It's just that the Zhuge Liang meeting that He Xi imagined was completely inconsistent with what he saw before him.
He Xi thought that he and this "expert" would sit down at the meeting and have an intimate conversation, so he borrowed a yamen from the Ministry of Industry. He called all the big craftsmen from the Bureau of Arms over, and it evolved into what it is today.
.
He sat on the stage, with dozens of gray-haired old craftsmen kneeling below.
There were several eunuchs standing behind him.
It didn't feel like a meeting at all, but rather like a meeting.
This is the treatment of craftsmen in this era. It is impossible to respect them at all. They have no right to express opinions. Some only have the right to obey orders.
He Xi said: "Old people, please get down and sit down and talk."
These craftsmen still couldn't believe it. Finally, after He Xi's repeated urging, they dared to get up. As for sitting down, there were not enough chairs in the yamen. Some mahogany benches were found from somewhere to allow everyone to sit.
Came down.
So after everyone sat down, He Xi felt that it didn't look like a meeting, but rather like a teacher teaching students. However, He Xi didn't care about these details, coughed twice, and said: "Everyone knows that in ancient times, there was a
The Suiren family invented the method of drilling wood to make fire, so that the people of the world could eat cooked food. There was the Chao family, who made houses imitating birds and animals, so that the people of the world could have stable homes. The Leizu family made clothes, which protected the people of the world from the cold. These are all
In ancient times, people who made contributions to the world. What they do is also the work of craftsmen. Therefore, I never think that craftsmanship is a humble profession. Not only is it not a humble profession, it is actually very important. Since ancient times, people have gained wealth through this, such as in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
On this occasion, Yu Wenkai supervised the construction of Chang'an City. Luoyang City was also regarded as an important minister and was famous in history. There was glory and wealth. Even after more than a hundred years, there is one thing you should have heard. The former Song Dynasty was fighting with Mongolia. The Mongolian attack
For several years, Xiangyang was fortified and the city was fortified, resulting in numerous casualties. If Xiangyang could be defended, the southeastern half of the former Song Dynasty could be protected. However, the Yuan people ordered craftsmen from the Western Regions to build return artillery and destroyed the Xiangyang city tower with one shot. The Lu family was frightened and surrendered.
Therefore, the power of craftsmen can influence the general trend of the world. It must not be ignored. Therefore, today's younger generations are ignorant, so I ask the elders to give me advice."
After saying this, he bowed.
When He Xi thought about it, shouldn't everyone applaud him for doing this?
But the scene was completely silent, as if there was even the sound of a pin dropping.
Every craftsman seemed to be stupid and didn't dare to speak. They looked at He Xi blankly. Don't know what to do?
It's not their fault.
Applause is essentially a kind of etiquette. It is mentioned above when to applaud. Most modern people understand it by heart. However, people in the Ming Dynasty did not have this etiquette. Everyone did not understand it, and as for other reactions.
Sorry, craftsmen were the lower class of society in the Ming Dynasty. Many people in the lower class were cautious. They would rather not do it than make mistakes because they couldn't afford the price of making mistakes. Why did they do this? They didn't understand why they should do it.
What?
Don't know how to react?
Then there will be no response.
More importantly, they couldn't understand what He Xi was saying.
He Xi cited scriptures, including the Suiren clan, the Youchao clan, Leizu, Yu Wenkai, and the Battle of Xiangyang. Most of the craftsmen had never heard of it. Many of what they said about He Xi were inappropriate.
Understood.
Even a few people who understood it couldn't believe it.
For example, Foreman Ge.
Foreman Ge is now gray-haired. He is getting older, and he has heard about the Battle of Xiangyang. After all, the battle of Xiangyang has only lasted a hundred years. Foreman Ge heard a lot about it when he was a child.
Of course, the most important thing is that the ancestors of Ge Gongtou were craftsmen in the Song Dynasty.
After all, this is normal. Many craftsmanship skills are passed down by the family. Outsiders rarely inherit them. Foreman Ge can be regarded as a craftsman representative by Fu Zhong, not because he is old, but because he has good craftsmanship. In addition, he is fair.
, many craftsmen are convinced that it has such a status.
Therefore, Foreman Ge still has an impression of the Battle of Xiangyang. He also has some understanding of the returning artillery.
It's just that he was a little too clear.
Whether it was the Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, or the current Ming Dynasty, craftsmen were the ones who were called upon. He did not believe that He Xi could do it just because he said so. Even if He Xi wanted to do this, with so many years of tradition, He Xi could do it alone.
do what?
However, he noticed one thing. When you are polite, you must ask for something. He Xi is spending a lot of money by acting like this. Maybe this is an opportunity for the Ge family.
A great opportunity.
This embarrassing situation did not last long. After all, He Xi was also thick-skinned. After coughing slightly, he ignored the awkward moment and went directly to the topic. He said: "Because of the southwest war, a large amount of ordnance needs to be mobilized, and the Nanjing arsenal does not have enough.
, a batch of ordnance needs to be built urgently, the most important of which is 100,000 pairs of armor. It should be built by the end of the year."
