Diqin Designer

Chapter 458 Giving the other nations a small technological shock from Qin

If this type of vehicle could travel a greater distance in a day than a horse-drawn carriage, it would mean that the Qin people could use this type of vehicle to quickly transport troops and supplies to more distant places.

The thought that the Qin people could gather a large army in a certain place in just a few days by relying on such vehicles sent chills down the spines of many political figures. The Qin people were already very strong, and if they also had such a projection capability, they would be even more terrifying!
Even though this type of vehicle is not as fast as a horse-drawn carriage, and can only travel as far in a day as a horse-drawn carriage, it is a great advantage as long as it can transport people for the Qin people day and night without interruption. The Qin people can rely on it to connect all parts of the country, whether for transporting people or goods.

Thousands of these chariots crisscrossed the Qin state, connecting its counties and making it easier for Qin people from all over the country to travel. This facilitated the exchange of goods between different parts of Qin, allowing fish from Qi to reach Xianyang within days, and refined salt from Shu to be delivered to Qi within days as well. Qin's national strength was bound to increase once again!

Fortunately, this chariot seems to be an early form of Qin architecture, not yet fully developed, and the roads it travels on are unusual and difficult to pave, which should greatly limit the chariot's capabilities.

The First Emperor smiled and introduced the vehicle to the dignitaries of the various states: "This thing is called a 'steam locomotive,' and it was jointly developed by the Qin Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering. You have all seen the steam engine used to fetch water in the markets of Xianyang. This thing works on the same principle as the steam engine used to fetch water for the people of Xianyang."

Upon hearing the First Emperor's words, the political leaders of the various states secretly exclaimed, "As expected!" They were right; this strange carriage was indeed related to the steam engine in Xianyang.

When the First Emperor mentioned the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering, the officials of the various states recalled that these were two special departments established by the Qin people. It was said that they contained many craftsmen who were treated very well and were even granted official ranks.

Near the steam locomotive, craftsmen were waiting for the First Emperor and other dignitaries to arrive. Upon their arrival, the lead craftsman immediately stepped forward and reported to the First Emperor: "Your Majesty, the Qin Feng No. 4 steam locomotive is ready and can depart at any time. Please give your instructions!"

The purpose was to showcase steam locomotives to dignitaries from various countries, so of course, they could only be fully displayed if they could be driven.

The First Emperor said to the craftsman, "Permission to depart!" After receiving the First Emperor's instruction, the craftsman ran back to join the other craftsmen and began preparations for starting the steam locomotive.

The dignitaries of various countries watched the steam locomotive intently, not daring to blink, all eager to see how this strange vehicle called a "steam locomotive" would start running.

They saw craftsmen board the steam locomotive, and soon after, the steam from the pipe emitting white vapor became heavier, making a "whooshing" sound. Then they saw the wheels of the locomotive move with a "clanging" sound, traveling on the two rods that seemed to be made of copper and iron.

It doesn't walk very fast; they could outrun it even on foot. But this thing isn't pulled by horses or people; it's propelled by a steam engine. People and horses need rest, but this thing doesn't. As long as it doesn't break and has enough fuel, it can keep moving.

Furthermore, if the power of steam engines increases in the future, their speed will also increase, and it is not impossible that they may one day surpass the speed of horses.

It can exceed the speed of a horse, travel day and night without stopping, and carry a large number of people and goods at once. Just thinking about it is terrifying!
The track laid for the steam locomotive was not long, just a circular track of a few hundred meters. After completing one loop, the steam locomotive returned to the starting point and stopped.

The craftsman ran up again and reported to the First Emperor: "Your Majesty, the Qin Feng No. 4 steam locomotive has completed its operation. Please give your instructions!"

The First Emperor praised them, saying, "You have done a great job. Everyone will receive an extra reward this month." After speaking with the craftsmen, the First Emperor turned to the dignitaries of the various states: "What do you all think of this steam locomotive?"

Touman commented, "Truly amazing! I have never seen such a wondrous object before. It moves on its own without the need for horses. Only Brother Da Qin could create such a thing. To be able to see it at Brother Da Qin's place this time makes this trip worthwhile!"

The King of Wusun also commented: "Compared to a chariot, this thing still has some shortcomings, but it can move automatically without needing to rest, which is an advantage that chariots do not have. It is only a matter of time before we make up for its shortcomings, and it will far surpass horses. This thing will surely shine brightly in the future!"

Following Touman and the King of Wusun, political figures from other states also praised the steam locomotive. Their praise was not entirely flattery of the Qin Dynasty; many genuinely believed that the steam locomotive would be of great use in the future and might very well replace horses as the most mainstream mode of transportation in the world.

