Although Peng Jingrong said harshly that she was Liu Ziguang's person, she still saved some face for the old man. At least he stayed in the boudoir of his inner house that night. Liu Ziguang went to live in the military camp, and Addison, who had not seen him for many days, came to see him.
, after expressing condolences to the general for his injury, he began to introduce the results of the recent period.
Addison has made great achievements during this period. He has developed many exquisite gadgets in just a few months. As long as such a genius has enough funds and equipment, there is almost nothing he can't do. There is another even more
The exciting thing is that Song Yingxing has completed the compilation of "Tiangong Kaiwu", used the money Liu Ziguang left him to find a printing shop, printed tens of thousands of copies of the book and widely circulated it, and then resigned and took his whole family with him.
He went to the iron factory to join Liu Ziguang, but Liu Ziguang was not there when he arrived. Addison settled his uncle down, and then handed over the management of the production workshop to Song Yingxing, so that he could engage in scientific research with peace of mind.
The two nephews and uncles cooperated very well. Although Liu Ziguang's money was spent like water, the results were extremely obvious. Three hundred pedal tricycles have been produced and sent to the capital, and a brand-new hydrogen airship is about to be completed.
, compared to the original one, this one has been greatly improved. Not only is it equipped with an internal combustion engine that burns alcohol, it is also equipped with a machine gun driven by compressed gas. The power is amazing, and it can carry as many as fifteen people.
Each person is also equipped with a parachute made of silk. The only drawback is that the airship is still afraid of rocket attacks and can only use height to ensure its own safety.
Of course, that's not all the surprise. The ironworks has a coking branch. Its main task is to produce coke for ironmaking. When the coal is coked, gas is produced, which can be used for night lighting of the ironworks. Later they discovered that lime and coke are used as raw materials.
Heating in the furnace can obtain a new substance, and this substance named calcium carbide can produce a new combustible gas "acetylene". In addition, they extracted a substance called coal tar from the by-product of coking.
The flammable liquid "kerosene", liquids other than kerosene, the light ones can be used as solvents for paint and rubber, and the heavy ones can be used to infiltrate wood and prevent rot. In addition, these people are also looking for strange ingredients in various ores.
The accumulated various materials filled many clay pots, which were even better than Addison. Usually, Factory Owner Peng also encouraged these activities of theirs, and regarded them as training and technical reserve.
Addison hung out with these people all day long, and they actually invented soda ash and a new type of acid. Originally, soap factories and textile factories across the south always purchased the "oral" produced in Zhangjiakou through various channels at high prices.
"Alkali" is a natural soda ash mined and dried in the north. However, as the war progressed, the short-sighted Qing Dynasty actually banned this beneficial and harmless trade, causing the costs of factories in the south to greatly increase.
In this case, the technicians at the ironworks simply used ordinary table salt to extract the alkali. Speaking of which, Addison also had a share of the credit. The technicians used the sulfuric acid he provided to convert the table salt into sulfate, and then mixed it with coke.
, iron eutectic, the generated oxides and sulfides containing sodium and iron are deliquesced in the air, absorbing carbon dioxide in the air, and finally generate alkali. Although this method is relatively expensive, the alkali is not very pure.
But at least it can relieve the urgent need in the south and earn a lot of money for the iron factory.
The newly invented acid is called nitric acid. Nitric acid originally only existed in ironworks laboratories. It is a white substance scraped from the ground or walls after autumn. It is soaked in a tank overnight and then fished out.
Put the dregs and debris into a pot, add water and boil until the nitrate solution is dry. Pour it into a container and white crystals will precipitate overnight. Everyone only knows that this kind of thing can be burned, but the burning is not very violent. There is no other way to find it yet.
The efficacy can only be kept in the laboratory as a technical reserve. Addison reacted sulfuric acid and nitric acid to produce another acid, but this acid was not as violent as sulfuric acid, so he combined this acid with sulfuric acid
The mixture was distilled, and finally a new, more violent acid was produced, which was named nitric acid based on the composition of the compound.
In addition, there is a gadget made by Addison in his spare time that has attracted attention and has been put into mass production by the owner Peng. This is a bowl-shaped microphone made of wood, with a pig intestine film covered at the bottom and a small
There is a metal piece connected to the wire. There is a metal tip nearby the metal piece, which is connected to another wire. When a person speaks into the microphone, it will cause the metal piece on the membrane to vibrate, which will also cause the metal piece to pass through the metal piece and other wires.
