct jump, skipping the original British-style box carriages that were upgraded from horse-drawn carriages in history, and jumping directly to the mature American-style carriages.

Ordinary carriages have four axles and are similar to the hard-seat carriages of the 1960s and 1970s. The seats and luggage racks are made of iron frames and wood, and the windows open up and down.

The first carriage behind the locomotive was the ordinary seat carriage, which housed a company of the Brave Guard Battalion.

The second section is the ordinary dining car, which provides food and drinks to the Brave Guard Battalion and the accompanying secretaries.

The third section is an ordinary sleeper car with eleven compartments and three berths on the upper, middle and lower levels, which can accommodate sixty-six people.

The fourth section is a common seat carriage, each of which can accommodate 112 people.
The two carriages were filled with attendants from the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Public Security.

They are on duty in the fourth carriage during the day and take turns resting in the third carriage at night.

Further on is the luxurious six-axle carriage, a total of six sections, imitating the Pullman sleeper carriage.

The fifth section is a Class C sleeper car, with a total of ten compartments, each with upper and lower berths, a total of four berths, which can accommodate forty people. They are used by attendant officials of higher ranks.

The sixth and seventh carriages were Class B sleeper cars, with a total of ten compartments, each with two berths facing each other. Each car could accommodate twenty people, and a total of forty people, accommodating all the advisors and grand secretaries.

There were two bachelors in a room, and one grand secretary in a room. Some high-ranking non-Advisory Bureau attendants, such as Yang Jinshui, Qi Yan, Lin Fu, Huang Daolin, etc., were also arranged here.

The eighth carriage is also a six-axle luxury carriage, but it has been converted into a conference room.

The ninth carriage was a high-end dining car, which provided special meals for Zhu Yijun and other advisors.

The tenth carriage is a customized six-axle luxury carriage. The huge carriage is divided into two parts, the front part is the office area, and the rear part is the rest area.

The eleventh section is a Class C sleeper car, where the officers of the Fengchensi are accommodated.

The twelfth carriage was an ordinary seat carriage, filled with a company of Yulin officers and soldiers.

The thirteenth carriage is the luggage car, where the maintenance workers, train attendants, drivers, and firemen all rest.

In addition, Fengchensi added an additional train in front and behind.

The train in front was led by Song Gongliang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with dozens of officers from the General Security Bureau and a reinforced battalion of the Yulin Army. They were stationed three stations ahead and had prepared for security work in advance.

The train behind was carried by Liu Yi, the eunuch of the Imperial Stables, who led dozens of officers from the Imperial Stables and the Fengchensi, as well as a battalion of Yongwei Battalion, which lagged behind by two stations.

Guard troops, Beijing camp infantry regiments and local garrison regiments were deployed along the way to guard bridges, stations and patrol along the way.

The security work is done quite well.

Yang Jinshui led Zhu Yijun to the eighth carriage, the conference carriage.

"Your Majesty, please get in the car."

The platform of Beijing Railway Station is built flush, that is, the platform is level with the floor of the carriage. There is no need to climb a ladder, you can just step into the carriage.

Yang Jinshui led the way, and Zhu Yijun walked in, looking around. It was almost the same as he remembered, except that many of the accessories were made of wood.

There was no plastic in this era and rubber production had not yet increased, so it was very precious. It was only used in key parts, and other methods would be used for unimportant parts, such as using wood, cork, cotton, linen and other materials.

Anyway, it’s quite environmentally friendly.

There are small rooms on both sides of the car door. The left one is the toilet and the right one is the water room.

Going further in, there is a wooden screen wall, and when you go around it, you will see a bright new view.

The entire carriage is made to look like a conference room, with wooden walls decorated with hollow carvings.

There are eight wall lamps and gas lamps on each side.

There are eight rows of seats on both sides. They are all popular sofa styles with velvet covers. Two people can sit side by side without feeling crowded at all. There is also a coffee table extending from the wall in front.

The screen wall is facing the front, and the space between the front and back is suitable, so it is very comfortable to sit and stretch your legs. There is an aisle in the middle, and the space left is also sufficient.

There are eight rows of four seats each, which can accommodate thirty-two people.

The screen wall is a blackboard, next to which there is a small table, a chair, and a tin trumpet.

This is the speaker's seat.

Zhu Yijun sat down in the seat on the left side of the first row and found that there was a certain distance between here and the lecturer's seat, so he didn't have to worry about drooling.

He waved and called out, "Master Zhang, Mr. Tan, Master Zhao, Mr. Wang, everyone please sit down. We will wait for the train to start and then we can ask someone to teach us."

