Chapter 407 - The Ice Machine

"Use an animal-powered machine." Wang Luobin finally used this thing.

The so-called animal-powered machine was a transmission device that converted an animal's weight, foot-treading force, and traction into rotational power, which was then transmitted to various work machines. Its operating efficiency was actually quite limited, but it could be used to drive various relatively complex machines. Before electricity and steam engines became widespread, it was widely used in early 19th century Europe and America, including driving various agricultural equipment, hoisting ore and pumping water in mines, and even driving machine tools in factories.

After steam engine technology matured, these animal-powered machines were quickly phased out. They continued to be used in rural areas for a while before gradually disappearing completely.

The animal-powered machine Wang Luobin prepared to drive the water pump was an inclined treadmill type. To put it vividly, it was like a cow or horse running in place on a treadmill. A large flywheel was installed on the shaft of the wooden treadmill to regulate the speed, and transmission was done via a belt pulley. This type of animal-powered machine could be built large enough to accommodate two or three animals working simultaneously.

Considering that a single cow's stable long-term output power equivalent in actual work was only about 411W, two cows working together could only guarantee just over 1 horsepower of output. So Wang Luobin designed two identical machines, allowing for quick switching when one cow got tired, ensuring uninterrupted water pumping.

Of course, to ensure long-term effective operation of such machines, sufficient livestock had to be raised. Six to eight animals would be safest. This was relatively easy—just build a dedicated stable. In modern cities, even raising chickens was a punishable offense, but in ancient cities, it was normal for residents to keep pigs at home. In the first half of the 20th century, even in the great city of Beijing, many people in residential areas raised sheep or cattle, and some restaurants could even keep over a hundred sheep.

Wang Luobin incidentally pointed out that relying on shallow groundwater for such a tap water system could only meet very small-scale needs. Using it to supply a bathhouse was quite strained. Even without considering the labor consumed in pumping well water itself, such prolonged extraction would greatly reduce the well's output—because groundwater levels didn't replenish as quickly as people imagined.

To ensure supply, the best method was to drill a deep well into the aquifer, which would provide abundant and stable water.

"Use a two-stage water supply: use the animal-powered machine to pump water from the deep well to a surface cistern, then pump from the cistern to the water tower. This way, the pumping stroke is shorter."

"Drill a small deep well?" Zhang Xingpei shook his head repeatedly. "Drilling deep wells is too technically demanding. This timeline has no such technology, and even if it did, where would we get the specialized steel casing for deep wells? Should the Industry and Energy Committee provide it? Besides, with a deep well, hand-operated pumps wouldn't work..."

"It's not difficult. We don't even need the Industry and Energy Committee to do the work." Wang Luobin asked, "Do you know about the Zigong salt wells in Sichuan?"

"The place where they boil brine into salt?"

"The ancient salt wells and natural gas wells in Zigong are several hundred meters or even over a thousand meters deep. They drilled those deep wells using primitive methods, so technically it's not a problem."

"The problem is that the salt workers are in Sichuan."

"No issue. Just have the Guangzhou Station find a way to recruit some people. With heavy rewards, there will be brave men. As soon as they arrive, have them drill deep wells—the deep wells for water extraction here don't need to be several hundred meters; I think about fifty meters will be enough."

This matter was quickly implemented. Guo Yi sent a memo to Qiwei, asking them to immediately go to Ziliujing in Sichuan to recruit local workers skilled in drilling wells. The number was unlimited, with favorable treatment and families could come along.

Although Manager Sun of Qiwei couldn't figure out why salt workers were suddenly needed—and specifically Sichuan salt workers at that—he wondered whether the Australians knew there were salt deposits underground in this area. But Guangdong itself was a salt-producing region; drilling more wells wouldn't help much, not to mention the issue with the authorities. But he had grown accustomed to the Australians' crazy, unconventional ways of doing things. He also knew that whatever they wanted to do, they would spend any amount of money to accomplish. He immediately sent his subordinates to handle it.

