My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

Chapter 98 The Secret of Blackwater: From Lighting to Power

The night in Xianyang has never been as bright as it is now.

In the past, when the evening drum sounded, this vast imperial capital would sink into a suffocating darkness. Only the mansions of princes and nobles would emit a dim candlelight, or a few ever-burning lamps lit with whale oil. Ordinary people, to save on fuel costs, would have long since blown out their lamps and candles, and their wives and children would be warming their beds.

But this winter, things changed.

A new contraption called "Divine Fire Lamp" has quietly become popular in night markets, restaurants, and even along streets in Xianyang. Its light is bright and stable, without the smoke and smokiness of candles or the lingering fishy smell of whale oil.

More importantly, it's cheap.

Thousands of miles away, in Yanchang County, northern Shaanxi.

This area was originally a barren loess plateau, crisscrossed by gullies and sparsely covered with vegetation. But recently, it has become a "forbidden zone" heavily guarded by the Qin Dynasty.

In the valley stood several strange towers, each ten feet tall. They were made of brick and stone, covered with thick iron sheets, and their tops emitted white steam and occasional tongues of fire. The air was filled with a pungent, nauseating odor, a unique "industrial fragrance" that was a mixture of rotten eggs and asphalt.

"vomit--"

Zhao Gao leaned against a withered tree and vomited up his breakfast completely.

As the "Marquis of Rubber" and "Chief Chemical Engineer of the Great Qin Dynasty," Zhao Gao felt that his life was destined to be a life of toil. He had just finished refining rubber and boiling canned goods when His Majesty and the Grand Preceptor kicked him to this godforsaken place to refine "black water."

"This is unbearable!" Zhao Gao wiped his mouth, then pressed a handkerchief soaked in spices tightly against his nose. "The Imperial Advisor said this black water is 'liquid gold'? I think it's just corpse water from the underworld! It's black, stinks, and it's even flammable!"

Nearby, several Mohist disciples, their faces covered with thick cotton masks, were recording data.

"My lord, the temperature in distillation tower number three has risen!" a disciple ran over to report. "According to the blueprints given by the Imperial Advisor, the current temperature is just right for producing 'kerosene'!"

"Then take it! Do we have to teach you?" Zhao Gao snapped irritably. "Be careful! Don't let any sparks get in! Last time, that apprentice sneaked a cigarette and almost sent us all to our deaths!"

This is the first petroleum distillation plant in Daqin.

Although the principle is simple—using the different boiling points of the components in crude oil to separate them by heating—in this era without temperature control chips and stainless steel, every step of the operation is like dancing on a knife's edge.

Under Wang Jianguo's guidance, they adopted the most primitive "pot distillation method". The black crude oil was pumped into a huge iron pot and heated. The oil vapor rose along the pipes and was cooled into liquid in condensers at different heights.

The substance coming out at the very top is highly volatile "ghost fire water" (gasoline);

What comes out from the middle is clear and bright "divine fire oil" (kerosene);

What comes out below is a thick, viscous "heavy oil" (diesel and lubricating oil).

The black residue left at the bottom of the pot is the asphalt used for paving roads.

"It's getting oily! It's getting oily!"

Amid the cheers of the craftsmen, a clear, slightly yellowish liquid flowed out from the copper pipe and into the huge earthenware jar.

Zhao Gao pinched his nose and leaned over for a look.

"That's it?" he asked skeptically. "This thing can really light lamps? Won't it burn down the palace?"

To verify this, he had his men bring him a specially made glass lamp—also designed by Wang Jianguo, a "lantern" with an adjustable wick and glass shade.

Pour oil, soak the wick, and strike the match.

"laugh."

A bright, steady flame, with almost no black smoke, leaped inside the glass enclosure.

The surrounding darkness was instantly dispelled. Zhao Gao's face was pale (from fright), but also flushed with excitement.

"Bright! Really bright!" Zhao Gao's eyes widened. "Ten times brighter than a candle! And...it doesn't seem to smell as bad anymore?"

Indeed, kerosene that has undergone acid washing and desulfurization treatment still has a slight odor, but it is within an acceptable range.

"Quick! Pack it into barrels!" Zhao Gao perked up. "Pack all this 'divine fire oil'! Transport it back to Xianyang! We're going to make a name for ourselves again this time!"

"Then... Lord Marquis, what about these?"

The disciple pointed to another large vat beside him. It was filled with the first distilled, highly volatile, transparent liquid—gasoline.

"This thing is too dangerous," the disciple said with lingering fear. "Just now, one of the brothers was a little too close, and the static electricity on his clothes crackled and almost set the tank on fire. And this thing is so fragile, it explodes at the slightest touch, it's impossible to use it to light a lamp."

Zhao Gao glanced at the vat of "bombs" that could explode at any moment with disgust.

