It is not that Chinese blacksmiths do not know how to heat metal with a furnace and forge metal with a hammer, but it is difficult for them to understand the principle, it is difficult to master the temperature, and it is even more difficult to achieve a leapfrog and efficient amplification of the productivity of a single individual labor through a high degree of production organization and division of labor and large-scale large-scale production equipment.

The maturity of the high-temperature processing of metal and the installation of large-scale industrial production equipment are like a dim and claustrophobic room that opens a window to the outside world. The red flowers and green grass in the garden suddenly turned into a painting on the wall, and since then it has been beautiful and full of surprises.

The Firearms Bureau has realized the one-step hot stamping of the body barrel of the five-and-a-half-inch short-barreled gun, so what about the barrel that is also used as a tube?

Isn't the promotion of technology emphasized in the will of the prince just used in the production of guns? As a result, the five-and-a-half-inch cannon over there has just come out of the prototype, and there is good news from the trial production of the gun tube here.

The ratio of length to diameter of a five-and-a-half-inch cannon is only about ten to one, but the barrel is a slender tube with a large ratio of length to diameter. Therefore, on the one hand, the trial production team borrowed the technology of "hot drawing", and on the other hand, developed a new concept of "hot drawing".

During processing, the red-hot blank is squeezed in the middle by multiple synchronously rotating conical rollers, which are driven forward to reach the hot drawing and shrinking opening. At the neck, the slender punch stands still against the center of the blank. While the advancing blank is punched by the punch, its outer diameter is continuously squeezed by several round hole-like neckts that change from large to small, and finally the blank is worn on the punch rod like a hot sausage, turning into a thin and long straight pipe.

This continuous production process is collectively referred to as "hot drawing" by the Firearms Bureau.

The quality of the barrel blank produced by the hot punching process is much higher than that of the hammer forging hot welding process only from the appearance:

There are no rough and uneven welds, and the thickness of the pipe wall is thin and uniform. It not only eliminates the possibility of blowing up the weld, but also can be filled with more gunpowder to increase the chamber pressure;

The inner and outer surfaces are smooth and straight, and the time and cost of subsequent machining are greatly reduced.

More importantly, due to the significant reduction in the production man-hours of the gun tube, which is a part of the fire gun stuck neck, the daily output of the firearms bureau has reached an unprecedented order.

According to Wang Kunshan's statement that there was no ambush, as long as he is given enough manpower and material resources, there will be no problem with the total output of 300 pieces a day from the three factories of the Firearms Bureau in Chengdu, Luzhou, and Chongqing within one month!

In addition to the processing of barrels, high-temperature metal processing has also given rise to hot rolling and hot wire drawing processes.

The new double-barrel hot rolling flat machine is about to be put into official operation, and its design capacity is more than ten times that of the original several small human hammer forging machines combined. The thin steel sheets produced are not only of uniform quality, but also surplus in quantity. It can not only meet the needs of armor plates, but also can be exported on a large scale.

In accordance with Zhu Pingjin's will, a new wire production line is also being designed. The research institute thought that Zhu Pingjin wanted an iron rope to replace the heavy and cumbersome iron chain. However, they didn't know that what Zhu Pingjin wanted was barbed wire, a battlefield killer.

The expansion of firecrackers and other projects requires a lot of manpower. Wang Kunshan invited Li Jia, the local parent official, to present his son in person this time, which is to ask for a decree with Li Jia:

More innocent people from Shuangliu, Chongzhou and Xinjin counties were sent to work in the Firearms Bureau, not just in Wangzhuang. As for the labor shortage left by the farms, it can be replaced by those Jingchu refugees who have newly arrived in Sichuan.

With 300 units a day, a total of 70 battalions of seven brigades of the Protector Army can complete the basic equipment of one company of each battalion within one and a half months, and complete the rearmament of the whole army within half a year. A year later, the number of troops can be increased to fourteen brigades, with more than 150,000 elite soldiers!

At that time, in addition to the new guns, the army would also be equipped with long and short field siege artillery and a large number of steel armor. As for the navy, there will be Centipede III ships and Boryeong-class and their further improved ones as the main combat ships on rivers and lakes.

Looking at the world, who is the enemy of such a strong army?

