Whether it is building a steam ironclad ship, steam train, or rail, these require an extremely large amount of steel.
Therefore, Zhu Ying issued an edict, ordering all prefectures and cities to prepare for steelmaking.
With the lessons learned from future generations, Zhu Ying knew very well that steelmaking should not be messed with. If it was really screwed up, it would have a huge impact on the entire Ming Dynasty's economy.
Quality, first and foremost.
Technology is also the most important aspect.
The book "Tiangong Kaiwu" has not yet been written.
There is no such thing as the Yongle Dadian.
But this does not hinder steelmaking technology.
Because whether it is the creation of Tiangong or the steel-making method recorded in the Yongle Ceremony, it is already existing and mature.
Both of them just recorded it above.
The steel smelting process at the Ministry of Industry has reached the stage of large-scale, mass production, and continuous production of raw and wrought iron.
And because Zhu Ying has improved the status of the Ministry of Industry and strongly supported craftsmen's skills in the past few years, the production department under the Ministry of Industry has become more and more mature.
The iron-making furnace and the iron-frying furnace are connected in series, and the pig iron produced by the iron-making furnace flows into the iron-frying furnace. It is stirred with a willow stick to oxidize the carbon in the pig iron and mature the iron.
This continuous production process is adapted from Zhu Ying's combination and modular production, which not only improves production efficiency but also reduces energy consumption.
In fact, when the Ming Dynasty reached this level, it was already the end of the Ming Dynasty.
This is equivalent to the fact that this steelmaking technology was advanced by more than 200 years.
It sounds a bit exaggerated, but when you think about it, it's normal.
No matter which dynasty you are in, the status of craftsmen is very low, and the imperial power rarely has innovative ideas.
Except for the founding emperor of each dynasty, other successive emperors were warned to abide by the ancestral precepts as soon as they came to power.
Being unchangeable is called stability for the imperial power.
Reform and other things are things that the imperial power will only consider when encountering problems and the country is in turmoil.
Therefore, the steel-making method of Ming Dynasty advanced rapidly, and it was not taken seriously.
To put it simply, conventional iron-making methods can only produce pig iron.
Then the pig iron is forged and decarburized, or the wrought iron is put into a furnace and heated and carburized to make steel, which is the steel filling method, which requires two heatings.
Today, the Ming Dynasty has invented the method of frying steel, which can produce steel without cooling and reheating, reducing fuel consumption and significantly increasing production.
There is also an issue of steel quality involved here.
Although the output of coal forging has increased, the quality of steel has decreased.
But that's okay.
Zhu Ying has successfully invented the steam engine here.
It is possible to make a steam hammer to forge steel.
The power of the steam hammer is more powerful than that of human power. The most important thing is that it does not need to rest. It can beat continuously without interruption to remove all the impurities in the pig iron and create a true thousand-forged iron in batches.
steel.
Why is the invention of the steam engine able to change an era?
Among them, the conversion of manpower is the most important factor.
This day.
Zhu Yuanzhang came to the Scientific Research Department with his eldest grandson.
Today's steam hammer has been completed.
It's called a hammer, but it's actually a rectangular piece of high-quality steel.
The bottom is not hammer-shaped, but flat.
This makes it easier to hammer out the impurities in the pig iron.
"Is this thing really capable of producing Thousand Forged Steel?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked the grandson next to him with some curiosity.
Because the main design concept of this forging hammer comes from Zhu Ying.
Huang Guan is now Zhu Ying's think tank.
Zhu Ying only needs to tell a general direction, and Huang Guan will complete the specific design.
It's so easy.
For this reason, Huang Guan studied a large number of craftsman's classics or asked old masters for advice.
No matter how high the status of a craftsman is, it cannot be compared to Huang Guan, an important official of the third rank.
The so-called "treasuring one's technical skills and keeping it to one's disciples" is because one is worried that one's own job will be robbed.
But in front of Huang Guan, there is no need to have such scruples.
I'm afraid it's just an idiot's dream for an important official of the third rank to compete for his job with a craftsman like you.
Therefore, when these masters faced Huang Guan, they tried their best to tell them all they knew, for fear that Huang Guan would not understand.
