"Everyone!"

Zhu Gaoyu clapped his hands and said loudly: "When you were in a hurry some time ago, you all drilled through the barrel. ”

"As far as I know, skilled craftsmen can only turn an inch a day, and because of the uneven strength and various reasons, it is easy to produce defective products, and it is impossible to make a few qualified barrels in a month."

"Although animal power and water power are used, after all, due to various reasons, it is easy to have problems with the strength."

"Everybody, please look here."

Zhu Gaoyu beckoned, asked everyone to come around, and pointed to the shaft that supported the rotation of the copper ball.

"It rotates with a spherical shape, and because I control the amount of steam coming in and out, it rotates very evenly."

Picking up a small drill bit, Zhu Gaoyu stuck it on a small protruding point of the hinge, and pressed it hard to jam it.

The stuck drill bit also begins to rotate rapidly with the force of the ball's rotation.

"I see."

An old man of the Mo family's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaim: "In this way, we only need to send someone to regularly add firewood and water to control the air valve, and we can get two stable rotating heads." ”

He excitedly said to the people around him: "If we make more, one person can be used as two people." ”

Zhu Gaoyu shook his head, his thoughts were still too simple.

"Your Highness, isn't what the old man said wrong?"

The old man who finished talking excitedly saw Zhu Gaoyu shaking his head again and again, frowning slightly, and began to think about what he just said was wrong.

"Han Lao's idea is good, but your idea is a bit overkill."

Zhu Gaoyu said and took out a hinge rod.

This hinge rod is not bare, and there are gears fixed on it.

"I see."

A young woman suddenly raised her hand excitedly and excitedly said to everyone: "The steam balloon is actually just a source of power, we can use this hinge rod to drive more drills in the form of gears." ”

"With enough power, a steam engine can drive ten, twenty, or even more drill bits."

"In this way, we don't even need skilled drill pipe craftsmen, ordinary people can operate one, or even several, of these steam power units with simple training."

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

Zhu Gaoyu couldn't help but applaud.

"Miss Yun is really smart, just one item, I think of the machine tool I am going to talk about next."

Han Lao on the side pulled his beard and frowned in thought.

"Xiaoyun's idea is good, but I think that with the power driven by the hinge alone, I am afraid that I will not be able to support more drill bits."

"If we want to achieve what Xiaoyun said, we need to amplify the power of steam power so that it has enough power to support so many drill bits."

Zhu Gaoyu was amazed in his heart.

The heirs of the Mo family really live up to their reputation, and they are good at mechanical skills, and they are almost thorough about these mechanical aspects.

"What Han Lao said is right, with the power of this steam balloon alone, it will definitely not be able to drive so many drill bits. So what I'm going to tell you next about is my improvement of the 2nd generation steam power plant. ”

After speaking, Zhu Gaoyu took out a scroll from the package he brought and hung it on the blackboard.

The children of the Mo family who were listening to the lecture looked at this complex figure, and their brows were tightly furrowed.

"This is the second generation of my design, a practical steam power unit, which I call the steam mother."

"The principle is ......"

Zhu Gaoyu held the whip in his hand and began to explain the principle of the operation power of the steam engine.

The children of the Mo family who listened to the lecture all had serious faces, frowned for a while, nodded suddenly, and then recorded all this excitedly.

And Zhu Gaoyu, who was lecturing, didn't notice that as he lectured, some "quantities" floating in the void space flew out of his eyebrows and drifted into the classroom with his voice.

And as the Mo family disciples listened carefully, these yellow rays of light that were invisible to ordinary people began to appear in the form of fog, pouring into the minds of the Mo family disciples who were listening to the class.

With the entry of these Xuanhuang mist, the children of the Mo family, who knew little about some problems, seemed to have a computer installed in their brains, and the questions they couldn't understand suddenly found a certain thread and solved it in an instant.

Zhu Gaoyu not only talked about stationary steam engines, but also steam locomotives, and various types of steam engines assembled on ships.

Zhu Gaoyu spoke happily, and the children of the Mo family below were also pleasantly surprised.

This lecture was from morning to evening, and at noon I didn't even eat, like a sponge starved of water, frantically absorbing knowledge.

Picking up the tea that had been cooled and taking a sip, Zhu Gaoyu looked at the Mo family children who were discussing in a low voice and sharing their experiences with their partners around him, and couldn't help but fall into a fantasy.

The first industrial reform of the Ming Dynasty will be born from these people.

"Everyone."

