New Han Dynasty 1834

Looking at the shape of the thing in front of him, Liu Yulong felt that it was quite different from what he had imagined, and began to doubt whether his previous guess was wrong.

However, before Liu Yulong could analyze it in detail, Wang Lai, who was standing next to him, took the initiative to explain the principle of the machine:

"Your Majesty, the internal structure of this machine is like a waterwheel. It is designed based on the principle of waterwheels being driven by river water, except that the flowing river water is replaced with controllable steam."

"Such steam lobes can be made in many quantities at the same time and strung together on the same large shaft to provide greater power."

"However, the manufacture of this type of disc is extremely difficult, and all the blades should be as identical in size as possible."

"It requires the use of the finest wrought iron or even refined steel, carefully processed by a skilled old blacksmith."

"Due to the extremely high manufacturing costs, no multiple steam locomotives were manufactured until all the problems were resolved."

After hearing the explanation, Liu Yulong felt relieved, realizing that he had indeed guessed correctly.

Liu Desheng forbade the craftsmen from learning the existing universal reciprocating steam engine in Europe, and as a result, they managed to develop the steam turbine!

The pictures of steam turbines that Liu Yulong had seen before were all modern, mature, composite steam turbines.

If it's a complete external photo, it looks like a cylinder that tapers slightly in the middle.

If it's a photo of the internal structure, it also shows multiple layers of blades mounted on a single shaft.

The steam turbine in front of us is very primitive; it has only a single layer of blades inside, so it looks like a wheel rather than a cylinder.

That's why Liu Yulong didn't recognize it immediately when he first saw it, and thought he had made a mistake.

The early steam turbines did indeed operate on principles similar to windmills and watermills, and as they matured, they could be combined with the reverse thrust principle of rocket engines.

This idea is not unusual and fits the imagination of ordinary people. After Liu Desheng blocked the path of reciprocating steam engines, it is indeed very likely that the craftsmen would think of this direction.

However, the key to making this thing is to ensure it can output power continuously and stably, which is where the trouble begins.

Steam turbines are much more difficult to manufacture than reciprocating steam engines.

A practical steam turbine should not have been built until the 1880s, after the widespread adoption of converter steelmaking technology.

By the early 20th century, steam turbines had gradually replaced reciprocating steam engines on large warships and high-end civilian ships.

From then until the 21st century, steam turbines have always been the engines of large aircraft carriers and the prime movers of thermal power plants.

Even in nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and nuclear power plants, the actual equipment that drives the propellers and generators is still a steam turbine.

It's just that nuclear reactors have replaced coal and oil, using nuclear energy to burn boilers to generate steam to drive steam turbines.

With the aid of European-style steam engines, the Institute of Physics was able to manufacture an early steam turbine fifty years ahead of schedule.

However, without the converter steelmaking process, there is a lack of large quantities of cheap, high-quality steel, making it difficult to put into practical use and mass-produce.

Before the modern steel industry, steam turbine experiments were not only incredibly expensive, but also yielded little practical result.

Once their political and financial support is cut off, this half-finished product will immediately become unusable.

This is the negative effect of "jumping through the tech tree".

Liu Yulong felt that what he should do now was to make up for what they were missing as soon as possible.

Wang Lai noticed that Liu Yulong was staring intently at the steam engine, so he cautiously asked for instructions:

"Your Majesty, shall we start the machine and test it now?"

Liu Yulong agreed with a bit of curiosity:

"Try starting it up."

Wang Lai immediately arranged for his people to do it. The craftsman in charge of the experiment first bowed to Liu Yulong, and then went forward to inspect the machine.

After confirming that the machine was in good working order, I opened the steam valve on the pipe.

A faint buzzing sound emanated from the early steam turbine, which resembled a wheel, and the main shaft in the middle of the wheel began to rotate.

If a propeller is attached to the end of the main shaft and installed inside the hull, the ship can be propelled to sail.

Liu Yulong looked at the machine and nodded slightly, then turned to the craftsmen beside him and said:

"Your ideas and direction are correct; this kind of machine does indeed have a very good application prospect."

"However, it is not practical until the problems of steel material supply and processing are solved, so we should not expand the experiment for the time being."

The officials, scholars, and craftsmen around were all stunned upon hearing this, feeling extremely surprised and flustered.

The two emperors, Liu Desheng and his son Liu Jin'an, made almost no judgmental evaluations of their research.

We won't tell them whether their direction and approach are right or wrong; we'll let them judge for themselves.

Now Liu Yulong has given a very clear judgment, which can be considered a special kind of support.

However, Liu Yulong also realized the key problem with this machine and stopped them from continuing the experiment.

So what should they do next? Should they focus their main efforts on finding other solutions?

Aside from this plan, the other ideas are even more unreliable.

The officials, scholars, and craftsmen present all wanted a clear answer, but were hesitant to ask any further questions.

What if Liu Yulong gets caught up in the questioning and orders the project to be completely shut down?

So much so that Wang Lai cupped his hands and said, "Your subject will respectfully follow Your Majesty's teachings," and then fell silent like everyone else.

Only the roar of the steam turbines remained at the scene.

About three minutes later, Liu Yulong turned to Wang Lai again and asked:

"How long can this machine run continuously without shutting down for maintenance?"

