Li Residence, West Courtyard.
Li Zexuan rolled up the drawing and passed it to Yan Shaoning. "Brother Shaoning, I understand your drawing method, but I still think my method is more concise and clear."
"Oh? Then Little Xuan, hurry up and tell Big Brother what's behind your drawing method. "
Yan Shaoning saw that Li Zexuan was very confident in his drawing method and couldn't help but want to know what was so special about it.
"Brother, this drawing is a tri-view and an isometric side view of a component. The tri-view is to draw the outline of the object from the front, side, and top. For example, this stone, Brother Shaoning, look at it from the front …"
Li Zexuan picked up a stone as a reference and explained the tri-view drawing method to Yan Shaoning. After a while, he gave Yan Shaoning the part that the professional teacher taught him.
"… Brother Shaoning, look, with these tri-view drawings, the craftsmen can form the model of the component in their mind. It's also easier to mark the dimensions on the tri-view drawings."
After listening to Li Zexuan's explanation, Yan Shaoning stood up and paced around. He frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Wonderful, wonderful, this drawing method is wonderful. Xiao Xuan, you're a genius. Your drawing method is indeed clearer and there are fewer unnecessary markings."
Yan Shaoning sat down again and rubbed his hands. He stared at Li Zexuan and said excitedly, "I must tell my father about this drawing method and let him spread it. Xiao Xuan, are you willing to be a supervisor? If my father knows of your talent, he'll definitely be willing to ask His Majesty for an official position for you."
Li Zexuan shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Shaoning. I've been away from home for many years and just came back a few days ago. I don't want to be an official yet."
The supervisor was almost equivalent to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in his previous life. Li Zexuan wasn't willing to do research there every day. Moreover, he had a lot of things to do recently. The Strange Interest Pavilion was about to open and the Locust Extermination Plan was about to start in two days.
Hearing Li Zexuan's rejection, Yan Shaoning sighed. "Ah, that's too bad."
Yan Shaoning looked at the drawing again and asked doubtfully, "Xiao Xuan, what's this isometric side view for?"
"This view is mainly to help the craftsmen form a 3D model of the object in their mind. Because some objects with complicated structures, it's hard to form a 3D model with just a tri-view drawing.
Yan Shaoning nodded his head thoughtfully.
At this time, Li Zexuan smiled meaningfully and said, "Brother Shaoning, you only noticed the drawing method, but you neglected the drawing itself."
"Oh? Is there a mystery behind it? Don't tell me, let's take a look.
Yan Shaoning began to re-examine the blueprint according to the principle of three views that Li Zexuan had just explained to him. After looking at it, Yan Shaoning stood up and closed his eyes, imagining the 3D model of the object in his mind.
After a while, Yan Shaoning opened his eyes and said excitedly, "I know what this is. Xiao Xuan, what are you planning to do with it?" Although he could imagine the 3D model of the object, he couldn't think of a use for it.
Li Zexuan smiled. "I've named it a ball bearing. Brother Shaoning, think about it. What would happen if it was used to connect the wheels and axles?"
Yan Shaoning was quite knowledgeable in mechanical design. After hearing Li Zexuan's explanation, he immediately understood. He was even more excited than before.
"That's amazing. This is a genius design. With this ball bearing, all vehicles, no matter if it's a horse carriage or a truck, will have very little resistance. Xiao Xuan, how did you come up with this? This invention is amazing. "
Li Chengqian didn't know much about machinery and didn't say anything before. Now that he saw Yan Shaoning praising the object, he couldn't help but ask, "Shaoning, is this thing really that good?"
Yan Shaoning was extremely excited at the moment. After hearing the crown prince's question, he confirmed without thinking.
"Of course, it's not an exaggeration to call this the most useful invention in Tang Dynasty. Your Highness, you might not know this, but if all the carriages in Tang Dynasty use this ball bearing, then the same horse will be able to pull at least 50% more of the load of the carriage.
At that time, merchants will be able to transport more goods at once. During war, a grain carriage will be able to carry more rations. Other than carriages, other machines that require transmission can also use this ball bearing. Your Highness, do you think this invention is important or not? "
Hearing Yan Shaoning's analysis, Li Chengqian was also stunned. He didn't care if the merchants could transport more goods, but it was crucial that they could increase the efficiency of transporting rations. In this era, one of the decisive factors in the outcome of a war was the issue of rations.
Li Chengqian finally understood that Yan Shaoning's previous praise wasn't excessive at all. He was also a little excited now.
"Brother Zexuan, this item is of great importance. Can I bring it back to the palace?"
Li Chengqian also knew that Li Tai had been competing with him for favor recently, but he didn't have any other good ideas. He couldn't act like a spoiled child in front of Li Tai's eldest grandson, could he? If he dared to do so, he would definitely be reprimanded by Li Er for not having the dignity of a country's heir.
There were some things that Li Tai could do, but he couldn't, because he was the crown prince. Seeing Li Tai dote on Li Er more and more, Li Chengqian was also anxious, but he could only be anxious.
Now that he saw that Li Zexuan's invention had such great uses and could even be used in the military, Li Chengqian's first thought was that perhaps he could use this item to gain Li Er's praise. At the same time, he could also ask for some benefits for Li Zexuan.
Li Zexuan was a little helpless at this moment. Although the ball bearing had many uses, these two people didn't need to be so excited, right? Hearing that Li Chengqian wanted to immediately present the blueprint to Li Er, Li Zexuan hurriedly said,
"Your Highness, this ball bearing is indeed very useful, but we don't know if it can be made yet. If we present the blueprint to His Majesty now, I'm afraid we're being too hasty."
When Li Chengqian heard this, he felt that it was reasonable and secretly thought that he was too impetuous.
"Brother Zexuan's words are very true. Then I'll wait for you and Shaoning to make this thing and install it on the carriage before reporting it to Imperial Father. At that time, I'll definitely give you two a reward."
When Yan Shaoning heard Li Zexuan's words, he began to frown and ponder. He was a little too excited just now and didn't even think about whether this thing could be made or not. He thought for a while and hesitated before saying,
"Little Xuan, I'm afraid that this ball bearing is very difficult to make."
When Li Zexuan proposed this ball bearing, he didn't know if it could be made with the Tang Dynasty's technology. Although he was mentally prepared, he still felt a little disappointed when he heard Yan Shaoning's negative answer. However, he also wanted to know where the technical difficulties were, so he asked,
"Brother Shaoning, where will the difficulties be?"
… …
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