Zhu Ao said: "Although there are many rivers in my land west of the river, not every field is next to the river. The king also had to make some hand presses that could suck water out of the seven-zhang deep well to irrigate the land. ”

"Qizhang?" Hu Laohan didn't believe his ears very much, the wells of the Ming Dynasty were generally only a few meters deep, and the water was lifted bucket by bucket, which was laborious and inefficient. Listening to Zhu Ao, what he wants to make is much more efficient than carrying a bucket.

In fact, the working principle of this hand press is very simple, that is, the principle of negative pressure water absorption, the air in the pipe is pumped away manually, resulting in the difference between the atmospheric pressure in the well and the pipe, and the atmospheric pressure will press the water up from the well, which is both labor-saving and efficient compared to using a hand. It's just that the people of the Ming Dynasty didn't understand the principle of atmospheric pressure, so it sounds incredible. Such hand presses can be seen everywhere in the countryside in later generations, and Zhu Ao's hometown has a set, and the water extracted comes from the deep layer, which is sweet and delicious, and it is not the same taste as the filtered water in the city.

The production method of the hand press is to use a long pipe to smash one end, drill many holes in the four walls of the bottom of the pipe, facilitate the flow of water in, and put a wooden square on the top and smash it into a deep well. The tube is followed by a pump, and the water can be extracted by pressing the handle, which is very convenient.

The most critical part of the hand press is the rubber ring that plays a sealing role on the pump, and the Ming Dynasty did not have this thing, and it can generally be replaced by cowhide. However, it was strictly forbidden to slaughter ploughing cattle at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, so at this time you can only find some thick cloth instead, and the effect will be worse, but at this time it can only be used.

Hu Laohan and others are all veterans, and as soon as Zhu Ao said it, they knew what was going on with the hand press, and they didn't need to draw.

Zhu Ao said: "Hu Laohan, you must work overtime to complete the two things I said." You can make a big water wheel first and try the effect. Hand presses are the more, the better. In addition, the name of the maker must be written on the parts of various machines, and if there is a quality problem, this king will not spare it. ”

Hu Laohan patted his chest and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured, the old man will not fail in his mission." ”

Zhu Ao said: "Very good. Very good. I'm relieved to have your words. Ladies and gentlemen, the good days of our land west of the river are about to come, and you will no longer have to starve and be poor. From now on, as long as everyone follows me and works hard, I will definitely not worry about eating or drinking. ”

The craftsmen and soldiers did not know what kind of medicine was sold in the gourd, and according to the current situation, the degree of development of the land in Hexi was far from that of the mainland, and everyone could not even see the shadow of a good life. But Zhu Ao is the prince after all, he said so, and the soldiers and craftsmen could only flatter him.

The old and sophisticated Zhu Ao can hear that they are perfunctory, but he will not mind, the people can't start with worries and can be happy, and when they do their own achievements, they will naturally believe it.

The hand press is very simple, and ordinary craftsmen can make it, and Zhu Ao did not pay too much attention to it. But the Lanzhou waterwheel is very complicated, and Zhu Ao must monitor the whole process and give the necessary guidance, after all, he made that thing himself.

The location of the waterwheel should not only have sufficient water, but also be at the bend of the river, so that it is easy to be washed away when there is no flood at the bend.

This place is not difficult to find, and Zhu Ao and the others quickly found this place. Then, they built a water tank with stones along the river, and when the time came, the waterwheel was installed on top of the tank, and the momentum of the water could drive the waterwheel to turn.

Once you've chosen your address, the next step is to prepare your materials. The most important thing to make a waterwheel is the wood used for the shaft, because it bears the most force, so it needs hardwood that is wear-resistant, and it must also ensure that the diameter is more than two feet. The process of making this reel is not simple, and it involves a lot of mathematical problems, but this is not difficult for the experienced Hu Laohan and others, and they will do it well after a few days.

After the shaft is done, the next thing is to make the wheel bigger, this project is relatively large and complex, and it requires many people to assist, in addition to the craftsmen, Zhu Ao has transferred many soldiers and prisoners to help.

After the big wheel is ready, the weaving blades are installed, and the bamboo tube for lifting water is bundled, and the big water wheel is finally completed. It took nearly half a month.

Zhu Ao's idea of building the Hexi Corridor is to take agriculture as the foundation and take into account industry and commerce. Agriculture was a pillar industry in ancient times, because most of the things that people ate, wore and used in ancient times were grown in the ground, or the products grown in the ground were simply processed. And the merchant just moves things from one place to another and does not produce wealth in his own right. A piece of cloth sold from Chang'an to Luoyang, merchants will make a lot of money, but for the whole country, the financial resources have not increased because of this act, and the cloth is still a horse, but it has changed places.

Therefore, the wise rulers of ancient times attached great importance to agriculture, not because they were short-sighted, but because they looked at the big picture. The status of agriculture in ancient times is probably equivalent to the status of manufacturing in the modern world, and the developed countries in the world are based on strong manufacturing industries. Because most of the production and living tools used by people in today's society are produced by manufacturing. Without a strong manufacturing industry, no matter how rich you are, you can't become a strong country, and the typical representative is Saudi Arabia, which can't even beat Israel, which is so small that it can't be beaten. This is evident in the fact that many leaders of major countries attach importance to the development of manufacturing.

The industrial revolution in Britain was preceded by the agricultural revolution, and the large-scale farm-style production method replaced the natural economy of one family and promoted the rapid development of agriculture.

At the same time of agricultural development, the handicraft industry must also be valued, because this is the main battlefield of scientific and technological progress, Zhu Ao from later generations know that the future world is the world of science and technology, so this piece must not be discarded, he will use the advanced system of later generations to manage this field.

As for business, Zhu Ao only sees it as a means of communicating with each other, at most it is only used, but it will definitely not be supported.

Zhu Ao looked up at this large waterwheel with a diameter of 20 meters, and his heart was surging, and the future development of agriculture depended on it, and at this time Zhu Ao could only grow wheat. Although he would also like to grow crops such as potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes, which are still on the American continent. There are still a hundred years before Columbus discovers the New World, so don't think about it, this plug-in can't be opened.

Zhu Ao's understanding of the development of world history is different from that of other people's understanding of the development of world history, and the protagonist of other time-traveling novels sails as soon as he comes up, discovers the New World, and plunders resources, as if this is a shortcut to China's development.