"Take this waterwheel, for example, you look at the bucket on the waterwheel, constantly tumbling, turning the river from the river to the bottom, what do you see?" Yang Ming looked at Liu Yi and asked. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Although waterwheels were not common, they were more or less common in many places in the Ming Dynasty, especially along the Yellow River.

China has been a country based on agriculture since ancient times, and agriculture-related science and technology have made outstanding achievements, as early as when the West was still ape-like, the ancestors of the Chinese people began to slash and burn lifestyle.

With the continuous evolution of human beings, enlightened wisdom, from the most primitive nature waiting for the harvest, to weeding, watering.... Later, even the climate and geographical environment were studied in depth, so that planting at the appropriate time and effective management gradually formed a set of systematic disciplines.

Water conservancy is the most indispensable part of agriculture, and although the governments of various dynasties are committed to building water conservancy projects, whether it is irrigation canals or canals, they have mobilized a lot of manpower, material and financial resources to build them. However, most of these channels are located in major agricultural areas, and it is obvious that they cannot be taken into account in highlands or places far from irrigation channels and water sources. So the Chinese made good use of their wisdom and invented another agricultural tool that could divert water for irrigation--the waterwheel.

For the history of the waterwheel, the earliest folk water drawing utensils should be "orange trees".

In Zhuangzi. Extra. In the chapter of heaven and earth, Zaizigong traveled south, and when he passed by Hanyin on the other way, he saw an old man who worked hard to hold an urn to draw water for irrigation, and he did half the work, so he told the old man a labor-saving instrument, which was called "Tree". The way it is made is: "Chiseling wood for the machine, heavy after the front light, if the water is pumped, the number is like fertile soup." That is, a horizontal log is used to support the wooden frame, with a wooden bucket hanging at one end and a heavy object at the other end, like a lever, which can save the power of drawing water. From the urn irrigation to the orange tree to draw water, the preliminary use of equipment can be said to be the forerunner of the invention of the waterwheel.

The development of waterwheels can actually be divided into three stages.

First of all, the waterwheel in the official Chinese record did not appear until the Eastern Han Dynasty. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Emperor Ling. Ordered Bi Lan to build a "rollover", and there are basic devices such as axle groove plates. There is also a saying that during the Three Kingdoms, the Wei people and horses also had the manufacture of overturned cars ("Three Kingdoms. Wei Zhi, Volume 29, Du Chuan, Pei Song's Note). Regardless of who created the overturn, in short, from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms, the overturn was officially produced. It can be regarded as the first stage of the establishment of China's watermills.

Then the development of the waterwheel to the Tang and Song dynasties, in the application of the axle has made great progress, can use water power as the power, made a "cylinder car", with the pool and the connecting cylinder can make low water high delivery. It's not just more effective. At the same time, valuable manpower is saved. Zhang Xiaoxiang of the Southern Song Dynasty praised him in the "Wall Poem of Nengren Courtyard": "Turn this ****** to save you from drought and suffering." It can be seen that this waterwheel is of great help to farming. This is the second stage of the development of China's waterwheels.

Until the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the development of wheel axles was more progressive. A waterwheel not only has one set of gears, but as many as three groups, and there are "water turnover", "ox turnover" or "donkey turnover", which can be used according to the wind and terrain. This development makes the use of overturned vehicles more efficient. Since the invention of the Three Kingdoms era of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it has been stagnant in the operation of manpower. At this point, the use of water and animal power as the drive, so that the manpower is finally liberated from the overturning pedal. Meantime. Due to the development of rotating shafts, vertical wheels, horizontal wheels, etc., the cylinder car, which was originally driven only by water power, can make use of animal power even in places where the water is less abundant, and make a contribution. In addition, there is the appearance of "high drum car". Where the terrain is too steep to open a pond, it can also be carried low and high, and it can be developed. This is the third stage of the development of China's waterwheels. After the Yuan and Ming dynasties, there were not many outstanding achievements in the development of China's waterwheels.

From the above statement, it can be seen that the waterwheel has made a great contribution to the development of China's agriculture. It has greatly reduced the topographical constraints on farming. Realize the development of hilly land and hillside land. It is not only used to draw water during dry times, but also to drain water when water accumulates in low places.

But the problem is back to the beginning, the role of the waterwheel is actually to irrigate the crops, and the famous large number of waterwheels that consume manpower and material resources to build so many can be said to be more than worth the loss.

But. The problem is precisely here, Liu Yi knows very well that it is impossible for Yang Ming to do useless work, whether it is when he is in the capital, or for Sinan's every step of the arrangement, it is simply a character who takes one step and sees three steps! If he wants to build a waterwheel, it must be useful. If it weren't for the fact that he still had some confidence and trust in Yang Ming, he wouldn't even ask more questions at all, according to his temper, if he didn't say a word, it would be impeachment, and he would still stand here and talk to Yang Ming?

"I can't see it! : Liu Yi replied honestly: "But if you don't explain it to the old man, I believe that the cabinet will definitely receive the impeachment transcript from the old man in a month!" Yang Ming, don't think that the old man is talking nonsense to you, you know that it is not easy for the people of Sinan, although the old man thinks that there should be a reason for your approach, but the old man doesn't want to take this risk, so much manpower is enough for us to build three more earthen kilns, and the fired tiles can even be sold for thousands of taels of silver, so the old man wants to hear what you say! ”

Liu Yi is still self-aware of himself, and he will never jump to conclusions if he doesn't understand things, and now he is sitting on a light stone slab, these stones are the stones that were cut out of the soil after the mountain was blown up according to Yang Ming's explanation, and were made by the stonemason according to the specifications he formulated and then carried to the river.

"Lord Liu, haven't you ever wondered why that sink made of wood keeps rotating? You must know that the water in a sink is hundreds of catties, even the cow can't bear it in such frequent movements, and the waterwheel, as long as it is on the river, as long as the waterwheel is not broken, it can rotate day and night, do you know what this is? Yang Ming smiled and said to Liu Yi: "This is actually a manifestation of force!" ”

Yang Ming laughed a little when he saw Liu Yi's black line on his head, but he was still ready to explain to him.

Although as early as the Tang Dynasty, there was a discipline specializing in the study of physics, but for these natural phenomena there is still not much progress, such as thunder and lightning, such as this hydraulic power, in fact, many people understand what is going on, and know that some strange phenomena will occur in the flow of this flood, but because of cognition, and their own limitations, they can't say.

"This...."Liu Yi wanted to speak, but finally fell silent, as Yang Ming thought, he was almost blank on this question.

For scholars, these things are strange and obscene skills, and they even disdain them, they care about the doctrines and ideas of the sages, and they often do not pay attention to these things that can really bring benefits and help to the people.

PS: The second update is sent! (To be continued.) )