"1,500 flintlock muskets, including 1,200 long guns and 300 short guns; 2,400 grenades; 150 explosive packets; 60 small cannons..."
In the Su's Industrial Park in Liangxiang, Lu Xiuer, Xu Guangqi, Luo Yuqing, Hao Qing and others looked at the list sent by Su Hao and were all speechless. In the past, they could not even think about such a large quantity of products.
I didn't dare to think about it, but now I have to build them with my own hands. Su Hao explained the time limit in the letter, requiring that all the equipment must be in place within three months. After that, there will be new ones.
The order arrives.
According to the results of everyone's separate calculations, the cost of materials, labor, etc. required to produce all these equipments totals nearly 20,000 taels of silver. However, you don't have to worry about this money, because among all these equipments, three
One-third will be handed over to the Ministry of War, and the other two-thirds will be sent to the Kanyu Camp. For this one-third of the equipment, the Ministry of War will have to pay a total of 30,000 taels of silver to the Su Industrial Park. In other words
, In this transaction, Su Hao not only picked up two-thirds of the total equipment for nothing, but also made a profit of 10,000 taels of silver.
This is what Wang Yi'e said about the method of making up for the losses within the embankment. The Ministry of War needs to buy equipment, and the equipment in Su's Industrial Park has been tested in actual combat and proven to have good performance. So what is wrong with the Ministry of War purchasing equipment from the Su family? As for the price
, in the entire Ming Dynasty, who can give the price of yellow explosives, and who can say how much a flintlock gun is worth? Only Su Industrial Park can produce these equipment, so Su Hao doesn't have the final say in terms of price?
Some of the flintlock muskets and other firearms purchased by the Ministry of War from the Su Industrial Park will be sent to Jiubian for trial use by the army on each side. If they are interested in these firearms, they can order from Su Hao through the Ministry of War, but the cost will be
He could only take care of himself. Su Hao also assured Wang Yi'e through Chen Dao that he would gradually reduce the production cost of firearms to a level that could eventually meet the needs of the military.
After Wanli inspected Su's Industrial Park, Li Long followed Wanli's orders and sent several eunuchs from the inner court to supervise the production of firearms in the industrial park. This was equivalent to providing a legal basis for the manufacture of these firearms.
Name. The strange thing is that the workshop supervised by the stewards and eunuchs is only responsible for the last link of firearm production, more specifically, the packaging link. The previous links are still completed by Su's Industrial Park.
This workshop, bearing the brand name of the Inner Court Arms Bureau, purchases nearly finished firearms from the Su Industrial Park, stamps its own brand, and then provides them to the outside world. In this way, the production of firearms is nominally completed by the Inner Court, and is provided to the Inner Court by the Inner Court.
It was provided by the military, but the profits stayed in Su Hao's hands. Only a lucky person like Su Hao could enjoy such a good thing.
Of course, Su Hao would not go it alone. He promised Li Long that 30% of the profits from firearms would be used as Li Long's dividend. As for how much Li Long would give to Wanli, that was beyond Su Hao's control.
.
"We have to complete the production of 1,500 flintlock muskets within three months, so there is not enough manpower." Hao Qing said.
Lu Xiuer said: "It's better to let my little sister take care of this matter. A few days ago, Eunuch Li specially explained that our place is also a workshop of the inner court. If we don't have enough manpower, we can borrow it from the Ordnance Bureau and the Staff Bureau of the inner court."
If some of them come over, we just need to pay the craftsmen money for their work and food."
"That's great." Hao Qing said happily, "I heard my father say that there are some good craftsmen in the Ordnance Bureau and the Weapons Bureau. Their craftsmanship is very good. If I can get their help, I will be confident.
These guns were built in three months."
Lu Xiuer pursed her lips and smiled and said: "Brother Hao, my brother also specifically warned me in the letter that after these craftsmen arrive, please ask Brother Hao to select them and see which ones are worth keeping."
"Keep it for use?" Hao Qing asked in surprise, "Aren't these craftsmen borrowed?"
Lu Xiuer said: "My brother said that it would be a pity to keep such good craftsmen in the inner court. If we think it is good, we can give them more money and keep them. As for the Ordnance Bureau and the Staff Bureau, let
Eunuch Li can just go and inform you."
"Is this okay?" Hao Qing grinned widely.
Lu Xiuer said: "My brother said that our Su's Industrial Park will increase the production scale in the future, so there is no harm in having more manpower. He said this: skilled workers are the richest wealth. Brother Hao, you understand
Is this what you mean?"
"I understand, I understand." Hao Qing replied repeatedly.
Xu Guangqi reminded: "Brother Hao, it's not enough to have craftsmen. We also need to build a few more drilling machines and punching machines. If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. This is a principle that Kaizhi often says."
Hao Qing said: "Don't worry, Mr. Xu, I don't dare to delay this matter. Don't mention it. This drill press and punch press seem to be very simple things, but they are really useful. In the past, you had to be an experienced person to drill gun barrels."
