"Your Majesty, this rubber is different from ordinary trees. It likes hot and sunny places. It may not be possible to grow it in a warm place like Daming. Rather than planting it in Daming and failing to survive, it is better to plant it in Nanyang."
"Moreover, Daming will definitely need more and more rubber in the future. If rubber is planted in Daming, it will definitely occupy a lot of land. If it affects food cultivation, that will not be good. But Nanyang is different. The land is vast and sparsely populated, so planting more rubber trees will have no impact."
Lao Zhu originally wanted to plant rubber in Daming, but after listening to Han Du's proposal, he felt that it was not unreasonable.
But if rubber is really planted in Nanyang, Lao Zhu can't help but feel worried.
After thinking for a moment, Lao Zhu had no choice but to confess to Han Du: "What you said makes sense, but have you ever thought about it? Western businessmen often come to Nanyang. This rubber is so precious. If they take it away, So what should we do?”
"Then don't allow them to take it away." Han Du immediately said seriously: "And it's not just rubber. I believe that outsiders will never be allowed to take away a single grain of red sweet potato, red taro, and red rice."
Lao Zhu immediately nodded in agreement. He also knew the importance of these things, and said with murderous intent: "I will send an order to the tea master to keep them under strict supervision. If anyone dares to violate it, no matter who it is, he will be killed without mercy! "
After the conversation, Lao Zhu immediately issued an order, asking Jiang Ming to take the saplings to Luzon immediately and give them to Fang Xiaoru, so that he could send someone to plant them.
Han Du, who got the rubber, rushed towards the academy without any delay.
"Is this the rubber you are talking about?" Sun Xian took a piece of rubber from Han Du's hand. It looks a little turbid, not transparent. You can feel the elasticity when you pinch it with your hands.
He pinched both ends with both hands and pulled, which immediately stretched the rubber in his hands.
Sun Xian frowned, glanced at Han Du doubtfully, and asked, "Sir, did you say this thing is suitable? But according to the student's opinion, this thing is too soft and might as well be used now."
Han Du looked at Sun Xian with a smile and explained: "This is only the first product. If you want to make it into a sealing ring for a steam engine, you need to refine it again."
"Then, how to make it?" Sun Xian had long been impatient to get the steam engine running. Now that he finally got the rubber, he didn't want to delay it for a moment.
Han Du took the rubber back from his hand, couldn't help but pinch it twice, and said, "Why are you panicking? Refining it is something that cannot be rushed. You can only do it slowly."
The real reason is of course not what Han Du said, but because Han Du doesn't know how to improve the performance of rubber. I just roughly remember that if you want to increase the wear resistance of rubber, you need to add toner. This is also the reason why most rubber is black, because of the toner added to it.
However, Han Du doesn't know how much to add and how to add it. He still needs to try it slowly.
Han Du told Sun Xian and others that adding carbon powder can make the rubber wear-resistant.
So, after Sun Xian heard this, he couldn't wait to take a group of his students to try it one after another. Anyway, they have become accustomed to doing experiments, and they will be familiar with it again.
There is strength in numbers, and within a few days, Sun Xian brought good news to Han Du.
I saw Sun Xian coming to Han Du with a black object with a smile on his face, and said excitedly: "Sir, it's done."
Han Du did not expect that Sun Xian would be so lucky to make wear-resistant rubber so quickly. He took it over, took a look at it, rubbed it on the stone a few times, "Have you written down the recipe?"
"Don't worry, sir, I've written it down." Sun Xian quickly replied.
"Okay." Han Du rubbed his hands excitedly and said with a smile, "Then make the sealing ring quickly. We can't wait to see the real steam engine."
With the material, making a seal is just a piece of cake. Measure the size, then make the mold and cast it directly.
In Han Du's expectant eyes, Sun Xian smiled and asked someone to raise the fire. As the water in the boiler boiled, the steam engine began to run.
Different from the previous ones, when the previous steam engines were started, some air would leak from the connecting rods, which also caused the power output of the steam engines to drop by a level.
But now, when the steam engine is running, except for the air outlet, there is not even a trace of white gas visible anywhere else, and the power has directly increased a lot.
This steam engine is mainly used to draw rifling, so when it is started, you can see that under the drive of the machine, the drawbars that carve the rifling are drawn to the left and right, and the rifling is carved out one by one very smoothly.
Han Du and others sat aside and waited from morning to noon. If it were an old steam engine, the seal would have been worn out by now. But until now, the steam engine has been running continuously and reciprocally, and not even a bit of white gas can be seen at the seal.
A group of students under Sun Xian stared closely at the shadow of the sundial. When they saw the shadow crossing the noon line, they burst into cheers.
This means that the steam engine they built is really better than the last time.
Sun Xian also had a smile on his face and walked towards Han Du.
Before Sun Xian could speak, Han Du took the initiative and said, "Congratulations, you have truly built a steam engine. The one hundred thousand guan is yours."
Han Du's words stunned everyone. To be honest, many of them had forgotten that there was a reward of 100,000 yuan, including Sun Xian. Although they encountered countless problems in the process of building the steam engine, after they solved these problems one by one, the pleasure was simply not comparable to money. As time went by, they actually completely forgot about the one hundred thousand gold reward.