"The Imperial Advisor said this is called 'gasoline.' Although it's useless now, it will be very useful later." Zhao Gao sighed. "He said it's for some kind of 'iron horse' to drink. Aren't they worried that the horse will get heartburn from drinking it?"

"Store it! Find a shady spot, dig a deep pit, and bury it! No smoking! Anyone who dares to strike a flint over there, we'll throw them in as a wick!"

A few days later, at Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng sat in the imperial study. He was used to reviewing memorials under the dim candlelight, but today he found it somewhat "glaring".

Because on his desk sat an exquisite glass kerosene lamp with a brass base.

The soft, bright white light illuminated the entire imperial study, revealing every detail. Even the smallest ink flaws on the memorials were clearly visible.

"Is this what 'petroleum' is refined from?" Ying Zheng adjusted the wick knob, watching the flame grow larger and smaller, finding it all quite novel.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Jianguo stood to the side, holding a bottle of refined kerosene. "This is the process of turning 'black water' into 'light.' In the past, we used vegetable oil and animal oil for lamps, which meant competing with people for food and with nature. But petroleum is a treasure accumulated by the earth over hundreds of millions of years, and it is inexhaustible (relatively speaking)."

"Excellent product," Ying Zheng exclaimed. "With this, I no longer have to worry about the fumes ruining my eyes when reviewing memorials at night. And..."

He walked to the window and looked outside.

It was the hour of Xu (7-9 pm), and normally, Xianyang Palace would be completely dark. But at this moment, every ten steps along the palace corridors and squares, a kerosene lamp was hung for protection against the wind. Patrolling guards carried lanterns, their beams of light piercing the night sky.

The entire palace is like a city that never sleeps.

"Founding a nation, do you know what that means?" Ying Zheng's voice was deep and resonant.

"Does this mean the start of nightlife?" Wang Jianguo asked tentatively.

"No. It means the time will be extended."

Ying Zheng turned around, his gaze intense.

"In the past, people worked from sunrise to sunset. There were only six hours a day to work. Once it got dark, they couldn't do anything except create babies."

"But now, with this lamp, factories can operate through the night, schools can hold classes at night, and shops can stay open until midnight. My Great Qin has gained twice the amount of time out of thin air!"

"Time is national strength. One day of ours is equivalent to two days of the six kingdoms, and three days of the Xiongnu!"

Wang Jianguo was shocked. As expected of an emperor of all time, his vision instantly rose from "lighting" to the level of "productivity".

"Little G," Ying Zheng murmured to himself.

[Yes, Brother Zheng. Your insight is very keen. The revolution in lighting technology was indeed a precursor to the Industrial Revolution. It broke the limitations of natural light on human activities.]

"Not only that," Ying Zheng stroked his chin, "I've heard that this thing can also be made into 'fierce fire oil tanks' to burn enemy ships?"

Yes. A mixture of refined kerosene and gasoline, combined with a jetting device, created the earliest flamethrower. In this era of wooden warships and city defenses, it was a devastating weapon.

Ying Zheng laughed, a laugh that was somewhat cruel.

"Very good. Let Zhao Gao refine more. Sell some to the people for lamps to make money, and the rest... store in my armory."

However, the oil industry brings not only light, but also enormous troubles.

That is—gasoline.

Before the invention of the internal combustion engine, gasoline was the most awkward byproduct of the petroleum industry. It was flammable, explosive, and evaporated quickly, making it too dangerous as lamp oil (it could easily explode lamps), and too volatile as fuel.

In 19th-century America, early oil refineries would even secretly dump gasoline into rivers, resulting in the spectacular sight of "rivers catching fire."

The Qin Dynasty faced the same problem.

The Imperial Household Officer, Zhang Han, came to see Wang Jianguo with a worried look on his face.

"Grand Preceptor, that 'gasoline'... the inventory has exploded." Zhang Han gestured, indicating that "more than a dozen large pits have been dug at the Yanchang Oilfield and filled. Lord Zhao said that the stuff is terrifying. Last night, a stray cat ran over, its paws scraping sparks, and it almost blew up the entire storage area."

"Could we... just dump it? Or find some remote, desolate place and burn it?"

"Absolutely not!" Wang Jianguo slammed his fist on the table. "That's a terrible waste! That's the lifeblood of the future!"

Wang Jianguo knew very well that as the research and development of internal combustion engines were put on the agenda, gasoline, which was now considered "garbage," would soon become a strategic resource more precious than gold.

"Save it! We must save it!" Wang Jianguo gritted his teeth. "Use the water seal method, or make sealed iron barrels. Tell Zhao Gao that even if he buries himself, he can't pour out the gasoline!"

"But... what can this thing do?" Zhang Han asked, puzzled. "Besides setting fires, I can't think of any other use for it."

