"Sit down!" After a while, Zhang Qian glanced at Wang Maobo, who was specially left by him, and ordered with a smile. Then he quickly turned his gaze to Luo Huaizu, "Secretary Luo, you go and get a set of purple gold and eight treasure glazed wine utensils from the Sogdian country." Wang joined the army and stayed behind to build ordnance, and his hard work was high, so he should be compensated. ”

"Yes!" Luo Huaizu agreed, and turned around to get the reward. Wang Maobo was flattered, bowed down and waved his hand again and again, "It's broken, it's broken!" The town guard, his subordinates have not made an inch, how can they have the face to be rewarded so heavily? Please also ask the town guard to ......"

"If you want to take it, you will take it. Although your martial arts are good, the place where you have made meritorious contributions should not be on the battlefield! Zhang Qian smiled and interrupted in a low voice, "In the future, in the Broken Leaf Army, the weight of ordnance manufacturing will definitely become heavier and heavier. If you join the army as a sergeant, you are destined to work harder, but you can't be as beautiful as others. ”

"Subordinate, subordinate willing to die for the town guard!" Wang Maobo's eyes were red with emotion, and he bowed down to make a statement.

"Sit down and talk!" Zhang Qian pointed to the chair opposite him and commanded again. Between the gestures, there is already a vague taste of Confucianism. "Regarding the situation of the various workshops in Shattered Leaf City, I haven't bothered to know about it since I came back. You've just come here today, so I'm going to ask you. ”

"Please sit down, just stand your subordinates!" The expression on Wang Maobo's face suddenly became so worried that he twisted his body and gave it up. Immediately, he hurriedly added, "It's not that the subordinates don't know what to do, the subordinates are ordinary and tired, and they are used to standing, and they are uncomfortable sitting on the chair." ”

"It's okay, I don't like to sit all the time!" Zhang Qian paused, and then nodded with a big smile. "Let's just stand and talk about things, how are the workshops in Shattered Leaf Town progressing lately? Is there any trouble that needs to be solved? ”

"The envoys of Qiyu Town, the waterwheel, the windmill, the hearth, and the iron mill were all made according to the Chang'an side, and they didn't encounter any trouble." Wang Maobo's face turned red, and he bowed his body to report one by one.

"The hammer has been changed to two types of pushing, wind and water, so that the river does not freeze in winter, and there is no water available, and the work has returned to normal."

"Compared with Chang'an, the iron ore here seems to be of better quality, and the iron smelted in the furnace is forged by a forging hammer to create the Bright Star Armor and Iron Vest, which are stronger than the original. However, the craftsmanship of the craftsmen is far inferior to that of Chang'an, so at present, they are mainly building iron vests, and all the Yaoxing armor is entrusted to the Liushen Trading House, which is built from Chang'an and then shipped over. ”

"That's how it should be, the Bright Star Armor is for generals, and it didn't take much originally!" Zhang Qian was very satisfied with Wang Maozhong's work attitude, and nodded with a smile. "These days, hard work. I originally thought that even if I copied the ironware workshop in Chang'an, I would not see the results until at least autumn. I didn't expect to go to the Stone Country by myself, and when I came back, you would already be able to use the local iron ore to make the Shining Star Armor. ”

Wang Maobo was praised, but his face did not show the slightest smugness. He raised his hand to wipe his sweat and added with a wry smile, "Thank you for the praise of the town guard, my subordinates dare not be ashamed." These are all things that the town guard has taught his subordinates before, so it is easy for his subordinates to repeat it again. However, before the expedition, the task assigned by the town guard envoy ......"

Half a step back, he honestly bowed down and apologized: "My subordinates are incompetent, and I haven't made a qualified iron pipe so far." Gan Ling's town guard is punished! ”

"Didn't make a single one? What's the trouble? "The back hand that Zhang Qian left for himself was a musket. Listening to Wang Maobo, a qualified iron pipe could not be made, and he couldn't help frowning in disappointment.

