Returning to normalcy as soon as possible amid the chaos at the Arms Bureau is a top priority at the moment. Feng Chengshi naturally understands that, but he also needs time, so he came to plead guilty to Zheng Chenggong.

Zheng Chenggong didn't make things difficult for him. He seemed to understand why he couldn't successfully complete such a heavy task. But this understanding sounded so harsh to Feng Chengshi's ears, so harsh that even he couldn't.

After leaving Zheng Chenggong's mansion and sitting on the carriage, I kept thinking about Zheng Chenggong who lowered his head to write. Was he deliberately hiding the disappointment and pity for him in his eyes?

Feng Chengshi didn't want to think about it, and couldn't bear to think about it. When he returned to the Arms Bureau, Feng Chengshi issued an order for a three-day leave, intending to use this time to reorganize the Arms Bureau. He called a clerk and handed over the order.

After giving the order, the clerk happened to be about to knock on the door, took the order, and then sent up a report.

"Join the Army, this has just been sent from the raw material warehouse. It says that a batch of Fujian iron has been put into the warehouse. Please review it."

Fujian iron is naturally produced in Fujian, otherwise it would not be called Fujian iron. In the Ming Dynasty, Fujian iron was the best steel in the country. It was not only popular domestically, but also well-known overseas. For example, most Japanese Japanese swords were made of Fujian iron.

Made of iron, especially those that have been passed down to later generations. There are very few Japanese-made Japanese irons in Japan, all because the material is one level different.

The Ming army had long controlled the two prefectures in Fujian, and Fujian Iron had circulation channels. Even though the Qing government had always had extremely strict control, it could not put an end to smuggling.

However, when he heard the word "Fujian Iron", Feng Chengshi was immediately stunned on the spot. His expression was full of disbelief, and there were words in his mouth, all of which were doubts about "impossibility", and he didn't know if the large amount of Fujian Iron was put into the warehouse.

Maybe, or there was something else that made him unable to believe it.

There is no doubt that Fujian Iron and Steel still mainly supplies the "big iron consumer" of the Ordnance Bureau. However, the Guangdong Manufacturing Bureau does not rely on Fujian's production, even if Fujian's iron smelting industry was in the Ming Dynasty.

Truly second to none.

In Changhua County, Qiongzhou Prefecture, the existence of iron ore was also detected half a year ago. And according to the prospecting craftsmen, the scale of this iron ore is likely to be larger than the copper mine here.

Copper is the raw material for casting currency, so it is naturally more expensive than iron. However, once he heard about this, Cai Yuan, the deputy general of Changhua who was responsible for managing local affairs, quickly issued an order to allocate most of the coolies to mine iron ore and try his best to

It is possible to increase iron ore production quickly.

After the order was issued, the Green Camp soldiers who had been trained to be as obedient as slaves did not dare to complain. Under the leadership of the supervisors, they went straight to the location where the iron ore was discovered and began to work.

The iron ore is continuously transported out of the mine and sent to the bank of the Changjiang River. The water cones there smash it into pieces. Then, after sorting and other processes, it is sent to the nearby dock for shipment, and then flows down the river.

It was transported directly to the smelting workshops built in Changhua County in the past two years. Most of these workshops were for copper smelting, which confirmed the actual existence of iron mines. Cai Yuan immediately ordered the construction of iron smelting workshops.

, but the accumulation of iron ore is inevitable.

Fortunately, with the experience accumulated in digging copper mines, processing copper ores and smelting copper, the craftsmen who came here from Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau were very familiar with it and started working quickly without spending too much time. Shi Lu

The produced iron materials were shipped northward and eastward via the Qiongzhou Strait to the manufacturing bureau's headquarters in Chaozhou and the largest hydraulic workshop on the Han River.

Shilu's local area is still mainly engaged in mining, supplemented by smelting. As for the weapons manufacturing industry, it is mainly located in Chaozhou's manufacturing bureau.

This takes into account the interests of the Chaozhou Manufacturing Bureau, and because Chaozhou is located in the easternmost part of Guangdong, while Qiongzhou is almost in the westernmost part of Guangdong, it is difficult for Chen Kai to achieve timely remote control there. One to a few times in advance

It is unrealistic to place an order every month and then deliver it to Chaozhou within one to a few months of production. In this regard, Chen Kai can only take a default attitude for the time being.

The ship traveled upstream and docked at the dedicated wharf of the Han River Hydraulic Works. Civil servants unloaded the ship under the command of the clerk and transported the raw materials directly to the warehouse near the wharf.

However, this wharf has been extremely busy recently. There are always cargo ships that have to temporarily dock at other wharves, waiting for the berths here to be vacated before they can sail in. For this reason, Ding Youyi, the person in charge of Hanjiang Hydraulic Workshop, has reported to

Chen Kai made a report and stated that a new terminal needs to be built to ensure the smooth entry and exit of raw materials and finished products.

