People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 127 Have You Seen the Light?

The most important production areas in Yuyang at present are grain, salt and iron. As for grain, the land already has surplus, and Xu Chen is only worried that the population is insufficient.

The iron smelting industry is already on the right track, with efficiency and quality far ahead of the times, which is enough to reassure Xu Chen.

Based on the current output, if we add more furnaces in the future, it will not be a dream to raise a fully armored army of 10,000 people next year.

Xu Chen believed that after achieving this, the Yellow Turbans would basically have no military worries in Youzhou.

With ten thousand armored soldiers standing on the battlefield, not to mention nomadic cavalry like the Wuhuan, even the heavily armored cavalry might not be able to charge. As for the infantry army, it is impossible for them to be the opponent of the Yellow Turbans.

As for salt, the Yellow Turbans also set up a sea salt factory in Quanzhou County, which was more than enough to meet the needs of the area under their rule.

If these three items are properly arranged, there will be no major chaos in the governance of the Yellow Turbans.

After inspecting the iron smelting factory, Xu Chen then visited places like ceramic factories and textile factories. However, under the system that puts military first, these productions are not the current focus of the Yellow Turbans and are relatively small in scale.

As for those who are researching and breeding crops and animals, they are all idlers employed by the Institute of Engineering, and it is unknown when any results can be seen.

But Xu Chen also knows that once he sees some real results in this regard, all his current efforts will be insignificant.

These craftsmen in the Institute of Engineering are still a long way from being the qualified scientific researchers in Xu Chen's mind, but they are already fundamentally different from traditional craftsmen.

They can now use scientific methods and tools to study things rather than just accumulating experience.

For example, Ma Tie's production processes that were ahead of their time, except for the traditional coking technology, were not reference answers directly given by Xu Chen, but the results of research by the craftsmen of the Institute of Engineering themselves.

They can record data, they can control variables, and then gradually identify the problems that restrict efficiency, know the factors that affect quality, and then make targeted improvements and optimizations.

After careful study, they found out that the temperature was not high enough, so Hu Tao and Ma Tie worked together to invent a piston bellows.

The efficiency of forging with just the blacksmith's hands was too low, so Hu Tao and Ma Tie worked together to invent a hydraulic forging machine, which not only greatly saved manpower but also improved efficiency.

They found that the quality of raw and wrought iron was largely related to the amount of carbon penetration, so they figured out the steel pouring method. Although it was just a simple principle of adding more water or more flour, it did achieve a leap in steelmaking efficiency.

Xu Chen never fantasizes about being omniscient and omnipotent. To achieve overall progress, everyone must learn scientific methods and use scientific tools. He is guiding people in this direction.

When these craftsmen develop some more professional knowledge that they themselves do not even understand, it will mean that the scientific research system has truly sprouted in this era.

Of course, although these craftsmen have not yet truly matured, they have already brought Xu Chen many surprises, such as the progress in steel smelting technology and the successful production of another thing.

After inspecting all the workshops under his jurisdiction, Xu Chen immediately called Zhang Zhongjing over when he returned to the office.

As soon as he saw Zhang Zhongjing coming in, he asked him to sit down with a smile, and then began to whet his appetite in a mysterious manner.

"I called Zhongjing here today to show you a great treasure."

"Well, what is it?"

As soon as Zhang Zhongjing sat down, he became curious. He knew that Xu Chen usually made rare things.

The original Tianshi Lantern and the hot air balloon are still things that the local people talk about with relish. As the first human being to go to heaven, Zhang Zhongjing still remembers them vividly.

Xu Chen was not in a hurry: "I think the methodology of natural science has been around for a long time. Did Zhongjing study things according to this method? What results did he get from his research?"

Zhang Zhongjing was embarrassed when he heard this: "Master, you think too highly of me. Phenomena are everywhere in this world, but it is not easy to comprehend the truth based on them."

This is not Zhang Zhongjing's self-deprecation. The worldview of naturalism is indeed mysterious and desirable, but it sounds easy. But when you actually do it yourself, it is another matter.

When Xu Chen first looked at the carbon furnace, he proved the theory of cold and hot air, and he also actually used the hot air balloon to achieve manned flight.

Now that he thought about this, he was shocked to realize how incredible Xu Chen's behavior was, because when he was looking at the world and exploring the truth, he understood how difficult it was to achieve this level.

The mountains in this world are still the same mountains, and the water is still the same water. How can one see any truth?

"What I have gained from my practice may help Zhongjing to see the microscopic world." Xu Chen raised his eyebrows and laughed.

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Zhongjing's eyes widened: "What, is what the Taoist priest said true?"

Xu Chen nodded: "Absolutely true."

Zhang Zhongjing couldn't sit still for a moment. He remembered that Xu Chen had said that he would give him a gift to help him observe the microscopic world. He had been waiting for a long time. "Please tell me clearly, Taoist priest. I am all ears!" Xu Chen smiled and said, "Zhongjing, when collecting herbs every day, if you see dewdrops on branches and leaves, have you ever found that looking at objects through dewdrops can magnify them?"