"Explode! Either that's so heavy that it needs to be carried by two people! Wang Maobo's face was so red that he was almost dripping blood, and his voice was full of guilt, "His subordinates are incompetent, and they have used several methods to make iron pipes. However, it is difficult to guarantee the thickness of the pipe wall. ”

Secretly looking at Zhang Qian's face, he continued to report, "The thin kind, ten pipes, as long as more than half a tael of black powder is put in for testing, there will basically be two or three explosions." The thick one is not explosive, but it is heavier than bronze, and the cost is not lower than bronze. Unless someone like the town guard is born with divine powers, it must be carried by two people to use it normally. ”

"Well, it's so difficult?" Zhang Qian was stunned when he heard this, however, he did not make any accusations against Wang Maobo.

In his opinion, the failure of the iron barrel manufacturing was not necessarily due to Wang Maobo's lack of effort. Rather, any technological progress requires continuous trial and error to find the right direction. Since he is a traverser, he can't make a qualified iron barrel. Wang Maobo didn't even know the concept of a gun barrel before, and it may be more difficult to build a gun barrel from scratch.

"The subordinates are incompetent, they have failed to live up to the trust of the town guard, and they are willing to accept any punishment!" Wang Maobo didn't dare to look at Zhang Qian's face, and he didn't notice whether Zhang Qian's voice was angry, so he just continued to bow his head and apologize.

"Punish you for what? Is it because you don't work hard, or do you squander your money? Zhang Qian quickly retracted his mind, smiled and stretched out his hand to straighten Wang Maobo's body, "Don't be discouraged, continue to think of a way." You are the best blacksmith among my generals. If even you can't make a qualified iron pipe, others can't make it. ”

"Subordinate, subordinate......" Wang Maobo was moved and guilty, and continued to sweat with a red face.

In his heart, Zhang Qian is not only a benevolent father, but also a noble person of the entire Wang family. The reason why he was able to regain his fame and quickly catch up with his late father in terms of position and grade was all due to Zhang Qian's vigorous cultivation. And he hasn't made any progress in the matter of Enbus's substitution, which is really sorry.

"Tell me what methods you've used, and I'll see if I can give you some ideas." Knowing what kind of character Wang Maobo was, Zhang Qian comforted him endlessly, and led the conversation to the problem itself with a smile.

Wang Maobo immediately had the spirit, quickly raised his hand and wiped two handfuls on his face, and reported loudly, "There are three kinds of use." The first is to take the iron sheet roll directly like a chimney, and then braze the seam. Basically, the roots were fried, so the subordinates gave up. ”

"The second is to put an iron rod in the middle and use an iron plate around the iron rod to forge it. Then weld and repair the seams to make the first layer of iron pipes. Finally, another layer of iron pipe is put on the outside. But it still doesn't work. If the iron plate is too thin, at least two or three of the ten will explode. If the iron plate is too thick, the resulting thing will be so heavy that it needs to be carried by two people. ”

"The third is to forge an iron rod and then drill it with a drill. It will also blow up, but the chance is smaller than the second one, about one in twenty or thirty pieces. ”

"Then use the third method, and then see what is the reason for the explosion, and then make improvements to the problem!" Zhang Qian took over the conversation and commanded with a smile.

He also did not understand how to make the barrel. But my intuition is that the third one is the most reliable. At the very least, there is no need to consider whether the weld is tight. (Note: Actually, most of the early firecrackers were used in the second way.) ）

"Yes!" Wang Maobo bowed his hand with admiration on his face, "The subordinates are also using the third method now. At present, it is seen that the cause of the explosion is that when drilling pipes, the center of the drill bit and the iron rod cannot be guaranteed to be aligned at all times. It is also difficult for people to hold on to the iron rod and never move. As long as the drill bit is crooked, or the iron rod is moved, the outer wall of the drilled iron pipe will be unevenly thick. If it is too crooked, it is inevitable that the chamber will explode. In addition, the drill bit is not hard enough, and if you use it, it will be wasted. It needs to be taken out and re-quenched. After quenching, the drill bit has to be realigned, and there is no guarantee that it will be in the original position. ”

"Huh?" Zhang Qian closed his eyes, thinking about the image of drilling holes in the iron rod in his mind, and muttered in a low voice.

