Chapter 161 Steam Engine
Zhao Yuanxi felt that he seemed to have underestimated the strength of these Mo family members.
She couldn't help but sigh, "Did you make all these?"
Meng Xi shook his head, his eyes full of regret. "These were all developed by the predecessors of the Mohist School. I just copied a few of them as souvenirs."
With the chaos of wars among the countries, most of the mechanical techniques of the Mohists that have been preserved are equipment that can be used in war, and many of the Mohists' ingenuity has been lost in this era.
What he learned and knew was at most only 30% of the mechanical techniques of the Mohist school during its peak period.
Zhao Yuanxi saw the regret in his eyes and consoled him, "This is already remarkable! Isn't the Mohist School already rising in your hands now?"
"Master Meng, why not compile your Mohist thought and technology into a book and set up a library within this institute? Anyone who comes to study at Mohism will eventually spread your thought and technology to every corner of the world."
Meng Xi bowed and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
He is old and probably won't live for many more years. The Mohist school should not be cut off in his hands. He needs to pass these things on while he still has time and energy.
Meng Xi looked at Li, his eyes full of relief.
What he cannot do, there will always be people who can do it later.
Zhao Yuanxi was well aware of the difficulties faced by the Mohists. In this era when science and technology were not systematic, such a group of engineers were indeed struggling. More importantly, the Mohist ideas were excluded from the ruling system by the kings, which meant that they were destined to be ignored.
This is also why the tools that are widely circulated among Mohists are not those that benefit the people, but instruments used for killing.
However, Zhao Yuanxi felt that the Mohist school was not without a way out. Ying Zheng was a person who liked to focus on results. As long as the Mohist school's things were really useful, he would not miss it.
As for the Mohist thought, it always progresses with the times. Sometimes it is not impossible to artificially modify it to make it more adaptable to the environment. Let's see what choice they make.
Meng Xi calmed down and asked, "Did the Queen Mother come today to see the steam engine you mentioned earlier?"
"That's exactly what I meant. Li said you're in trouble. Although I'm not proficient in Mohist techniques, I might be able to help!"
"Then the Queen Mother, please follow me!" Meng Xi raised his hand and pointed the way.
The place they were in just now was the front yard, which was filled with Mohist mature equipment. As for the larger space in the backyard, it was where they did their daily research.
The first thing Zhao Yuanxi saw was the big furnace to the west of the yard. Someone was adding coal to the stove next to it. He thought that the stains on Meng Xi's face just now were the coal ash.
Meng Xi explained, "Although we can go to the ironworks to customize those parts, the journey is long after all. I need to adjust the size of the ironware all the time, so I set up a smelting furnace for convenience."
Zhao Yuanxi had no objection to this. As long as they felt it was convenient, it was fine. However, he saw the ironware piled up in the yard.
She couldn't help but twitch her eyes. She guessed that Meng Xi was either smelting iron or on his way to smelt iron these days. It would take a long time to make so many ironwares of different shapes.
Meng Xi brought over his recently made steam engine model. "I built this prototype according to the drawings the Queen Mother gave me, but it's not working well. The heat from below can move the piston, but the force is completely insufficient and extremely unstable. It's completely unsuitable as a power source for a textile machine."
Zhao Yuanxi tried to push the piston, and soon she knew the reason. The forged cylinder and piston looked to fit perfectly, but in fact there was still a large error between the two, and most of the steam escaped through the gap.
This is an unavoidable problem in handmade production.
Zhao Yuanxi also felt a headache. If the accuracy could not be improved, the power conversion could not be guaranteed.
Zhao Yuanxi explained the reason to them.
Meng Xi actually had this guess in his mind. He had tried many times to fill the gap between the two as best as possible, but even though he had done his best, the power of the piston was still insufficient.
"Since this gap always exists and cannot be eliminated, then instead of eliminating it, we can just use something else to block it." Zhao Yuanxi had a flash of inspiration.
Everyone looked at her, and Zhao Yuanxi explained her idea of using oil mixed with graphite to fill the gap between the two, which could not only achieve the lubrication effect but also ensure the airtightness inside the cylinder.
"This..." Meng Xi had never heard of this method before, but since the empress dowager had spoken, it might be worth a try.
Oil and graphite are not rare materials. Li quickly collected them, ground them finely in a mortar, took the upper layer of oil, poured it into the machine, ignited the coal at the bottom, and as the temperature accumulated, the water in the container began to boil.
Everyone was surprised to find that the piston was actually pushed and no water vapor came out of the gap.
There was a burst of cheers all around, and Zhao Yuanxi couldn't help but feel happy.
This is the first step in the technological revolution. Once the steam engine is made, she will be able to do so many things.
However, this so-called steam engine is still just a toddler and cannot be used in daily production. But in time, the human power era will eventually be replaced by the steam era.
Li Mu witnessed everything in front of him. He didn't understand the mechanical techniques of the Mohist school, but he could understand that this thing was not simple.
Zhao Yuanxi saw Li Mu staring at him, "General Li, is there something wrong?"
"How does the Queen Mother know these things?" Li Mu asked.
How could the Queen Mother of Qin, who lived in the deep palace, come up with a solution when even the Mo family didn't know the method?
Zhao Yuanxi felt that if something like this happened again, she must not let other people see it, otherwise she would have to explain it every time. Although it didn't matter to her whether they believed it or not, she still had to make up an explanation that seemed reasonable.
"Maybe it's because I read too much!" Zhao Yuanxi sighed.
......
"The Queen Mother is indeed well-read," Jang Geum added.
Zhao Yuanxi winked at her. "Good Jang Geum! You really give her face."
Li also agreed, "The Queen Mother's Canglang Pavilion houses many talented people and has countless books. We are indeed inferior to them."
Zhao Yuanxi nodded, that’s right!
Li Mu felt suspicious, but since Queen Mother Zhao was unwilling to say more, he continued to ask.
"General Li should also read more books!" Zhao Yuanxi said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu suddenly sarcastically said, "Read more of the strange books that the Queen Mother had compiled?"
Zhao Yuanxi was stunned and met Li Mu's eyes, feeling a little guilty. Did he know something?
She looked at Qu Ji, but Qu Ji turned his face away, his eyes darting around, not daring to look at her.
Zhao Yuanxi felt something was wrong. Could it be that Li Mu already knew that she had asked someone to fabricate the affair between him and Qin Wang Zichu?
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