Zhou Xian continued: "This is just a small application of the steam engine, in the future, the steam engine can enter all walks of life, and can also be installed on the ship, after the ship is installed with the steam engine, it can not need sails, you can go wherever you want, the speed will be very fast, it can also be made into a steam train, which can travel on the rails, and the train can also pull more than ten carriages, each carriage can do a hundred people, that is, it can carry more than 1,000 people at the same time, and the speed is also very fast." ”

Hearing Zhou Xian's words, everyone was directly stunned, and they couldn't imagine the scene depicted by Zhou Xian in their minds.

After a while, Xu Shouyi asked with some excitement, "Master, is this true?" Is this steam engine really that powerful? Will we really be able to build the train and the steam engine ship that Master said in the future? ”

Zhou Xian smiled and said, "What the master said, but one of them is fake?" I'm sure to tell you that all of this is true, and that with the steam engine, we can be a big step ahead of our time. ”

After listening to Zhou Xian's words, everyone revealed their yearning for the steam era.

Then everyone visited the steam engine workshop for a while and then went back.

Zhou Xian and Zhou Fugui returned to the new mansion, and after sitting down in the main hall, Xiaoqing came to build a pot of tea for the two.

Zhou Xian asked Zhou Fugui: "Uncle Zhou, have you finished spending the honeysuckle I seized from Niutou Mountain last time?" ”

"No, last time the merchants in Jiangnan came to buy goods again, we entered another account, plus the gold and silver you sent last time, and Daniel Zhang arranged for the soldiers of the two regiments to suppress bandits everywhere and also got a lot of gold and silver, it is strange to say, those mountain thief dens are so rich, why do they rob everywhere."

Zhou Xian took a sip of tea and said lightly: "Those bandits will not produce, and no matter how much silver they have, they will be spent quickly, so they can only continue to rob others, and exterminate them can be regarded as benefiting the people, how much gold and silver do we still have, is it enough for us to continue to recruit soldiers and workers." ”

Zhou Fugui took out a small notebook and looked at it for a while, and said: "We still have 1.6 million taels of silver and 210,000 taels of gold left, which should be enough to recruit another 10,000 soldiers." ”

Now one tael of gold is equivalent to ten taels of silver, which is a total of 3.7 million silver.

Since there is still so much silver, Zhou Xian did not hesitate to say: "When we have money, we will recruit troops to strengthen ourselves, and arrange to continue to recruit soldiers and workers, by the way, I also brought the children of four families from the capital this time, they want to see our production strength, you can take them to visit our factory later, of course, our arsenal and some secrets can not be seen by them." ”

Zhou Fugui said: "My lord, you can rest assured, I know it in my heart, by the way, last time you saved the Beijing official on the road, after you came to Monkey Mountain Village, you have been tinkering with gunpowder in your yard and never going out, you see how to arrange him." ”

Zhou Xian said with a smile: "He is one of our treasures, in the future, I will teach him some chemical knowledge, let him lead people to study well, can provide us with great help in Monkey Mountain Village, you send someone to invite him over, I will talk to him." ”

Zhou Fugui didn't expect Zhou Xian to value this Beijing official so much, so he said: "Okay, I'll send someone to invite him immediately, my lord, do you want to see the few people I found from my family." ”

Zhou Xian then remembered the person who asked Zhou Fugui to find him from his hometown last time, so he said: "It's okay, you can arrange it too, I will meet them after I meet Chen Lufeng, and see what specialties they have to arrange work for them." ”

Zhou Fugui said happily: "Okay, okay, I'll arrange it." ”

After about an hour, Chen Lufeng took his son Chen Wei to Zhou Xian's mansion.

As soon as Chen Lufeng came to Monkey Mountain Village that day, he made up his mind to live here in the future.

Because he saw the difference here, there was a pavement called the cement road, and the cement road was really good, clean and not afraid of rain and sun.

The whole village is clean, no one defecates in the open, there is no garbage on the ground, and there are special people who are responsible for cleaning the streets.

He had never seen a building here, the houses were built with three or four floors, and they were particularly sturdy and beautiful, and the buildings were very neatly arranged after planning, giving people a sense of comfort.

The people here are all energetic and well-dressed, and they are all smiling when they walk down the street, and you can tell at a glance that they are doing very well.