When he finished speaking, Zhang Zhongjing was stunned, as if he was immersed in memories, but he soon came out of his memories and a bright light began to shine in his eyes.

There is no need to think about it carefully. Just as Xu Chen said, he has seen this phenomenon many times when collecting herbs. Isn't it the case?

Such natural phenomena were already his inherent understanding of the world, and it was difficult for him to think outside the box and think about the mysteries behind them. It was only when Xu Chen suddenly mentioned it that he suddenly realized the problem.

Yes, why can water droplets magnify the image of things?

If it was just this question, it would not make him so excited, but the clue of magnifying the macroscopic image made him think of the microscopic world.

Could it be that.
Xu Chen added: "I have seen the theory of pinhole imaging in Mozi. This phenomenon may explain that light travels in a straight line, so the image is reversed when it passes through the pinhole, but the light can be magnified when it enters the water, or it may explain that light is refracted when it passes through the medium, so it can be magnified and reduced."

The familiar feeling came again, and Zhang Zhongjing felt as if a flash of inspiration had entered his mind, just like when he first heard the theory of microscopic view, or when he first listened to the principles of hot and cold air.

This feeling always makes people want to think about the final answer, and then marvel at the unpredictability of nature and the wonders of these conjectures.

So it is the propagation of light, this is the reason.
"If so, perhaps we can observe the microscopic world with water droplets!" Zhang Zhongjing stood up suddenly and an idea popped into his mind.

Xu Chen smiled and took out something, then said: "I don't have the water drop, but Zhongjing can take a look at this lens."

Zhang Zhongjing turned his head and saw Xu Chen holding a strange thing in his hand.

Excited, he walked over quickly and snatched it without caring about etiquette. After looking at it carefully, he saw that the main body of the object was a transparent crystal with a faint green color, pure and flawless, as warm as clean water.

This transparent crystal is round, thick in the middle and thin at the edges, and is firmly embedded in a wooden frame with a wooden rake underneath for easy holding.

Even though Zhang Zhongjing was knowledgeable and experienced, he was still shocked when he saw the transparent and pure appearance of this thing for the first time. He thought it was a real treasure, but he quickly put these thoughts aside. Regardless of whether it was a treasure or not, the function of this thing was the most important.

There was no need for Xu Chen to remind him. As soon as Zhang Zhongjing got the magic weapon in his hand, he applied it to his own palm without any instruction.

Sure enough, when the palm appeared under the lens, the delicate lines on it were clearly visible, but they were magnified countless times. The details that originally required concentrated observation were suddenly visible clearly.

"This can really be magnified!" Zhang Zhongjing couldn't help but exclaim.

His shock was not just that he saw a new thing, but he was once again amazed at the wonder of Xu Chen's natural science methodology. Who would have thought that just by looking at a water droplet, he could associate it with the propagation of light.

Then make this thing based on this water drop, and it can really achieve the effect of magnification.

However, this alone does not seem to be enough to prove that light must be refracted in the medium. Zhang Zhongjing was just thinking about whether to use more rigorous experiments to prove it, but he saw Xu Chen took out something again.

"Zhongjing, have you ever seen light?" Xu Chen asked him with a smile.

Zhang Zhongjing looked over, full of confusion, not understanding: "What does this mean? Light can be seen everywhere, how can you say you have seen it before?"

Xu Chen shook his head: "The light I'm talking about is the true face of light."

Before Zhang Zhongjing could come to his senses, Xu Chen stood up and walked to the windowsill, placing the prism in his hand under the slanting sunlight. The following scene made Zhang Zhongjing's eyes widen.

What kind of spell is this!
Ah, what do I see, is it light!

"You see, light is actually a combination of different colored lights. These colored lights are refracted under this prism, and then there is the rainbow light you see before your eyes. This is the best example of light refraction."

Xu Chen pointed to the rainbow light of different colors on the wall and said so.

Zhang Zhongjing was stunned. He once again had a new understanding of the wonders of the world. He even had the illusion that Xu Chen was casting a spell.

But then Xu Chen handed the prism to him to play with, and Zhang Zhongjing found that there was no trick involved.

It's just that light passes through and then refracts and diverges.
Now he no longer had any doubts. Light can produce refraction, which can help him see the true face of light, and also allow him to see magnified objects, and even see the microscopic world.
"This lens can indeed magnify, but it seems not big enough to see the microscopic world." Zhang Zhongjing looked down at the lens in his hand with a disappointed look on his face.

This principle surprised him, but the final effect was not satisfactory.

He did not deny that the lens was a good treasure, but what he really wanted was not just that.

He just sighed in his heart, it seems that he is one step closer to seeing the microscopic world, but he doesn't know when it will be realized.
Xu Chen came over and patted him: "If one lens is not enough, then use two. Believe me, you will be able to see soon."

(End of this chapter)