Another problem Zhang Xingpei encountered was that modern public buildings, including restaurants, bathhouses, and museums, mostly relied on artificial lighting, with relatively little consideration for natural lighting. It was impossible to use modern lighting equipment here. Using candles, oil lamps, and the like was very prone to causing fires. So throughout the design process, natural lighting had to be maximized. For this reason, he lavishly used glass and skylights on the roof. In some parts of the roof, he even used glass tiles to enhance light transmission.

"This should count as extremely eco-friendly." Zhang Xingpei was quite satisfied looking at his design drawings—he had used every possible means for lighting.

"Perhaps when everyone sees how well glass works for windows, they'll all come to buy glass for their windows." Zhang Xin studied the design drawings for a while. "I just don't know if the glass factory can guarantee supply."

"No problem." Zhang Xingpei knew that since Changhua Fort had begun expanding, mass extraction of quartz sand was just a matter of time. Moreover, the machinery plant was working on a major technological upgrade project for the glass factory: an automatic blowing system, researching how to use compressed air to mass-produce glass bottles. Once this problem was solved, not only would glass bottle production explode, but more skilled workers would be freed up to produce flat glass.

Ziminglou was also continuously trial-producing and small-batch manufacturing various luxury goods to be used. Already confirmed for promotion at Ziminglou was kvass—this carbonated drink had already been proven popular among indigenous people in Lingao. Huang Dashan also had Hu Yicheng distill some local spices: mint, orange peel, and the like, to use as flavorings. After being re-blended, the kvass became a beverage with fruit and herbal flavors.

Leizhou rum was also on Ziminglou's promotional list. Plain rum wasn't particularly outstanding compared to traditional Chinese distilled spirits, so Pei Lixiu's idea was to sell cocktails. Of course, they didn't have soda water for the time being, but adding sugar syrup and fruit juice to rum was still achievable.

"I think this makes rum a bit feminine." Zhang Xin, who liked to drink, commented after having a few glasses of fruit rum.

"Traditionally, women didn't drink alcohol. If we can attract women to drink too, the business will be huge..." Pei Lixiu said.

"Do you think there will be women coming to Ziminglou?" Guo Yi said unhappily.

"How could there not be? Life in the mansions is empty and lonely too..."

Pei Lixiu's idea was to create a women's salon of sorts—talking poetry, engaging in literature, composing verses in response to each other.

"Alright, your thinking is on track, but who would it attract? Obviously, only famous courtesans. Respectable women won't come to your salon..."

"Having famous courtesans willing to participate isn't bad either." Zhang Xin said. "First, it builds up our popularity—a celebrity effect. Second, using established figures is easier than cultivating our own, and there won't be the controversy—"

The so-called controversy naturally referred to the ongoing debate among the five hundred in Lingao. Regarding the slavery issue, The Lingao Times had already published several issues with different viewpoints; proponents of abolition and supporters of slavery each held their own opinions, naturally with fence-sitters and those trying to muddy the waters too.

Ziminglou's business of recruiting young women in Guangzhou to train as masseuses and dancers had already drawn a lot of criticism—especially from Du Wen, who had written consecutive articles in The Lingao Times fiercely attacking this "going against the tide of history" and "reversing the wheel of history," reminding everyone to be vigilant against the "resurgence of feudal thinking that toys with women"... However, her attempt to contact Li Mei to issue a protest in the name of the Women's Federation failed—Li Mei was very interested in this; she had long wanted to establish a similar entertainment complex in Lingao.

"Second, famous courtesans of the late Ming had great social influence. Whether for promoting products, influencing certain officials and gentry, or gathering information, they had natural advantages—think of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai. Moreover, many high officials and nobles loved to take famous courtesans as concubines in this timeline, and the sisterhood among them was also something we could exploit."

"Let's try it." Guo Yi nodded, then turned to Pei Lixiu. "Since you had this idea, you probably already have suitable salon candidates."

"Of course," Pei Lixiu smiled charmingly. "Master, you truly have discerning eyes..."

"Alright, alright, stop buttering me up. Tell me about the situation."

