As soon as Su Hao said the words, he knew that he was wrong. He used the craftsmanship standards of later generations of Browning to evaluate the handguns of the Ming Dynasty. Isn't this hurtful to one's self-esteem? Hearing Hao Tong's question, he said with a smile:
"Brother Hao misunderstood. I meant that the craftsmanship of this gun is indeed very fine. At least it is unparalleled among the iron tools I have seen."
"Master Su is overly praised..." Hao Tong felt a little more comfortable now. Unexpectedly, before he could say a few more words on the scene, Su Hao's next words made him depressed again.
"However, this gun is still a little heavier because the material is not up to standard. If the iron can be desulfurized more fully during the smelting process... Well, I mean, if the iron can be made purer, then the gun barrel will be better
The thickness can be reduced, and the gun will become lighter and more durable." Su Hao commented from the perspective of a science and engineering man.
"That's true." Hao Tong rolled his eyes. He knew that what Su Hao said was right. If the quality of cast iron could be better, the quality of firecrackers would certainly be improved. But high-quality cast iron is so easy to obtain.
Really? Su Hao could stand and talk without pain in his back.
"Master Su has also seen this gunpowder now. Do you think there is any way to make the gunpowder loading faster?" Hao Tong asked.
Su Hao said: "This is actually very simple. Brother Hao just said that in order to speed up the loading, you weighed the gunpowder in advance and wrapped it in paper into small packages. The extra time you spent was just opening the paper package and putting it into the fire.
The time it takes to pour the gunpowder into the gun. If you put the gunpowder and the wrapping paper into the gun, wouldn't you be able to save a lot of time?"
Before the invention of the ejector, there were paper-shell bullets made of nitrated paper in the history of muskets, which were considered the prototype of modern bullets. The difference between paper-shell bullets and modern bullets is that the paper shell packaging the gunpowder will interact with the fire-
The medicine is burned together in the barrel of the gun. This is also an expedient measure because the muzzle-loading gun cannot eject the cartridge case. Although Su Hao does not understand the technical details, for a modern technician, knowing the principle is enough to solve the problem.
These are the questions.
"It's a good idea to just put the wrapping paper into the barrel of the gun..." Hao Tong simulated the loading process in his mind, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
After listening to the conversation between Su Hao and Hao Tong, Tu Wenhuan suddenly asked: "Brother Su, since you have such experience with this kind of flintlock gun, do you have the ability to make one for us to see?"
"Me?" Su Hao said in surprise, "How can I make a musket?"
Tu Wenhuan said: "Brother Su is proficient in the Yi people's way of studying things. You just talked about the mechanism of this flintlock gun. It can be said that you are very knowledgeable. If you find some skilled craftsmen and give guidance to Brother Su, you may be able to build a gun like this."
Unknown. Brother Su, when I heard you talk about the power of this flintlock gun, I felt both happy and worried. What I am happy about is that if this kind of flintlock gun can be owned by our Ming Dynasty, then our soldiers will be able to reduce their losses on the battlefield.
Countless blood. What is worrying is that if our enemies of the Ming Dynasty possess this kind of flintlock gun, then our country, the Ming Dynasty, will be in trouble."
"This..." Su Hao took a breath. He thought about doing something for the revival of the Ming Dynasty, but all the time, he just wanted to use his knowledge of geology to create more wealth for the country and let
The country has become more prosperous and powerful. Directly intervening in the military is something he has never thought about, because in his mind, the military matter is too far away from him.
"Mr. Tu, it seems there is some inconvenience for my master to do this." Chen Guanyu, who was sitting aside, saw that Su Hao had a troubled expression and quickly intervened to help Su Hao.
"Why did Master Chen say this?" Tu Wenhuan asked Chen Guanyu.
Chen Guanyu said: "In accordance with the law of the Ming Dynasty, people are not allowed to make weapons privately, let alone sharp weapons like fire guns. If my master Su makes fire guns privately, I am afraid that the Qianhu Station of the Jinyi Guard stationed in Nanchang Prefecture will come to us.
Already."
"Jinyiwei?" Tu Wenhuan chuckled disapprovingly, "This is quite simple."
Su Hao asked: "How to say?"
Tu Wenhuan said: "Zhang Hong, the chief seal of the Jiangxi Dusi, used to serve in the Ministry of War and had some personal relations with me. In addition, General Wuqiao worshiped as the deputy chief soldier. Although he was guarding Tengchong and Yao'an in Yunnan, the Jiangxi Dusi also
You have to give him some face. Since Brother Su is entrusted by me to try out the flintlock gun, I will naturally ask for a permission document from the capital for you, so that the Jin Yiwei will not cause trouble for you."
"Uh..." Chen Guanyu was speechless. He had forgotten that Tu Wenhuan was originally from the military. Su Hao tried to make weapons for Tu Wenhuan. It was indeed not a private weapon.
