397: Chapter 397 The Internal Combustion Engine is Born!

While Zhang Liang was expanding his influence in Mobei, Zhao Fusu was not idle either.

With an excited heart, he arrived at the Great Qin Academy of Sciences.

Mo Lao looked extremely exhilarated.

Despite being in his seventies, his energy was better than that of a young man.

Zhao Fusu had stayed up several nights in a row with him.

Even a young man like himself felt incredibly exhausted, yet the other man remained as energetic as a dragon or tiger.

Zhao Fusu felt that it wouldn't be a problem for this old man to live to a hundred.

The reason Zhao Fusu came to the Great Qin Academy of Sciences this time was that an important machine was about to be unveiled.

The emergence of this machine would greatly improve human efficiency in utilizing energy.

Indeed, this machine was the Internal Combustion Engine!

After seeing the technology of the Steam Engine mature, Zhao Fusu had long thought about developing the Internal Combustion Engine.

However, the technical requirements for the Internal Combustion Engine were quite high.

Although the project had been initiated, progress had been slow due to the small number of research and development personnel.

Now, under the R&D of Mo Lao's technical team, it had finally come into being, which made Zhao Fusu incredibly excited.

He set aside the matters at hand and came to the institute within the Great Qin Academy of Sciences specifically dedicated to the R&D of the Internal Combustion Engine.

He looked at the newly emerged Internal Combustion Engine; it was a Two-stroke gas engine, similar in size and form to early Steam Engines.

The overall dimensions of this engine were 1.52 meters in height, 2.1 meters in width, and 0.82 meters in depth, equivalent to the volume of a small wardrobe.

Its core component, a single-cylinder with a diameter of 180 mm and a piston stroke of 100 mm, combined with an external flywheel and a complex ignition device, had a total weight exceeding 500 kilograms.

This design continued the cumbersome structure of the Steam Engine, but by eliminating the boiler and condensation system, it achieved the breakthrough of directly burning fuel within the cylinder to drive the piston for the first time.

This meant that the Great Qin Empire had converted combustion energy into mechanical energy for the first time, which was something worth celebrating!

However, because this engine used electric spark ignition and directly burned a mixture of gas and air, it lacked the compression stroke of modern Internal Combustion Engines.

This design resulted in a thermal efficiency of only 4% and a power output of only 1.5 horsepower; it required continuous water spraying to cool the cylinder during operation and was extremely noisy.

Such an engine was not yet sufficient for use in automobiles, let alone for Zhao Fusu's plan to develop tanks.

"The road ahead is long and arduous, but I will explore it from top to bottom!"

Zhao Fusu couldn't help but say these words.

Although this engine could not be mounted on a car, it could be used to drive printing presses and water pumps.

The massive rise of factories increased the demand for talent.

Many factories needed skilled workers, and training them required textbooks.

After Paper was widely used, it was now used to print textbooks.

Furthermore, newspapers were becoming increasingly popular in Great Qin.

The higher the sales of newspapers, the more material needed to be printed.

Relying solely on manual Movable Type Printing could no longer keep up with the demand.

The printing factory of the Great Qin Empire had raised this issue long ago.

In the past, they just needed to hire more workers, but as labor costs continued to rise, Great Qin could no longer hire workers just by providing a meal.

Besides, the number of people who could be liberated from the land was limited, and it was impossible for everyone to work in the printing factory.

This led to the inability to increase the printing capacity of the factory.

How to solve the core problem of efficient, low-cost text duplication was placed before the printing factory and Zhao Fusu.

Zhao Fusu decided to create a printing system that integrated four major technologies.

First was the standardized production of metal movable type.

This was the principle of Movable Type Printing.

The second was an improved Spiral press.

By fixing the metal plate with the typeset characters at the bottom, laying Paper over it, and applying uniform downward pressure through a screw rod, the ink was transferred from the type to the Paper. Compared to manual pressing, efficiency increased dozens of times, and the printing was clearer.

The third was the invention of Oil-based ink.

Traditional water-based ink could be used for woodblocks but could not adhere to metal movable type. Therefore, they had to switch to an Oil-based ink made of turpentine, carbon black, and lard, which dried quickly, had strong adhesion, and perfectly suited metal surfaces and Paper.

