Even if you have the drawings, making a suitable textile machine cannot be done in a day or two.
However, Song Yang was not in a hurry and just told them to do it every day when they had free time.
In addition, in terms of power, Song Yang asked them to work towards water power or pedaling.
Jiangzhou is adjacent to rivers and lakes, and its water conservancy conditions are relatively superior.
Song Yang's suggestion was unanimously approved by the machine improvement team.
Regarding power, Song Yang can only make suggestions because there are no drawings in this regard.
…
The next day, Ma Cheng and Yu Ming came back.
"Your Majesty! Liu Huairen found six blacksmiths!"
As soon as Yu Ming came back, he came to Song Yang to report.
"Six? So many?" Song Yang was delighted. This guy actually found six blacksmiths at once.
There is a shortage of blacksmiths in Jiangzhou City right now. The school wants to teach smelting courses, but due to the shortage of teachers, the teaching progress is extremely slow.
And Song Yang still has some things to do, such as artifacts like steam engines.
No good blacksmith can make it.
"Your Majesty, these six blacksmiths all came from Raozhou. Two were left in Duchang, and the remaining four were brought back."
"Okay, okay! Go and have a look." Song Yang was about to go out with a smile.
"People have been brought here." Yu Ming chuckled.
He knew that Song Yang had been looking for the blacksmith for more than a day or two, so he brought him over as soon as he came back.
Song Yang saw four blacksmiths at the door.
Two middle-aged people and two young people.
These four people are all named Wang, the two middle-aged men are brothers, and the two young men are the sons of the middle-aged brother.
The two left behind in Duchang are also relatives of their family.
This is a serious craftsman's family, and every family member is a craftsman.
"The common people pay their respects to the prince."
When the four blacksmiths saw Song Yang coming out, they immediately kowtowed.
Song Yang helped them up one by one and said with a smile: "I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
He was really happy. With the addition of four blacksmiths, his dream of the steam age would be one step closer.
Some time ago, he ordered Wang Ran to find blacksmiths in Daye and Huangshi.
Daye is an important mining town, and Song Yang thought about how he could find some blacksmiths to miss work.
As a result, it has been more than a month and no relevant practitioner has been found.
Fortunately, there is no light in the east but light in the west.
The craftsmen who were not found in Daye Huangshi were found in Duchang.
"You guys will stay in Jiangzhou with peace of mind. I will make sure that you don't go hungry when you get here."
Song Yang was very polite to the blacksmiths, asked Fang Zhe about the situation, and then asked Fang Zhe to take them to arrange the work.
Whether these people can use it or not will have to pass a period of testing.
The main thing is to look at the level of craftsmanship. If there is no problem with the craftsmanship, Song Yang will use them seriously.
Ma Cheng and Yu Ming had been away for exactly five days. In addition to the blacksmith, they also brought another surprise to Song Yang.
The two ships are back.
Because it needed to be repaired, it had been parked in Duchang.
The ship was repaired half a month ago, but no one knows how to drive it.
Liu Huairen sent a letter to Song Yang, although Song Yang was anxious to read it.
However, Ma Cheng and the others had to go to Ezhou on business at that time, so they could only put it aside for the time being.
It wasn't until this time when they went to Duchang that Song Yang asked Ma Cheng to think about getting the ship back.
"It's really a ship!"
Song Yang boarded the wheel and boat that he had been thinking about.
In the ship's power room, we saw the ship's transmission device.
Seven wooden drive shafts 20 centimeters thick are connected to the water wheels on both sides of the hull.
There is also a drive shaft at the stern of the ship, connected to the water wheel at the stern.
The crew pushes a lever in the power chamber, and the lever is connected to the transmission shaft to drive the water wheel to rotate.
The water wheels on both sides provide forward power, and the water wheel at the stern provides steering force.
The entrance to the power cabin is a corner staircase, and there is an area on the middle platform for conveying instructions.
There are two lofts on the deck, and the top floor is the captain's command room.
When the ship starts moving, the sailors in the power cabin will be divided into several groups.
The captain issues semaphore instructions from above, and the people in the relay area give orders to the sailors in the engine room based on the semaphores.
"The advantage of this ship is that sailors can hide in the cabin and can move forward without powered sails. As a warship, it can provide relatively stable power and concealment."
"But the shortcomings are also obvious. The cabin space is small, and it gets extremely hot inside when there are more people."
"And after all, it is human power to push the water wheel, which consumes too much."
"As the battle lasts for a long time, the ship's speed will inevitably decrease."
Song Yang took a tour of the power cabin and immediately understood the advantages and disadvantages of the ship.
I also understand why this ship has not been passed down.
It consumes too much manpower and is often impractical.
In particular, it can only be used as a warship and cannot be used for daily transportation.
A ship like this is destined to go unnoticed.
"Your Majesty has a keen eye. The advantages and disadvantages of ships are indeed like this."
"This ship can use no sails when fighting. Even without sails, the ship is much faster than other ships."
"It just requires too many crew members. If this ship wants to move at full speed, it will require at least eighty sailors."
"If we want to fight for a long time, the number of crew members must be doubled and the work of each other must be replaced."
Ma Cheng followed Song Yang and said.
Just a single drive requires more than 80 people, not counting replacements and combat personnel.
You should know that other sailboats only require seven or eight sailors.
"The shortcomings are indeed obvious, but I already have a strategy for improvement."
Song Yang came out of the cabin with a smile on his face and looked confident.
"Your Majesty is wise. If this ship can maintain its original power, even if the number of sailors is reduced by half, it can still be used as a main standing warship."
Ma Cheng had heard Song Yang mention improved ships before.
But he never dreamed that Song Yang would directly replace the sailors with steam engines!
Song Yang smiled and said: "When the time comes, you will have to join us as a consultant."
"The four blacksmiths you brought back this time are the key. Only when their iron-making skills are up to standard will it be possible to improve the ship's power."
Ma Cheng thought for a while and asked: "Your Majesty, do you want to replace the transmission wood with iron?"
This idea has been around for a long time, but it has never been put into use.
At that time, someone at Jiangning Shipyard proposed to replace the wooden transmission with an iron transmission.
The surface of the iron is smoother and the friction is much smaller, making it easier to push.
However, iron shafts are too easy to rust. The ship is soaked in water all year round and the environment is humid, so it rusts faster.
So this never came to fruition.
Song Yang shook his head, pointed at the power cabin and said: "The power cabin needs major changes."
"These drive shafts need to be removed, and we will replace them with other power sources."
"We will talk about how to change it specifically after the blacksmiths pass the test."
"Besides, there is a new power unit to be built, so we cannot rush this matter."
Song Yang's words made Ma Cheng think a lot. He couldn't think of anything that could replace manpower to provide power in the cabin.
But Song Yang did not continue, and it was not easy for him to ask further questions.
Followed Song Yang to the bow of the ship.
Standing on the bow of the ship with hands behind his back, he raised his head and looked into the distance towards the rolling water of the Yangtze River.
Song Yang has already begun to enjoy one day in the future, driving a steamship to sail on the rivers and seas.