"That's right...... Then I won't let them cast a cannon with a large diameter first, but it's a pity that you have this brilliant idea, I thought I could make the kind of magic cannon that you said that can hit dozens of miles......" Qi Zu also understood what Hong Tao said, but he understood it, he should be disappointed and disappointed, this old man made Hong Tao flicker, and the expectation was getting higher and higher.

"Hey, hey, hey...... Uncle, don't be disappointed, you have solved a big problem for me this time. Aren't the Great Song Dynasty and the Mongol Empire copying our bronze cannons? Now it's okay, let them build it with their lives, and we're not afraid of making it. Build as much as possible, and kill them poorly, and we won't have to fight them when the time comes, these cannons alone can drag them to death! Do you know what it's called? It's called an arms race! In this competition, whoever is ahead in technology will have the absolute initiative, who can formulate the rules of the game, and those who are backward in technology can only follow along, not only can't catch up, but also work hard. When the vitality is exhausted, we only need to use one finger to push ...... They made an uproar and shattered, hahahaha...... "Hong Tao's words are really not purely comforting, he really intends to do so." There are many ways to fight war, and the arms race is also one of them, and it is his favorite one. If you can kill as few people as possible, have fewer head-on confrontations, and the two sides will solve the war by shining light on each other, then it will not contribute to all mankind, anyway, Hong Tao thinks so.

"That can't be done, the brown fire and potion you mentioned must also be tested quickly, I must build a light and long-range cannon, or I will die!" Qi Zu is not a politician, and he can't figure out Hong Tao's twists and turns. Think in the mind of a pure technician. Whoever has the lightest, farther, and accurate cannon wins. What an arms race is too illusory to count on!

"Well, you take your time, then don't worry, stop the production of cast copper cannons first, and make my father-in-law happy, so that he won't scold me every day. I'll tell him the good news, just in time for lunch. Qi Zu's persistence is exactly what Hong Tao wants to see. The development of the world is inseparable from these people who like to drill the horns of the bull, if they are like themselves, they hide when they encounter difficulties, then they will develop a fart.

"Don't leave yet, I'll treat you to lunch, there's something you need to show me." Remember what you told me about the big boiler machine? I found a few skilled old craftsmen to make one according to your drawings, but why can't it move? The boilers all cracked, and a yard of boiling water collapsed, and it didn't move at all! You can help me take a look. Seeing that Hong Tao was about to run, Qi Zu hurriedly blocked the way. He still has something to do. Hong Tao didn't have much time to stay in Jinhewan, and he had to sail far away in the second half of the year. I don't know when I'm coming back, and I usually can't touch anyone, so I can't let go easily if I can catch it once, and I have to ask all the questions I want to ask for more than a year.

"Ah!! I didn't say you'd get that thing, let's get a small model if we don't say it's okay! Where's the thing? Solving the problem of cast iron cannons, Hong Tao was already very satisfied, he began to be lazy again, and wanted to take advantage of his father-in-law's excuse to run back and continue to make trouble about the founding of the country, which in his opinion was a big deal, more important than building cannons. But as soon as he heard what Qi Zu said, he was anxious, this old man was really bold, he actually secretly engaged in boilers and steam engines behind his back, if this Nima was blown up, all the people in the yard would not live!

"Don't worry, I'm the model...... It's a little bigger! It's not that I want to make it big, it's that the old guys say it's too small to do. In fact, it is not big, about the size of a barrel of whale oil...... Three barrels ......" Qi Zu saw that Hong Tao was anxious, and he was also a little weak-hearted, he was indeed deceiving the boiler and steam engine that he had secretly built. The main thing is that Hong Tao disappeared as soon as he left, he looked at those drawings every day and scratched in his heart, and couldn't help but try it, but the result was not successful, and the boiler also burned, but fortunately no one was hurt.

In the middle of the forge, smelter and foundry, there is a small forest remaining, and there is a courtyard in the woods, where the master craftsmen of these workshops and factories usually discuss problems, which can be regarded as a technical office area. The yard was large, but there were not many houses, only seven or eight, and at this time the southeast corner of the yard was fenced by a ring of planks, and the gate was locked. This is already a relatively high level of secrecy in Jinhe Bay, it is difficult to see such a thing as a lock in Jinhe Bay, only the most important departments will lock the door, and the rest of the places, including the doors, are not locked. Because there are no outsiders here, everyone is evenly distributed, and there is nothing to steal, what you have in other people's homes, and what you don't have in other people's homes, this kind of system has created a social environment that does not close the door at night.

