At this time, several old craftsmen sighed: "The biggest problem with hydraulic driving is that it is limited by the terrain. You must find a place with water flow. It is very inconvenient. Now all workshops are struggling to find other power. Some people mention using wind power, like sails of ships, some mention using animal power to pull the turntable with donkeys, and some people think of the marquee lantern. Why does the marquee turn? Can the water truck turn by using marquee lanterns? The Chai family also offered a reward of 1,000 jin of money to reward craftsmen who use marquee lanterns to solve the rotation."

Fan Ning sighed in his heart that the wisdom of the people is indeed infinite. When he thought of the wind, he actually thought of the marquee. The marquee is actually driven by hot air, and it is only half a step away from the water vapor. I believe that if you don’t need to say it yourself, craftsmen will discover the power of water vapor in the near future.

The key is that with a large workshop, capital has the motivation to invent new technologies, and has the mechanism and platform for invention. With the promotion of capital and intelligent craftsmen, any invention can be made, and the same is true for guns and cannons. Therefore, in history, the Song Dynasty was the closest dynasty to capitalism. If there were no invasion of foreign races, the future of the Song Dynasty would have been an unimaginable world.

Fan Ning could no longer resist the excitement and said to Zhu Yuanfeng: "On the way back from overseas, during the chat with the seafarers, a seafarer thought of a wonderful solution."

Everyone was excited and looked at Fan Ning together. Zhu Yuanfeng hurriedly said, "Tell me quickly, what's the best way?"

Fan Ning asked the big manager to gather all the craftsmen. When everyone heard that Xiao Fan had a good idea, they looked at him together.

Fanning said calmly: "The wonderful way I said is to use water vapor!"

"How to use water vapor?" everyone asked in unison.

"The principle is very simple. When we boil water, the water vapor keeps pushing the teapot lid upwards. Should everyone have an impression?"

A craftsman reacted very quickly and hurriedly said, "Xiao Fan Gong means to make a large teapot lid, and water vapor pushes the teapot lid, just like water power constantly pushes the water wheel."

Fanning smiled and nodded, "That's the way it means, but the lid of the teapot doesn't need to be too large. As long as there is enough water vapor, make a large iron container like a teapot, filled with water, burning continuously with carbon, and the water begins to boil. Then there is a copper piston on the hole of the iron container. The other end of the copper piston is a copper or iron-made connecting rod. The water vapor continuously pushes the large piston forward and backward movement, so is there power?"

All the craftsmen were excited and cheered loudly. They were all skilled craftsmen, and what they lacked was a key point of guidance. Fanning told everyone the power of steam, and everyone suddenly realized.

Fan Ning immediately announced: "Zhengwai Zhu and I each took out 10,000 guan as a reward fund. Now we offer three rewards: the first is a steam furnace, the second is a connecting rod including a piston, and the third is a connecting rod that drives the spinning machine to rotate. As long as you make any one, you will be rewarded with 300 guan. The best craftsman will be rewarded with 1,000 guan. If you are smart enough, you will be rewarded with up to 3,000 guan.

I suggest that everyone team up and study it together for a month, but I remind everyone that the furnace wall of the steam furnace should be made of iron, and the combustion chamber should be made of iron shell refractory bricks, and it must be thick enough, otherwise it will explode."

"But we don't have that much raw material, we need iron or copper."

Zhu Yuanfeng said slowly: "I provide all the raw materials, and the reward is doubled, but one thing is that no one can reveal this matter. I am not saying that I will use it alone in the future, I am saying that we must invent it successfully, and we cannot let the Chai family take the lead."

Zhu Yuanfeng understood in his heart that if he had succeeded in inventing the steam engine, then his title of county officials was just around the corner. He had to catch Fanning today. He had a strong intuition. Fanning must have figured out the steam engine, and he had to draw the drawings.

Unable to resist Zhu Yuanfeng's repeated requests, Fan Ning had to simply draw a schematic diagram of the steam engine, a connecting rod diagram and axle diagram. The principle of the wheel shaft is also very simple. An inner hexagonal wheel covers an outer hexagonal shaft, and there is a connecting rod on the wheel. When the piston moves forward and back, the shaft also rotates. All materials are made of copper, which is also the principle of train driving.

Fan Ning also put forward the conditions. Once the steam engine is built, it will be handed over to Zhu Xiaolin immediately, and he will be allowed to test it on the ship and replace manpower with steam power.