Compared to later generations, their vision and knowledge were indeed much less advanced, but that doesn't mean they couldn't see the merits and future prospects of steam locomotives.

A political figure from a Western Regions state requested of the First Emperor: "Your Majesty, may we perhaps take a look at this steam locomotive?"

He really wanted to get on the train to see how it worked and whether he could make it in his own country after returning home.

The First Emperor did not refuse and generously agreed. If one could tell how this thing was made just by looking at it, then the Qin Dynasty could simply relax and go home.

With the permission of the First Emperor, this political figure from a Western Regions country boarded a steam locomotive for a tour. However, after looking at all the places on the locomotive that could be visited, he still couldn't figure out how the thing ran. He did see craftsmen adding water and ash to the steam engine, but he had no idea how the steam engine was made, how it was installed on the vehicle, or how it made the vehicle move.

Following this political figure from a Western Regions country, Touman, the King of Wusun, and others also boarded the steam locomotive for a tour, but none of them could figure out what it was all about.

You can't tell how this thing is made just by looking at it, unlike horseshoes, which you can roughly figure out how they are made once you've seen them.

No wonder the Qin people dared to display it here to them, no wonder the Qin Emperor allowed them to ride in the chariot and visit, knowing that even if they saw it, they still couldn't build it.

The political leaders of the various states once again realized the gap between themselves and Qin. Each time they realized the gap between themselves and Qin, they found that the gap was even greater than they had previously realized.

They were not just a year or two behind the Qin state, but it was as if they had crossed eras. Compared to the Qin people, they were like a group of barbarians still wearing animal skin skirts.

After visiting the steam locomotive exhibit, the First Emperor led the dignitaries from various states to the next exhibit, where they saw a grommet display case containing several beautiful grommet balls.

The political leaders of various countries were puzzled: were these jade orbs the exhibits this time? Although these jade orbs were quite beautiful, hadn't jade already been displayed before?

Filled with doubt, the dignitaries from various countries gathered around the display case to take a look, and they did indeed discover something special: there were things inside these spheres of jasmine, which seemed to be fine threads.

As the dignitaries from various countries gathered to observe, suddenly, these spheres of jewels lit up, startling some of them. However, they quickly regained their composure and began to examine the spheres of jewels even more closely.

The reason these jac spheres glow is because of the light emitted from the contents inside the spheres, not because the jac spheres themselves glow. But why do those filament-like things glow?
It wasn't lit up just now!
These spheres of chrysantha have rather strange shapes, especially their ends, which are inlaid with metal. The fine filaments inside seem to be connected to the metal at the ends as well. But even after noticing these features, it is still unclear why these spheres of chrysantha glow. The First Emperor then explained: "This object is called a 'chrysantha lamp,' also known as an 'electric lamp.' The 'electricity' refers to the 'electricity' in 'wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning.' Its brightness comes from the power of thunder and lightning."

These words surprised and puzzled the political leaders of the various states. If it was true, as the Qin Emperor said, that the Qin people used the power of lightning to make this thing glow, wouldn't that mean that the Qin people had mastered the power of lightning?

How is that possible!
The power of lightning is the power of heaven and earth, terrifying in its might, and can only be mastered by gods. If the Qin people have mastered it, wouldn't that mean the Qin people possess the power of gods?

If that were the case, the Qin people would not have needed to send out troops to eliminate their enemies; they could have simply unleashed the power of lightning to annihilate them. However, in reality, the Qin people did not do so.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the Qin people could not possibly have mastered the power of lightning. However, the Qin Emperor told them that the glowing of these jade orbs was due to the power of lightning, which did not seem like he was deceiving them.

Knowing what these people were thinking, the First Emperor laughed and said, "This object does indeed use the power of lightning, but it is much weaker than the lightning you usually see. The lightning power contained in heavenly lightning is powerful and terrifying. The lightning power in this object is far inferior to that of heavenly lightning, and it can be controlled by people!"

After hearing the First Emperor's words, the political leaders of the various states looked at the Qiulin Spheres again. The more they looked, the more they felt that the glowing of these Qiulin Spheres was somewhat similar to the light and brightness of lightning streaking across the sky. However, compared to the lightning that streaked across the sky and illuminated the entire world, it was much, much weaker, perhaps more than ten thousand times weaker.

If it really was a heavenly lightning that had been weakened by more than ten thousand times and had fallen into the hands of the Qin people... it doesn't seem impossible!

