I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 342 The Second Woman to Know Zhao Yu Was a Time Traveler
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The Royal Research Institute is located in the northwest corner of Genyue Wansui Mountain, built along a tributary of the Jinshui River. It retains the flying eaves and bracket system common in Song Dynasty palaces, while also revealing elements of the early Industrial Revolution in its details.

Inside the vermilion palace walls are corridors with cast iron supports, and bronze weather vanes hang under the glazed tiles. Next to the stone lions at the palace gate stand two bronze gears as tall as a person.

Upon entering the courtyard, the most striking feature is the large brick and stone chimney in the center, which emits light gray smoke 24 hours a day. Inside, three horizontal steam engines are installed, with brass cylinders encased in wooden shells for insulation. The piston rods are connected to huge gears, which, when turned, pull the power shaft of the entire Royal Research Institute along with iron chains. The transmission devices on the shafts lead to various workshops, and the clanging sound of the machines running is mixed with the hissing sound of steam being ejected.

Besides the large chimney, the most eye-catching thing is an observatory not far away. It retains the traditional high platform structure of the Song Dynasty, but the top is no longer just an armillary sphere, but also has more than a dozen high-powered telescopes. A huge mechanical clock made of gears hangs below the platform, which also serves as a morning bell.

On the Jinshui River, an experimental steamship belonging to the research institute was moored. The ebony hull was fitted with an iron chimney. The boatman no longer rowed, but instead turned the brass valves to adjust the steam volume. When the propeller turned at the stern, the splashing water startled the orioles on the willow trees on the bank into flying frantically.

There is also a huge workshop for artisans in the courtyard, where groups of three or five artisans are busy with their own tasks.

On the inner shelf were models of steamships, on the next shelf were models of trains of various shapes, and on a dusty shelf were models of airplanes.

At this moment, many craftsmen are busy around a "car". The body of the "car" is made of elm wood and is particularly large. Even so, apart from leaving a place for one person to sit, the rest of the car is still occupied by a steam engine.

Upon entering the Royal Research Institute, Zhao Yu and his entourage saw dozens of long mahogany tables in the main building's brick-paved hall. Instead of scholar's implements, these tables were set with glass beakers, bronze balances, and precisely graduated wooden rulers. Researchers in round-necked shirts were manually winding coils with magnets to create the simplest motors. Beside them were numerous DC motors of various shapes, powered by steam engines that rotated magnets, causing incandescent bulbs connected to copper wires to glow and generate heat.

In the very center of the hall hangs a calligraphy scroll that reads: "Investigate things to acquire knowledge".

These four characters were written by Zhao Yu himself.

The courtyard was filled with imperial guards carrying bows and crossbows or muskets. The level of security was no less than that of the imperial palace, demonstrating the importance Zhao Yu placed on this place.

Upon seeing Zhao Yu arrive, all the imperial guards immediately saluted him.

The researchers who were frowning at the spinning gears and the steaming iron contraption hurriedly bowed when they saw Zhao Yu. Of course, there were also some researchers who were so engrossed in their work that they didn't see Zhao Yu or didn't realize they should bow to him, but Zhao Yu didn't blame them.

Zhao Yu went straight to the top floor of the main building.

Before even entering, the mixed smell of turpentine and metallic rust hit you.

Upon reaching the top floor, one can see that the desks and the floor are covered with blueprints, including exploded drawings of trains, cars, and even sketches of airplanes.

Three precision machine tools stood in the corner, their cast iron bodies gleaming coldly from fresh cutting. Unfinished brass connecting rods were still stuck on the guide rails, and piles of iron filings and broken wooden gears lay nearby. A stack of hacksaw blades, held in rough porcelain jars, reached half a person's height. The metallic hum of the lathes mingled with the sounds of eunuch craftsmen processing mechanical parts, rising and falling in waves.

Some palace servants were recording data on hemp paper and checking steam pressure values ​​with an abacus, the sound of the beads mingling with the ticking of the copper pressure gauge.