Fourth, a production-line typesetting process.

Establishing a division of labor system: "character tray - typesetting - proofreading - printing." Workers took characters from trays categorized by letters, arranged them into full pages of text, fixed them in frames for repeated printing, and then disassembled the plates to recycle the movable type, achieving multi-use material.

This time, the Two-stroke gas engine developed by the Great Qin Empire could be used on the printing press.

Using a machine to work the Spiral press was certainly more labor-saving than using manual labor.

After Zhao Fusu created the printing system integrating the four major technologies and paired it with the Two-stroke gas engine as the power source for the Spiral press, Xie Zhongxian, the director of the Great Qin Empire's printing factory, was greatly shocked.

When he witnessed the new printing system operating methodically and heard the steady and powerful roar of the Two-stroke gas engine driving the Spiral press efficiently, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, his face filled with shock and admiration.

"His Majesty the Head of State is indeed His Majesty the Head of State!"

Xie Zhongxian sighed from the bottom of his heart, his voice filled with respect and worship.

"Such a difficult problem was solved so easily in His Majesty's hands. To think how we racked our brains and tried countless methods to improve printing efficiency and reduce costs, yet always with little effect. But as soon as His Majesty takes action, he strikes the heart of the matter and conquers the core problem of efficient, low-cost text duplication in one fell swoop. It's truly incredible!"

He paced slowly around the printing system, his eyes full of appreciation and amazement, as if he were observing a rare treasure.

"These four integrated technologies of His Majesty are interlinked and indispensable. Each technology precisely hits a key link in the printing process, making the entire printing workflow smoother and more efficient."

"And this Two-stroke gas engine, as the power for the Spiral press, is simply a stroke of genius. It not only provides powerful and stable power but also greatly enhances production efficiency. His Majesty's understanding and application of technology have already reached the pinnacle."

Xie Zhongxian became more excited as he spoke, waving his hands as if to vent all the praise in his heart.

"With this system developed by His Majesty, our Great Qin Empire's printing factory will surely undergo earth-shattering changes."

"In the future, we will be able to print a large number of books and documents at a faster speed and lower cost. This has incalculable significance for spreading knowledge and promoting Great Qin culture. His Majesty has established immortal merits for the future generations of the Great Qin Empire!"

He turned to the workers present and said loudly, "You all must look closely and learn well from His Majesty's wisdom and talent. This is our Paramount Leader, the leader who guides us toward prosperity. We must follow His Majesty's footsteps closely and do the work of the printing factory to the utmost, so as not to fail His Majesty's expectations!"

Xiao Weizi watched as Xie Zhongxian flattered Zhao Fusu so skillfully, and his heart was filled with a sense of crisis.

He had always prided himself on being the best at flattering Zhao Fusu, but this Xie Zhongxian's ability to flatter was much more powerful than his.

Zhao Fusu stood quietly in the printing factory, listening to Xie Zhongxian's endless words of praise, like a surging river.

His gaze was steady, and on the surface, he looked calm, as if he were already accustomed to such praise.

However, his slightly raised chin and the gentle twitch at the corner of his mouth still betrayed his true thoughts.

Deep in his heart, Xie Zhongxian's flattery was like a spring breeze, blowing gently and making him feel very satisfied.

After all, he had spent countless efforts to develop this printing system integrating four major technologies and successfully paired it with the Two-stroke gas engine as the power for the Spiral press; only he knew the hardships and difficulties involved.

Now, receiving such unreserved praise from Xie Zhongxian was undoubtedly an affirmation of his efforts.

Xiao Weizi was still very sensitive to Zhao Fusu's emotional changes.

Although Zhao Fusu appeared calm on the surface, how shrewd was Xiao Weizi? He clearly perceived the flash of self-satisfaction and enjoyment in Zhao Fusu's eyes.

Alarm bells immediately rang in Xiao Weizi's heart, and a strong sense of crisis arose spontaneously.

He stared fixedly at Xie Zhongxian, his eyes full of vigilance and hostility. In his view, Xie Zhongxian's move was undoubtedly an open challenge to his status as the "number one flatterer"!