Sure enough, Pei Lixiu had made several close female friends over the past few months, basically concubines and the like from wealthy households. Among them were the concubines of people like Dong Jizhong, who had lent money to Guo Yi during the Leizhou sugar industry battle. These women ate well all day and were all looking for entertainment to pass the time. Women frequently visited each other, and Pei Lixiu was eloquent and had many novel items not available locally. Before long, she had struck up friendships with them.

"Hmm, not bad. At least when necessary, they can whisper suggestions to their men. But these women's status isn't high. You need to try to befriend those at a higher level."

"Sister Su said one of her younger sisters is Gao Qinshun's concubine. She's long heard about the benefits of Australian goods. If not for the recent demolition and renovation of Ziminglou, she would have wanted to come take a look these past few days."

Guo Yi and the others all knew the name Gao Qinshun. He was the Inspector of Guangdong. Although only a seventh-rank official, he was a Supervising Censor and a powerful figure in local affairs. Knowing what he thought about in bed would certainly be of great benefit to intelligence work.

"Good, follow up on this. You must secure her!"

"Here are some things I want. Can the master help me out..." Pei Lixiu's eyes were alluring as she spoke, handing over a slip of paper.

Zhang Xin's attempt to obtain a refrigerator in Lingao had completely failed—not only were refrigerators crucial equipment at this stage, but even if they could have one, the Guangzhou Station lacked enough electricity to power it. Just a few solar panels and a pedal-powered generator were barely enough for the radio and computer.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty also had methods of cold storage—using wells. Underground temperatures could be maintained at around twenty degrees. This was barely enough for general preservation. But wells couldn't make ice blocks. Without ice blocks, naturally there was no hope for the shaved fruit ice, ice cream, popsicles, and other cold drinks that Pei Lixiu proposed—wealthy and particularly fastidious households in Guangzhou had private ice cellars storing ice made in winter, but most people didn't have such conditions. Zhang Xin had written N letters to Mo Xiao'an asking him to help solve this problem, strongly advocating its significance and benefits. Mo Xiao'an, pestered beyond endurance, had no choice but to go find Zhan Wuya.

"It's not that I don't want to build a refrigeration machine. With that, everyone would be comfortable." Zhan Wuya sat in the machinery plant office where the temperature reached 40 degrees. Outside were tall truss-framed workshops. The heating furnaces emitted enormous heat. The roar of machines, the rotation of motors, and the tremendous sounds of steel during blanking and stamping made the entire environment unbearably hot. Several high-powered blower fans made by the machinery plant blew strong winds from the doorway that could almost knock a person over—too bad they were hot.

"I'm not asking for air conditioning—" Mo Xiao'an knew that air conditioning was actually easier to solve. The ground-source air conditioning system installed at the pharmaceutical factory had performed quite well. If it didn't consume so much copper and require deep wells, it might have been widely adopted already. The air conditioning for the Ziminglou renovation was also temporarily shelved precisely because of this factor—the Planning Commission required Ziminglou to solve the copper and deep well issues on its own. Now they could only wait for the salt well workers from Sichuan.

"An ice machine is even harder—" Zhan Wuya shrugged. "Without a high-power compressor, without a refrigerant, what can we use to make ice? Even if I could build one, do you plan to install a generator for them in Guangzhou first?"

"True." Mo Xiao'an thought about it—without electricity, this really was difficult. "So there's no way?"

"There is a way. To be honest, it's quite primitive and not very economical." Zhan Wuya said. "One thing needs to be confirmed first: can the animal-powered machine Wang Luobin plans to set up there achieve 1.5KW?"

"One animal-powered machine is just over 1 horsepower. Two running at full capacity would be over 2 horsepower. That's enough."

Zhan Wuya nodded and made a phone call to the Planning Commission. On the phone, he mentioned "one air conditioner" and seemed to be applying to use this air conditioner. Mo Xiao'an waited a few minutes until Zhan Wuya hung up:

"No problem. The Supervisor agreed. Check back in a few days."

"You can build it?"

