A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

When Li Yu returned to Munich, Paul Daimler and Jelinek hadn't left. They were carefully checking the condition of the vehicle, but the Porsche had already left early.

"I didn't expect you to still be here," Li Yu said.

"We're leaving too, just to go to Vienna together?" said Paul Daimler.

"Vienna?" Li Yu asked.

"That's right," said Paul Daimler, "One of the most important R&D divisions of our Daimler company is in Vienna, where the research and development work related to the four-wheel drive system is carried out."

Li Yu had promised them to carry out joint research and development and provide technical support before, so he no longer refused, and it was not too far from Munich, more than 300 kilometers.

"It's another little rally," Li Yu said with a smile to Lu Bicheng, "just to see the music capital."

"I know, I was lucky enough to listen to piano music once, and it was quite nice." Lu Bicheng said.

"When I went to Vienna, I didn't just have a piano," Li Yu said.

At this time, Austria belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it was still in the same camp as Germany. Vienna was the city with the second largest German-speaking population after Berlin.

Daimler set up a branch in Vienna also because Jelinek has a very extensive network of contacts here. He is not only a wealthy businessman, but also an Austrian diplomat who once served as the Austrian ambassador to Hungary.

Although it is only a branch, compared with those small car companies in the United States, the Daimler branch in Vienna is not small, and has strong research and development capabilities.

It can be said that the center of the world's automobiles is still in Germany.

It's just that when the Ford Model T is born ten years later, it will hit the German auto industry hard.

The production efficiency of the assembly line is really terrible. In the United States, nearly 40 Ford Model T cars can be rolled off the assembly line in one year.

The annual output of cars in Germany is only 2 units.

This is the direct crushing of industrialization on the production methods of traditional European workshops, which can be called a blow to dimensionality reduction.

The most important thing is that the assembly line has led to a very favorable price of American cars: a Model T car can be made for less than 300 US dollars, while a Mercedes-Benz or Daimler car at the same time costs at least 1000 US dollars.

With such a disparity in price, the production capacity is not as good as that of Ford, which almost wiped out the German auto industry.

However, it was precisely because of Ford's strong competition that Mercedes-Benz and Daimler had to merge in 1926, which is today's Mercedes-Benz.

Fortunately, Karl Benz was still alive at that time and was able to witness the historic moment.

This set of four-wheel drive technology is suitable for German cars, because the price is relatively high and can afford the cost.

Li Yu already had the technical principle in his mind, and he completed the prototype design in a few days together with Paul Daimler and Maybach.

At the same time, good news came from Einstein, the propeller shaft differential he applied for at the Berne Patent Office was approved.

Maybach said excitedly: "Sir, please let your factory in the United States supply goods as soon as possible. I really want to see what a super car with an electronic start system, an advanced four-wheel drive system, and a drive shaft differential will look like!"

So Li Yu sent a telegram to Buick and Zou Zhou in Detroit, hoping that they would allocate as much production capacity as possible to Germany.

Zou Zhou has already completed the training for the second batch of trainees, and the number of manpower in the factory has doubled, but it is obviously still far behind.

Fortunately, it is not difficult to recruit people. Now those young people in Chinatown in New York see such a high income in Li Yu's factory, and they are working overtime to learn mechanical knowledge.

In order to balance the relationship, Li Yu also asked Buick to recruit some Americans into the workshop, but asked the best to be selected and female workers to be accepted as much as possible.

This is rare in the United States, where discrimination against women at work is very common in American society.

Buick couldn't help feeling: "It's really puzzling to me why this person from the backward Qing Dynasty has such a high level of self-cultivation!"

Of course Li Yu didn't care about such compliments, because in his previous life, things were commonplace.

However, the production speed of radio equipment is still difficult to increase on a large scale, because Tesla is still unable to devote himself wholeheartedly, no matter how busy he is, he has to take his servants to Wardenclyffe Tower to study his wireless power transmission.

Like a victim of an arranged marriage forced into marriage by an old flame...

There was no other way, Li Yu could only send another reminder.

Communication is more professional than automobiles. In the high-tech industry at the beginning of the [-]th century, the training period for personnel is much longer, so it is still inseparable from him.

After finishing his work on Maybach and Daimler, Li Yu decided to meet an old friend at the University of Vienna.

An old friend who has never met.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Please come in."

"Is this Professor Boltzmann?"

"It's me, you are..." Boltzmann looked at the Oriental in front of him and murmured, "Why, why don't you have long braids?"

Li Yu smiled and said, "I am Li Yu."

"Ah! It's really you?!" Boltzmann immediately stood up from his chair.

Li Yu said: "It's more refreshing to cut off some troublesome threads."

Boltzmann reconfirmed: "Is it Li Yu, the scientific master from the Qing Dynasty?"

"It's guaranteed to be a fake." Li Yu spread his hands and said.

Boltzmann came over excitedly and hugged him, "I am so surprised by the sudden visit!"

Li Yu said: "It's really a bit abrupt. I wanted to find a formal opportunity, but it's better to hit the sun than to choose a date. I just came to Vienna, so I came to visit you."

Boltzmann said: "Sit down!"

Then he took out those papers and books written by Li Yu: "I have read your contents carefully, and each of them can be called a masterpiece."

