The second Big Ben in Chang'an City was not installed in the Guanshishan Academy, but was installed in the Daming Palace under the personal greeting of Li Shimin.

This makes the start time of the pilgrimage more accurate in the future.

Of course, it also allows all officials in the court to witness the extraordinaryness of Big Ben.

This is not far behind CCTV's bid king advertisement.

"Your Majesty, under the leadership of Kuan'er, this Guanshishan Academy is very similar to his style, and all kinds of whimsical ideas are unimaginable."

Empress Changsun followed Li Shimin and came to the city wall of Daming Palace, and observed the only two Big Ben bells in the Tang Dynasty at close range.

"yes, the meaning of this Big Ben is really extraordinary. It is said that it changes rapidly, and now with this Big Ben, the time scale is down to the second, which is equivalent to being able to grasp the time change of every breath. ”

As the first emperor of the ages, Li Shimin is naturally able to realize the extraordinaryness of Big Ben.

For a long time, everyone has lived a life of sunrise and daily income.

In a sense, the rise and fall of the sun is measured in time.

Such accuracy is naturally up for debate.

Especially on days when there is no sun.

"I heard that Kuan'er specifically asked for the establishment of a Tang Royal Patent Office for this Big Ben, and it seems that he has great expectations for these things."

Although Empress Changsun does not interfere in political affairs, it does not mean that she is ignorant of what is happening in the court.

According to what he told me, he hoped that through the establishment of this patent office, everyone could be encouraged to invent more new things. Take this Big Ben as an example, the clock workshop of the Chu Wangfu recruited 500 craftsmen in one go, which is equivalent to giving 500 ordinary people a fixed income, which is of great benefit to stabilizing the rule of the Tang Dynasty and improving the living standards of the people. ”

Li Shimin has now slowly accepted the view that the richer the people, the more stable the Tang Dynasty.

The so-called barefoot people are not afraid to wear shoes, once everyone is no longer worried about hunger, how many people are willing to kill their heads with others?

So the meaning of making all the barefoot people become people who wear shoes is very different.

"I heard that the number of craftsmen in the various workshops under the palace of the king of Chu has exceeded 50,000, and a large number of craftsmen in Chang'an, Dengzhou, and Liangzhou have become rich because of Kuan'er. It's just that the price of this Big Ben should not be cheap, he recruits so many people, what if he can't sell it when the time comes? ”

"I don't know how Kuan'er plans to sell Big Ben, but it's not cheap. However, Guanyin, you still underestimate the number of rich people in the Tang Dynasty. In recent years, whether it is going to sea or the construction of various workshops, the nobles in Datang have made a lot of money. This Big Ben, no matter how expensive it is, will not lack personnel to buy it. After all, this thing is not only very practical when placed at home, but also a symbol of status. ”

Li Shimin is obviously very optimistic about Big Ben's future.

To put it mildly, if it weren't for the fact that the volume of this Big Ben seems to be a bit large, and it is said that it is very troublesome to build, he is going to install one in every palace in Daming Palace.

"Your Majesty, I heard that Wang Fugui of the Chu Palace's Mansion has taken a walk and is going to auction a batch of Big Ben in the Treasure Pavilion before the New Year. And His Royal Highness the King of Chu has also frequently visited the watch workshop and the watch research institute these days, and Weichen estimates that new news will come out of this Big Ben soon. ”

Li Zhong interjected at the right time.

"The Institute of Clocks and Watches?"

When Li Shimin heard about this organization for the first time, he felt a little strange.

"That's right, this clock research institute is a newly established research institute under the Gewu College of Guanshishan Academy, it is said that His Royal Highness the King of Chu and Na Xu Jingzong attach great importance to it, and arrange a large number of students to study and research, and the director of this research institute is Lang Qing, who invented Big Ben."

Big Ben made such a big move, Li Zhong naturally spent a lot of energy to understand it.

Fortunately, these efforts have not been in vain.

"Langqing? Didn't you say that this Big Ben was invented by a student of Guanshishan Academy? Kuan'er directly appointed a trainee as the director of the Watch Research Institute? That's a lot of support! ”

Li Shimin couldn't help but be a little interested in Langqing, a student.

In Datang, it is not so easy to reach the sky in one step.