"It can turn dead iron into a living horse," Wang Jianguo said mysteriously. "Lord Zhang, just you wait and see. In the near future, this thing will replace steam and become the new heart of the Qin Dynasty."

Internal Combustion Engine: A Four-Stroke Fantasy

In order to find a way out for these "waste materials" and to make the Qin's power system go from "cumbersome" to "agile", Wang Jianguo launched a secret project codenamed "Heart".

Daqin Royal Power Research Institute.

This place is home to the most outstanding craftsmen of the Qin Dynasty, including Gongshu Huai, the current head of the Gongshu family, and that eccentric mechanic... Prince Huhai.

Yes, Hu Hai has stopped blasting mountains recently and started playing with iron.

After driving the locomotive for a few days, he developed a strong interest in this "self-moving" iron lump.

At this moment, everyone was gathered around a strange machine.

It had only one cylinder, but it was much smaller than the cylinder of a steam engine. It did not have a huge boiler, but it was connected to a small tank full of gasoline (the prototype of a carburetor).

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a four-stroke internal combustion engine."

Wang Jianguo pointed to the four steps on the blueprint, instructing the group of ancient people like a kindergarten teacher:

"First step, intake. The piston moves downward, drawing in gasoline mist and air."

"The second step is compression. The piston moves upward, compressing the air-fuel mixture tightly."

"The third step is to do work. This is also the most crucial step. At this moment, we need to ignite the gas with an electric spark! Bang! The gas explodes, propelling the piston violently downwards!"

"Fourth step, exhaust. Push the exhaust fumes out."

"Inhale, compress, burst, expel. Remember this rhythm."

Hu Hai, standing to the side, gestured and added sound effects: "Glug, glug, bang, whoosh! Glug, glug, bang, whoosh!"

Gongshu Huai frowned: "Grand Preceptor, I understand this principle. But the precision requirement is too high. If there is even the slightest gap between the cylinder and the piston, the air will leak out, and it will be impossible to control."

"And this 'electric spark'," another craftsman said, pointing to the simple spark plug. "How high a voltage would it need to break down the air?"

"This requires us to utilize our previous technological expertise," Wang Jianguo said confidently. "For the sealing problem, we use oil-resistant rubber refined by Zhao Gao to make the sealing rings, along with finely ground piston rings. For the ignition problem, we use an induction coil (based on the transformer principle) to upgrade low-voltage electricity to high-voltage electricity."

"Start assembling!"

For the next month, the research institute was constantly filled with the clanging and banging of metal.

The craftsmen painstakingly crafted pistons with a precision of 0.01 millimeters using hand-grinding techniques. Hu Hai was responsible for winding the coils, and he was shocked several times, his hair standing on end, but he remained enthusiastic.

Finally, the first single-cylinder gasoline engine was assembled.

It was ugly, rough, covered in grease, and even leaking engine oil. But in Wang Jianguo's eyes, it was the most beautiful work of art.

"Add gasoline!"

"Connect the circuit!"

"Start with crank!"

Hu Hai volunteered, grabbed the huge crank, and spun the flywheel with all his might.

"Buzz...buzz...buzz..."

The machine made a dull, labored sound, but it just wouldn't start.

"Again! With more force!" Wang Jianguo shouted, adjusting the intake valve.

Hu Hai gritted his teeth, his face flushed red: "Get moving, you young master!!!"

Sudden.

"Rat-a-tat-tat—Bang! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!!!"

A loud bang was followed by a series of popping sounds like popping beans.

A plume of black smoke billowed from the exhaust pipe, and the flywheel began to spin wildly under the force of the explosion!

"It moved! It moved!"

Gongshu Huai jumped up excitedly, while Hu Hai collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Looking at the roaring iron lump, he laughed like a two-hundred-pound child.

"Hahaha! It's roaring! It's fiercer than a tiger!"

The noise was deafening; a single-cylinder engine without a muffler is practically a noise-generating machine. The vibrations made the teacups on the table dance.

Zhao Gao, who rushed over upon hearing the news, was so startled by the sudden loud noise that he fell to the ground and threw away the whisk he was holding.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor! The Thunder God has descended to earth!"

Wang Jianguo turned off the throttle, and the machine slowly came to a stop.

Although it had only been running for a minute, the cylinders were already incredibly hot, but this marked the beginning of a new era for the Qin.

An era of drinking oil.

Hu Hai's "Convertible Sports Car"

Now that we have the engine, what's next?

Of course, it's about building cars.

Although Wang Jianguo originally wanted to build tractors first (after all, agriculture is fundamental), under Hu Hai's persistent nagging, the first internal combustion engine was installed on a... horse-drawn carriage.

This is a heavily modified four-wheeled carriage. The harnesses have been removed, a steering rod has been added, and the roaring engine has been crammed under the rear seat, connected to the rear wheels via a belt drive.