The ministers quickly reached a consensus.

No one sat next to Zhu Yijun.

Zhang Juzheng and Tan Lun sat on the left side of the second row, Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun sat on the right side. The rest of the advisors sat down in an orderly manner according to their seniority and rank.

There were twenty-eight people in total, just enough for everyone to sit down.

"Jinshui, when does the train leave?"

"In reply to the emperor, the dispatch office has arranged for us to leave at 8:22."

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but ask curiously: "What's so special about this time?"

"To reply to Zhang Xiang, at 8:22, the lead train has already reached the third station, Shunyi Station."

Zhu Yijun added: "Train operation is a very complicated matter, which requires the use of overall planning. The sequence of arrangements is very important, one link after another, and the timing cannot be wrong, otherwise there will be a rear-end collision.

Therefore, the dispatching room usually calculates according to the operation schedule, and how to transmit the current status of trains running on the railway to the dispatching room is also a big problem.

Fortunately, the number of trains is not high now, and the double track has been repaired. After four months of trial operation, there are not many major problems, but there are a lot of minor problems, which have all been solved one by one. "

Running timetable, double track?

Zhang Juzheng and Tan Lun looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Your Majesty, I don’t quite understand your explanation!
There was a clock on the wall of the carriage. The hour hand pointed to eight, and the minute was just past twenty, jumping forward.

Zhu Yijun raised his left wrist and glanced at his watch.

The Peacock brand all-steel watch is the flagship product of Yongping Precision Machinery Factory and is very valuable. Although it looks small, it is full of technology and hard work, and it can be equivalent to three or four Butterfly brand sewing machines on the market.

Zhang Juzheng took out a pocket watch from his pocket. It had a platinum case inlaid with rubies and emeralds, and the watch strap was also made of platinum.

With the press of a switch, the watch cover embossed with mountains, rivers and the Great Wall pops open, and the pointer inside keeps turning.

"Eight twenty-one, one minute left."

This pocket watch was custom-made by Zhu Yijun at the Yongping Precision Machinery Factory and given to Zhang Juzheng as a birthday gift for his 50th birthday.

Zhang Juzheng was born in the fourth year of Jiajing (1525) and was exactly fifty years old in the fifth year of Wanli (1574).

The man is in the house and the woman is full, and his birthday is on the fifth day of May!

Tan Lun took a look and saw Pan Sheng and Wang Guoguang in the back seat and Zhao Zhenji and Wang Chonggu across the aisle all looking at him with envy.

The only two people who were respected and treated so well by the emperor were Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui.

Hai Rui would not accept such a luxurious and precious gift.

So Zhang Juzheng was the only one in the court who had this thing.

Valuability is one thing, but the key lies in its significance.

Somewhat envious.

After waiting for a minute, a shrill, long whistle sounded from the front, followed by a whistling sound, as if dozens of strong bulls were gasping for air and exerting themselves.

The car shook slightly, and then there was a bang from the bottom and a creaking sound of metal friction.

Before we knew it, we noticed that the people and objects outside the car window were slowly moving backwards.

"Move!"

"Oh my goodness! Twelve carriages, all made of iron, and that huge iron bull in front can actually pull them all up."

"It's incredible, how powerful that big black iron bull is."

As they were discussing, the soldiers standing on the platform and the railway staff on duty moved backwards faster and faster.

Woohoo!

There were a few more long horns, and the carriage shook a little more violently, and there was a very loud banging sound from the bottom, as if it had hit something iron.

"What is this for?"

Zhu Yijun explained calmly, "Go over the switch and switch to another track. This is the procedure for both entering and exiting the station."

Looking out the window, the train drove out of the platform and the train parked at the same station was left behind.

Bang, bang, a rhythmic sound rang out and the train continued to accelerate. Outside the window were walls. Through the walls, you could see thousands of people gathered outside.

They saw a long steel dragon, spewing thick smoke and rushing out of the train station, and they were all stunned with fear.

Some were so scared that they turned around and ran back, adults were shouting, children were crying, and the scene was a mess.

Fortunately, Pan Yinglong dispatched police and guards to deal with the situation in the surrounding area early on.

Thousands of policemen and guards suppressed their panic, forced themselves to stay conscious, maintained order, and quickly brought the chaotic scene under control.

The train moved along the tracks in an orderly manner, full of power. When you look at the whole picture, it is actually not that ferocious and scary.

The people watching outside the station suddenly realized that this was not a monster, but another miracle brought by the emperor to the Ming Dynasty!

Their fear turned into surprise, and they all raised their hands high, cheering like a tidal wave at the long dragon that was going away!
(End of this chapter)