Zeng Ying thought silently, and couldn't help but feel swayed.

The prince's generosity, whether in the rivers and seas or the wasteland, can depict an epic masterpiece with just a few brushstrokes.

The ancients: The pen takes the meaning of the country.

That's it!

……

It is rare to come to the Firearms Bureau, Zhu Pingjin seems to have returned to the past years, and there is an indescribable cordiality.

Those noisy background noises sounded to him as if they had been transported back to the 21st century. If you don't distinguish carefully, there is almost no difference between those Ming workers who are sweaty and the migrant workers of the future.

It's a pity that things are wrong, and the birth of him and his wife has changed history forever.

But they changed history, but they couldn't control the direction of history.

The brutal war and the withering economy, in the powerful and tangible hands, have instead become the catalyst for new technologies and new industries. These new technologies and new industries will change the battlefield form of the Ming Dynasty, and then change the political ecology and economic map, change social relations and family relations, and change the fate of everyone in it.

For example, all kinds of people around him must be careful and planning now.

Zhu Pingjin could feel it, but he didn't care.

Any Ming person who has no concept of industrial civilization has no idea in his heart when he sees everything in front of him, it is strange. As long as the purpose of rallying people's minds and raising awareness can be achieved, it is worth bringing these people to the Firearms Bureau.

It's a pity that there is no more time, otherwise you can go to the shooting range and see for yourself the actual power of the new five-and-a-half-inch naval gun tail stabilized and extended blasting projectile after being filled with granular compressed gunpowder. Since the range of the new artillery far exceeds that of the old head cannon, and the setting up of a shooting range in the plain area will also occupy a large amount of farmland, the newly built shooting range is near the base of Songlin Mountain, far away from the rent collection yard. There is a hill behind the new range, and even if the projectile misses the target, it will not hurt the innocent.

Granular compressed gunpowder is a top-secret product newly developed by Mianzhou Gunpowder Factory, as the name suggests, that is, gunpowder is highly compressed during the production process.

Granular gunpowder was no secret in the Ming Dynasty, and was widely used in the anti-Japanese war as early as the Jiajing period. It turned out that the Sichuan Gunpowder Factory produced all granular gunpowder.

The powdered black powder is sprinkled with water, kneaded into a tide cake, compacted and dried, and then crushed and sieved to obtain the desired granular gunpowder.

Granular gunpowder can keep the solid components in the gunpowder relatively homogeneous, preventing the sinking of the components and causing the power to decrease. If the particle size is different, the ignition area of the gunpowder can be controlled, that is, the detonation velocity.

Generally speaking, below the particle size limit, the smaller the particle, the lower the detonation velocity, but the combustion rate is more stable.

Therefore, the black powder, the ignition powder used in the gunpowder and artillery, and the fuse of the explosives package produced by the gunpowder factory are powder gunpowder with a slower combustion rate, and the small particle gunpowder used for the firing of gunpowder and artillery is used. As for the flowering bombs and explosive packs, they used large particles of gunpowder with a very strong detonation speed.

However, in actual use, the granular gunpowder produced by the traditional method is loose and brittle, and is often smashed and crushed in the process of filling shells and gunpowder, and is turned back into powdered black powder with a very low detonation rate.

In order to solve the problem of fragile granule gunpowder, Chen Furu, the chief engineer of the Mianzhou Gunpowder Factory, the nth generation of the fireworks and firecrackers family, suggested that the weight of the stone mill should be increased, and it was best to change it to copper mill.

However, Chen Furu never expected that Zhu Pingjin's decision was far more radical than his. The Luban Machinery Bureau has developed a screw compressor specifically for gunpowder compression, which can compress the quantitative gunpowder into a hard, thin medicine cake the size of a bowl with huge pressure. After being crushed by an angular drum, the gunpowder cake is broken into neat pieces of small particles. After polishing and waxing, the traditional granular gunpowder is transformed into granular compressed black powder.

According to the Mianzhou plant, the density of compressed black powder is close to 1.6 times that of ordinary black powder (Note 1). In addition to the increased density and higher stability, the moisture resistance of black powder, which is a headache, has also been improved.

