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"To be honest, I don't know either," Tang Mo sighed, "Whether this thing can operate depends entirely on the precision of your workmanship."
He wasn't confident about succeeding on the first try either, but he could follow the diagram to find and fix whatever might be wrong with the machine.
As long as it wasn't too badly damaged, he was confident he could patch it up and get it running.
And as long as it started moving, it would be hundreds, if not thousands of times better than the so-called steam engines being produced nowadays.
"Do you know how much steel it used? The first batch of steel we delivered was almost entirely used for this thing!" Tagg, approaching from behind, said with a dark expression.
The officer from Northern Ridge was filled with resentment towards the steel behemoth before him. So far, Tang Mo had yet to produce a single gun, and nearly all the steel had been used on this intricately built, strange contraption.
If Tang Mo failed, it would mean that he had just stood by and watched a swindler squander all that Lord Earl had painstakingly saved.
But he didn't dare stop Tang Mo, as he was just an officer with absolutely no understanding of technical production.
The problem was that on the second day after his arrival in Brunas with his men, the most technically knowledgeable of them, Mathews, had shown utmost admiration for Tang Mo and was willing to believe that he was truly innovating production technology.
There was nothing he could do; if those who were knowledgeable about technology said so, Tagg could only shut his mouth and be careful not to jeopardize Lord Earl's grand plans.
Nonetheless, when he saw the smelting workers pouring almost all the steel ingots into molds to cast what looked like steel rods with no apparent use, his whole being felt unwell.
For the past few days, he had been lingering around this workshop, closely watching as the workers gradually assembled the strange device.
You should have seen it; two days ago, this device was still just a rough prototype, but today, after Mathews and Roger worked overtime, it had become incredibly complex.
"Trust me, if it really starts moving, everything, everything will be worth it," Tang Mo continued to reassure the confidant of Lord Earl.
Sometimes Tang Mo felt that personal charisma was truly fascinating and interesting. Lord Earl Fisello had reduced taxes in his territory and seldom conscripted civilians, and this had indeed yielded greater benefits in some respects.
Think about it, Wes, the Ranger from Northern Ridge, was willing to resign from his post under Baron Stela to send secret information to Lord Earl and seek new weapons; Tagg, far away in Brunas, was also loyally carrying out Fisello's orders. Weren't these people, living in their own way, endearing?
So, Tang Mo did not resent Tagg's dissatisfaction; he even had a small liking for it. Who wouldn't like such loyal people?
"Alright! Boss! This is the last internal part; I've just reinforced it!" Roger climbed down the ladder and reported to Tang Mo.
Tang Mo nodded, smiled, and directed a familiar-looking worker who was standing aside, "Go, get the coal-burning workers! Let's experiment and see if this steam engine can actually start turning!"
"I hope it can start…" Mathews walked over to the machine and looked at the complex transmission that connected to the drilling machine, his heart filled with nervousness.
Most of this device was made and assembled by him—to connect the power supplied by the steam engine to the drilling machine, this set of transmission gears was perhaps even more complex than the steam engine itself.
First came a complicated gearbox made of gears and chains, which was definitely not the precise design found in car engines. But even though it was simplified to some degree, it still posed a challenge to the world's limits of precision crafting.
As they waited for the workers and coal, Tang Mo wasn't idle either; he directed the workers on the scene to start pouring water into the steam engine's tank. Since it was a steam engine, steam was the medium for transfer, and it was imperative to have water.
Watching bucket after bucket of water being poured into the tank, Roger became nervous again. He climbed back up the ladder he had just descended and started checking the components he had installed by hand.
He touched each one to ensure there were no issues and that they were all fixed according to the blueprints. Only then did he start to feel somewhat relieved.
Actually, Tang Mo was very anxious too because this was the first step in building his industrial empire. Only if he got past this step would things start to look up.
The steam engine, the hallmark of the first industrial revolution, accelerated the advancement of human industrial civilization. What was that saying again? Human civilization is all about constantly improving the boiling of water and throwing stones! And the steam engine was when humanity truly began to boil water with clarity...
"Boss!" Two workers whose clothes were almost blackened by coal dust stood hesitantly behind Tang Mo.
