MTLNOVEL Chapter 675: Steam Engine 1
27th March 1660
Secret Research Facility, Nagpur, Satavahana
Hey Ram stood at the door of the research facility along with Naveen Bhatt. Both of them had confused expressions on their faces. When they submitted the results of their steam cannon experiment, they had already thought that it was a failure and that there would be no follow-up research in the area. But who would have thought that only a few weeks after the report was submitted, His Majesty would actually ask them to come back to the research facility as he would be coming there personally?
Hey Ram had spent a few pleasant weeks in his home with his lovely daughter Niranjana, but His Majesty's call made him restless. Many times he thought if he had missed something in the steam cannon research. Since he knew that if His Majesty had taken an interest in something, it meant that he had new ideas that needed to be implemented.
He was naturally happy when His Majesty called him back to research, but he was also a little disappointed in himself and became doubtful of his own research and scientific abilities.
Naveen Bhatt, on the other hand, did not have many complicated thoughts. He was just looking forward to what His Majesty had in mind.
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Sitting in a moving carriage, Vijay was constantly drawing with his quill pen on a large piece of paper. The carriage was travelling on the main road, so it was mostly stable, but a few bumps could still be felt here and there. Fortunately, most of the bumps were absorbed by the spring suspension installed on the royal carriage, and the rest Vijay managed with his superior senses.
Currently, he was sketching a design drawing for a suction nozzle that would be used in the steam engine he was going to build.
The main components of the engine were completed; it was only the peripheral parts that needed final attention to detail.
Moments later:
"Long live Your Majesty! Long live!"
"Long live Your Majesty! Long live!"
Vijay was welcomed cordially by Hey Ram and Naveen Bhatt. he nodded in acknowledgement as he got down from the carriage with a briefcase in his hand containing all the design drawings he had prepared.
Looking around and seeing the man he was searching for, Vijay called him over. "Kattappa, I need the whole research facility secured. I do not want anyone—not even the Prime Minister—to come in without my authorization." He looked at the burly man with confidence. "You can do that for me, can't you?"
Kattappa immediately pulled out his sword and knocked its hilt on his chest. "I will guard the door with my life, Your Majesty. Please rest assured."
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"Good!"
Vijay turned his attention to the two main researchers, who were staring at him with their mouths agape.
Heyram and Naveen both understood that military research facilities were tightly guarded, especially for research on artillery technology. However, since the technology they were working on had proven to be a failure, they wondered if such measures were still necessary.
Vijay did not mind their shocked expressions as he continued to throw curveballs at Heyram and Naveen. "For the next four to seven days, both of you will not be allowed to leave the research facility."
"The research we are going to conduct is of great importance and is the most secret project of the empire. Even the Prime Minister has no knowledge about this."
"So, Hey Ram, Naveen," Vijay looked at them intently, his gaze piercing. "This is the last opportunity for both of you to opt out of the research with no consequences. But once we start the research, and you change your mind, then... haha."
Hey Ram and Naveen unconsciously shivered. Looking at the threatening gaze of His Majesty, which was rarely seen, they couldn't help but feel their blood run cold. For some reason, they envisioned countless corpses piled up on the ground, with blood flowing like rivers all around them.
Vijay put away his murderous aura and looked at Hey Ram and Naveen Bhatt seriously. In fact, he had no real reason to be so serious or to use such a tough tone, but the steam engine was the cornerstone of the Bharatiya Empire's dominance. Even though he was sure that neither Hey Ram nor Naveen would betray him, he simply could not take any chances.
Hey Ram and Naveen Bhatt felt relieved, as though a boulder had been lifted off their backs. Hey Ram wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly considered his response.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to participate in the research," he resolutely replied. 'If His Majesty is putting so much effort into the security, then whatever he wants to research is definitely a big deal,' 'Maybe he even knows how to make the steam cannon more powerful,' his eyes flickered with wisdom. 'Even if it is a pity not seeing my daughter, I should not miss this opportunity.' His will was firm.
Suddenly, another voice was heard: "I am willing to participate in the experiment as well, Your Majesty." Naveen Bhatt was not stupid either. Seeing the importance Vijay attached to the research alone, Naveen realized how significant it was for him. The last time he witnessed something similar was when Vijay led the research for machine tools, and the product that emerged from that research ended up becoming the foundation for the entire industrial skyscraper of the Bharatiya Empire.
Even though Naveen had no confidence in the steam cannon working—since he had crunched all the numbers after conclusive experiments and had come to the conclusion that it was impossible—he would never in a million years say no to a research project initiated by His Majesty himself. What's more, he did not have a wife and kids to go back to—at least not yet. As for his father and the old man, they could manage without him. It was not the first time he had disappeared to participate in research; after all, they were already somewhat used to it.