Wang Lai answered nervously:

"Your Majesty, it can last anywhere from two or three hours to two or three days."

Liu Yulong was very satisfied with the result:

"Alright, let him run like that then. Let's find a quiet place so I can make some arrangements for our future research."

Wang Lai and the staff of the Gewu Institute around him were all on tenterhooks, thinking to themselves: It's finally here.

Liu Yulong is really not going to stick to the ancestral system anymore; he wants to change the current situation of the Gewu Academy.

The Institute of Gewu had very shallow roots among the common people and in the imperial court; it was an institution that was almost born out of the newly established Han imperial power.

If the imperial power wanted to change the status quo, the Imperial Academy of Sciences would find it difficult to resist and would basically have no choice but to passively accept it.

Since change is unavoidable, the only thing to focus on is how to make that change.

Led by Wang Lai, Liu Yulong went to a large hall in front of the warehouse, which was where the craftsmen who developed the steam engine usually met and discussed matters.

The middle of the hall was left empty, with two north-facing seats directly above it, reserved for the officials and craftsmen who would preside over the meeting.

Three rows of armchairs were placed on each side of the main hall, with a small square table between each pair of chairs, reserved for the officials and craftsmen attending the meeting.

Liu Yulong sat down directly in the main seat at the top, and told all the people accompanying Wang Lai and others to find places to sit around him. If there weren't enough chairs, they could stand around.

After everyone had taken their places, Liu Yulong looked around the room and, seeing the obvious nervousness on everyone's faces, began with a definitive opening statement:

"Emperor Taizu Gao's establishment of the Academy of Natural Sciences was a wise move, and his requirements for the skills of craftsmen were also the right approach."

"Our Han Dynasty has a vast territory and a large population. The consumption of any material is extremely high, and it is impossible to rely on external supplies."

"We must train our own personnel, develop our own technologies, and produce our own equipment; we cannot be subject to others."

"However, I also believe that practice and theory are equally important."

"Although our great Han Dynasty drove out the Tartars, restored the Han Dynasty and the state, and eliminated the remnants of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, new threats have also emerged."

"The Rakshasa invaded Heilongjiang and Baihai, where Su Wu herded sheep. The British had also taken control of India and Malacca. Almost all the former vassal states in the South China Sea were destroyed by European barbarians."

"As for steam engines, the British have been running trains and steamships for ten years, and the French, that is, the Francois, have also started running trains."

"The key point is that the British steamships have already arrived in the Han Dynasty."

Emperor Taizu Gaozu must have repeatedly emphasized that the steam engine would play an exceptionally important role in the future.

"With this kind of machine, we can solve the problem of rapid transportation in the mainland and also solve the problem of ocean transportation."

"The barbarians in Europe have mastered this machine, and in recent years their harassment activities around the Han Dynasty have become more and more frequent and intense."

"If the Great Han cannot completely suppress them, then the future of the sea frontiers will be peaceful, and the tragedy of the collapse of the heavens may even be repeated."

"Therefore, our great Han should continue to develop our own machines while making use of the useful machines and technologies invented by Europeans..."

Liu Yulong began by defining the nature of the Gewu Institute and making a statement, aiming to reassure the officials, scholars, and craftsmen of the institute.

They were assured that the new emperor would not abolish the Academy of Sciences, and that their lives and research could continue.

Liu Yulong's subsequent words also drew nods of agreement from most of the scholars and craftsmen.

When Liu Yulong finished speaking, almost everyone's face lit up with surprise.

Liu Yulong is actually going to change the most rigid rule left by Liu Desheng.

In other words, it's a rule that forbids the use of foreign technology!

After years of research in accordance with Liu Desheng's requirements, the officials, scholars, and craftsmen of the Gewu Academy, having acquired basic and systematic scientific knowledge, increasingly felt that such rules were extremely unreasonable.

The main structure of various machines, the main components of various functions, and the conversion methods of various motion forms may all have only a few typical and feasible solutions.

Even if multiple people develop things completely independently, they may still produce very similar products at the same time. Crankshaft connecting rods and planetary gears are a matter of course.

The forced ban on using these typical designs caused great distress to the vast majority of craftsmen.

Most craftsmen felt that the emperor and scholars were too rigid and inflexible, so why couldn't they use foreign technology?

However, none of them were able to persuade Liu Desheng, and they could only continue their research as Liu Desheng requested.

After Liu Desheng's death, when Crown Prince Liu Jin'an ascended the throne.

The craftsmen initially had some hope that the new emperor would change his previous rigid and inflexible demands.

As a result, after Liu Jinan took office, he not only did not adjust these requirements, but also emphasized those rules and requirements again.

Let the scholars and craftsmen of the Institute of Natural History continue their research in the same way as before.

The craftsmen were very upset and disappointed, but they did not offer any advice when the new emperor had just ascended the throne.

It was only natural to prepare to wait another two or three years, until the new emperor had adjusted military affairs, before subtly offering advice to change the current situation of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

As a result, Liu Jin'an died two New Years after ascending the throne.

Now that Liu Yulong has succeeded to the throne, they had no expectations, but Liu Yulong just happened to have this idea!

This was truly an unexpected delight.