Fortunately, Han Du did not forget and reminded them at this moment.
"Ouch~"
A louder cheer came, and Han Du felt his ears were numb from the shock. He quickly rubbed them with his fingers a few times before he felt better.
Sun Xian stepped forward, shook his head and smiled: "We still don't know how long this steam engine can run. It's too early to talk about the reward."
Seeing that Sun Xian was so rigorous, Han Du didn't say much and responded to Sun Xian with a smile, "Then you continue to try and see how long the steam engine can run at a time. In addition, you can make the spinning machine I asked you to make." Have you come out yet?"
"It has been made a long time ago, but my husband has never come to the academy to see it. If he wants to go and see it, the student will take him there." Sun Xian quickly replied.
Han Du stood up and said immediately: "Then what are you waiting for? Take me to see it quickly."
"This way, sir."
Sun Xian took Han Du to another room. There was a strange-looking machine in the middle. It is mainly made of wood, and iron is used only in important places. The whole thing looks like a bed frame, but it has two layers. There are two rows of spindles on it, one row is placed diagonally in the middle, and the other row is placed vertically at the other end. A transmission rod is connected between the two rows of spindles, and a huge flywheel is placed on the spinning machine.
After Han Duzai looked at it carefully, he asked Sun Xian: "Have you tried this? Can you weave cloth?"
Sun Xian was stunned for a while and replied truthfully: "Uh... the student made it according to the drawing given by the teacher. I haven't connected it to the steam engine and tried it. I don't know if it can weave the cloth."
"It should be okay." Han Du looked aside and felt that it was almost exactly the same as in his memory, so there should be no problem.
Sun Xian did not have the confidence of Han Du, and asked doubtfully: "Sir, the student has also seen looms. Those looms only have one spindle, but the one you made has twelve. This... ....Is it possible?”
Han Du chuckled and explained: "If we rely on human power, of course it won't work. Even a person with natural supernatural power can't shake twelve spindles. But with a steam engine, it's different. The power of the steam engine is enough to easily drive these spindles. Spindle.”
Although Sun Xian knew that Han must have a deep meaning in building this machine, he still couldn't figure it out and looked at him curiously.
"But is there any difference?"
Han Du smiled and looked at Sun Xian meaningfully. "The difference is huge. Think about it. In the past, one spindle could only weave one piece of cloth at a time. But now twelve spindles can weave twelve pieces of cloth in the same time. . This directly increases the efficiency of weaving by twelve times."
Sun Xian understood immediately, and his eyes changed when he looked at the simple spinning machine. What kind of spinning machine is this? This is simply a hen that lays golden eggs, and they lay continuously.
Cloth has always been a popular commodity. When the value of banknotes depreciated in the past, cloth did not depreciate. It was often used by the court as salary and paid directly to officials.
If one person could use this machine, driven by the steam engine, to really be able to carry twelve looms, then the value of this machine would be unimaginably high.
Seeing that Sun Xian understood, Han Du did not continue to explain anything to him. Then he said: "But this spinning machine needs a steam engine to drive it. So, you and others will build a steam engine."
"Don't worry, sir, the students will make arrangements right away." For Sun Xian, he has built steam engines more than once. For him and his students, there is no difficulty. All they need is time.
Han Du squinted his eyes and smiled. This spinning machine was a good thing that he planned to use to blackmail Lao Zhu. I spent a hundred thousand guan on the steam engine, how could I not get it back? Not only do you need to make up for it, but you also need to make a fortune.
The imperial village under Queen Ma has a huge weaving workshop with tens of thousands of people. If Queen Ma could be allowed to buy a spinning machine, then this business alone would allow Han Du to make a lot of money.
"You can continue to watch the situation of the steam engine here. I will go to the palace to report the good news to the emperor."
"Sir, please." Sun Xian was also concerned about the condition of the steam engine. Although Han Du said there should be no problem, he felt that he still had to see it with his own eyes before he could rest assured.
Han Du came to the palace to ask for an audience. Lao Zhu had nothing to do today, so he summoned Han Du in without letting him wait.
After the ceremony, before Han Du could speak, Lao Zhu guessed and said, "Is it because the steam engine has been completed that you ask to see me?"
"It's basically done." Han Du deliberately showed an unexpected expression, showing off Lao Zhu's prophetic skills.
When Lao Zhu heard this, he frowned unhappily and asked doubtfully: "Achievement is success, failure is failure. What does it mean to basically be successful?"
"Back to the emperor, the steam engine has been running all morning without any problems. But whether it will succeed or not, we will need to observe it for at least ten and a half days to know."
Only then did Lao Zhu remember what Han Du said. The advantage of this machine is that it can never sleep. As long as there is water in the boiler and fire below, it can continue to run without stopping. Of course, nothing can be seen in a short period of time.
Thinking of this, Lao Zhu nodded and said, "Okay, in that case, wait a few days before telling me about the situation of the steam engine."
"According to the order."
After Han Du replied, he did not just leave. Instead, he stood still and looked at Lao Zhu with a smile on his face.