"Subordinate, subordinate incompetent!" Wang Maobo didn't dare to disturb him, and stood aside with his hands down, muttering in a low voice.

Zhang Qian waved his hand and motioned to Wang Maobo not to speak. Continue to close your eyes and search your mind for all the books, materials, and movies and videos you have read.

After all, he is a traverser, even if he does not have the relevant knowledge, in his mind, there is no shortage of some methods to solve similar problems for reference. So, about a quarter of an hour later, he suddenly opened his eyes, walked to the handsome case with a smile, took out a pen and paper, and sketched a drawing.

"Don't hold the iron rod in your hands, you make such a clamp with bolts and threads, clamp the iron pipe and stand upright under the drill bit. Keep the drill bit straight down at all times. ”

"Yes!"

"Don't pull the drill bit by hand, change it to a waterwheel or windmill, the output can be continuous and even, and the drilling speed is much faster than that of the hand."

"In addition, try to make the steel of the drill bit, and use the furnace to refine it in the same way as iron smelting. When refining, try to add more graphite powder to it. ”

"Yes!"

"Another ......"

When he said a word, Wang Maobo replied, his eyes getting brighter and brighter. In the end, I surrendered my hand with joy and convincingness. "The town guard is wise, so that at least the center of the iron rod is much easier to align! The steel used to make the drill bit was originally going to ask the caravan to help buy Dashi Steel. If it can be refined with graphite in a furnace, it can save a lot of things. ”

"If Big Food Steel is easy to use, buy it. It would be better if I could piggyback on the great cannibal method of steelmaking, and I remember that the technology of iron-making in the furnace was bought from the Persians. Zhang Qian thought for a while, smiled and nodded, "In addition, you don't want to take care of everything alone, there are some problems, brainstorming will definitely work better." You can even consider a bounty, and whoever can solve the problem will be given a large reward. lest the craftsmen hide their secrets and think that the disciples of the church will starve the master to death. ”

"Yes!" Wang Maobo happily agreed, and then, after looking at Zhang Qian's face, he stopped talking

"If you have any ideas, you can say them. You're responsible for all the artifacts in Shattered Leaf Town, and if you're timid, the people below won't be able to work! Zhang Qian smiled and encouraged in a low voice.

"The Sogdians, in addition to doing business, are also known for their dexterity. The subordinates have seen the jewelry they create before, and the styles are very beautiful and the patterns are extremely complex. Wang Maobo immediately gained courage and asked in a low voice, "My subordinates suggest that we can go to Shiguo and recruit some Sogdian craftsmen to help with the work." In this way, whether it is making armor or making a car and a plow, the output can be increased a lot. ”

"Sogdian craftsmen? Are you sure they can do it? Zhang Qianshiguo only cared about fighting all the way, and he didn't have time to understand the affairs of the people, so he frowned and asked in a low voice.

If what Wang Maobo said was true, it would be a surprise. On the side of Broken Leaves, what is most lacking at the moment is qualified craftsmen. Although with the salaries offered by the town guard envoy and the Six Gods Trading House, the eyes of the Turgish people were red. But the Tuqi Shi people are all good at riding horses and grazing, and when they enter the workshop to do things, they immediately become dull, and it is good not to add to the chaos, and they are not expected to help at all.

Unlike the Turks and Turks, the Sogdians were half herding, half farming, and business, and had their own cities. To have your own city, you need workshops and craftsmen. Lest Zhang Qian not understand, Wang Maobo explained very carefully, "Only those who ride on horseback and have no fixed place are clumsy one by one." ”

"That makes a lot of sense!" Zhang Qian nodded and smiled in agreement.

"Shi Guo has just been defeated by the town guard, and its domestic craftsmen will definitely have a very difficult life in the future. As long as we have normal construction money, they can't wait to come over and work to support their families. If the guards are afraid that they will steal the teacher, they can bring their families over and take them hostage. As long as they dare to learn the skills and run, they will kill ......"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Qian had already understood his thoughts, and quickly shook his head and interrupted, "You can invite Sogdian craftsmen to come over, but don't arrest people's family members." Twisted melons are not sweet. In another way, you give enough money, and then tell them that as long as you do a good job, you can reward them with their whole family to move to live in Datang, and the whole family will join the Tang nationality. In this way, it will definitely make them more desperate than tying up their family members as hostages. ”

"The Guardian is wise!" Wang Maobo gave his hand again, and he was so impressed that he threw himself to the ground.

