In fact, when Zhu Ying traveled, he did not like so many people kneeling down to worship him.

But even if he asked them to stand up, it would be meaningless.

With such loud shouting, even if my throat becomes hoarse, no one will be able to hear my voice.

After the dragon chariot went away, the people became even more excited. It felt like it was New Year's Day.

It is widely rumored among the people that the current Crown Prince is a true banished immortal, and will return to heaven to become a god in the future.

As for the sudden death of the crown prince when he was a child, it was because he violated the laws of heaven. However, even if he went to the underworld, the King of Hell did not dare to take him in, so he could only let the crown prince return to the world of the living.

"The look in His Royal Highness's eyes was so shocking that I looked up quietly and He immediately noticed it. He only glanced at me from the dragon chariot and I immediately felt that I couldn't move. Only after His Royal Highness's eyes moved away did my body regain consciousness."

"What's that? His Royal Highness is a true god. I was exhausted from moving goods today, and then I saw His Royal Highness waving at me. I immediately felt refreshed and could do another job without any problems."

"Your Highness, you are truly a god."

Zhu Ying, who was sitting on the dragon chariot, obviously did not expect that the discussions among the people would be so outrageous.

However, in today's world, it is also a very normal phenomenon.

In front of the Chengjiao Research Department.

The steam engine that Zhu Ying had been longing for was about to appear.

On the dragon chariot, Zhu Ying saw the iconic black smoke rising.

He knew that it was because the coal was not burning completely that so much black smoke was produced.

But this was in the early Ming Dynasty.

What is the concept of the steam engine in the early Ming Dynasty?

It was more than two hundred years ahead of the world's technological level.

Once a steam ironclad ship appears on the sea, it is truly invincible.

Moreover, the steam engine is not as simple as the matchlock gun, and there are real technical barriers.

In those days, there were no so-called scientists yet, and Europe was still in the stage of literary and artistic enlightenment. There was no military competition at all.

This means that the Ming Dynasty can gradually rule the entire world within the next two hundred years.

The most critical aspect of the steam ironclad ship is its conquest of the sea.

This does not mean that the Ming Dynasty now has no rivals to other countries.

The greatest significance of ironclad ships lies in long-distance voyages.

The dangers on the sea are often the most deadly. No matter how strong the wooden structure is, it is not on the same level as steel.

This is an essential difference in materials.

The current Ming treasure ships are very powerful, but they are made of wood and are too heavy. In the absence of monsoons, the wind is not enough to drive them, so they can only dock on the shore and wait for the monsoon to come.

This is the current situation of Li Jinglong's ocean voyage. When there is no monsoon, he can only dock.

It would be very embarrassing if you don't reach your destination.

The only thing they could do was to have other ships hook the treasure ship with chains and then tow it away.

You can imagine how fast it is, just like a turtle crawling.

However, the steam ironclad ship is completely different. It can get rid of the influence of wind to a large extent.

Normally, today's ships travel at a speed of several knots, with one knot being approximately three and a half miles per hour.

The speed brought by steam power can reach more than ten knots, which means that the sailing distance can be shortened by three times.

A place that would normally take three months to reach now only takes one month at full speed.

This means that the speed of information dissemination is increased.

The biggest benefit of this situation for the Ming Dynasty is that the sea area that it can directly control becomes wider.

For example, in Champa, the faster sailing ships currently sail southwest from Wuhumen in Changle County, Fujian, and can arrive in about ten days with a favorable wind.

Steam-powered ironclad ships need not worry about headwinds or tailwinds and can arrive in three days at full speed.

This means that Champa is directly under the nose of the Ming Dynasty.

Or this is true for the entire coastal area of ​​Southeast Asia, not to mention the island countries.

A series of thoughts flashed through Zhu Ying's mind, and then he jumped directly off the dragon chariot.

There was no need for a lead, as he was already very familiar with the place, and there was black smoke ahead pointing the way.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

As Zhu Yingchao walked forward, everyone he met bowed respectfully.

This time it was rather sudden, so when Zhu Ying arrived, the eunuchs had no time to greet him.

The last time we were here, the steam engine was still exploding in an attempt to increase power, but now, it has apparently succeeded.

Boom, boom, boom sounds continued to be heard.

Zhu Ying finally saw the emergence of the steam engine.

The powerful power drives the gears to rotate continuously. Compared with steam engines, gears are obviously much simpler to make.

"How long has it been running?" Zhu Ying asked directly before the people in the yard could react.

When Shan Wenli heard the voice, he finally reacted and quickly prepared to greet him.

Zhu Ying waved his hand, indicating that he would answer the previous question.

