Li Yu and Li Qiu played with the newly made ice cubes in their hands, feeling the coolness of the ice cubes, and looked at Ang Lee with admiration.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is amazing. You can actually make ice cubes in summer. What did you just pour into the water?"
Li Yu asked excitedly.
"It's saltpeter! Haven't you seen it before, Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon? It's a very common thing! "
Li An had a relaxed expression on his face.
"Saltpeter? Is it that simple? You only need to add saltpeter to water to make ice cubes? "
Li Yu and Li Qiu were both shocked. They didn't expect that making ice cubes would be so simple. Only saltpeter and water were needed. It couldn't be simpler.
"Yes! I accidentally poured saltpeter into the water and found that the water was frozen. Then I knew that saltpeter could be used to make ice. The principle is so simple. There are many inventions, which are actually the summary of life. If you observe life, you can always invent many interesting things. Making ice is one of them. "
Li An smiled casually and taught the two of them a lesson.
Looking at the shocked expression on the two's faces, Li An explained the ice making process to them in detail. He also told them that the ice cubes in the large pot were mixed with saltpeter. They were inedible, but they could be used to cool the room. In addition, after the inedible ice cubes were melted into water and dried under the sun, they could obtain intact saltpeter, which could be used to make ice again.
In other words, saltpeter could be used repeatedly to make ice cubes, so that the whole summer would be filled with coolness.
"Assistant Minister Li, since saltpeter can be used repeatedly, the cost of making ice is extremely low. Even ordinary people can afford it and enjoy the coolness of summer."
Li Qiu said.
"Yes, saltpeter is not expensive. Our Tang dynasty also has many saltpeter mines. If the method of making ice is spread, it will benefit the people. Why don't you two offer this method to His Majesty and promote it to the whole world? In this way, you will become the heroes of the Tang dynasty."
Ang Lee suggested.
"Assistant Minister Li, how can we do that? This method of making ice was discovered by you. How can we steal other people's credit? We are not that kind of people. We will tell His Majesty that the method of making ice was discovered by Assistant Minister Li. His Majesty will be very happy. "
Li Yu and Li Qiu also valued their reputation very much. Naturally, they wouldn't do such a thing.
"Fine! It's up to you. It's really not that important. Let's let the people benefit. "
Ang Lee didn't care about this. In fact, if he blocked the technology and used saltpeter to make ice, Ang Lee might be able to make a lot of money. However, Ang Lee's industry could already provide a very considerable income. He didn't need the industry of making ice. Moreover, making ice could only make money in hot seasons. Moreover, because the production process was too simple, the ice cubes made couldn't be stored for a long time. They melted easily and were easy to be learned by others.
Instead of letting a few people learn it and use it to make money from the people, it was better to tell all the people the technology and let all the people be able to make ice. Or if a small number of merchants made ice in large quantities, they could only sell it at a relatively low price. Because there were too many people who knew how to make ice, the price naturally couldn't go up.
In order to let Li Yu and Li Qiu experience the pleasure of making ice cream in the future, Ang Lee found some tools and smashed the ice cubes into pieces. He then added honey, milk, and other condiments and filled three small bowls.
"Try the ice cream."
Li An also picked up a bowl for himself and began to eat happily.
"Ice cream? The taste is really good. Assistant Minister Li is really a talent. It's a pity that he didn't become an imperial chef! Haha! "
Li Yu was full of praise for the taste of the ice cream. However, after just a few bites, he thought of a funny joke that was circulating among the ministers.
This joke was about Ang Lee. It was caused by Ang Lee's cooking. Although everyone sincerely praised Ang Lee's cooking skills, in the Tang dynasty, praising an official's cooking skills was a kind of malicious and teasing. Of course, Ang Lee didn't care. In fact, he was proud of it.
Of course, there were many high-ranking officials in the Tang dynasty who also had their own jokes that made people laugh. For example, the Right Minister Li Linfu was called 'Prime Minister Nong Ou', the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Xiao Jiong was called 'Assistant Minister Fu Lie', and so on. They were all topics of conversation for bored people.
