Chapter 102 Academic Issues
"It's not feasible to blindly improve the carving technology." The boy shook his head: "The student thought about it and decided to work on the barrel. The flintlock we are using now is a barrel forged from thousand-layer steel. Although it is durable, , but in fact it is still impossible to escape the nature of iron ore. Just like Bo Ye’s other inventions, other minerals are added to combine its properties, so that its usability is greatly improved. Then the length of the barrel is increased, and the engraving of the negative pattern is Now we are engraving on the front, why not try engraving on the back. In this way, students feel that the service life of the flintlock gun can be increased after use, and this method can also be used on new rifles.”
Chen Cao nodded with satisfaction. These knowledge points were all things he had never mentioned before. It was a good thing that students could understand them now: "What's your name?"
"Student Lin Liangcai, I met my uncle." Lin Liangcai gave Chen Cao a military salute.
"Who is your monitor?"
A student below said: "Uncle, he is the monitor."
"No wonder..." Chen Cao nodded: "Your knowledge is very good. What our college wants is your kind of research and practical talents. Lin Liangcai's learning attitude is worth learning from. The teacher in class noted that Lin Liangcai's academic research is feasible. Distribute twelve taels of scholarships as encouragement."
The students below were in an uproar. Although they all knew that teachers had talked about scholarships when the college was first established, no one thought that a small academic study could actually have so much money. The ten taels of silver were obtained by their parents in the army and industry. Who wouldn’t envy the company’s total income in five months?
"Student thank you, uncle." Lin Liangcai quickly saluted again.
"We can't just limit ourselves to guns and cannons," Chen Cao amplified his voice: "In addition to studying, your academic research must be broadened to involve multiple fields. Otherwise, we will only have guns and cannons in the future, and nothing else will be accomplished. Absolutely not Learn from the Donglin Party."
"yes..."
The students in the class answered loudly together.
After Class 1 finished speaking, Chen Cao immediately walked into Class 2 and started the lecture as before. Then he said: "As for the steam problem that Uncle Ben talked about, you can discuss it carefully after class."
"Uncle," a student stood up: "Students know what uncle means."
"Oh," Chen Cao was about to turn around and leave: "Inform yourself and then tell me carefully."
The student handed over his hands: "Student Cao Shiyun, my father is Cao Xiang of the Youwei Hundred Households." After Cao Shiyun said, he handed over his hands again: "My uncle talked about the steam problem. The student thought about it carefully and thought that the power of the steam hitting the lid was used to drive other things. Rotation, such as the water hammer in the workshop or the iron cart that my uncle talked about."
Chen Cao raised his brows and said that people in ancient times were highly intelligent, but they were limited to the bottleneck of things. As long as someone requested it, the Ming Dynasty would have produced many inventors such as Einstein and Edison: "Go on."
Cao Shiyun continued: "My uncle talked a lot before, and the students thought about it below. The water hammer drive in the workshop is driven by the rotation of wooden gears, which can pull the water hammer. If it is the iron car that my uncle talked about, then use Wooden gears would definitely not work, so the student thought that iron gears could be used.”
"That's right," Chen Cao nodded, then sat on the edge of the podium and looked at Cao Shiyun carefully: "But you have to think that an iron cart is at most the same size as a carriage. If it is measured by the size of the workshop's gears, it will be used in an iron cart. How big is the gear on it?”
Cao Shiyun seemed to have thought of it a long time ago: "If the gear is reduced, it can be installed on the iron car. But uncle, the student is thinking that simple gear rotation is feasible in the workshop using water power, but on the iron car, His motivation still needs to be considered.”
Chen Cao crossed his legs and said: "I will teach you all a big knowledge point. When doing research, you must do one thing. Make bold assumptions and verify carefully. Your ideas can be wild and unrestrained, but the actual actions must be taken step by step. Test, don't do it randomly, otherwise if something big happens, I won't be able to discuss it easily with you."
Cao Shiyun got this information from Chen Cao and said, "Uncle, the student has thought of it again."
"Tell me." Chen Cao smiled.
Cao Shiyun drew a few strokes on the rice paper with a brush, and then held it up: "The water hammer of the old workshop was wrapped by the master craftsman in a wooden house. The gears rotated loudly but quietly. The students thought that the gears installed on the iron cars could also be like this. Do it and wrap it up, which can not only effectively insulate the sound, but also protect it from wind and sun.”
Chen Cao was very satisfied with this kid and nodded: "That's good. Uncle Ben thinks so too. How are you going to solve the power problem?"
Cao Shiyun frowned, and immediately reacted: "Students have thought of it," and then bowed to Chen Cao and saluted: "My uncle is a good teacher, and my students admire him. No wonder he taught us the steam problem first."
Chen Cao felt that his suggestion was very useful: "Tell me carefully."
