Chapter 167: There is a shocked Lan Yu (please vote for me)
Zhu Ying's words made Lan Yu a little confused, but since he heard that it only took a few months to get such a powerful weapon, Lan Yu suddenly felt comfortable.
Now go directly to the War Bureau. Zhu Ying's purpose is to solve the production problem...
A very important influence is involved, which is the lathe that Zhu Ying has always been thinking about.
Lathes are no stranger to Zhu Ying. In later generations, various types of lathes were very common and had many uses.
If you want to enable matchlocks and fire bombs to be manufactured in batches and maintain quality, lathes are inevitably used.
In fact, recently, Zhu Ying had already ordered Jin Yiwei to bring in various books related to craftsmen, trying to find the direction of making lathes.
To be honest, although Zhu Ying knew about lathes, it was really beyond his ability to actually get started with it, or to instruct others to make a lathe.
He is not an all-around genius. If he had gone through an electronics factory to tighten screws in his previous life, he might have gotten a little familiar with it, but unfortunately he didn't.
I read through many documents related to craftsmen, but I couldn't find any clues.
We must know that lathes first appeared in the Tang Dynasty, how could there be no relevant records?
Later, when Zhu Ying saw someone doing carpentry work in the house, she realized that she was looking in the wrong direction.
This is because he was fascinated by his previous life. In his previous life, lathe processing, especially the production of various materials, was mostly done in the mechanical industry.
So Zhu Ying subconsciously went in the direction of craftsmen.
However, in fact, all inventions and creations from ancient times to the present, especially those involving small structures, are mainly made by carpenters.
In fact, later generations of carpenters would use wooden boards to build temporary lathes during construction to cut wooden boards and check size standards.
When Zhu Ying set his sights on woodworking, he discovered that primitive lathes had actually been used frequently in today's Ming Dynasty.
Looking through the documents related to the military campaign gave Zhu Ying enough surprises.
The most commonly used lathe in the war bureau is the accumulative lathe, which already has the model of later lathes.
The accuracy of the workpieces processed by it has reached between two and five wires of later generations, and the accuracy and surface finish have also reached a very high level.
At present, in the Military and War Bureau, it is mainly used for the mass production of arrow shafts and gun shafts, and the turning process has replaced the previous grinding.
Zhu Ying was a little strange at first.
Obviously, the War Bureau has lathes and other processes. Wouldn't it be very simple to modify them for the production of gun barrels or other parts?
It was not until then that Zhu Ying casually asked a few words to Bingbi eunuch Guo Zhong, that Zhu Ying finally understood what it meant to cherish the opinions of others.
Due to different social environments, carpenters and blacksmiths, although collectively referred to as craftsmen, do not interact with each other.
In other words, the quality of a master carpenter in the Gunpowder Department is not just one and a half points lower when placed in the War Department.
Even in the circle of carpenters, helping a blacksmith is considered a no-brainer.
No master who is even remotely famous would be willing to go to the Gunpowder Department. In their view, it is just a chore job.
Originally, Zhu Ying had been planning to go to the Military War Bureau for a long time, but she was too busy these days and didn't have time.
Matchlock guns happened to be made today, so this matter was solved in one trip.
The Military War Bureau is one of the Eight Bureaus of the Ming Dynasty and is also the most important department. It has a eunuch to hold the seal, a eunuch to supervise the armory, management, writing, chief, supervisor, etc.
The military battle was not in the palace, but in the inner city on the right side of the dynasty.
This fast area is also where other departments such as the Banking Bureau, the Wine and Vinegar Noodle Bureau, and the Siyuan Bureau are located, and ordinary people cannot get here.
With Jin Yiwei leading the way and Liang Guogong Lan Yu accompanying him, Zhu Ying had a smooth journey even though he didn't have a specific identity yet.
When Zhu Ying arrived at the door of the Bingzhan Bureau, the eunuch of the Bingzhan Bureau was already waiting at the door.
"I pay my respects to His Highness Changsun. I didn't know that His Highness was coming in person and did not greet you from afar. Please forgive me."
As a royal servant, the eunuch of the Bingzhan Bureau knelt down and kowtowed.
"Not guilty, please get up."
Zhu Ying said casually, having become completely accustomed to this routine.