Waiting for everyone to discuss the intermission, Zhu Gaoyu opened his mouth and shouted to stop everyone.

Everyone hurriedly raised their heads and looked at Zhu Gaoyu with respect.

Although there were many people present, they were all older than Zhu Gaoyu for more than one round.

However, the master is the teacher, and in their minds, they automatically ignore Zhu Gaoyu's young appearance and raise him to the position of a knowledgeable teacher.

"In terms of steam power, I believe you have a preliminary understanding."

"I'm going to repeat this for you in the next few days, trying to get everyone to understand it."

"Steam power is a big reform, and I believe that in the near future, such as production, transportation, manufacturing, there will be steam installations."

"Because of the changes you have brought to the Ming Dynasty, your name will be recorded in the annals of history, and your greatness will be proclaimed by future generations."

"I believe that the changes you have brought will bring great achievements to the Mo family, and even one day in the future, the prestige of the Mo family will surpass the status of Confucianism and become a school that everyone praises and yearns for."

"At that time, everyone you present will be like Mozi, and become the children of the Mo family in later generations, and everyone will respect the existence."

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

Zhu Gaoyu's words, listening to the Mo family's children present trembled with excitement, even if they listened to a day of class and didn't eat at noon, they were full of fighting spirit.

If it weren't for the fact that there were still some problems that they hadn't figured out, they would all be eager to devote themselves to the manufacturing workshop and research the steam engine as quickly as possible.

In the next few days, Zhu Gaoyu didn't even return home, giving lectures to various engineers.

The key points are the steam engine and gold training.

As long as the steam engine and gold training are carried out, the first generation of basic industrial reform of the Ming Dynasty will be half successful.

What surprised Zhu Gaoyu even more was that these engineers were like eating gold, learning and comprehending ability, one stronger than the other.

Many ordinary people need to study for half a year or even a year, and it only takes a few days for these people to fully comprehend it.

Zhu Gaoyu was still a little curious at first, how to open up.

Later, during a lecture, I accidentally looked at the illusory space, and I realized the reason.

This made Zhu Gaoyu excited, and at the same time a little self-blamed.

He always thought that his illusory space could only farm, and it wasn't until this moment that he realized that there were still many hidden functions in his illusory space, and he hadn't developed them.

When Zhu Gaoyu was charging his engineers, the outside world was also disturbed.

During this time, the court was very busy.

While arresting, interrogating, and sentencing corrupt officials, officials were mobilized from various localities to fill vacancies in various yamen.

It's really a few happy and a few sad.

The officialdom is lively, and the people have not stopped.

The chamber of commerce, which has blossomed all over Jiangnan, issued an announcement that shocked the entire Jiangnan.

In order to promote the development of people's livelihood and economy, the Chamber of Commerce has reached a partial cooperation with the imperial court through multiple efforts. ’

In order to revive the Ming economy and finances, the imperial court will open up overseas trade on an experimental basis. ’

'Any merchant who is able to go to sea can follow the fleet sent by the imperial court to go to sea and do business together. ’

But in order to prevent the young people from disturbing the market, all ships that go to sea must obtain a pass from the Chamber of Commerce. ’

Anyone who goes to sea without permission without a permit to go to sea will be detained on charges of fornicating with the enemy. ’

Good guys, as soon as this news came out, the entire Jiangnan business circle was shaken.

In the past, the imperial court made a lot of money when they went to sea, and they could only envy it.

It's not that they didn't think about doing it themselves, but every time they went to Qiongzhou, they were seized by a navy department.

Not only will all the goods be confiscated, but even people will be planted in them.

As the saying goes, it is more uncomfortable to see others making money than losing money, and these businessmen are envious and jealous, and they are all thinking about how to usurp those profit partners and make them oppose the court to go to sea.

However, before they could take action, the imperial court actually had the idea of opening the sea.

It's only experimental, but it's a good sign.

can make money peacefully, who is willing to work against the court.

On the day the news was announced, many powerful businessmen found the Chamber of Commerce and wanted to receive the so-called sea certificate.

However, when they asked, they were dumbfounded.

The certificate of going to sea is not issued at will, it is necessary to examine the strength of the businessman, as well as the reputation, for the face of the Ming Dynasty, to prevent all kinds of unqualified items, spread overseas, and the businessman with bad deeds is not qualified to receive the certificate of going to sea.

Anyway, it's all kinds of restrictions, all kinds of rules.