"Yes," Cao Shiyun handed over his hand again: "The teachers showed us earlier that the full kettle would lift the lid after it was boiled. The students were puzzled. Today, Uncle De finally realized that it is steam. power."
"That's right." Chen Cao stood up and drew a few strokes on the board: "After the water boils, the steam will be pushed up by the things above it, and the force that pushes it up is called steam power, and you have all seen it. , the water in the kettle can push up the lid of the kettle, if the water in the big pond in the yard is boiled, do you think it can push up something?"
Seeing that even Cao Shiyun was meditating, Chen Cao smiled and said, "I just said it, a bold hypothesis."
"You can jack up the bull in the backfield..."
"Put Master Zhang up..."
"Hahaha..."
"Put the house up..."
The students were chattering away, and Chen Cao looked at Cao Shiyun curiously: "Cao Shiyun, what do you think?"
Cao Shiyun frowned and his eyes brightened: "Uncle, you can turn the gear..."
"Hahaha..." Chen Cao laughed loudly, and just when Cao Shiyun thought he was wrong, Chen Cao said: "That's right, you can turn the gear, but let me ask you, after the gear turns, what can it do? "
Cao Shiyun said as if he had received a shot in the arm: "Uncle, the rotation of the gears drives the iron cart to move. This is the power that uncle mentioned."
"Yes," Chen Cao nodded solemnly: "Cao Shiyun is right, this is the source of steam power. The Army Academy set up by Ben Bo not only teaches military art, but also teaches miscellaneous subjects. We, the Ming Dynasty, want to prosper You have to rely on this door to get up." After saying that, Chen Cao returned to the topic, stared at Cao Shiyun and said: "What do you think should be done about the source of steam power on the railway car."
Cao Shiyun said: "What students see is only water power and wood burning. If it is used on an iron car, it can only use better charcoal, but it is a precious thing, and it is wasteful to use it on a large scale."
Chen Cao shook his head: "Burning charcoal is not good. Its firepower and burning durability are not enough. There is a black thing in the Shanxi Governor's Office. The locals call it 'black inkstone,' and the Westerners call it 'coal.' It has great burning power and long-lasting burning power. The only drawback is that the smoke is too large, but now it is the only way. Use it, hey, guess how far the iron car can run?"
"How much steam there is, how far it can run." Cao Shiyun replied.
Chen Cao nodded, and then said: "Uncle Ben has a suggestion for your class. After the reduced version of the gear is improved, it must be wrapped in iron sheet. Uncle Ben named it and called it 'engine'. As for the engine, it can How big it is, that's what you have to study. Scholarships are awarded to those who love to study inventions and creations."
As he spoke, he looked at the teacher outside the door and said, "Remember, Cao Shiyun has made meritorious research and will be given a scholarship of ten taels to encourage him."
The whole class was in an uproar. Ten taels of silver was not a small amount. Chen Cao turned to look at all the students in Class 2, and then said with a smile: "Whoever can research or draw and design the engine of the iron car, I will directly grant him a hereditary hundred households." official position."
This is incredible. It is impossible for these children of refugees and untouchables to be officials in their entire lives. Now they can get hereditary official positions just by making a small invention. That is incredible. Everyone is gearing up to do a big job in these things. field.
Chen Cao stayed in the college for most of the time before leaving. Zhao Xin followed behind and asked carefully: "Uncle, can these things work? Last time Father Tang told his subordinates about the almighty Lord who can save the world."
Chen Cao stood still and looked at Zhao Xin sideways: "Have you become a believer?"
When Zhao Xin saw Chen Cao's unkind eyes, he immediately said righteously: "I have to trust only my uncle. His gods in the West can't control our Ming Dynasty even if they want to come."
Chen Cao nodded with a smile on his face, and then said: "Your mind is still flexible. If you believe in their teachings, you don't have to follow me anymore."
Zhao Xin was shocked, never expecting that Chen Cao disliked the Taixi religion so much: "Uncle...Uncle, if you don't like their gods so much, why do you still let them believe in the religion? The detectives in the city gathered that Jinling now believes in them There are more than 50,000 Christians."
"So many?" However, after thinking about it, the Taixi people are still very capable of deceiving people, so Chen Cao asked: "By the way, how about you sending people to monitor them?"
Xin Zhao handed over his hand: "Uncle's calculations, a total of more than 130 intercepted letters were intercepted. The spies opened them one by one. More than 40 of them were about the plans of the flintlocks and cannons designed by the uncle, as well as Narratives about other weapons.”
"How did you handle it?" Chen Cao frowned.
Zhao Xin smiled evilly and said: "According to uncle's request, I found a lot of spies who are proficient in Thai and Western writing, and then asked them all to secretly modify their letters into family letters of condolences."
Chen Cao also laughed evilly, patted Xin Zhao on the shoulder and said: "You have done these things well and deserve praise, but you must remember that if anyone shows signs of slipping away, he will be captured immediately."
"I understand..."
