Zhao Huan took Li Gang to the Guangbei siege behind Sweet Water Lane.

Looking at the continuous workshop, countless craftsmen come in and out, constantly carrying boxes of materials between warehouses and workshops.

Occasionally, some businessmen flattered and talked to some officials with a flattering attitude.

"What's going on?" Zhao Huan asked. Obvious collusion between officials and businessmen! It's so obvious, if he can't see it anymore, isn't it Shi Lezhi?

Li Gang looked at the direction Zhao Huan was pointing, squinted for a while and said: "This is the Weapons Cheng, who is responsible for all kinds of things that the Weapons Supervision and Preparations for the siege of the city, and he is talking about business with the merchants." Make some merchants' orders, otherwise I'm afraid the ordnance supervisor will not be able to open. ”

"The arsenal was abandoned for thirteen years, and the major workshops were inefficient because of the scattered power of weapon building and the many orders. The various workshops of this ordnance supervisor are in a state of abandonment, no one has ever paid attention to armaments, and there is no appropriation, so they can only take some civilian orders and collect some resources in order to build equipment and rebuild military weapons, renovate crossbows, and discarded wood and iron tools are used for civilian use. ”

After he served as a squire in the military department, he also served as the same as the weapons supervisor, and worked diligently in the arsenal and the weapons supervisor for more than ten years, and finally turned this weapons supervisor into his original role.

"Each type of workshop has an ordnance supervisor, and the major workshops have an ordnance master book and ordnance supervision, and in each small workshop in the workshop, there is an ordnance superintendent as a manager. There are 13 ordnance supervisors, 430 ordnance masters and supervisors, a total of more than 4,000 ordnance superintendents, and about 30,000 craftsmen working in major ordnance workshops. Official, this armory prison is already a usable place. Li Gang continued to introduce the establishment of the Ordnance Superintendent.

Is the establishment so huge? Zhao Huan thought of the question of redundant officials and said, "Are these all leading the imperial court?" ”

Li Gang shook his head and said: "The ministers and the military weapons are the national treasures, including the armory master book, the weapons supervisor and the young eunuch, as well as the craftsmen's treasures are all from the workshop itself. Originally, before the reform of Yuanfeng, these people's fortunes were all from the imperial court, but after the reform of Yuanfeng, these people had nothing to do, and the ministers convened for a long time before they called these people back. ”

The intention of Yuanfeng's restructuring is good, and it intends to solve the problem of redundant officials, and it also solves the problem of redundant officials to a large extent.

At that time, when singing and dancing were leveled, there was no problem at all in cutting down these craftsmen, but now that I think about it, the restructuring still cut off a lot of officials who should not be cut.

"You continue to lead the ordnance superintendent, and when Jin Bing retires, we will study the restructuring of this ordnance superintendent." Zhao Huan said, ready to enter the workshop.

Li Gang frowned, but still nodded yes, he is now the imperial envoy of the four walls, and he is responsible for the defense of Bianjing's military affairs, and now he is still a squire of the military department, and he has to be busy with paperwork and the affairs of the ordnance supervisor for a long time every day, he originally wanted to push it out, but now the ordnance supervisor is on the right track, and it is completely unhindered.

But to whom will the weapons prison be handed over? became a problem.

"Official, later, enter the workshop and bring something to cover your nose, the workshop is full of fire." Li Gang looked at Zhao Huan, who was straight and ready to go in, and said.

Naturally, it was not the first time he had come to this workshop, he took out a cover covering his nose from his sleeve, buckled it to his nose, left only one eye, and walked into the workshop with the car.

Zhao Huan was surprised, the workshops in the Northern Song Dynasty all have safety production management regulations?

He obediently put on a square scarf to cover his nose, walked into the workshop, and saw the craftsmen at work, this place is a place for forging short weapons, and there are few people.

Zhao Huan glanced twice, and most of the kitchen utensils and farm tools were built. As for the short weapons of swords, only three or four craftsmen were seen beating on the iron felt.

The large quenching pond is also living water, which is taken from the river in the city and flows slowly into and out. For this situation, his eyes looked at Li Gang.

"Official, short soldiers are not applicable now. Whether it is the Liao State, the Western Xia, or the current Jin State, they are all in armor, and short soldiers such as swords and knives are no longer suitable for battle formations. Now the battlefield is full of spears or hammers, so that you can effectively kill and damage the enemy. Li Gang immediately heard the strings and knew what he meant.

"Oh." Zhao Huan walked forward, and the entire short-term workshop was quickly visited, and he walked into the next workshop.

