Chapter 95: On the Romance of Passing on the Torch
According to archaeologists, Zhuge Liang's wooden ox and flowing horse may have been a small cart similar to a wheelbarrow that was convenient for traveling on mountain trails.
However, because Zhuge Liang himself was surrounded by many myths and legends in history, many of his actions and inventions were deified. Therefore, when later generations recorded Zhuge Liang's wooden ox and flowing horse, they often said that this small cart could move by itself without human power.
Ancient scientists, despite knowing it was impossible, still tried their best to replicate the legendary wooden ox and flowing horse. This persistence is perhaps the romance shared by scientists.
The same goes for Yan Su.
Yan Su was very good at mathematics and mechanics. He copied the south-pointing chariot and the mileage-recording chariot by searching for information in ancient books. Although he called them copies, the south-pointing chariot and the mileage-recording chariot only have a brief record in the history books.
This "copying" process is equivalent to seeing the description of "computers work very well" in a novel, and then rubbing a computer out with your hands. This is a completely humble statement made by the ancients. In fact, it is to reinvent something that has been lost.
The south-pointing carriage is not a carriage equipped with a compass, but uses the principle of differential gears to keep the little man's hand pointing to the south; the mileage drum carriage also uses a set of gears to automatically calculate the distance while driving. The little man beats the drum every mile and rings the bell every ten miles.
The essence of both is a set of complex mathematical models.
I won’t go into the details of the principles here. I can only say that those who understand already understand, and those who don’t understand will still not understand even if I paste a whole paper here.
Yan Su was a veteran of the reigns of Emperor Zhenzong and Emperor Renzong of Song. He attempted to "restore" the legendary version of the wooden ox and flowing horse. There was a practical reason: the military of the Northern Song Dynasty was too weak.
Yan Su's later years coincided with the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song.
During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, the Western Xia declared themselves emperor, and Emperor Renzong launched three major wars against them, all of which ended in failure. Emperor Renzong paid the Western Xia a large amount of "annual tribute" in exchange for the Western Xia's submission to the Northern Song Dynasty, which barely saved the Northern Song Dynasty's face.
In addition, the Northern Song Dynasty's arch-enemy, the Liao Dynasty, was also eyeing the country covetously, and the Northern Song Dynasty also had to pay a lot of annual tribute to the Liao Dynasty.
Song Renzong was so afraid of the Liao that he attempted to divert the Yellow River to create a natural barrier against the Khitan. This was the beginning of the infamous "Three Changes of the River" incident and the "Liuta River Bursting" incident.
The cause of the "Liuta River burst" incident was that Song Renzong wanted to divert the Yellow River water into a small Liuta River so that "Khitan would not be able to invade the south."
Shortly after the Liuta River project began, several minor floods . Zhou Hang, the Hebei transport commissioner responsible for the project, reported that the Liuta River "divided less than one-third of the water from the main river, and 30,000 households along the river had lost their jobs."
Zhou Hang asserted that if the Liuta River water diversion project continued to be implemented, "the people of the five states of Qi, Bo, De, Di and Bin will all be eaten by fish and turtles."
But in the eyes of the Northern Song Dynasty's rulers and ministers, these sacrifices were worth it.
After the Liuta River project was completed, the Yellow River overflowed its dikes, destroying the most fertile areas in Hebei and leaving countless people homeless.
"The areas surrounding Bin, Di, De, Bo, and Qizhou were all harmed by them." How many ghosts of innocent people who died in vain are wailing in this short sentence in history books?
After that, the Yellow River's ecosystem deteriorated, and two subsequent emperors continued their efforts to control the river. Emperor Shenzong attempted to keep the river flowing along its diverted course, while Emperor Zhezong tried to return it to its original course, but both attempts failed. The Yellow River became a major concern for the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, leaving behind the dreaded "Yellow River Flood Zone" in Hebei.
Since then, the most prosperous economic area in the north was destroyed, and the economic center of the dynasty gradually shifted to the south.
