Wentang

Chapter 704 The Train
Military academy, big school field.

The military students and the students of Weishui Academy stood in a circle around the runway, leaving a huge field in the middle.On the rostrum, Li Shimin and dozens of civil and military ministers stood on it.

Looking at the dark crowd of students below, Fang Xuanling said, "I'm looking forward to what Yue Hou said is the tool to change the times."

"Yue Hou invited so many people to witness, it must be something that you and I cannot imagine." Wei Zheng said.

"I was skeptical when he said it yesterday, but now I believe it. He won't play tricks on this occasion." Changsun Wuji said.

"It's really hard to imagine what kind of thing he would give him the reputation of changing the times. Could it be another weapon?" Cheng Yaojin said with his hands on his hips.

"Probably not, if the weapon is not tested in this kind of place." Li Jing said.

……

Hearing the discussion of the subjects, Li Shimin's sense of anticipation was also full, and he asked Yue Shan, "What do you want us to see, can you show it now?"

Yue Shan first raised his eyes to look ahead, and when he saw a red flag waving back and forth, he smiled and said: "It's ok, I'll send a signal for them to come over now."

After speaking, he raised the flag in his hand and waved it back and forth.

Not long after, a slight "dong dong" sound came from behind a certain teaching building in the military academy, followed by two puffs of smoke, one black and one white.

Everyone couldn't help stepping their feet to look there.

Not long after, a huge monster about two meters high and four meters long moved slowly along the main road of the campus towards the school grounds.

Behind this machine was a larger four-wheeled cart, on which a dozen or so people sat.

"What is this...?" Li Shimin asked suspiciously.

Because they were too far away to see the specific situation clearly, everyone was a little puzzled, what is this thing?It seems to be still moving.

There are no mules and horses to drag it, could it be pushed by people?But why is there still black smoke and white mist?

Naturally, Yue Shan would not reveal the answer at this time, but pretended to be mysterious and said: "It's boring to talk about it, and you will know when you walk in later."

While speaking, the huge monster had crossed the main road and was about to enter the school grounds. At this moment, everyone realized that the speed of this thing seemed to be very fast.

After walking into some places, everyone could see its whole picture clearly. It was a grotesque black iron bump with six wide wheels underneath, and the car body behind it had eight wheels.

But this is not the most important thing. The key is that they looked and looked again and again, but they didn't find out how the car moved.

At first they thought it was pushed by people, but it is impossible to push such a big thing without dozens of people.But no matter how you look at it, this weird looking thing can't hide so many people.

What's more, to run so fast is beyond the reach of manpower, not even mules and horses.

The teachers and students below were not much better, they all stared dumbfounded at the strange thing passing by.

Especially the teachers and students of the academy, they have long known that the dean is working with people from the School of Physics to study some magical things.

But they have always been prejudiced against craftsmen and technology, they have not taken this matter to heart, and even think that Yue Shan is not doing his job properly.

Today, when I heard that I was going to witness the launch of this tool, many people were still very unhappy, thinking it was a waste of time.

At this time, seeing this tool that Yue Shan spent half a year building with his own eyes, all contempt and prejudice disappeared, leaving only shock.

This car is naturally a complete steam car. It took more than three months to build it with the hands of teachers and students from Yueshan School of Design and Physics.

On the basis of the original, brakes, stop function and three different gears are added, and the rear body is also built for measuring horsepower.

Knowing that they were going to perform for the emperor, Tian Shungu and others were so excited that they didn't fall asleep for several nights, cleaning the car clean than their faces.

In order to commend their contributions, Yue Shan simply asked Tian Shungu to drive in front, Han Chaoshui was responsible for fueling, and the rest stood in the back of the car.

It can be said that all the people who study self-made steam engines are here.

Everyone was shocked when the steam locomotive entered Dajiaochang, and they felt happy from the bottom of their hearts.All of them proudly raised their chests and waved the flags in their hands vigorously to express their excitement.

