Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 243 Don’t tear it down!!

"Stargazing, yes, this thing can be used for stargazing!" Wang Dayuan immediately wanted to find a star to look at, but it was still daytime and he couldn't see a single star, so he had no choice but to give up.

After this guy had enough fun with the telescope, he followed Lu Jin back, and kept muttering to Lu Jin along the way.

"This thing is very useful. It can be used not only for navigation and stargazing, but also in military operations. Whether it is for spying on the enemy camp or for guarding the sentry, it is extremely practical. My lord, why don't you ask the craftsmen to make more?"

Lu Jin spread his hands, "I don't have time. I'm too busy making weapons, armor and firearms to make telescopes. Secondly, I don't have craftsmen. I heard that there are craftsmen who make colored glaze in Shandong, Qi and Lu, and the colored glaze they make is a tribute to the Tartar emperor, but there is no one who makes colored glaze in my territory.

"Third, materials are needed. Pure quartz sand is needed to make transparent glass. I have no shortage of this in my territory. There are crystal mines in Haozhou. But we also need sodium carbonate, which is a chemistry subject. Refining sodium carbonate requires a large amount of salt. Before, it was difficult for the people in my jurisdiction to get salt, so how could we have so much salt to refine soda ash?

"But now it's better. The salt wells in Dingyuan have started to produce salt. We will no longer be short of salt. The finances of the Marshal's Mansion and the materials for the telescope have finally been settled. Although we don't have a craftsman who can make glass, a craftsman who can make porcelain should be able to give it a try.

"Don't you have many porcelain kilns in Jiangxi? Could you please write a letter for me and bring some porcelain craftsmen here? I will give them land and teach them how to make glass, so that I can make a few more telescopes before you go out to sea."

Wang Dayuan was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately said, "This is easy to do. I will write a letter to my family and ask them to find some porcelain craftsmen to come here. By the way, can you send someone to bring my family here as well? Otherwise, I am a little worried."

Lu Jin looked at him and smiled. Wang Dayuan was willing to say this on his own initiative, which meant that he was truly determined to be loyal. How could he not be happy? He said immediately.

"Of course you can. When you come here, you should already know our strength. As long as you write a letter and give us a token, someone will bring your family here."

"Thank you very much, my lord."

"It's okay. It's all as it should be."

The two returned to the general's residence. Wang Dayuan continued to read the book all afternoon. He was even more surprised to see that the Gongshu Secret Code not only covered acoustics and optics, but also mechanics and electricity. Optics had already created a telescope, so what kind of heaven-defying thing could this electricity create? Could it be that mortals could really control lightning?
And what is the sodium carbonate that Lu Jin mentioned?
When Wang Dayuan read the preface of the book on chemistry, he found that the core of chemistry was Mozi's theory that objects are infinitely divisible. When objects cannot be divided any more, all things in the world should be made up of the same thing. This was indeed what Mozi said, and it was not wrong to apply it to chemistry, so Lu Jin pulled it over.

Gongshujia took Mozi's theory as the core and then gave a clear definition. When decomposed into different degrees, the things produced are called molecules, atoms and electrons.

It also incorporates the alchemy of the alchemists, the Taoist alchemy, and the Persian alchemy, using physical heating, freezing, electrification, distillation, crystallization, condensation and other methods to decompose and synthesize all things in the world, such as iron smelting and alchemy, all of which are classified as chemical content.

There is a 'Periodic Table of Elements' at the beginning of the chemistry book. The well-known gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead and mercury are listed. However, in addition to these, there are hundreds of unheard-of substances. Some are even made-up characters. If there were no Qieyun phonetic symbols next to them, he would not even be able to read them.

Although he didn't recognize many characters, he looked at half of the characters he didn't recognize. There were so many elements next to the character "金". Could it be that there were so many metals in the world? How could Wang Dayuan not be surprised?