By the window, a long elm table was completely occupied. On one side was a porcelain bowl from the Song Dynasty official kiln, with tweezers and chisels inserted inside. On the other side were drafts of formulas calculated with an abacus, densely packed, like celestial script.

In a separate glass room in the very center, Ma Xiaojiao was personally assembling an internal combustion engine, and the final moments were approaching.

Inside the glass room, Ma Xiaojiao, with a pair of breasts as large as watermelons, was half-squatting in front of a cast iron workbench. Her dark gray overalls were worn down to the knees, which only accentuated her sharp waistline. She didn't wear her hair in a complicated updo; her black hair was loosely tied up with a copper hairpin, and a few stray strands fell onto her sweaty forehead, seemingly oblivious to the iron filings on them.

Although she was already in her early thirties, she still had a touch of childlike innocence in her eyes. When she bent down to adjust the piston of the internal combustion engine, the tip of her nose furrowed slightly, like a focused little animal. Who would have thought that she was already the mother of five sons and one daughter, and her eldest son was already sixteen or seventeen years old?

When she raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her cheeks, revealing the thin calluses on her fair wrists from years of holding tools, a heroic spirit that could not be found among those with cosmetics emanated from her—you should know that these hands can not only conduct meticulous experiments, but also precisely turn the wrench, tightening the gleaming brass bolts without the slightest error.

Her work pants pockets were bulging, revealing half of the parameters printed on hemp paper. A pair of soft-soled shoes with embroidered intertwined branches were placed beside her feet, but she had kicked them aside long ago because she found them in the way. Instead, she wore a pair of cloth shoes with multi-layered soles that were very easy to put on and take off.

At this moment, she was tilting her head to listen to the sound of the cylinder exhaust, a slight smile on her lips. That smile did not have the gentleness commonly seen in women of the harem, but rather resembled that of a child who had solved a difficult problem, her eyes so bright that they could reflect the sparks of the internal combustion engine turning.

Zhao Yu walked up behind Ma Xiaojiao, not minding that she was covered in grease, and picked her up in his arms.

Ma Xiaojiao got anxious and shouted, "Wait a minute! My internal combustion engine is almost finished, wait for me a little longer."

"Work is never-ending; we can continue tomorrow."

As they were talking, Zhao Yu hoisted Ma Xiaojiao onto his shoulder and carried her outside.

Ma Xiaojiao pleaded, "Give me another hour, or even half an hour, I'm sure I can succeed!"

But Zhao Yu ignored her and simply carried Ma Xiaojiao away.

Seeing this, the people at the Royal Research Institute were not surprised at all. Whenever Ma Xiaojiao was working overtime and immersed in research, Zhao Yu would personally come and take her to rest, never letting her overwork herself.

In fact, on the way back, Ma Xiaojiao had resigned herself to her fate, but Zhao Yu showed no intention of putting her down. Instead, he carried her all the way back to his palace.

Seeing that Ma Xiaojiao had been carried back by Zhao Yu once again, Xiduo quickly led people to arrange bath water and prepare dinner for Ma Xiaojiao, while also making preparations for Zhao Yu to stay overnight in their palace.

After the bathwater was prepared, Zhao Yu personally carried Ma Xiaojiao into the bathroom and even helped her bathe with the palace servants.

Even at this point, Ma Xiaojiao was still complaining to Zhao Yu: "Your Majesty, if you give me a little more time, I will definitely be able to develop the internal combustion engine. Your Majesty knows that once we have the internal combustion engine, the mechanical power of our Great Song Dynasty will reach a new level, no longer limited to the massive size and cumbersome setup of the steam engine. The internal combustion engine can be installed in cars, trains, and even airplanes, giving our Great Song Dynasty's transportation a completely new look, combining speed and efficiency. Not only that, it can also power various mechanical equipment, assisting agricultural production and upgrading industrial manufacturing..."

