I

  Chapter 519 516【Three consecutive good things】

  The working model of the steam engine, in another 35 years, the French physicist Papin will come up with it.

   But this steam engine is a lever type.

   Another 11 years later, it was still Papin who proposed the idea of ​​a piston steam engine, but did not actually start to manufacture it.

   Until the 31st year of Kangxi, the real industrial steam engine appeared, which belongs to the vacuum steam engine.

  In the forty-fourth year of Kangxi, the atmospheric steam engine was born, and it was quickly used in coal mines, which can easily drain groundwater.

  Watt improved the atmospheric steam engine, which can still only be used to lift water.

   Later, Watt invented the reciprocating steam engine, and the steam engine could be used in factories. In fact, decades ago, during the Kangxi period, there was already an idea of ​​piston workmanship, and even the piston cylinder was designed. What Watt has to do is to design the connecting rod and flywheel, and use the piston and cylinder.

  European steam engines have taken detours for decades, purely due to differences in commercial use. Everyone only thought about using the steam engine to drain the mine, and had been tossing about it, but never thought about using it to drive the textile machine.

   Zhao Han proposed from the very beginning that steam engines should be used to spin and weave cloth.

  Under this kind of thinking, neither vacuum nor atmospheric steam engines will be born (these can only be used for drainage). If you want to complete the task assigned by the emperor, you can only move closer to the piston.

   However, it is still too outrageous.

  Xu Zhengming is simply a god. This guy directly produced the Watt steam engine in just four days. Pistons, cylinders, connecting rods, flywheels, spool valves...all of them!

  If you insist on asking Xu Zhengming how he designed it, he will definitely say this——

   "Cylinder? To make steam power, there must be a cylinder." This is nothing. 35 years later, the first generation of European steam engines also had cylinders.

   "Piston? To use steam, you have to push something to run. This thing is a piston." It is also understandable that after 46, European scientists also had this idea.

   "Connecting rods, flywheels? My flying chair (helicopter) uses connecting rods. Doesn't the spinning wheel also have a flywheel?"

   "Spool valve? The flywheel is spinning. Isn't it logical to add a connecting rod to let the flywheel control the connecting rod?"

  What Zhao Han did was never in a hurry.

  In his mind, it is acceptable to assign the task of inventing the steam engine and slowly grind it out in ten years.

   But what the **** is drawing a blueprint in four days and knocking out a prototype in a month?

  It’s like a parent who urges his child to pass the exam, but in the end he gets a full score for the child.

   Of course, there are many places that need improvement.

  From the French steam engine model to Watt's improved steam engine, it has been a long 86 years. It took another 25 years from Watt's improvement of the first generation machine to Watt's perfection of the steam engine.

  Xu Zhengming’s steam piston uses a cast iron core wrapped in leather and oiled. After the surface grease is worn away, the frictional resistance will be greatly increased.

  The improvement plan of this product is to wrap a layer of fine cotton soaked in vegetable oil on the outside of the leather, which can prolong the effective working time of the piston.

  Because there is no rubber, it is also a substitute for leather and cotton. The airtightness is not too far off, the main problem is that it is easy to wear and tear, and it cannot withstand the high temperature environment, and it has to be replaced after a few days.

  In addition, compared with the full version of the Watt steam engine, Xu Zhengming's steam engine is still very unstable, and its work efficiency is much lower. Because there are no planetary gears, no governors, no safety valves, no pressure gauges, no cylinder outer insulation...

  In front of Zhao Han that day, the steam engine suddenly stuck, because the lack of a governor caused the flywheel to move at a non-uniform speed. Coupled with the lack of planetary gears, the final reciprocating work can no longer reciprocate.

   There is no safety valve and pressure gauge, this defect is barely acceptable. Because of this simple steam engine, the steam pressure is very small, less than one-third of that during the Opium War, and only a few tenths of that during the Republic of China.

  Generally, it will not explode, and even if it explodes, it will probably not kill anyone.

