Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7123 Even More Outrageous Things

Originally, as long as it was still a feudal imperial system, the problem of clinging to outdated ideas would never be solved. But now that Chen Xi is in power, he has used other methods to show everyone the value brought by the convergence of technologies. Even if they themselves cannot get the greatest benefits, with Chen Xi in charge, the benefits they can get far exceed what they once imagined.

This is precisely why Yuan Fengchao was able to salvage all sorts of strange and unusual technologies from various nooks and crannies. After all, Chen Xi knew the correct path, and the rest was simply about finding alternatives in this era, or related technologies that had existed before but had been lost.

As for developing new technologies, to be honest, Chen Xi himself wasn't very proactive, because this kind of thing can't be left to one person. Even if Chen Xi does know a lot of technical routes and how to optimize them, it's still much better to let people of this era handle it in their own way, even if it creates this or that loophole or problem, than for Chen Xi to do it all at once.

As science advances, mistakes are also a very important part, because no one knows whether the byproducts you produce now, or what you consider to be mistakes, will be the right path in the future.

Just like the internal combustion engine in the steam age and the electric motor in the internal combustion engine age, these things were born around the same time in reality, but each era has its own protagonist. In the steam age, the steam engine took off, and in that period, internal combustion engines and external combustion engines were just roadside hustles.

But what happened after that? Then came the era of the internal combustion engine.

Although the rise of the internal combustion engine is, in a sense, a shift in global hegemony, its rise was also inevitable. Therefore, Chen Xi would not actively interfere with the technological path. He would rather rummage through the garbage of the past, find usable technologies, and then piece together a usable industrial path for the present.

They were also unwilling to develop their own industrial approach that had been proven successful in later generations.

Because the former, which is something pieced together from the dustbin of history, is understandable to the wise people of this era. They know what this thing is all about. At most, when they see the finished product, they think that Chen Xi is really amazing and wonder why they couldn't think of it, but they don't wonder what this thing is all about!

This is very important. This means that people in this era can continue to develop and expand along the existing path, rather than being an isolated phenomenon that cannot be inherited or passed on.

What Wan Zhen has created is just a very good lighting tool for others, but for Chen Xi, it means that the power machine that was previously driven by the essence of heaven and earth has a redundant design, and it has basically come to the development path that he is most familiar with.

Indeed, compared to steam power and fuel power, the mechanical equipment Chen Xi was most familiar with was electric drive, because the route taken by the later Chinese emperors was electric drive. Even if there were redundant designs for other power sources during development, if it was to represent a transition to hegemony like the steam engine to the internal combustion engine, then electric drive was the only option.

Of course, Chen Xi doesn't need to consider the issue of hegemonic transition, because they are already a hegemon, and the biggest hegemon at that. So Chen Xi only needs to consider what is useful and reasonable.

Now, Wan Zhen has provided the most reasonable foundation for electric drive. He has created a generator. Well, ever since Xiangli created the Heaven and Earth Essence - Electric Power Machine, Chen Xi felt that the generator was only a thin veil away from this thing. However, five years have passed, and Xiangli has shown no intention of developing in the direction of generators. Instead, he has been vigorously pushing other things.

Chen Xi had no way to deal with this. His attitude toward technological development has always been that he can integrate, but he cannot lead. As for why he guided Qu Qi back then, it was out of necessity. People would die if they didn't have food to eat. If they wanted to move forward steadily in the future, agriculture was a must. So, Chen Xi took the initiative to develop agricultural technology.

But other things, none of them will kill people. The things that people in this era can create themselves still depend on the people of this era.

Therefore, even though it was only a matter of a single sheet of paper, and even though Chen Xi had figured it out himself, it was considered perfectly normal by others. Chen Xi kept it to himself, even though he knew that if he switched to electric drive machinery, efficiency would be further improved and productivity would also increase to some extent.

Putting aside other things, even if the price of the manual machinery previously produced by Xianglishi skyrocketed to the point that ordinary people couldn't afford it after the advent of electric drive, the scale of Han Dynasty farms could definitely be multiplied. For example, the efficiency of a large electric harvester is at least equal to that of Brilliance Auto.

The problem is that Brilliance Auto, an old company, only has a little over two hundred units, but what about large electric harvesters? Once the technical route is sorted out, all that's left is to catch up on the industrial aspects. Putting aside the question, it's definitely not a problem to build up thousands of units in a few years. As for the cost, once you have a thousand units, the profits from the efficiency improvements will be enough to cover the costs.

That's the charm of industry!
“It’s really a good thing. If I use this to supplement the lighting, it can solve some of the problems I’m currently facing.” Cookie also came up at this time. He wasn’t really interested in generators and motors, but he was very interested in this kind of high-intensity white light.

Although Cookie knew from the beginning that Li Yuan's etched plate of the essence of heaven and earth could emit light, its natural absorption efficiency was very low, so it could only be used as a street lamp, that is, the kind of thing that is not very bright, but can indeed illuminate a certain area.