This place is a printing workshop, through the thick mask, Zhao Huan smelled the smell of ink, and the craftsmen put the engraving plates on the printing table, and one print is one.

Then a large piece of paper was printed, and the other party was there, waiting to be cut.

Movable type printing must have been invented.

The blind student discovered Huadian!

With movable type printing, wouldn't efficiency take off? He pointed to the craftsman and said, "I don't know if Li Shaoqing has heard of movable type printing?" ”

Seed Master Dao was also watching left and right, and when he heard Zhao Huan's words, he coughed directly with a smile.

"Why is Shaobao laughing?" The second monk Zhao Huan was confused, what happened to this?

Li Gang explained with a smile: "Movable type printing is only used by the emperor as a workshop, and it is difficult to use it in this ordnance prison. Officials, most of these craftsmen are illiterate, how can they pick out suitable words to print? ”

"A plate engraving printing can be used for more than ten years, or even more than 20 years without being bad, but if you have movable type, the copper plate is better, and the iron plate is easy to rust and maintain, it is too expensive to use!"

Illiterate people use movable type printing...... Zhao Huan felt that it was better to find a crack in the ground to drill down! Internet articles are harmful!

It is said that through the gold finger to make paper, movable type, soap......

Illiterate craftsmen printed, printed with movable type......

"If it is a clay movable type mold, it is too easy to deform, and it is also very inappropriate, so it is better to engraving. In fact, the movable type printing of the royal workshop is mainly to print and spread the holy decree of the world, and other official documents and other texts are engraved into engraving plates and printed in the workshop. Li Gang continued.

Zhao Huan hid his face and left, since movable type printing has been invented, it has not been used on a large scale in pragmatic China, and there must be a problem in it.

The workshop he entered again was the Changbing Workshop, and Zhao Huan kept patrolling, this time he really found Huadian!

"If there are no accidents, this is a lost-wax casting." Zhao Huan asked.

One by one, the craftsman will make a model with wax, and then put the wax model on it, touch the mud, and put it in a sunny place to dry, and in the place where he dries, he sees the clay mold that has been dried long ago.

The wax film in the mud film is then melted, and the remaining mud film is put into a kiln, baked into a pottery mold, and then poured.

Zhao Huan is very sure that he has discovered Huadian, and this time it is no longer the joke of movable type printing before!

"The official family is indeed cast by the lost wax method, and the official family is widely involved, and the subordinates admire it. But, official, is there anything wrong with this? Li Gang was a little puzzled, the lost wax method has been around for a long time, it has been recorded since the Spring and Autumn Period, and it has been used to this day.

The manufacture of Buddha statues and other objects is made of lost wax casting, and I don't know the meaning that the officials want to express.

"I have seen this carved beast cast by the lost wax method before, the openwork decoration is complex and changeable, and the appearance is gorgeous and solemn. At that time, I was thinking, will this lost wax casting be used in military weapons? Zhao Huan said.

Li Gang shook his head, this official family is really interesting, the lost wax method is widely used to cast Buddha seals, and the process is mature, but it is used to cast weapons, and the iron tools cast are not ready to collapse at the touch of a button?

Casting weapons, doesn't your majesty even know that weapons are forged? I'm not kidding.

"The weapons that the official family said, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, some people tried it, and the weapons cast are all pig iron, and they will collapse at the first touch, how can they be used?" Li Gang explained, but His Majesty's concern for military affairs and armaments has exceeded his expectations.

The gentleman is far away, and he doesn't even go down to the kitchen, and it's already very good to enter the workshop.

"I'm talking about weapons, not weapons. Li Shaoqing. Zhao Huan was very confident, he saw the national bed crossbow, if those rotating shafts and other things on the bed crossbow were cast by the lost wax method, it would definitely be more useful.

Li Gang shook his head and said: "Weapons are not good, weapons are even more ......"

He stopped halfway through his speech, he realized what the Lost Wax Method could do!

He has been a squire and a military supervisor for so long, and he is conscientious, which is his understanding of weapons.

Casting weapons is naturally a joke, but weapons are not only hard-hitting weapons such as hammers, but also crossbows and bows.

Take the bed crossbow, for example!

There are still many improvements to the scheme, because the parts required are too precise to be made, which he regrets very much.

The lost wax method of casting weapons mentioned by the official family is promising!

"Xie Guan's teachings. Sure enough, it has always been so, not all right. ”

Li Gang is overjoyed! The bed crossbow and the matching car crossbow have such problems, and they cannot be improved, because the parts are too fine to be remodeled.

And there are places where it is simply impossible to reduce the size! Your Majesty's suggestion is really good!