Grain hegemony cannot be achieved overnight.

It will take time to raise money, go down to the people to buy grain, and then transport the grain to the county seat and the prefecture for centralized storage.

Chongzhen naturally won't wait in Changde all the time.

To tell the truth, Chongzhen did a very unauthentic job this time.

This kind of behavior belongs to eating dry and wiping it clean and taking the rest of the pack away.

It is foreseeable that after this grain hegemony, the grain merchants in Huguang will suffer a devastating blow.

At the beginning of the year, the imperial court had already issued an official document prohibiting all grain merchants from entering Huguang to buy grain without permission.

Blame the king?

Wang Fuzhi will definitely be scolded to death this time.

After all, if it weren't for Wang Fuzhi's guarantee and borrowing a large amount of silver from the Water Conservancy Grain Silver Account, the Huguang grain merchants headed by Wang Guizhi would not have the courage to be a grain tyrant.

But Wang Fuzhi doesn't care about this.

Wang Fuzhi has entered the realm of disregarding personal reputation.

As Chongzhen said, Huguang is the granary of the Ming Dynasty, and the grain of Huguang is the strategic reserve grain of the entire Ming Dynasty.

For the sake of the country, Wang Fuzhi doesn't care about being scolded at all.

Chongzhen didn't have time to wait for the Huguang grain merchants to make a grain hegemony, and he didn't even have time to wait for the local soldiers of Yongshun, Baojing and Shinan to bring their families to the lake area, so he hurriedly returned to Nanjing.

Because there was a good news from Nanjing that Chongzhen was looking forward to.

After a year of repeated trials and trial and error, Fang Yizhi and Song Yingxing finally completed a breakthrough from zero to one and created the first wooden steam engine.

Chongzhen was desperate to see this steam engine.

Chongzhen didn't even bring the cavalry battalion, but only took 800 Yiding on the sailor warship and went all the way down the river, and when he passed through Wuchang, he didn't go ashore to take a look at Hanyang Mansion.

The journey was smooth and smooth, and Chongzhen returned to Nanjing in the middle of the month.

Chongzhen still did not inform the officials in Beijing, so no one greeted him.

Two lives, Chongzhen hates the most is the formalism that is ushered in.

If you have this time, what kind of work can't you do? Even if you play a few rounds of mahjong, you have to fix these empty heads.

Chongzhen directly asked the sailor to park the bird boat at the small pier outside Qingliangmen, and then took Zhu Cijiong, Hu Guozhu and others straight to the Gewu Workshop in Qingliangmen.

This area inside the Qingliang Gate, including Qingliang Mountain, has been surrounded by a wall.

Even the Qingliang Temple, located at the eastern foot of Qingliang Mountain, has been moved outside the city, and the original temple building has been turned into a dormitory and workshop for the Gewu Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the workshop is home to the best craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty.

These craftsmen include all kinds of craftsmen, even shoemakers.

According to Chongzhen's will, the entire workshop was heavily guarded, with the Beijing camp on the outside, the new army in the middle, and the core was a guard team composed of hundreds of eunuchs, so that flies could not fly in.

Seeing Chongzhen, the Beijing battalion soldiers, the new army and the eunuchs guarding the door saluted one after another.

Chongzhen Li ignored it, walked straight into the inner door of the workshop, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw a machine half wood and half iron placed in the center of the huge courtyard.

The machine was about the height of a man.

The wooden flywheel is whirring and spinning.

There is also a constant leakage of water vapor from the machine.

Fang Yizhi, Song Yingxing, and more than a dozen craftsmen gathered around the machine, and they were discussing how to improve the leakage of the machine.

Because they were so engaged, they didn't even notice Chongzhen when he walked behind him.

In the end, Fang Yizhi found Chongzhen when he turned around to add coal to the boiler.

"Holy?" Fang Yizhi first looked at Chongzhen with some astonishment, and after reacting, he hurriedly bowed and worshipped, "Minister Fang Yizhi, please ask the Holy Jin'an." ”

Song Yingxing and more than a dozen craftsmen also hurriedly followed and fell to their knees.

"Excuse me." Chongzhen waved his hand casually, and couldn't wait to walk to the front of the steam engine.

Fang Yizhi followed and pointed to the machine and introduced Chongzhen one by one: "Shengshang, this is the boiler, which is made of tin, because the iron-cast boiler is too hard and too difficult to make. ”

Chongzhen looked at it very carefully, and the main body was two concentric tin cylinders.

There's nothing wrong with that, it's just a verification machine anyway, and it's just used to verify feasibility.