Let's look at the main text later. The first article is about the composition of air. It turns out that the air people breathe contains three different components. It also shows the 'candle absorbing water' experiment, the 'rat survival experiment in a glass cover', and the effect of adding plants on the survival of mice, proving that plants can release oxygen through photosynthesis.

Later on, the book talks about the role of oxygen in iron smelting. It talks about a method of extracting a large amount of oxygen for steelmaking. According to the old examples of "stir-frying steel method" and "pouring steel method", this new method is called "blowing steel method".

This led to a series of experiments and chemical phenomena on steelmaking, as well as experiments on the electrolysis of salt water and the decomposition of hydrogen and oxygen. It also showed that hydrogen can be ignited and is lighter than air, and can be rushed into a large air bag to carry a person floating in the air.

Wang Dayuan was amazed. It turned out that this was what Lu Jin meant when he said that water could be used to make fire.

As for electricity, by inserting electrodes made of different metals into concentrated salt water, it can actually discharge electricity. This principle can also be used to make a large battery called a cumulative battery pile. If it is upgraded a little bit, lead plates and dilute sulfuric acid can be used to make "lead-acid batteries."

Why is it called a battery? Because the book says that the first person to study electricity was a man named Gong Shufu.
These contents made Wang Dayuan feel surprised and intrigued. Compared with the previous secret books, if the arithmetic book was just easier to use, and physics was a summary of common phenomena around us that was still within the scope of understanding, then this chemistry book was undoubtedly the most magical knowledge.

It was evening when the room became dark, and Wang Dayuan came to ask Lu Jin for advice again.

"My lord, this secret book mentions electricity many times. Can people really control lightning? And even if they can control lightning, what can they do with it?"

Lu Jin was reading official documents sent from various places. Hearing this, he looked up and asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly interested in electricity, sir?"

Wang Dayuan then realized that he had lost his composure and said quickly, "I'm just curious."

Lu Jin then explained, "Lightning cannot be controlled, at least not now, because the voltage of the thunder is too high and cannot be stored and used for the time being, but lightning rods can be built next to the towers and halls to avoid lightning strikes and fires.

"Confucianism often says that if you don't cultivate virtue, you will be struck by lightning. This is pure nonsense. On any rainy day, if you stand in an open and high place, you will be struck by lightning. Since we know this characteristic, we can use conductive materials to build a needle that is taller than a tower or a hall to lead the lightning to another place. Therefore, it is called a lightning rod, and some people also call it a lightning rod.

"As for the use of electricity, electricity is just a kind of energy, just like fire. What is the use of fire? Most of the things that fire can do, electricity can do.

"For example, cooking, smelting iron, heating, and lighting."

As Lu Jin spoke, he picked up his flashlight from the table, flipped the switch, and the flashlight suddenly emitted a strong light, illuminating the dim study as bright as day.

"This, this, this, this"

The sudden bright light startled Wang Dayuan. He pointed at the flashlight in Lu Jin's hand. His fingers were trembling and he couldn't speak. He was obviously shocked.

“This is the light that burns electricity.”

Lu Jin turned off the flashlight and put it back on the table.

Wang Dayuan was shocked for a long time before he came to his senses, "It really is comparable to the study of gods and ghosts."

At this moment, Yu Tongyuan and Meng Zhifang also finished their meal and ran over. Seeing the flashlight on Lu Jin's table and Wang Dayuan's shocked look, Yu Tongyuan immediately asked.

"Marshal, what happened to Mr. Wang?"

"They asked me what the use of electricity was. I showed Mr. Huanzhang the electric light, and it seemed to surprise him." Lu Jin explained casually.

"Hahaha, I see. When we brothers first saw the Marshal's magical weapons, we were just as scared as Mr. Wang. By the way, the Marshal's flashlight should be running out of battery, right?"

As Yu Tongyuan spoke, he picked up the flashlight on the table, turned it on and shone it towards the room. Meng Zhifang standing nearby did not show any surprise, obviously he had seen it before. Wang Dayuan noticed their reactions.