Lao Zhu was stunned when he saw this, and asked suspiciously: "What else do you want?"
"Your Majesty, it's like this. The steam engines are now pretty much in sight. I would like to ask how many steam engines your Majesty plans to purchase?"
With a smile on his face, Han Du explained his purpose of coming here.
"Purchasing? What do you mean?" Lao Zhu didn't know whether he really didn't understand, or he was pretending to be confused with Han Du.
Han Du doesn't care either. Since you don't understand, I'll explain it to you clearly.
"Your Majesty, now the Ordnance Bureau is manufacturing divine thunder guns, but it must use steam engines. Aren't you going to buy some? If there are more steam engines, more divine thunder guns can be made."
Lao Zhu had a look of realization on his face, glanced at Han Du, and suddenly rolled his eyes. "Why did I buy a steam engine? To make divine thunderbolts, isn't there a steam engine from the academy?"
Han Du's face suddenly turned bad. It's enough to let you have sex for free once. Do you still want to keep having sex for free?
"Your Majesty doesn't know something. I have placed a reward of 100,000 guan in the academy..."
"I know." Before Han Du could finish speaking, Lao Zhu interjected calmly.
Han Du's tone paused, and when he saw that Lao Zhu had no intention of continuing, he said: "The steam engine in the academy belongs to me too."
Han Du meant to remind Lao Zhu, don't count on the academy, everything in the academy belongs to me. You can use it if you want, just give me the money!
However, Lao Zhu just pretended not to understand what Han Du was talking about. He nodded and said: "I know, but I asked the academy to use a steam engine to carve rifling. What does it have to do with me?"
He was determined to do it for free, and Han Du was so angry that his chest felt extremely tight. Then he suddenly thought of something, and he took a deep breath and said: "Your Majesty, but the academy only has one steam engine, which can only carve them one by one. But if the Emperor buys hundreds and eighty steam engines, can we carve hundreds of them together?" Carve it out?"
The power of the divine thunderbolt at this time was simply earth-shattering. Lao Zhu has long been eager to immediately equip all of Ming Dynasty's hundreds of thousands of troops with divine thunder guns.
However, based on the speed at which the rifling is carved in the Academy, only five or six riflings were carved a day in the past, and every less than two hours, the steam engine had to be stopped and new sealing glue was replaced before it could continue to be used. .
Nowadays, even if the steam engine can work continuously for more than ten days without stopping, it may only carve a dozen roots in a day. There are only about three to four thousand pieces a year. If you want to complete the equipment of hundreds of thousands of troops at this speed, you really have to wait until the year of the monkey.
But as Han Du said, getting hundreds of steam engines is different. Thousands of sticks can be carved in one day. In this way, an army of three to four hundred thousand can be equipped in one year. In less than two years, every Ming general can be equipped with a divine thunder gun.
Lao Zhu, who was already familiar with Han Du, was not fooled by Han Du's words. He concluded from his contact with Han Du that Han Du's products are good, but good things are not cheap.
"How many of these steam engines do you want to sell?"
Han Du quietly stretched out a finger under Lao Zhu's gaze with a smile on his face.
"Ten thousand strings!"
"Why don't you go grab it?" Lao Zhu was furious when he heard this. If he hadn't stayed far away from Han Du, he would have been washing Han Du's face with saliva.
Rob? Rob, where is the monopoly that makes money quickly?
Han Du's face was full of sorrow, and he lamented: "I can't help it. I couldn't sleep at night because of this steam engine. I don't know how much hair I lost, and I spent a hundred thousand dollars." .”
When Lao Zhu heard this, his expression suddenly became strange. "You can't sleep at night, worried about losing your hair? But you just returned to the palace in Anqing the day before yesterday and told me that you have eaten well and slept well at home these days, and you have gained weight. Why can't you sleep at night?"
I'll go... Guard against day and night, it's hard to guard against house thieves.
No, An Qing is not a thief, she will not betray herself. It must be Lao Zhu, an old fox, who deliberately tricked An Qing into saying what she said, making her say these words without her knowing it.
You want to trick even your own daughter, are you still a human being?
Lao Zhu didn't care what Han Du was thinking, he couldn't hear it anyway.
"As for the reward of 100,000 guan you offered, it is indeed true. But so what? You opened your mouth to sell me one for 10,000 guan, and even asked me to buy one hundred and eighty units. What? You want to make money? How much do I have, 900,000 yuan?"
Meeting Lao Zhu, a stingy emperor, Han Du felt really tired and felt helpless like a scholar meeting a soldier.
"Your Majesty, that's not how the accounts are calculated. It costs money to make a steam engine. The fine steel alone costs several thousand kilograms. And..."
"And rubber." Lao Zhu immediately interrupted, pretending to react, and exclaimed: "By the way, I sent people to get this rubber back from tens of thousands of miles away. You have to sell a steam engine for one Wan Guan, how much should I sell you for this rubber?”
Han Du looked startled after hearing this, and regretted that he shouldn't have been so eager, and should have waited until he got all the rubber from Lao Zhu before taking action.
But it's too late to say anything now, Lao Zhu took advantage of it.
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