"Half of the deposit is paid upfront. Payments followed. I don't know what the prime minister wants? Ju Xin said with a little stammer.

"Good. Good. That's it. I urged as soon as possible to hand over more than 2,000 muskets to Yan Guo. Lees said.

"Then thank you Prime Minister. I'm going to take my leave. Ji Xin said with his fists clenched.

"I'll go into the palace and give it to the king. We will not send it far. Li Si said with his fists clenched.

The two sides exchanged pleasantries and left. Li Si immediately reported the latest situation of the sale of firearms to the King of Qin.

At this time, Shang Wen was debugging how to increase the output of muskets and artillery and was worried. Shang Wen did not know about the purchase of firearms by the six countries. But if these two muskets are mass-produced, this side will definitely be able to cope with it.

The craftsmen of the arsenal worked almost night and night, and the output was very high in the first few days, and considering the large number of people, it was basically able to produce more than fifty muskets a day. Three bronze guns. The number of bullets is very high. Spherical projectile plus wrapped. There are about 10,000 rounds a day. That's a staggering number. These are mainly due to the women workers. The production of Minier bullets was somewhat low. Mainly in terms of casting, the main focus is on artillery, so the production of bullets is correspondingly reduced. There are only about 100 to 150 rounds a day. Such production capacity is far from keeping up with the speed of consumption. A standard company, with a one-time shot, basically consumes this bullet. This is not the way to go.

The problem with muskets remains significant. Mainly focused on the barrel. Although the production of barrels was improved. But there are still problems such as bubbles. If forging is used, it is estimated that it is not as fast as casting. However, the proportion of defective products in casting is high. So. It is necessary to improve the processing technology. But the material is very difficult. The development of human weapons can basically make great strides only after solving the material problem.

In the current situation, the idea can only be put into production, and it is simply impossible to carry out the next round, the development of smokeless gunpowder. Shang Wen sat quietly in a corner and looked at the busy figures of those craftsmen. Shang Wen didn't know what materials could be used at present, especially in the forging process, and how much could be improved.

At this time, Shang Wen noticed that a young man was smelting the inner wall of the crucible and didn't know what to paint, it was black, Shang Wen hadn't noticed it before. Shang Wen guessed that it was probably some mixture of some ancient special combination, or coal ash, not like. Shang Wen looked carefully. He got up and walked over.

"What is this?" Shang Wen picked up the black object with his hand and sniffed it with his nose. Then he touched it with his hand.

"Mr. Qin. This is black soil. Particularly resistant to high temperatures. I was surprised to find that this thing was painted on the inner wall of the crucible, and the crucible didn't have to break. The young man came and introduced it happily.

Slippery, Shang Wen rubbed vigorously with his hands. There is also some smoothness on the fingers. It's graphite. It's graphite. Shang Wen was a little surprised in his heart. My fingers trembled.

"Qin Xian・・・・・・" The young man saw that Shang Wen's face was a little wrong, especially his hands were still shaking, and he felt as if he had made a mistake.

"Where did this thing come from?" Shang Wen hurriedly asked.

"Found it from the mountains?" The young man said.

"No, no, little ・・・・・," the young man whispered.

"You've done a great job." Shang Wen patted the young man on the shoulder and said.

"It's called graphite. It is a crystalline. Can be used as a lubricant. Steelmaking, pencils, and molds. There are even materials that are sealed. In short, it is very widely used. I wasn't surprised it didn't. Now, now. You've solved a major problem. Shang Wen said happily.

"Yes, yes?" The young man said timidly.

"Go ahead, go back to the account office and get the hardware." Shang Wen was very happy. There is no scruple in rewarding it.

"Can you still find this thing?" Shang Wen said.

"Yes, it should be." The young man affirmed.

"By the way, what's your name?" Shang Wen then asked.

"Aged use". The young man replied.

"Okay, you're going to look for this thing in the future. If there is no Guanzhong, go to the north to find it, and if there is no one in the north, go to Bashu to find it. This stuff needs a lot of money." Shang Wen said.

"Mr. Qin." Chen Da walked over.

"I've offended my husband." Chen Da saw that Chen Yong and Shang Wen were talking, and seeing Shang Wen's excited appearance, Chen Da hurriedly came over, thinking that his apprentice must not know what to do badly and offend. So hurry up and apologize.

"No, no. No. Your apprentice has done a great job. Old Chen, look at this. Shang Wen said as he picked up a handful of graphite.

"Isn't this the black soil my apprentice said?" Chen Da said.

"It's graphite. It is a very important industrial raw material. It's very versatile. It is a kind of ・・・・・・・" Shang text to introduce this thing as a conductor. But thinking that there was no concept of electricity at this time, I had to change my words to say something else.

"It's an important thing. For example, on your crucible. This is its resistance to high temperatures. There are also casting molds. Didn't I tell you to use iron molds? With this thing, it's time to speed things up. Moreover, this graphite can be processed into human and shape. It can be used as a sealing material, as well as a lubricant. Wait a minute. The most important thing in front of us is to polish those particles of gunpowder. With these graphites. Gunpowder can not be afraid of moisture. It's easy to keep. And. It's powerful. The range of muskets, artillery, will be greatly enhanced. Shang Wen said the many benefits of graphite in one breath.

"That's amazing." Chen Da began to carefully examine the graphite in his hand.

"yes, it's very important. In the future, more attention should be paid to such materials, and there is also to raise the level of awareness of others. Tell them to pay attention to the details. Shang Wen said.

"Mr. Qin. Mr. Qin. Shang Wen originally wanted to say something. But suddenly a screeching sound was heard. Shang Wen could tell who it was from that voice. Zhao Gao. No one else can speak up like that.

"Mr. Qin, I've found you. The king has important matters to consult with you. That's right. You take a look at this first. As he spoke, he took out a piece of music from his bosom. Shang Wen took it and opened it to take a look. Read between the lines. Shang Wen knew what was going on. This is an order for weapons. Moreover, the amount at the beginning is huge. Five thousand muskets were needed. The sooner the better. But then the word two thousand is mentioned. Shang Wen didn't know what it meant. It is estimated that it should be related to the production of firearms.

Look who's so generous. Yan Guo. It turned out to be Yan Guo. Shang Wen was a little unimaginable. It was a lot of money to buy muskets. War is the catalyst in the end.