The current between one tip becomes intermittent, and the two wires of the microphone are connected to the sounder after passing through the battery. The sounder is a box covered with paper. It can produce sound according to the vibration of the current. Although there is some distortion, the transmission distance is not
It is ideal, but it is still very valuable to use in the internal communication equipment of the fortress or large ships. Although Addison and the others used the resources of the iron factory to help Liu Ziguang do things, they spent Liu Ziguang's money after all, and they also gave money to the iron factory.
It has brought a lot of benefits, so the owner of Peng Factory has always been a strong supporter. The newly built city walls of the iron factory and the newly purchased steam ships are all equipped with this kind of telephone.
"The situation is roughly like this. My uncle is busy getting workers to work overtime and eats three meals a day in the workshop. Even when the general comes, he doesn't have time to come to see him. He says he will wait until the batch of work is done tomorrow before he comes to see him.
, General, please don't blame me." Addison spoke for half an hour before finishing this matter.
"It doesn't matter, Mr. Song has done his duty and deserves to be praised. How can I blame him?" After listening to Addison's report, Liu Ziguang was filled with excitement. Saltpeter was available, nitric acid was available, and wired telephones were available. Unexpectedly, private science and technology were available.
With such a deep reserve, it seems that the emergence of gunpowder weapons is inevitable."
"Xiao Ai, have you ever heard of sulfur?" Liu Ziguang asked.
"Of course I have heard of it. When I was a child in Yunnan, there were sulfur springs everywhere. The locals used it as an insecticide to control powdery mildew and leaf bugs on various crops. The effect lasts for about half a month."
Addison said.
"Is there any solid sulfur?" Liu Ziguang continued to ask, feeling a little excited.
"I haven't seen it yet, but if you want, I can extract it. It's very simple." Addison thought, isn't it a piece of cake? But he was a little confused, why did General Liu suddenly care about this?
Liu Ziguang seemed to have seen his inner thoughts and explained: "After the sulfur powder is refined, mix it with saltpeter and charcoal in the ratio of 10%, 70%, and 20% respectively, and ignite it with fire to see the effect.
Be careful, otherwise someone may be killed, this thing explodes with amazing power."
Preparing messy chemical substances is also one of Addison's hobbies. Since Liu Ziguang proposed to develop explosive substances, he might as well make more types of mixtures. On scientific issues, Addison has always drawn inferences from one example and will not stick to one type.
Way.
"Don't worry, General, I will get what you need as soon as possible." Addison said confidently.
Liu Ziguang knew very well that these inventions were not built on castles in the air. It was the years of accumulation of a large number of science-loving technicians that created Addison's achievements. Although the Ming Dynasty did not have a truly national-level academic institution, almost all
Factories maintain a group of senior technical personnel, and these people often pass on their lifelong efforts as family heirlooms to their children and grandchildren, as capital for their livelihood, so for different chemicals, even different gases, ores, metals,
The names are different across the country, and the chaotic situation has also created a pattern of contention among a hundred schools of thought. If the academic circles of the Ming Dynasty can be unified, it will definitely be a good thing for the country and the people, and it will also be of great benefit to the innovation and development of science and technology.
No harm done. It seems that this work will have to wait until he has a certain amount of power before he can implement it.
The two talked until late at night. In addition to technical issues, they also talked about matters in the capital. The taxi company opened by Sun Gang has been officially in operation for two months, and the results are very good. The pedal tricycle is safe and fast.
It is lower in cost and cheaper than a mule carriage, faster and more comfortable than a sedan, and has become the best tool for ordinary people to travel. According to the report sent back by Ding Libin, the start-up cost has been recovered in a short period of time, and initial benefits have been seen.
People from other cities also came here to buy tricycles and joined the Nanjing Automobile Dealer's business. For a time, the supply exceeded demand, and they made a fortune every day. They really made a lot of money for Liu Ziguang and made the iron factory famous.
There are also two letters from the little emperor. He briefly inquired about Liu Ziguang's army training situation, and also told him that in order to station soldiers, the emperor secretly bought a Zhuangzi in Beijing, so that when he led his troops to Beijing, they could temporarily station there. Because Liu Ziguang
Being on the front line, I haven't had time to reply to the letter. Now that the three-month appointment period has expired, the promise of meeting again in the capital is about to be fulfilled.