Hearing the words of agreement from both parties, Vijay smiled in appreciation. "Very good. I knew I could count on both of you," he praised as he patted them on the back.
"Hey Ram, you give my instructions to the researchers. Let them make their decisions."
Hey Ram nodded in understanding and went into the research facility without much emotion on his face. He had not been the director of Bharatiya Academy of Military Sciences for so many years for nothing. He had also acquired the skills of hard-heartedness.
Moments later, Hey Ram came back with a couple of researchers in tow. "Your Majesty, the three of them are going back."
Vijay looked at the three researchers without much anger on his face. Instead, he had a smile. "The three of you are free to leave the research facility, but you are not allowed to go out of Nagpur for a week. Your family and friends will stay with you in Nagpur to keep you company, and if there is any medical issue at home, there is no need to worry. The government will sponsor you this time."
The three researchers were already shaking in their boots when they were brought in front of His Majesty, but since they were top researchers of the empire and had already reached the point of participating in such high-level research, they had their own ability and talent. So, they simply bowed to Vijay with a namaskara and left.
"Kattappa, handle the security and monitoring of these researchers and their families. Make sure they do not go out of Nagpur and ensure they do not contact any suspicious people."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
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Moments later,
Vijay stood in front of a board while the researchers remained in their seats, looking like school kids in front of their teacher.
Under the curious eyes of the researchers, Vijay wrote the word 'Steam' on the blackboard.
"I know all of you are having doubts about the research we are doing, so let me first clarify: it is about Steam, which is why all of you are retained based on your previous projects related to Steam, with the majority of you having even participated in the steam cannon project initiated by Hey Ram."
Hey Ram nodded, though he didn't look surprised as he had expected this. However, the next moment, when the word 'Engine' was written on the board, Hey Ram's eyebrows furrowed. 'Engine?', he thought. 'What is that?' He was confused.
"Your Majesty, what is an engine?" Naveen Bhatt directly asked the question that everyone had in their minds.
Vijay did not turn around but continued to write while he explained, "An engine is simply a machine that converts energy into some sort of motion."
"Now, currently, what we are about to build is an engine using the principles of steam, atmospheric pressure, and vacuum."
He turned around.
"Have any of you read about the Sampīḍa hemispheres experiment?"
Most of the researchers nodded. Since working on the steam cannon, they had become familiar with this legendary physicist who was born hundreds of years ago.
"The Sampīḍa hemispheres experiment was theorized and conducted by Janaka Sampīḍa, a physicist born in present-day Maurya Nagari."
"He took two hollow copper hemispheres, applied grease to their ends, and attached them together, making an airtight seal. Then, he used his hand-operated pump to suck out as much air as possible from inside the hemispheres, forming what was probably the first human-made vacuum environment in the world."
"When the hemispheres were tried to be separated, even with the strength of four men, they could not be separated. It was only after horses were used that they came apart."
"He proved through this experiment that the atmosphere we live in imposes its own pressure on us, and the only reason we are not crushed to pieces is because God is protecting us," Naveen Bhatt said, but then he added, "However, with the benefit of hindsight, we now know that we are not crushed to pieces not because God is protecting us, but because the fluids in our body exert an equal and opposite force of their own, counteracting the pressure brought by the atmosphere."
"Nevertheless, being the first person to discover the pressure exerted by the atmosphere, we still use his surname as the standard unit to measure pressure: Sampīḍa."
Vijay nodded. "That's right. The steam engine we are constructing has a lot to do with the principle of Atmospheric pressure he discovered. ",
In fact, even Vijay was surprised when the discovery was made. He never knew such a person existed in this timeline. Even though he constantly noticed minute differences between his last timeline and this one, looking at the way scientific development progressed, it was not much different. so he did not have much hope for ancient intellectuals inventing something that would be of great use to the current industrial revolution, but he was pleasantly wrong.
Janaka Sampīḍa really discovered the principles of atmospheric pressure first in the world, and it was even before Otto von Guericke.
Otto von Guericke was actually the person who proved the existence of atmospheric pressure in his last life. He was a German scientist and mayor who made this invention with the Magdeburg hemispheres experiment in 1654. Although the experiment was still conducted by Otto von a few years ago, he was not the first, since Vijay had discovered the transcript of Janaka in the Library of Nalanda.
It made Vijay wonder if Otto von Guericke had actually proved the presence of atmospheric pressure in his last life or if Janaka had been present in his last life, too, and his transcript had simply been lost when the Library of Nalanda was burned.
As the scripts in the library were decrypted, Vijay found himself uncovering more and more surprises from this civilizational treasure of the Dharmic people.