Chapter 252: The Royal Fleet Sets Sail

South of Kaifeng City, the newly established Institute of Investigating Things is now the busiest and also the most mysterious place in the whole capital.

This place was originally an abandoned military camp, covering a vast area. At Zhao Jiong's order, thousands of artisans were conscripted, working day and night; in just one month, it became a huge workshop with formidable defenses.

High walls separate the inside from outside. At the gate, the Palace Front Imperial Guards personally selected by Shi Boji stand guard, a post every three steps, a sentry every five steps, day and night, not even a bird can fly in.

In the center of the workshop, a huge factory building rises from the ground.

Inside the factory, the steam engine shipped from Yangzhou, under the guidance of ten artisans from the Wang Family and with the efforts of over a hundred newly recruited artisans from the Institute of Investigating Things, has been dismantled and rebuilt.

The huge steel boiler crouches like a beast. Thick pipes connect its various parts. A flywheel over a person tall gleams with metallic cold light.

That day, Zhao Jiong, accompanied by Wang Xu and the Minister of Works, personally came to the Institute of Investigating Things for inspection.

When he entered that huge factory building and saw the colossal object made of countless steel parts before him, even he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

"Is this... the new steam engine?" he muttered.

"Your Majesty, that's correct." Wang Wu, the chief artisan of the Wang Family, stepped forward and answered respectfully, "The main body of the engine has been installed; only the final boiler pressure test and pipe connections remain. In about ten days, we can attempt a test firing."

"Good! Good!" Zhao Jiong excitedly rubbed his hands, walked around the machine, touching here, tapping there, like a child who got a new toy.

"Wang Wu," he stopped and asked, "Can this thing really power a ship?"

"Your Majesty, this No. 2 engine still has limited power; driving a seagoing ship would be difficult, but for an inland river flat-bottomed warship, there's no problem. As long as its power is transmitted via gears and drive shaft to the paddle wheel at the stern, the warship can sail upstream without sails or oars."