Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 441 BMW Car and Iron Ox Tractor
King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not attend the launching ceremony of the ironclad ship "Tongzhou". Instead, he was investigating the historically significant internal combustion engine technology review site at the Manila Heavy Industries factory.

As early as 1876

German inventor Otto designed and manufactured the world's first four-stroke internal combustion engine, which is of great historical significance.

As the relevant departments of the Chu State, which have been following the world's advanced scientific and technological inventions for a long time, followed up on this new internal combustion engine technology at the first time and invited Professor Otto with generous treatment to come to the Chu State to lead technical experts to continue to overcome related technical difficulties.

The salary offered by the State of Chu to Professor Otto was 1200 silver dollars per month, which was equivalent to 4800 German marks, almost at the top level in the scientific and technological community.

One month's salary can buy three blue brick bungalows in Manila's Intramuros district. This money can buy 6 to 7 beautiful young indigenous women and marry a Chinese woman.

Professor Otto came in 1979 as invited. He lived up to expectations and spent more than three years leading dozens of engineers and Chinese students to improve the designs of internal combustion engines. He developed two gasoline engines and one diesel engine with relatively advanced technology and stable operation. He also developed a power-coupled clutch and obtained hundreds of patents for scientific and technological inventions.

These basic technology invention patents for internal combustion engines belong to the investor, the Royal Fund.
The gasoline internal combustion engine and diesel internal combustion engine laboratories built on this basis are both led by Professor Otto and are at the leading level worldwide.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu couldn't help but smile with satisfaction as he watched the smoothly running gasoline engine installed on the four-wheeled vehicle, driving smoothly, moving forward, braking, accelerating, and turning quite flexibly.

The world's first car was born in Manila. It will be a milestone invention in the world's industrial history and bring a major industry to the State of Chu.

The world's first car was shaped very much like a horse-drawn carriage. It was an open-top car with a small cargo bed at the back. It could carry four people and more than 4 pounds of cargo at the same time, with a travel speed of about 800 to 25 kilometers.

This was four years ahead of the German engineer Karl Benz's development of the world's first car, and two years ahead of Gottlieb Daimler's development of the high-speed gasoline internal combustion engine.

The reason why such scientific and technological achievements were achieved was that the State of Chu used its strong financial resources to support Professor Otto's systematic research, which finally yielded fruitful results.

What made King Zheng Guohui of Chu most happy was that gasoline and diesel, which were originally waste, finally found their greatest use and could be used as fuel for internal combustion engines.

The first application area that came to his mind was agricultural machinery.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu described to Professor Otto the development of an agricultural tractor based on his own impressions. It only needed to use a simple diesel internal combustion engine, and its main features were durability. The cargo box could carry a large amount of cargo, starting at at least 2000 pounds.

The agricultural machinery he was talking about was a walk-behind tractor.

After removing the cargo box at the rear, the output power shaft can be equipped with a plow, a rake and other farm implements for tilling the soil and harvesting the fields. It is truly a multi-purpose tool.

Professor Otto thought about it for a short while, and then told His Majesty the King in an affirmative tone that if his research team was given 4 months, they would be able to complete the research and development work and meet the King's expectations.

The diesel internal combustion engine and clutch are already available, as are the four wheels and the frame. All that needs to be done is to further improve the design, which is mostly minor work and does not involve any fundamental difficulty.

At the research site

King Zheng Guohui of Chu had a very pleasant exchange with Professor Otto. He directly ordered that after the successful development, 120 tractors should be produced first for trial use, and then the shortcomings should be adjusted based on the feedback from the villages and continuous improvements should be made.

The brand of agricultural machinery is called "Iron Ox". It focuses on being solid and durable, and uses two curved horns as its brand logo, which is very simple and easy to identify.

As for cars using gasoline internal combustion engines, 50 units will be produced first for trial use, which is about three months' production.

As for the brand, it is called "BMW", which means a good horse like BMW. It is catchy and easy to pronounce.

Both gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines are produced by sand casting, which requires a high level of relevant technology. There are many defective and scrap products in the production, so the output is limited.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu urged the training of more skilled workers and the improvement of production levels. In the future, this will be an important machinery development industry with a bright future.