Zhao Yu listened quietly while personally washing Ma Xiaojiao's oil-stained body and iron-shaving hair.

After Ma Xiaojiao finished complaining, Zhao Yu said, "It doesn't matter if it's a little longer. Eat well, sleep well, and continue tomorrow. It's not too late."

Everyone had been brought back by Zhao Yu, so it was pointless for Ma Xiaojiao to keep harping on the fact that Zhao Yu hadn't let her finish developing the internal combustion engine. So, after complaining to Zhao Yu for a while, Ma Xiaojiao put the matter aside and instead said, "Your Majesty is too impatient. I called you over to show you the telegram, but Your Majesty didn't give me a chance to speak, making your trip a waste..."

In fact, once electricity was invented, the telegraph became relatively easy to develop.

Ma Xiaojiao first proposed the theoretical basis that "electricity can be conducted," and then proposed "encoding text by switching current on and off." She then led her R&D staff and craftsmen to design corresponding transmitters and receivers using the principle of electromagnetic relays.

After that, under Ma Xiaojiao's guidance, specialists made breakthroughs in key aspects such as information encoding and signal transmission control.

The most difficult part of this process was the development of the protective layer for the telegraph line.

Although Ma Xiaojiao knew that the plastic on the outside of the wire was mainly made of high molecular polymers, the common raw materials came from fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas. The basic chemical raw materials were extracted through chemical processing, and then polymerized to produce plastic resins such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene. Finally, the resins were wrapped around the outside of the wire through processes such as melting and extrusion to form insulation protection.

However, this process was far too difficult for an era when industry was still extremely underdeveloped.

The key issue is that Ma Xiaojiao isn't very good at chemistry. In her previous life, she always used readily available solutions.

Helpless, Ma Xiaojiao could only provide the researchers in the Great Song Dynasty with research directions to extract plastics from petroleum, while simultaneously searching for alternative methods.

Ma Xiaojiao and her team tried many methods, such as sealing with bamboo tubes and beeswax, or with leather and asphalt coating.

Ultimately, Ma Xiaojiao and her team opted for a multi-layered wrapping method using natural resin and linen. This involved heating natural resins such as rosin and lacquer and coating them onto the copper wire, then wrapping it with linen soaked in tung oil, and repeating this process multiple times.

— Resin can isolate moisture, and tung oil linen can enhance wear resistance. Moreover, these materials are readily available in the Song Dynasty (rosin comes from pine trees, and raw lacquer and tung oil are common coatings).

After a period of research and development, the earliest wired telegraph was finally developed.

Although telegraphs at this stage had many shortcomings, such as extremely limited signal transmission distance (often attenuating to the point of being unrecognizable after only a few dozen miles), and the tendency for current leakage to occur in damp and rainy weather, resulting in fragmented messages; the insufficient sensitivity of the transmitter and receiver, and the slow response of the electromagnetic relays, which resulted in extremely low code transmission rates, often taking half an hour to process a message of a hundred characters; as for the protective layer made of natural resin and linen, although it could barely prevent moisture and wear, it could not withstand long-term exposure to sun and rain, especially in the plum rain season in the south, where the outer linen was prone to mold and rot, and the resin layer would crack due to drastic changes in temperature and humidity, requiring frequent shutdowns for repairs.

Fortunately, these problems were not unsolvable. Due to the short transmission distance, a telegraph station was set up every thirty or forty miles, with dedicated personnel responsible for signal relay. Due to insufficient sensitivity, craftsmen were instructed to repeatedly polish the copper contacts of the relays and adjust the magnet strength, gradually exploring a more stable triggering mechanism. Due to the easy damage to the protective layer, a special patrol team was formed to regularly replace aging wire sections and reinforce them in advance in case of severe weather.

Although it was far from the ideal state of telegraph at that time, it ultimately fulfilled the core function of "transmitting messages over long distances".

The key is that it's usable; that's the first step. Just as roads are made by walking, machines and equipment are only modified as we use them.

