Chapter 384 Telegram

Austria Vienna.

Franz had never known that the information gap could be so terrible. Looking at the Hungarian intelligence network and thinking about the Russians' response speed, it makes people cry.

In fact, Vienna had already set up the most rudimentary telegraph line at this time, but it was only connected to a few places and its role was very limited.

Contrary to most people's impressions, Morse was not the first to invent the telegraph, and he did not even make the first telegraph machine.

Ten years ago, Gauss, known as the "King of Mathematics", and Weber, the German scientist who first made an ammeter, began to try to develop an electromagnetic telegraph, and specially set up a telegraph line between their laboratories.

Two years later, in 1835, Russian diplomat Schillinger's telegraph machine came out.

Four years later, William Fothergill Cook, a retired British officer, and Wheatstone, a professor of natural philosophy at the London College of Economics, collaborated to make a 5-hand telegraph that was first used at Paddington Station in London with West. - Used on the railway line between Drayton, a distance of approximately 21 kilometers. For now, the Morse telegraph machine cannot be called "early" at all.

At first, the "toys" of Gauss and William Edward Weber were generally not favored by the world, who believed that they had no practical value.

The reason is simple. The very primitive electric wires and exposed metal wires at that time could not withstand wind and sun, and underground pipes could not be laid because they were not corrosion-resistant.

However, the problem in the eyes of these two geniuses is very easy to solve in the eyes of Franz's team. Thus, the world's earliest rubber-coated insulated wire was born.

However, because he rarely had the opportunity to travel far before this, he did not fully understand the role of the telegraph system until now.

Moreover, the raw material rubber is a scarce resource in Austria. In the mid-19th century, the entire world's rubber supply was choked by Brazilians.

Affected by the Brazilian Civil War not long ago, its trade volume fluctuated greatly. Became very unstable.

At the same time, in view of the large number of orders from the army and the unpredictable world situation, Franz also used rubber more where he could make quick money.

Today's huge empire only has a few very simple telegraph lines, which is very inconsistent with its status as a great power. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to speed up its construction process.

The telegraph machine designed by Gauss and Weber has become very good after continuous improvement, but these two geniuses' understanding of compilation is too advanced, even to the point that it is difficult for ordinary people to understand.

The two of them can only communicate in a way that they can understand. It is not a problem for wizards, but it is really difficult for ordinary people to understand.

Because the minimum requirement to operate this type of telegraph was a college graduate, this greatly limited its popularity.

As the saying goes: "There are specialties in a profession," and professional matters should be left to specialists.

It happened that the world's first programmer - Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the British poet Byron, was close at hand, so Franz came to Babbage's studio with the telegraph in his hand.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw a "human-shaped meat mountain".

"Mr. Babbage, you seem to be getting fatter than before."

"Roshan" barely squeezed out two eyes on his fat face and took off his hat respectfully.

"Your Highness the Grand Duke, I am little Babbage. My father is still in the laboratory."

An embarrassed look suddenly appeared on Franz's face. He never expected that little Babbage would follow in his father's footsteps.

"Yes, I have heard of you. Last year you graduated with first place from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vienna. You are indeed like your father."

"Thank you for your compliment. Please forgive my rudeness. I need to rush to the cafeteria, so I won't stay with you much longer. I think there is a girl who may like me. She always makes delicious food for me."

Adjani subconsciously looked at little Babbage's appearance and managed to hold back her smile.

Franz smiled and nodded. He hoped that it was not Babbage's illusion. After all, when it comes to talents, the more the merrier, the better.

Perhaps the inventions of these scientific masters have not yet shown their effect, and they are even funny. But as technology continues to expand and advance, they will eventually prove their worth, not to mention someone like him who has a cross-generational vision to help.

After passing through a narrow passage, Franz finally arrived at Babbage's laboratory.

Unlike the messy outside, the inside of the laboratory looks extremely tidy, with all the utensils, equipment and books neatly placed on the shelves like an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I'm afraid the only flaw is that the average weight of the entire room, including assistants, is at least 120 kilograms.

The huge machine composed of countless gears in front of me is the Trinity Analytical Engine that Babbage is studying. The assistants are carefully checking the placement and precision of each gear.

"Mr. Babbage, I would like to ask Miss Ada and you to do me a favor."

Old Babbage was quite familiar with Archduke Franz's voice. After all, few people here could talk to him in English.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment." After saying that, he turned to the assistant below and shouted, "Put me down quickly!"

Several assistants immediately shook the lever below, and the height of the elevated chair where old Babbage was sitting was slowly lowering.

Miss Ada also walked out of the room next to her. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair had become much thinner. It seemed that her diet high in salt, sugar and vegetables and long-term mental work had made her body a little overwhelmed.

"Your Highness, what do you want to see us about?" asked old Babbage.

"I need a telegraph code that is easier to understand." Before he could say hello, Franz went straight to the point.

After that, the staff present began to get busy. These people who studied the analytical engine were all mechanical engineering experts. They all agreed that the telegraph was an invention that could change the world.

However, old Babbage was at another level. He vaguely realized that the telegraph would greatly help his analytical engine.

Some new ideas came into the mind of this Frankenstein, but first of all, he might need to start all the previous progress over again; this obviously requires great courage and courage.

On the other hand, under Ada's leadership, the compilation of the telegraph code went very smoothly. Compared with the complexity of the analytical engine, the telegraph was just like a child's toy.

Soon a very simple code was compiled, which only required simple understanding to operate, and had the characteristics of simplicity, clarity and little ambiguity, which greatly accelerated the development of the telegraph.

However, at this time, the United States, far across the ocean, began to think about collecting patent fees again. Of course, the Americans' rights protection would have to wait for decades.

In addition to the above-mentioned simple civilian telegraph, Franz also started to secretly study the complex military version in advance. After all, the current communication methods such as pigeons, post horses, letter dogs, and beacons are really unable to keep up with the times.

Although radio technology is still far away for the present, the role of telegraph in national defense cannot be underestimated.

After all, the information gap in this era is too terrible, and the current European battlefield is not like the war in later generations. Surrender is not shameful, and it is even commonplace for some soldiers.

However, the Prussians were very clumsy in dealing with the surrendered French prisoners of war. Perhaps fearing the powerful French’s revenge in the future, the former did not even dare to ask for ransom from the latter.

However, the Prussians’ indecision and weakness accidentally created another tragedy, although a considerable number of French soldiers were beaten to death by local victims in Wallonia after being captured.

But from Paris’s perspective, this was a great opportunity to discredit the opponent, and perhaps in future battles it might also bring some unnecessary trouble to Austria and the entire German Confederation.