"Your Majesty, the main difficulties with the phone have been solved. If Your Majesty wants, I can install the phone for Your Majesty within three days!"
Upon hearing Zhang Mingwei's words, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but said with great joy: "Of course it goes without saying, as soon as possible!"
In fact, Zhang Mingwei could have invented the phone a long time ago, but he was hesitant before about which phone was better.
To put it bluntly, the telephone is actually an electromagnetic induction device. It is essentially no different from an electric motor or generator.
The telephone also uses a magnet to pass through the coil to generate a large or small current, and then uses the current to drive the sound-producing vibrating piece on the other side. The only difference is that a motor or generator is driven by water or steam to output a large current, while a telephone uses sound to output a small current.
Among the three major components of a phone, the bell is indispensable. Otherwise, how would you know when a call is coming?
And this is the simplest. It is basically a modification of the telegraph demonstrated before, or a remote battery switch.
The principle is very simple. Make an electromagnet to attract a reed. An iron block is installed on the reed as a striking head. When the electromagnet is activated, the reed is attracted by suction and strikes a clock or another piece of iron. Sound will be produced.
However, this can only produce a sound, which is easily ignored. You cannot send a person to guard the phone, so it needs to ring continuously.
Continuous ringing is also very simple, just use the reed as a current circuit breaker.
In other words, when the reed is not energized and does not move, part of it contacts the wire and becomes part of the circuit. After closing the switch and energizing the bell, the reed is attracted by the electromagnet and rings the bell. As it moves away from its original position, the circuit is broken, so the power is cut off once the bell is struck. The electromagnet is demagnetized, and the reed returns to its original position due to its elasticity.
But as soon as the reed is reset, the current flows again, so the electromagnet generates magnetism again, attracts the reed to ring the bell again, and then cuts off the power... This cycle repeats until the switch is opened to cut off the main circuit.
In this way, the electric bell is made.
The other two parts of the phone are the receiver and the microphone. There is a difference here, which is also the reason for Zhang Mingwei's hesitation.
Referring to the original history, there are two methods. One is the Bell magnet phone. The advantage is that it does not require a power supply. The current is generated by the vibration of the microphone speaking. It also has drawbacks, that is, the current is completely generated by sound, so the intensity is quite small, the transmission distance is not far, and the sound is relatively vague.
Historically, Edison improved the telephone and invented the toner telephone.
The structural principle of this toner telephone is the same as that of a magnet telephone. However, on the microphone, instead of using a film to vibrate the cavity, carbon powder is placed in a shallow cavity, so that its surface is made of The metal foil vibrates to compress the toner. Because toner is conductive but not magnetic, no induced current will be generated when the metal sheet vibrates and compresses the toner.
It can be said that a toner phone connects a conductive piece or electrode to a metal sheet and the bottom of the toner cartridge, and uses the toner as a conductor, or as a wire. Therefore, the toner phone must be powered by a battery or be powered by a remote location, but the power required will not be too strong.
When you speak loudly, the metal sheet vibrates vigorously to compress the toner cartridge, and the density of the toner becomes higher. At this time, the resistance of the toner cartridge decreases, and the current passing through is stronger. When speaking softly or not speaking, the toner cartridge is less compressed or not compressed, the thickness is wider, the resistance is greater, and the passing current naturally becomes smaller.
The principle of the entire phone is basically like this. It is very simple to put it bluntly. As for some of the more delicate parts, such as very thin copper sheets, wooden insulating boxes for holding toner, electrode copper sheets at the bottom, and screws for fixing, Zhang Mingwei has many skilled craftsmen in his hands, and it is not possible to make them directly by hand. question.
Because of this, Zhang Mingwei replied to Emperor Chongzhen that it would be done for him soon.
At this time, just when Emperor Chongzhen was about to ask Zhang Mingwei for an exact date, suddenly the eunuch Wang Erbiao, the eunuch who was in charge of etiquette, rushed over with a memorial in his hand. After taking a look at Wang Chengen beside Emperor Chongzhen, he said to him with a smile on his face. Emperor Chongzhen reported: "Long live my lord, good news. The governor of Fujian just rushed six hundred miles away and sent a good news..."
Jianlu's eight-hundred-mile expedited report is always bad news, but it is different from the Ming Dynasty. An urgent report may also be good news. The previous reports of victory were reported on an urgent basis.
At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was a little strange when he heard this. Because he himself knows that there is no war in the south, especially in Fujian, so what is the reason for this quick victory?
Zhang Mingwei is naturally well aware of the major events of the Ming Dynasty. Not to mention that he controlled the Jin Yiwei, Emperor Chongzhen would definitely ask his opinion on larger matters. Therefore, he was also a little curious. He didn't know what a good thing it was that made Wang Erbiao come to report the news.