“…… Isn't that big? Uncle Qi, you have to give me a guarantee, if you conduct any new experiments in the future, you must greet me in advance, otherwise I won't give you the drawings and won't tell you anything! Pushing open the wooden door, Hong Tao saw a large yellow barrel in the courtyard, made of alloy copper, with several copper hoops on it. At this time, the top of this large round barrel had exploded with flowers, and it seemed that there had been an accident, but fortunately, the top of it was not very strong, and the pressure was relieved in advance. But this also made Hong Tao break out in a cold sweat, he seemed to see Qi Zu burned his skin all over his body by the boiling hot water and steam, and lay dying in front of him. This must be stopped! These old craftsmen are the treasures of Jinhewan, and the skills in their hands are all wealth, which have been slowly accumulated for more than ten years, and one less is a great loss.

"You see you're really in a hurry, no one is hurt, it's just that this bucket is wasted......" The ignorant is fearless, even if Qi Zu is the number one master in forging, smelting, and casting in Jinhewan, but his understanding of such things as boilers is still at the stage of a three-year-old child, and he can't imagine how dangerous this thing will be if it explodes.

"That's your fate! If this thing blows up, it's more powerful than ten flowering bombs! I'll see...... Uncle Qi came to do a favor, remove the connecting rod from the crankshaft, and you came to push and pull the connecting rod to act as the steam power of the boiler, let's first see how the cylinder and the spool valve mechanism worked. Although Hong Tao complained, his heart was obviously different, and he was also curious about what it was like to make a steam engine. Don't look at this thing as rudimentary, but how many people have actually made a complete steam engine from scratch? Every screw and rivet is hand-made? Anyway, Hong Tao has never seen it, these mechanical things are very attractive to him, more than beautiful women.

"There's a spare boiler in the house, why don't we install it!" Qi Zu didn't understand what Hong Tao meant, and when he saw that Hong Tao finally planned to make a move in person, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, and began to rush in again.

"Don't, you're not afraid of death, I still want to live a few more years, this thing is quite fine, but whether it can be used has to be carefully checked to know, almost can't be connected to the boiler, if the hot steam inside is scalded, it is much more powerful than hot water, and no one can cure it." Hong Tao didn't think about Qi Zu's suggestion and refused directly. These craftsmen are too bold, and there is no telling how many such pioneers in history have taken their lives for the sake of a machine and a principle. Hong Tao really didn't have such noble feelings, even if he checked it all, he would hide far away when connecting the boiler test.

In principle, this steam engine is just a large model, the cylinder is only thigh thick, more than a foot long, together with the surrounding connecting rods, crankshafts, flywheels, bearings, valves, and air pipes are all handmade, very, very fine, and many small parts are engraved with patterns. Those jewelers really looked at this thing as a work, how beautiful it was. is not only beautiful, Hong Tao knocked and touched it, and the quality is also good. The seals at both ends of the cylinder are riveted with copper rivets, each rivet is made of the general regularity of the machine, and the seams are all made of several layers of thin whale skin as a sealing gasket, and the edges are actually cut into lace, which is really not too tired. Regardless of whether this model works or not, this craft alone is worth exhibiting in future museums.

Craftsmanship sometimes does not mean that the technology is high, the model of this steam engine is no problem, Zizou pushes and pulls the connecting rod, and can move forward and backward with the piston very smoothly, but after connecting the connecting rod to the crankshaft, the problem comes. The eccentric wheel on the other side of the flywheel is not the right size, and it deviates with the slide valve, which does not seal one of the two air intakes, but seals the exhaust hole. So even if this machine is finely made, it is impossible to start, it is normal to suffocate the boiler, fortunately the boiler is only the connection of the top outlet pipe is not very strong, if everything is particularly strong, then this yard may not be there.

"Uncle Qi, it's just a good one to replace this eccentric rotation, the key is here...... When the piston advances, the connecting rod of the eccentric wheel must be plugged with a slide valve to plug the front air intake, so that hot steam can only enter the cylinder from this side and push the piston to the other end. When the piston moves halfway to the cylinder, the slide valve begins to move backwards, blocking the air holes behind it, and hot steam enters the cylinder from the other side, pushing the piston back. The piston drives the flywheel one after the other, and the slide valve also has to move, not only to move, but also to position accurately...... And so on and so on, and the machine is moving! "For now, Hong Tao can only see such a mistake, and it is also a very critical place, if the slide valve cannot be strictly synchronized, the steam engine will not be able to move, and at most half the stroke will have to lie on the frame. (To be continued.) )