Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1134 Shocked Charles I

"You said that the other party rejected my marriage request? Do you think my sister is not worthy of him? I am already willing to give up the dogma of monogamy and marry the princess to him. What else is he dissatisfied with?"

Charles I frowned slightly, somewhat dissatisfied with Chu Yun's polite refusal.And standing in front of him was the Earl of Compton, the head of the second group of envoys returning to Britain from the capital.

"The other party seems to be rejecting this proposal out of some concerns, not necessarily because of the princess herself," said Earl Compton.

"And how is my sister doing well in the Far East?" asked King Charles.

"Your Majesty, please be at ease. Her Royal Highness has companions in the East, and she is still studying at the other's academy. As Sir Greenville said, Her Royal Highness should actively learn the advanced technology there, and return to China to lead us to become a first-class country in Europe, replacing Spaniards and Dutchmen," said the Earl of Compton.

"Advanced technology... Is there really a self-moving carriage with a length of [-] meters that Sir Greenville said in the East? And an oil lamp without fire?" Charles I confirmed again.

"Your Majesty, I swear in the name of the knights that the adventures Sir Greenville said before are true. The magical train can carry hundreds of people at a time, and it runs faster than a carriage pulled by four horses. It is tireless. And for days and days. Its sound was so loud and resounding that the earth trembled," said Lord Compton.

Charles I crossed his fingers on the table. Seeing Earl Compton's swearing that the East had medieval witchcraft-like technology, his expression was a little dignified.According to his previous understanding, although there is a brilliant civilization in the east, it seems that it is not so exaggerated. The iron carriage that is more than [-] meters long and can move by itself...

Although Sir Greenville, who led the first batch of envoys, had repeatedly emphasized to Charles I and other British nobles that magical things such as trains and electric lights appeared in the East, the British nobles including Charles I still regarded the East described by Sir Greenville as Marco Polo. Exaggerated legends like travel notes, but can't imagine what a real train looks like.

"By the way, here is a local item called 'photograph', which is like an oil painting drawn by the most brilliant realist painters. I paid a lot of money to hire them to take pictures of the train and bring them back. "The Earl of Compton put a black and white photo on Charles I's desk.

This black-and-white photo is taken from the side of the Industrial steam locomotive head, with the steam locomotive driver standing to one side.By comparing the front of the steam locomotive with the human, it can be roughly judged how huge the steam locomotive is.

Charles I picked up the photo of the train, and his eyes gradually became amazed. He could already imagine the real appearance of the train: "Is this big carriage made of steel?"

"I have personally touched the body of the train. It is all made of steel, except for the interior decoration...There are many carriages behind this 'photo'...They not only use this huge train to carry people, but also use They transport goods on the vast land of the empire, and transport countless goods from the inland to the port, and the galleons carry the goods to the four seas. On the vast Pacific Ocean, there are hundreds of galleons going to and from various islands and lands. Millions of pounds of silver flowed into the hinterland of their empire. There are many merchants in their imperial capital with assets exceeding [-] pounds, and they are not the richest group of merchants. In the area called Jiangnan, there are many people with assets exceeding [-] million pounds.” Compton tried his best to describe the prosperity of Eastern China to Charles I, trying to make Charles I have a strong interest in the East and a desire to catch up.

After hearing this, Charles I was even more silent. This time, he had to believe the explanations of the Earl of Compton and Sir Greenville, as evidenced by the photos that looked extremely real.

"I don't understand why such a heavy train, which is completely made of steel, can run faster than a carriage." Charles I put down the photo, puzzled.

"It is said that they used a machine called a steam engine. Your Majesty, look at the entire front of the locomotive. It is the horsepower provided by this thing that pulls the carriage behind." Earl Compton said, pointing to the front of the steam locomotive in the black and white photo.

"How does the locomotive provide horsepower? How can a mass of iron make it move?" Charles I was reminded by the Earl of Compton, and felt that the structure of the steam locomotive was indeed somewhat weird and unusual, but it was hard to imagine that the steam locomotive how to exercise.

"It is very likely that the iron block is moved through gears and axles. This iron wheel is similar to the wooden wheel of a carriage, and the distance between the left and right iron wheels is the same as the distance between the two wheels of a large carriage. Consistent. As for what is powering it, it is likely to be related to coal. Our people observed that this carriage was loaded with a large amount of coal." Earl Compton speculated.

"Coal? Britain is the largest producer of coal in Europe, but what is the use of coal besides heating? If firewood is not getting more and more expensive, no one will be willing to use coal that produces a lot of smoke." Charles I said.

He didn't know that Britain's coal production was three times that of all countries in continental Europe combined, and more and more coal indirectly promoted the use of coal as a fuel to trigger the first industrial revolution.The significance of coal for Britain at present is to replace the dwindling firewood as a cheap substitute.

Charles I couldn't even imagine how coal became the fuel for steam locomotives.

"The burning of coal can generate heat, warming people and the air. I think it may be a similar principle." Earl Compton made an immature speculation.He directly associated thermal energy with mechanical energy.

If it hadn’t been for the arrival of Chu Yun, due to the rapid development of the coal mining industry in Britain, some people would use steam engines in the coal mining industry decades later, until Watt improved the steam engine, and the steam engine technology became more mature.

"..." Charles I didn't quite understand Earl Compton's vague speculation. He still couldn't imagine how heat energy could be converted into mechanical energy?How does burning coal move the gears?
Without the medium of water vapor and parts such as pistons, they can only make the simplest guesses.

But it is not difficult for Charles I to realize that this is not witchcraft, but a miracle formed by the combination of coal and steel.

"Therefore, I propose that Your Majesty should send an ambassador to live in the capital of the Eastern Empire for a long time to conduct investigations and study their technologies and achievements in detail," said Earl Compton.

(End of this chapter)