"Can't guarantee it yet." Zhan Wuya laughed. "It's a crude idea of mine. It hasn't been technically verified. We'll have to see the actual effect after manufacturing."

After seeing Mo Xiao'an off, Zhan Wuya dug out a pack of Dahongying cigarettes from his locked drawer. Carefully pulling out one, he sniffed and squeezed it for quite a while before lighting it and taking a drag.

To meet Guangzhou Station's urgent needs, Zhan Wuya was preparing to build a crude "animal-powered compression refrigeration machine" of his own design. He immediately called Liang Xin, who was temporarily idle at the machinery plant. The two of them took wrenches and tools to the Industry and Energy Committee's dedicated warehouse.

Although it was the Industry and Energy Committee's warehouse, everything inside was under the absolute management of the Planning Commission. Every pair of pliers, hammer, and screwdriver was registered and assigned to a specific person. Whether damaged or lost, it had to be reported. Management was extremely strict.

The warehouse was stacked with various tools and parts from the machinery plant, all packed in boxes with tags and warehouse receipts. Walking to the very back, there was a pile of objects on the ground wrapped tightly in oilcloth, looking like a machine.

Opening it up revealed an air conditioner, rusted and looking quite pitiful.

This air conditioner had been dismantled from the flat-deck self-propelled barge. At the time, it was already in a scrapped state—it wasn't any specialized marine air conditioner, just an ordinary 1.5KW household wall-mounted air conditioner that the crew had bought to create a comfortable environment. This air conditioner, abandoned in a corner of the engine room, was already covered in rust and no longer cooled. When the Planning Commission collected materials, following the principle that "nothing from the 21st century is废," they had registered and accepted it as well.

The two used a handcart to pull the air conditioner to the workshop. Opening the outer unit cover for a thorough disassembly, they removed the air conditioning compressor, then also removed the evaporator. This air conditioner was really something—it actually had two evaporators—these corrugated copper tubes were really good stuff.

"Rather than going through all this trouble, why not use a gas refrigerator?" Liang Xin was puzzled.

"A gas refrigerator is of course good, but we're still not up to making household-level ones. Also, a gas refrigerator needs a matching coal gas generator. To be honest, I don't feel comfortable using it in Ziminglou. We still have weaknesses in gas piping, valves, and seal production."

Using gas furnaces in Lingao, they were basically set up far from crowds. The furnaces were supervised by dedicated personnel, with ventilation on all sides, making safety somewhat better. Ziminglou was densely populated with people. If a leak occurred, whether it was an explosion or poisoning, it would be a tragedy.

After bypassing the compressor clutch, the compressor actually started running. After Zhan Wuya connected his own self-made condenser, throttle valve, and evaporator, a simple refrigeration system was created.

A purely green, eco-friendly, animal-powered ice machine—of course, results would be even better with an electric motor or other power machine.

Next was the refrigerant. The Freon in the broken air conditioner was long gone. Where could they find this refrigerant? Zhan Wuya suddenly realized he had overlooked this key problem. Finally, he thought of Ma Qianzhu: although he hadn't brought guns to this timeline, he had several air rifles, and didn't air rifles use F12? That was an excellent refrigerant!

But the air rifles were his private property. Building a small ice machine wasn't exactly a matter of life and death or industrial upgrading; convincing him to contribute his F12 wouldn't be easy. It looked like material enticement was the only option—Zhan Wuya suddenly felt very wronged: this thing he was building wasn't for his own use, so why should he have to pay out of his own pocket for materials?

But the allure of building equipment using crude methods was too great. Making things by following blueprints wasn't anything remarkable; this kind of challenging work was the interesting stuff.

Returning to his office, he gritted his teeth and dug out a carton of premium Dahongying from his drawer. He opened it and took out two packs, thought about it, put one back, and taking only one pack, went to find Ma Qianzhu.

Note: The copyright of this ice machine belongs to Zhan Temporarily's Crow. Whether it works or not is unknown. The original text used a bicycle to power it, and he himself has explained that the output power of a bicycle cannot drive a compressor.

(Chapter End)