Steelmaking and glass manufacturing both require an important condition.
That's high temperature.
With current technology, even the best furnaces cannot stably withstand the temperatures required to make steel and melt sand and gravel.
This is why you can occasionally get some steel when making iron.
The melting point of glass is higher than steel, so China cannot even obtain it accidentally.
The only thing that can be used is natural crystal.
A person who is proficient in military history, weapons history, and ordnance must also be a qualified chemist. He must have mastered relevant knowledge such as smelting and chemical reactions.
This is also the basis for Zuo Mengeng's confidence that he can come up with more advanced muskets.
"We need to build a kiln first and make refractory bricks."
Refractory bricks are the key to building a smelting furnace, and Yang Gui plans to start here.
He looked at Zuo Mengeng, and at the same time kept thinking about what technology Zuo Menggen was talking about that could make steel.
Seeing that Zuo Mengeng didn't say much about building the kiln, Zuo Gui knew that the key to the technology was not here.
Then it can only be made of refractory bricks.
"The brick kiln is built over there. Yang Gui has the final say on how to build it. Director Huang will allocate the number of manpower needed to you."
Huang Zongxi is now not only the director of the Department of Military Affairs, but also has to participate in all related construction of the weapons institute.
After all, there are financial issues involved.
How could Zuo Mengeng entrust such an important matter to a newcomer like Yang Gui?
Even so, Yang Gui also felt extremely comfortable.
When had these craftsmen been so respected?
Surrounding the military camp and Zuozhuang, there are more than ten hectares of wasteland. Because it cannot be cultivated, no one wants it, and the land deed is in the hands of the government.
Zuo Mengeng looked for Qu Shichen and came over easily.
Of course, Zuo Mengeng will not take the help of Qu Shichen, Zhang Jimeng and others for granted. He has already set aside a share for these big guys in the future glass business.
If he wants the big guys to keep helping him, he must establish enough interest alliances.
Interest alliance is the method that must be adopted when reform and revolution cannot be completely launched from the grassroots level. Only when there is a certain connection can we talk about ideals.
This is different from peasant uprisings and proletarian revolutions.
These two classes have nothing to begin with, and they only need to have a common need to survive, and they will naturally unite together.
But if you want other classes to help you, you must have sufficiently large interests.
With a labor force of more than 2,000, Zuo Menggeng's preparation for industrial production went smoothly.
More than 300 people were allocated to Yang Gui, and the brick kiln started construction immediately.
It's a pity that time waits for no one. Otherwise, this brick kiln can be used to provide materials for the construction of military camps, and there is no need to buy bricks and tiles outside.
Zuo Mengeng gave all the military uniforms sent by Zhang Jimeng to Wang Xiuqin.
Wang Xiuqin's place is very lively.
I heard that women can also make money to support their families, and every household was shocked.
Women came to sign up one after another, and many people who had bullied her in the past could only smile and say good things.
Zuo Mengeng made a careful observation and found that Wang Xiuqin always remained normal to those who had offended him. Not only did he not take the opportunity to seek revenge, but he also would not deliberately pretend to forgive.
Just say things normally, laugh when you need to laugh, scold when you need to scold. If you do this a few times, no one will care anymore.
This is actually a woman with an open mind and a character that can achieve great things.
"The young master entrusted me with such a big thing, and I was thinking about how to do it well. There are many people who are jealous of this job, and they care about their past pettiness and appoint others to talk about it. I'm sorry if someone makes trouble.
Master."
Common people have common people’s wisdom, and it often shines through.
Zuo Mengeng asked Zuo Hua to take out the military uniforms and place them in front of the women.
"This is the dress you are going to make, but you can't do it exactly."
In any case, the rear camp belonged to the Ming Army, so they had to wear Ming Army uniforms.
But in Zuo Mengeng's opinion, there are many unreasonable things about the military uniforms of this era, and they are inconsistent with his idea of building an army.
Then you need to make adjustments to the details while maintaining consistency on the big picture.
Women are uneducated, so they can only do what they say.
"For this cloth armor, you just need to stuff cotton and compact it. You don't need to add iron pieces. Isn't this troublesome?"
Wang Xiuqin took several women and turned the cloth armor inside and out.
"It would be very easy without adding iron pieces."
Zuo Mengeng's method is equivalent to simplifying the production process of cloth armor.
Zuo Hua was on the sidelines but was puzzled.
"Young Master Qianzuo, if you don't add an iron piece, you won't be able to protect yourself from swords and arrows."
How could Zuo Mengeng not know this?
