Following Jiang Lun's suggestion, Li Yan announced that the iron factories under his rule would be exclusively operated by Bafu and established a Railway Affairs Bureau to take charge of ironmaking.
However, the blacksmiths who were previously controlled by the government gave them the status of free citizens. After the last inspection, they were granted the wasteland near the Dashuixia Iron Works.
According to Jiang Lun's plan, the blacksmith can purchase iron ingots directly from the iron factory and turn them into iron products for sale.
Bafu includes iron tax in the price of iron ingots shipped from the iron factory, but because of the high iron-making efficiency of Dashuixia Iron Factory, the price of iron ingots with iron tax added is still not too high.
The iron ingots refined in the blast furnace are of high quality and are highly sought after. Today, Guazhou Ironware is a well-known brand in Longyou.
Guazhou's ironware also began to be sold to nearby prefectures and counties, which also made the supply of iron ingots in Dashuixia exceed demand.
In Jian Xia's laboratory, she is working on an ancient technique in mechanical engineering - turning sand and pouring molds.
In reality, mechanical engineering has long stopped using this ancient method of casting.
But in the Tang Dynasty, there were no high-temperature molds or stamping machines. If you wanted to cast cannons, you could only use the method of pouring sand into molds.
The specific method is also very simple. Jian Xia first makes a mold of a cannon out of wood, then buries the wooden cannon in the sand and compacts it, then takes out the wooden mold so that the middle of the sand is empty, and then pours molten iron into it to cast it.
Got the desired shape.
The principle of a cannon is actually not complicated. The gunpowder explodes and the air expands, pushing the cannonball out of the barrel.
Although the standard black powder produced by Cui Ruoyun is not as powerful as modern explosives, it is sufficient for firing cannonballs.
But now that technology is limited, and wanting to build a cannon as quickly as possible, Jian Xia chose to make a muzzleloader cannon.
This kind of cannon requires loading gunpowder from the muzzle, plugging the fuse, and then loading the shell through the muzzle.
The explosion of gunpowder can push the cannonball out of the barrel. The Hongyi cannon of the Ming and Qing Dynasties was such a cannon.
The advantage of this kind of gun is that it is easy to cast and there is no redundant mechanical structure. As long as the cast barrel can withstand high temperatures, it will be fine.
The disadvantage is that it is inconvenient to load. After each firing, you have to wait for the barrel to cool down before you can continue firing. Continuous firing can easily cause the barrel to explode.
However, with the tools Jian Xia had on hand, he could only cast such a cannon.
After pouring in the red molten iron, the assistant moved a large stone and pressed it on the sand mold box. This was to compact the molten iron and make the cannon body as tight as possible.
When the molten iron gradually cooled, Jian Xia removed the sand mold again, and the cast cylindrical cannon appeared in front of him.
Jian Xia took out a small hammer and kept tapping on the gun body to determine whether there were any cracks on the barrel.
There is no way, there are no electronic flaw detection instruments these days, so we can only use this ancient method to detect flaw.
Jian Xia finally realized how hard it was to develop industry in that poverty-stricken era that her mentor said. Everything could only be made using ancient methods. Being able to create qualified products was a bonus.
Hey, this cannon seems to work.
Jian Xia put down the small hammer and ordered his assistant to push the cannon to the test firing range.
Load gunpowder, insert fuse, and load shells.
Ignite the fuse, and when the flame comes into contact with the gunpowder, the high-temperature explosion expands the air, and the round cannonball is "pushed" out of the barrel.
The six-pound shell hit the mountain next to the test site, causing a loud noise and knocking down a lot of rocks.
Jian Xia stepped forward. There were no cracks on the cannon and the shape of the barrel had not changed. Is this cannon a success?
Jian Xia's experimental assistant came up and asked, "Senior, did you succeed?"
Jian Xia nodded and said: "There are no cracks in the barrel, the barrel remains intact, and the barrel steel is qualified."
"Really successful!?"
In order to cast the cannon, Jian Xia had already refined thirteen furnaces of molten iron and finally had qualified steel.
Jian Xia nodded and said: "It's okay, but the steel of the gun body still has a lot of impurities. It needs to cool down for thirty minutes after a shot before it can be fired again."
"This is already very impressive!" the assistant junior student said excitedly.
Jian Xia was obviously dissatisfied with such a cannon: "Only round shells can be used. The loading speed of the front-loading cannon is inherently slow, and the gun body has to be cooled. This rate of fire is too slow."
However, it is obvious that her junior students are not as striving for perfection as she is: "Senior sister, it is good to be able to make such a cannon from a sand mold. We do not have the heat treatment technology to strengthen the cannon body."
"Yes, the mission is considered completed. Let's hand it in."
Just when Li Yan was packing his things and preparing to go to Shazhou, he suddenly received a task handed over by Jian Xia.
Cannon casting completed!
This news made Li Yan excited. He thought about it and decided to test the power of the cannon before leaving Guazhou.
On the last day of the first lunar month, King Jianning ordered the Bafu to be moved to Shazhou. The people of Guazhou were very reluctant to part with this prince who cared about the people and spontaneously came to the city gate to see him off.
However, the people did not wait for King Jianning's honor guard at the city gate. It turned out that Li Yan had left early, and the people could only return with regret.
Zhang Xian didn't understand why King Jianning took them all the way east. His Highness was obviously going to Shazhou in the west.
Zhang Xian originally sent Li Yan off with the leading figures in Guazhou City, but unexpectedly, Li Yan took them all the way east.
Seeing the chimney with billowing smoke, Zhang Xian finally understood where he had gone.
Dashuixia Iron Works, this is the iron work established by King Jianning. It is said that it can produce thousands of kilograms of iron ingots every day. It is now also an important source of wealth in Guazhou.
Your Highness wants to inspect the ironworks before leaving. I see.
Zhang Xian thought so, but King Jianning's frame did not go to the iron factory, but went to the back hill of the iron factory.
Zhang Mian became more and more confused. What on earth did Li Yan want to do by avoiding the crowd and bringing powerful local officials like them here?
Are you trying to trap everyone here? No way?
The more he thought about it, the more outrageous it became, and Zhang Xian started to panic.
When the carriage continued to move forward, Zhang Xian discovered that this place seemed to be a shooting range.
Shooting range? Who would train at this place?
I saw King Jianning getting off the carriage, being greeted by a young woman from the shooting range, and then someone pushed out a dark iron bucket.
What is this?
The powerful local officials in Guazhou were driven out of the car by King Jianning's personal guards. They stood behind Li Yan and watched the craftsmen push the cannon to the shooting position.
Load gunpowder, install fuse, and load shells.
Jian Xia lit the fuse himself, and saw the long black iron barrel thundering, and a six-pound iron ball fired from the barrel, hitting the target on the opposite mountainside.
The situation on the mountainside was shattered by the iron cannon shells. The smoke from the shelling and the rocks falling down the mountain left an unforgettable impression on Zhang Xian and other officials and gentry.
But Li Yan smiled and said: "The lonely king is going to Shazhou now, and all matters in Guazhou will be left to the princes."
"If there is anyone who is corrupt, perverts the law and oppresses good people, Governor Zhang, please kill them with this cannon."