Anyone who knows a little bit about the military knows how important pig bristles are.
Especially in the era of thermal weapons, this is an indispensable strategic material.
Zuo Mengeng was very upset, why didn't he think of this earlier.
In fact, he has too many things to do, and it is impossible to cover everything.
Although the troops below had already begun to encounter problems when cleaning their weapons, it was impossible for such problems to reach him.
Until today, when he saw the slaughter of pigs and the need to remove their hair, he only realized it later.
Zuo Maodi did not expect that he would value the inconspicuous pig hair so much and was very curious.
"Commander, is this important?"
Zuo Mengeng nodded and said very solemnly: "It is a matter of military and national importance."
He also knew that Zuo Maodi didn't understand, so he simply asked Fu Yijian to get a pen and paper and write down the treatment of pig bristles himself.
"Many weapons are painted to prevent rust. However, the brushes currently used are always unsatisfactory when used on weapons. Brushes made of boar bristles can solve this problem very well. In addition, muskets and artillery are used
Afterwards, a large amount of gunpowder residue will be left in the gun barrel. If it is not cleaned up, it will have serious consequences. A brush made of this substance will definitely have miraculous effects."
When he said this, Zuo Maodi understood.
Zuo Maodi had guarded the city in Laiyang and was also injured by artillery.
At that time, the artillery at the top of the city exploded because there was too much debris in the barrel, which affected the firing of the shells.
The artillery of this era also needed to be cleaned, but the tool used was a long wooden pole wrapped in cotton cloth. Obviously, it could not be cleaned at all.
In the era of hot weapons, China has been the world's largest exporter of bristle for a long time.
Especially during World War II, the United States spent a lot of effort to transport Chinese bristles.
Zuo Mengeng wrote in detail the method of making a brush with pig bristles on the paper, and then handed it to Zuo Maodi.
"Within a month, the brush factory must be established. By April at the latest, I want to see the output. This is a military task and cannot be ignored."
Zuo Maodi also knew that the matter was serious and did not dare to neglect it. He hurriedly ordered the people below to find a site, recruit workers, and collect raw materials.
Because of Zuo Mengeng's arrival, the people here in Anshan Lake were very enthusiastic. Not only did they kill the pigs, Li Qingshan also personally went to the lake to bring back ducks and geese.
"We followed the commander's instructions and started a poultry farm. There are currently tens of thousands of ducks and geese, and they can produce up to 5,000 eggs every month. At the end of the year, the eliminated ducks and geese will be sold, and another sum of money will be made.
.This breeding company alone supports thousands of families.”
While talking, Li Qingshan personally plucked the ducks and geese.
But after the bristle incident, Zuo Mengeng is now very sensitive to animal fur.
Seeing the white and gray duck feathers, duck down, goose feathers and goose down that had been plucked out and disposed of randomly, he discovered another blind spot.
"You are really guarding the golden mountain without knowing your blessings, and you have missed the opportunity in vain. Don't dare to throw these fluffs around casually, they are all treasures."
Zuo Maodi thought that the commander-in-chief was possessed by a demon.
"Are you joking? Apart from making arrow feathers for the cavalry brigade, and Dean Deng Yuhan needs some writing, what else can these feathers be used for?"
Zuo Mengeng was furious.
"Then have you ever thought about whether it would be very warm to wear after these down are processed and stuffed into the fabric?"
Zuo Mengeng thought of down jackets.
I even thought of the advance detachment going north who was freezing in Liaodong.
According to the military report sent back by Huang Sanhu, so far, more than 500 people in the advance detachment have suffered from frostbite, which has seriously affected the combat effectiveness.
Zuo Menggeng has handed over the problem of shoes to Artistry Factory. The new leather winter military boots are still in the development process and are about to be produced.
But due to the shortcomings of the cotton-padded clothes, he had no idea at first.
When he saw these duck and goose downs today, he thought he was trying to make down jackets.