  Let’s put it this way, even if a loom that can be driven by a steam engine is built, due to the instability of the existing steam engine, it is necessary to have professional repairmen in the factory. Turn it around and it won't turn, and small parts like gaskets and cotton layers have to be replaced every few days.

  However, no matter how many shortcomings there are, in terms of steam engine research and development, Zhao Han encountered a rare Tianhu start.

  The next step is to improve it. It is worthwhile to improve this steam engine in ten, twenty, or thirty years.

  In Europe this year, the Italian scientist Torricelli has measured the atmospheric pressure. Newton is also one and a half years old, a premature baby, probably not yet weaned.

   In terms of physics and machinery, China has already left behind Europe in many places.

   At the same time, thanks to the missionaries, scientific concepts such as theorems and formulas have been continuously introduced to China since the Longqing period. Today, through Zhao Han's education reform, it has taken root among new-style students.

   Just when Xu Zhengming came up with the steam engine, as far away as England, Lord Protector Cromwell won the Battle of Marston Moor. This was the turning point of the British Civil War. Cromwell really rose. After he came to power, Britain will also embark on the road of maritime hegemony.

  In the northwest of China, Ge Erdan... Well, Galdan was born this year, and the Jungar tribe is thriving north of the Tianshan Mountains.

  The more Zhao Han thought about the invention of the steam engine, the more excited he became, and he always smiled when he reviewed the memorials.

   Good things come in pairs. Officials from the Ministry of Industry reported that the construction of the Forbidden City in Nanjing has been completed.

   To be precise, it is restoration. The Forbidden City in Nanjing in the Ming Dynasty, the city walls and foundations are all there. In some halls, even the pillars do not need to be demolished, and can continue to be used with a layer of paint. A lot of wood and glazed tiles can also be reused, and those things are very strong.

  The officials of the Qin Tianjian Planetarium, under the instructions of the Ministry of Rites, have selected an auspicious day for the zodiac, and they can move to the palace on the sixth day of November in the lunar calendar.

  Before Zhao Han moved into the Forbidden City, some female officials and court ladies needed to move to the sanatorium in advance. The house has grown, and the manpower has to be expanded, so the second large-scale recruitment of female officials and court ladies.

   Recruit 800 female officials and 1,200 court ladies at one time.

  Most of them belong to the nature of handymen, that is, hired workers who work in the Forbidden City, and they get wages. Only female officials who have achieved leadership positions are considered officials of the inner court, with rank and salary.

   "Leave it to the cabinet for their approval." Zhao Han drafted an order.

  Pang Chunlai, Li Banghua, and Tian Younian didn't respond to the decree. They signed their names in a hurry, and finally Pang Chunlai drafted the official decree.

  What's the matter?

  Increase royal expenses!

  There are so many female officials and maids in the palace, and the monthly salary is tens of thousands of taels of silver. How can the previous royal budget be enough?

   This time, the increase was not much. The annual royal budget was increased to 1.2 million taels, roughly equal to the royal expenditure of the Chenghua Dynasty.

  In the middle and early Ming Dynasty, the annual expenditure of the royal family was basically around one or two million yuan, and Zhu Houzhao was a little prodigal. It wasn't until Emperor Jiajing came to the throne that royal expenses skyrocketed, and a lot of money was used to practice Taoism and practice. Later, there was no distinction between the private treasury and the national treasury, and the keys to the treasury were all in the hands of eunuchs.

  The reason why the evaluation of a foolish king often has the words "big construction" is because it is a waste of money and people.

  Emperor Wanli's own mother, also considered a wise queen mother, fully supported Zhang Juzheng's reform. But this queen mother also likes to build temples. A temple is at least tens of thousands of taels, and she often takes money from Zhang Juzheng to build temples. Moreover, every time a temple is built, it not only consumes silver, but also recruits a large number of civilian laborers, and the people around the capital suffer terribly.