There is no clutch (it relies on belt tension), no gearbox (single speed), no shock absorbers (it just hits the ground), and not even brakes (it relies on foot brakes or natural resistance).

This was the first **"car"** of the Qin Dynasty, or a "motorized tricycle" (although it had four wheels, the two front wheels were very close together).

"I want to drive! I want to drive!" Hu Hai, wearing goggles (specially made by the glass factory), excitedly jumped into the driver's seat.

"Young master, slow down! This thing is powerful!" Wang Jianguo shouted from behind.

"Don't worry! I'm the number one driver in the Qin Dynasty!"

Hu Hai pulled the belt tensioner.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—"

The car lurched forward like a startled wild boar.

"Wow—!!!"

Hu Hai yelled and drove the strange car, which spewed black smoke and made deafening noise, out of the research institute's gate and onto the cement street of Xianyang.

The pedestrians on the street were terrified.

They had seen horse-drawn carriages, oxcarts, and even trains before. But this kind of small cart, pulled by no animals, with smoke billowing from its rear and a thunderous roar, was something they had never seen before.

"It's a ghost train! Run!"

The streets were in chaos. The old lady selling vegetables threw down her basket, and the old man walking his bird lost his cage.

Hu Hai felt incredibly exhilarated. This feeling of speed (actually only about 20 kilometers per hour), this thrill of controlling power, was a million times better than being punished for reviewing memorials in the palace!

"Make way! Make way! My divine chariot is here!"

However, his cool demeanor lasted only three seconds.

There's a bend ahead.

Hu Hai jerked the steering wheel (which was actually a straight lever).

But this car doesn't have a differential.

Under the influence of centrifugal force, the outer wheel loses traction, and the inner wheel lifts off the ground.

"Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Hu Hai watched helplessly as the world tilted.

"Clang!"

The first Qin Dynasty car, in full view of everyone, dramatically flipped into the roadside ditch.

The wheels were still spinning, the engine was still churning and sputtering, belching out thick black smoke.

Hu Hai crawled out of the ditch, covered in dust and spitting out a mouthful of mud.

The surrounding people gathered around, pointing and whispering.

"How is the young master? Is he still alive?"

"What is this lump of iron? How come it's moving?"

"Look at that smoke, isn't it on fire?"

Just then, a group of guards in black parted the crowd, and Prime Minister Li Si walked over with a dark expression.

He looked at the broken cart in the ditch, then at Hu Hai covered in mud, and his lips twitched.

"Prince Huhai," Li Si gritted his teeth, "are you...testing a new siege engine? What has this done to offend you?"

Hu Hai chuckled and wiped the oil off his face: "Prime Minister, it was a mistake, purely a mistake. Next time, next time I will definitely install brakes."

Li Si took a deep breath and pulled out a small notebook.

According to the revised "Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security in the Qin Dynasty": Anyone who sets off a "strange vehicle" on the street and disturbs the public will be fined 500 coins, detained for three days, and have their tools confiscated.

"Young master, please come with this old minister."

Thus, the first race car driver of the Qin Dynasty, and also the first member of the royal family to be detained for "driving without a license" and "dangerous driving," was born.

Epilogue: The Future of Steel

Although Hu Hai's car overturned, the appearance of this car still caused a huge shock among the top officials in Xianyang.

Ying Zheng looked at the engine that had been towed back, his eyes flashing with an unusual light.

"Jianguo, this thing is smaller than a steam engine, but it's incredibly powerful." Ying Zheng stroked the slightly warm cylinder. "What if we installed it on a chariot, on a ship, or even... on one of those flying balloons?"

Wang Jianguo nodded: "Your Majesty, this is the power revolution. The steam engine gave Qin strength, while the internal combustion engine will give Qin speed and agility. The battlefields of the future will belong to tanks (armored vehicles) and airplanes (airships)."

"And the foundation of all this is that black water—oil."

Ying Zheng turned around, looked at the location of Yanchang County on the map, and then looked at the more distant Western Regions (where there was also oil).

"Issue my decree:"

I. Petroleum is classified as a national first-level strategic resource, and private mining is strictly prohibited.

Second, expand the oil refinery and store all that 'gasoline' for me, not a single drop should be wasted.

Third, the "Great Qin Automobile Manufacturing Plant" was established. Although Hu Hai's decision was flawed, the direction was correct. I want to see these cars running on every road of the Great Qin Empire.

"As for Huhai..." Ying Zheng sneered, "Let him go fix the chariot! No food allowed if he can't fix it!"

Night falls.

The lights of Xianyang Palace still shone brightly.

Under the bright light of the kerosene lamp, the wheels of the Qin Empire slowly moved from the roar of steam to the roar of the internal combustion engine.

Beside the deep pit filled with gasoline, Zhao Gao sneezed, looked at the "No Smoking" sign, and muttered:

"This isn't storing oil, it's storing an ancestor..."