It can only be done by force, but the work is slow and often the drill is useless. Now with this drill press, a young man can operate it, and the drilled barrels are neat, and one person can work faster than 10 people in the past."
Xu Guangqi said with emotion: "I have always been told that the future industry will be mass production by machines. Now I am beginning to understand it. If craftsmen do things by hand, they can be done by machines. Think about it, a machine
If we can compete with 10 top craftsmen, how fast can we build things?"
"Then please ask Mr. Xu to invent more good machines for craftsmen like us." Hao Qing said sincerely.
After discussing the matter of machining, everyone began to discuss issues such as explosive production and steel smelting.
The explosives factory in charge of Luo Yuqing has now developed several different explosive products, including propellants used in guns and cannons. Using propellants made of yellow explosives, the range of flintlock guns and small artillery has increased several times.
, the power is also more powerful than before.
With the commissioning of a set of "cylinder tower method" production equipment, the output of sulfuric acid has increased dozens of times compared with the past, which has also increased the output of explosives. The so-called "cylinder tower method" is actually a combination of modern sulfuric acid industry.
The expensive lead chamber was replaced with a traditional water tank. The water tanks were connected with ceramic pipes, and the tanks were connected to form a complete sulfuric acid extraction device.
The first people to invent this method were the talented experts from the Industrial Department of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region of the Eighth Route Army in later generations. They used this method to establish the Eighth Route Army's arms factory in Dayangou Village, Tang County, Hebei, and produced nitroglycerine, thunder
Mercury, detonators, mono-based and base-less smokeless explosives and other materials. Su Hao once visited the old site of this factory. After returning to the Ming Dynasty, he simply copied this set of equipment. Of course, manufacturing and debugging
The process is all completed by excellent craftsmen like Hao Qing.
The situation of steel smelting is similar. In the industrial park, several blast furnaces were built to smelt pig iron and steel. Su Hao put forward suggestions for improving steel products from the perspectives of desulfurization, carburization, and adding other minerals. The blacksmiths
After repeated trials, more than a dozen different production processes were finally determined, and the steel products produced were significantly better than traditional products. In addition to being used for the Su's own ironware production in the Su's Industrial Park, these steel and pig iron can also be exported to some extent. Su
Shi's steel, Su's steel, etc. are all vaguely known as well-known brands in the market.
The technological progress of Su's Industrial Park is based on investment regardless of cost. Su Hao told Xu Guangqi and others the basic development ideas, and then asked them to conduct experiments repeatedly, even if these experiments cost thousands
Two calculations of silver. Sometimes, Xu Guangqi, Luo Yuqing and others felt that they spent too much money and could not see the actual results, so they hesitated whether to continue the research. But Su Hao, who was far away in Huai'an, gave instructions through letters
Lu Xiuer, we must continue to fund these researches until the envisioned products are developed.
Businessmen Dong Tianzhang, Yang Laizhen, Xiong Ji and others continued to sell the luxury goods produced in the Su Industrial Park, earning Su Hao a lot of money. This allowed Su Hao to maintain investment in technology. At present, in the early stage
The investment has achieved obvious results, and the application of some new technologies has begun to bring new profit growth points to Su's Industrial Park, realizing the virtuous cycle of mutual promotion of scientific research and production envisioned by Su Hao.
"One-third of these guns will be given to the Ministry of War, and two-thirds will be given to our survey camp. This means that the survey camp will use 1,000 guns and 40 small cannons. How many soldiers and generals will Mr. Su have to manage?
?" Hao Qing suddenly became interested in gossip and began to ask others.
Xu Guangqi said: "The Ministry of War has issued an official document, and Gai Zhi has been promoted to garrison, with 2,700 people under his jurisdiction. Judging from Gai Zhi's request for these firearms, the survey camp will definitely be a firearms-based team in the future. There are so many equipments.
Except for a few Beijing camps, there are not many teams with sophisticated firearms in the entire Ming Dynasty."
"In my opinion, Your Majesty has high hopes for the reform. Brother Zi, if we follow the reform, we are indeed on the right track." Luo Yuqing said with a silly smile.
Xu Guangqi said: "Ever since I had a long night's chat with Gai Zhi at Qiaosheyi, I know that Gai Zhi is an extraordinary person and will definitely have a bright future. However, what attracts me most is not his future, but his future.
It's the knowledge he has in his belly. Unfortunately, he has many official duties and has no time to teach all this knowledge to us. I just scratched the surface and felt that I have benefited a lot. If I could learn more,
What a state that must be.”
"There will be a chance, Brother Zi Xian. Let's seize the time to get the change delivered first." Luo Yuqing said.
"Yes, yes, we have to plan carefully and see how to arrange the craftsmen so that these firearms can be completed on time." Xu Guangqi said, laying out the paper and starting to calculate the investment in people, money and materials one by one.
The entire Su Industrial Park began to operate at high speed, and various arms and resources were continuously sent to Huai'an through the canal channel and distributed to the soldiers of the Kanyu Battalion. (To be continued. Please search Piao Tian Literature, novels