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

Chapter 271 This is absolutely amazing!
The accumulation of technological progress is by no means achieved overnight.Often behind every technological advancement are lessons learned by countless people, even at the cost of blood.

For example, the steam engine developed by Zhang Yifan has a separate condenser, adjustable valve, cylinder insulation layer, planetary gear, parallel motion linkage mechanism, centrifugal speed regulator, pressure gauge, etc. Each component is It was only obtained after encountering problems, thinking about improvements, and wasting a lot of brain cells.

The steam engine improved by Watt was only a low-pressure steam engine, but the price was its huge size.Therefore, in the end, a high-pressure steam engine was replaced, but the problem that the high-pressure steam engine might explode had to be solved. The birth of the safety valve was a bloody price.

All of these are impossible to walk through again.However, Zhang Yifan needed them to know the function of each component, so that he could truly understand a steam engine.

Today, this steam train is treated in the same way.

The Imperial College of the Ming Dynasty was very large. Its peak period was during the Yongle period, when the number of students in the Imperial College reached more than 9000.During the Hongwu period, although there were not so many students, the scale was here.

The demonstration railway built in the Imperial College is a circle around the Imperial College.

When Zhu Yuanzhang and his wife arrived, the steam train was naturally ready.

They and the civil and military officials saw that the car on land this time really looked like a long worm. In addition to the strange steam engine at the front, the back was also made up of carriages.

Each carriage has a different style. Some are full of seats, some are facing each other, and there is a fixed folding table in the middle. Some carriages even have beds for singles on the upper and lower levels. Of course, there are also A carriage with nothing in it.

Counting, there are as many as ten carriages.A thoughtful person estimates that if each carriage can be filled with people, there will probably be about 500 people.

This time, they were surprised.If this chariot can really be pulled, of course, even if the emperor is here, it will definitely be able to pull it.In other words, how many carriages will this support?

Taking the flatbed truck into account, one carriage could transport about ten people, so fifty carriages would be needed.Each carriage has one horse. In fact, if it pulls ten people, it is best to have two horses, which is equivalent to a hundred horses.

After this conversion in many people's minds, they immediately looked forward to this strange car in front of them. What would happen once it started moving?

Under the attention of everyone, Zhang Yifan went to Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, smiled and invited them: "This is the steam train. I invite my father, mother, and younger brothers and sisters to ride on our first steam train in the Ming Dynasty." Train, how about this steam train!"

Beside him was Princess Zhu Jingjing of Lin'an, holding her son in her arms, and obviously wanted to sit together.

Of course, just in case, I actually tried running it during the night curfew and there was no problem.Otherwise, Zhang Yifan wouldn't dare to invite him like this.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already heard the name of this steam train from Zhang Yifan.Seeing the invitation from his husband and wife, and knowing about the test run, as the founding emperor of the country, he had seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, how could he be afraid of unfamiliar things, so he readily agreed.

Later, Zhang Yifan sent invitations to other civil and military officials. Among them, he walked up to the Grand Master Li Shanchang and said to him with a smile: "I heard that the Grand Master is most optimistic about me. In addition, the Grand Master is also old, so I will give it to the Grand Master." The teacher specially reserved a berth where you can lie down and sleep."

In fact, if Ming Dynasty officials like this travel, in the future train era, they will definitely use special carriages to make them look like home, instead of the current two-story sleeper berths used for display.

When Li Shanchang heard Zhang Yifan's words, he felt strange in his heart. He didn't know whether it was because he was awkward or because there was something else in the prince's words.

But at this time, Zhang Yifan invited him in front of everyone. The emperor and his family had to sit down. He was clearly out of character if he didn't sit down, so he smiled and thanked him quickly, and agreed with praise.

So, the emperor's family, as well as the civil and military officials, boarded the train with curiosity and expectation, and took their places.

The sleeper berth is more awkward. Everyone is a colleague. The generals are okay, so it doesn't matter if they lie down, but the civil servants always feel a little embarrassed.

Zhu Yuanzhang and others, accompanied by Zhang Yifan, sat in the first carriage, all seats facing the front.

