Outside Anxi, the situation is changing dramatically.
In Anxi, things are going smoothly.
Jiang Hong Taixue's second bronze cannon was cast using the lost wax method. After several tests, it was finally declared successful.
After Zhou Jun heard the news, he took Sun Aying and a group of soldiers to the shooting range outside Qiuci Town.
Seeing a group of craftsmen unloading this shiny bronze heavy object from the cart, Zhou Jun let out a heartfelt sigh.
The total length of this bronze artillery piece is 1.1 meters. Together with the lugs and mount, the total weight is 216 kilograms. The caliber is about 57 mm. The cannonballs use iron bullets.
Mao Shun directed the craftsmen to set up the artillery, then used a mound in the distance as a target and adjusted the elevation angle according to the distance.
Jaber and his apprentices carefully carried a small barrel of gunpowder.
Open the lid of the gunpowder barrel, and inside there are small grids separated by fabric and wooden boards.
In each grid, there is a paper package sealed with wax paper.
Seeing Zhou Jun watching carefully, Jabir explained: "The burning speed of granular gunpowder is about three times that of powdered gunpowder, and the power is twice that of the latter. Because the reaction is too violent, if the charge is not strictly in accordance with the ratio
The high temperature and impact caused by weighing and weighing are likely to damage the gun barrel. Therefore, we always pack the granular gunpowder in advance and take it out when we want to use it."
Mao Shun added on the side: "If granular gunpowder is used for this bronze artillery, the advantage is that the power and range can be greatly improved, and cleaning the barrel is easier, but the disadvantage is that the pressure on the barrel is greater, and frequent firing may cause damage to the gun.
However, if powdered gunpowder is used, everything is reversed. Although the power and range are reduced and cleaning the barrel becomes troublesome, the pressure on the barrel is smaller and damage is less likely to occur."
Zhou Jun was stunned after hearing this. He had not thought that the original granular gunpowder was too powerful, which was not necessarily a good thing. After all, the research and development of gun barrel materials is still in its infancy. The bronze material used in the gun barrel still needs to be developed.
Only through constant mixing and debugging can the most suitable model of granular gunpowder be determined.
After loading gunpowder and shells, Mao Shun signaled everyone to retreat to the rear.
A craftsman held a bamboo pole several meters long with a fire fuse tied to the top, and carefully leaned against the fuse of the artillery piece.
Seeing Sun Aying standing in front of him, Zhou Jun didn't realize what was going to happen next, so he stretched out his hand to pull the latter over and made him squat down.
While Sun Aying was still confused, he heard a deafening loud noise that resounded over the entire shooting range.
The earth trembled and dust flew up.
The entire venue was suddenly enveloped in a burst of smoke.
When the surroundings slowly calmed down, Zhou Jun stood up and looked into the distance, only to see a burst of smoke and dust appearing on the mound in the distance.
With a group of craftsmen and soldiers, Zhou Jun walked forward and came to the mound that served as the target.
I saw that the cannonball first shattered a stone slab the thickness of my fist, and then became deeply embedded in the soil below.
Zhou Jun looked back and asked Mao Shun: "How far is it from the artillery?"
Mao Shun: "Two hundred and sixty steps."
Zhou Jun made some calculations in his mind.
In the Tang Dynasty, one step was 1.5 meters, and 260 steps was 390 meters; the killing range of an archer in the army was 60 steps, and a marksman could kill an enemy with a bow of 100 steps.
Being able to reach this range and retain such power is already a very good achievement for an early bronze artillery piece.
Zhou Jun turned back to Mao Shun and said: "I hope to install such artillery in the army. If construction starts, how many can be built?"
Mao Shun: "The barrel materials still need to be continuously improved. I'm afraid it will take some time before the design can be finalized. When does Zhou Erlang plan to have it?"
Zhou Jun thought for a moment and replied: "Before the end of this year."
Mao Shun: "It's September now. Due to confidentiality issues, there shouldn't be many craftsmen, so the gun factory can deliver up to six guns before the end of the year."
Zhou Jun nodded first, then asked: "How much does such a cannon cost?"
Mao Shun thought for a while and reported a number.
After hearing this, Zhou Jun frowned slightly.
Although the saying that a cannon fires a thousand taels of gold is just a joke, once the war enters the era of hot weapons, the expenditure will be really heartbreaking.
After leaving the artillery factory and returning to his mansion, Zhou Jun began to think about the Duzhi of the current Anxi Protectorate.