The birth of the telegraph can be considered a landmark development in the history of communications.

No wonder Ma Xiaojiao was eager to show Zhao Yu their research results.

While Zhao Yu personally helped Ma Xiaojiao wipe her body, he listened to Ma Xiaojiao explain the research and development process and significance of the telegraph, as well as its future development direction.

After the palace servants helped Ma Xiaojiao get dressed, Zhao Yu accompanied her to dinner.

Zhao Yu did not eat after noon, so during this meal, Ma Xiaojiao ate while Zhao Yu watched, accompanied her, and even personally served her her favorite dishes.

Zhao Yu displayed a level of patience in his relationship with Ma Xiaojiao that far exceeded that of other women.

That evening, after playing the bedtime games, Zhao Yu asked Kita to take the others away, and then he hugged Ma Xiaojiao and prepared to go to sleep.

Lying in Zhao Yu's arms, her head resting on his arm, Ma Xiaojiao dreamt, "When I have developed trains, cars, airplanes, cannons, tanks, warships, submarines, as well as telephones and mobile phones for Your Majesty, Your Majesty will be able to unify the world. At that time, farmers will have surplus grain, and craftsmen will have surplus tools. In the future, ships and vehicles will travel in all directions, and messages will arrive instantly. Persia will offer incense, the Western Regions will offer jade, the Jiangnan region will send brocade, and the northern lands will offer furs. Everyone will get what they need, so why would there be any need for war? Children will all go to school, doctors will research medicine, and craftsmen will make tools. Everyone will be happy to work..."

Hearing Ma Xiaojiao's childish words, Zhao Yu secretly shook his head. He knew very well that the scene Ma Xiaojiao described was ultimately just a castle in the air.

In human nature, desires are ever-present. Whether it's seeking basic sustenance, pursuing fame and fortune, or coveting power, even if the world were unified, this deeply ingrained thread would be difficult to remove.

The world's resources vary in abundance and scarcity; land can be fertile or barren; skills can be skillful or clumsy. Some possess vast tracts of fertile land, while others struggle to grow even an inch; some master a hundred crafts, while others can only toil in humble labor. Such disparities naturally breed a sense of inequality, and resentment grows insidiously. The so-called "from each according to their needs" merely ignores the endless desires of the human heart—today they crave a bowl of porridge and a meal, tomorrow they desire silk and satin, and the day after, they desire a house full of gold and jade, never finding satisfaction.

The barriers of class are even more difficult to eliminate. Even without national borders, there will be distinctions between the government and the people, between superiors and inferiors. For every one who issues commands, there is one who obeys; for every one who holds high office, there is one who lives in obscurity. Where there are hierarchies, there are rules, and those who create these rules will ultimately seek to benefit their own class. The resulting imbalances and biases become the breeding ground for conflict. Whether it's excessive taxes, heavy corvée labor, or the abuse of power, any imbalance is enough to stir up ripples on a calm surface.

Even if Zhao Yu were to one day unify the world, it would only shift the scope of conflict from between states to within a single region, temporarily reducing world strife.

The complexity of human nature cannot be smoothed out by a few machines or cables. Just as a river can be dredged and guided, it is impossible to prevent it from overflowing forever.

Ma Xiaojiao's ideal world is based on the assumption that all things are good.

But in this world, good and evil are like day and night, and there has never been a moment when one side completely overwhelms the other.

Ma Xiaojiao murmured, "If that day ever comes... it won't have been in vain... that we traveled through time once."

After speaking, Ma Xiaojiao, who was already extremely tired and had been tormented by Zhao Yu, fell asleep.

Ma Xiaojiao was asleep, but Zhao Yu, who was already feeling sleepy, suddenly woke up with a start. 'Wasn't our time travel worthwhile?! Was 'our' a slip of the tongue, or does she know I'm a time traveler too, just like Qingcheng...?'

……

(End of this chapter)