Tian Shungu was also crazy, at first he was very nervous when he saw Li Shimin, and slowly ran around the big school field in first gear.After the excitement passed, the desire to show off rose, and I immediately put it on the third gear.

The speed of the roaring sound of the car suddenly increased by two or three times.

"This...this thing can run so fast?" Li Shimin asked in surprise.

"If it can run even faster on a special track, it is expected to reach [-] kilometers per hour." Yue Shan laughed.

"Hiss..." There was a voice sucking in air.

Forty kilometers per hour is eighty miles, at least twice as fast as the fastest horse.

Surprised?Then you have to be careful about your heart later, Yue Shan secretly thought.

"On a special track, not only can it run at a speed of [-] kilometers per hour, but it still drags at least ten trucks like this, and it still runs with a truck full of things."

"And it doesn't know how tired it is, so it can run non-stop for days and nights, as long as it is checked regularly to see if there are any damaged parts."

"Hiss..." This time, the sound of sucking cold air became more louder, and Yue Shan even felt a little suffocation—of course, it was psychological.

Li Shimin grabbed his arm and said excitedly: "Is this true?"

Yue Shan felt that his handwriting was caught in pain, but he still said solemnly: "Really."

"Ok, that's great. With this artifact, my Tang Dynasty will completely form a whole without north and south." Li Shimin said happily.

The others were not much better, if it wasn't for the inappropriate location, they would all want to jump up to express their excitement.

Although they don't know the principle of this car, it doesn't prevent them from knowing what the appearance of this tool means to the country.

As Li Shimin said, Datang's regime will no longer be limited by territory.

Take this conquest of Goguryeo as an example. If there were dozens of such vehicles, there would be no need to start preparations a year in advance, and it would not be necessary to expropriate hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Maybe the price of this kind of car will be very expensive, but if you count the people's labor and food wasted by requisitioning hundreds of thousands of civilians, it is nothing in comparison.That's not even counting the time savings.

Moreover, this kind of car can be reused. After various calculations, it is not an exaggeration to say that it has changed the times.

With this kind of tool, Datang can really create a huge empire that was all there before.

The evaluation of all of them in history will be improved several grades, and surpassing the predecessors is no longer empty talk.

But after all, they are the elites of the era, and they quickly controlled their emotions.

After calming down, someone soon discovered the "attributive" in Yueshan's dialect. Changsun Wuji said: "Yuehou said just now that he wants to walk on a specific track? I don't know what the specific track you are talking about looks like. Can my Great Tang build it?"

Someone finally discovered this, Yue Shan thought to himself, and said unhurriedly: "Yes, a specific track is indeed needed. Everyone, please look at the ground that this car is walking on, is it sunken?"

Everyone took a closer look, and it was true.

Yue Shan continued: "The ground of the school yard is already very firm, and this car is still empty. If it is loaded with goods and walks on the soft soil, it may sink even deeper."

"As the so-called horses fall into the mud, they can't use their strength, and the wheels sink into the ground with a lot of strength, and there are only three points left. Therefore, it is best to prepare special tracks for them."

There are many reasons why trains run faster on the track, such as narrower wheels and a smaller contact surface between the rails, reducing friction, and so on.It's just that there is no need to tell them these things, and they don't understand.

Li Shimin urged: "Just tell me what kind of track you need."

With an apologetic expression, Yue Shan said something full of ridicule: "I'm afraid you won't understand, so I made a model machine and you can take a look."

As he spoke, he pointed to a box in the corner.

Knowing that there was a treasure in the box, the guards didn't need to do anything. Several big and round generals carried the box to Li Shimin with a corner.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yue Shan opened the box and took out a miniature train and miniature track.This is a miniature train specially built by him to demonstrate the function of the train to Li Shimin and his officials.

Put together six rails into an oval track, and then place the miniature steam engine and ten carriages on it.

Seeing this, everyone already understood what the special track Yue Shan was talking about, but no one spoke, just watching him operate like this.

They wanted to see how Yue Shan made the car run.