"It's true that there's not much power left, and my car doesn't have much gas left. If I want to charge it again, I'm afraid I'll have to dismantle the car." Lu Jin looked at the three people and said, "Let's go. It just so happens that there's not much gas left. I guess this car won't be able to move anymore. I'll let you take a look. If you look at it later, it may just be a pile of scrap metal."

"Ah? It's going to be demolished? That's such a pity." Yu Tongyuan put down the flashlight and followed Lu Jin to the backyard with some regret.

Arriving at the backyard, Lu Jin went to Zhang Yunxiu to ask for the car keys, and then he personally lifted the car cover. A black four-wheeled vehicle with a shining metallic paint suddenly appeared in front of the four people.

Lu Jin stepped forward and kicked the wheel, signaling to Wang Dayuan, "This is a wheel made of rubber. It is hollow inside and air can be pumped into it. With such a wheel, the car can carry a load of 10,000 kilograms and travel 1,000 miles a day."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dayuan immediately went forward to check it out and pressed it with his hand. He found that the thing was hard yet soft, and indeed different from a wooden wheel. He was also surprised at the width of the wheel.

“This wheel is so wide!”

Before Lu Jin could speak, Meng Zhifang explained, "The wider the wheels, the larger the contact area with the ground, the smaller the pressure, and the easier it is to pass through some bad roads that are easy to get stuck in."

"So that's how it is. Then how can this car be self-propelled without the need for oxen and horses?" Wang Dayuan asked again.

At this time, Lu Jin pressed the key, and the car lights flashed twice. Lu Jin then opened the car door and said, "Come in and take a look."

The three of them got into the car immediately. Wang Dayuan sat in the passenger seat, while Yu Tongyuan and Meng Zhifang sat in the back. Yu Tongyuan even leaned forward to introduce Wang Dayuan.

"The front of this car has an engine inside, and the seats in the back can accommodate five people. The left front seat is the driver's seat, also known as the main driver's seat, and the right side where you sit is the co-driver's seat. The steering wheel in the driver's seat can be turned, and which direction you turn determines the direction. There are three pedals below, and I have forgotten what their functions are. Anyway, you can control this mechanical car by controlling these mechanisms."

Before entering the city, this car was parked in a village near Chaohu Lake for half a month. During that period, Yu Tongyuan often visited the car and now he took the initiative to introduce it to others.

Lu Jin also started the engine with the key at this time. With a pumping sound and trembling, the engine was suddenly started. Lu Jin lightly tapped the accelerator in neutral, and the engine suddenly made a roaring sound.

"What's that noise?" Wang Dayuan felt the rhythmic shaking of the car body and subconsciously looked for something to hold on to and asked.

Yu Tongyuan immediately explained, "The Marshal said that the engine in the front of the car has four oil-burning iron bellows. If you spray kerosene into the bellows and ignite them, the bellows will push the car to run faster than a galloping horse."

Lu Jin cooperated and put the car into forward gear. As soon as he released the clutch, the car suddenly rushed forward two meters. This time, Wang Dayuan was even more shocked. "It can actually move?!"

"Of course it can move, but there's not much gas left. I won't drive it out to show you how fast this car is. I'll just burn up the gas and use it to charge the battery."

Lu Jin shifted the gear, opened the car door and got out, then opened the front engine hood. Seeing this, several people came over to watch.

Yu Tongyuan pointed at the engine and said, "This is the engine. I heard from the Marshal that it is made of a metal called aluminum, lined with an iron cylinder, and driven by kerosene, which can burst out infinite power. It's a pity that China has too little oil, and we don't have this oil in our territory now. Once the kerosene brought back by the Marshal is burned, this car will probably be useless."

Yu Tongyuan couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Wang Dayuan was puzzled and said, "I have heard my lord and General Yu talking about oil since this morning. What exactly is oil? China is so vast and rich in resources, how can we not find this thing? Moreover, if there is no oil, what is the point of my lord asking me to bring back the rubber?"