Of course, this thing is suitable as a street lamp or even a household lamp, because once activated, it consumes no energy. It relies entirely on the etched patterns to absorb the essence of heaven and earth and emit light on its own. It is a one-time purchase that can be enjoyed for half a lifetime.

However, this light is too weak for agriculture. Although Quqi had Li Yuan work on an upgraded version of the device, the price of the etched plate that could emit strong light was too high. After all, the principle behind this device's light emission is to absorb the essence of heaven and earth, convert it into electricity, and then emit light on its own.

Although this thing is already quite overpowered from a physics perspective because it doesn't generate heat, its efficiency in absorbing the essence of heaven and earth is not high, so the current is very weak and the light is just so-so.

Li Yuan certainly has the technology to improve this situation, but what about the cost of that technology?

Back then, when the foundation of the world was destroyed and the world changed, all these etched plates made of the essence of heaven and earth were destroyed because the essence of heaven and earth was greatly activated. But even at that time, there were still high-end etched plates made of the essence of heaven and earth working in important places in Chang'an.

But the technical cost is there. The reason why the Heaven and Earth Essence Etching Plate that Li Yuan created back then quickly became popular in the Central Plains is simply because the cost was low. It was so low that this thing was the first etching that could be mass-produced. To be honest, Chen Xi was surprised when he learned about this thing.

Mental talent is nothing compared to this incredible technology. In the 21st century, this thing could turn oil back into industrial raw materials. Li Yuan had no idea how incredible his creation was. It barely generates any heat and only emits light, which is already incredibly advanced. Another point is that this thing is essentially a supercapacitor.

In other words, after the change in the heavens, the etched plate of the essence of heaven and earth was not actually broken, but it could no longer rely on its own etching to slowly store energy and then emit light at night.

Well, it does emit light, but because of the change in the heavens, the energy of heaven and earth has become too highly active, and the original etching cannot obtain enough electrical energy, so the light emitted is too weak.

However, this technical approach is not problematic and can still be used, which is why Li Yuan quickly repaired the Heaven and Earth Essence Etching Plate. But as mentioned before, what about the technical cost?

The etched plates made with the essence of heaven and earth were so popular that they almost swept across the entire Central Plains in just one year. However, after that, they were only used extensively in Chang'an, the core of the Han Dynasty, and very little was used elsewhere because the technology was too expensive.

Naturally, it's impossible to achieve what Cookie described as providing supplemental lighting for agriculture, thereby greatly shortening the growth cycle and increasing yields—that kind of drastic work. The cost of making etched plates is much higher than the output increase from grain. After all, if one acre of land relies on this thing for lighting, the required quantity wouldn't be just one or two, but thirty or fifty!
The Weiyang Palace only installed a few hundred of these things. When the Weiyang Palace was fully etched, it was called "Never Sleeping" by the people of Chang'an. If agriculture were to be done like this, probably only Cookie would ask to set up an experimental field. Others could not expect it.

The problem is that experimental fields are only used to demonstrate the upper limit; what Cookie wants is to popularize it, and clearly, it's currently stuck on the issue of lighting.

But Wan Zhen's appearance gave Quqi a new idea: instead of using the new, super-expensive etching plate, use the old version of the etching plate, and then use a generator to charge the old etching plate. This way, the old etching plate will light up on its own when it has electricity, and the problem will be solved.

The cost of the old etched plates was so high that it could fill the entire Central Plains in a year. Cost was nothing. Before Li Yuan could even react, these things were being pirated everywhere. By the time Li Yuan realized that he should probably arrest a few wealthy merchants and make some money, the world had changed.

So the matter was dropped, but no matter how it was dropped, the old etched plates, the ones that can be used for charging and lighting, are still worth at least several million.

"Oh, you mean to recharge the old etching plates?" Wan Zhen thought for a moment and then understood what it meant. After all, he was a professional in this field and had indeed done a lot of research. He also realized that the etching plates Li Yuan had made were a bit strange.

"Yeah, I've had this idea before, but the new generation of etching plates is just too expensive, and it's all about the technical costs. I wanted her to optimize it, but she always says she's optimizing it, optimizing it, and there's still no follow-up." Cookie said with a bit of helplessness. Only Cookie could be so easy to talk to. It would be a miracle if anyone else were so easy to talk to. This girl is quite feisty.

"Actually, it's not necessarily that Kongming's wife wouldn't allow optimization," Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness. Sometimes, some people really just create something incredibly outrageous on a whim, and then they themselves are a little confused about how they came up with it.

For example, Hedy Lamarr, the mother of WiFi, laid the foundations for WiFi, frequency hopping, multiple access communication, satellite communication, and other such things when she was in her twenties listening to the piano. But what happened after that? She couldn't optimize these things anymore, hahaha!
“That’s not important. What’s important is…” Cookie waved her hand, then looked around and saw an old-fashioned etched plate still on a beam in the main hall of the Kou family. She called out to Hu Min, who was sitting under the etched plate, “Tongda, please help me remove the etched plate from your head.”