Compared with the old spherical flowering projectile with a hollow pine stock, the new five-and-a-half-inch stabilized and extended tail explosive bomb can be loaded with about three and a half times the amount of gunpowder, and its power is more than several times greater!

However, any exploration and innovation will come at a cost.

Gunpowder compression is a highly dangerous work, and the slightest carelessness will lead to the tragedy of machine destruction and death, and Mianzhou Gunpowder Factory has paid a heavy price for this.

At the time of the fierce battle between Zhu Ping and Jinbashan, a large explosion occurred at the Mianzhou Gunpowder Factory, killing and injuring dozens of workers, destroying more than 10 factories and more than 30 sets of machinery, causing economic losses of hundreds of thousands of taels and delaying the development of compressed gunpowder for more than half a year.

After the accident, although a detailed investigation of the accident was conducted, the truth is still confusing because all the parties involved died in the accident. According to the investigation team, it is likely that the early screw compressors were made of steel, and sparks generated during operation due to impact and other reasons, which detonated the gunpowder.

Zhu Pingjin understands that his eagerness for quick success and quick success is the fundamental cause of the tragedy. Qiu Ruiguang, Chen Furu and others are just taking the blame for the master. So his board was held high, but gently lowered. Qiu Ruiguang, Chen Furu and other responsible persons were removed from their posts and retained, that is, they continued to work with a punishment.

It's never too late to make amends. Fully respecting the laws of science and doing a good job in every detail is the fastest way to achieve the goal better, faster and safer.

Since then, the Mianzhou Gunpowder Factory has undergone a comprehensive rectification, and its engineering volume is comparable to that of two new gunpowder factories.

All the equipment in the gunpowder factory was made of copper, and most of the workers were converted to women who were meticulous and did not smoke.

Explosion-proof ditches were excavated in the workshop, and tall and thick explosion-proof walls were built between the workshops and the workshops.

The pressing of gunpowder is the top priority of gunpowder factory prevention. In order to standardize the operation, the operation procedures are formulated in a staggering detail. Workers must undergo safety training before entering the factory. There are rules about what kind of shoes to wear, what kind of clothes to wear, what kind of hat to wear, and what kind of jewelry to wear.

In the specific operation, the amount of gunpowder compressed each time must be accurate to the minute; The degree of compression is determined after repeated testing and must be precise.

It is precisely because of the complete and thorough rectification that the Mianzhou Gunpowder Factory has now been back on track, and the traditional nitrate and potassium production and distribution center of Chonghua Old Town is rejuvenating. It's just that because of the slow production and high cost of compressed gunpowder, it can only be used on the tail stabilized blasting shells of five-and-a-half-inch naval guns.

The newly built Fuzhou Gunpowder Plant has learned the lessons of the Mianzhou plant, and from the beginning it was a high standard and strict requirement, and the production equipment is much better than the Mianzhou plant, and it is expected to be put into operation at the end of the year. The Logistics Department estimates that by the first month of next year, there will be a small reserve of high-powered compressed gunpowder and shells loaded with compressed gunpowder, which will be sufficient for the needs of small-scale battles.

In the rectification and resumption of production of the Mianzhou plant, Wang Kunshan, who presided over the overall work, was meritorious. If you can't go to the shooting range yourself, this wagging tail pug will definitely be disappointed.

Zhu Pingjin smiled in his heart. Although Wang Kunshan has no quality, his execution is super strong. In his own words, he understands and implements, and if he doesn't understand, he must execute. This is of special significance in the current urgent military situation and complex political situation. So this person will use it, and it will be of great use. Moreover, he is a serious person, an old minister of his father, and with him, there is an additional layer of political implications.

Zhu Pingjin thought, but the big leather boots under his feet kept striding forward, making loud footsteps on the gray-white cement floor of Jinjiang Wharf.

"Shizi, it's here. It's this boat! Wang Kunshan reminded behind Zhu Pingjin in a sweet and greasy voice.

"The boat?"

Zhu Pingjin couldn't help but stop and look into the distance, and asked suspiciously.

In this time and space, in the past, present and future, the iconic objects that represent the victory of mankind over nature were born on this inconspicuous wrecked ship?

Note 1: Due to the higher production pressure, the density of modern compressed black powder can reach 1.8 times.