After being reborn into this world for many years, King Zheng Guohui of Chu has been deeply integrated into the current era.

To date
There were not many scientific and technological developments led by King Zheng Guohui of Chu, and the internal combustion engine could be considered the most important one. He was not a technical talent and only knew the name of the internal combustion engine.

But the Chu royal family was rich. They invested a large amount of silver and organized a large number of technical experts and engineers to follow up on the research and development. They achieved a series of technological achievements and successfully put the internal combustion engine into practical use.

This is much better than what German engineer Karl Benz did alone in the laboratory, and the efficiency is incomparable.

Therefore, the automobile technology perfected in the Chu State laboratory is more complete and practical. It has a gear steering gear, a tie rod connecting the front wheels, a spring shock absorber and a frame system, and is highly practical.

With the foresight of past and present lives, King Zheng Guohui of Chu knew that the internal combustion engine business was a huge industry involving billions or even tens of billions of dollars, enough to support the industrial backbone of the Chu State's development for the next hundred years.

I pay special attention to this.

He personally issued an order to supervise the development and practical application of internal combustion engines, and finally achieved fruitful results, which made him feel particularly accomplished.

"Dear Professor Otto, this king particularly values ​​the future development prospects of the internal combustion engine. This type of power machine, combined with the resource advantages of the Chu State, can produce an outstanding effect of 1 + 1 being greater than .

The Chu State will focus on developing the internal combustion engine industry and provide strong support from funding to production. This determination is unwavering.

What Professor Otto needs to do is to continue in-depth research and develop more practical and efficient flame-resistant machinery that can be widely used in more fields.

We look forward to achieving world-leading technological achievements in the field of internal combustion engines, and at the same time becoming a resounding business card for the Chu State, representing the kingdom's brilliant achievements in science and technology."

King Zheng Guohui of Chu had a very high opinion of the internal combustion engine. He spoke to Professor Otto in a friendly manner without any airs of a monarch.

Professor Otto was flattered by this and he repeatedly expressed that he would do his best to contribute his talents to the internal combustion engine industry of Chu State.

The scientific and technological personnel and engineers of this era did not have a high social status and were not well paid, and they relied more on their passion for science to conduct research.

In conservative countries like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, many experts and engineers were persecuted by the church and backward conservative forces, and were often imprisoned. It was completely unimaginable for them to have such a high social status.

Here, I feel like a fish in water.

This was a generous policy of the Chu State to attract foreign scientific and technological experts, which was used to promote the research level of domestic higher education institutions of science and engineering, and has achieved obvious results.

The research of the University of Manila in some fields of science and engineering has reached the world's advanced level.

A series of laboratories invested by the Huang Fund have been built in universities across the country, including mechanical machine tool laboratories, small steam engine laboratories, marine steam engine laboratories, electrical laboratories, steel metallurgical materials laboratories, firearms laboratories, chemical pyrotechnics laboratories, agricultural laboratories, diesel internal combustion engine and gasoline internal combustion engine laboratories, textile machinery laboratories, etc. A large number of high-level experts from China and abroad participate in the research, forming the foundation of the scientific and technological development of the Chu State.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu believed that such investment was very necessary and that experts should do the work of experts. Every year, the Royal Fund invested more than 200 million silver dollars in the field of science and technology.

These scientific laboratories received funding ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 silver dollars, and as much as 70,000 to 80,000, or even more than 100,000 silver dollars, and achieved numerous scientific and technological achievements.

For example, the Iron and Steel Metallurgical Materials Laboratory is a key laboratory located in Nanyang Heavy Industries. The high-strength steel cable metallurgical material ratio developed by the laboratory is an outstanding scientific and technological achievement.

In the field of steel metallurgy, there are no shortcuts.

All special steels developed are the result of years of continuous testing of metallurgical formulas, continuous improvement, and continuous exploration of molten steel, finally achieving the effect of high-strength and high-tension special steel.

The steel cable made from this became the main cable of the trans-Pacific submarine cable, withstanding the test of the harsh geographical environment and proving to be an outstanding scientific and technological achievement.