After such a detailed calculation, there are really few businessmen in the entire Ming Dynasty who are qualified to receive this certificate.

But there is no endless road.

Just when the businessmen were distressed by this and wondered whether to go to find a relationship to dredge, they learned another piece of news.

The Chamber of Commerce has a membership system, and all members of the Chamber of Commerce have a certain relaxation in the review of the sea pass.

The level of relaxation varies for each level of membership.

And there are many more benefits to becoming a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

For example, passing by various supply points along the way, different benefits will be given according to the level of the member.

When passing through the maritime tax card in various places, you can also reduce a certain amount of taxes and fees according to the member's voucher, and the higher the level, the more you will be exempted.

When arriving in overseas countries, members of different levels can also enjoy the business of the Chamber of Commerce to introduce businessmen from other countries and the yamen.

Of course, this also depends on your level, and the higher the level, the bigger the merchant you will introduce.

In addition to this, there are other hidden benefits of membership.

Following the fleet of the imperial court, if you encounter pirates, the imperial warship will help solve it, and if there is a problem with the ship, the imperial fleet will also help repair the ship, and the chamber of commerce also has translators, if necessary, the chamber of commerce can also provide translation, but all these services cost money.

But then again, it's great luck to have someone to help you on the vast sea, and you still want to be free.

When the businessmen learned about the membership system of the Chamber of Commerce, they all cried.

What kind of businessmen are they, compared to the earning power of the imperial court, they are simply a drop in the shadows.

Who in the entire Ming Dynasty doesn't know that this chamber of commerce called the Sun and Moon Chamber of Commerce was opened by the imperial court's yamen.

The opening of the sea brings hope to everyone, but all kinds of restrictions make you despair.

What's even worse is that when you are desperate, they give you a glimmer of hope, although this hope needs to be bought with money, but it is better than nothing.

The membership price of the Sun Moon Chamber of Commerce is also not high.

The annual fee for junior members is 1,000 taels of silver, 5,000 taels for intermediate members, and 10,000 taels for senior members.

This amount of money is astronomical for ordinary people, but for big businessmen like them, although it hurts a little, they can still afford it.

In order to get a pass to the sea, many big businessmen went directly to the chamber of commerce with money and reluctantly bought the identity of a member.

When they spent the money and became members of the Sun and Moon Chamber of Commerce, they thought they could get a pass.

The head of the Chamber of Commerce informed them of another insider information.

Since it is the internal dredging relationship of the chamber of commerce to get the pass, the merchants need to pay for this money.

The pass is divided into several levels, each of which is different, and the merchants go to sea and carry different cargo ships.

The Chamber of Commerce did not pit them either, and directly marked the price of each level of passes.

According to their own strength, businessmen can spend money to let the chamber of commerce "dredge the relationship" and get the corresponding level of passes.

Although I know that this is another means for the court to make money, the money has been spent to this point, and I am not afraid of the last trembling.

A large number of merchants wept and mourned, returned home and brought money to buy the passes they wanted.

However, when they were relieved to hold the hard-won pass to the sea, the Chamber of Commerce told them another piece of news that made them thunder.

That is, the pass is not permanent, and the duration is only three years.

In other words, if you want to continue to go to sea in the future, you will have to continue to buy a pass after three years.

After listening to this, a group of businessmen counted on their fingers, and found that if everything went well, while they made back their capital, the real income did not seem to be as much as they imagined.

In addition to the businessmen who got the benefits, the common people in Jiangnan were not abandoned by the Chamber of Commerce.

As the news of the pass was publicized, the Chamber of Commerce also officially announced to the people of Jiangnan that it would collect all kinds of handmade products from the people.

If you don't have any skills, you can also enter the training class of the Chamber of Commerce.

After studying, half of the income in three years will be handed over to the Chamber of Commerce, and after three years, you can sell it yourself.

In today's era, craftsmanship can be passed on to men but not to women, and to be passed on to the elders but not to the young.

In order to learn a craft, many people exaggerate apprenticeship more than recognizing their father.

Not only do you have to work for others, but you also have to give some of the money you earn in the future to the master, and send the master to the end of his life.

If a commoner wants to learn a craft, it is not easy to say that it is as difficult as the sky.

Cultivated land in the Jiangnan area is scarce, and the family's land is only enough for the family to eat and drink, and even in disaster years, even food and clothing are problems.

With such an environment and such a family, it is simply impossible to leave surplus money.

Now that the imperial court has opened a training class, you only need to pay half of the income for three years to learn a craft, and the common people are naturally eager to learn it.

