There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 128 It’s time to step on the accelerator
A proud chicken? A steam engine.

Nie Yu provided the blueprints, and the craftsmen were responsible for learning and imitating them according to the blueprints. Compared with the previous cannon and flintlock rifle manufacturing, the technical difficulty of this steam engine was undoubtedly higher.

The craftsmen in the firearms workshop were mainly transferred to mass-produce muskets and cannons. There were not many craftsmen who could be transferred to imitate steam engines. There were only five people in total, including more than ten apprentices and two scholars who were responsible for helping with record writing (the craftsmen were not very literate). In this way, the Han army's steam engine research and development team was formed.

Even with the blueprints for reference, this relatively low-equipped R&D and manufacturing team still spent more than three months to build Unit 01.

When Nie Yu arrived with his officials, the craftsmen were conducting operational tests on Unit-01.

The apprentice worked hard to add coal to the boiler, and the steam engine roared and spewed thick smoke, accompanied by a violent roar.

Although Nie Yu was a time traveler, he still felt a throbbing in his heart when he saw this roaring steam monster.

This is China's first steam engine!
The wheel of history was finally set in motion by him. At this time in Western Europe, Watt had just improved his steam engine and officially put it into industrial production, thus launching the first industrial revolution in Britain.

Originally, the Qing Dynasty also had this opportunity, because steam engines appeared in the Qing Dynasty very early. Even in Qianlong’s treasury, there were still steam locomotives left by his grandfather Kangxi.

Yes, it is a steam locomotive, built by the missionary Ferdinand Verbiest for Emperor Kangxi. It was more than a hundred years earlier than the Watt steam engine and is recognized as the ancestor of the automobile.

It's a pity that this ancestor of the car, which is also China's first steam engine, became Kang Mazi's collection and was placed in a warehouse to collect dust.

"Dong dong dong~~!"

The steam engine rumbled for more than an hour. Nie Yu squatted not far away and watched for more than an hour. Even the officials around him were a little confused.

Is this what the general called the "chicken that strives for honor"?
Not only does it have nothing to do with chicken, it doesn't even seem to be of any use.

Several wheels kept turning, driving the belt pull rod to move repeatedly. It seemed that someone had to fill it with coal to burn, otherwise it would stop. According to the craftsmen, this thing seemed to be used to boil water?

boil water?
The general wouldn't ask the craftsmen to spend several months just to build a device for boiling water, right?
"Bang! Boom!"

With a loud bang, the steam engine suddenly stopped and got stuck.

The craftsman looked puzzled and said quickly, "General, there may be something wrong with the steam engine. We will fix it immediately."

Nie Yu suppressed his excitement and said, "You have done a great job on this machine. Everyone who participated in its manufacture will receive a reward. Now, prioritize identifying any problems and then work on improving them. Once the finished product is produced, everyone will be generously rewarded!"

Nie Yu did not blame the craftsmen, but instead gave them generous rewards and promised that there would be more generous rewards after the improvements were completed.

Without any worries, and with Nie Yu's follow-up, they were given several experienced craftsmen, more apprentices, and several scholars who were good at arithmetic and painting to assist them.

The craftsmen responsible for developing and improving the steam engine were immediately energized and found the problem in just half a day.

The reason is not that complicated. It is simply that the technical process is immature. Although these craftsmen have drawings as a reference, they can avoid many detours. In fact, in terms of the design of the drawings alone, they are more advanced than the Watt steam engine used by the British during the Industrial Revolution.

But blueprints are not omnipotent, and the weak supporting industrial base is also an unavoidable flaw of the Han army.

Take shrapnel for example. Nie Yu knew how to make it and had the design drawings, but he couldn't make it with the manufacturing process!
The biggest problem with shrapnel shells is not the fuse and gunpowder, but the iron shell of the shell, which cannot withstand the huge chamber pressure in the barrel. If the shell is forced to fire, it is easy for it to explode in the barrel before it is even fired.

Not only are shrapnel shells 100% likely to explode, but even conventional artillery of the current era, whether it is the cannons of the Qing army or the cannons used by foreign powers, are at risk of exploding after long-term use.

Nie Yu's gun will not explode because his barrels are made of modern steel pipes, and the technology is more than two hundred years ahead of the world.