No, even if it's weak, it's still the power of heavenly lightning. How could the Qin people possibly control it? Impossible, absolutely impossible. The Qin people must have used other methods to make these Qilin spheres glow.

The political leaders of the various states had mixed feelings and were reluctant to admit that the Qin people had mastered the power of thunder and lightning, because if this were true, it would mean that the Qin people had developed to a level that they could not understand.

If before, although the Qin people were far superior to them, they were still all human. Even if they were not as good as the Qin people, they still felt that they had the possibility of reaching the level of the Qin people. However, if the Qin people have mastered the power of lightning, are the Qin people still human like them? Is it still possible for them to reach the same level?

Knowing that the dignitaries of the various states were unwilling to believe it, the First Emperor pointed to a display stand in another direction and said, "This item can demonstrate the power of lightning to you all!"

Following the direction pointed out by the First Emperor, the dignitaries of various states saw an object on the display stand that they could not understand. It appeared to be a rotating wheel made of glass with some metal plates attached to it, and a short pillar stood on each side of the wheel.

In fact, what the political leaders of various countries saw was called an "electrostatic induction generator," which was used in later classrooms to demonstrate the process of triboelectric discharge. The principle is simple and it is not difficult to make. It can also be made in the present Qin Dynasty after Li Nian's arrival.

Led by the First Emperor, the dignitaries from various states arrived at the exhibition booth, where several Qin men wearing gloves were already waiting. One of the Qin men said to the First Emperor, "Your Majesty, the electrostatic induction generator is ready. Please give your instructions!"

The political leaders of the various states looked completely bewildered, and the civil and military officials of Qin were equally confused. What were these "static electricity," "induction," and "generator"?

But they clearly heard the word "electricity" in it, and the three words "starter motor" meant that this thing seemed to be able to generate the power of lightning!

The First Emperor said, "Begin the demonstration!" A Qin man began to turn the handle on the wheel, making it spin rapidly. The officials of the various states stared intently at the wheel, eager to see how the Qin man would generate lightning.

As the wheel spun, a "crackling" sound rang out, and the dignitaries of various countries saw a bright white object appear between two small balls that were very close together on the other side of the wheel, and it was jumping and shining there.

The bright white thing appeared and disappeared intermittently, and it was its appearance that made the "crackling" sound. Although the thing was small, it did look like a lightning bolt that was much smaller. Could it be that the Qin people really mastered the power of lightning?

For a time, many political figures from various countries were filled with mixed feelings and were still unwilling to accept this fact. Some people asked the First Emperor, "Your Majesty, may I touch this lightning?"

He wanted to verify, by touching it himself, whether the bright white substance was real lightning.

The First Emperor said, "Although this thing is made of lightning, it is much weaker than the thunder in the world, so it is not very dangerous. If anyone wants to try it, they can go and give it a shot."

With the Emperor's permission, this man, under the arrangement of the Qin experimenters, extended a finger close to the two small metal balls, while everyone else stared intently at his finger.

A Qin man turned the handle, and the wheel spun. A crackling sound rang out, and a bright white light flashed. The man quickly pulled his finger back, as if he had been attacked suddenly.

Everyone looked at the man, and after he determined whether it was the power of lightning, the man carefully examined his fingers that had been struck by lightning and gave his judgment: "This should undoubtedly be the power of lightning!"

Not to mention people from other countries, even many civil and military officials of Qin were filled with disbelief. Apart from Wang Wan, Wang Jian and others, Qin had actually mastered the power of lightning.

Seeing that the man was unharmed, the others also tried to experience what it felt like to be struck by lightning. They couldn't withstand the thunder and lightning of the world, but they could try this kind of lightning. If they missed this opportunity, they didn't know when the next one would come. When they returned home, they could tell people: "We were struck by lightning and we are still unharmed!"

After seeing the electric light and the electrostatic induction generator, the First Emperor led the dignitaries from various states to another exhibit.

This device was no longer as special as an electric light or generator. Judging from its overall structure and the hemp threads on it, it looked like a textile machine, except that they had never seen this type of textile machine before.

The First Emperor explained, "This object is called 'Qin Weaving No. 3,' a machine used for weaving. It is easier and faster to weave than other weaving machines."

This thing was a textile machine that Li Nian created and that would appear later. Of course, among the many textile machines invented in later history, this one was not the most advanced, but it still surpassed the textile machinery used by the countries at that time.

The purpose of this exhibition today is to attract purchases from various countries. This exposition is not only an exhibition for various countries to display their treasures, but also a sales event for the Qin Dynasty to reach out to all countries.

(End of this chapter)