Li Zhong: "The support is really strong. It is said that even 5% of the clock workshop was directly distributed to Langqing, and the various equipment purchased by the Chu Wangfu for this workshop alone is said to have exceeded 2,000 yuan, and several strange equipment of the new style of the mechanical workshop were all sold to the watch workshop. ”

"It's all good, it's not really that much. But the benefits of selling Big Ben in the future are a big number. If my estimate is correct, the profit of this watch workshop in a year can reach at least 10,000 yuan, or even more. This is equivalent to Na Langqing being able to get more than 500 yuan of money every year, and this kind of money is available every year. ”

Li Shimin's internal money has also become rich in recent years.

A little money was no longer in his eyes, but he still felt Li Kuan's attention to this Langqing.

Thousands of dollars buy horse bones, this width is really willing.

……

"Lord Wang, all steel is used to make these devices, the processing speed is too slow, and the scrap rate of parts is very high, resulting in the cost of each of our Big Ben is very high. We can use some hardwood and brass to make it, so that the construction speed will be much faster. ”

In the watch workshop, Lang Qing reported the latest situation to Li Kuan.

In the past few days, Langqing has basically not rested much, and spends every day in the watch workshop and watch research institute, in order to meet Li Kuan's goal of increasing the output of Big Ben to 1,000 units per month.

At the current rate, not to mention 1,000 units a month, even a thousand units cannot be produced in a year.

What limits the production speed of Big Ben is the processing speed of the individual parts.

"Use hardwood and brass?"

Li Kuan thought about it in his mind and analyzed its feasibility.

"These parts work all day and night, and if you use hardwood and brass, do they wear out very quickly? As a result, the accuracy of the clock will be greatly affected, right? ”

The difficulty of processing hardwood and processing steel is definitely not one or two points, and Li Kuan is naturally aware of the benefits of replacing materials.

However, if the accuracy of the clock drops significantly due to the change of material, it makes no sense.

"There must be some effect, but we can choose a harder wood such as rosewood and apply a little more whale oil to lubricate it. And tell the people who buy Big Ben that in addition to winding it regularly every day, they should also apply some whale oil to Big Ben with an interval of ten days and eight days.

In this way, the accuracy of Big Ben can basically be guaranteed. As for the long time, the difference of one minute or two, or even five minutes and ten minutes, does not affect the use of ordinary people.

In addition, the Watch Research Institute can do a special study to see how the accuracy of these Big Ben clocks changes during use. Later, we can use the results of these studies as an experience to tell the customers who buy them, so that they can readjust the time regularly. ”

Lang Qing and Li Kuan's proposal to replace the materials was obviously well thought out.

As the inventor of Big Ben, he naturally knew very well what the meaning of precision was, and he also thought of a corresponding compensation plan.

"Lord Wang, I think Lang Qing's proposal is good. Even our Big Ben can be set at different prices depending on the material, if you want a higher precision Big Ben, then you need to pay more money, if you want to be cheaper, we can also provide cheap options. In this way, more people can afford Big Ben. ”

Wang Fugui interjected on the side.

After following Li Kuan for so many years, his business sense is much stronger than before.

Obviously, if the current Mingdemen Big Ben is made, even the cost price of a Big Ben will exceed 100 yuan.

The production speed is so slow, this Big Ben is not sold several times the cost price, and the watch workshop can't make a few dollars in a year.

But a Big Ben clock sells for a few hundred yuan, which is actually not conducive to its large-scale promotion.

After all, according to Li Kuan's expectations for Big Ben, although it was sold as a luxury item at the beginning, he hoped that Big Ben could enter thousands of households.

After all, this thing doesn't mean much the same as crocodile bags and mirrors.

"Okay, then do what you think. Wang Fugui, you and Langqing discuss it together, and see how many Big Ben models the watch workshop will launch will be more appropriate. ”

Li Kuan thought about it and finally agreed to the plan to replace the materials.

Let's solve the problem first, and then solve the problem of improving the accuracy.

When things like lathes and steam engines were made, the machining of metal gears would not be so difficult, and the accuracy of clocks would naturally go up.

"No problem, Lord Wang. I've already figured out that in addition to distinguishing the internal parts and materials, the outer shell can also fully reflect the difference in Big Ben's grade. It's like this dial, which is expensive and we can add a glass cover to it. And the base of this Big Ben, we can make it in copper or even silver, and if anyone needs gold, they can do it. ”

Engaging in technology, Wang Fugui is definitely not good.