High-strength steel can also be used in internal combustion engines and steam engines. For example, valve push rods, piston cylinders and crankshaft connecting rods are all rolled from molten steel smelted with a high-strength steel formula, and their performance is much stronger than ordinary steel.

on the basis of

We can continue to improve metallurgical formulas and develop high-wear-resistant special bearing steel, high-strength armor steel, high-hardness drill steel and other special steels. These are the steel plant's deepest foundation and most valuable wealth.

These research and development achievements were achieved through continuous testing of furnace after furnace of molten steel. They required time and a large amount of capital investment and could not be achieved overnight. The world has already seen the emergence of new inventions such as steam cars, steam tractors, steam excavators, and steam motorcycles.

The emergence of internal combustion engines provided better power options for these machines, and it was natural to switch to gasoline cars, diesel cars, diesel tractors, excavators and motorcycles using internal combustion engines.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu personally led and arranged the next scientific research direction, and instructed the factory managers to be prepared for large-scale production and to make internal combustion engines a top priority in industrial development.

All the ministers who accompanied him saw the importance that His Majesty the King of Chu attached to the project, and they became more awe-inspiring and raised the level of attention paid to the internal combustion engine factory to the highest level.

If you need money, we will provide you with money; if you need people, we will provide you with people; we will support you without any reservation.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not hide his importance. He wanted this effect: the whole country would focus on developing the internal combustion engine and automobile industry, turning gasoline and diesel resources into treasure and making full use of them.

The end of the inspection

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was standing around the four-wheeled vehicle he had developed, pointing at the wheels and saying with a smile, "This vehicle requires four rubber wheels, which consumes quite a bit of rubber. Can our rubber resources supply them?"

"Your Majesty, in the Malaya region, Governor Zheng Guoguang is fully committed to the development of rubber plantations. The annual output of natural rubber will increase by more than 9%. More and more mature natural rubber forests are entering the tapping period. The current annual production capacity has reached more than 14 barrels, and it will reach more than barrels next year, showing a rapid growth trend." Viscount Wu Qingfeng, Secretary of State for the Colonies, replied respectfully.

He came up with these data casually and knew them by heart.

"Zheng Guoguang, my royal brother is really down-to-earth in his work. Very good, very good." The King of Chu nodded in approval.

Governor Zheng Guoguang is a stubborn person. He knows that his wisdom and knowledge are not high, so he always carries out the orders of His Majesty the King of Chu to the letter.

The King of Chu said that we should pay attention to the development of natural rubber plantations, so Governor Zheng Guoguang should vigorously develop natural rubber plantations and spare no effort to do it. This direction of effort will definitely not be wrong.

As expected, he received the praise of the King of Chu, which was really not easy.

This is also the important reason why King Zheng Guohui of Chu was confident in letting his third brother Zheng Guoguang serve as the Governor-General of Malaya. He did not need to have his own ideas, he just needed to follow orders.

Those who act on their own will only cause harm.

After evaluating the BMW car, King Zheng Guohui of Chu also proposed some small suggestions such as adding a handbrake device, a horn device, and a rearview mirror. These suggestions were recorded one by one by Professor Otto's expert group and will be adopted in the improvement.

From Zheng Guohui's perspective, he saw that the engine ran smoothly and drove the vehicle powerfully, with an average of 7.5 horsepower, which is already a good level.

The technology of internal combustion engines still needs continuous improvement, but it is now worth promoting.

The diesel engine placed on the other side was much quieter, emitting black smoke and making quite a noise when it ran, but it received high praise from King Zheng Guohui of Chu.

A diesel engine does not need to be very quiet, and a little black smoke is fine. The main feature is that it is durable and inexpensive so that it can be used in a wide range of applications.

A diesel engine plus a belt can drive a circular saw, making it an important piece of equipment in a sawmill.

Compared with the bulky and inefficient steam engine, the diesel engine is much smaller in size but much more efficient. The difference is obvious in comparison.

If it can be widely promoted, the benefits will be self-evident.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu identified the use of diesel engines in two major areas: agricultural transportation and agricultural machinery production. Agricultural transportation is mainly based on hand tractors, which is a field with a wide range of uses and is also frequently used in mines and large-scale infrastructure projects.