It's just picking people's teeth. Zhang Qian smiled and shook his head slightly.

This is definitely not his deliberate modesty, the world's top powers in another time and space, and how many of them are not attracting talents from all walks of life to the world? And the current Datang, from the official to the non-governmental, is also extremely open-minded. As long as a person has the ability, he can be recognized, and it is rare for him to be treated differently because he is of a different race.

Thinking of the Tang Dynasty's tolerance of foreign races, he immediately thought of Wang Maobo himself, who was actually also a Goguryeo. Immediately, a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he asked with a smile: "Among Ling Zun's friends who were in the army before, is there any one with the surname Gao and the name of Sheji?" It is also from Goguryeo and is said to be very skilled. ”

"High House Chicken?" Wang Maobo couldn't keep up with Zhang Qian's jumping thoughts, and shook his head vigorously, "No." Among my father's old friends, there are several with high surnames, but I have never remembered such a strange name. No, not in my grandfather's old friends. But I know one myself, surnamed Gao, self-sacrificing, Gao Sheji is given the nickname given to him by others! And right now in Anthy! ”

"The high house chicken is in Anxi!" Zhang Qian was immediately overjoyed, and couldn't wait to ask, "Then does he have a son named Gao Xianzhi?" How old is this year, have you ever served in the army, and under whose account do you serve! ”

God, it's so much to give Zhang someone face! Just now, Zhang Jiuling took the initiative to defect, and then sent Gao Xianzhi to Anxi. If there is such a text and a martial arts under the account, even if you can't make a musket, you can rest assured and boldly call Li Lingyue's crazy woman's catty two!

"Gao Sheji is now in Qiuzi, and he is the captain of the city gate under the tent of Niu Dadu. He was of the same clan as me, so when I passed by Qiuzi, I was entrusted to bring him a letter from home. I don't understand why Zhang Qian values the self-sacrificing father and son so much, Wang Maobo hesitated to respond, "As for his son, his eldest son died at an early age, and the second child seems to be called Gao Xianzhi, who is only eight years old this year, and looks like a tiger, I don't know if it's the one the town guard is looking for?" ”

"What do you say? Gao Xianzhi is only eight years old? Zhang Qian was stunned, and the ecstasy in his heart suddenly turned into loss.

People's hearts are not satisfied, and if they get Long, they will look at Shu! He actually just took in Zhang Jiuling, and he dreamed of recruiting Gao Xianzhi again. It's a pity that God refused to help, and Gao Xianzhi, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty in the future, actually started to change baby teeth!

When he was secretly laughing at himself, he heard someone outside the door shouting: "Report, the town guard, the county order of the king of Gumo City is here, saying that there is something important to see." ”

"Let him in!" When Zhang Qian heard this, he immediately put away the chaotic thoughts in his heart and gave a decisive order.

Gumo County Commander Wang Yuanbao, who is also responsible for the reconstruction of Gumo City and the layout of the Six Gods Commercial Bank in the Western Regions, can make this person suddenly put down the burden at hand and run to Broken Leaf to meet him, it will definitely not be a trivial matter. Therefore, no matter how busy he is, Zhang Qian has to let him report as soon as possible.

Facts have proved that Zhang Qian's judgment this time was very wrong. It is true that Wang Yuanbao did not return to Broken Leaf for no reason, but what he did was neither the trouble in rebuilding Gumo, nor the layout of the Six Gods Trading House in the Western Regions. Rather, escort a person whom he considers extremely important.

"Sister Yang said that Lang Jun may lack someone around him to help manage the accounts!" Following behind Wang Yuanbao, Zijuan lifted the dusty silk cloak, and her two big eyes were full of apprehension and joy, "So, after the maid discussed with her, she took the initiative to invite Ying to come over." Lang Jun, Chang'an is thousands of miles away from here, please look at Zijuan's hard work all the way, don't drive Zijuan away immediately. ”