Chapter 297 The Duke of Chu is a Great Talent!
Holding something that gives one confidence naturally provides a sense of self-assurance. The emperor felt full of energy, and even had the idea of expanding the territory after Jiang Yu's reforms succeeded.
The moment this idea took hold, he began to consider how to prepare. The number of spies sent to the Southern Barbarians needed to be increased; knowing one's enemy is the key to victory. Yes, if it came to territorial expansion, the Southern Barbarians would be the first target.
The King of Lingnan was a thorn in the side of several emperors, and the Southern Barbarians were right next to Lingnan.
Suppressing his thoughts, the Emperor brought up the matter of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau with Jiang Yu, saying, "Your suggestion to establish the Heavenly Crafts Bureau is indeed a wise move. How is the Heavenly Crafts Bureau doing now? I would like to take a look."
This meant he wanted to personally inspect the site, and Jiang Yu naturally agreed wholeheartedly. With the emperor's attention, the Imperial Workshop would have a better chance of development.
"I'll go change into my own clothes now. How about you accompany me to the Imperial Workshop?" the Emperor asked Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu quickly stood up and agreed, but he added, "I think it would be better for Your Majesty to go with great fanfare."
The emperor was taken aback and looked at Jiang Yu with a questioning gaze.
Jiang Yu bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the Tiangong Division has produced rockets and explosive packs, but because of the need for secrecy, many people are unaware of the importance of the Tiangong Division. As a result, there are not many people who want to join the Tiangong Division or pursue engineering research."
But if you go there in a grand manner and reward the staff of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, the people will see the importance of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, and it will be much easier for the Bureau to recruit talent.
The emperor, being one to listen to advice, nodded and said, "You are right, my dear minister."
The emperor and his minister agreed, and the emperor boarded his palanquin and headed towards the Imperial Workshop in a grand procession. The emperor's travels were always of the highest rank, and within a quarter of an hour, almost everyone in the capital knew about it.
Prince Rui, naturally, also received the notification and, with a small number of people from the Imperial Workshop, greeted them at the entrance. The Emperor, who had been filled with excitement because of the rockets and explosives, instantly felt sorry for Prince Rui when he saw the dark circles under his eyes.
Before Prince Rui had even finished his greetings, he said, "Get up quickly, didn't you get a good night's rest again last night?"
Prince Rui smiled but did not answer the question. Instead, he said, "If Your Majesty does not come, I will go and catch up on my sleep."
The emperor was somewhat amused and exasperated, but he still felt that what he said made a lot of sense. He should have come again tomorrow, otherwise he wouldn't have disturbed his younger brother's rest.
"But you must also take care of your health." The emperor said as he walked inside, with Prince Rui following beside him, but his eyes were fixed on Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu naturally couldn't communicate with him verbally at this moment, and could only respond with a smile. However, this was enough for Prince Rui.
Prince Rui led the Emperor and Jiang Yu to his laboratory, where he explained his current research: "While explosive charges are powerful, they require human intervention to set them up and ignite them. Because the fuses are too long, there are many unstable factors and numerous flaws. My idea is to launch a bomb with a similar power directly..."
As he spoke, he took out a blueprint and unfolded it. Jiang Yu looked at it and saw that the diagram resembled an ancient catapult, but the top of the "catapult" was different from that of an ordinary catapult.
Prince Rui pointed to the blueprints and said, "My idea is to place the fireballs here and launch them like catapults. Of course, the fireballs will fly farther than stones."
He pointed to a spot on the blueprint and said, "The propulsion device is installed here, but I haven't found a way to propel the projectiles yet."
The emperor didn't quite understand the word "propulsion" he mentioned, so he asked. Prince Rui patiently explained to him, "A catapult places a stone on its arm and pulls a rope to launch the stone. The force of the catapult's movement during this process propels the stone forward."
The emperor nodded. "Can't the fireballs be launched like this too?"
“No,” Prince Rui said. “First of all, the fireballs need to be ignited, and then the force generated by pulling the catapult is too small, so the distance they are thrown is too short.”
The Emperor nodded, seemingly understanding, while Jiang Yu carefully examined the blueprints, trying to recall the cannon construction she had seen in the museum. However, due to the passage of time, she hadn't looked at it closely then and couldn't offer any advice on this aspect. Nevertheless, she did have some thoughts on Prince Rui's suggestion to proceed.
“Your Highness,” Jiang Yu said, looking at the blueprints, “I believe that the launch of the fireballs does not require propulsion.”
Prince Rui listened thoughtfully, then asked, "What does the Duke of Chu mean?"
Jiang Yu: "Gunpowder generates power when it is ignited. Just like the rockets you developed, one of the reasons they are mounted on bows and arrows is to use the bows and arrows to control the direction of the rockets."
Prince Rui suddenly realized, "Yes, what I should be considering now is how to stabilize and set the direction of the fireballs."
Jiang Yu nodded, pointed to the long catapult arm on the drawing, and said, "I think it would be better to make it into a tube, which would be the perfect size to allow fireballs to pass through."
Prince Rui nodded, then picked up a pen and wrote it directly on the drawing, then asked, "Anything else?"
Jiang Yu thought for a moment, "I believe that things that rotate will fly faster."
Prince Rui nodded thoughtfully. He understood the principle, but what he needed to consider was how to make the fireball spin. He wrote the word "spin" on the drawing, then looked at Jiang Yu, his gaze asking if she had any suggestions.
Jiang Yu thought for a while and shook her head. She wasn't a science student to begin with, and what she knew was all basic knowledge from her previous life; she didn't know anything more advanced. However, Jiang Yu's insights had already been of great help to Prince Rui, and he thanked her sincerely with fervent eyes.
Jiang Yu quickly declined, but the emperor's gaze towards her held a hint of eagerness. The Heavenly Crafts Bureau was proposed by Jiang Yu; the emperor assumed she recognized the importance of firearms and thus strongly advocated for its establishment. He hadn't expected her to actually possess such expertise in firearms, and to speak about them so knowledgeably.
The Duke of Chu is truly a talented man!
"The Duke of Chu is a man of great talent!" the emperor exclaimed involuntarily.
Jiang Yu quickly replied modestly, "I only have some ideas, which are not comparable to those of Prince Rui and those working in the Imperial Workshop."
The emperor laughed heartily, knowing that Jiang Yu was being modest. However, since Jiang Yu had mentioned people working at the Imperial Workshop, he insisted on meeting them. Now he truly understood how important engineering talent was.
The emperor requested to see those people, and Jiang Yu and Prince Rui followed him to the hall. On the way, Jiang Yu said to the emperor, "The Ministry of Works currently does not have a supervising official."
Upon hearing this, the emperor turned to look at Prince Rui, who immediately said, "Your Majesty, I am not suitable for this position, nor do I like it."
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