Just after the small meeting of the traversers, Lan Wang grabbed Wen Tongxin, who was about to leave the reception room and return to the steamboat room, and told Director Wen about his negotiation experience in the Huang Family Merchant Hall during the day, the encounter with the new traverser, and the agreement he reached with Huang Huan to build a gunboat, and at the same time cheekily asked Director Wen to help him fulfill his promise.

Even many years later, Lan Wang can't forget the expression on Director Wen's face at that time: it was as uncomfortable as holding a stuffy fart, and it was as disgusting as eating noodles and eating a fly.

"Look, what am I talking about? You are a good person, you are a good hand at saving people and killing people, but this technical problem is that you have nine out of ten tricks--- you don't know anything!! ”

Director Wen did not hesitate to turn on the poisonous tongue taunting mode while leaving his anger.

"As the saying goes, if you have a mouth at the top, you will break your leg at the bottom, and the leaders of my original unit will not deceive me! You're blowing a shit out there, and you don't end up having to let our engineering dogs wipe your ass? “

"But it's okay, your is not very big, it is acceptable, and it can come back! I hope you can have a good time next time before bragging, because you can't have that good luck every time someone stands up and helps you out! “

Young Master Lan could only smile bitterly with a guilty face. What else could he say but stand there and get scolded? What else can be done?

"But there's one thing to say...... The promise you made to the eldest young master surnamed Huang is still quite feasible, at least not a fool's dream. Even a straight man of steel like Director Wen knows how to slap a sweet date, "The engine of a steam gunship with enough power is not a difficult task for the current Wenjia Workshop, just use the stepping beam engine." This kind of engine was invented in the 40-50s of the 19th century, specially used on steam paddle steamers, until the 1940s it was still exerting waste heat, and the technology was absolutely mature and reliable, and it could be assembled with the current processing level of Wenjia Workshop. “

"I'll also tell you the truth: the stepper beam engine is actually a simplified and small version of the second-generation Watt steam engine in the 1830s, and the only difference between it and the factory steam engine is its 'A' shaped compact composite bracket, which has better stability and stronger structure, and the size does not need to be very large to meet the stress and pressure load of the steam engine, and it is quite convenient to load and use. All in all, with my current manpower and spare parts for the machines in the factory, it is not difficult to assemble six of these engines. “

"You don't have to worry about artillery. You probably don't know yet, do you? Li Changting made a breakthrough in gunpowder, and he succeeded in figuring out the molecular structure of the strong acid that corroded the cylinders of our steam engines, and found out the non-metallic acid corresponding to this acid. He has named this non-metallic acid as sulfate according to the name of his previous life, and the corresponding non-metallic element has become sulfur. Wen Tongxin didn't seem to intend to come out of the book bag mode in a short period of time, "This elemental substance is said to be a brownish-yellow solid, mixed with saltpeter and charcoal to form this dimensional version of the black medicine, Li Changting has already used this recipe to do preliminary small-dose deflagration experiments, and the results are okay, he is now exploring the optimal ratio of these three components and the ultimate power of this copy of the black medicine." “

"In other words, our enemies have destroyed our steam engines, but they have also sent us a big package! To tell the truth, this is much more generous than Kaishen Logistics in the original plane - Chang Kaishen simply sent equipment to PLA, but our opponent accidentally gave us a complete set of basic chemical military industry system this time! I don't even know if to cry or laugh! Director Wen, who has always been serious, is also humorous this time.

Wen Wangsun pretended to pat Lan Wang, who was half a head shorter than him, lightly: "As for the matter of casting cannons, you don't have to worry about it at all, I'll put down the other projects first, and start building cannons tomorrow morning." The high-quality cast iron materials stockpiled in the factory are also completely sufficient, and you don't have to ask for the one surnamed Huang. As for you, you still have to help Director Li keep an eye on it, and first get the foundation of the industrial zone and the catch of spies done! Oh yes, I've told you twice, don't forget the labor! Artificial! Artificial! Hurry up and find a way to improve our construction technology, so that we can speed up the construction period! “

"Got it, got it! You're a tech master, you're amazing, okay?! Young Master Lan deliberately put on a puffing expression that only a child has, and sang and harmonized with Director Wen.