Next to them were two apprentices pushing a cart. The skinny kids dressed in patched-up clothes could probably shake out half a pound of coal dust if they tried.
"You've worked hard," Tang Mo, not minding the dirt, smiled at them and started giving them serious instructions.
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Actually, it's quite simple, because Tang Mo is using improved technology, even the automatic shut-off linkage fire door has been manufactured, so the work of the coal-burning workers has become very simple.
All they need to do is to keep shoveling coal into the combustion chamber, ensuring that the heat of the combustion chamber of this steam machine is maintained.
"Keep a close eye on the pressure! For safety's sake, I've designed three pressure gauges here, here, and here... They will reflect the pressure inside the boiler, and if any one of them reaches the red zone, we must stop! Do you understand?"
"Understood." Roger nodded and stood in front of one of the pressure gauges.
"Leave this to me." Mathews also took his place in front of another gauge.
"I, I'll watch this one." Tagg felt he should do something to avoid wasting the Earl's money, so he found himself a spot as well.
As the flames in the combustion chamber began to leap fiercely, Tang Mo saw the pressure gauge closest to him tremble slightly.
His heart also involuntarily shuddered—hope was now in sight, whether they could change the world was about to be decided.
As time passed, the huge steam machine began to turn slowly. The gigantic flywheel, like a cartwheel, also commenced its operation.
The piston mechanism finally went into a reciprocating cycle, and the entire machine emitted a deafening roar, making the whole workshop extremely noisy.
In fact, the workshop had never experienced such loud noise before, but what truly amazed people wasn't just the overwhelmingly loud noise, but the complex interlocking gear mechanisms that also began to function.
The first gear started turning, driving another large gear interlocked with it, then transmitting to yet another gear, and afterward, the chains started rotating rapidly.
Driven by these gears, the drill bit that was supposed to bore into the gun barrel began to rotate smoothly, and without deviation.
Amidst the noisy sounds, Mathews saw the needle of the pressure gauge in front of him pointing close to the red warning zone, but it did not increase any further. The needle jittered at the edge of the highest number as if it had a life of its own.
Everyone was astounded by what they saw; they truly hadn't expected that the monster they had built could move so agilely.
The rotating flywheel was spinning rapidly, and the safety valve also spurted out a jet of steam to reduce the boiler pressure when it became too high. The entire machine's motions were under control, as if it had its own program running smoothly.
This is the charm of industry, the aesthetic of mechanics. When all parts move along their pre-designed trajectory, an unstoppable powerful force is transmitted, eventually becoming the power needed by mankind!
"Let it run for a while... maintain lubrication on the moving parts!" Tang Mo saw that the safety valve he had designed was functioning normally, and knew that the device wouldn't suffer a major problem.
It was possible that some part might break, causing the device to stall, but a dangerous explosion was definitely not going to happen.
So he slightly relaxed, then approached the drill press that was spinning steadly, and looked at the middle-aged worker standing there: "How is it?"
This worker was the one who had scolded his apprentice earlier; he was the best drill press operator in the factory, also mentoring five apprentices.
"It's much better than the speed at which I drill. Manual rotation requires rest, and after a while, we have to take a break... then come back and realign, so the work process is very troublesome." The middle-aged worker said somewhat uneasily: "This machine... if it can keep rotating like this, then it really can, can replace me."
"No, you can never be replaced." Tang Mo heard the conflict and despair deep in the other's words, patted his shoulder, and said, "Your experience is irreplaceable. Soon there will be many machines like this in the factory, and the quality of the gun barrels will need your oversight."
He smiled and looked at him, seeing the other's somewhat panicked eyes: "I'm planning to make you the production supervisor for this process."
The man didn't know exactly what a production supervisor was, but he knew he wouldn't be out of a job, which was definitely good news.
So, his face regained its shine, and he opened his mouth to say thank you to Tang Mo, but found himself choking up a bit.
"The 10 new workers, as well as your apprentices, will all be under your management. From today on, you report to me!" Tang Mo explained the meaning of being a supervisor, immediately shocking the middle-aged man so much he forgot his sob...
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Thank you for the Emperor's support! Thank you very much!