The significance of cement.
It could affect the future of China.
Ancient European buildings were supported by walls.
Ancient Chinese buildings were built with wood.
The latter was easy to build and had a low cost. However, the height and strength of the building were limited by the wood, so Chinese buildings were rarely particularly tall and heavy.
Many people had visited the Imperial Palace left behind by the Ming and Qing Dynasties. To be fair, its sturdiness was not even comparable to the castles of some of the lesser lords in the West.
Eastern and Western architectural styles.
Why was there such a huge difference?
It was mainly influenced by the local culture.
China was vast and had many mountains and rivers. It was extremely complicated, and there were many natural moats that could be defended. The country's defense relied less on buildings, and with a large population, they chose a more economical, more practical, and more convenient construction method.
Europe, especially Western Europe, had a flat terrain with almost no natural barriers to defend. In order to protect their territories, countries and nobles could only build strong castles to make the buildings defensive. Over time, castles were everywhere, and the buildings became taller and taller.
The cement was cheap and useful.
After Cao Ang had cement.
He could easily build a palace ten times more magnificent than a European-style castle.
He could also use cement to lay neat roads, bridges, tunnels, and so on.
……
On the outskirts of Xuchang.
Somewhere in the wilderness.
A loud bang sounded.
It was earth-shattering and shook the earth.
Dirt and grass were thrown into the air, and a small smoking pit appeared in the middle of the field.
Xun Yu, Xu Zhu, and Ah Ke were all dumbfounded. What was it that could cause such a commotion?
"This is the gunpowder developed by the Academy of Sciences!”
Shen Kuo was obviously very satisfied with their expressions.
"This object can only be considered to have completed preliminary research, so its power is still limited at the moment. However, I believe that after the improvement of the Academy of Science, it will be able to break mountains and shatter stones in the future. At that time, the enemy's city walls were nothing to us. You can't even withstand a single blow!"
Cao Ang nodded in satisfaction." Gunpowder is a great invention. Not only can it be used directly to kill the enemy, but it can also develop various new weapons, giving us an absolute advantage in war. However, the use of this thing is not limited to war. It can also be widely used in mining and other production.”
No one was stupid.
Naturally, he could recognize the value of this item.
Especially in terms of military potential.
Of course.
Although gunpowder was invented in advance.
But don't be too superstitious.
Firearms had very strict requirements for craftsmanship.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, metal production, industrial design, and manufacturing techniques were too backward.
Cao Ang's chances of creating firearms and cannons in a short period of time were slim.
Therefore, he had no choice.
At least.
In the next few years, there would be an internal war.
Cao Ang most likely wouldn't use firearms.
At most, he would make a few detonators to scare people.
However…
He wouldn't be able to use it in the short term.
It didn't mean that it wouldn't be useful in the future.
After Cao Ang conquered China.
He would most likely start a war against the outside world.
At that time, firearms would probably be able to take shape.
Cao Ang could let the barbarians in the four directions experience what was called divine punishment!
Of course.
Even so.
It was impossible to eliminate cold weapons.
In fact, even at the beginning of the 19th century.
At that time, Emperor Napoleon's troops were mainly made up of cold weapons.
Moreover, during the Three Kingdoms era, individual martial strength was much stronger than that of ordinary people. For a fierce man like Xu Zhu to be able to throw a millstone-sized rock with his bare hands for hundreds of meters, how many generations of artillery would have to be developed to catch up to such power?
Shen Kuo was making explosives now.
Its power was probably not much different from the detonators of later generations.
It was possible to seriously injure ordinary people at close range, but it was difficult to cause area-of-effect damage. It was even less of a threat to experts with extremely high martial strength and strong physiques. There was a long way to go before they could develop and improve it.
Gunpowder was not effective for a short period of time.
However, from a long-term perspective.
This was a weapon with an extremely high upper limit.
Xun Yu knew about the future prospects and potential of gunpowder.
He finally understood why Shen Kuo thought that.
This item was more important than cement.
This was a national divine weapon!
"The gunpowder is already so powerful. What about the last divine weapon?" Xun Yu asked impatiently.”
"Xun Lingjun, don't worry. I'll take you to have a look. In my opinion, this divine artifact is the first of the three great divine artifacts!”Shen Kuo was extremely proud,"A mechanical creation that can move on its own and has infinite strength!"”
I believe many people have already guessed it.
This object was none other than a steam engine.
The power source of mankind's first industrial revolution.
It was a great creation that completely liberated human and animal strength.
Many people were familiar with its principle and structure. It was an enlarged version of a kettle that used steam to drive the pistons and connecting rods to convert heat energy into mechanical energy.
It sounded simple.
It was quite difficult to build.
The craftsmanship of this era was limited.
This made the sealing of the cylinder and the pistons a big problem.
Shen Kuo spent two whole months and failed more than ten times before he finally succeeded!
The first steam engine.
At this moment, it was placed in the center of the Academy of Sciences!
Xun Yu looked at the strange machine in front of him.""This is a mechanism that can move by itself?”
Why did it look like a furnace?
It was made entirely of iron and was very clumsy and heavy.
It had neither wings nor legs, so how could it move?
Xun Yu doubted Shen Kuo's words.
Cao Ang's eyes lit up.
He stroked the steam engine as if he had obtained a treasure.
This ugly and crude machine seemed to be shining brightly.
That was the great light of industry! That was the beauty of simple industry!
"Xun Lingjun, please calm down." Cao Ang said to Shen Kuo,"Let's begin!"”
Shen Kuo ordered people to pour water into the steam equipment and then lit the firewood under the furnace.
Fifteen minutes later.
The water boiled, gurgled, and rolled.
The air pressure in the cylinder increased rapidly, and the rapid heat produced a crackling sound.
Xun Yu, Ah Ke, and Xu Zhu couldn't figure it out. This thing was really a water boiler!
Immediately after!
A miracle happened!
When the cylinder was filled with steam.
A huge thrust pulled the pistons to move.
The connecting rod of the pistons pulled the sliding valve, and the steam pushed the pistons inward.
The heavy connecting rod made of steel began to move back and forth. As the firepower increased, the speed of movement became faster and faster until it reached an unbelievable level.
"What is going on…"
Ah Ke and Xu Zhu were petrified on the spot.
Xun Yu also found it hard to believe. How could a heavy iron rod move like a feather?
What kind of power was driving this mechanism?
How strong was this brute force?
It was hard to believe!
Shen Kuo said," The power produced by the steam engine is far greater than the power of cattle, horses, humans, and animals. Most importantly, as long as there is water and fire, it can operate day and night. It will never get tired, and it doesn't need to eat food.”
Ah Ke did not understand, but felt that it was very serious.
Xun Yu's brain was stuck.
He seemed to have fallen into some kind of contemplation.
Xu Zhu scratched his head and asked,""What use is this?"
"Is there a need to ask?"
Shen Kuo widened his eyes nervously.
" Yes." His face was full of fanaticism and excitement." Transportation, drainage, smelting, forging, lifting, anything that requires strength, it can do it, and it is extremely stable. What do you think it can do?!”
(PS: The main character invented gunpowder, but it was only a supplementary method. This book will always focus on cold weapons. In the middle and later stages, it will at most reach the level of fire weapons. It will not be exaggerated.）
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。