Many families have many children, so they choose the smartest one and send it to the Chamber of Commerce to learn the craft.

And those children who are not smart and not good at learning this line of work also signed up for the chamber of commerce.

These forces will be registered in the Chamber of Commerce, and the members of the Chamber of Commerce will hire them when they need them, and the Chamber of Commerce will only charge a small referral fee and will arrange jobs for them.

With just these few actions, the Sun Moon Chamber of Commerce has made the entire Jiangnan region come alive.

The merchants, who had obtained the passage certificates, began to transport their goods to the Taicang wharf and deploy ships at sea.

In less than a month, many sea ships that were unknown to the imperial court appeared.

Due to the urgency of the news, many merchants had no time to prepare, so they could only buy from the private sector and various workshops.

In order to increase production, each workshop applied to the Chamber of Commerce for labor, so that these people could benefit.

Seeing that the people were in urgent need of goods, the government, which originally thought that their goods would not be able to get out, also pulled their goods to the Chamber of Commerce, hoping that the Chamber of Commerce would help deal with these goods to those maritime merchants.

For these government enterprises, the chamber of commerce does not treat them differently and treats them equally.

All unqualified items were sent back, and the price was also determined according to the market price, so that the person in charge of the delivery had a green face and a burst of blue.

Although they were choked with anger, they didn't dare to get angry, the people behind this chamber of commerce were His Royal Highness King Yue and the Queen Mother.

If they dare to chirp, within an hour, the brocade guards will take them away.

With the replenishment of the official camp, the goods of the various maritime merchants were finally replenished before the monsoon came.

Yongle 10 years under September.

"It's windy!"

An excited shout resounded at the Taicang wharf.

Docked in the port, the dense fleet of ships with no end in sight instantly resounded with deafening cheers.

"Crackling... Crackling..."

Firecrackers rang out above the pier, and many dragon and lion dance teams, along with joy, kept shuttling through the crowd.

"Mazu Niangniang blesses, may my Daming Erlang return safely all the way!"

On the huge sacrificial platform at the wharf, the old man was dressed in formal clothes, holding incense, and bowed slightly to the statue of Mazu.

The old man actually didn't believe in this, but the people who sailed on the sea believed in this, and in order to reassure the sailing son, he held this sacrifice.

"Mazu Niangniang bless!"

Zhu Gaoyu led the representatives of the fleet to salute Mazu Niangniang and pray for peace.

The crew members waiting on the ship also took up their posts on the deck and bowed to Mazu Niangniang.

"When you encounter a situation overseas, how to judge your own decision, the only request that Lao Tzu gives you is not to lose our face."

When the ceremony was over, the old man, accompanied by Zhu Gaoyu, boarded the flagship.

Standing on the bow of the ship, looking at the mast of Rulin and the endless huge fleet, the old man's heart rose with great pride.

If it weren't for Daming's need for him, he really wanted to go with Zhu Gaoyu to see the magnificent sea.

"Dad, don't worry, even if my son loses his life, he won't lose Daming's face."

Zhu Gaoyu, who was by the old man's side, made a solemn guarantee.

The old man nodded with satisfaction, not wanting to delay the auspicious time of departure, so he took a casual look at the boat, and then took people off the boat.

"Your Highness, the fleet is ready, do you want to go!"

Wang Jin, who commanded the entire fleet, came to Zhu Gaoyu's side after receiving the signal that the ships were ready.

Looking at the old man, and Zhang Yue, who was holding the child and looking at him with reluctant eyes, Zhu Gaoyu took a deep breath, lifted his robe and said goodbye to the old man.

Seeing this, the old man's expression was a little touched, and he took a deep breath and waved his hand.

Glancing at his wife and children again, Zhu Gaoyu raised his hand and waved at them, turned around and came to the command platform, and ordered loudly.

"Set sail!"

Wang Jin, who received the order, strode to the command platform, waved the order flag in his hand, and shouted the order.

"Your Highness has an order, set sail!"

"Boom, boom..."

With the roar of several cannon fires, the sailors shouted loudly and pulled up the sails with all their might.

Driven by the monsoon, the white sails of the ship left the dock and sailed like the ocean.

The people on the shore cheered loudly to see off their relatives.

shouted that it was smooth sailing, but tears of reluctance flowed in his eyes.

And behind the old man, Zheng He, who was dressed in a eunuch uniform, looked at the huge fleet in the distance in a daze.

(End of chapter)