  Zhao Han has already refined the rules. Commercial taxes such as salt, tea, porcelain, and silk must be submitted to the central government as part of the royal budget. Every year, enough royal budget must be reserved and directly deposited into the royal account of the Datong Bank. The construction of the royal mausoleum, the renovation of the Forbidden City, and the wedding of the emperor and the prince all have to be paid for by the treasury, and the royal family will not pay for it themselves.

  However, if the emperor wants to build a garden for vacation, or build Buddhist temples and Taoist temples, civil officials can directly reject it. The emperor can repair it if he wants, and pay for it himself!

   "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Cabinet and the Ministry of War seeks to see you, there is an urgent military situation!"

   "Bring them in."

   Good things come in pairs, as if that wasn't enough.

  Pang Chunlai stepped into the door and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the pseudo-shun civil strife, Hao Yaoqi led the troops to defect to our Datong court."

   "What?" Zhao Han stood up in surprise.

  Hao Yaoqi is Li Zicheng's general in the Chinese army, and he was born as the standard bearer for Li Zicheng. Now the status in the court of Dashun is second only to Li Guo and Liu Zongmin, and they can at least rank among the top five generals in Dashun.

Xu Ying said with a smile: "Pseudo-shun stole Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu, all of which are bitter and cold places in the northwest. In the past two or three years, Li Zicheng has rectified the administration of officials, recruited refugees, and cultivated and accumulated grain. With a peaceful heart, I know that I can't compete with our army for hegemony. According to the news from the detailed work, although Li Zicheng has made repeated orders not to allow officials to embezzle and cheat, those hypocritical military leaders are lawless in the local area. They change the law If you make money, even if the hypocrisy is destroyed, you can still become a rich man."

   "What did Hao Yaoqi do?" Zhao Han asked.

Xu Ying said: "This man is stationed in Zezhou (Jincheng), confronting my army of Huaiqing Mansion. Many dangerous points such as Tianjingguan and Hengwangling are stationed by Hao Yaoqi's soldiers. He has great power in Zezhou , the local civil servants dare not offend, and search the people's fat and people's anointing without any hindrance. The commercial roads from Shanxi to Henan often go down Qinshui, and Hao Yaoqi is still setting up cards in Qinshui, charging tolls from merchants. There were merchants last year Reported, Li Zicheng personally wrote a letter to reprimand, and also fined Hao Yaoqi with half a year's salary, and ordered him not to do anything wrong."

  Zhao Han probably guessed what was going on.

Xu Ying continued: "Hao Yaoqi withdrew Qinshui's business card, but still exploited the people. Li Zicheng probably sent spies to investigate. After learning the truth, he planned to let Hao Yaoqi change his defense. He didn't dare to hand over Zezhou. This person guards. Hao Yaoqi was frightened and disturbed, thinking that Li Zicheng wanted to kill him, so he secretly wrote a letter to our court."

   "Has this letter been intercepted by Li Zicheng's spies?" Zhao Han asked.

"Exactly," Xu Ying said, "Li Zicheng didn't dare to force himself. He secretly contacted Hao Yaoqi's generals, intending to trap him without bloodshed. The incident was leaked, and Hao Yaoqi brought five thousand soldiers, goods and rations with him. They didn’t dare to take too much away, so they went south and joined me.”

  Zhao Han asked, "Where is this person?"

  Xu Ying said: "North of Huaiqing Mansion, by the Danshui River. The whole army has been disarmed, and the whole family is being detained in Huaiqing Mansion City (Qinyang)."

   Zhao Han was very disappointed. A general defected with 5,000 soldiers. He thought Li Zicheng was engaged in a civil war there.

  Li Banghua said: "Your Majesty, you should treat this person with special favors, and there must be someone who imitates the hypocrite."

   Zhao Han said: "Cut it off, send the head to Li Zicheng, and say that I also hate corrupt officials!"

   Chopped?

  Everyone was silent collectively.

  (end of this chapter)