Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Previously, the spacious Prince Jin's Mansion was transformed into the Institute of Natural History, which was barely enough when there were few people. However, for the current size of the Institute of Natural History, the original Prince Jin's Mansion is too small.

Even the entire Yongxingfang area is still lacking something.

Once the outer city of Chang'an is expanded, the people can be moved to live there, while the inner city will be used as official residences, as well as to house the arsenal and the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Wang Xuance said in a low voice, "King Han, I will take you to see the rubber tires, the compass, and the capacitor."

"These three things are also the most technologically advanced things after the steam engine!"

What?

They've even made a capacitor?

Du He's face was filled with astonishment when he heard the news.

He had absolutely no concept of capacitors, nor did he issue any orders to the craftsmen to develop them. He simply instructed them to find a way to develop capacitors based on the physics, chemistry, and biology books he had compiled.

"Go and see!"

Du He waved and then followed Wang Xuance to the backyard.

In the middle of a heavily guarded courtyard, a carriage was parked, its two wheels fitted with rubber tires, and the outline of the wheels was cast in iron.

After carefully examining the tire and squeezing the bulging rubber tire, Du He's face was filled with astonishment.

Good guy!

They even made inner tubes!

Wang Xuance explained from the side, "King Han, the craftsmen initially used rubber to make tires, but they found that the carriages were very difficult to use for transporting goods, and the rubber was easily worn out."

"The craftsmen who developed the steam engine knew that the piston could push the gas in, so they suggested the use of an inflatable inner tube. After hundreds of updates and iterations, they made an inflatable inner tube."

"The reason why it cannot be used at present is that the inner tube and outer tube are very easy to wear out and cannot bear too heavy goods. The strength of the material needs to be improved."

As he spoke, Wang Xuance ordered the guards to drive the carriage, which then ran back and forth quickly in the courtyard.

Seeing the carriage moving so fast and effortlessly, Du He nodded repeatedly with satisfaction.

"Not bad!"

Du He praised the craftsmen, then turned to Wang Xuance and asked, "Wang Xuance, the craftsmen have finished making the tires. Did you ask them for a reward?"

Wang Xuance quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty has rewarded the research team with 5000 strings of cash, and other teams that have made achievements will also be rewarded with several thousand to tens of thousands of strings of cash."

Upon hearing about Li Chengqian's generous gesture, Du He nodded slightly.

For the next half hour, Du He, led by Wang Xuance, examined the compass and capacitor. He had to admit that the craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty made things that were much better than he had imagined.

Take a turn.

Du He smiled and said, "It seems that throwing money and manpower at people does have an effect."

"Keep it up!"

He previously believed that the artisans of the Tang Dynasty did not have much inventive ability and could only stick to the old ways of making antique objects.

I never expected that they would produce all of these things in just four years.

Although the results are not very good yet, and the product has serious defects, we have now completed the process from 0 to 1, and subsequent improvements will be made more and more rapidly.

Wang Xuance said with a wry smile, "King Han, I have checked the accounts. The team that has been researching rubber over the past few years has spent a total of 180 million strings of cash."

"The team that developed the compass spent 8 strings of cash, while the team that developed the capacitor spent a whopping 46 strings of cash."

"As for the team that developed the steam engine, it is now being funded by special grants, and has already consumed 316 million guan in five years. It will probably cost another million guan in the future."

"If the imperial court weren't so wealthy, it would probably be dragged down by these few departments."

Seeing that the Academy of Natural Sciences was spending a lot of money every day but was not producing any results, he was so anxious that his hair was turning white.

Unlike the department that developed toilet paper, which spent less than 1000 kan (a unit of currency) to successfully develop toilet paper and was well-liked by the royal family and ministers.

Good guy!

These few projects alone cost more than 500 million guan?

What a lavish place!

However, these departments have the most craftsmen and R&D personnel, and also gather the most famous craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, they have to do a lot of experiments every day, consuming countless materials, so it's normal for them to spend a lot of money.

Du He chuckled and said, "Xuan Ce, steam engines, hot air balloons, electricity, and rubber tires are core research projects of the imperial court. It's worth spending any amount of money on them."

"Let's go take a look at the steam engine."

The research site for the steam engine was located at the very back of the Institute of Physics, and between the two rows of research rooms, a circular experimental railway track, half a mile long, was laid out.

On the tracks, there was an ugly steam locomotive.

After looking around, Du He found that the steam engine and train carriages looked very ugly, completely different from the trains he had imagined.

However, the railway tracks were laid quite well, and they looked similar to those of later generations.

Du He ordered, "Start the steam engine, let me see the effect."

"promise."

After receiving the order, Wang Xuance immediately ran off to make arrangements.

The craftsmen who were standing guard immediately went to prepare, and after about a quarter of an hour, the steam engine finally roared loudly.

The large chimney at the very top was also emitting large amounts of black smoke.

The steam engine pulled the carts loaded with stones, moving forward at a very slow speed, only slightly faster than a person walking.

The wear and tear is too great, and the power is too weak. It needs to be updated and iterated again.

However, the current results have already satisfied Du He greatly and have completely exceeded his expectations.

After the presentation.

Du He met with the team researching steam engines, first encouraging them, and then said with a smile.

"Vice President Wang, from now on, take 50 strings of cash from the R&D budget each month and take all the craftsmen to Furong Garden for food, drinks and entertainment, so they can relax and have a good time."

"Once the steam engine technology achieves a breakthrough, I will reward you with 20 strings of cash."

"Let's all give it our all!"

Hearing the significant promise made by the King of Han, the research and development team, spanning a wide age range, was filled with excitement.

During this period, they have received tens of thousands of strings of cash as rewards. His Majesty also promised that once the outer city of Chang'an is expanded, he would reward each of them with a large mansion.

Once the King of Han bestows this reward of 20 strings of cash, three generations of their family will have no worries about money.

The craftsmen all knelt down and bowed, expressing their gratitude with great emotion.

"Thank you, King Han!"

Du He smiled and nodded, then led Wang Xuance away from the place.

These new technologies are not yet usable, but Du He trusts these clever craftsmen and believes they will be ready for use in ten years.

When we returned to the lobby.

Du He instructed him, "Xuan Ce, during this period, send craftsmen to conduct intensive tests on the reliability of the railway tracks. Once the technology is mature, lay the tracks immediately."

“It will take at least ten years to build a railway that is tens of thousands of miles long. Once the railway is completed, the steam engine will probably be able to work normally.”

There was a pause.

Du He continued, "I will first lay the railway tracks from Chang'an to Luoyang, and then the steam engine can be moved onto the tracks for testing."

"Your task here is very challenging, so please work hard during this period."