Fu Xiaoguan asked Liu Jin and Zhao Hou to bring a few eunuchs to carry the generator to the Yiyang Palace.
Everyone stopped talking at this time and looked at this strange thing.
This is the first generator produced by the Daxia Science Research Institute. Of course, it has many flaws, but science is like this. It must be developed and improved step by step. The principles, processes, materials, etc. involved cannot be achieved overnight.
Qin Chengye knew what this thing was, and he ran over happily.
As everyone watched in amazement, he poured diesel into the machine, then connected two thin wires to the two screws of the machine, and the two wires were connected to the bottom of a glass ball.
He inserted a bent iron rod into one of the holes, then stirred the rod vigorously, and saw an iron plate on the machine spinning rapidly.
The machine made a rumbling sound and puffs of black smoke came out of it. A moment later, the machine made a roaring sound. Qin Chengye pulled out the iron rod, and soon the glass balls connected by the two wires suddenly lit up!
"Wow..." This was the exclamation of Fu Xiaoguan's children.
"Blow out all these lanterns first." Fu Xiaoguan also shouted happily.
All the lanterns in the house were extinguished, and only the glass ball was emitting light, but the light was flickering and difficult to stabilize.
"This is the electric light!" Fu Xiaoguan explained to everyone, "The technology isn't mature yet. Once it is, the light will stay on steadily until the filament burns out."
"The electric motor is smaller than the steam engine and can output more energy."
"In a few years, our trains will be powered by electric motors. They will run faster, and at night there will be bright lights in the carriages, so we won't need candles anymore."
"For civilian use, it can be applied to all sectors, allowing factories to achieve higher production capacity and truly produce high-quality, affordable goods. If applied to agriculture, cattle could be eliminated except in remote mountainous areas. Using it as power to develop farming tools could increase agricultural efficiency exponentially."
"If it's used in the military... With it, our warships can be built bigger and run faster. On land... we can even build tanks!"
No one could imagine it, even Qin Chengye looked at Fu Xiaoguan in surprise.
Fu Xiaoguan smiled slightly. "A tank is just a lump of iron. It's heavy, and it takes a huge amount of energy to drive it. It's not afraid of bombs, let alone bullets. It uses tracks and can adapt to various battlefields. Once the technology is truly mature, I'll tell you how to build a tank."
As soon as Fu Xiaoguan finished speaking, the light bulb died. The filament inside it flickered twice, and the place was suddenly plunged into darkness.
"Light the lights and put this thing out."
Everyone sat down around Fu Xiaoguan and looked at him in surprise.
"Electricity is a form of energy, and there are many ways to generate it. For civilian use, the Academy of Sciences needs to research methods for generating electricity using hydropower and thermal energy. They also need to solve the problem of power transmission. Once these problems are solved, our Chang'an City can truly become a city that never sleeps."
"In industry or the military, the Academy of Sciences must gradually perfect the internal combustion engine to propel giant ships weighing tens or even millions of tons forward at high speeds... The road ahead is long, but as long as we keep moving forward, we will achieve our goal sooner or later."
"That's why I've repeatedly emphasized that education is the foundation and that science and technology are the primary productive forces. You'll see it in the future."
"But Your Majesty, this thing only lights up for a short while and then breaks down. How can it be used?" Yan Xiwen asked while holding the warm light bulb.
"That's because the filament inside isn't good," he said, looking at Qin Chengye. "Have the Academy of Sciences try carbonizing bamboo and cotton filaments. If you use these two materials as filaments, they'll stay lit longer."
"The best material is tungsten wire. Tungsten is a metal that has not yet been discovered or understood."
"Remember, tungsten usually exists in the form of tungsten sand. It's inky black, has a very high melting point, and has a wide range of applications. Send someone to look for it; there should be quite a bit of it in stock."
"Materials science is an independent discipline, and the Institute of Science also has an independent materials research department. We tell them that for science to progress, materials must come first."
This reunion before the New Year turned into Fu Xiaoguan's popular science lecture for everyone.
But he was not professional in these things and could not really provide Qin Chengye with the most accurate information. He could only point out a direction for the current scientific development. Everything else would ultimately need to be explored by the Academy of Sciences.
Fu Xiaoguan was not in a hurry about this because there was no need to rush.
But he believed that in the next few years, decades or even hundreds of years, the magical things he told Qin Chengye and others tonight would eventually come true.
The banquet ended with an academic discussion.
This discussion was of course mainly between Qin Chengye, Qin Ruoxue and Fu Xiaoguan. The others listened in amazement, thinking it was so impressive but in fact they knew nothing.
After the banquet, Fu Xiaoguan returned to the Yangxin Palace with his wife and children.
A group of children surrounded him and asked him many questions that were hard for them to imagine. He patiently answered them one by one, and then said to Wu Tianci earnestly:
"You must remember to respect science and scientists at all times. It is their dedicated research and the findings they produce that are the foundation for Daxia's progress."
The ten-year-old Wu Tianci nodded, seemingly understanding. "Remember this, Dad. Will there really be flying iron lumps and submarine ships in the future?"
"Of course, humans can even go to the moon."
Wu Tianci's eyes widened in disbelief. Wu Linger jokingly said, "Don't lie to me, kid. Going to the moon, wouldn't that mean you're really going to heaven?"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed and thought that there was once a person who wanted to go to Mars, but he didn't know if he made it.
It was late at night, and he asked the palace maids to take the children back to rest. Then he looked at Su Su and asked, "Are father and mother doing well in the Taoist temple?"
Xu Yunqing asked Susu not to tell her that she came to Chang'an. What could Susu do?
"Well, it's all fine. Father has been cooking most of the time since he returned to the Taoist temple... He suddenly fell in love with cooking after returning from Peacock Country and doesn't want me to do it anymore. But the food he cooks is really good."
"Then... has the relationship between father and mother improved at all?"
"...Mother is always avoiding Father. I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
Alas... Fu Xiaoguan sighed. This matter cannot be forced. After all, that is the secular concept.
"You should go and have some rest too. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and we still have to go and visit the ministers."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