His statement surprised Zuo Maodi and Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan also deliberately grabbed a handful of duck feathers and brought them to his eyes, wanting to take a closer look.
"Ugh... cough, commander, no, this thing stinks too much."
Zuo Mengeng slapped his head in frustration.
"Don't you know it needs cleaning or washing?"
Li Qingshan's face was grim, and he realized that he had really made a fool of himself.
Only Zuo Mengeng knew what the down jacket looked like. He had no choice but to write it down.
"Not all feathers and down are useful. You have to make a selection. You also need to cut off the hard feather shafts. In addition, ordinary cotton is not suitable. The clothing factory has obtained a new type of fabric. You can contact Minister Wang later and take a look.
Is it suitable? If it still doesn’t work, report to me and I will find a solution.”
There was no nylon in this era, so it was impossible to make down jackets like those of later generations.
However, Zuo Mengeng feels that the back fabric used in the new military uniforms should be fine.
Hard enough, not afraid of feathers and down rags.
If down jackets can really be made, then when we enter Liaodong in the future, at least we won’t be so afraid of the cold.
Moreover, it can also open up financial resources for breeding companies, and it is doubtful that it will become popular in the world in the future.
Zuo Maodi and Li Qingshan didn't think that far ahead. They did whatever Zuo Mengeng told them.
The current prosperity of Anshan Lake proves that Zuo Menggeng was right.
On that day, Zuo Mengeng had a very sumptuous pig-killing feast here. He feasted on all kinds of meat, which was a rare treat.
The next day, Zuo Mengeng continued to go south to inspect the industrial parks and mining areas in Liangshan and Wenhe areas.
The Liangshan area has now become devastated, with scary tunnels everywhere. The dust is flying and the environment is worrying.
But no one cares about this.
Because the demand for these excavated coal and iron exceeds supply, there is no time to spare.
Standing on a high place, looking at the countless stumbling figures in the mine, Jiang Wei didn't have the slightest pity.
"After these prisoners came over, they actually caused trouble several times. I showed no mercy and killed many, and now they all accept their fate. It's just that the efficiency of these things is not high. I have calculated that compared with normal miners, their mining volume is only
one third."
Of course Zuo Mengeng knew why.
The prisoners sent here to mine are all die-hard members of the White Lotus Sect and the Dongjiang Rebels, and they are all heinous people.
Letting them come here to mine means letting them forgive their sins.
However, this kind of place always involves high-intensity labor. Before and after, many of these people were exhausted to death.
Those who are still alive are actually in despair. They know that no matter what they do, the final outcome will be death, so they are so lazy at work.
The worst he could do was to be killed, it was just death anyway.
Regarding the psychology of these people, Zuo Mengeng knew exactly what to do.
"We can announce new policies to them later and evaluate them based on their labor. Those who work hard and outstanding will be given normal status and allowed to be free after five years."
As a human being, it doesn't matter if you are a little bit bitter or tired, the most important thing is to have hope and thoughts.
Zuo Mengeng lit this lamp of hope, believing that these people will soon change.
Compared to the darkness of the mining area, the industrial area is much more vibrant.
The most ordinary workers here are well-paid and naturally work hard and regard this place as their home.
Walking among them, watching the countless chimneys spewing white, gray, and black smoke and polluting the sky wantonly, Zuo Menggeng felt very beautiful.
Because he knew that under such destruction, a powerful industrial entity would be born.
“At present, there are three machine tool factories, five foundries, five raw material factories, ten civilian equipment factories, four musket factories, four artillery factories, four gunpowder factories, one armor factory, one engineering equipment factory, and technology
There is a research institute and a science and technology research institute, with a total of more than 400,000 workers, and the annual output value is about 19 million taels of silver."
When it comes to the areas under his jurisdiction, Jiang Wei is extremely proud.
I recall that back then, he was a scholar who fled with his family and narrowly escaped death.
Who would have thought that he now has hundreds of thousands of people under his command and has created more value than the entire Ming Dynasty.