Ang Lee felt that even if he was called 'Assistant Minister of the Imperial Chef', it was much better than 'Prime Minister Nong Ou' and 'Assistant Minister Fu Lie'.
After all, being able to cook was also a skill. It was much better than being able to write wrong words!
After eating a small bowl of ice cream, Li Yu and Li Qiu were both addicted. They asked for more because they still hadn't had enough.
"Ice cream is too cold. It's not good for your health to eat too much. One bowl is enough. You can't eat more."
Ang Lee explained softly.
"Cold? It's so hot, and you're still afraid of the cold? It's so hot. "
Li Yu and Li Qiu couldn't understand.
"The hotter it is, the more you need to prevent the cold from entering your body. If there's too much cold, it will consume too much Yang Qi and make people sick. Do you think I'll lie to you? Am I so bad and stingy?"
Ang Lee was really worried about their health. After all, the descendants of the emperor didn't have good health. Once the cold entered their bodies and they fell sick, he wouldn't be able to do anything even if he had a thousand mouths to feed.
"Assistant Minister Li, good news! The steam engine test was a success. "
At this moment, an official in charge of the R&D Center ran over and said excitedly.
"It's a miracle that it was done so quickly! Let's go, take me to see it. "
Ang Lee was extremely excited. He ignored Li Yu and Li Qiu and followed the official to the R&D Center.
Li Yu and Li Qiu looked at Ang Lee's back in astonishment. They looked at each other and strode after him. Since they had nothing to do, they might as well go and watch the show.
After entering the R&D Center, Ang Lee went straight in the direction of the steam engine R&D Department. He walked at a jog.
"Assistant Minister Li, look, the test machine has been running continuously for some time. Not a single part has been damaged."
An official introduced excitedly.
Seeing the piston moving back and forth and driving a large group of gears and shafts, Ang Lee was extremely excited. The thing that he thought was very difficult was actually done. Moreover, it was done much earlier than he had expected.
In particular, the strength of the parts, the accuracy of the dimensions, and the sealing of the steam engine were all solved by these skilled craftsmen.
Some of the technical solutions to these problems shocked Ang Lee, a person of the future, and he felt that it was inconceivable.
The ancients were very smart and had mastered many technologies that the future generations didn't know about. However, because the ancient technologies were all inherited by the family, it was very likely that they would be lost in times of war and other disasters. Therefore, the future generations naturally couldn't imagine what the ancients had done.
For example, the stones of the pyramids were so huge. How were they built in an era without cranes? Why couldn't a very thin piece of metal be inserted into the joints? How was the Great Wall built? There were still many unsolved mysteries that couldn't be explained with common sense.
This only showed that as people of the future, they didn't understand some of the advanced technologies of the ancient times. Therefore, they would always think that without some machinery, how could such a huge stone be moved? Without advanced measuring instruments, how could it be done so accurately?
A series of questions arose because most of the technologies of the ancients had been lost. Some were lost due to war, and some were eliminated because of their low value. In short, the ancient technologies that we know are only a small part of them. Most of them have been lost.
"Haha! The Tang dynasty has finally created a steam engine. If one day I travel back in time and hear someone say that the technology of the Tang dynasty can't create a steam engine, I'll definitely take out this evidence and slap them in the face. Hmph! "
Ang Lee was immersed in his fantasy. It took him a long time to come back to his senses.
"You've done very well. I'll report it to His Majesty and ask for your reward. Now that the steam engine has been created, the next step is to develop a steam locomotive and a steam ship. I'll wait for your good news. In addition, I'll work hard with you and develop it together with you."
Ang Lee said excitedly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa …"
All the craftsmen shouted excitedly. After a few months of research and study, they had a deeper understanding of the knowledge related to the steam engine and the train. Naturally, they understood what the successful development of the train meant to the Tang Empire. Therefore, they were very enthusiastic and excited.
Li Yu and Li Qiu also had a little understanding of this knowledge. However, because he didn't participate in the research and development, he didn't have a deep understanding of it. He looked a little confused as he watched the pistons drive the gears to and fro. After all, he didn't know the principles behind it.