Fortunately, this problem was already being addressed. When Nie Yu visited the steam engine that day, he also saw the finished product of the new steel furnace. As a pressing need for the Han army, the new steel furnace was equipped with a team of craftsmen, certainly more luxurious than the steam engine's team of craftsmen.

The new steel furnace didn't look much different from the current generation, and that's because it wasn't. It wasn't that Nie Yu didn't want to create something even more impressive, but something even more impressive would require electricity. Electricity wasn't a problem, but the problem was where he could get a continuous power supply for mass production.

You can’t rely entirely on shopping malls for purchases!
Even with large generators, they wouldn't be able to sustain the continuous power generation and steelmaking process day and night! A real power plant and a power grid system would be necessary, but that's currently impossible.

They had no choice but to settle for the second best and first make an improved steelmaking furnace, and at the same time pass on the improved steelmaking method.

The current folk steelmaking is still done by primitive methods, relying purely on luck to forge steel. Even the famous steel-pouring method requires forging.

Unforged cast steel is also steel, but it is commonly called pseudo steel. It can be used, but the quality is too poor.

In several battles between the Han army and the Qing army, the Han army's Tang Dao was able to cut through the Qing army's waist swords with a single blow. This was because the Qing army not only used earthenware steel, but also fake steel that had not been tempered much. It was difficult for them to withstand the impact of iron swords, let alone high-strength alloy steel swords.

With the new steel furnace, there is no plan to promote mass production for the time being. It will only be used within the Han army's firearms workshop to specifically manufacture parts for artillery and muskets for the Han army. The main gun barrels and gun barrels must still be made of seamless steel pipes purchased from the mall.

"So, the cost of an all-steel knife can reach 400 to 500 coins?" Nie Yu asked.

The craftsman in charge of the new steel furnace nodded. "This cost is already very low, because we have our own mine and don't have to spend money to buy ore. If other mines were to supply iron ore, the cost would probably be much higher."

"...Let's make the shrapnel bomb first! I'll give you the blueprints later. See if you can make it."

Nie Yu wanted to be self-sufficient and make weapons by making steel himself, but after hearing the cost report from the craftsmen, he instantly gave up the idea.

The cost of a knife is 400 wen, even after deducting the cost of the mine. It is too expensive, more expensive than what he bought with cheats.

With this money, it’s better to buy it directly or let them make the shells first!

The steam engine developed quite quickly because there were no bottlenecks at all. The blueprints helped them avoid any design bottlenecks, and they didn't have to take the detour of trial and error like the Europeans did.

At most, they were limited by the technological level of the time, and many core components could not be produced, so they could only seek alternative products. For example, planetary gears, which craftsmen could not make by hand.

Nie Yu can buy gears, but they will eventually have to be put into mass production, and the gears he buys must match the machine before they can be used.

The craftsmen worked day and night to improve the engine, and successively solved several problems including the speed regulator, piston, sealing and heat insulation, increasing the power of the steam engine several times, which was already very close to the kinetic energy power of the British steam engine during the Opium War.

Compared with the British steam engines of the same period, it was far superior.

The disadvantage is that the steam engine is too large to be used at all, with too many parts crammed inside and minor problems occurring every now and then.

We must work on improvements and reductions, otherwise it cannot be put into production. Moreover, too much coal is consumed, so we must find ways to optimize and reduce it.

Half a month later, Nie Yu received a progress report from the firearm workshop. He first gave praise and then encouraged the craftsmen to continue improving. At the same time, he also began to draw drawings of the steam spinning machine linkage according to the book, as well as more advanced steam coin minting machines and steam rifling machines.

Since the steam engine has been invented, the supporting equipment must also be put on the agenda, such as rifled guns and rifled cannons.

Even though the Qing Dynasty just passed the Qianlong period, there really isn't much time left. If nothing unexpected happens, Nie Yu might even live until the outbreak of the Opium War. He has to step on the accelerator of the Chinese technology tree appropriately, otherwise he will not be able to catch up and overtake.

"General, the Secretariat and the Army Department request an audience with urgent military information!"

"Let them in!"

What urgent military information? It's simple, He Lin is dead!
Wang Ruoyu came in and said excitedly, "General, great news! After extensive investigation, it was confirmed that the commander of the 100,000 Qing troops in western Hunan, He Lin, had been killed by the Miao people!"

(End of this chapter)