Agricultural production mainly consists of the most labor-intensive tasks of tilling the soil and harvesting crops. If agricultural machinery can be used instead, it will greatly save manpower and improve farmland production efficiency.

This is of great significance to the current Chu State, because there are not many indigenous convicts in the Chu State now.

Over the years, the indigenous people of the previously occupied territories have been basically exhausted by years of hard work, and are rarely seen in external road and bridge construction teams.

Most of this infrastructure construction was undertaken by new Chinese immigrants.

There are only a few hundred thousand indigenous convicts left, most of whom come from the newly recovered islands of Sumatra and southern Kalimantan. They are basically doing hard labor in hundreds of mines in the Chu state and are rarely seen by the outside world.

After a few years of consumption, there won’t be much left.

Therefore, in this field, the demand for using agricultural machinery to replace manpower is quite urgent. On the one hand, it greatly improves the labor efficiency of mining, and on the other hand, it greatly improves the efficiency of infrastructure construction and agricultural production, both of which require the widespread use of agricultural machinery.

With the total population of Chu State now exceeding 40 million, enslaving hundreds of thousands of indigenous people would not be a big deal at all, it would be a piece of cake.

In Chu
Many scholars have criticized the government's policy of severely enslaving and assimilating the indigenous population, believing that "this is not a virtuous policy, and we should spread benevolence and virtue to the world and influence the barbarians," and so on, with an awe-inspiring attitude.

Any such remarks in newspapers will attract the Ministry of the Interior's high attention and will be promptly acted to suppress.

Not long ago

Two corrupt professors in the Chinese Department of the University of Manila, who were said to be great scholars both inside and outside the academy, lost their minds for a moment and made outrageous remarks in the newspapers, and were soon publicly arrested.

The charge was "collaborating with foreign countries, selling out the country for personal gain, and committing notorious crimes." On the day of his arrest, there were many onlookers around, all whispering and talking about him.

When the onlookers heard that the two men were traitors, they immediately treated them to rotten eggs and vegetable leaves, smashing them into a miserable state and almost killing them on the spot out of anger.

The children and family members of these two Chinese department professors were implicated and demoted to brothels as slaves. They were never allowed to be employed again, and their dark history will be recorded for three generations.

This is really misleading others and oneself, and the corrupt scholars are harming the country!

The whole Chu State was permeated with an atmosphere of fanatical foreign colonization, conquest and expansion. The people were keen on adventure and legends of getting rich quickly, and their enthusiasm was fully aroused.

Recruitment advertisements from the Congo River Company and the East African Company can often be seen in the streets and alleys of various cities. There are also slogans promoting Nicaragua in Central America and the Viceroyalty of Patagonia in South America.

“If you are a passionate adventurer, then come to the Patagonian Plains. Here, you will find endless legends and possibilities, and achieve the pinnacle of life.”

“Beautiful Central America is calling you. It’s a magical land waiting to be conquered.”

"The vast Congo River forests are filled with the call of the wild. Here, you'll find endless, fertile land. We offer tailor-made colonization and development plans, including 200 acres of land upon arrival, ready for a glorious life."

Similar promotional advertisements can be found in countless streets and alleys in cities and villages of the Chu State.

This is also an important reason why there are a steady stream of new immigrants from the State of Chu rushing to the border areas. They are really looking for an opportunity, an adventure and the possibility of a glorious life.

In particular, the Congo River Company's promotional advertisements that offered 200 acres of land upon arrival often aroused the Chinese immigrants' deep desire for land, and they signed up on a whim.

Even as far away as West Africa, there is no shortage of new Chinese immigrants who are eager for land.

In this overall social atmosphere, it would be unacceptable to criticize the colonial policies implemented by the government, and the government would not tolerate any injustice.

It can only be said that these two professors of the Chinese Department were not the first nor the last to pay a heavy price for their careless words and become victims of attacks.

The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds.

Having nothing to do after a meal is really boring. If you can't control your mouth, you will naturally get into trouble.

(End of this chapter)