Chapter 266: Inspection of the Gunpowder Department
Zhao Xiangxi, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family in Fengyang, Goryeo, who once wanted to seduce Zhu Ying and force her way to power, is now fully focused on the research and development of matchlock guns.
In ancient Ming Dynasty, due to restrictions on knowledge, especially state secrets such as firearms, it was almost difficult for women to have access to them.
But Zhao Xiangxi happens to have a strong talent in this area.
In fact, having said that, it is reasonable to think that Zhao Xiangxi is qualified for this task.
Zhu Ying had already decided on the research direction of the matchlock gun, so there was no need to be aimless like a headless fly.
What Zhao Xiangxi has to do is not to focus on the research and development of matchlock guns, but to manage these carpenters who are researchers.
As the eldest daughter of the family, she is naturally very familiar with this aspect, and she is very interested in firearms, so she can achieve such an achievement.
"Your Highness! Princess!"
Zhao Xiangxi, who was giving instructions in the main hall, suddenly saw two people walking in. He originally frowned and wanted to scold them.
But then he stood up and saluted respectfully.
"You're doing quite well. I just came over to see how you are doing."
As Zhu Ying spoke, the carpenters and eunuchs in the hall immediately kowtowed.
Zhu Ying waved her hand and asked them to get up and leave.
"Your Majesty, with His Majesty's favor, I am living a good life in the Gunpowder Department. I have never been exposed to firearms before. Everything here is very novel to me."
"The slaves themselves are also very interested in firearms."
Zhao Xiangxi said in a low voice, with a strong light in her eyes.
This is half true and half false.
When she saw the matchlock gun in the testing stage and the shot being fired, she was instantly conquered.
On the outside, she is a very beautiful woman, but on the inside, she is extremely strong.
Encountering a sharp weapon like the matchlock gun that can change the current mode of war is like a hawk meeting a rabbit, and it reaches a climax.
Hearing Zhao Xiangxi's words, Ye Yueqing choked up her words, but Zhu Ying didn't take it to heart.
Both of them knew that this was a very powerful woman, and just a few high-sounding words would be enough.
If you accidentally keep an eye on it, you might know the skill of the matchlock gun, and it will be leaked to Korea.
It is even very likely that they will be sold for a lot of money in exchange for glory and wealth.
Now Zhao Xiangxi seems to be very authoritative in the Gunpowder Department, but in fact he is always under surveillance and has completely cut off contact with the outside world.
In addition, Goryeo's envoys had all returned, so Zhu Ying put him in charge of the Gunpowder Department and made matchlock guns.
"Don't worry, Yue Qing will remember your contribution and mentioned it to me many times. If you achieve results by then, you will naturally be rewarded."
"Okay, let's take me to see the results."
Zhu Ying comforted her and said directly.
I don't want to waste too much time with Zhao Xiangxi.
After all, Zhu Ying is now considered to be half the head of a country. Don't have too many things in his hands. If you really get busy, you won't be able to finish them all.
At the lower levels of power, the allocation and reform of many official positions have not yet been implemented. Zhu Ying can only do it himself like an old man.
There is still a long way to go before complete liberation.
"My slave obeys the order."
When Zhao Xiangxi heard the big cake drawn by Zhu Ying, she obviously ate it in one bite.
This made her more energetic and she quickly led the way.
The Gunpowder Department was very large, and Zhao Xiangxi kept making introductions along the way.
"According to the suggestions given by Princess Yueqing, I made an overall plan for the entire Gunpowder Department and arranged all personnel in different areas."
"For example, the area in front is mainly made by masters and apprentices. It can be regarded as a teaching area."
"Here on the left is a study on the proportioning of gunpowder particles. Currently, many master craftsmen who understand gunpowder are doing the proportioning here, and a considerable number of them are recruited through private recruitment."
"The area on the right is now mainly responsible for the production of matchlock barrels. The research institute here is set up next to it."
"Here are the fire bombs..."
"Here's the match rope..."
"This way is..."
Zhao Xiangxi gave a very detailed introduction and explained it easily without any stagnation.
This shows that she is already very familiar with almost every corner of the huge Gunpowder Department.
The management model used by Zhao Xiangxi now was what Zhu Ying conveyed to Ye Yueqing.
This is an efficient management model from later generations. Of course, this is compared to the current Ming Dynasty.
Zhao Xiangxi's performance made Zhu Ying very satisfied.
Some things are simple to say.
The difficulty is that it is very critical to truly implement it.
Soon, we finally arrived at the delivery room of the matchlock gun.
This is where all spare parts are finally assembled and processed.
The people who work here are generally elderly masters, but their hands and feet are still very nimble.
You can see that next to each master's operating table, there are four or five apprentices following him to help.
Zhu Ying's entrance did not have much impact.
The master works attentively, and the apprentice also watches attentively.
It should be noted that the apprentices who can study here are almost always selected from a hundred, and there are rules for elimination at the bottom.
The one who ranks last will be promoted by the apprentices behind him.
A eunuch in charge of guardianship saw the arrival of Zhu Ying and others with keen eyes, and wanted to kowtow and pay homage, but Zhu Ying waved his hand to stop him.
Then Zhu Ying casually walked up to an old master and watched him assemble a matchlock gun.
The apprentice next to him saw the clothes on Zhu Ying's body and wanted to pay him a visit, but was still interrupted by Zhu Ying's wave.
The assembly of the matchlock gun is not just a simple assembly, but also requires high-precision polishing of many accessories, so that the matchlock gun can have better stability.
The master in front of him is polishing the barrel of the gun so that it can be easily installed into the wooden gun handle.
Zhu Ying looked at it for a while, frowned and said: "The polishing of the barrel is not only about the outside, but also the inner wall. Especially when the barrel is in use, there will be gunpowder residue, so the barrel must be polished smoothly.
, it should be higher.”
"There is also the rifling in the barrel. If the scale is not enough, it must be deepened. Otherwise, it will be filled with gunpowder residue after only a few uses. When it is used again, the accuracy of aiming will be affected."
The master chef operating in front of him was very proud of his craftsmanship. This was what they ate, so naturally they couldn't tolerate others' pointing fingers.
Without even raising his head, the master scolded him directly: "Where are you from? You dare to teach me how to do things? I think you are going to..."
At this point, the master just looked up and saw Zhu Ying in a gorgeous uniform and Zhao Xiangxi following beside him. The words got stuck in his throat.
"Well, you old Zhangtou, you're going to die, right? You're too brave, aren't you? This is His Highness the Changsun, how dare you disrespect His Highness the Changsun!" The eunuch of the Gunpowder Department, who was following Zhu Ying, shouted angrily.
The old Zhangtou was completely frightened, and his mind was completely blank.
'It's over, my life is over.'
Lao Zhangtou immediately fell to his knees on the ground, his whole body trembling continuously.
If he collides with the royal family, especially His Highness Changsun, even if he has some backing, no one can save his life.