After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 842 - 829: Explanation

"There is a type of device, which is based on electricity, that can quickly transmit information and is used for communication. Hence, it’s called a communication radio station."

Ji Shuyan: "You can use electricity?"

He looked at Fu Tinghan in astonishment, "Won’t this kill you?"

Fu Tinghan: "The ionosphere is very clean now, and the radio station only needs a current of about fifteen volts to transmit information, this electricity won’t kill anyone."

Ji Shuyan listened without understanding, "How...how does this transmit, how can you guarantee that when we have thunder here, there will also be thunder in Chen County?"

This time it was Fu Tinghan’s turn to be confused, looking bewildered, "What? What does this have to do with thunder?"

"Where does lightning come from if there’s no thunder?" Ji Shuyan said, "You’re using electricity to transmit information, aren’t you?"

In fact, as soon as Fu Tinghan explained, Ji Shuyan thought he was talking nonsense. Can you really run out during thunder and lightning and greet the lightning to help transmit a message?

Although he believes there are immortals in this world, he doesn’t quite believe in the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess up in the clouds.

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t listen anymore, she put down her pen and said, "In ’Shuowen Jiezi’, it’s recorded that electricity is the brilliance of yin and yang. Their understanding of electricity is lightning."

Although their understanding isn’t wrong, it is quite different from Fu Tinghan’s definition.

Fu Tinghan hurried to bring the topic back and said to Ji Shuyan, "It’s not much related to lightning..."

He paused and then amended his words, "Actually, it does have some relation."

Fu Tinghan immediately understood, there was a vast generational gap between them. For Ji Shuyan to be able to help him, he first needed to accept some new definitions.

He invited Ji Shuyan to sit beside him, pulled over a blank sheet of paper, and began drawing and explaining to him what electricity is, what the ionosphere is, and how information is transmitted in the ionosphere.

This is a completely new worldview, and compared to questioning, Ji Shuyan was more curious, "Minister Fu, where did you acquire such knowledge?"

Looking as if he suspected he had been deceived.

Ji Shuyan couldn’t help but glance at another person in the room, hesitated for a moment, and still kindly reminded, "Sir, Minister Fu is very honest, it’s better not to let him meet those claimed demi-immortals to avoid being deceived."

Fu Tinghan pursed his lips, displeased, "Ji Shuyan, even if I’m honest, it’s not a matter of intelligence, I wouldn’t be deceived."

Zhao Hanzhang laughed out loud upon hearing this, simply put down her pen and walked over, glanced at the drawing Fu Tinghan made on the paper, which not only included the ionosphere but also a guided map of radio waves transmitting in the air and on the ground.

She thought for a moment and explained with terms that Ji Shuyan could understand, "Mr. Ji, people often believe that thunder and lightning are controlled by the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess. Although I fear ghosts and gods, I don’t believe in their existence."

Ji Shuyan nodded slightly, he thought this way too.

Zhao Hanzhang: "So, without the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess, how are thunder and lightning produced?"

Ji Shuyan frowned. He had never thought about this problem, most people in the world haven’t, perhaps some have wondered internally, but haven’t pondered deeply, thus no further research.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Ting Han and I both think that thunder and lightning are caused by clouds in the sky. When white clouds float, it’s sunny, and when there are dark clouds, it rains. So certain clouds must carry electricity, and when clouds with different charges meet in the sky, they collide, like two hot-tempered people bumping into each other’s shoulders, a big conflict occurs. The light produced at that moment is called lightning, and the sound is thunder."

"At this point, the electricity in the sky explodes intensely, and there is a great difference in electric potential compared to the ground, just like two countries, Han and Jin. When one country’s power is too strong and another’s is weak, one country will crush the other; it’s the same between heaven and earth, so the thunder and lightning will strike the ground, severely causing buildings to collapse and casualties."

Ji Shuyan slapped his thigh, praised loudly, "Sir, your knowledge is remarkable!"

Fu Tinghan: ...But he had just explained electric potential difference.

Zhao Hanzhang turned and smiled at Fu Tinghan, then continued to explain to Ji Shuyan, "So, there is electricity in the air, can Mr. Ji understand this?"

Ji Shuyan nodded.

Zhao Hanzhang waved at Ting He, took a pearl from her hair, and held it in her hand, saying to Ji Shuyan, "Fu Zhongshu mentioned, there is a type of shortwave that can propagate through the air, just like this pearl. Suppose it is a shortwave, if we tap it, it touches the ground and rebounds, then falls, then rebounds... moving from this point to that place."

Zhao Hanzhang waved at Ting He, who immediately ran over to pick up her pearl and then stood by, listening attentively.

"What we need to do now is research a machine that can emit shortwaves that propagate through the air. It will fly up to the ionosphere, which is between 120 to 4000 miles from the ground. The radio waves we emit will be transmitted within there, then fall to the ground, get reflected back to the air, continue transmitting, and then be reflected again..."

"Just like that pearl, it continues in cycles until it reaches a thousand miles away," Zhao Hanzhang said, "And it’s that machine, it can capture that radio wave, allowing us to know information from a thousand miles away."

Ji Shuyan still had many doubts, he listened but didn’t quite understand, so he asked, "Can that machine let us hear sounds from a thousand miles away?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, paused, and then said, "Not voices, but this."

She bent her finger and tapped the table, saying to him, "If I limit with you that three long and one short means danger, three short and one long means to leave, this is our code. Telegraphs work the same way. We can decode the received radio waves based on codes, and that becomes information."

Ji Shuyan still had doubts, "Sir, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but is this really real?"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and nodded.

Ji Shuyan said nothing. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Fu Tinghan sighed and said, "If you don’t believe me, follow me to build this machine and you’ll know."

Ji Shuyan suppressed his excitement and said, "I’m willing to join you. What do we start with?"

Fu Tinghan: "We need to start preparing materials..."

Zhao Hanzhang saw that they could finally cooperate and turned to handle her official documents.

The telegraph machine couldn’t be built in a short time; it was merely a research project. After Fu Tinghan finished his work, he conducted research, and Zhao Hanzhang occasionally helped.

Compared to Ji Shuyan, Zhao Hanzhang better understood what Fu Tinghan wanted, so their collaboration was seamless.

Initially, Ji Shuyan considered himself with Fu Tinghan on the same level, but gradually he sank and began to bring a notebook daily, standing behind Fu Tinghan like an apprentice. Oh, if Zhao Hanzhang came, he’d follow behind them both as their apprentice.

When Fu Tinghan finally manufactured wires and a generator, allowing Ji Shuyan to feel the sensation of electricity, he finally believed they were indeed working on something extraordinary.

By now, they had been stationed outside Meng County for the sixteenth day, and there were only two days left until Zhao Hanzhang’s set date for the counterattack.