Iron Dynasty Chapter 971

“Indeed, let’s take a look at this… telegraph!”

Inside the lab, Niu Ben felt a touch of impatience. Over his decade in Qingzhou, he'd encountered wonders beyond anything from his previous life.

He Dong smiled broadly. For folks like them, toiling away in the laboratory, nothing beat the joy of someone recognizing their tireless efforts.

Thus, he announced, “Your Majesty, esteemed generals, come with me.”

Then, he guided the trio toward the telegraph apparatus.

Before their eyes lay a transmitter. The device was straightforward in design; essentially, it boiled down to a power switch, though not like today's versions—it was a classic knife switch.

Extending from this knife switch were two wires leading to a receiver about ten meters distant. That receiver consisted of a copper-wound coil, an iron plate positioned above it, a roll of paper, and a pen.

“Generals, behold the full telegraph setup. Flipping the switch closes the circuit completely. Electricity flows through the copper coil, creating magnetism that pulls the iron plate and produces a ‘ding’ noise—one signal. Breaking the current lets the plate snap back, yielding a ‘da’ sound—the other signal. Mixing the durations of these signals lets you convey messages to the recipient,” He Dong detailed for Niu Ben and Luo Quan.

Xiao Ming required no such briefing, since he'd supplied the full code set himself. At present, transmissions followed the guidelines from the compact manual he'd provided.

The explanation left Niu Ben and Luo Quan utterly baffled, of course. They turned to Xiao Ming with desperate glances.

In that moment, Xiao Ming instructed, “Both of you, whisper a phrase to He Dong without revealing it to me. Soon, He'll transmit it via the telegraph, and I'll reveal exactly what you said.”

“Something like that exists? Doesn't this mimic clairaudience?” Niu Ben appeared utterly disbelieving. Yet he leaned in and murmured words to He Dong.

He Dong got the hint and positioned himself at the telegraph to dispatch the message via Xiao Ming's code. As He Dong operated it, the iron plate shifted the pen, which scratched out jagged lines of different lengths on the blank paper with each motion.

Once He Dong completed the transmission, Xiao Ming declared, “Luo Quan is not a good person!”

Niu Ben stood frozen in shock. Luo Quan, meanwhile, exploded in fury, “You’re the one who’s not a good person, you old madman!”

“Hahaha…” Far from offended by Luo Quan's retort, Niu Ben burst into laughter, feeling delighted instead. He remarked, “Never imagined this invention could be so incredible. Still, Your Majesty, doesn't the range seem rather limited?”

“No issue there. While directing Su Liangcai to install power cables, I also instructed him to lay telegraph wires underground. With sufficient cabling, distance poses no barrier—you can extend as needed. Sending word across a thousand miles happens in seconds. For areas without thermal power stations yet, a compact generator suffices to run the telegraph for the time being.”

The compact generator in question was the modest power device Su Liangcai crafted during his initial lab experiment, akin to a miniature thermal plant.

Such equipment could easily supply a provincial headquarters. Thus, the wired telegraph system wouldn't suffer from the absence of full-scale power plants.

With the telegraph network spanning the whole Great Yu Empire, imperial oversight would gain unprecedented responsiveness.

“A thousand miles in a flash?” Niu Ben and Luo Quan gulped hard. To them, this bordered on miraculous power.

“Technology's wonders never cease. It's clear why Your Majesty spares no expense to advance it, offering free schooling to the Empire's underprivileged youth. Imagine thousands of such scholars mastering tech—who could threaten Great Yu then?” Niu Ben's cheeks burned with fervor.

Luo Quan nodded, adding, “Exactly. With free education on offer, they'd better buckle down, or face a good thrashing as penalty!”

He Dong winced and rubbed his rear at the words. He commented, “We've taken plenty of whacks in the academy. Expect even tougher discipline for those in primary, middle, and high schools.”

Xiao Ming smiled. Strictness defined his approach to learning. In these times, notions of gentle education didn't exist. To him, embedding tech savvy came first and foremost.

As a result, Great Yu's primary through high school system ignored modern age-based norms, aligning instead with the Empire's own benchmarks. The span from primary start to high school finish totaled just nine years: three for primary, three for middle, three for high.

Youngsters entered at six, wrapping up high school at fifteen, before tackling four university years to join the workforce.

He viewed this duration as brief enough. Yet to Great Yu's citizens, it felt endless—after all, a mere ten years of grueling study could yield top honors and office, whereas now it demanded thirteen full years.

“Education forms the bedrock of national might, so I'll handle it with utmost seriousness,” Xiao Ming affirmed resolutely.

The Great Yu Empire had endured a grueling decade, evolving from no industry at all to the cusp between first and second industrial leaps.

Now, he craved more top-tier minds to propel tech progress. These future stars, grounded from youth and armed with thirteen years' training before lab work, would outshine midway entrants like Lin Wentao in every way.

Then, Great Yu's innovations would surge ahead, bolstered by the groundwork laid by veterans—the industrial base stood solid.

Having tested the wired telegraph, Xiao Ming eyed the trio of glassy components under assembly in the lab. These were the vital electron tubes for wireless telegraphy.

In essence, each electron tube acted as a signal booster. Without them, wireless transmissions couldn't reach afar.

That said, these tubes loomed large, being the earliest variants. Materials fell short of semiconductor standards, relying on basic grid rare earth elements. Even thus, they challenged He Dong's crew intensely—this was their lab's true crux.

Truth be told, wired telegraphs proved too basic to demand a team of over thirty.

“Wired telegraphs are straightforward, yet we can't slack on this front.” Xiao Ming gestured at the electron tube.

He Dong nodded knowingly. He replied, “We're coordinating with Lu Tong's chemical institute now, seeking their aid on materials. Once those arrive, the tubes should assemble smoothly—energizing and welding won't pose issues.”

“Mm, I'll direct him to assist fully.” Xiao Ming clapped He Dong's shoulder.

Timing-wise, Europe's tech scene erupted in breakthroughs too. Inventions sprang forth relentlessly, fueled by centuries of accumulated knowledge.

Moreover, with Great Yu's tech insights to guide them, Europeans would sidestep countless pitfalls, hastening their advances.

Hence, complacency in research was impossible for him.