After the first spear head was forged, they rested for a while. While the grinding and sharpening processes were still in progress, the blacksmiths began the next round of forging. Chen Kai sat in the office room and roughly estimated

About the time the sound of hammering stopped, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly unconsciously.

Time flew by, and it was already lunch time. Chen Kai inspected the kitchen as usual and watched the craftsmen receive the meals. Today it was still multi-grain rice, pickles, and green vegetable and shrimp skin soup, but the other dish was no longer the same as yesterday.

The fried sesame leaves with Puning bean paste were replaced with hot braised tofu. It is said that the kitchen has just reached a "strategic partnership" with a tofu shop in the city, so in the future, dishes made with tofu will probably be available every now and then.

Come here, I might have to have it every day.

Chen Kai was observing from the side, and the craftsmen and handymen who received the meals saluted him one after another. The handymen were fine, they were nothing more than physical labor of moving and carrying, and the workload did not change much, but the craftsmen in Chen Kai's

Under the new working method, I seem much more tired than usual. But in this fatigue, there is also a hint of excitement.

According to Wang Fugui's report, in one morning, three blacksmith groups each forged three gun heads, six of which were polished and edged, and handed over to the carpenter to install the gun shaft and Hongying. The remaining three

They were all hurriedly typed out near lunch time, and the grinding and sharpening processes were left in the afternoon.

Chen Kai was happy to see the hope of success. He watched the craftsmen receive their meals, and even those who received them early had already started refilling their bowls. Chen Kai confirmed the effective implementation of the bowl refill system before returning to official duties.

He went to his room to eat his already cold lunch.

After lunch and a short rest, the symphony in the factory area sounded again. Chen Kai left the office, turned around and entered the arsenal where Shu Xuzi worked, and then asked him: "Mr. Cai, last month's

The monthly payment should be distributed today."

"The report for joining the army was sent yesterday as usual. After checking the individual's work last month, some deductions were made as appropriate. It should be paid out today."

The deductions mentioned by Rat Beard are not only caused by incomplete work and damaged tools, but also corruption. This is where You Er deducted the craftsmen's monthly wages and started with this.

"Bring me the penalty record."

After hearing this, Mouse Beard took out a book from the desk and handed it to Chen Kai with both hands. Chen Kai read it carefully and then said to Mouse Beard: "Last month's fine was waived."

"Yes, I will go to Qingyin Store to exchange every piece of silver."

Silver taels of different metals, currency and banknotes have an amount indicated. Ancient people often either used copper coins or cut the silver into appropriate weights to find money. Because of this, there was room for the silver ingots to be melted and minted. They would break them into pieces.

Silver is smelted into silver ingots, and large ingots of silver are also smelted into smaller ingots that are easier to spend, charging fire and labor costs to make a living. Of course, there are also some methods, such as adding lead and copper to the silver.

For metals, it is even said that there are genuine ingots that are forged in their entirety, which can be said to be similar to the counterfeit coins of later generations.

With that said, Mouse Beard was about to take the ingot of silver that he had handed out and walk out. Chen Kai glanced at him and called him.

"Mr. Cai."

"The villain is here."

Mouse Beard turned around and saluted. Chen Kai looked at the accounting room and then said to him: "Mr. Cai not only has to take care of the accounts, but also assumes part of the responsibilities of care. He also owns half of the family in this weapons workshop. He is a

The monthly salary of the accountant is indeed short. I am thinking about it. When these weapons are finished, I will propose to Mr. Guo to give Mr. Cai a monthly salary increase as a reward."

The carrot falling from the sky smashed the mouse's beard, and the man quickly fell to the ground, saying every word of kindness and compassion made Chen Kai seem like his reborn parent. However,

Chen Kai's move was not just about wooing him. At least before he decided to do this, he had not even thought about wooing this guy who was accustomed to watching the wind.

"My promotion is one of them. Mr. Cai must also keep his integrity and do his best. Now that the national surname has just begun to rise, when more lost ground will be recovered in the future, some old people who have been following for a long time must be promoted. By then, it will not only be

It’s just a small matter to get a monthly salary increase. It’s not unimaginable to say that it’s the county magistrate, the chief registrar or something like that.”