If we say that the emperors and ministers of the reigns of Song Shenzong and Song Zhezong were more stupid than bad, then the emperor and ministers of Song Renzong were worthy of the name of "benevolent" and worthy of being praised by scholars as "a wise ruler who maintains the status quo" and "the Jiayou Reign".
As a scientist, Yan Su naturally saw clearly the disadvantages of forcibly diverting the Yellow River to the Liuta River.
During his lifetime, Song Renzong was still young and had the confidence to work hard to rule the country and defeat the Liao Dynasty. Although he mentioned the idea of changing the course of the Yellow River, he had not made up his mind. But Yan Su was still deeply saddened by this.
The emperor and his ministers were so afraid of the Khitan cavalry that they actually came up with such a terrible plan to destroy half of Hebei. If the Song Dynasty had been more powerful, such a heartless thing would not have happened, right?
The Song Dynasty's disadvantage against the Khitan was the scarcity of horses.
The strategic advantage of cavalry over infantry was too great. It was not until Yue Fei trained an iron army with strict discipline that would not retreat even when the cavalry charged that the Song Dynasty's military disadvantage was reversed.
Yan Su thought, if there really was a machine that could move automatically without relying on human or animal power, could it replace the cavalry and make up for the disadvantages of the Song Dynasty's military?
A type of heavy weapon in ancient times was called a "chariot." The "chariot" was like an ancient animal-powered tank, and no one could resist it.
But the Song Dynasty had no horses.
In his later years, Yan Su devoted almost all his energy to an illusory legend of the "wooden ox and flowing horse", hoping to use the wooden ox and flowing horse to replace horses, drive chariots, and fight against the cavalry of the Liao and Western Xia.
All of Yan Su's ideas were elaborated in detail in his manuscripts.
Chen Biao read Yan Su's pain and fantasy between the lines, and his vision blurred unconsciously.
Yan Su didn't know that more than ten years after his death, Song Renzong decided to change the course of the Yellow River, and his worries came true.
This manuscript is the fruit of the hard work of a responsible scholar who placed all his hopes on his research.
No wonder Yan Su’s only last words before his death were that he hoped someone would continue this research.
Chen Biao stood up and took a few steps back, wiped away his tears, and only after his emotions calmed down did he continue to read Yan Su's manuscript.
He was worried that his tears would ruin Yan Su's manuscript.
The manuscript was very old. Chen Biao read it and copied the contents as best he could.
Yan Qian was so shocked when he saw Chen Biao using strange tools to copy the detailed drawings in the manuscript onto new paper one by one, and he dared not breathe.
Biaoer really can understand the drawings!
The Yan family had considered making several copies of their ancestor's manuscripts for preservation, but while they could copy the text, they were unable to do anything with the most important drawings.
This type of tool drawing can be a big mistake even if it is a little bit wrong. If you don't understand the principles behind it, the copied drawing will only be a rough outline, and it will be impossible to restore the machine in the ancestral manuscript.
Biaoer only took a few glances and then immersed himself in drawing. He must have understood it to be able to do it so quickly!
Chen Biao wasn't an engineering student, but the college entrance exam and advanced mathematics had forced a lot of knowledge into his head. His golden finger was a memory enhancement, and everything he had memorized was stored in his memory hall for him to review.
Nowadays, college entrance exams and university entrance exams often feature ancient Chinese inventions. Chen Biao had done math problems on the south-pointing chariot and the mile-metering drum chariot, so he had a good understanding of this automatic gear mechanism and could barely grasp Yan Su's design intent.
But he was not an engineering student after all, and had never studied mechanical design. The more he read, the more his head hurt.
If Chen Biao did not need to manually modify the machinery when playing with clients, playing racing games, etc., so as to brag to them and show that he and the clients were "the same kind of people", even if he had theoretical knowledge, he would not be able to understand the structure of these machines.
It is impossible to understand the brainchild of a great scientist in just one reading.
Chen Biao first copied part of the text and simple drawings, barely understanding Yan Su's intention, and then called the craftsmen together to study the manuscript.
The craftsmen could not understand the calculations in the manuscript, but they could guess the usage of the machinery in the drawings based on their experience.
