The Ming Dynasty 1626 Enlightenment

Chapter 51 Dagu Shipyard

"Steam engine?" Song Yingxing was taken aback. "I remember the research institute saying that the airtightness problem has not yet been solved, and there is serious steam leakage between the piston and the cylinder wall, which keeps the efficiency low."

Zhu Ming looked at him from behind the mask and remained silent for a moment.

The Science and Technology Research Institute was a department he established single-handedly. Although it was nominally under the Ministry of Works, it was actually directly subordinate to the Emperor.

When he initially decided on the direction of the steam engine, he set a bottom line for himself: it would be a success if he could produce a usable prototype in three to four years.

After all, in an era when no one had even heard of the term "atmospheric pressure," asking a group of blacksmiths and coppersmiths to understand the principle of "water boiling to produce steam, and steam pushing the plug" was a huge gamble in itself.

He won his gamble; the abilities of the Ming Dynasty craftsmen far exceeded his expectations.

The first month after the steam engine blueprints were delivered to the research institute, the first model was placed in front of Zhu Ming. The iron cylinder, piston, connecting rod, and flywheel were all handmade, and the dimensions were exactly the same.

It must be said that the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty were more capable than he had expected.

This era has no shortage of smart people or skilled craftsmen; what it lacks is a blueprint drawn in the right direction.

As long as they're heading in the right direction, they'll get there on their own.

Initially stuck on the strength and pressure resistance of refined iron, Zhu Ming directly provided a method to improve steelmaking, producing high-quality steel that could meet the requirements of steam engines.

He then ordered people to increase production. At that time, Daming produced about 60,000 tons of iron. With the guidance of modern steelmaking knowledge, it could be increased to at least 200,000 tons.

The mechanical challenges were overcome under the leadership of Wang Zheng, who was hailed as a "great scientist of the Ming Dynasty" and a "mechanical engineer".

Within a few months, key components such as independent condensers and centrifugal speed controllers were successively developed.

However, the power issue remains a pressing concern.

Although the operation has become stable and controllable, the efficiency has always been low. Steam leaks when there are too many cycles, and the gap between the piston and the cylinder wall is too large, causing steam to overflow and wasting energy.

The research institute was deadlocked for another six months. They tried everything they could think of, from applying oil and thickening the cylinder walls to replacing the pistons with copper ones and changing the connecting rod angle, but none of them were completely effective.

Only Zhu Ming knew that the problem lay in airtightness, and without corresponding materials, even the most skilled mechanical master would be helpless.

Therefore, when Wang Tiqian went to Southeast Asia, he specifically ordered that rubber be brought back, which was a key raw material for the early breakthrough in steam engine sealing.

With the exquisite blueprints and the skillful craftsmen, the high-pressure steam engine was successfully developed.

It was precisely for this reason that after the sudden natural disaster in June, Zhu Ming had no choice but to leave the palace and personally go to the Weihe Shipyard.

All for the sake of being one step faster in the birth of that sailless warship.

After going through all of this in his mind, Zhu Ming finally replied, "The airtightness issue has been resolved!"

"Resolved?" Song Yingxing asked eagerly, his tone tinged with surprise. "How was it resolved?"

Over the past year, with the establishment of the Daming Science and Technology Research Institute and the successive invention of steam engines, he has gradually become accustomed to the emergence of things that he never dared to imagine before.

Yet the speed at which each technical challenge was overcome still compelled him to keep asking why.

"We used a material sourced from Southeast Asia to make a sealing gasket. There is no more steam leakage between the piston and the cylinder wall, the steam pressure can be maintained, and the efficiency has increased by nearly double compared to before," Zhu Ming said.

"Materials from Southeast Asia?" Song Yingxing opened his notebook, his brow furrowing slightly. "I have consulted 'Records of Foreign Countries in the West' and 'A Survey of Star Chariots,' but I have not found any record of any material that could be used for sealing. Could the General please inform me?"

"Rubber," Zhu Ming explained, "a paste-like substance obtained after tree sap solidifies. It can be molded when heated and becomes elastic when cooled. It's water-resistant, pressure-resistant, and with special processing! This stuff is new to the Ministry of Industry. In the future..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I will write a booklet specifically to record its collection, processing, and usage."

After all, rubber has many more uses than that.

The tires of the Tianqi bicycle, the sealing rings of the steam engine, and even the waterproof equipment needed for the army in the future all need to be recorded in detail.

But at this moment he only mentioned the steam engine and said nothing more.

Shen Yourong stood at the back for a long time before finally squeezing to the front, her eyes darting around rapidly.

He didn't quite understand what sealing or steam pressure meant, but he did understand the phrase "efficiency nearly doubled".

He glanced at Zhu Ming, then at Song Yingxing, and suddenly leaned closer to ask, "General, does that mean this steam engine will soon be installed on the ship? Will it be able to power such a large ship?"

"Of course!" Zhu Ming glanced at him, "but it still needs practical application and adjustments."

Shen Yourong's mouth immediately broke into a wide grin.

He slapped Shen Tingyang hard on the shoulder, the force so great that the chief engineer staggered: "Did you hear me? Hurry up and build them! Once they're finished, equip my navy with two of them first!"

"General Shen!"

"In this way, my navy will no longer have to depend on the whims of fate!" Shen Yourong continued, oblivious to Shen Tingyang's frown.