As long as he can get the favor of Huang Guan, an important minister, he will be able to fly to the sky in one step.
Huang Guan's internal involvement prompted officials from the Ministry of Industry to follow suit.
In the past, officials in the Ministry of Industry did not know much about technology.
If officials go to learn technology, wouldn't they be putting the cart before the horse?
The joke of a layman guiding an expert is completely commonplace in the Ministry of Industry.
But now I can’t fish.
Although Huang Zhanshi is a third-rank official, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue is a second-rank official.
But crushing people to death at the official level is not easy to do here in Huang Guan.
Even Shen Shu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, had to show his dignity when meeting Huang Guan, and it was completely impossible for him to lose his prestige as an official.
This actually made the atmosphere in the entire Ministry of Industry much better.
Those who can be officials must at least have studied.
Of course, learning something is much faster than a craftsman who only knows how to pass down the craft.
And Zhu Ying issued an edict.
No matter who you are, no matter what your status is, as long as you can make reforms to various existing technologies, you will be able to receive rewards and awards.
For example, the official who invented the method of frying steel is now the director of the Ministry of Industry.
To be promoted from an official to a sixth-rank official is really a step to the top.
This is different from the current rules for official promotion, but his promotion was authorized by the imperial power and conferred by the grandson himself.
Everyone understands the truth that in these days, if you want to achieve success in one step, you must engage in technological innovation and reform.
If you gain the favor of your grandson, will glory and wealth be far behind?
In such an atmosphere, there is no need to say much about the motivation of both the craftsmen and officials of the Ministry of Works.
"Grandpa, watch it. You will know later how effective my steam sledgehammer is."
As Zhu Ying finished speaking, a large piece of freshly made pig iron was ready over there.
The current procedure is to forge and hammer out the impurities.
"Make a fire and turn on the stove!"
A craftsman shouted loudly.
The steam engine next to it gradually began to run as the temperature increased.
A large amount of coal was added, and the square sledgehammer carried by the gear began to move.
Boom, boom.
As the power of the steam engine increased, several gears began to mesh, and the square sledge hammer began to beat up and down.
The craftsman holds it with tongs and places the pig iron after cooling it under the square hammer.
It crashed down instantly with huge force, creating a stream of fiery trees and silver flowers.
Bang, bang, bang....
The square hammer was tireless and kept hitting the pig iron with rhythmic hammer after hammer.
This kind of strength is beyond the reach of human beings, and every blow is more powerful than a kilogram.
"A good hammer, a good hammer. Such a heavy hammer is within the reach of human power. Thousand-forged steel is as easy as picking something out of a bag."
"With a sledgehammer like this, we can create the strongest armor and the sharpest blades for our soldiers."
"Fireguns and cannons, made of such steel, can be fired for dozens of times without worrying about the danger of exploding the barrel."
"This is an important weapon in the army."
Zhu Yuanzhang just read a paragraph, then laughed and said.
He immediately thought of the use of the hammer.
And those craftsmen use this hammer easily and conveniently, without spending much effort at all.
It is equivalent to saying that the Ming Dynasty can mass-produce steel that has been forged thousands of times.
"Such sharp weapons must not be stolen. From now on, manufacturing companies in various places will have to guard heavily those who use such hammers."
Zhu Yuanzhang added.
This can completely upgrade the equipment of all current soldiers.
Zhu Ying smiled and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, not everyone can use this square hammer. The key lies in the steam engine."
"Without the steam engine, this square hammer is just a decoration and has no function at all."
"Now all the personnel who can manufacture steam engines have been concentrated in the Scientific Research Department. The Scientific Research Department is at the foot of the capital and is heavily guarded by three guards. No one can enter."
"And in the manufacturing of steam engines, only a few people understand the core technology, and most of the other people only know a little bit about it."
"The steam engines needed to manufacture steel-making sledgehammers in various prefectural cities will only be transported from the capital, rather than having people go there to make them."
Zhu Ying's words made Zhu Yuanzhang feel a lot more relaxed.
Then he asked: "If someone takes it apart, can they imitate it?"
Zhu Ying shook his head: "It cannot be copied. After the steam engine was produced by the Scientific Research Department, some key parts of it were specially welded shut. Forcible disassembly will only destroy the structure. It is impossible for people who do not understand it to disassemble without damage."
