Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

In fact, if Zhou Zhen had been given some time, he could definitely have come up with Liu Qiusheng's idea as well.

However, the fact that the other party was able to come up with a solution so quickly undoubtedly shows that this young man has a certain talent in the field of equipment manufacturing.

Indeed, the wisdom of the working people should not be underestimated.

Master Zhang Tieniu nodded: "Okay, factory manager, let's find the materials right away and make a small one to try first."

Just do it.

Zhang Tieniu and his apprentices found a sturdy old gasoline drum and cut it up to modify it.

They carefully riveted an air vent pipe to one end of the barrel, and installed a brass one-way air valve made by Master Han on the pipe.

This ensures that water vapor and the gas produced after the reaction are discharged, while also preventing further air from entering.

Meanwhile, a stirring rod was added to the middle of the tank top cover, which is directly connected to the stirring device inside the tank.

On one side of the tank, a new opening was made, connecting to a funnel-shaped feed inlet.

Since this furnace is not a pressurized device, the requirements for sealing are not that high, so Master Han and his apprentice quickly completed the construction.

A few days later, a tin can with a pointed tube on top appeared before everyone.

On that day, Zhou Zhen and several other key technical personnel began testing.

The first experiment begins.

Master Li had already fired and ground several baskets of hard jujube charcoal granules, loaded them into the steam furnace, and resealed the lid. Coal was then lit underneath the furnace for heating.

The furnace temperature gradually increases.

Feeling the time was right, Zhou Zhen ordered the steam valve connected to the boiler to be opened.

Hissing white steam quickly entered the steam reactor through the one-way valve.

As steam is poured in, the air inside the furnace is also forced out.

"Turn up the heat," Zhou Zhen commanded, observing the furnace's condition.

As Zhou Zhen gave the order, two workers pushed and pulled a huge leather bellows to blow air into the charcoal fire in the stove.

As air was pumped in, the firepower on the stove surged.

At this point, problems also arose with the reactor.

The simple check valve made of brass sheet was not very effective.

Under high temperature and pressure, steam hissed and leaked out.

The workers watching were on tenterhooks, whispering among themselves:

"Oh dear, the leak is so bad, all the steam is escaping, how can we even chew the charcoal now?"

An experienced worker nearby glared at him and said in a low voice, "Don't panic, Director Zhou will definitely have a solution. This is the first time!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but pray silently, muttering to himself.

"Thank God, it will work!"

Seeing this, Master Zhang Tieniu asked with some concern, "Factory manager, should we turn off the fire?"

Zhou Zhen squatted beside the stove, squinting as he examined the leaking area. He raised his hand and waved it, saying, "It's just a little leaky, it's not a big problem, continue."

"Start stirring. When stirring, be sure to keep the speed constant; it shouldn't be too fast or too slow."

The stirring unit, which had been prepared for a long time, began to turn the handles according to the techniques they had been trained on. The gears on the handles meshed and turned, and the belt then drove the stirring wheel of the reactor to move as well.

As the reaction continues, the temperature of the steam furnace also continues to rise.

The large amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen produced by the reaction flowed through the one-way valve at the top and the connecting pipe into the drying tank made of limestone by Zhou Zhen. After simple drying, they were collected in a large coarse porcelain vat.

But not long after, new problems arose.

As the temperature of the steam reactor increased, air began to leak at the connection between the stirring rod and the reactor lid.

At high temperatures, the asbestos sealing layer fails to seal properly, allowing steam to continuously escape from the gaps.

Zhou Zhen and Zhang Tieniu huddled together at the leak and observed it carefully.

"The hemp rope wasn't pressed tightly enough, and the oil would easily evaporate at high temperatures."

Zhang Tieniu wiped his sweat. "I'll come down and revise it again. The ointment won't work. Next time I'll try graphite."

"The one-way valve also needs to be changed," Zhou Zhen added, "because it leaks air badly too."

The experiment continued.

Zhou Zhen stood still, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the furnace body and various interfaces.

After a long while, seeing that no new problems had arisen, he finally nodded slightly: "Turn off the engine."

The second test showed a significant improvement in air leakage.

Although wisps of steam are still escaping, it is now within a controllable range.

After the reactor cooled down, everyone gathered around it, holding their breath and staring intently at the furnace opening.

Master Han's hands, gripping the tobacco, were slightly sweaty, and Master Zhang Tieniu unconsciously took two steps forward.

Someone muttered to themselves, "This should work now, right?"

Zhou Zhen took a deep breath and slowly unscrewed the sealed cap himself.

A distinctive charcoal aroma wafted out, and everyone immediately craned their necks to look. The charcoal particles at the bottom of the stove looked more uniformly black than the previous batch.

"Wow! This looks pretty good!"

"This time it worked, right? It looks much better than last time."

Some people couldn't help but cheer quietly.

But Zhou Zhen remained silent.

He reached out and took out a handful of charcoal granules, brought them up to the light, and squinted to examine them closely.

I crushed a few more charcoal particles and used my fingertips to feel the subtle changes as the charcoal broke apart.

Gradually, his brows furrowed.

The atmosphere around them also quietly froze.

He turned and walked to the testing station, poured the carbon granules into the filter canister of a gas mask, put on the mask, and brought the filter canister close to an open bottle of ammonia.

Through breathing, Zhou Zhen could clearly feel that the ammonia smell in the air filtered through the gas canister was not strong. If it was only for protection against chlorine, it should be enough. However, if the enemy used mustard gas, such filtration performance would obviously not be sufficient.

Zhou Zhen shook his head silently.

The onlookers were all somewhat dejected. Some slumped their shoulders, some turned around and wiped their faces. Master Zhang Tieniu sighed heavily, and Liu Qiusheng slammed his fist heavily on the pillar next to him, his eyes full of resentment.

Amidst a somber mood, Zhou Zhen squatted down in front of the reactor, reaching out to touch the various interfaces and furnace walls.

At this point, the temperature of the reactor had dropped, the furnace structure was intact, and there was only a very slight dampness at the seal. He then checked the various valves, pipes, and heating chamber of the furnace.

"Strange," Zhou Zhen muttered to himself, his brows furrowed. "Everything that needed changing has been changed, so where exactly is the problem?"

It was late at night, and the oil lamp was still lit in Zhou Zhen's residence at the arsenal.

Zhou Zhen sat at the table, with a large number of calculation manuscripts and hand-drawn diagrams spread out in front of him.

His eyes were bloodshot, but he still forced himself to recalculate line by line.

The Japanese poison gas attack was like a sword hanging over our heads, threatening the safety of the soldiers and civilians in the base area at any moment.

He didn't know when the enemy would launch an attack, so every minute of delay meant that another soldier on the front lines might fall due to a lack of gas masks.

The thought lashed at him like a whip, preventing him from sleeping peacefully.