After a month of research by Chen Biao and the craftsmen, they came to a conclusion.
Yan Su has created a machine that can walk automatically, but there are two problems with this machine.
The first problem is that this machine cannot be driven by human or animal power, but must be driven by other power sources.
The second problem is that some mechanical parts are too delicate. After running for a period of time and causing wear and tear, the mechanical function will decline, just like the south-pointing chariot and the odometer chariot.
Yan Su has found a solution to the first problem.
He got inspiration from boiling water and tried to use "combustion" and "steam" to obtain kinetic energy.
But he fell seriously ill before he could put it into practice, leaving behind only this wild idea.
Chen Biao held Yan Su's last scribbled manuscript in his hands, his hands shaking constantly.
In the end, Yan Su was unable to stand up, so naturally he could not conduct the experiment.
He could only draw the ideas in his mind into pictures and use scientific calculations to imagine a "kinetic energy machine" that did not require human and animal power.
Yan Su called it "the heart of the wooden ox and horse."
Yan Su wrote at the end of the drawing that this theoretical "heart" requires more data and more practice, and may also require new calculation methods.
I don’t know if there will be a talented person coming later to complete this “heart” and turn his fantasy into reality.
Yan Su wrote two lines of poetry on the drawing. The words were blurred, but Chen Biao could guess what he wanted to write.
Yan Su's idea was probably the same as what Gong Zizhen of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Miscellaneous Poems of Ji Hai", "I advise the God to shake himself up and send down talents in all kinds of ways" to help him realize his last wish.
"Sir, this heart, is it really possible to make this heart?"
The leading craftsman stared at the drawings intently.
All the craftsmen had enthusiastic expressions on their faces. After so many years, they had come to understand that as long as the young master said something could be made, no matter how unimaginable it was, it would definitely be made.
Chen Biao tried to suppress the trembling of his hands, but not only did he fail, even his voice began to tremble.
"Yes. This heart has a name."
"The steam engine and the internal combustion engine."
The kinetic energy principle of both internal combustion engines and steam engines is "boiling water." Steam engines are powered by the movement of pistons in boiling water, while internal combustion engines are powered by the violent combustion of the fuel itself to produce gas.
Yan Su envisioned a steam engine, but his "wooden ox and flowing horse" required an internal combustion engine. This is why he was unable to break through the difficulties after designing the "heart".
Yan Su had already found a way to replace human and animal power, but the method he thought of at the time was not suitable for the precision machinery he manufactured.
But Yan Su believed that his idea was correct. He tried to reduce the size of the steam engine, but he never succeeded.
When he was lying on the hospital bed, he changed his mind and decided to start with fuel, looking for fuel that could directly produce gas after combustion. This way, he could reduce the step of boiling water and turn the fuel directly into "boiling water".
This is the principle of the internal combustion engine.
Unfortunately, God gave Yan Su too little time. When he thought of this solution, his time was almost up.
Oh, vast heaven, how can you be so unkind to me?
Chen Biao also sighed, how could the heaven be so unkind to the Song Dynasty and China?
If Yan Su had died a year or two later, history might have been very different.
Even though the Song Dynasty was unable to make the "wooden ox and flowing horse" due to material problems, the emergence of steam engines and internal combustion engines would lead to social changes ahead of time.
During the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, the outside world was still in the dark Middle Ages. This time, China could seize the initiative.
Chen Biao had long been trying to make steam engines and internal combustion engines.
He didn't know the specific structure of the steam engine and the internal combustion engine, but as long as he understood the principles and kinetic energy formula, with the craftsmanship of the craftsmen, he would be able to build the steam engine and the internal combustion engine after a few years of trial and error.
The only problem is that it has changed from an "experimental product" to a "popular industrial product".
But as long as there are "experimental supplies", after generations of improvement, it is only a matter of time before they become popular. He may not be able to use it, but future generations will.
Craftsmen had made progress in their research on steam engines and internal combustion engines, but the problem they now faced was that they didn't know how to use them.
Although he had the engine, Chen Biao had no idea how to manufacture cars, trains, and ships.
