Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 270 The Third Experiment

"What's that? Wheels on the sides of the boat?"

"No, shouldn't we be more concerned about the smoke coming out of that boat? The smoke is so big, it's not because the boat is on fire, right?"

"No, didn't you mention the steam engine? Have you never seen a steam engine before? It's just smoking."

"..."

Amidst the discussion, the steam engine ship officially appeared. This one had its mast removed and no sails.Under the attention of the people in Nanjing, the steam engine ship passed in front of them.

The paddle wheel at the middle and rear part of the hull is visibly splashing with water, rolling there, pushing the ship forward.

Watching this scene, the crowd naturally couldn't help but comment.

"Don't tell me, look at the speed of this ship, it seems to be pretty good!"

"Indeed, you can still run so fast without a sail, which is almost okay!"

"What? It's almost okay? Didn't you notice that this boat is going upstream! Look again, what kind of wind is blowing now?"

"My mother, yes, this is going upstream! This is faster than a boat going upstream with the help of wind. If there is no wind, or when there is a headwind, tsk tsk, my mother, This is good stuff!”

"..."

If it is said that the steam locomotive was still ridiculed by people and thought that was the case, then this time, they finally discovered how useful the steam engine would be when it was installed on a ship with such a power. !

Going upstream has always been a problem in the shipping industry.If it is not by the wind, then it is up to the trackers to pull the boat.However, now that this steam engine is installed on the boat, going upstream is just like having fun!
It would be fine if it were somewhere else. The founding capital of the Ming Dynasty was Nanjing, and Nanjing was close to the Yangtze River and had the most developed water transportation.A ship equipped with a steam engine will be able to sail freely regardless of wind and current. The significance of this is too clear!
So, at this moment, no one remembered the original ugliness of the steam engine when it first appeared.These people along the Yangtze River all praised the steam engine.

As the steamship disappeared far upstream, these people spread the news after they returned to Nanjing City.

As a result, the issue of shares in the steam engine factory immediately aroused heated discussion again.The steam engine factory, which was not very promising at first, suddenly became a hot topic at the moment.

Anyone can see that the future of shipping will be dominated by steam engines and ships.Just imagine, if every ship has a steam engine, how many steam engines will it need?This is definitely a huge amount of money to make!
Some people were really happy and prepared to quietly buy steam engine stocks, but with the appearance of steam engines and ships, their dreams were shattered.

Whether they were people who were originally prepared or people who planned to buy it later, they all asked when the shares of the steam engine factory would be put on sale.They all thought that this share is a good thing and they must buy it!
However, there is still no news from the court. It is said that there is still an experiment on the steam engine that has not been completed, and it will not be sold until the experiment on the steam engine is completed.

At this point, they were all curious, what other experiments were there?
Looking at this posture, isn't it a more powerful application?
At this time, people in the capital finally remembered the previous rumors, saying that the steam engine was something that would bring about earth-shaking changes in the Ming Dynasty!
Nowadays, with steam engines and ships, it may still be possible. After all, those who deal with ships must have an impact.

But that's all.If we want to be precise, to describe it as earth-shaking for those dealing with ships, that would be a bit too much.In this case, could this third experiment be the one that really opened their eyes?

With such thoughts, everyone began to look forward to it. Waiting to see when the third experiment can be seen?
Later, news finally came out that the third experiment was scheduled to be held in the Imperial College.Construction is underway over there, and truckloads of gravel, steel, etc. are being transported in!

Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised. Why is this third experiment about steam engines so special? It also uses trucks of gravel and steel. What is it for?

But although many people are curious, but not just anyone can enter the Imperial College.However, there were still quite a few who could enter, and they ran in one after another to see the situation.

As a result, after looking at it, they were still confused.

Why put gravel on the ground?And then install those pieces of steel on top of the gravel?What is this for?

Originally, they had high expectations for this third experiment, but as more and more trucks of gravel and steel were transported, their expectations slowly dropped.

Just imagine, no matter how good this steam engine is, it requires so much gravel and steel, how many people can afford it?
In other words, a steam engine on land is like a phoenix on the ground, not as good as a chicken!In other words, it is truly powerful when used on a ship.

However, when it was announced a month later that the third experiment was about to begin, there were still huge crowds of people rushing to watch.

However, this time Emperor Hongwu took Empress Ma and his princes and princesses there. Therefore, except for the civil and military officials, the royal family and nobles, it was impossible for others to go and watch at the first time and could only wait outside. , listen to second-hand news.

The reason why Zhang Yifan chose to be in the Imperial College was because the first steam train was built in a hurry. He had not even explained the principles of what was to be done to his students, so he simply prepared to let his students do it first. Based on what he made, the students used backward speculation to analyze his experimental railway.

If the original historical development were to follow, it would be a long road to develop steam trains.

In the beginning, it actually started with horse-drawn rail cars. Because there was demand, it slowly evolved.Later, the steam engine appeared, but at the beginning, the steam engine was not powerful and could not reach the power, so it could only be used for pumping water in coal mines.

It was not until Watt improved the steam engine that it began to be widely used in various industries such as textile mills, iron-making furnaces, flour mills and other industrial equipment, leading to a large-scale explosion of products and the demand for transportation capacity. The attempt to combine rail cars with rail cars led to the emergence of steam trains.

However, the first steam train was slower than a horse and did not attract much attention. Most importantly, the inventor Richard Trevithick was suppressed by the Watt Company. He had bad luck and went bankrupt. In the end, he did not even have the money to pay for his funeral. It was all helped by friends.And he could only watch in poverty as the British put the title of "Father of the Train" on the head of George Stephenson, who invented it 15 years after him.

Zhang Yifan did this by standing on their shoulders.

　My daughter has a high fever, so I can only update a small chapter today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)