Regarding the group of eunuchs, although Zhu Yuanzhang ordered them not to interfere in politics, they were still used as confidants.
Among the twenty-four yamen, those who can serve as eunuchs are basically all eunuchs.
Naturally, not all those working in these yamen are eunuchs. For example, in the Gunpowder Department and the Military War Bureau, except for a few eunuchs and stewards at the head, everyone else is a normal person.
Eunuch is an official title, corresponding to which are young eunuch and middle eunuch.
A eunuch who can serve as a eunuch is considered the leader among the eunuchs.
It was precisely because he was the eunuch of the Military War Bureau that he knew about Zhu Ying's existence. Ordinary officials did not have so many information channels.
"I wonder if His Highness Changsun has come here and has any instructions."
The eunuch in charge of the Bingzhan Bureau followed Zhu Ying in bowed clothes and asked softly and carefully.
"Take me to the place where arrow shafts and gun shafts are made." Zhu Ying said directly.
"Follow the order." Upon hearing this, the eunuch holding the seal bowed his body and walked in small steps to the side of Zhu Ying to guide him.
After seven twists and turns, we soon arrived at the area where arrow shafts are produced.
As Zhu Ying expected, the place was filled with a large number of power lathes, hundreds of carpenters were skillfully operating, sawdust was flying all over the sky, and large quantities of semi-finished products were produced.
The so-called power lathe uses a pedal to drive the spindle to rotate, so that the wood fixed on the chuck rotates.
There is a wheel axle belt under the lathe, and a knife edge in front for turning.
A power lathe is usually used by two people. The master holds a tool above and is responsible for cutting and making, while the apprentice constantly pulls the rope to turn the wood to provide power.
"Your Highness is here, why don't you hurry up and pay your respects." The eunuch in charge of the Military War Bureau shouted loudly. The craftsmen who had seen Zhu Ying and others coming over immediately knelt down and kowtowed, and shouted in unison: "Your Highness.
"
"Everyone, please get up. I'm just taking a look around. You all should go back to your seats and continue making work."
After hearing His Highness's instructions, the craftsmen quickly started to continue.
"Arrange thirty masters who are best at lathes to be transferred to the Gunpowder Department. I will be of great use."
Zhu Ying looked at it carefully for a while and then gave instructions.
Although the eunuch in charge of the Bingzhan Bureau didn't know what His Highness Changsun wanted to do, as a royal servant, he naturally had no reason to refuse and replied: "Follow the order."
He had no extra thoughts. Not to mention thirty people, even three hundred people he had to find a way to find and complete His Highness Changsun's instructions.
Nowadays, among the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty Palace who are somewhat respectable, how can they not know the existence of His Highness Changsun?
It is not difficult to imagine that His Highness Changsun standing in front of him is basically the future Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, the transfer of craftsmen still has to be reported to His Majesty before a final decision can be made, but we can make preparations now.
Now that the military battle station was here, Zhu Ying looked around after giving his instructions.
However, Zhu Ying currently does not have much interest in cold weapons. With war artifacts such as matchlock guns, no matter how good cold weapons are, there is no temptation at all.
Lan Yu followed him all the time, but until the battle came out, he was still at a loss.
In his opinion, after Zhu Ying came to the war, he just arranged for a group of carpenters to go to the Gunpowder Department, and there was nothing else.
Can that group of carpenters increase the output of matchlock guns?
Lan Yu felt a little disbelieving.
Zhu Ying was not surprised when he saw Lan Yu's expression. Inventing and creating and leading troops to fight were two different things. It was normal for Lan Yu not to understand.
However, the keen Zhu Ying discovered that there was a look of understanding in Ye Yueqing's eyes.
For this reason, he couldn't help but smile and asked: "Did you see something?"
Hearing this, Ye Yueqing's expression flashed with thought, and then she replied: "Does my boss want to build an iron lathe similar to this carpenter's lathe to speed up the production of fire bombs and matchlock guns?"
Zhu Ying's eyes lit up. She didn't expect Ye Yueqing to be so smart, so she guessed it.
You must know that due to the limitation of vision, most people cannot even understand the structure. Ye Yueqing can guess it, which shows that he has already thought about industry to a certain extent.
And it was in these short two hours that I saw a matchlock gun for the first time, and then I went to the power-charging lathe here in the War and War Bureau, and I guessed the connection between the two.