Hand-drawn mechanical engineering drawings are not required in science subjects!
Chen Biao could only slow down the research on steam engines and internal combustion engines and use manpower and material resources on more useful things, such as the research on gunpowder and new cannons.
Yan Su's research manuscript solved the problem that had been bothering Chen Biao.
Chen Biao knew how to make the "heart," and Yan Su had already made the "body." As long as the "heart" was placed inside the "body," the wooden ox and horse would emerge from the legend.
Although the other craftsmen were excited, they had Chen Biao's experience in making magical items many times before, so their emotions were not particularly fluctuating.
So they couldn't understand why their own amazing young master would burst into tears while holding this scribbled manuscript in his hands.
They don’t know that Chen Biao’s “magic” is not his own thing, but the knowledge he learned from later generations by standing on the shoulders of giants.
And now this manuscript represents the hard work of the Chinese people themselves.
From nothing to something, from legend to reality.
This is not the time traveler's inherent superiority of "I want to use the technology of later generations to launch an industrial revolution in this backward ancient time", but a descendant from the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty obtained the manuscripts of his ancestors from the Northern Song Dynasty and followed the wisdom of his ancestors.
This is not a case of water without a source or a tree without roots; it is a tangible and tangible progress, one step at a time. The future blends with the past, and the fantasy of ancient scientists will become reality in Chen Biao's hands.
When Chen Biao held the manuscript, it seemed as if a scholar-official in the official uniform of the Northern Song Dynasty was standing in front of him, lowering his head and looking at him.
When Chen Biao raised his head and his eyes met that person's, that person seemed to smile at Chen Biao, and all his regrets and unwillingness turned into relief.
Then the figure disappeared, and specks of light flew up to the sky, turning into eternal and unchanging stars, quietly watching this era that was about to undergo drastic changes.
This is the romance of passing on the torch.
"If the Northern Song Dynasty had this machine, they might have been able to defeat the Liao and Western Xia." After calming down, Chen Biao smiled through his tears, "But it's not too late now. We must restore the Yanlongtu blueprint and use it to fight the Yuan Dynasty and avenge the Song Dynasty."
The craftsmen laughed and said, "This is a bit difficult. Who knows, by the time we restore it, the Ming King might have already driven the Yuan away."
Chen Biao said, "If we drive them away, they might come back. Even if they are integrated into our Ming Empire, there are other countries outside the Ming Empire that are eyeing them covetously. Besides, this can be used for more than just war."
Chen Biao excitedly gave several examples. For example, there were machines that could automatically plow the land, eliminating the need for oxen. If such a thing existed, it would surely make farming much easier for the people, allowing them to reclaim more wasteland.
The craftsmen imagined the scene and couldn't help but have longing smiles on their faces.
Cattle will get sick if they are overworked, and they will not be able to adapt to the local climate if they are taken to other places. It also takes a long time for a calf to grow into a useful cattle.
But the machine will not get tired, will not have problems with acclimatization, and can be used as soon as it is built.
The wooden ox and horse were originally made to transport grain, and they were not chariots from the beginning!
After Chen Biao carefully put the manuscript away, he began to dance with joy.
The craftsmen couldn't help laughing when they saw their calm young master suddenly laughing and dancing an incomprehensible dance.
My own son is still a child!
"Sir, shall we start now?"
"Sir, please teach us these numbers first. If we don't understand them, it will be difficult to recover them."
"Oh, don't rush me, let me enjoy myself a little longer!"
"Should we join in?"
Chen Biao: "Come on, come on!"
At Chen Biao's silly invitation, the craftsmen also jumped up.
When Yan Qian and others came over, they were almost scared to death.
Is this some weird religious ritual?! Is Biaoer possessed?!
Chen Biao took Yan Qian's hand and said excitedly, "Uncle Yan! Your ancestor is truly amazing! His manuscript will change the world!"
Yan Qian: “Ah?”
Tang He said, "What do you mean by changing the world? How do you change it? Biao'er, don't try to be like a scholar and speak in riddles!"