But he is obviously still very experienced in how to sell goods.

"You can do it. But the king has one more demand, a permanent demand for the watch institute and the watch workshop. ”

As soon as Li Kuan's words came out, Lang Qing and Wang Fugui stood up straight, ready to listen carefully.

"The first requirement was to be smaller, smaller! If one day, this Big Ben can be the size of a fist, or even only the size of a finger, then its use is completely different, and each of us can carry a clock with us, and you should know how big the business opportunities are in it. ”

Hearing Li Kuan say this, Wang Fugui couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Everyone has a clock, but if you really do that, how many clocks do you have to produce?

However, compared with Wang Fugui's excitement, Lang Qing's brows were furrowed.

Some things, the bigger they are, the harder they are.

But there are some things that are more difficult to get together the smaller they are.

It is clear that Big Ben belongs to the latter.

Not to mention a finger-sized clock, even if it's the size of a fist, it's not a little difficult to make.

This means that the various parts inside need to be made smaller, and their accuracy and strength must be ensured, and the threshold in this is not something that can be crossed in a day or two.

"The second request of this king is to do it more accurately, more accurately. For ordinary people, Big Ben is a few minutes a day, or even a quarter of an hour, and it doesn't have much effect. However, for the students of [fo] Guanshishan Academy, for the experiments in various laboratories, the error is large, and the accuracy of the results of many experiments is far worse. ”

"The teachings of the prince are kept in mind by the students, and these two requirements will be engraved at the gate as the purpose of the watch research institute, and the students will make a custom clock that satisfies the prince in their lifetime."

Although Lang Qing knows the difficulty of this.

But he is the kind of person who is more difficult and motivated to challenge.

Li Kuan and Guanshishan Academy both gave him so much support, and Lang Qing was naturally unwilling to live up to this expectation.

……

Jin Tai Striking Iron Workshop.

It's a busy time.

Since the advertisement of Jintai Iron Pot was published in "Datang Daily", the production volume of Jintai Iron Workshop has immediately ushered in a rapid rise.

Nowadays, the iron pot has become the main source of profit for the Jintai Iron Workshop.

"Master, a few days ago I had dinner with Liu Fang of Nanshan Construction Engineering, and he told his apprentice about something, I think it is very promising."

Ah Niu poured a cup of tea for Jin Tai, and then sat next to him.

"Oh? What is it that makes you so discerning so interested? ”

Mrs. Jin has been in a good mood recently, and she rarely teased her apprentice.

"Isn't there a new Big Ben on the Mingde Gate? At the beginning, Liu Fang also participated in the construction of the attic where Big Ben was installed, so he also saw the installation process of Big Ben with his own eyes. ”

"Big Ben? It is the latest new object developed by Guanshishan Academy, and I heard that it is now liked by the people of Chang'an City. What, what you're trying to say has something to do with Big Ben? You're not trying to persuade Master to make Big Ben, are you? ”

Mrs. Kim couldn't help but be a little interested.

As a workshop manager, his vision is naturally not bad.

The future of Big Ben has been seen by many.

"Of course not. I heard that in order to ensure that the production process of Big Ben is not stolen, at the suggestion of His Royal Highness the King of Chu, the imperial court has set up a Royal Patent Office of the Tang Dynasty. ”

Let's not talk about whether you can make Big Ben, even if you can make it, Ah Niu will not be so stupid to get along with the Chu Palace.

"And what do you want to say?"

Mrs. Jin thought that her apprentice didn't know the height of the sky and wanted to challenge the authority of His Royal Highness the King of Chu.

Now it seems that his brain is still not in the water.

"Gears, the apprentice suggested that our workshop could send some craftsmen to specialize in the processing and production of gears. Because many of the parts in Big Ben are gear-related things. ”

"Gears? Is it something that was also used in the luxury four-wheeled carriage? ”

Naturally, Mrs. Kim had heard of gears, but he hadn't thought about producing them in his own workshop before.

"Yes, I have a hunch that gears will probably be used in many places in the future. Now, except for some workshops under the Chu Wangfu that can produce gears, other workshops have not yet entered this field, and now is a very good time. ”

Jin Tai did not immediately agree, but pondered for a moment.

"You first go and organize a few craftsmen to study it and see if this gear is good or not. Then I asked the shopkeeper to see what his opinion was. ”

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."