Yue Shan poured boiling water into the water tank, poured alcohol into the fire nest and ignited it, and waited for two or three minutes for the miniature train to make a "dongdong" sound and run on the track.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the little train running back and forth. They really couldn't believe how the car started running just by boiling water.

"This...you can move just by adding water and boiling water?" Wei Zheng grinned and said with a toothache.

"Yes, this car runs by boiling hot water." Yue Shan said affirmatively.

"Hiss..." There was another sound of sucking air.

Originally, they thought that this car needed very expensive things to run, but they didn't expect to boil water.

It doesn't fit their perception of the world. Shouldn't the more magical things be more expensive?
Seeing their surprise, Yue Shan secretly smiled.If you know that human beings will continue to boil water for hundreds or even thousands of years in the future, you will be even more surprised.

Li Shimin was also very surprised, but then he seemed to think of something, and asked quickly: "This is what you said steam... steam..."

"Steam engine." Yue Shan followed his words: "This is a steam engine, which can use the power of steam generated by boiling water."

"I really can't believe that our most common boiling water can still be used like this."

"Even if I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it. This car actually runs on boiling water."

"Zhuge Liang's Mu Niu Liu Ma is nothing more than this."

"That's just a legend and can't be taken as real. This steam... steam engine is real."

Most people are discussing the magic of the steam engine, and some people have begun to imagine that once this kind of car is built, it will have strategic value in fighting.

But some people began to consider the cost of the train.

"Are these rails made of iron?" Zhang Liang, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, said.

"These two tracks are made of steel, and the sleepers under the rails should be made of decay-resistant wood such as pine, and there are bedding stones under the sleepers," Yue Shan said.

Hearing that, the excitement of the people immediately subsided a lot. The track was made of steel, and pine wood was used as the sleepers underneath, and the foundation was laid with stones.

This cost is not high, but very high.

The issue of money is easy to talk about. The imperial court is not short of money and food. The problem is still the old-fashioned thing, the lack of steel.

Yue Shan knew what everyone was thinking, but at this moment he was no longer afraid that these people would oppose the construction of the railway.

You can tell by looking at the expression that no one opposes the construction of the railway.It is estimated that he is already thinking about where to find the missing steel to repair the railway.

However, he was afraid that these people would be eager for success, and said: "The steam engine has just been manufactured, and the technology is not yet mature enough. A lot of experiments are needed. The steam engine will take longer, and it is unlikely to be put into use within three years."

Everyone's expressions relaxed a lot, Li Shimin said: "We still have three years to expand steel production, don't we?"

"Yes, we still have three years of preparation time. But we need to build a railway to test the steam locomotive first." Yue Shan said.

Li Shimin nodded to Zhang Liang and said, "Zhang Qing, did you hear that? Cooperate fully with the Academy to build the experimental railway as soon as possible."

"Here." Zhang Liang looked bitter.

Again, the production of steel is insufficient, and this production has been booked long ago.Just hearing the name of the railway, it eats big steel companies. Where can he get so many.But he also knew the importance of this thing and dared not refuse.

Li Shimin said again: "Also, expand steel production at all costs. In three years, I want Datang's steel production to reach [-] tons."

"Here." Zhang Liang accepted the order solemnly.

Yue Shan's heart skipped a beat, Li Shimin said it lightly, but in this era, mining is purely manual, and his "at all costs" means that no one knows how many people will die in the mine.

It's fine if it's a prisoner of war or something, but if it's a commoner in the Tang Dynasty who died because of this incident, he feels uneasy.

But it is unrealistic to persuade Li Shimin at this time. The best way is to improve the efficiency of mining and reduce the danger of workers.

The steam locomotive happens to be a powerful weapon in this regard, so he said to Zhang Liang: "Zhang Shangshu, the steam locomotive can increase the efficiency of the mine several times. After a while, I will send someone to the mine to install a few for you."

Zhang Liang immediately revealed a surprised expression, and said, "That's really great, thank you Yuehou for your help."

Datang's steel production is estimated to reach [-] tons this year. If the steam engine can really increase the production several times, then Li Shimin's goal can be easily achieved without opening a new mine.