After saying that, Chen Kai left the arsenal with a smile, leaving Mousezi stunned for a long time, and finally managed to regain his composure by slapping himself in the mouth.

What Chen Kai just said is human nature. Although he is just an accountant, he can also read and do arithmetic. He has a natural advantage over those illiterate people who cannot read a single big character. What's more, he is in a hurry at this time.

It is also excellent. If Zheng Chenggong can really rise, there will always be opportunities. The only difference is his own efforts and the appreciation of his boss.

Mouse Beard's small eyes were rolling around, and he soon realized what Chen Kai meant, even though he was covered in cold sweat.

At this time, Chen Kai had already left the small courtyard. Mouse Xuzi wiped his sweat and quickly collected the large ingots of silver. He also asked Ke Chenmei to send someone to "escort" him to the Qingyin Store to exchange the silver.

The weight is suitable for distribution, and the matter must be completed before Chen Kai pays his wages.

Throughout the afternoon, Chen Kai still sat alone in the office room. The noise in the factory area was the same as in the morning. If it weren't for the weather getting colder and the sky getting darker, some people might think it was the morning all over again.

As in the morning, there were still three iron spearheads forged by each group. The fastest was the group of two blacksmiths, and the slowest group, Tang Quanyou, had finished the work before the late roll call.

.However, because the grinding and sharpening work was different from before, it started right after lunch, so a total of nine gun heads were sharpened and the efficiency was greatly improved.

The task of 18 spears a day was still not completed. Even taking 18 spear heads was not completely completed, but the number of 18 had been achieved. When the roll call came, the craftsmen first paid tribute to these craftsmen.

evaluation of.

"Our ancestors have never thought of division of labor. It is better to join the army, otherwise we would never even dream of it."

The craftsmanship of ancient craftsmen has been passed down, and may have been developed in the process, but it is still inseparable from the category of handicrafts. It is the most normal thing for a craftsman to complete all the processes alone. In Chen Kai's era, China had the world's largest

The nickname of the factory, what about large-scale industrial production, what division of labor and cooperation, what standardization, what assembly line operations, etc., etc., that is the most normal situation. This is just a decomposition process and division of labor, if it is not on the threshold, it is not like other

That many requires a certain technical and mechanical production foundation. Chen Kai would feel embarrassed if he could only produce 18 gun heads in one day.

But no matter what, with these limited number of blacksmiths, the big promise of producing 18 gun heads a day has been achieved, and it is not forced by overtime work, but can be copied!

"You don't need to belittle yourselves. If you hadn't worked hard, no matter how good the method is, it will be difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice, and she will never be able to accomplish anything."

The officials I had seen in the past all used them as livestock, but there was no one like Chen Kai. At this moment, their eyes were all red with praise, and when Chen Kai handed down the industrial silver, these craftsmen

They took last month's ICBC and prostrated themselves on the ground, expressing their gratitude to Chen Kai.

Mouse Beard was specifically mentioned by Chen Kai. He knew what he was doing, so he asked Ke Chenmei to send someone as an escort, which was actually proof - to prove to Chen Kai that he did not do anything with the silver coins.

The inclusion of other metals in it is also a problem with the town hall's warehouse and has nothing to do with it.

The silver content of this batch of ICBC is within the normal range, and it has not been deducted. Not to mention the small scale specially used by Mouse Xuzi to weigh it, even if you hold it in your hand and weigh it, you can feel it.

How much thought did Chen Kai put into this?

"No official has ever treated these untouchables like me as human beings and exploited and bullied them everywhere. However, it has only been a few days since I joined the army and took over the workshop, and my life has been far better than before. It is really difficult for us to repay this kindness.

You can only repay the profound gift of joining the army by working hard."

The craftsmen burst into tears with gratitude, but Chen Kai sighed. Since ancient times, the efficiency of government-run operations has been lower than that of private operations, and the efficiency of government-run operations has been lower than that of commercial operations, and even inferior to government-supervised commercial operations. In the final analysis, officials cannot control costs, cannot find markets, and mobilize

Without the workers' enthusiasm for production, there is also exploitation and bullying, and the workers are treated like animals. If this is the case, and the workers are still willing to work hard for the officials, then they are truly "mean".