Just as Fan Ning opened the steam engine in Chenliu, Empress Dowager Cao also met his younger brother Cao Qi in the palace. Empress Dowager Cao was helpless with this brother. She liked to seek immortality and seek Taoism since she was young. She is now forty-five years old, but she still can't calm down and never enters the officialdom. If he was willing to enter the officialdom, he would not be as powerful as he is today.

Although the Cao family has a great influence in the military, there is no one in civil servants. The only one Cao Shi is the son-in-law. It is difficult for the son-in-law to be a high-ranking official. Cao Qi is obviously the most ideal candidate, but he has never been willing to be an official, which disappoints Empress Dowager Cao very much.

"I heard you are running a newspaper during this period?" Empress Dowager Cao asked lightly.

Cao Qi nodded, "I'm just helping for the time being, and Luo Ting will take over in a while."

Luo Ting is the son-in-law of the Cao family and has a very talented literary talent. He retired from the officialdom due to illness. He will soon take over the two newspapers.

Empress Dowager Cao suddenly asked a little unhappy: "Then what are you doing?"

"I want to go out for a walk and follow Fanning to the New World, and I've been fascinated by it for a long time."

"you"

Empress Dowager Cao was angry and had no choice but to do anything about him. She was already a middle-aged man and had no right to do anything.

"You come to see me and want to talk about this?"

"Not that, Uncle Six hopes that the Cao family can participate in the island purchase. He had this idea three years ago. I hope the court can set the rules as soon as possible."

"Why did the Cao family buy an island?" Empress Dowager Cao asked coldly.

"This is a unanimous decision of the family. Not only the Cao family, the Gao family, the Pan family, the Shi family, the Li family, and the Guo family all have the idea of ​​buying an island. Everyone hopes to have a family's foothold overseas."

Empress Dowager Cao was silent for a moment and said, "I know this, what else do you have?"

"I'm gone."

Empress Dowager Cao glanced at him, "I sent a letter to your sixth uncle last time, did he not respond?"

Cao Qi shook his head, "He didn't tell me!"

"Well! Then tell him that I hope Fan Cao's marriage is of great importance, so please be sure to be Yucheng!"

Cao Qi was stunned and asked for a while: "Who is this Fan referring to?"

Empress Dowager Cao snorted, "Who else will be besides Fanning?"

"But he has been married for many years and the Cao family has no chance."

"Since he has a second wife, why can't he have a third wife?"

The third wife refers to the legitimate wife, the partial wife and the lower wife. The partial wife and the lower wife are just saying it nicely, but they are not at the main house. Cao Qi was speechless, "It seems inappropriate, right?"

"Ouyang Xiu's daughter can be his second concubine, why can't the Cao family? Your sixth uncle didn't tell you that he hoped that I would open this. As long as you agree, I can also be granted an imperial edict, but this matter is related to the future fate of the Cao family. If the Cao family does not do it, don't blame me in the future."

Empress Dowager Cao knew that she could not control Fanning by threats alone. Although she left an important evidence, she did not want to use this evidence to tear Fanning apart. This evidence was a double-edged sword that hurt Fanning, but at the same time it would reveal the truth about Gao Taotao's death.

Empress Dowager Cao was worried that once the official family knew the real cause of his mother's death, the Cao family would not have a good life after his death.

After thinking about it, sitting on the same boat with Fanning, the best way is to work together. Marriage is to move towards the best bond of mutual assistance. As long as a marriage is reached, she can eliminate the final evidence and is not worried that Fanning will speak out in the future.

Cao Qi's face turned red. Obviously, the only girl in the Cao family who was at the age of marriage but had not gotten married was his third daughter, Cao Xiu, who asked his daughter to marry Fan Ning as his wife. Although he had always hoped that Fan Ning would be his son-in-law, this time he was not a good wife! He would be wronged by his daughter.

Empress Dowager Cao said slowly, "Let Xiu'er marry him, and I will grant her the imperial edict to the wife of the county. Just like the daughter of the Zhu family, what else are you not satisfied with in this matter?"

Cao Qi was forced to grit his teeth and said, "I can agree, but I want to know the reason?"

Empress Dowager Cao sighed and said quietly: "The cunning rabbit has three caves. Didn't the Cao family just want to build a cave overseas? With Fan Ning, the Cao family is still worried that they can't find a good place?"

Cao Qi felt that this was not a real reason, but his sister was tough and had to agree. He needed to discuss this matter with the Fan family and the Zhu family.

"What if Fanning doesn't agree?"
Chapter completed!