Li Yu said, "Professor deserves the award."

Boltzmann said: "Although I know that modesty is the tradition of you Chinese, but you don't have to be polite to me. If I say it is a masterpiece, it is a masterpiece."

Li Yu smiled and said, "Listen to the professor."

"But you are really courageous," Boltzmann picked up the newly published paper on the single-photon interference experiment, "you dare to call waves as particles! How do you say it in Chinese? What guts."

"He ate the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard." Li Yu continued.

"That's right! I just ate the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard." Boltzmann was obviously not blaming Li Yu, and then said euphemistically, "I'm an experienced person, and some things will attract a lot of criticism when published. You are so young, and I am very worried about some academics. Authorities in the world will speak against you."

Li Yu said: "I understand, but science is nothing else. If new things cannot be discovered, science will have no life."

"You boy!" Boltzmann sighed softly. "You are as stubborn as I was when I was young."

Li Yu was still very confident, and said, "We can't let the seniors rush forward again."

"It's indeed the world of your young people," Boltzmann said, "but your slightly weird paper on single-photon interference reminds me of the situation when I published the theory of gas molecules more than 20 years ago."

Li Yu said: "At that time, it should be more difficult to convince others of the existence of molecules or atoms than it is now to convince everyone of single photons."

Boltzmann said: "It is indeed difficult. Everyone questioned me in every possible way, and even attacked and abused me. But I have always believed that if I don't like the gas theory and bury it for a while, it will be a tragedy for science; for example, due to Newton's The treatment of wave theory without authority is a lesson."

Newton was definitely the top talker in the scientific world during his lifetime. He was an adherent of the theory of particles, and many people stood by him when he denied the theory of fluctuations.

Of course, with the emergence of Huygens and Yang's double-slit interference, the theory of volatility won a complete victory.

Boltzmann continued: "Although I believe you, if light is particles, then science will not go around a big circle and go back. Could it be that Newton really foresaw?"

Li Yu said: "Science has always grown through constant trial and error. It is also an advantage of human beings to admit mistakes and move on."

Boltzmann shook his head and said, "I think the only lesson humans have learned in history is that they don't learn."

Li Yu smiled and said, "That makes sense."

"If people are ridiculing you again, it is a lesson that will not be learned." Boltzmann said, "I trust you so much that I don't need to hide it from you. In fact, I am also a weak person who fights against the trend of the times." Small individual. But I still want to contribute within my ability, after all, once my theory is revived, people in the future will not need to reproduce this work."

It has to be said that Boltzmann's charisma towards science is extremely strong.Even if thousands of people pointed at him, he never retreated.

Li Yu said: "Professor really has the feeling of the ancient Greek sages. The ancient Greek theories were buried for thousands of years, and when they were unearthed again, they set off a turbulent wave of scientific revival. But I don't think we will wait that long now."

Boltzmann said: "I hope so. After all, I see a glimmer of hope from you. It's hard to imagine that we are all in a backward country, but we have the same pursuit. It's a pity that I am already old."

Today's Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the "Qing Dynasty on the Danube River", is a typical example of being strong on the outside and working hard on the inside, with many internal conflicts.

In modern history, three great ancient countries were beaten up: Qing Dynasty, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey.

To be honest, although Daqing was beaten the most, judging by the results, the other two were even worse.

Austria-Hungary was directly divided into a bunch of countries.

Ottoman Turkey was beaten to the point where there was only a little left in the European part-Constantinople (Istanbul), which accounted for only 3% of the total area, but still insisted that it was a European country.

In fact, we would like to thank many far-sighted politicians in the early days of the Republic of China for their efforts to maintain the unified situation. It was very difficult to achieve such achievements under such difficult circumstances, and it is very worthy of respect.

Li Yu said: "Professors must take care of their health. The huge waves in the scientific world have not really arrived yet."

"Now I have confidence, especially with you as a friend who forgets years," he looked at the many documents on the table, "Even if I have to waste time in the face of red tape; suffer from boring and huge paperwork every day; Ridiculous, but more important than concrete, etiquette; retirement and no pension for professors. But I've now begun to regain faith in the future of science."

Li Yu sighed inwardly, Mr. Boltzmann is really not easy.

In fact, he is a bit ahead of his time, and he is a bit out of tune with the current era. Perhaps this is also the reason why he has been depressed for a long time and even committed suicide.

Li Yu suddenly remembered: "The professor may ask Mr. Freud for help."

"Freud?" Boltzmann wondered.

"Yes, I remember he was in Vienna." Li Yu said.

"The guy who wrote The Interpretation of Dreams, who studied schizophrenia?" Boltzmann said.

Li Yu said with a smile: "It should be said that psychoanalysis is a way of healing the spirit."

“Is this… plausible?” Boltzmann said.

Today's psychology is far less prosperous than later generations, and there are actually fewer people who believe in psychology.

Li Yu said: "Anyway, it's so close, it's a matter of trying."

Heart disease needs heart medicine. Li Yu can at most give Boltzmann some comfort. He doesn't know if he can prevent Boltzmann from committing suicide early. It just so happens that there is a big man like Freud, so an extra layer of protection is always a plus OK