I saw Wang Erbiao handing out an urgent report with both hands, but he did not dare to give it directly to Emperor Chongzhen. Wang Chengen forwarded it and explained at the same time: "That Zheng Zhibao has returned from America and brought back a lot of things!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was stunned for a moment and did not react for a while. But soon, he came back to his senses and was overjoyed. He quickly opened the emergency report and read it. At the same time, he said: "Sun Qing has been urging me to ask when we can attack Annan, but I have not agreed. Now it seems Is there something going on?"
Under the current situation, the court unanimously believed that the biggest problem in attacking Annan and regaining control of Annan was not combat attrition, but non-combat attrition. Cold and fever are said to be very serious in Annan.
Emperor Chongzhen always remembered that Zhang Mingwei said that there was a tree in America that was particularly good at curing cold and fever diseases. For this reason, he did not hesitate to give out a title and sent people from the Zheng family to America to look for this kind of tree.
Now that Zheng Zhibao is back, he is naturally very happy.
However, it was a bit regretful that when he opened the memorial, even after browsing through the paintings and explanations, he was still confused and couldn't distinguish between so many things. What was good about it and which one was which?
So, he walked to Zhang Mingwei in person, handed the urgent report to Zhang Mingwei, and said with a smile: "You have to come and see it to find out!"
Of course Zhang Mingwei was also curious, so he reached out to take it, and then looked at it carefully.
For him, the most anticipated thing is of course the cinchona tree. This was the purpose for sending Zheng Zhibao in the first place.
In addition, he remembered afterwards that there was another very important tree. In a sense, it was more important than the cinchona tree. He had forgotten it before and kept thinking, would Zheng Zhibao bring it back?
To be honest, he was a little worried, because he was afraid that Zheng Zhibao was a stupid young man and asked him to mainly bring cinchona trees, so he would really have to run back with only cinchona trees.
Just now, when he heard Wang Erbiao say that Zheng Zhibao had brought a lot of things back from America, he became excited.
At this glance, after a little flipping, it may be because the cinchona tree is the most important task assigned to Zheng Zhibao, so it is placed on the first page, as soon as it is opened. Regarding this, Zhang Mingwei was actually not surprised.
However, Emperor Chongzhen was looking forward to it very much, so he first said to Emperor Chongzhen: "The tree that treats cold and fever diseases has been brought back!"
"Okay, okay!" After receiving Zhang Mingwei's confirmation, Emperor Chongzhen was very excited and praised repeatedly, "This Zheng Zhibao can indeed do things, and he lives up to my expectations..."
Zhang Mingwei didn't care that he was happy, and immediately turned down the page, wondering if there was the kind of tree he was looking forward to?
As a result, after just one page, he saw the title: The Crying Tree.
As soon as he saw these words, Zhang Mingwei suddenly became excited and quickly looked at the pictures and then the descriptions.
Then, he suddenly praised loudly: "Okay, okay, haha, it's really good..."
His sudden voice startled Emperor Chongzhen. But when he reacted and saw Zhang Mingwei so happy, he immediately understood that there might be something very good in it.
Otherwise, from my husband's point of view, it is absolutely impossible to be so happy!
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't bear it, so he immediately asked Zhang Mingwei: "Sir, have you discovered anything good?"
I don't know why, but his expectant expression reminded Zhang Mingwei of his expression when the lottery was about to be drawn.
Turning to look at the others, who were all staring at him with great concern, Zhang Mingwei smiled and nodded to Emperor Chongzhen, and then said in a very confident and joyful tone: "I have indeed discovered something very good, of great value. I think it’s not an exaggeration to make Zheng Zhibao a marquis!”
"..." Everyone, including Emperor Chongzhen, was stunned. It was not an exaggeration to call Zheng Zhibao a marquis. So how valuable is this?
When he came back to his senses, Emperor Chongzhen didn't even know it, so he grabbed Zhang Mingwei's sleeve and asked quickly: "Sir, what kind of treasure is it? Tell me quickly!"
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei immediately pointed to the tree painted on the second page, and then said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, this is the tree that can shed tears."
As he spoke, he began to introduce: "This kind of milky white juice is called latex. After a few simple steps of coagulation, washing, shaping and drying, natural rubber can be obtained from latex. And natural rubber has strong elasticity And it has good insulation, plasticity, water and air barrier properties, as well as tensile and wear resistance, so it has a wide range of uses and can be said to be of immeasurable value!”
Emperor Chongzhen was confused, what and what? Why can’t you understand!
Seeing him like this, Zhang Mingwei guessed it right away, so he smiled and simply gave an example, which made Emperor Chongzhen grin and laugh.
