On the second floor of a small building on the east side of the village fort in the center of Yunzhou Jiangying.
Zhang Cheng continued to say to Shi Tiegen, Li Chengmao and others: "Actually, there is no other, let's just talk about this gunpowder. The gunpowder we are using now is the best choice in the Ming Dynasty.
But have you ever thought about it, are we satisfied with this?
Couldn't this gunpowder be stronger?"
Whether the ratio of these materials can be adjusted, and whether the process of each step of preparing gunpowder can be improved, these are all questions.
The reason why I asked you to wait for each game and set up a group to specialize in scientific research is to think about whether the technology of each game can be improved and improved.
I have been asking you to learn how to read, and to record every step of your research in detail, just so that you can go back and think carefully about which step was right and which step was wrong. In this way,
Only then can we make progress.”
Lin Fangping, who had been accompanying Zhang Cheng, brought the tea bowl to Zhang Cheng. Zhang Cheng took the tea bowl and gave Lin Fangping a satisfied look.
He took a sip of tea and started talking again with great interest: "Going back to the artillery issue you just talked about, what kind of medicine bags are used in today's artillery?"
"Commander, the ones we use now are all coarse cloths." Li Chengmao stepped forward and answered.
Zhang Cheng nodded. All military artillery powder bags in the Ming Dynasty were made of coarse cloth. This thing is cheap.
He continued to ask: "Do you know what other materials can be used to wrap medicine bags that will burn better than coarse cloth?"
This time, it was Du Gui, the head of the Gunpowder Bureau, who responded first: "Commander, I know one thing that is best used to make powder bags. There is almost no residue after burning. It can save the step of wiping the barrel, that is..."
Du Gui's voice became quieter and quieter at the end, and Zhang Cheng also looked at him doubtfully, knowing that Du Gui kept his mouth shut.
Zhang Cheng said in a deep voice: "You are now a craftsman under my command, which shows that I trust you. You should speak everything you know in front of me, and you must not shrink back.
Du Gui, what you just said is better than coarse cloth and the best thing for making artillery powder bags, why?"
"Plop!"
Du Gui was frightened by Zhang Cheng and panicked. He knelt down directly in front of Zhang Cheng and said in a trembling voice: "Back... back to the commander... The villain said that silk... silk is the best thing, but it is too expensive."
thin!"
"silk?"
Zhang Cheng muttered once, and then said to Du Gui who was kneeling in front of him: "Get up. Remember, in the future, you must speak bluntly in front of me, and you must not say another sentence."
"Yes, the villain has taken note of it!"
Zhang Cheng stopped embarrassing him and turned to Li Chengmao and said, "Did you hear that? When you go back, try the silk medicine bag. If it really works, we will use this to make the medicine bag."
You should also remember that all new things and new ideas should be brought out on the table and we will try them one by one. I am not short of money here.
You also know that the soldiers under my command are all strong and good men, and their lives are the most precious. The more refined the firecrackers, artillery, armor weapons, chariots and other things you make, the better.
Strong, the more powerful,
Once we are on the battlefield, the greater the chance for me to win, and the greater the chance for the soldiers to save their lives. Only if I win every battle can you and your family have such a stable life today.
Eat well all day long.”
Hearing Zhang Cheng say this, everyone felt the same. Shi Tiegen was the first to kneel down and clasp his fists and said: "Commander, please rest assured. Shi Tiegen has sworn allegiance to the commander and will definitely work hard to make excellent weapons for the commander.
"
The remaining bureau chiefs such as Wang Qiancheng, Li Chengmao, Du Gui, Xin Congjian and others also imitated his example and knelt down one by one to swear an oath to show their loyalty.
After Du Gui, the head of the Gunpowder Bureau, stood up, he said timidly: "Report to the commander, I have one more thing to report."
Zhang Cheng looked at Du Gui and said, "Go on, you can speak frankly in front of me."
"Commander, regarding the artillery fuses we just discussed, I think we can try using goose quills to prepare fuses."
"Quill?"
Zhang Cheng stared at Du Gui, who was slightly trembling, and said loudly: "Li Chengmao, you heard me, go back and try the silk medicine bag and the goose quill fuse together. If the effect is really good, it will be a fixed method from now on."
As he spoke, he turned to Shi Tiegen and said: "Shi Tiegen, it is really rare that Du Gui made two suggestions in a row today. I ordered him to go down and reward him with five taels of silver as an encouragement. If his suggestions are adopted, he will be rewarded with another silver."
Twelve taels, a great achievement is recorded."
In the eyes of everyone with envy and surprise, Zhang Cheng continued: "From now on, any craftsmen in the crafts camp who put forward suggestions for improvement of various craftsmanship, and those are adopted,
They will all be evaluated according to the level of their improved craftsmanship, tentatively assigned five grades, with first grade being the best, and those above third grade equivalent to a great achievement."
He paused and then said: "Furthermore, from now on, each craftsman in the craftsman's camp must be graded and enjoy different treatment according to different grades, so as to stimulate each craftsman to specialize in skills and strive for progress.
There are five levels tentatively designated as apprentice, apprentice, craftsman, craftsman, and master craftsman. Shi Tiegen here is the master craftsman. The heads of other bureaus are also directly evaluated as master craftsmen. The remaining craftsmen will be evaluated separately by you and others.
Register."
Everyone in the room was overjoyed. Before, everyone was a craftsman, and there was no distinction between grades. It was just that someone made iron and someone took care of things. Today, according to what the commander said, craftsmen also have high grades, and their treatment is also different. They
They were all designated as master craftsmen, which was already the highest grade. Naturally, everyone was overjoyed.
At this time, a mother-in-law came in to report that the food was ready and asked for instructions on when to serve the dishes. Shi Tiegen looked at Zhang Cheng, and when he nodded, he ordered the mother-in-law to start passing the dishes.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Cheng said to the craftsmen: "I am waiting for a few reminders for you to see if they can inspire you.
Let’s talk about fire blunderbuss first. Zhang Guodong once brought back many books from Jiangnan. Recently, I happened to read a short blunderbuss called Huanfu mobile phone blunderbuss mentioned in the "Synopsis of Military Preparations". This blunderbuss is more convenient than the bird blunderbuss and does not require a match rope.
, can be used freely even on rainy days.
In addition, the "Illustrated Notes on Weapons" also mentions that firearms called self-generated fireguns do not require a match rope and can be fired at any time without being sheltered from wind and rain. It is extremely convenient. Do you know this?
There is another type of gun called the electric blunderbuss, which imitates the style of the Fo Lang machine. It also has a blunderbuss, which can be installed and put away at any time. You can put more thought into this. You can try to prepare one or two of each.
Let’s see if it’s as powerful as what the book says.”
He continued: "Another point is the use of water power. Nowadays, all kinds of water wheels, barrel wheels, water mills, etc. are very sophisticated. The machines are nothing more than the use of gears, bearings, cranks, connecting rods and other parts.
, assembled and driven by manpower, animal power, water power, etc.
In order to obtain greater mechanical power, there is abundant water power and many canals on the North Road, so more efforts should be made to try this aspect. Lathes, drilling machines, boring machines, milling machines, etc. that can be driven by water power can be tried."