Upon hearing this, Hu Min didn't ask why. She looked up, jumped up, removed the etched plate from the roof beam, and had someone pass it to Qu Qi.

"Give it to me right here." Cookie showed no politeness and handed the dusty etching plate to Wan Zhen. Wan Zhen used his talent to roll it up and then began to disassemble it. He then started the motor to charge the etching plate and blocked the etching process. After charging for a while, he stopped blocking the process, and the etching plate burst out with a dazzling white light.

At this moment, Cookie's face lit up with ecstasy. He had solved another very important agricultural problem, and the solution to this problem had enabled both increased production and a shortened cycle.

"This thing is great, really great! It solved my biggest headache lately." Qu Qi smiled happily and even reached out to pat Wan Zhen on the shoulder. Although the two were about the same age and both were gods, it was obvious that the god who provided food was half a level higher than the other gods.

"What have you been up to lately?" Chen Xi had been quite hands-off with Cookie, so she wasn't sure what Cookie had been doing at home lately.

"Everyone, I've developed a fast-growing radish," Cookie said with a smile, looking at the heads of the prominent families present.

Upon hearing this, the heads of the various aristocratic families became somewhat interested. After all, it was food, especially since Central Asia had suffered a disaster, and everything edible was receiving attention. Moreover, radishes, with their large roots, could be eaten with other things to keep people from starving.

Adding the word "fast growth" to the mix, it's not a big deal under normal circumstances, but it becomes very important when disaster strikes. Being able to eat the next batch of food half a month earlier or half a month later makes a completely different difference. So when Cookie mentioned the word "fast growth," all the noble families were interested.

Even the Yong family, who were not affected by the disaster, were very interested. After all, seeing how miserable others were due to lack of food, they wanted to stockpile as much food as possible.

To be honest, the Central Asian families can still grumble here at this stage, they all have to give a few bucks to the 102 fast-growing rice. As for the fact that the rice yield is average and it tastes terrible, that's not a problem at all. Just the fact that after the locust plague, the replanting can be harvested before the cold wave arrives is enough for all the Central Asian families to give a few bucks to.

As for other issues, we'll deal with them after we survive.

Incidentally, after suffering from this locust plague, the Central Asian family obediently followed the Chen family's example and started hydroponic greenhouse breeding of 102 fast-growing rice. Because the Chen family had a dedicated greenhouse for 102 fast-growing rice, they replanted the seedlings that had grown before the locust plague even ended, and harvested the rice in about 88 days.

Although it was only 15 days earlier, when the other families saw the Chen family reaping the rewards, they were almost tempted to wipe them out as well.

This is new grain! Do you understand what it means to have grain in hand and not panic? Once the new grain is harvested, no matter how bad it tastes, it means stability. Besides, if all else fails, you can add more spices to make rice noodles, right?

There are always ways to solve this problem, but the only thing we can't solve is the lack of food!

So after the locust plague, everyone built two acres of hydroponic greenhouses for 102 fast-growing rice, regardless of whether they could use the crops or not. As for the issue of consumption, to be honest, after experiencing a locust plague, these issues are no longer problems. Spend a little money, in case it comes in handy, right?

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Cookie didn't bother with pretense and directly shared his recent research: "Under normal light and nutrition, this kind of radish can be harvested in about twenty-five days."

Chen Xi didn't know how others felt when they heard this, but she was completely stunned. Cookie had really pulled out all the stops!

Although radishes are not very filling, eating radishes can keep you full for a while. If you have other grains to mix with them, you can last even longer. As for the current situation of the Han family, no matter how bad it is, they shouldn't be unable to produce enough food for twenty-five days.

"Excuse me, did I hear that right?" Wan Zhen asked Qu Qi very seriously, even though he was still a little confused. What did he mean by "harvestable in twenty-five days"? Damn it, is this a radish?

"The yield is a bit low, and the underground tubers are relatively small, but it really takes twenty-five days. If you're willing to increase the amount of sunlight and provide enough fertilizer and water, fifteen days will be enough." Cookie smiled very proudly. Twenty-five days and fifteen days are completely different worlds.

Previously, the required amount of sunlight for 15-day fast-growing radishes was simply impossible to achieve, and using the new generation of etching plates would result in skyrocketing costs, making it completely unsuitable for farming. But now, the thing Wan Zhen has come up with is, well, suitable for farming!

"Fifteen days?" Huangfu Song was shocked. This must be pure nonsense!

You know, when a large army is at war, it sometimes takes a month or two to set up in a certain place. But now there are cash crops that can be harvested in just a month or two? This is a huge shock to Huangfu Song. So the army can just farm and wait for the harvest, right?
If that's the case, doesn't that mean we'll have to recalculate all the supplies for future battles? You think you've cornered the enemy to the point of mutual destruction, but they're completely unharmed and still farming there? That's ridiculous!
It's true, these fast-growing radishes can indeed be harvested in just over twenty days, no joke. They can't be a staple food, but as a supplement, they're incredibly effective.