But if you make a real steam engine, this is absolutely not possible, one is that the strength of tin is too low, the melting point is too low, and the other is that the structural design of this boiler is also problematic, so two concentric cylinders and a sandwich design, the heat exchange efficiency will be outrageously low, it is estimated that 20% is enough to choke.

That's right, it's about the same as the thermal efficiency of a common wood stove.

The coal is burned in the inner tank of the boiler, and the water in the interlayer is boiled, and the water in the interlayer is turned into water vapor, and then guided to the cylinder made of wood through the tin tube, which pushes the piston to move back and forth and do work.

Fang Yizhi continued: "Shengshang, the structure of the cylinder is more complex than that of the boiler, and it is definitely not possible to use cast iron, so at the beginning, we also planned to use tin to cast, but in the end we found that it was not possible, because the texture of the tin was too soft, and it was deformed and stuck after a few reciprocating strokes, and finally the ministers decided to use iron and wood to make this cylinder." ”

Chongzhen can only laugh at this, but fortunately, this is just a verification machine, just move.

Then the steam engine in front of you has obviously achieved this technical target, because the wooden flywheel of this steam engine has indeed moved, although the power is very small.

Because Chongzhen grabbed the flywheel as soon as he stretched out his hand.

Then the whole steam engine snorted and leaked, and the flywheel did not move.

Chongzhen estimated that the power of this steam engine was just a few tenths of a horsepower.

Fortunately, it was just a technical verification machine, and Chongzhen comforted himself again in his heart.

As long as the technical route is proved to be feasible, the next step can be to make a real industrial steam engine.

At that moment, Chongzhen smiled and said to Yizhi: "Mizhi, you have worked hard this year, I am very satisfied with your work, you will go to Ma Mingluo to withdraw 10,000 taels of silver, and all the craftsmen who participated in the development of the steam engine will be rewarded." ”

"Your Majesty, thank you." Fang Yizhi, Song Yingxing, and the craftsmen present were overjoyed.

There are more than 100 craftsmen involved in the development of the steam engine, plus the scholars, each person can be divided into more than 90 taels!

Gao Qiqian was also hot-eyed, and said in his heart that the saint was really generous to these craftsmen, and one dig was ten thousand taels.

Chongzhen said to Fang Yizhi again: "Mizhi, this verification machine has fully proved the feasibility of the steam engine, so what you have to do next is to turn this verification machine into a real steam engine." ”

After a pause, Chongzhen said again: "A real steam engine can't be so simple. ”

"Whether it's a boiler, a cylinder, a flywheel, a propeller, or so on, it has to be iron."

"It has to be iron?" Fang Yizhi frowned and said, "Holy Lord, I'm afraid this is very difficult to do. ”

Song Yingxing also said: "Shengshang, the boiler can still be cast by the lost wax method, but the cylinder is not good, the internal neatness requirements of the cylinder are too high, even if the lost wax method is used to pour the tao, it is not smooth enough, the ministers have tried, and the cylinder and piston cast by the lost wax method will be stuck and cannot move." ”

At this time, an old blacksmith said: "It is not impossible, first cast a rough outline with wrought iron, and then slowly polish it, as long as there is enough time, it is not a problem to polish it into a mirror." ”

"Just polish it slowly." Chongzhen said, "Time is not a problem. ”

The steam engine is something that can't be rushed, so you can only take it slowly.

What's more, with a ready-made technical route, no matter how slow the second steam engine is, it will not be slower than the first, the breakthrough from zero to one is always the most difficult, and the improvement from one to two is much easier.

"Done." Fang Yizhi nodded and asked, "Holy Lord, how big is it?" ”

Chongzhen thought for a while and said, "To make a steam engine as big as a house, you have to be at least one zhang high." ”

The second steam engine, Chongzhen does not plan to repeat the verification machine, but is ready to be used directly to provide power, when the time comes, the forging machine and drilling machine will be made first, and the processing speed of the gun tube will be greatly accelerated.

Once the production capacity of the flintlock pistol is raised, it can form a crushing effect on the Jiannu.

As for now, due to the insistence on standardized production, the production capacity of flintlock pistols is even worse than that of Jiannu, and the Daming Arsenal can produce 10,000 flintlock pistols a year, but Jiannu can have 15,000, because Jiannu does not need to be standardized, so the speed of processing the gun is faster, and Jiannu is not equipped with bayonets, and the cost is lower.

Of course, the total production capacity is actually not much worse, because in addition to the Daming Arsenal, there are also Hubu Arsenal and more than a dozen small arsenals, which can also produce 5,000 pieces a year.

In addition, machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, grinding machines and planers must also be designed.

