Working on land this time, and the size of things being much easier than the water wheel that was over ten meters tall.
In the time it took for a single stick of incense to burn, two machines, one large and one small, were connected by a connecting rod. The smaller one also had connecting rods extending from both sides, one connecting to the larger one, and the other to a hammer.
This machine was only a little over two meters tall, nowhere near the seven or eight meters of the water wheel.
"Prime Minister, the items have been assembled, but it seems they don't move on their own?"
After studying it for a while and discussing with several craftsmen, Wang Tong, who found something amiss, hurried over.
"Fool, that requires human and animal power."
Chu Chen cursed helplessly and walked forward with Princess Xin Yue.
Wang Tong, who was scolded, did not get angry and happily followed behind Chu Chen.
"Prime Minister!"
"Prime Minister!"
The craftsmen surrounding the machine made way while bowing their heads in greeting.
Chu Chen nodded, then pointed to the larger end and said, "Someone, push this lever and turn it like you're grinding millstones."
A Jin Yi Wei guard from behind immediately stepped forward and grabbed the lever, pushing with all his might.
Soon, under the force of the Jin Yi Wei guard, the lever rotated the millstone once. The rod on the millstone then drove the upright smaller millstone to rotate once, which in turn pulled the connecting rod, causing the hammer to move slightly.
"Wow! So this is how it's used!"
"I didn't expect millstones to be used for forging. But it seems not as good as forging with water!"
The craftsmen whispered amongst themselves, but their words could not escape the ears of Chu Chen and others with martial cultivation.
Wang Tong looked at the machine with a look of hesitation.
"Speak your mind if you have something to say." Chu Chen glanced at him disdainfully.
"Uh, then this subordinate will speak frankly." Wang Tong said, pointing to the machine before him, "Prime Minister, this thing still seems to require two people, and the force doesn't seem very great. Can it really be used for forging? And it requires two people, which doesn't save any labor at all. It only eliminates the need for craftsmen. This machine... seems a bit redundant."
After speaking, Wang Tong felt somewhat uneasy.
Unexpectedly, Chu Chen nodded in agreement and said, "This machine is indeed extremely redundant, but you are quite foolish. Why would it need two people? Just find an animal to power it. That way, only one person is needed, and one person can oversee more than ten animals."
"Uh, but Prime Minister, the sound of forging would frighten the animals, and even mules or donkeys would be startled and unable to work, right?"
Wang Tong hesitated for a moment before expressing his thoughts.
Chu Chen looked at him as if he were an idiot and said, "The sound frightens the animals, so why not make it so the animals can't hear at all?"
"..." Wang Tong was speechless. He wanted to say something but felt it was better to remain silent.
However, Princess Xin Yue, standing beside him, frowned and said with a hint of displeasure, "Chu Chen, you're not thinking of deafening the animals, are you?"
"Criminals can be made to work as a form of labor, or naturally deaf animals can be used. It's not necessary to deafen them."
Although Chu Chen did not explicitly admit it, the implication was clear. It was just not convenient to say it directly, as it was somewhat cruel.
Princess Xin Yue parted her thin lips, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Animals were not human. If they could bring benefits to humans, would their ears be deafened? It was inevitable. Even if Chu Chen didn't order it, once this machine was introduced to the common people, or even to neighboring countries, someone would definitely do it.
In that case, it would be better for Yun Yue Kingdom to do it in advance, thus saving labor.
Princess Xin Yue knew that Chu Chen invented this machine for the sake of the people and Yun Yue Kingdom, but it was indeed a bit cruel. She then said, "Wang Tong!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I don't care how your Ministry of Works operates elsewhere, but within the territory of Shuang Yue City, I do not wish to see such things. Only prisoners shall be allowed to work in lieu of labor!"
"Understood! Even if Your Highness hadn't said it, this subordinate would never do so."
Wang Tong replied with a fawning smile.
Princess Xin Yue snorted a couple of times. She didn't believe him. Without her specific instructions, these people would definitely act that way.
However, as long as it wasn't visible in Shuang Yue City, she couldn't reach elsewhere.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. This contraption will be used for at most a year or two. After that, I will have something better to replace it. By then, it will likely be rendered useless before it is even widely adopted."
Chu Chen noticed Princess Xin Yue's slight displeasure and smiled to comfort her.
"Really?" Princess Xin Yue asked with some doubt.
The design of such a machine was already a marvel. To completely replace it in such a short time as a year or two made Princess Xin Yue have to doubt.
"Of course, it's true. I have something called a steam engine. Even on land, it can operate on its own without human power. However, the technical requirements and material demands for this are quite high, and it will take some time to wait for the prerequisite conditions before it can be manufactured."
Chu Chen explained.
Only then did a smile return to Princess Xin Yue's face.
Early steam engines could be made without rubber seals, and some could even be made without iron, using only wood. However, the effect would be very poor, and the danger would be immense.
Using only steel without rubber made it much safer than a wooden construction, but the effect was much worse compared to a rubber seal.
However, these were not the prerequisite conditions. The prerequisite conditions were coal mines, human labor, or rather, transportation capacity and food.
When Chu Chen had previously sent people to search for anthracite coal mines, they had discovered many open-pit coal mines. There were many in the deep mountains of Yun Yue Kingdom, and the coal resources were abundant. However, mining coal required a large amount of labor, and providing for these people who had left the land to mine required a large amount of food.
Furthermore, transportation was needed to bring the large quantities of mined coal out of the mountains and to the workshops to be processed into coal, and then transported to the required locations. This entire process required quite a few people. Mining alone would require at least thirty thousand people, and the food supply would be even greater than that for an equal number of soldiers.
If transportation still relied on human labor, then the consumption would be almost the same as supporting thirty thousand troops fighting nearby. The food consumption was too high, and they couldn't withstand such a strain.
The food produced by the imperial farms had to first ensure the consumption of the farms.
Mining was done day after day, while the ordinary soldiers of Yun Yue Kingdom trained only three days a week.
Therefore, it was necessary to first ensure iron production with water-powered forging machines and human and animal-powered forging machines, and then use the iron to produce tools for road construction. Subsequently, roads would be used to transport food, labor, and tools, which would then extend to the construction of wooden tracks or even iron rails.