Although Chen Kai's current identity is that of an official who was recruited by Zheng Chenggong to recruit generals to join the army, his official status is the same as his fabricated origin, and he does not have a sense of his own identity. He lacks class consciousness, and even more

The important thing is that he has been immersed in the society of later generations, so this move is definitely different.

From the first time he entered the workshop, Chen Kai saw the problem with the management of the supervisor's whip. When he took care of You Er, he first made a fuss in the morning, and then made a fuss at noon, which really cost a lot.

time. But when work was about to end, the craftsmen still completed the day's tasks. If they said that they were not deliberately lazy on weekdays, Chen Kai would never believe it.

Because of this, Chen Kai further confirmed that the method of "coercion and inducement" can increase production, even just from 3 to 4 per group per day. In fact, it is not without factors that the craftsmen are not adaptable to the change of frequency on the first day.

.

Now, by decomposing the process and dividing labor, they have finally achieved their goal. Chen Kai had previously insisted that they could do it. At this moment, looking at those spears and spear heads, these craftsmen felt even more impressed by Chen Kai.

He has extraordinary abilities and must be trusted by Zheng Chenggong. If he further makes up his mind to follow Chen Kai and work hard, he will always be able to live a better life.

"I have already said it before, gentlemen, there is no need to belittle yourselves. The ancestral system of the country and dynasty means that craftsmen can also be officials. It is better not to mention untouchables or anything like that."

"ah?"

Chen Kai's statement shocked them. In fact, it was not just rural villagers like them. In the era of information explosion in later generations, most people also insisted that the status of craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty was low, even lower than that of military households.

No. This is a common phenomenon, but there are many special cases, but they are not well known.

"You may think this is a fantasy, but I remember that during the Yongle period, even under Emperor Chun and Emperor Su, there were craftsmen who sat in the high position of minister of the Ministry of Industry, and one of them even achieved this

Minister of the Ministry of Industry. (Note)"

Chen Kai was able to achieve a multiple leap in production, even if it was more absurd, the credibility of his words would naturally become absolutely credible. After hearing this, Tang Quanyou swallowed, and then said cautiously, as if

It was because he was afraid that if he spoke out, he would insult those high-ranking officials.

"Well, even if it requires a master-level craftsman, I really don't dare, dare not..."

However, with everyone in front of him like this, Chen Kai picked up a spear head, shook his head and said: "Skills are like this spear head. They are tempered and polished. You have to think more and be kind, and you will always learn something."

In fact, even if the harvest is not as good as that of the predecessors, being the official of the Ministry of Industry, the local official in charge of construction, or even just the head craftsman in this weapons workshop is still an improvement. The future of craftsmen,

It’s not and it shouldn’t be dark.”

Not to mention winning over people's hearts and relying on promotion for brainwashing, the spirit of craftsmanship must also be well cared for. Chen Kai's impassioned speech received an enthusiastic response from everyone, from the oldest Lin Zhengzhong to the youngest Tang Ming, regardless of

Whether it is the master or the apprentices, the excitement of the spirit transcends the fatigue of the body, and the whole person becomes energetic.

At this moment, an existence called hope illuminated the originally dark weapons workshop.

Note: The social status of craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty was relatively low. This is a common phenomenon, but those who have the opportunity and ability are not without a way to get ahead.

Based on Xie Zhaozhe's "Wuzazu", Wang Shizhen's "Yanshantang Collection", Jiao Hong's "Guochao Xianzhenglu", Gu Zhentao's "Wumen Biaoyin", Shen Defu's "Wanli Yehuobian", etc.

Numerous historical records show that there were many craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty who gained official positions by relying on their craftsmanship. For example, the stonemason Lu Xiang, the carpenters Kuai Fu, Kuai Xiang, Kuai Gang, Kuai Yi, and Guo Wenying all had some experience in craftsmanship.

Xu Gao, a carpenter from the Jiajing Dynasty, even served as Minister of the Ministry of Industry. If Xu Jie had not stopped him, Emperor Jiajing would have given him the title of Taibao.
Chapter completed!