The train created by Zhang Yifan is actually a wide-gauge train, not the narrow-gauge train that the British developed from horse-drawn rail cars in history.

The benefits of wide gauge are increased transportation capacity, enhanced stability of trains, and making the interior of the carriages spacious and comfortable.But there are also disadvantages, that is, the construction cost increases and is expensive, especially if it is necessary to build a tunnel, it is even more expensive and laborious.

However, the railways of the Ming Dynasty would definitely not be built everywhere like Yunnan and Guizhou in later generations, without the technology.At the beginning, it will definitely be mainly in the plains, in areas such as the Northwest where passenger flow and logistics demand are greatest, or where there is military and political demand. It is impossible to open tunnels as soon as they come.

Besides, in this plane, the entire grassland and Siberia must be included in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so wide track is obviously more suitable!
At this time, after Zhu Yuanzhang and others experienced the spacious and unique carriage, Zhang Yifan gave the order to start the train.

The chimney of the train is specially made and is relatively long to avoid the smoke coming out from hitting the faces of Zhu Yuanzhang and others, which would be bad.Because for the sake of visibility, these carriages are all uncovered.

As a puff of white smoke erupted, the train moved for a moment, then increased at a snail's speed to a turtle's speed, and then to a rabbit's speed...

During this process, when the train moved, everyone was shocked and then was pleasantly surprised.The carriage carrying so many people actually started to move!

After a while, the steam train began to move at a low speed and at a constant speed, but there was still wind blowing in the face, and the scenery passed by on both sides.Just standing still, you can circle around the Imperial Academy.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched from the train, and first said a few words to Queen Ma, probably talking about the feeling of riding a train for the first time.Then, he turned his head to look at Zhang Yifan and said, "This is really good. Not only is it more stable than a horse-drawn carriage, but it can also pull so many people at once. The only fly in the ointment is that the speed is a bit slower."

Zhang Yifan listened and immediately replied: "Father, in fact, the speed can be increased by up to three times, and it can also pull more people. If it is replaced by cargo, it can pull at least [-] to [-] kilograms of cargo!" After hearing this! Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked at that time. He looked at Zhang Yifan in surprise and confirmed: "So many?"

In fact, historically, the world's first wheel-rail steam train "New Castle" built by Trevithick was fully loaded with 10 tons of cargo and 70 passengers. It traveled along a 16-kilometer-long cast iron track at a speed of 3.9 per hour. Complete the kilometer. Fifteen years later, Stephenson's "Traveler" locomotive was officially tested, dragging more than 15 small carriages. The carriages carried 30 passengers and 450 tons of cargo, and ran a distance of 90 kilometers at a speed of 24 kilometers per hour. .

But now, when Zhang Yifan built this, it has not yet reached the level of "Traveler". It can be said that the time is in a hurry and it is still far from perfect.

However, this capacity was really shocking to people at the end of the [-]th century.In the past, I had never heard of a vehicle that could pull such heavy cargo!

If calculated at 24 kilometers per hour, and based on driving for 10 hours during the day, that is 480 miles a day. Not to mention that ordinary people cannot achieve such a journey at all. Even if it is an [-]-mile express, it is about the same. Speed ​​up.

Not to mention, this train feels very comfortable to ride on, at least compared to current horse-drawn carriages.The so-called bumpy journey refers to the carriage.

Of course, the early trains were definitely bumpy and bumpy, but Zhang Yifan's is a wide-gauge train, which improves comfort and is filled with gravel to reduce bumps. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang and others compared it with horse-drawn carriages. I think this train is so comfortable!
It’s fast, comfortable, and can haul so many people and goods, it’s really amazing!

In fact, they are not the only ones who think so.Those civil and military officials who have not experienced getting on the train, as well as the Imperial Guards who stand guard along both sides of the railway track, can probably guess what they are looking at the moving train, the happy expressions of those on the train, and the whispers there. Come out, I guess this train is very good.