......

Early the next morning.

The mechanical processing workshop in the "secret area" of Wenjia Workshop is a busy scene.

Wen Tongxin held the artillery drawings drawn by Lan Wang and handed to him, and carefully examined the wooden cannon mold that was rapidly rotating on the proposed woodworking machine and gradually taking shape under the sharpened blade.

"I said Wen Wangsun, can the fixed sand casting method you designed work? I remember that the casting of such large and medium-sized iron castings is not always made of clay molds or iron molds? Director Li, who happened to have nothing to do today and was watching from the side, asked.

"Clay mold casting cannons and iron mold casting cannons are indeed very classic methods, but both have flaws that are difficult to overcome." Director Wen explained, "Needless to say, the mud mold is a one-time mold, and the mold should be smeared layer by layer, and the mold drying will be particularly time-consuming if it is not on the dryer, even if the drying is qualified, the cast cannon is likely to have uneven surface and even pores; The iron mold casting cannon is very fast, the operation is also convenient, and the gun body is also very smooth, but the iron mold cools too quickly from the outside to the inside, the surface of the gun body will be very white, and the metal texture will become particularly brittle, which greatly affects the strength of the gun barrel. “

Director Wen turned his words, pointed to the sandy cannon mold that was being processed by craftsmen next to him, and proudly introduced: "Considering the above points, I combined the material advantages of this plane to neutralize the advantages of the iron mold casting cannon and the clay mold casting cannon to make this upgraded version of sand casting. Take yellow mud, water river sand, river ash, reed ash, clay, clay and water to mix, make mold raw materials. With this raw material, the wooden cannon blanks are buried layer by layer, and the middle layer is sprinkled with fine red sand stone powder to separate the upper and lower molds. After that, a whole mold is baked over fire until the shape is hard, and then the two halves of the mold are separated, and then a layer of reed ash and fine rice husk powder is sprinkled in the artillery-shaped groove in the center of the mold, coated with a layer of chalk mud, and then baked over a slight fire, and the mold is ready! “

"After that, it's very simple: fix the mold in the frame, install the core for shaping the barrel and lugs, press a heavy enough weight, and the cannon can be cast."

Director Wen said and pointed to the iron ingots for cannon casting that were being preheated with coke in a nearby crypt.

"After the cannon is cast, the outer wall and inner chamber of the cannon will be smooth, and the sand mold does not need to be broken in one go, it only needs to be disassembled and cleaned up a little, and it can be used for the next cannon casting. In this way, the efficiency of our arms production has also increased significantly! ”

While making an introduction, Wen Tongxin did not forget to remind the apprentice: "Look at the furnace flowers in the molten iron furnace!" The mechanical group and the mold group are ready to stop, and the casting is about to start, and the metallurgical group can't drop the chain! ”

"Understood, Master!" "Obey Master!" "Yes!" A chorus of echoes rang out near the furnace.

......

The bright red molten iron in the massive crucible unleashed a fiery wave of heat that distorted the air around it. Nervously and attentively, the apprentices used large vises to control the posture of the crucible hanging from the crane, and carefully moved a pot of molten iron above the mold casting that had been prepared.

"Three, two, one! Let's go! ”

Wen Tongxin gave an order.

The crucible tilted, and the red-hot liquid metal merged into a thin stream that radiated a blinding light, whistling into the mold. In an instant, the heat surged, white smoke rose, and the molten iron quickly filled the gaps in the mold, and the excess heat escaped, even igniting the mold frame made of hardwood, making the whole mold look like a circus performance fire ring on fire everywhere.

"There should be no problem, the next step is to wait for the metal to cool naturally." Director Wen concluded.

"Hey, our current productivity level is still not good!" Director Li didn't forget to pour two basins of cold water, "Even to melt a cast iron, you have to use this kind of small iron melting furnace that can't be put on the table!" I don't know when our blast furnace will have to be built! ”

Wen Tongxin is in a good state of mind. He laughed and said, "There will be bread, there will be milk, there will be everything; Iron will have, steel will have, the whole world will be ours!! ”