But when he saw the expression on Li Shimin's face, the smile suddenly froze on his face, as if his face had changed, and he said in frustration:

"If the steam engine can increase the output of the iron factory several times as Yue Hou said, I guarantee that the steel output will reach 20 tons in three years."

"Only 20 tons?" Li Shimin asked with a straight face.

"I...I..." Zhang Liang wanted to refute, but when he saw Li Shimin's expression, he immediately faltered.But it was difficult for him to say a higher number, and Ai Ai was speechless for a long time.

Yue Shan was also very speechless, fearing that Mrs. Zhang would be in a hurry to pile up production with his life, so he quickly spoke for him: "20 tons is already a lot, and haste makes waste."

Li Shimin gave him a dissatisfied look, but he didn't force Zhang Liang, but said: "Since Cui Lan speaks for you, then I won't set the output for you, you can do it yourself."

Zhang Liang wiped off his sweat, and quickly replied: "Understood, I must do my best to produce steel." After speaking, he cupped his hands gratefully at Yueshan.

Yue Shan gave him an impolite look.

Then I heard Li Shimin ask again: "What else do you want?"

"Artisans need a large number of craftsmen, as well as a place to build a manufacturing factory." Yue Shan said.

"The site is easy to talk about. There is still a large piece of wasteland around here. You can occupy as much as you want. Artisans... one hundred is enough?" Li Shimin asked.

"Five hundred, at least five hundred. And the number needed next year will be doubled several times... Don't worry, three years later, the steel output will increase and the country will need a lot of skilled craftsmen to build railways." Yue Shan said:
"And the steam engine can not only be used to make cars, but also can be installed on ships, and can also be used in all walks of life. The demand of the entire Tang Dynasty is tens of thousands, and there must be enough craftsmen to meet the demand."

Li Shimin said with satisfaction: "Okay, craftsman, I will ask the Ministry of Industry to allocate it for you. I have the site, the craftsman, and I may give you the iron. Three years later, I want this steam car to run in Datang."

"Saint, don't worry, three years later, I guarantee that the first official railway in the Tang Dynasty can be built." Yueshan faction said with a heart.

In fact, there is no need to wait that long. You can plan the route now, lay the foundation, lay gravel, and prepare sleepers.When the train technology matures and the steel output increases, the construction can be started directly.

It's just that Datang is about to launch a war against Goguryeo. Although Yue Shan is confident about this war, he doesn't want to cause extra problems.

Let's wait until Li Shimin returns to court after the war is over.

After talking about the future plan, everyone admired the steam locomotive for a while, and then Li Shimin personally received and praised more than a dozen participants.

The excited tears of Tian Shungu and others filled their eyes, and they called Guangzong Yaozu directly.

Afterwards, Li Shimin took advantage of the opportunity to inspect the military academy and encouraged the officers of the future Tang Dynasty before taking the officials back to the palace.

Originally, Yue Shan wanted someone to put away the model train and take it home, but it turned out that Zhao Meng was directing several guards to carry a box back carefully.

And that box looks familiar no matter how it looks.

He couldn't be angry, but he couldn't do anything about his father-in-law.

Originally wanted to go home and 'vent' on his daughter, but just when he stepped through the door, he realized that this girl is now protecting animals, and anyone who dares to mess with her will be chopped into pieces, so he immediately withered.

Zhang Liang moved very quickly. He personally brought a group of craftsmen over that afternoon. He not only sent the craftsmen in need, but also helped build the train manufacturing factory for free.

Naturally, Yue Shan was not polite to him, and encircled a piece of land of up to [-] mu in an open place, where the factory was built.

Zhang Liang was puzzled as to what kind of factory needed to be so large, but he didn't ask any further questions, and organized the craftsmen to mobilize the peasants to start work without further ado.

At the same time, Tian Shungu and others also became masters, teaching those craftsmen how to make steam engines.

Everyone quickly entered the state.

At this time, Li Shimin officially declared war on Goguryeo.

(End of this chapter)