The original establishment of the Anxi Army was 20,000 people. The prisoners rescued by Dashi were nearly 10,000 people, and the Guiyi Army was close to 5,000 people.
Taken together, there are 35,000 regular troops.
Although the imperial court also allocated money to Anxi in terms of military pay, it was still a drop in the bucket and could only be said to be better than nothing.
As for the development of farming in Anxi, it is just in its infancy. It will still take some time to harvest, and even if there is a bumper harvest, it may not solve the problem.
Zhou Jun summed it up and found that the key to the problem lies in population.
The current population of Anxi is only 250,000.
In other words, every seven civilians must support one soldier. This puts great pressure on people's livelihood.
On the other hand, in Anxi today, labor is needed everywhere, whether it is farming, logging, mining, silk production, workshops, imperial education, etc. In Shazhou, due to Dr. Cui and others exploiting trade routes, the routes for refugees to enter Anxi are temporarily limited.
Interrupt.
Therefore, under the premise of insufficient population, how to deal with the subsequent Duzhi in Anxi has become an extremely difficult problem.
Just when Zhou Jun had a headache, the military guard outside the door came to report that someone from Jianhong Taixue had come to visit.
Zhou Jun entered the side hall and saw two women, one was Peng Po, who was in charge of the weaving and spinning department, and the other was Dong Yanniang, who was in charge of the glaze and porcelain department.
After a while of greetings, Granny Peng took something out of her arms and presented it to Zhou Jun.
The latter took the thing and found it was a ball of white yarn.
Looking at it carefully again, Zhou Jun was surprised to find that the white gauze was not a ball of raw silk, but a fluffier and thicker cotton gauze.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Zhou Jun was overjoyed with the cotton yarn in his hand and asked Granny Peng: "I remember saying before that if cotton is to be spun into yarn, there are several processes that are extremely difficult. Nowadays they are all
solved?"
Granny Peng: "Nowadays, there are ways to deal with the processes of grating, removing impurities, blending cotton, and rolling. However, the ball in Duhu's hand is still coarse cotton yarn. If you want to weave it into fine yarn, you still have to do it.
It requires combing, twisting, winding, thinning and other processes."
Zhou Jun nodded after hearing this: "Roving also has uses. In the army, fur, linen and braziers are mostly used to keep out the cold. Now that we have cotton yarn, we no longer have to worry about getting cold in the snow."
Po Peng smiled and nodded, then turned her gaze to Dong Yanniang beside her, gesturing for her to come forward and speak.
Dong Yanniang mustered up her courage and picked up a square box from beside her.
Under Zhou Jun's gaze, Dong Yanniang opened the square box and saw that the interior was divided into two layers.
There was a porcelain bowl on the upper floor. Zhou Jun picked it up and looked at it. He found that the bowl was rough and loose, beige in color, and had poor sintering. The glaze on the bowl was white and yellowish, with some crystal spots, which was unusual.
The porcelain in the markets I visited was no different.
Just when Zhou Jun was confused, Dong Yanniang picked up another porcelain bowl wrapped in oil paper from the lower floor and presented it to Zhou Jun.
The latter took the second porcelain bowl and just glanced at it, his eyes widened and he could no longer look away.
The body of the second porcelain bowl is obviously much thicker. The shape of the bowl is thick and full. The cyan glaze has strong coloring power and bright color. Although there are still a few spots, it is almost difficult to see if you don't observe carefully.
Zhou Jun took the second porcelain bowl, took a deep breath, and his voice trembled slightly: "Is the celadon finished?"
Dong Yanniang: "Someone found the most suitable hard clay for burning porcelain in the Baishan Mountain (Ajietian Mountain) north of Qiuci, and found the most suitable soft clay for burning porcelain in the Liusha River (Kongque River) east of Yanqi. After repeated experiments,
After careful mixing and experimentation, I finally got the best china clay formula."
Zhou Jun: "What about this glaze?"
Dong Yanniang: "The glaze of celadon is thanks to the great foodie Jabir. He used alchemical distillation and purification to remove the impurities in the glaze ore, making the celadon more convenient and more stable."
Zhou Jun carefully placed the porcelain bowl in his hand on the table and asked: "How many good products can be produced by firing a kiln of Anxi celadon?"
Dong Yanniang: "It's about 50% now. Once you become more proficient, it can rise to 70%."
After hearing this, Zhou Jun couldn't hold back his joy and said with a smile: "The Anxi Duzhi issue has finally been resolved!"