After the in-depth research and the successful test of the steam engine, Ang Lee was in a good mood and praised the craftsmen's exquisite skills.
After Li Yu and Li Qiu left, they immediately told Li Longji the truth about Ang Lee's invention of saltpeter ice production. They also suggested that it should be promoted nationwide to benefit the people of the Tang dynasty.
Li Longji was very happy after hearing this. However, he really couldn't believe it. After all, the technology of making ice was too simple. For this reason, he specially asked Li Yu and Li Qiu to do the experiment. He wanted to see with his own eyes how saltpeter was made into ice.
Li Yu and Li Qiu had seen Li An make ice cubes with their own eyes, so they understood the entire process and principle behind it. Naturally, it was easy for them to do this experiment. In a very short period of time, they made ice cubes in front of Li Longji. They shaved the ice with tools, poured in honey and milk products, and made ice cream.
After the delicious ice cream entered his mouth, Li Longji was very happy and immediately ordered the promotion of the method of making ice throughout the country. However, the method of making ice cream was not promoted. After all, the material resources of the Tang dynasty were far inferior to those of the modern era. Letting the people eat these non-nutritious things was not conducive to the long-term development of the Tang Empire.
After tasting the ice cream, Ang Lee's memorial to all the scientific and technical personnel arrived at the palace. Li Longji was even happier when he heard that the steam engine test was successful, even though he didn't know much about the steam engine.
Rewards and commendations definitely couldn't be lacking. Now that the national treasury was getting more and more money, Li Longji's little treasury was also bulging step by step. With money, he was naturally willing to spend.
Now that the steam engine model had been successfully tested, the development of the steam locomotive was also in full swing. It was estimated that success would be achieved soon.
Under such circumstances, various types of carriages naturally had to be manufactured. The technical content of the carriages was much lower than that of the steam locomotive, so there was no need to worry about the difficulty of manufacturing them.
Although the internal facilities of the carriages that Ang Lee wanted to build were different, the overall size and specifications were the same. This was convenient to assemble at any time to change the structure of the carriages.
In addition to the royal carriage that was carefully built for the emperor, Ang Lee also wanted to build several standardized conventional carriages, which were the famous soft sleeper, soft seat, hard seat, and other carriages with different requirements.
The emperor's needs were the first. Although Ang Lee had built five luxurious carriages for the emperor, this was because the steam locomotive had not been built yet, so the power was very insufficient. Now, the steam locomotive was about to come out. Under such circumstances, it would be too shabby to let the emperor sit in five carriages. At least fifteen carriages were needed. This way, more palace maids, eunuchs, guards, and ministers could be accommodated. At the same time, the emperor's space to move would be larger.
Ang Lee first asked the craftsmen to build ten carriages for the emperor's exclusive use. After they were done, they would be combined with the original five carriages to form a luxurious fifteen-carriage scale.
After building these ten carriages, he would then start to build various types of passenger and freight carriages in batches.
The freight carriages were too simple. There was no technical content at all. Of course, due to the different materials to be transported, there were also slight differences in the carriages. Some materials did not need a roof and could be covered with a raincloth, but some carriages needed a roof for comprehensive protection. Some goods were afraid of pressure, so there were enough shelves in the carriages to place these goods.
The passenger carriages were for people. According to the different economic strength, the carriages needed to be divided into grades. The best and most comfortable ones were of course the soft sleeper. Hard sleeper was also good. In addition, there were soft seats and hard seats. Of course, Ang Lee also planned to build carriages without seats. This way, more manpower could be transported. Moreover, the price could be cheaper, so that some poor people could also afford to ride the train.
The soft sleeper carriage was the highest-grade carriage. For this reason, this carriage was only allocated with twenty-four seats. It was divided into six small private rooms. On both sides of the passage, there were bunk beds that could accommodate four people. Moreover, the beds were wide enough. At the end of the passage, there was a small tea table. Inside the tea table was a jade window that could clearly see the scenery outside.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