It is hard for Chen Lufeng to imagine that there is such a paradise in this troubled world.

The man who led him there arranged a small courtyard for him, where the family lived.

The next day, someone brought in the saltpeter he needed, and as soon as he got the saltpeter, he began his own research.

As soon as he started researching, he didn't care about what happened outside, and he didn't even know when Zhou Xian came back.

It wasn't until today that Zhou Xian sent someone to find him, and he didn't know that Zhou Xian was back, so he hurriedly took his son Chen Wei to Zhou Xian's new mansion.

Chen Lufeng and Chen Wei waited outside the mansion for a while, Zhou Xian walked out, and when he saw Chen Lufeng and the others, he said enthusiastically: "Mr. Chen is here, please come into the mansion and talk." ”

Chen Lufeng bowed to Zhou Xian and said, "Thank you Young Master Zhou for saving your life that day." ”

Zhou Xian pulled up Chen Lufeng and said, "Don't be so polite, come, go in and talk." ”

As he spoke, he took Chen Lufeng and Chen Wei to the house.

After the guests of honor in the main hall were seated, Xiaoqing came up and made tea for them.

At this time, Zhou Xian opened his mouth and asked, "Mr. Chen's habit of living in Monkey Mountain Village during this time. ”

Chen Lufeng said with emotion: "This Monkey Mountain Village is really good, the people are outstanding, the people are simple, all of them are things that I have never seen before, and I only know what it means to be outside the world." ”

"Mr. Chen praised it falsely, our Monkey Mountain Village has just been built, there are still many places that have not been perfected, and it will take a long time to build, I wonder if Mr. Chen is willing to join our Monkey Mountain Village to help the construction of Monkey Mountain Village?"

Zhou Xian directly invited Chen Lufeng to join Monkey Mountain Village.

Chen Lufeng said without hesitation: "My few days in Monkey Mountain Village are the most comfortable days I have ever lived, there is no worldly disturbance here, everyone here has their own things to do, everyone has their own goals, life is happy, I like this atmosphere, I am willing to join Monkey Mountain Village, contribute to Monkey Mountain Village." ”

Zhou Xian applauded and said with a smile: "Okay, welcome Mr. Chen to join my Monkey Mountain Village, we have another capable person in Monkey Mountain Village." ”

Chen Lufeng clenched his fists and said, "Chen will ask Young Master Zhou for more advice in the future." ”

"I don't dare to give advice, and we will communicate and learn more in the future."

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Xian said: "I think Mr. Chen seems to be more interested in chemistry, and I don't know if he is willing to engage in this career." ”

"What is chemistry?" Chen Lufeng asked with some confusion.

Zhou Xian explained: "Chemistry is a discipline that studies the composition, properties, structure and change laws of matter, and creates new substances. ”

Hearing Zhou Xian's explanation, Chen Lufeng understood, and said: "I really like to study these, it turns out that this is what you said about chemistry, and I am willing to do this job." ”

Zhou Xian said happily: "Okay, then Mr. Chen will build a chemical plant, you will be the factory director, and I will arrange manpower for you immediately." ”

"I don't know if Chen can take on this big responsibility, I don't know if Young Master Zhou asked me to do that kind of research?"

"Mr. Chen, let's start by making sulfuric acid."

"What is sulfuric acid? What does it do. ”

Zhou Xian explained: "The alum oil we used to talk about is a kind of dilute sulfuric acid, but the sulfuric acid we make is concentrated sulfuric acid, and concentrated sulfuric acid is very corrosive, so we must be very careful when making it, once the body comes into contact with the skin, it will ulcerate." ”

"What's the use of developing this sulfuric acid?"

"As for its functions, there are many, such as using its acidity, it can be made into phosphate fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer; Can be rust removed; It can be used to make sulfates with great practical value, and there are many uses that you will know later. ”

Chen Lufeng was dumbfounded when he heard this, Zhou Xian only knew about alum oil, and as for what he said later, he had never heard of phosphate fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer, or sulfate.

Chen Lufeng felt like a child who didn't know anything in front of Zhou Xian.

He asked embarrassedly: "My lord, I don't know what phosphate fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer, and sulfate are?" ”