Li Hongzhang and others were shocked. Although they didn't know what this so-called internal combustion engine was, when they heard Xu Shou say this, they naturally imagined this internal combustion engine as a steam engine. But according to Xu Shou, this internal combustion engine can even surpass the steam engine, and it is indeed a machine that is worth making the emperor crazy.

Even Zhou Shengkun, who has always been rigid and closed-minded, knows very well the importance of the steam engine to the whole world today. It can be said that most of the reason why Britain was strong at the beginning was because of the widespread use of steam engines in its territory. And now even His Majesty admires this thing of the internal combustion engine, which is better than the steam engine, and has been invented in the Chinese Empire, one can imagine how much benefit this will bring to the entire Empire.

And Li Hongzhang, Liu Changyou, Luo Zenan and others, especially Wu Chongyao, who has always known the West very well, were even more shocked in their hearts. Anyone knows very well that the steam engine is a huge boost to today's world. Even as His Majesty said at the beginning, this is the age of the steam engine. And now, this internal combustion engine, which His Majesty has crowned as better and more widely used than the steam engine, and can even replace the steam engine for the most part, will bring much change to the world, and in this process, how much will the Chinese Empire take advantage of this huge advantage over the rest of the world?

Xu Shou didn't wait for everyone to be shocked, and continued directly: "In addition, there are quite a few inventions and research in some local fields. For example, absorbing and improving the rubber vulcanization technology invented by the American Charles Goodyear, the improved clothing zipper, etc., especially a foreign correspondent academician named Edison, who was invited by His Majesty from the United States not long ago, to improve the ordinary transmitter into a double transmitter.

And His Majesty shocked Weichen even more. No one could have imagined that His Majesty would know so much, especially the directional theories of chemistry and physics. His Majesty discovered the periodic table and boldly predicted the existence of more than ten new elements in the future; His Majesty instructed surgeons to carry out the application of drugs to sterilize and created aseptic surgical procedures, and personally developed a medicine called aspirin; His Majesty instructed Wechen to make pneumatic tires made of rubber; Under the guidance of His Majesty, together with Academician Krupp, the artillery regression and the locking bolt locking machine, etc., are all good things that have a great impact.

In particular, His Majesty has recently begun to work on something that is said to be more sensational to the world than this internal combustion engine. Your Majesty, even Weichen doesn't know much about this, but he only knows that after making this, he can control all the lightning in the sky in his hands, or Your Majesty, you can talk about it yourself. ”

Feng Yunshan smiled: "Xu Aiqing is too modest. You are the President of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and no one can say that you know more about the inventions of the Academy than you do. But since you say so, I'll show it off.

Some bits and pieces of inventions, to be honest, I have a lot of them here, I can't help it, I seem to have been born knowing these things, and I am a little sensitive to them. But what I want to say is that there are two kinds of research on invention or new knowledge, one is purely theoretical, such as the discovery of the periodic table, although this kind of influence and effect is very huge, and the impact is far-reaching and long-lasting; The other is practical application, such as those small zippers, medium pneumatic tires, artillery bolt locking machines, to large artillery retreats, but unfortunately this artillery retreaters have not been perfected, but let Krupp continue to improve, should create a perfect brake and retreat mechanism, when the time comes, the gun's firing frequency and accuracy will be significantly improved.

In addition, I asked the Royal Academy of Sciences to absorb and recruit a large number of foreign inventors and scientists to join the Royal Academy of Sciences as academicians, as long as the other party has practical knowledge and research results, it does not matter how much it costs.

And the most critical discovery that I am proud of is actually these two: one is the internal combustion engine that Xu Aiqing just said, and the other is a new type of thing that is being developed - generators!

Xu Aiqing has already said before the internal combustion engine, this is actually consistent with the function of the steam engine, and the most important thing is actually its applicability, which is far more extensive than the steam engine, its efficiency is higher and the application is more extensive. In fact, the most important thing is that our Chinese empire has laid the most powerful foundation in advance, that is, the fuel used by this internal combustion engine. As everyone knows, our Chinese Empire is the first country in the world to carry out large-scale oil extraction and refining of holy oil, and the current production of holy oil has reached an unprecedented level. But I want to tell you that this is not enough, and that in the future petroleum refining, the main product should no longer become holy oil, after all, the price of holy oil will be lower and lower, but gasoline, diesel and other high-profit chemical raw materials as the main products. And this gasoline and diesel, as well as the kerosene in the holy oil, these three major oils will become the core oil products in the future, and they can all be used in internal combustion engines. At that time, the internal combustion engine will be a sensation in the world, and with it, our Chinese empire will control the entire oil extraction and refining sales in the world, and this will ensure the empire's invincible position in the world!

Generators, on the other hand, are just as important as or even more important than internal combustion engines. Everyone knows that Western countries are small countries with small populations and small areas, but they can be so powerful and rise strongly, in fact, the fundamental reason is that their industry has developed. The strength of industry is not comparable to that of traditional agrarian countries or farming and pastoral countries. And their strength is entirely due to the steam age they created, which I will soon call the first industrial revolution!

Aiqing also saw that the fundamental reason why the Chinese Empire has grown from weak to strong is also because I have promoted industry and developed industry within the territory of the Chinese Empire, thereby driving the enhancement of military strength and the comprehensive national strength of the entire country.

And now, this generator will lead our Chinese empire and the whole world into the second industrial revolution! I can already predict that this industrial revolution will be faster and more violent than the previous old industrial revolution dominated by steam engines, and the transformation of the entire human society will be more significant! Mankind will enter the electric age led by generators from the age of steam, and enter the era of internal combustion engines!

Therefore, the empire must firmly seize this opportunity, at all costs, overcome this generator difficulty as soon as possible, and at the same time develop and improve the internal combustion engine, and firmly bind the empire's position in the world to the position of the first power! My goal is for the Chinese Empire to become the hegemon of the world not only in terms of territory and population, but also in terms of comprehensive national strength based on industrial and technological strength.

For this reason, all of you are members of the Cabinet, and you must pay more attention to the process of industrialization of the empire as a whole, especially to strengthen the development of the iron and steel industry, the petroleum industry, the military industry, the civilian industry, etc., and strengthen the application of new technologies and inventions in specific industrial production. ”