Shan Wenli replied: "Your Highness, the steam engine has been running for three days and has stalled a total of seventeen times. Some small parts could not bear the load and have now been replaced. I think it can last longer."

Zhu Ying nodded, not surprised by this.

It is normal for machinery to malfunction and it can be fixed by repairing it.

It would be an exaggeration to say there are no problems at all.

Even so, it can be put into use.

"Very good. Everyone present here has made a significant contribution to the construction of the steam engine."

After Zhu Ying finished speaking, he instructed the eunuchs who came over from behind: "Everyone will be rewarded with three months' salary, including apprentices. As long as they participate in the production of steam engines, their families can be taken to the Research Department for resettlement."

Hearing the order from the Crown Prince, the Junior Supervisor of the Research Department in the back quickly replied, "I will follow your orders, Your Highness."

At this time, Shan Wenli hesitated for a moment, and seeing that the Crown Prince did not express his opinion to Huang Guan behind him, he stood up and said, "We dare not take credit for it. The steam engine was built entirely according to Huang Zhanshi's design. Huang Zhanshi made great contributions and should be the first to be credited."

Huang Guan heard this and also stood up and said, "I dare not take the credit for this. I designed this steam engine completely according to the method taught by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. If we really have to talk about the credit, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should be the first."

Zhu Ying waved her hand: "Alright, stop being so humble."

"Old Dan, even though we have achieved a breakthrough from nothing to something, the current steam engine cannot fully demonstrate its function. Your work is not over yet."

"In the coming time, I need you to make this steam engine more perfect, burn less coal, last longer, and reduce the occurrence of malfunctions."

"Within three months, I want to see a second, more complete steam engine."

Upon hearing this, Shan Wenli immediately said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. Now that we are gradually familiar with steam engines, I am confident that we can further improve them."

Zhu Ying was very satisfied with Shan Wenli's attitude.

Now comes the highlight.

That is how to use this steam engine to make a steam-powered ironclad ship.

The main power of a steam ironclad ship comes from the propeller in the bottom cabin. In order to supply enough power, the current steam engine of the Research Department is too small, and a more powerful steam engine needs to be made.

Although it is called an ironclad ship, it is not actually made entirely of steel. The current industrial foundation of the Ming Dynasty does not have sufficient support for this.

In fact, the main material of a steam ironclad ship is still wood.

On the basis of the main body, steel is added.

In this way, the bearing capacity of the entire ship will be greatly improved.

The sails cannot be cancelled, as the monsoon on the sea can still provide great power.

The key point is that it is normal for a steam engine to malfunction and stall. By using the wind power and turning on the propeller, a faster sailing speed can be achieved.

It is not difficult to build an ironclad ship, and it is not a difficult task for the Ming Dynasty at that time to armor it.

The industrial foundation that Zhu Ying has built for the Ming Dynasty over the years can now be completed smoothly.

Now that the steam engine has been built, it is time to build ironclad ships.

Zhu Ying said that he would give Shan Wenli three months to build a better steam engine because during this time, he wanted the Beijing Shipyard to build an ironclad ship and then install the steam engine on it.

It sounds simple, but it is definitely difficult to create.

Fortunately, these are not very technically difficult. You just need to spend some time and think about it, and you will naturally be able to figure it out.

The ironclad ship that Zhu Ying planned to build was based on the blueprint of today's treasure ship.

Because the first ship was a test piece, it naturally could not be as big as the treasure ship, and it was even smaller than an ordinary ship.

If the experiment is successful after entering the water, we can build a steam-powered ironclad warship belonging to the Ming Dynasty.

"Perhaps in three to five years, when the steam ironclad ship is perfected, I can go to Europe to have some fun myself?"

Zhu Ying thought with some happiness.

After all, I had never traveled abroad in my previous life, but maybe I can travel around the world in this life.

Don't worry about safety issues.

By that time, there must be dozens of steam-powered ironclad ships roaming the sea, with tens of thousands of elite soldiers on board.

With such a grand scene, it would be extremely easy to destroy a country, let alone play.

"Your Highness, shall we go to the shipyard now and start building armored ships?" Huang Guan asked on the dragon chariot.

The voice brought Zhu Ying out of his immersion. He looked at Huang Guan and said, "Yes, now the steam engine has been completed. It doesn't matter if it is a little worse. Even if it can only sail for ten days, it is not a big problem."

"We can build it now, and then replace it with a steam engine when we make a better one."

"That's right. I'll tell you in detail about some of my thoughts on ironclad ships."

Huang Guan is really useful.

Obviously, the task of building the ironclad ship would naturally be left to Huang Guan.