Some of the cargo ships here go upstream, but most of them go down the river. Sanheba, where the upper reaches of Hanjiang River, Meixi River, Tingjiang River, and Meitan River converge, has a large number of cargo ships going back and forth. On such a scale, those

Most of the local people who still hold on to the memories of the past two or three years were dumbfounded.

In April and May, Hao Shangjiu, the Qing Chaozhou general stationed in Chengxiang, suddenly relaxed the restrictions on the trade of ores and metals from Chengxiang, Xingning, and Changle counties to Chaozhou. The local gentry and mine owners were naturally overjoyed and hurriedly

Contact the old friends in Chaozhou and organize cargo ships to go south, eager to clear out all the inventory accumulated over the years - lest one day Mr. Hao's nerves get miswired again and he stops making money.

A large amount of ores and metals have entered the Chaozhou market, and things are more expensive when they are scarce. This is the simplest market price law, so it will naturally and inevitably affect the relevant prices.

However, the ores and metals arrived in Chaozhou, and the private smelting industry, metal manufacturing industry, and handicraft industry did have a phenomenon of lowering prices. However, the building standing on the bank of Hanjiang River is not very prominent on weekdays. At least in terms of presence, it seems to be piled up.

The manufacturing bureau, which was inferior to the manure and nitrate farms, was frantically purchasing ores and metals on the market. It even sent many personnel directly to Chengxiang, Xingning, and Changle counties to contact the mine owners there and place orders.

, already looks like a "rich man".

The receipts from the Manufacturing Bureau have leveled the market price, and the gentry and mine owners in the three counties are naturally flocking to it. In the past few years, they have cleared out all the ore and metal they have hoarded that cannot be sold, and they have also hired a large number of people to mine.

For a time, the mining and smelting industries in those three counties were flourishing, and the shipbuilding and chartering industries were also booming.

The ships along Meixi River were not enough for use, so these gentry and mine owners went to Chaozhou to buy or rent ships. A large amount of ore and metals went southward and were continuously imported into Chaozhou.

The pier has been busy day and night. Bonfires and torches are everywhere on the pier, trying their best to maintain the light here. The clerks and government officials shouted loudly, but the people did not say a word and just carried their heads with all their strength.

The raw materials were carried off the ship, and the finished products were carried onto the ship.

There's a lot of movement here, but compared to the factory area adjacent to the dock area, it's just insignificant.

The ore arrived in Chaozhou and was diverted to government-run smelters in various counties in Chaozhou. Those smelters were affiliated with the Manufacturing Bureau. All systems were formulated by Chen Kai, and many of them were copied from the former Ordnance Bureau. .In comparison, the labor enthusiasm of craftsmen is much higher than before when it was purely government-run, and the production capacity has naturally increased significantly.

In various government-run smelters, ore is smelted into metal and then transported to the manufacturing bureau via land and water transportation. And the ready-made metals are transported directly to the manufacturing bureau.

Near the dock, in rows of warehouses, each batch of raw materials is neatly placed, waiting to be called. While the workers at the dock are transporting the raw materials, there are also workers under the command to deliver the raw materials that were shipped earlier. Go to various workshops along the river.

The huge water wheel was constantly rotating. In the workshop, the water-powered blower pushed the furnace fire to an extremely high temperature. The apprentice used pliers to hold the iron materials and put them into the furnace fire for heating. Later, based on experience, the apprentice's master saw that the iron materials were heated to When it is warm enough, take it out, turn it around and place it on the iron felt.

Next, through the gears, crankshaft and other parts linked with the water wheel, the hammer hanging on the iron felt hit the iron material at a speed of nearly a hundred times per minute, causing sparks to fly.

The craftsman clamped the iron material and constantly adjusted the position and angle of the iron material under the hammer. The iron material began to deform at a speed visible to the naked eye - originally, the long iron material had been heated on the fire. It changed color, and with constant hammering, the already relatively soft iron material gradually began to become thinner, and soon turned into an iron sheet-like object. The craftsman adjusted the angle and position, and the iron sheet began to curve, and gradually , the outline is getting closer and closer to the Lancet.

After hammering for a while, the color of the iron began to recover. The craftsman took it out of the iron felt and handed it to the apprentice next to him to continue heating. He then took out another piece of iron that had just been reheated from the fire. The material continues to be beaten on the forging hammer.

This goes back and forth until at the end, a lancet embryo that has not been polished, ground and sharpened appears on the craftsman's pliers. The craftsman throws the finished blade embryo into the basket and continues to the next step. The beating of the root blade.

After a long time, after beating several knife embryos, the craftsman stopped to drink water and rest for a while. His apprentice sent the basket containing the knife embryos to the craftsman for inspection. After the inspection, the knife embryos will be sent to other workshops for pick-up. Down process.