"To make a qualified flintlock gun, there are many links involved. First of all, to solve the problem of cast iron smelting, we need to design a small blast furnace and crucible. Secondly, there are related processing techniques. I don't know
Can we find enough good craftsmen in Fengcheng? Also, the formula of gunpowder may also need to be improved. I don't have a clue in this regard. It may also require a lot of experiments..." Su Hao counted the existence with his fingers.
Difficulties.
"The problem of craftsmen..." Tu Wenhuan thought for a while and said, "There is an Ordnance Bureau under the Chief Secretary, and there are some good craftsmen in it. However, I am worried that if this matter is left to the Ordnance Bureau, I will leave.
There is a lot of red tape. If you report it to those rotten people at the Ministry of Industry, they might get a no, which is not good. Brother Su, it is best to try to find some craftsmen among the people. If it doesn't work, I will contact the Ordnance Bureau for you.
Bar."
Tu Wenhuan actually had something he didn't say, which was that he was worried that once the idea of the flintlock gun was handed over to the Ordnance Bureau, he would have to go through the cumbersome procedures within the Ming Dynasty system. By then, the fusiliary gun might be
It cannot be developed at all, or even if it is developed, it will be given priority to the battalions of the capital, and it will not be the turn of the Yunnan frontier army. Besides, based on what Tu Wenhuan knew when he was in the Ministry of War, those in the Ordnance Bureau can still make some swords, guns and armor.
It was passable, but the pass rate for making fire muskets was really appalling. The manufacturing process of flintlock muskets was much more complicated than traditional fire muskets. Tu Wenhuan really had no confidence in whether the Ordnance Bureau could make a qualified flintlock musket.
"Let me find a way to solve the craftsmen's problem." Su Hao said. Tu Wenhuan had spoken to this extent, and Su Hao knew that it was difficult for him to refuse. Deng Kui, Hao Tong and others all stared at him with burning eyes, as if
It was full of hope, which made Su Hao feel that this matter was obligatory. After all, the flintlock gun was something that Europeans had been able to create in the 17th century. Su Hao believed that with his level as a senior engineering technician in the 21st century,
There should be no problem in making a flintlock gun that is as good as Europeans.
"Brother Su, how much money do you estimate it would cost to make a usable flintlock gun?" Tu Wenhuan turned to a very practical question. If Su Hao was asked to do something, it was naturally impossible for him to pay out of his own pocket.
Su Hao smiled bitterly and said: "This... it's really hard to calculate. I'm just a scholar and have no understanding of the Ming Dynasty's technical level. If all the craftsmanship problems are solved, then the cost of a gun should not be...
More than 10 taels of silver. However, the money spent on exploring these techniques in the early stage is not easy to calculate."
"I'll give you five hundred taels, can you make the first one?" Tu Wenhuan directly asked the price. He knew that what Su Hao said was true, and he wanted Su Hao to evaluate and trial-produce a flintlock gun now.
It is indeed difficult to invest. From the brief contact with Su Hao, Tu Wenhuan determined that Su Hao was an honest and reliable young man, and there was no need for him to bargain with Su Hao.
"Five hundred taels!" Chen Guanyu's mouth opened wide. He felt like there was a meteor shower in front of him, but all that fell were large pieces of silver ingots. Five hundred taels of silver, Chen Guanyu never dreamed of it.
He had never dreamed of so much money. If Tu Wenhuan had given him the money and then pointed him to a huge fire pit, he believed that he would jump in without hesitation.
Agree quickly! Agree quickly! Chen Guanyu shouted desperately to Su Hao in his heart, isn't it just a bludgeoning gun? Why can't he think of a way to figure it out?
Su Hao was thinking about another thing. He thought that Han Wen had only given him 20 taels of silver as a reward for his hard work in digging wells for the whole county. He had plagiarized a firewood-saving stove from later generations.
, was going to be promoted throughout the county, but in the end he could not earn one or two hundred taels of silver. And this Tu Wenhuan dared to throw out five hundred taels of silver just for his joke. Then the wealth of Tu Wenhuan, or Deng Zilong behind him, should be
How thick!
In fact, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the military attachés in the army were often very wealthy. Important border generals such as Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang were able to accumulate tens of thousands of dollars by deducting military pay, farming, smuggling and other businesses, and lived an extremely comfortable life.
Luxurious. Deng Zilong was guarding the Yunnan border and was able to earn a lot of extra money, so he had no financial difficulties.
"Since Mr. Tu attaches so much importance to me, it is inconvenient for me to refuse. I really can't say how much silver is needed. I would like to ask Mr. Tu to spend the next few days to understand the situation. I estimate that we need to improve the relevant aspects.
For craftsmanship, five hundred taels of silver should be more than enough." Su Hao said.
"Okay!" Tu Wenhuan said, "In that case, we have made an agreement. I will advance you five hundred taels of silver. If there is any surplus, it will be regarded as Brother Su's hard work. If the money is not enough, Brother Su will