Lu Jin then said, "China also has oil, but it is too scarce and too difficult to extract. In fact, you have seen oil. I remember that in your book "Records of the Island Barbarians", it was recorded that you had seen a kind of black oil coming out of the ground on the island of Java. The local natives used it to make torches and other things. The black oil was oil."

Wang Dayuan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Since you know where the oil is, and I've been to Java, why don't you get some back from Java when I return from Lizhou? This car is so valuable, wouldn't it be a pity to dismantle it like this?"

Lu Jin shook his head and said, "What I, Gongshu, want is to develop productivity and ultimately benefit the people, not treasures. Even if you can get a shipload of oil back for my car, it's just a drop in the bucket compared to the whole world."

"Then, does the lord still want to go on an expedition to Java?" Wang Dayuan asked doubtfully.

Lu Jin looked at him, blinked and said nothing.

Wang Dayuan immediately cried out inwardly that it was not good, and hurriedly advised, "My lord, please think twice. Java is even worse than Annan. The heat, humidity, and miasma are even worse. When I passed by Java at sea, I saw the Southern Song Han soldiers sent by the Yuan court to the expedition to Java. There are still Han soldiers on the island who are suffering from diseases and are struggling to survive.

"My lord once said that one cannot be a general without knowing astronomy, geography and climate. But since my lord is familiar with astronomy and geography, how can he make the same mistake again?"

Lu Jin immediately explained, "Do you remember the two must-have trees on the east coast of Lizhou that I told you about?"

"Remember, one of them is rubber for making wheels." Wang Dayuan replied immediately.

Lu Jin added, "Rubber is heat-resistant but afraid of cold. It cannot survive in places with frost. Therefore, even if you bring back the rubber trees, you can only plant them in Lingnan, Yunnan, Annan, Luzon, Champa, and Java. Further north, rubber will not survive.

"Secondly, in addition to being used for rubber tapping, rubber trees can also block miasma. Wherever there are rubber trees, miasma is unlikely to occur. The further you go in the rubber trees, the less miasma you will see."

Several people were stunned when they heard this. They didn't expect that the rubber tree could have such an effect.

Of course, this is not something Lu Jin said nonsense. The most uncomfortable place in Southeast Asia is the tropical rainforest. Even if you cut down the rainforest, it will spread again in a short time. But the rubber plantation is different. People who have been to rubber plantations generally know that it is difficult for other plants to grow under rubber trees. So, if the rubber forest advances, the rainforest retreats, and there will be no so-called miasma.

Lu Jin added, "In addition to the rubber tree that can produce rubber barriers, there is also a cinchona tree on the east coast of Lizhou that can be used as medicine. The natives often take its bark, dry it in the sun, grind it into powder, mix it with water and take it. It has a miraculous effect of curing malaria and bringing the dead back to life. The bark powder is called cinchona cream.

"As the saying goes, 'one can polish jade with stones from other mountains', what Shenzhou cannot do, Lizhou has the right antidote. With rubber trees, cinchona trees, and cassava that can produce 10,000 catties per mu, the so-called smoke-stained land in the south has become the best place in the world.

"Annan and Champa have three crops a year, Siam and Java have seven crops in two years, and I don't know how much grain they can produce."

The three were shocked again. It turned out that the two kinds of trees that Lu Jin mentioned were prepared for the march to the south. Wang Dayuan admired him but was also amazed. This lord really had great ambitions.

After seeing the cars and electric lights, Wang Dayuan and his friends then asked why rubber could only be grown in the south. So Lu Jin took out a telescope and asked them to watch the moon to see its "true face".

After the few people witnessed with their own eyes that the moon was a bare stone ball floating in the void, Lu Jin told them about the operation of the solar system and the relationship between the sun, the moon and the earth. The earth's poles are far away from the sun and receive limited heat, while the middle is close and receives more heat, which is why it is so hot near the equator.

Such novel astronomical and geographical knowledge immediately opened the eyes of several people.

(End of this chapter)