In front of Chen Kai and his entourage, an apprentice was pushing a trolley carrying a basket to the craftsman. Ding Youyi, the supervisor of the department, introduced him, and the apprentice also knew Chen who would come over every once in a while to visit. Kai, however, did not come over and kneel down to salute. Instead, he nodded and went about his business. Everyone nearby did not show the slightest surprise at such rude behavior, and they were obviously used to it.

After seeing the row of rough machining workshops that used hydraulic forging hammers, they continued to the next workshop under the leadership of Ding Youyi.

After the rough machining of the weapon was completed, the next step was to install other parts and sharpen the weapon. Chen Kai was not very interested in the installation, but instead came to the workshop where the weapon was sharpened.

I remember that in the Ordnance Bureau, the sharp edges of every cold weapon were polished by craftsmen on the whetstone. But here, it is a table-like main structure, with a stand on the right side. The iron plate with holes is not very big. There is a wooden shaft passing through it. The wooden shaft passes through the empty section and the iron sheet is fixed. Use an iron ring to cover the other side of the iron plate to think it is fixed; the wooden shaft At the other end is a round steel plate, which is also fixed and connected by a rope to the pedal under the table. As long as you exert force under your feet, the disc will move on its own and polish the rough knife base.

"Kind of like one of those old pedal sewing machines."

The word "old-fashioned" in Chen Kai's mind has not yet appeared. The thing in front of him is called Moqi according to Ding Youyi's explanation. It was originally used to polish jade in ancient China and is said to have existed since ancient times.

Tools were gradually lost in later generations until the emergence of electric diamond grinding tools.

Ding Youyi and his craftsmen were not aware of this kind of thing originally. Fortunately, it is recorded in "Tiangong Kaiwu" that a quality inspection apprentice copied the tiger's eye and made it. Now it has basically replaced the traditional knife sharpening.

stone.

In the grinding workshop, there are rows of grinding mills. Behind each grinding mill, a trained apprentice sits polishing the blade blank with his hands and feet. The steel plate and the blade blank are constantly rubbed against each other, leaving rough marks on the blade blank.

As they gradually fade away, it becomes increasingly impossible to ignore their presence that can take lives.

The purpose of the birth of the Manufacturing Bureau is to use machinery to increase production capacity and replace the traditional handicraft industry with efficient production of machinery, especially in weapons processing. Chen Kai remembered that there was a saying in the past that it is better to buy than to make.

Rent. From the perspective of short-term benefits, there is not much wrong with this, especially industrialization, which is definitely a money-burning business. The initial investment is huge, but the return rate is too low, but if it forms a scale in the later period, it can be used in the future.

In a few years, it may not be possible to create the value that could be achieved in the past decades or even hundreds of years.

I think back then, when Chen Kai first entered the place called the Arms Workshop, to make a gun head, he needed an apprentice to blow the wind, a master to hold a small hammer and iron tongs, and an apprentice to wield a sledgehammer. This group

The blacksmith's daily output is only three gun heads. Later, Chen Kai restructured the process according to the process, which also required a master and an apprentice to hammer the iron with manpower. After completion, the grinding team would polish, edge, and cut the iron.

Fronting and other processes. The daily output has increased from three gun heads to six gun heads.

This is already a lot, and it is already difficult to match in other places. As for the lancets that are in greatest demand now, even after the restructuring, each group of blacksmiths can only make two. There is no way

After all, a three-foot-long lancet requires much more energy and time than a four- or five-inch-long spearhead.

Two swords a day can be built over a long period of time without the need for overtime work, and the craftsman's body can withstand it. However, a group of blacksmiths can only produce two swords a day, and the entire Sword, Spear and Spear Institute of the Ordnance Bureau only has a hundred groups of blacksmiths.

, or they were scavenged from everywhere. The daily output of lancets is only two hundred. It will take three or four months to complete this task, and this is still under the condition that there are few repair tasks. As for

Other iron weapons can only wait in line at the back.

But at this moment, there is only a group of blacksmiths, a master and an apprentice in charge of the furnace. With the rapid tapping of the hydraulic forging hammer, the production speed is naturally much faster than human power - the hydraulic forging hammer taps every minute.

About a hundred times, and the manpower, small hammer is ignored, only the sledge hammer is counted, it takes two to three seconds, the difference between the two is obvious.

What's more, with the use of machinery, the fatigue of craftsmen is also lower, and they can work uninterrupted for a long time. Unlike manual blacksmithing, which must take a break after a period of time, otherwise the strength will not be able to recover. It is just like the master just forged a piece of iron.

When the iron is being worked, the apprentice heats another one nearby. After the heating is completed, the master switches to the heated one and continues to forge, while the apprentice switches to the heated one.

The Han River has flowed tirelessly since ancient times, and the hydraulic machinery here can also be used uninterrupted as long as there is no damage.

"According to Fujun's requirements, there are now three shifts in the hydraulic workshop, with people stopping and machines not stopping. As long as the raw materials are sufficient, weapons can be continuously produced. This is much faster than the original weapon craftsmen who slowly built it.
Chapter completed!