The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 558

"It's impossible for this kind of steel behemoth to run on ordinary roads. We need to build special roads for it, which I call railway tracks."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he took out another blueprint, which depicted railway tracks.

Compared to the complexity of trains, railway tracks are much simpler, and Zhou Chu didn't make any mistakes in drawing them.

"First, lay gravel on the road surface to form a foundation, then lay a row of wooden planks..."

Zhou Chu patiently explained to Hai Rui and the others.

At first, Hai Rui and the others were a little confused, but as Zhou Chu continued to explain, their eyes became brighter and brighter.

What is a teacher's brain made of? How did he come up with such an outrageous idea?

At this moment, not only Hai Rui, but also Yang Shengzhai and others were filled with disbelief after seeing the blueprints.

How did the teacher come up with such an imaginative yet highly feasible plan?

Could it be that teachers are truly born with innate knowledge?

The thought that Zhou Chu was only a few years older than them filled them with a sense of defeat.

"The train still needs your research and development. I have too many things to do and don't have much time. I can only provide an idea; the specific implementation still depends on you."

After seeing the expressions on Hai Rui's and the others' faces, Zhou Chu was completely baffled as to why they had suddenly become so dejected.

Upon hearing this, Hai Rui and the others raised their heads, their faces filled with fervor.

Based on Zhou Chu's explanation, they understood that once railway tracks were laid throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, the transport capacity of trains would be extremely terrifying, far surpassing that of horse-drawn carriages in both speed and capacity.

According to Zhou Chu's blueprints, carriages could be continuously added to the back of the train. Once the entire train was in motion, the kinetic energy required for uniform motion was so small as to be almost negligible relative to the weight of the entire train.

Once a train starts moving, the power required only needs to overcome the friction between the wheels and the rails; the more carriages there are, the greater the friction.

However, based on the blueprints for the wheels and rails, they all knew very well that once the train started moving, the friction would be very small.

Of course, this "small" is only relative to the weight of the entire train.

"You can take the blueprints. The blueprints for the railway don't need to be changed, but the blueprints for the train have many errors. You need to study them and correct them."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he pushed the two blueprints forward.

Hai Rui and Yang Shengzhai, who were at the forefront, exchanged excited glances, then carefully rolled up the two blueprints and bowed to Zhou Chu.

"The teacher's guidance was enlightening, and we will certainly live up to the teacher's expectations and develop the train."

Hai Rui said.

"You don't need to go to the village anymore. From now on, go directly to the Southern Garrison Command. They have everything you need there. The original purpose of having you farm in the village was to let you experience the hearts of the people. Now that's about it."

Zhou Chu said.

Upon hearing this, Hai Rui and the others wore expressions of mixed joy and worry.

"Teacher, I want to go back to the village to say goodbye to my friends."

Hai Rui said.

"Teacher, we also want to go back."

Several others echoed.

They had lived in the village for more than two years. While they wouldn't say they knew everyone in the village well, they had made quite a few friends. Now, leaving abruptly, they were somewhat reluctant to part with it.

They had long been accustomed to this life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, which made them feel incredibly fulfilled.

"Go."

Zhou Chu waved his hand and said.

Not long after Hai Rui and the others left, Shen Lian brought back the steam engine by horse-drawn carriage.

Zhou Chu looked at the steam engine in front of him. Although it was slightly different from the steam engine he remembered, the difference was not significant.

"I didn't expect they actually managed to pull it off."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he began to tinker with the steam engine.

Zhou Chu's research revealed that the steam engine's energy conversion was quite good, but its specific structure probably needed further modification, as it was not very suitable for use on trains.