Early the next morning, Liu Ziguang dressed up and set off for the capital. The scene this time was obviously much bigger than the last time. The Thousand Red Shirt Regiment was divided into two groups. One group pretended to be merchants and rode overland, and the other group followed Liu Ziguang.
Take a boat trip along the canal.
Although factory owner Peng clamored to sever the father-daughter relationship with Peng Jinrong, he couldn't stand it at the critical moment. Hearing that his daughter was taking Liu Ziguang to Beijing for medical treatment, he secretly sent Hu Xianjue to transfer the newly purchased clipper from Wuchang Shipyard.
They used the ironworks' original paddle steamer that had been modified with underwater propellers and was then handed over to the freight department to pull machinery. The new transportation ship was not much smaller than Rishengchang's Iron Giant Salamander, and the paddle wheels on both sides were also modified.
It was replaced with an underwater propeller, which not only made the speed faster, but also saved a lot of space. The captain who sent them to Beijing last time is still the captain this time. He is turning the steering wheel with a smile on his face, dragging a long string of canal boats along the way.
As the canal goes south, the canals are loaded with heavy technical weapons, including decomposed airships, powered parafoils, hot air balloons, ballistas, steam cannons, etc., and of course hundreds of red shirt regiment soldiers.
In order to cover half of his ugly face, Liu Ziguang had someone design a windbreaker with a high collar. The fabric was made of slightly stiff ramie and was very breathable. The collar was made of leather, which could protect his face from being burned.
It is easy to be seen, and it can not be too hot in the early summer weather. Since the last ambush incident, his personal bodyguards have expanded to as many as thirty people, and they all wear black ramie similar to Liu Ziguang's when on duty.
The windbreaker is lined with soft armor, the black iron military rank badge is pinned on the chest, the short crossbow saber hangs on the waist, and the dark crystal glasses are stuck on the nose. All of them are handsome and cool.
It was a smooth journey. Liu Ziguang sat on the bow of the boat all day long and blew in the wind. When he opened his eyes, he always saw a vast expanse of white and an itchy feeling. Maybe his own repair function was starting. He didn't dare to rub it, so he had to wait.
When you get to the capital, let the Western doctor who spreads the legend have a look and then talk about it.
Of course, the capital of the capital cannot be so blatantly led troops into, so the red shirt regiment first came to ** County to stay temporarily. The Zhuangzi bought by the emperor covers an area of 100 acres and has a five-room house, but it is still difficult to accommodate a thousand people. The soldiers
They had no choice but to set up tents in the fields and move the large weapons to the yard at night and cover them with tarpaulins. Liu Ziguang did not get off the boat halfway, but took a boat directly to Shuiximen Pier. A luxury carriage sent by Sun Gang came to pick him up.
, Liu Ziguang got into the carriage with the help of Peng Jinrong. Sun Gang, the owner of Ziguang Car Dealer, drove towards the city with his whip raised. Two guards stood on the pedals on both sides of the carriage, holding the carriage with one hand and pressing down with the other.
They were armed with sabers and were on alert, and the rest of the guards followed behind in Ziguang Vehicle Company's human-powered tricycles.
The section of the road from the dock into the city is a carriage and horse avenue paved with bluestone slabs. There are many carriages and horses on the road. Officials and wealthy businessmen still mainly use carriages. Most ordinary merchants ride tricycles from Ziguang Car Company, which can both pull and pull.
The goods can carry people, and the price is fair. The section from the dock to the city is a golden section. In addition to the tricycles of Ziguang Vehicle Company, there are also horse-drawn carriages, donkey carts, and human-powered unicycles from other dealerships soliciting business. Liu Ziguang
The luxury carriage he was riding in was quickly noticed by a long-faced guy on the side of the road. The four exquisite copper characters "Ziguang Car Shop" on the car body shone in the sun, catching his eye. "We have a distinguished guest from Ziguang Car Shop."
, notify the brothers nearby to come and deal with him!" This guy ordered a person behind him.
"Just watch, I'm sure they'll get into trouble today." The man behind him sneered, jumped on a mule cart and drove off.
Due to the large number of people in the car, Liu Ziguang's carriage gradually distanced itself from the guards behind it. I don't know when, but a dozen two-wheeled mule carts gradually surrounded it, sandwiching the luxury carriages in front, rear, left and right.
Each mule cart has a small red flag with the words "马六车行" written in black on it.