When these machine tools are developed, the Ming Dynasty will really enter the industrial civilization, and at that time, barbarians or nomads such as Jiannu will honestly sing and dance at home.

At that time, it should be the era when the Ming Dynasty and Western countries competed for sea power.

Just as Chongzhen was imagining the future, a huge shadow suddenly passed over the factory's head.

"Here we go again." Fang Yizhi shook his head and said, "Holy Lord, look, this is the flying car that Zheng Damu just made. ”

Wang Chengen, who was behind, handed over the telescope very timely, and Chongzhen brushed open the telescope and aimed at the huge shadow above Qingliang Mountain, and really saw Zheng Sen on it.

Zheng Senzhen listened to his advice and made the hot air balloon into the shape of an airship.

The propulsion device on the gondola has also changed from a blower box to a propeller, and I don't know what material is used.

Judging from the effect, it is obviously much better than the previous hot air balloon, even if it encounters strong winds, it will not be blown away at once, at most it will deviate from the course.

But Chongzhen didn't think it was of much use.

The reason for this is also very simple, the load is too small.

In total, it's just a little load, and if you bring more fuel, you can't bring weapons.

But if you bring less fuel, you won't be able to fly far at all, and you will soon have to return to refuel, which is what is often said to be a short leg in the later Air Force fighters.

But Chongzhen will not pour cold water on Zheng Sen.

In any case, this spirit is always worth encouraging.

Retracting his gaze, Chongzhen was about to talk to Fang Yizhi and them about the steam engine again, when there was a sudden sound of chaotic footsteps outside, and then nearly a hundred officials led by Lu Zhenfei and other four pavilion assistants rushed in.

Chongzhen frowned at once, and said in his heart that he would have to make another rule in the future.

Without permission, even the officials of the Sanpintang cannot easily enter the Gewuke Workshop.

After thinking about it, Lu Zhenfei had already brought nearly 100 officials over and paid a big salute.

"Get up." Chongzhen motioned for Lu Zhenfei and other officials to get up, and said, "The four pavilion elders stay, and the other officials can be busy with whatever they want, I don't need you to accompany me here." ”

Qian Qianyi said: "Holy Lord, the big guy hasn't seen the holy driver for a long time, and he misses it very much, so he ......."

"So what? So you want to stay and chat with Terra? It's best to be familiar with me in front of me? Chongzhen said abruptly, "These are useless, because your power of examination and appointment is in the cabinet and the ministry, and I can't do it even if I want to promote you, I don't have this power." ”

Qian Qianyi was bored, and immediately closed his mouth.

Zhang Shenyan and Meng Zhaoxiang both looked disdainful, and said in their hearts, how can you hide this little bit of caution from Qian Qianyi? I have to pretend to be very respected by the saint in front of the hundred officials, and I will be slapped in the face now.

To be honest, Chongzhen was also very speechless about Qian Qianyi's ability to enter the cabinet.

It can only be said that this duke's influence in the middle of Jiangnan Shilin is still there, and there will be no more water too cold in this world, and his personal image and reputation have not been damaged, so he will be pushed into the cabinet by the court.

Fortunately, at this age, he will definitely not survive to take over as the first assistant.

After all, Lu Zhenfei is eight years younger than Qian Qianyi, and Meng Zhaoxiang is even younger.

It is precisely because of these considerations that Chongzhen did not intervene, otherwise he could make Qian Qianyi ruined and lose his qualification to enter the cabinet in a minute.

Meng Zhaoxiang knew that Chongzhen hated pomp and circumstance, so he said: "It's all scattered, it's all scattered." ”

A group of high-ranking officials of the ministry and the temple left the Gewu Science Workshop in anger, and only four pavilion elders were left in the same place.

Lu Zhenfei complained at this time: "Why don't you say hello when you go back to Beijing, and the ministers and others can also lead hundreds of officials to meet them. ”

"Just let them scold." Chongzhen said, "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight, Lu Qing, since you want to be the first assistant, you must have the consciousness of being criticized by others, has there ever been a first assistant in our Ming Dynasty who is not scolded?" ”

Naturally, there is no Shoufu who is not scolded, and the good old man Shen Shixing is also sprayed.

At this time, Zhang Shenyan said: "Back to the saint, it is nothing for the ministers to be scolded by the ministers, but your personal expedition and the smooth pacification of the Shadingzhou Rebellion are also a martial art in any case, and this dynasty has not had such a great deal of efforts to quell the rebellion for a long time. ”

"Well, that's really me." Chongzhen could only admit his mistake obediently when he heard this.

To be reasonable, I really can't say that these civil officials, these people's mouths are cultivated.

【Kneel and beg for a commuter pass】

(End of chapter)