In fact, this is also something Zhu Ying forgot.
Among the forces under Zhu Ying's command, although there is no promotion system such as elimination at the bottom, one can imagine how difficult it is to reach Ye Yueqing's level, especially for a woman.
In place of the Princess of Goryeo, while ensuring her loyalty, she also had to learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, the Goryeo language, and even the etiquette of the Goryeo royal family and the Ming royal family's etiquette.
The difficulty of this can be imagined, it is almost one of the best in a thousand.
Although Zhu Ying didn't talk to her, she started to pay attention to Ye Yueqing.
Apart from other aspects, in Zhu Ying's mind, perhaps Ye Yueqing had an extraordinary sense of industrial mechanization.
In fact, even Zhu Ying himself, in this respect, relies on his knowledge from his previous life. If he really wants to build the entire machine tool by himself, it would be a fantasy.
What he can do is to guide and better guide the current productivity of Ming Dynasty in the right direction.
In fact, as far as the current Ming Dynasty is concerned, it is leading the world in many core technologies.
For example, before this, the matchlock gun involved composite barrel technology.
It is also because of the existence of this technology that we can successfully create a barrel that can make the matchlock gun stable enough.
This technology is currently used in artillery, but the difference between guns and guns is just a matter of size.
Composite barrel technology is also called "iron core copper body" today. The cannon originally cast from pure copper was changed by craftsmen to use wrought iron to make the inner layer, and then the lost wax method was used to make the mold, and the outer copper wall was poured.
Such exclusive technology not only makes the cost of casting guns lower, but also makes the weapons stronger and more durable.
The Gunpowder Department used this technology after receiving Zhu Ying's request.
Nowadays, we do not have the ability to produce seamless steel pipes. If we want the barrel of the matchlock to withstand enough impact without being damaged by the explosion, we can only improve the technology.
That's why the current matchlock gun is much larger than the matchlock gun in Zhu Ying's previous life, especially the barrel, which is actually made of two layers of fine iron.
Daming's current similar core technologies are not limited to these, including waterwheel technology.
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, faced with constant border wars and a dilapidated internal economy, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was red-eyed, personally focused on agricultural construction.
In the 25th year of Hongwu's reign, more than 50,000 water conservancy projects have been built on rivers and ponds alone, and millions of farmers have migrated.
In this hot construction, a low-key agricultural technology, the waterwheel, played a key role.
As an "artifact" for irrigation in ancient agricultural production, ancient waterwheel technology has been the world's "highest precision" throughout the ages.
During the Song and Yuan Dynasties before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, new models such as "wind-powered waterwheels and animal-powered waterwheels" emerged earlier.
However, in the chaotic years of the late Yuan Dynasty, most of these "new tricks" were limited to individual areas, and their production contribution was very limited.
It was not until the early Ming Dynasty that Zhu Yuanzhang focused on agriculture, and officials from various places took agricultural books and drawings and taught farmers step by step how to build waterwheels.
This type of waterwheel, which was originally a "local characteristic", soon began to rumble along the north and south of the river. Now, it has helped boost the once poor Ming Dynasty, and the agricultural output value has soared.
There is also silk that is selling well all over the world, and the jacquard machine technology is the pinnacle of silk textile technology.
At present, the Ming Dynasty has not yet opened the sea. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, silk fabrics made using this jacquard machine technology allowed silver from countless overseas countries to be poured into the Ming Dynasty crazily.
After coming out of the military battle station, it was almost dusk, and Zhu Ying didn't notice it at this time.
Lan Yu behind him looked at him with completely different eyes, even vaguely filled with reverence.
Ever since she saw the matchlock gun in the Gunpowder Department in the morning and personally tested the power of the matchlock gun, Lan Yu's mentality has begun to change.
A war involves not only soldiers, but also logistics, equipment, and military power.
Lan Yu, who has experienced many years of war, naturally understands these things.
Although he has not seen Zhu Ying's ability in commanding and training troops, from today's perspective, His Highness Changsun's familiarity with military affairs, especially combat preparations, far exceeds his own.
Among them, what Lan Yu saw most deeply was the ambition of His Highness Changsun——
ps: The second update is in place. I'm a little sleepy, so I want to refresh myself with some monthly tickets.