As soon as this statement came out, the craftsmen below suddenly became noisy.
If nothing else, they are all great craftsmen. Not only are they good at technology, they themselves will be responsible for certain production tasks. After all, officials will not directly manage craftsmen, but generally find highly respected people among the craftsmen to manage them.
Therefore, these big craftsmen are also responsible for organizing production.
Naturally, we know what the concept of one hundred thousand pairs is.
"Quiet." He Xi said, "Speak one by one, Mr. Ge, you tell me."
He Xi is only familiar with Foreman Ge. Let him speak.
Foreman Ge said: "Your Majesty, it's clear to me. I'm not trying to shirk this. It's really impossible. It's only three months from the end of the year. From armor making to weaving, we simply don't have enough manpower."
He Xi said: "Can we send more people?"
Foreman Ge was silent.
He Xi said: "This is the emperor's order, and there is no room for sloppiness. Let's discuss whether it is okay to send more manpower?"
The craftsmen whispered, and finally Foreman Ge spoke. Foreman Ge said: "Sir, we just calculated it, and it still doesn't work. Although it is not difficult to make armor plates, the craftsmen who need them also have some skills, and they are not pulling.
One person can use it. And there are only so many blacksmiths in Nanjing City. Even if we call all the other blacksmiths, it will not be enough. At most, we can make 20,000 pairs by the end of the year, and we are already working day and night."
He Xi said: "Then do you have any ideas? For example, reduce the process? Or improve the process and reduce the working hours?"
For a moment, He Xi was faced with death-like silence again.
He Xi was a little disappointed.
These craftsmen have no enthusiasm at all. He Xi does not think that the production process of Ming Dynasty armor is perfect. Even if there are no revolutionary improvements, there should be some ways to improve efficiency.
It's just that none of these craftsmen have the intention to take the initiative.
However, He Xi can understand if he puts himself in his shoes. It is easy to increase efficiency, but it is difficult to decrease it. Once there is this precedent, will the court calculate according to the latest records in the future? If so, these craftsmen will
Will someone below point my spine at you?
Some people will even pay their lives for what they say now.
Because when many officials manage craftsmen, they don't care so much, and they drive people to death.
He Xi could only speak for himself. He said: "Everyone, I have an idea. Instead of using more than a hundred armor pieces on our armor to make more than a dozen pieces, doesn't it actually save a lot of time?"
"What do you think?"
There was silence again.
However, He Xi could see from the eyes of these craftsmen that he seemed to have made some common sense mistake.
He Xi said: "Mr. Ge, is there something wrong?"
Foreman Ge could only stand up again and said: "What your Excellency said is absolutely true, but -----" Foreman Ge didn't know what to say.
He Xi smiled softly and said, "If Mr. Ge has anything to say, just say that I am not so narrow-minded."
Foreman Ge said: "This way, the working hours will not be reduced, but the working hours will be increased."
He Xi said: "How do you say this?"
Foreman Ge said: "The nail plate is no more than the width of a palm, and a bundle is as long as it is. It doesn't take long to apply, but if the nail plate is enlarged, the time required will also increase. To wear a pair of heart shields, it will take
It takes several times the time of armor, and it is difficult for ordinary apprentices to master it. You can only let craftsmen do it, which will only make it slower."
He Xi understood.
He had seen the armor plate. The young one wielding the sledgehammer was the apprentice. He used the most force, but it was just brute force. The master used a small hammer to control the heat. He replaced the armor plate with a larger area, such as a chest.
A. We can’t let apprentices get started.
In this way, fewer people will participate in production, and the efficiency will be slower.
In fact, ancient craftsmen were not fools. If this method was feasible, someone would have used it long ago.
He Xi said: "Wouldn't it be better if we didn't need people and just used water to push the sledgehammer and use it to smash it?"
Seeing that He Xi didn't pay attention, Craftsman Ge secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing He Xi's question directly, he suddenly felt helpless. He Xi felt that the atmosphere was exactly the same as the previous question he asked.
That means he made some common sense mistakes again. He continued to ask: "Can Mr. Ge please help me clear up my doubts?"
Foreman Ge said: "Sir, the materials we use to make armor plates are all pig iron."
"Pig iron?" He Xi repeated. Still didn't understand what happened to the pig iron.
Foreman Ge said helplessly: "Sir, pig iron is brittle and cannot be beaten directly as it will break. So it can only be heated and then beaten."
He Xi suddenly understood why ancient China did not use hydraulic forging to make armor. It was not that they didn’t want to, but that they couldn’t. Material science is the key to everything. What is needed is not hydraulic forging, but a sufficient amount of steel.
That is, large-scale steelmaking technology.
Fortunately, He Xi caught the core of the problem and asked: "If there is enough steel, can armor be made like this?"
Foreman Ge said: "What you said is absolutely true. It's just that you first refine the iron into steel. It's better to directly forge pig iron into armor."
He Xi asked: "Can you please give me some advice from Mr. Ge?" This chapter has been completed!