Chapter 1 The Beginning
In the study of the County Duke's mansion in Shenyang City.
Zhao Gang reported that all the railway blueprints had been reviewed and completed.
The blueprints surveyed by the Torch Team were completely accurate, while the results surveyed by the Provincial Governor's office were riddled with errors.
"Duke, I've been pondering a new contraption. May I request your guidance?"
After discussing the blueprints, Zhao Gang asked Fang Er for his opinion.
"Oh? What is it?"
Fang Er was very curious about what new thing these craftsmen, who originated from the Tang Dynasty, had come up with after several years of studying under him.
"Reporting to the Duke, I observed that the railway planning requires blasting through many mountains."
"Blasting is prone to injuring people, and it can also cause vibrations in the mountain, leading to potential collapses in the future."
"Therefore, I was thinking if we could create something similar to a boring machine, to drill a hole in the mountainside."
"So, I tried to build a drilling vehicle and would like to ask for your opinion, Duke. If there are any shortcomings, I can correct them promptly."
Zhao Gang's words made Fang Er exclaim, "Good heavens!"
"Could it be that he has invented a tunnel boring machine?"
"Let's go take a look!" Fang Er stood up and walked directly out of the study. Zhao Gang quickly followed, leading the way.
Outside the workshop, a large contraption was parked. Zhao Gang pointed to it and said, "Duke, this is the drilling vehicle I've created."
The name "drilling vehicle" was truly fitting, judging by its appearance.
Zhao Gang stood to the side, introducing his creation.
The drilling vehicle consisted of a chassis and a drill bit. The chassis was six meters long, four meters wide, and four meters high.
The drill bit at the front was one meter long and four meters in diameter.
The chassis was equipped with twelve twin-cylinder diesel engines. Four of them powered the vehicle's movement.
The power from the remaining eight engines was combined to ensure the drill bit's power supply.
This was also why the chassis was so massive.
"What material is this drill bit made of? Have you tested it?" Fang Er asked, pointing to the drill bit.
"Reporting to the Duke, the drill bit's material is an alloy newly developed by Tan Zong. He claims it should be capable of drilling through stone."
"This vehicle has just been assembled, and we haven't tested it yet. I wanted to wait for you to personally inspect it. With you here, any problems I might overlook can be identified promptly," Zhao Gang said, bowing slightly.
Fang Er was taken aback. "Tan Zong has come up with something new?"
"Take it out and try it on a small hill!"
He was eager to see the results of Tan Zong's new alloy.
"Yes, Duke!"
The drilling vehicle was too large. Even the wide rear wheels, similar to those on tractors, were eight in number.
Zhao Gang had other craftsmen bring four tractors to tow it from the front. Combined with the four engines on the drilling vehicle itself that provided motive power, they managed to drag this behemoth out of the County Duke's mansion.
An hour later, the massive drilling vehicle stopped at the foot of a mountain.
This was the same mountain that had caused an avalanche when they were testing cannons with Li Shimin.
"Let's test it!"
Fang Er said, sitting on a tractor and watching Zhao Gang lead his men in operating the drilling vehicle.
The twelve engines on the vehicle were started one by one. Zhao Gang personally took the controls, guiding the drilling vehicle to move slowly.
The power from the four engines made the drilling vehicle move as slowly as a snail.
As the drilling vehicle approached the mountainside, Zhao Gang activated the drill bit.
*Whirrrrrrr~~~*
The eight engines made the drill bit spin rapidly.
*Screeeech~~*
The moment the drilling vehicle made contact with the mountainside, countless stone fragments flew into the air, like falling snow.
Zhao Gang was excited!
This was a drilling vehicle he had designed and built himself. Looking at the current situation, the actual performance of the drilling vehicle matched his design expectations!
Fang Er, standing nearby, frowned.
"This design has flaws!"
Once this massive drill bit was fully embedded in the mountain, the broken stone fragments would be unable to be expelled!
Furthermore, the drill bit could not be cooled, making continuous operation impossible.
"Stop it quickly!"
Realizing the flaw, Fang Er quickly took out his walkie-talkie and signaled Zhao Gang to stop. At the same time, he jumped off the tractor and walked towards the vehicle.
After the drilling vehicle's engines were turned off, Zhao Gang looked at Fang Er in confusion. "Duke, is there something wrong?"
"Test the drill bit's temperature!"
"If it continues to drill like this, the drill bit will break!" Fang Er said sternly, pointing at the drill bit.
Zhao Gang reached out to touch the drill bit.
"Stop! Do you still want your hand?" Fang Er reprimanded him.
To make such a basic mistake, the drill bit had been working for a long time. Touching it would at best result in a blister, and at worst, Zhao Gang's hand would be ruined and require ten days to half a month to heal.
Zhao Gang also realized it and looked at Fang Er with lingering fear. "Thank you for the reminder, Duke! I was careless."
Fang Er took out a bottle of mineral water from his pocket and threw it over. "Try pouring water on it!"
Zhao Gang took the bottle, twisted it open, and poured the water onto the drill bit.
*Sssssss~~~~!*
As the water hit the drill bit, mist instantly rose, indicating that the drill bit was at least a hundred degrees Celsius or more.
"Bring the drilling vehicle back. We'll discuss it at the mansion."
Fang Er said, then returned to the tractor.
After the drilling vehicle was towed back to the County Duke's mansion and parked outside the workshop, Fang Er carefully examined the drill bit and explained the hazards he had discovered to Zhao Gang.
"Duke, is there a solution?" Zhao Gang looked at his creation with considerable disappointment.
He had worked hard on this, only to find it lacked practical value.
"Your idea is good, but you overlooked some details."
"Also, the material of the drill bit is not quite suitable. After drilling for such a short time, look how worn it has become."
"The cost of such a large drill bit is not low," Fang Er pointed at the severely worn drill bit.
"Go to Li Tai's place and find Sun Wukong. The material of their weapons is the most suitable!"
"Yes, Duke!"
Zhao Gang saluted and turned to find Li Tai.
Fang Er asked the craftsmen for paper and pen and began to sketch.
The tunnel boring machines of later generations are integrated machines that perform multiple functions such as boring holes, conveying soil, and constructing tunnel linings.
If he were to replicate the functions of a tunnel boring machine, Fang Er would be overwhelmed. He had never even seen one, let alone be able to draw up blueprints.
However, if it was just for boring holes, it would be much simpler.
Zhao Gang's decision to make the drill bit's diameter a terrifying four meters was not arbitrary; it was directly related to the width of the train.
By the time Zhao Gang brought Sun Wukong and Li Tai, Fang Er had finished drawing.
He asked Sun Wukong to wait nearby, and then Fang Er began to explain the blueprint to Zhao Gang. Li Tai and Mo Ming, who were working nearby, also leaned in to listen.
"Look, this is a cutting disc with a diameter of four meters. Each cutter has a gap behind it."
"In your previous design, you used a stone drill. With this, it will shave off rocks from the mountain."
"The shaved rock fragments can fall behind the cutting disc through the gaps."
"This way, not only can the broken stones be transported out, but it also facilitates spraying water to cool the cutting disc."
Looking at the workpiece diagram on the paper and listening to Fang Er's explanation, Zhao Gang's eyes lit up.
"Duke, you are brilliant! I will begin modifying the drilling vehicle at once!"
With that, he took the blueprints to Sun Wukong and explained the required dimensions and style of the cutters. Then, he went to the workshop, gathered all the craftsmen, and started making the cutting disc.