As a result, there is basically a common understanding, that is, this long car is definitely better than a horse-drawn carriage!
After Zhu Yuanzhang waited for the first batch of passengers to visit the Guozijian for a while, he did not leave immediately, but let those who did not take the car also go up and take a ride to experience the feeling of taking a train.

Without the emperor on board, the train's speed doubled.

At the end, after all the civil and military officials were seated, they piled bags of food on each carriage to show the people in the Imperial College what a powerful man this steam train was!
At the beginning, only Zhu Yuanzhang and others in the first carriage knew the capacity data of the steam train. But now, everyone can see that not only does the steam train transport many times more things than the horse-drawn carriage, but the key point is that Not slow.

And the people present quickly understood that the carriage had to stop frequently, the horses had to rest and eat, but this steam train would not be tired, as long as it could keep the fire burning.

The only drawback is that you have to build your own dedicated road, and it costs a lot.

But this transport capacity is right here. Everyone can understand how necessary it is to build such a road in some busy areas!

Therefore, with the end of this tour of the Imperial College, there is no longer any doubt whether the steam engine will cause earth-shaking changes in the Ming Dynasty.Expectations for the shares of the steam engine factory have also reached an unprecedented level.

However, these people actually don't know.The reason why the steam engine became a symbol of the Industrial Revolution was definitely not because it improved transportation, but because it was used in various mines, ironworks, textile industries, etc., in almost all industries, large and small.

How much demand is there for steam engines used in locomotives?The demand for steam engines in all walks of life was the largest one, and that was the fundamental reason for the earth-shaking changes in the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that those things are not easy to show, and steam trains can surprise people of this era most intuitively.

With practical steam engines, the mines of the Ming Dynasty could dig deeper, ship goods faster, and transport more. There is no doubt that coal production, steel production, etc. will show explosive growth.

Many of China's original social relationships and changes in job types will undergo huge changes.

A relatively simple example: the popularization of steam ships will inevitably eliminate most boatmen, trackers, etc. When steam trains become popular, whether transporting goods or carrying passengers, many horse-drawn carriages will be eliminated.

Of course, there will also be an increase in places with new demand for workers.For example, the demand for miners will increase significantly, because no matter how much is mined, it can be shipped out; various handicraft industries will be replaced by centralized factories, and the number of related workers will increase.

For various products needed by society, due to the use of steam engines, the cost has dropped, and ordinary people will buy cheaper things.

All of this, at this time in the 15th year of Hongwu's reign, Zhang Yifan was the only one who had this overall understanding.

Shortly after the demonstration at the Imperial College, Zhang Yifan gave a detailed reasoning and explanation to the two emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, and made some of the above descriptions.

Finally, Zhang Yifan looked at the shocked Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao and said: "Father, brother, if we realize these in advance and make appropriate arrangements for these situations, we can reduce some unnecessary pains for the Ming Dynasty and try our best to Only by enjoying the benefits brought by industrialization can the Ming Dynasty be stronger than other countries in the world and become the true master of all nations!"

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was really shocked!

I think back then, when he first ascended the throne as emperor, he also had a dream of being a heavenly state, but he was woken up by Japanese and Korean slaps on the left and right, and even Jiaozhi was able to make him angry, thus awakening his dream of being a heavenly state. Meng, honestly only thinks about the remnants of his old rival Meng Yuan, and then kills Meng Yuan.

Unexpectedly, now with the help of his son-in-law, even though he had nothing, he really saw the possibility of being the lord of all nations that his son-in-law said!
The son-in-law has made it very clear that if he, Zhu Yuanzhang, did not have the ability to see the changes brought about by the application of steam engines in all walks of life, he would really not be worthy of being the founding emperor!

Zhu Yuanzhang has even noticed why Zhang Yifan, his son-in-law, is always so aggressive to the outside world!It's not that he is cruel by nature and likes to hit people, but his knowledge is destined to gain more benefits through expansion in the future as long as he continues to implement it.

To say this seems to be an injustice to Yifan, but the future Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will definitely be the emperor who expands the territory. That is the most beneficial to the Ming Dynasty!

(End of this chapter)