"Once a steam engine is damaged, it cannot be repaired by outsiders. You can only take it back to the Scientific Research Department and have its parts remade before it can run again."
The principle of the steam engine may not seem very complicated to later generations.
But that’s all because of the theoretical basis of knowledge education.
For people in today's era, it is completely a black mark.
Even those who built the steam engine, most of them didn't know how it worked.
I know it, but I don’t know why.
"In that case, we can rest assured and instruct the Scientific Research Department to produce steam engines as soon as possible, and all the prefectures and cities to prepare immediately to make more of this thousand-forged steel for us."
Zhu Yuanzhang touched his beard and ordered.
The surrounding officials bowed their hands and said, "I obey the order."
Things like steel cannot be produced in a short time.
Just like steam ironclad ships, they are all being built now.
It will take at least half a year to complete the establishment of all the steel-making workshops, and it will be gradually completed by the end of the year.
According to Zhu Ying's calculations, enough steel for rails and steam trains can be produced, at least once a large number of steelmaking workshops are completed, to produce a year's output.
But now we can start planning the road.
There is no need to wait for the steel to come out.
"Dasun, can the horse-drawn train you once told us about be built now?"
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly remembered something in his mind.
That is, before the eldest grandson was enthroned as grandson and formally entered the palace, he once proposed the idea of making railway tracks.
At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang directly vetoed it and felt that such a move would be too wasteful of people and money.
After all, the Ming Dynasty at that time was not as wealthy as it is now, and the national treasury was in danger of becoming a daily occurrence.
Isn't it ridiculous to build a track for this purpose and spend so much manpower and material resources?
Even if Da Sun proposed to explore the road first, Zhu Yuanzhang directly rejected it.
Seven years passed leisurely.
The changes in the Ming Dynasty were earth-shaking.
And this track is obviously feasible.
"That's right." Zhu Ying nodded.
Zhu Yuanzhang patted Da Sun on the shoulder: "We did misunderstood you back then. In terms of vision, we did not have such a long-term vision as you."
"Although it has been delayed for several years, this is not a big deal for Ming Dynasty. Let's start the exploration now."
Zhu Ying smiled slyly: "Grandpa, my grandson completed this matter about orbital exploration a few years ago."
"And the gravel road used to make the railway tracks has been repaired for two years."
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly: "We know it, we know it, you are just like us, you are stubborn."
Tie Hyun.
It was the minister who lived in Nanyang and discovered the remains of the pre-Qin track.
After seeing the tracks left by the pre-Qin Dynasty, he always felt that tracks could be made, and he strongly agreed with Zhu Ying's idea.
After Zhu Ying officially enthroned the grandson, he also received a secret mission from Zhu Ying.
That is the exploration railway.
For this reason, Zhu Ying specially gave him the identity of a patrol censor as a cover.
In this way, Tie Xuan kept running on the road while exploring the construction of the railway.
I led a group of people and it took nearly three years to complete the exploration.
After the cement was produced, Zhu Ying continued to ask Tie Xuan to build the official road to the railway first.
Railway tracks are different from ordinary roads.
It cannot be made with cement, but must be laid with gravel after tamping.
The role of gravel is to support the frame of the track. When the train is running, it will produce violent vibrations. These gravels are used to balance and slow down the vibration force caused by the train.
If you use cement, I'm afraid it will all crack after just one or two walks.
Zhu Ying had completed this official road on the railway tracks secretly, and Zhu Yuanzhang did not know it.
"In other words, the steam train that Dasun mentioned can be produced in the year after next." Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
Zhu Ying replied: "No, it will be fine next year."
"The rails are made in a modular manner and then assembled piece by piece. Although our current steel output is not large enough, we can still do it slowly one by one."
"By the time the rails are ready, steam trains should also be developed. The principle is much different from that of steam ironclads. It is not too complicated for the Scientific Research Department to make it."
"Perhaps at the end of next year, my grandson can ride this steam train with grandpa."
"By then, my grandson will have steam trains laid out everywhere in the Central Plains. By then, it will only take us two or three days to go from the capital to the border."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.