"In the future, our muskets will have a longer range than bows and arrows, and the battle damage will be reduced a lot. With the addition of iron sheets, the protection effect is not very good, and the weight is also increased, which consumes the soldiers' physical strength."
It was said that muskets had a farther range than bows and arrows. Zuo Hua scratched the back of his head and could no longer imagine what kind of musket it was.
Zuo Menggen didn't even want iron pieces, let alone arm armor.
This decision made the women feel a lot more relaxed.
In this way, the military uniforms of the rear camp only needed to be stuffed with cotton cloth and compacted. Even the rivets were eliminated, which was simpler than the cotton armor of the Qing army later.
Obviously, such military uniforms do not have any defensive functions.
It's not that Zuo Mengeng cut corners, or that he doesn't take the lives of soldiers seriously. It's just that with the blessing of advanced weapons, he still makes a fuss about defense, which is a pure waste.
After firearms were equipped with the army on a large scale, protective gear gradually began to withdraw from the stage of history.
People's research has found that no matter how well-made armor is, it cannot stop the blows of muskets and artillery.
On the contrary, removing the armor and increasing flexibility will make it more likely to avoid strikes.
Only China still had troops wearing protective gear until the end of the Qing Dynasty.
After World War II, various countries paid more attention to protective gear.
Why is this?
First, as the caliber of firearms decreases, the power of bullets also decreases. With certain protective gear, it can effectively prevent damage.
Second, the application of new materials makes the armor lighter and more practical.
In such a situation, both sides use rifles to fight. If one side has a body armor and the other does not, then the side without protection will definitely suffer.
This is why in many countries, owning guns is allowed, but privately possessing body armor is a felony.
In the transformation of the cloth armor, Zuo Mengeng not only canceled the iron plates, but also made changes to the details.
"These cloth armors must also have sleeves sewn on. It is a complete garment, you know?"
Wang Xiuqin looked troubled.
"Master, if you add sleeves, it will take me a long time to do it."
Yes, it is so difficult to create something from nothing.
Zuo Mengeng had no choice but to be patient and teach these women how to do it carefully.
"You must learn to divide labor. Those who cut fabrics cut fabrics, those who press cotton pressed cotton, those who sewed seams, and those who installed buttons installed buttons. Otherwise, how much can a military uniform be made by just one person?
"
Everyone was confused. They had never done this before and obviously didn't realize the benefits.
Zuo Mengeng simply pointed at a woman casually.
“How long does it take you to cut a piece of fabric?”
The woman was delighted.
"Then why bother? It'll be over in just three or two."
Zuo Mengeng asked the next woman: "How long does it take to press cotton into the fabric?"
The woman was cautious and said hesitantly: "If you want to compact it, it will take an hour."
Zuo Mengeng didn't care and found another person.
"How long does it take you to sew the sleeves?"
"One stick of incense at most."
Zuo Mengeng clapped his hands and attracted everyone.
"Are you listening? If you divide the work like this, it only takes two hours at most to make a military uniform. Isn't this much faster than working alone?"
When he said this, he truly understood the wonderful discussion about the division of labor in "The Wealth of Nations".
Those women were not stupid either. After some thought, they discovered the beauty of it.
Wang Xiuqin is really a very responsible person and does not hide any problems she has.
"Master, you said that those who cut cloth should cut cloth, and those who sew stitches should sew stitches. But everyone cuts cloth in different ways, with different sizes and different density of stitches. So what should we do?"
Zuo Mengeng forcefully gave the order to die.
"Standardization, everything must be according to specifications. The size of the fabric that needs to be cut is the size, and the number of needles and threads that need to be sewn is the number of needles and threads. All of you must follow the specifications."
Wang Xiuqin was not afraid and continued to ask questions.
"But some people are tall and some are short. If the military uniforms we make are all the same size, how will the soldiers wear them?"
This kind of problem is not difficult for Zuo Mengeng.
"You can work out a standard for equal division. For example, the clothes you make can be divided into four and a half feet, five feet, five and a half feet, etc. In this way, although the clothes will not be exactly right, they will still be made.
Not bad, right?"
When the women thought about it, they all applauded, knowing that this was a good idea.
Zuo Mengeng was not satisfied. He thought for a while and said: "When the iron smelting plant starts work, I will ask them to make some rulers and send them over. The military uniforms you make must be made according to the prescribed sizes."
It seems that in order for the industry to develop smoothly, in addition to technology research and development, standardization is also an important factor.
Zuo Mengeng kept it in mind and decided to do this first after returning.