Chen Biao laughed and said, "No riddle! Didn't I tell you that Yanlongtu wants to make wooden oxen and flowing horses that don't require human or animal power? It's doable!"
Tang He was dumbfounded and speechless for a long time.
Without human or animal power? Wouldn't that make you a god?
Yan Qian stammered, "Really?"
Chen Biao complained, "Haven't you read your ancestor's manuscript? Your ancestor has already completed ninety-nine steps, and only the last one remains! If you could just follow his manuscript and conduct the experiment, you might have already completed the last step!"
Yan Qian's face looked like a mixture of tears and laughter: "But we don't understand. We can't even understand the previous drawings."
Chen Biao didn't understand: "Yan Longtu wouldn't fail to teach his own children, how come you can't understand it?"
Yan Qian said, "Our ancestors' children had to study the Four Books and Five Classics and take the imperial examinations, so they had no interest in these things. When our ancestors passed away, they tried to relearn this knowledge and fulfill their ancestors' regrets, but they found that self-study was extremely difficult and they were completely unable to decipher the contents of the manuscripts."
Chen Biao asked, "Didn't they go find other people?"
Yan Qian shook his head: "The descendants of our ancestors want to fulfill their ancestors' wishes themselves."
Chen Biao sighed, not knowing what to say.
If the Yan family had not encountered war and their descendants had not given up writing to join the army, and the life of the manuscript had almost reached its limit after being kept in the open air for generations, perhaps the Yan family would still be unwilling to take it out.
In this era, the manuscripts of our ancestors are family secrets that are not passed down. How can we easily show them to others? What if these hard work are stolen by others?
What's more, what Yan Su had made was the legendary wooden ox and flowing horse. Everyone knew how powerful they would be once they were completed. How could such an honor be usurped by others?
Therefore, it is understandable that the Yan family did not show the manuscript to others until the last moment.
Even in later generations, many people would rather let their family ideas rot than let others study them.
The Yan family is very open-minded enough to hand over the manuscript to Chen Biao now.
Chen Biao said, "Uncle Yan, I see you're quite sensitive to numbers. You've made rapid progress in my lessons. Would you like to study with me and research and restore your ancestors' manuscripts with me?"
Yan Qian's eyes widened: "I can really do this?"
Chen Biao scratched his head and said, "Ah, forget it. Let's wait until Prince Ming becomes the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Right now, your main focus should be on building your career. You won't be granted a title if you study this with me."
Tang He interrupted: "If they can really develop the wooden ox and the flowing horse, a title of nobility would be a piece of cake."
Chen Biao said, "Everyone looks down on craftsmen. Even if this invention is very important, the title bestowed by the emperor is certainly much less than that awarded for military merit. Anyway, the Ming Dynasty will be established in a few years, so I can learn from it then."
Tang He continued to interrupt: "How many years? Not to mention that the Yuan Dynasty is quite powerful, can the war be completed within ten years? Even if it can be completed, ten years is not enough time for you to make this wooden ox and flowing horse?"
Chen Biao said: "Of course. Give me ten years, and I can definitely do it!"
Chen Biao patted his chest, feeling very confident.
Tang He said: "Then what are you talking about? If he doesn't learn from you now, he will have no chance later."
Chen Biao was helpless: "Uncle Tang, can you please shut up?"
He was just giving Yan Qian a way out. Why was Uncle Tang so rude and insisted on exposing this matter?
No wonder Uncle Tang always gets beaten!
For Yan Qian, personally fulfilling his ancestors' regrets is the embodiment of his filial piety as a descendant of the Yan family.
But if he follows Chen Biao now, he may not be able to achieve more merits, which will be disadvantageous to both him and the Yan family.
After Chen Biao got excited, he realized that he shouldn't say something that would embarrass Yan Qian, so he offered Yan Qian a step down. But Tang He, the reckless man, smashed the steps with a barrage of punches.
"There's no need to think about this matter." Yan Qian knelt down and said, "Please, Biao'er, accept me as your disciple!"
Tang He gave an expression that said "I knew it".
Chen Biao scratched his head and couldn't help laughing.