Because this man is a valiant seafarer, he knows all too well that sailboats rely on the wind, and if the wind direction is wrong, they can only watch helplessly, which is incredibly frustrating.

If there were no sailboats, wouldn't he be able to go wherever he wanted? The battles at sea are all about being able to come and go as he pleases!

Shen Tingyang was so startled by the slap that he almost fell onto the model. After regaining his balance, he frowned and pushed the man's hand away: "General Shen, the ship hasn't even started building yet."

"Then let's get started!"

Yuan Keli finally couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to pull Shen Yourong aside: "Old Shen, be quiet, the commander hasn't finished speaking yet."

The main hall fell silent again.

Zhu Ming walked around the two ship models again, then stopped in front of the modified version of Zheng He's treasure ship. He turned to Shen Tingyang and asked, "Engineer Shen, now that we've solved the power problem for the sailboat, what other difficulties do you have?"

"The water depth is a problem," Shen Tingyang straightened up and pointed to the model of the treasure ship. "For example, based on the dimensions of Zheng He's treasure ships, the draft is at least 24 feet, and possibly even deeper!"

He paused, took out a notebook, and said, "The students have repeatedly checked that the deepest point of the Weihe Shipyard is only 16 feet. Ships with this draft cannot be built here."

"I have checked the old records of Longjiang Shipyard. When Zheng He's treasure ships were built during the Yongle era, the dry dock of Longjiang was 32 feet deep," Song Yingxing said, his voice deep and steady. "Zheng He's treasure ships can be built at Longjiang Shipyard! But we need to allocate craftsmen and manpower there."

"Don't worry about the shipbuilding location!" Zhu Ming said slowly. "I have already chosen the location: Haikou, Tianjin, Dagu. The newly built shipyard has been ordered to start construction by the Ministry of Works and is expected to be operational in three months."

Shen Tingyang, Song Yingxing, and the other skilled shipwrights exchanged glances and simultaneously bowed, saying, "The commander-in-chief is wise."

"But," Song Yingxing withdrew his hand, then changed the subject, "what should our Weihe Shipyard be doing?"

"The ship's blueprints have been given to you all, and you are familiar with the model. Weihe Shipyard will now be responsible for processing the corresponding modules," Zhu Ming explained. "The keel sections, prefabricated hull plates, watertight compartment units, and gun emplacements will be processed piece by piece according to the numbering on the blueprints. After they are completed, they will be shipped in batches to Dagu, Tianjin, where they will be assembled into a ship."

He has already broken down the entire ship into hundreds of modules in the drawings, each marked with a number, size, and material specifications.

The initial processing did not need to involve core secrets. The craftsmen of Weihe only needed to prepare materials, cut, mortise and tenon joints, and soak them in oil according to the drawings. The finished components were packed and transported north to Dagu for reassembly.

The core components of the steam engine were supplied directly by the Beijing Science and Technology Research Institute and did not fall into Weihe's hands.

He had considered this arrangement for a long time.

Longjiang Shipyard was the territory of the Jiangnan gentry, and any news would leak out at the slightest sign of trouble.

Those people have plenty of ways to buy blueprints and spy on secrets, and then resell the materials to the wrong people.

In the early stages, it is essential to keep all core elements under one's control. Dagu in Tianjin is a strategic military location, and Yuan Keli is stationed at the Weihe Shipyard. He trusts both of these places.

Once the technology for sailboats is mature, it can be gradually rolled out to other parts of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, he left room for the future: iron-hulled ships, replacing wood with steel—that was what truly belonged to the steam age.

The layout of Weihe and Tianjin was a preparation for that next step at every step.

He snapped out of his thoughts, turned to Yuan Keli, and handed over the material scheduling, process arrangement, and transportation capacity allocation of Weihe Shipyard one by one.

The conversation in the main hall lasted for a long time.

Shen Yourong sat quietly in the corner, resting her chin on her hand and listening with her mouth closed, only her eyes were constantly moving.

By the time everyone had left, it was already night.

When Zhu Ming and Yuan Keli walked out of the main hall of the Supervisory Office, the sky over the canal had already darkened into a deep indigo.

Lights were still on in the sheds on both sides of the river, and clusters of dim yellow light leaked out from the cracks in the wooden windows, falling on the water and breaking into shimmering golden lines.

The sound of the hammer continued, unhurried and steady, one beat after another, like the shipyard's own heartbeat.

They stood outside the threshold and listened for a while, then walked back to their lodgings along the riverbank without turning back.

That night, the master craftsmen at the Weihe Shipyard stayed up all night surrounding the two ship models.

Shen Tingyang spread the assembly drawings out on the table and used charcoal pencil to mark the materials, construction period, and batch number next to each module number.

Song Yingxing sat under an oil lamp, organizing the key points of the previous discussion into a booklet, adding many small annotations to the margins of the pages.

Several old shipwrights huddled in another corner, quietly debating the orientation of a tenon on the keel section diagram of Zheng He's improved treasure ship. Their voices were rough and earnest.

One by one, the lights shone, swaying in the night breeze of the Wei River, until the sky began to lighten.

The next morning, a series of short, powerful shouts suddenly rang out from the opposite bank of the shipyard, one after another, surging across the water.

"One, two, one; one, two, one; one, two, three, four!"