Chapter 528 Grasp the military industry, promote production, prepare for war and prepare for famine for the people!

After reading the letter, Zhang Zhun snorted coldly and said with a sneer: "The dog catches the mouse and worries blindly!" ”

Ji Yuqing also said with a cold face: "She has always been like this, her eyes are above the top."

Brigadier Zhang handed the letter back to her, and said disdainfully: "When I get to Beijing, I will talk to her face to face!" What does a woman's family do with so many things? It's serious to get married early and have children! If no man has a child with her, I will have a child with her! As long as she doesn't look like a Nakshatra! ”

Ji Yuqing smiled, her eyes turned strangely, and she said with a smile: "I'm really waiting for this day!" You can rest assured, she is definitely not a Yaksha! It's still very beautiful! ”

Zhang Zhun nodded and went straight out.

He wants to grasp the military industry, promote production, and prepare for war and famine for the people.

The Tartars are about to launch the third invasion, and Zhang Zhun doesn't want to waste time on his children's private affairs. Even the baby daughter, Zhang Zhun didn't have time to play with her for a while, which can't help but be said to be a pity. However, a manly man, he still has a clear distinction between what he does and what he doesn't do, which is more important. If you ignore the threat of the arrival of the Tartars because of your children's personal feelings, it will be too late to regret it.

After leaving Ziyuan, Zhang Zhun came to the Laoshan Iron Works to learn about the production of steel on the spot. Steel is the industrial base, and without a large amount of steel, there would be no modern industry. The combat effectiveness of the Tiger Ben Army, to a large extent, is supported by steel. Although the technology of the later ironworks is not as advanced, the scale of the Laoshan ironworks is quite large.

In fact, the ironmaking process and scale of the Ming Dynasty have always been not small. During the Yongle period, the annual iron output exceeded 10,000 tons (20 million catties), far exceeding the iron output of other countries during the same period. At that time, Russia produced the largest amount of pig iron in Europe, and it was only 2,400 tons per year. Historical documents record that in Foshan and other places, there are dozens of blast furnaces, the furnace fire is day and night, and the daily pig iron output is more than 10,000 catties. The output of Zhang Zhun's current ironworks is far inferior to that of Foshan.

"Your Excellency."

Li Fenglai, Zou Huoming, Yin Gensheng and others all welcomed Zhang Zhun at the ironworks.

"Everyone's worked hard."

Zhang Zhun nodded and said.

When the group entered the conference room of the ironworks, they immediately felt the busyness and heat here. Due to the continuous expansion of the ironworks, the number of workers employed is quite large. Most of the iron ore in the ironworks comes from the Iron Rock Mountain in Lingshanwei, and it takes a lot of workers to transport the iron ore alone. Wheelbarrows, mule carts, ox carts, all the means of transport, came in handy. At the same time, pig iron produced in large quantities, both finished and semi-finished, needs to be transported as soon as possible.

"How many workers do you have in your ironworks?"

Zhang Zhun asked with concern.

"More than 1,300 people."

Yoon Geun-sung replied.

Zhang Zhun nodded thoughtfully.

In this era, it is already very good that a factory can have thousands of workers. However, such a workshop is not yet the largest. Because, in many places in Gangnam, especially in Songjiang Prefecture, the number of employees in the textile factories is higher. The most prosperous textile factory in Songjiang Province even exceeds 10,000 people. The unsold Songjiang cloth and the inexhaustible Weitang yarn are definitely not in vain.

The economic development of the Ming Dynasty was definitely the pinnacle of China's feudal society. The categories are complete, the technology is advanced, and the commodity trade is very developed. In terms of economic scale, all the other countries in the world combined, may not be the opponent of the Ming Dynasty. This is clear from looking at the flow of silver. At that time, more than seventy percent of the world's silver eventually flowed into the Ming Dynasty. Some people estimate that the country's silver reserves at the end of the Ming Dynasty may exceed 500 million taels.

If it weren't for the sudden entry of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the continued economic development of the Ming Dynasty, no one could predict what kind of society would emerge. However, one thing is certain, it must be a very bright society. To paraphrase the history textbooks, the germ of capitalism has been born. Everything is developing in a good direction.

It is a pity that the Manchu Tartars suddenly entered the customs, ruled civilization with barbarism, took pride in being backward and beaten, and were ashamed of developing the economy, and finally succeeded in turning the most advanced country in the world into the most backward country in the world. This, the word Manchu Tartar, until now, I am afraid that it still smells of contempt when read by foreigners.

Li Fenglai gave a detailed report on the situation at the ironworks.

According to Zhang Zhun's requirements, the development of ironworks is to develop in both quality and output directions. In terms of quality, the main thing is to increase the production of steel in order to make more high-quality weapons. For example, the manufacture of the Wyvern Cannon and the Hongyi Cannon requires a lot of steel. In terms of output, it is to build more iron-making furnaces and produce more pig iron to meet more civilian needs.

At present, the daily output of pig iron in Laoshan ironmaking plant has exceeded 3,000 catties. The average output of steel is also more than 500 catties per day. This kind of output is okay. However, this is already the limit of the Laoshan Iron and Steel Plant. If you want to expand further, it is unlikely. Because the iron ore used in the Laoshan Ironworks is all transported from Lingshanwei, the cost is very high and it is seriously not cost-effective. Therefore, in order to further expand pig iron production, it is necessary to build more ironworks close to iron ore fields.

At present, Li Fenglai and others have sent people to build a new iron-making plant in Fushan. There is relatively high-quality iron ore near the Fushan Iron Works, with a designed daily output of about 5,000 catties of pig iron and about 800 catties of steel per day. If the ironworks in Fushan are not enough, there is also the option to continue the Xinjiang ironworks in the Qixia area, where there is more iron ore.

"Not yet."

"After we take control of Laiwu and other places, we will build more ironworks."

Zhang Zhun said with a deep groan.

Most of the iron ore discovered by the Tiger Benjun is poor ore, and the cost of mining is high, and the cost of smelting is also high. It is also because he Zhang Zhun now has a lot of silver to put down, so much pig iron comes out. Due to the needs of the war, Zhang Zhun basically did not consider the cost. From an economic point of view, it is not very cost-effective.

In his impression, it seems that Laiwu and other places have large iron ore resources, and the quality of minerals is also relatively high. The Tiger Ben Army later took control of Laiwu, and it was not too late to build the largest ironworks there. At present, there are two ironworks, and the production capacity should basically meet the needs.

The steel produced by the ironworks is not very much for the military, mainly for civilian use. To build a variety of agricultural tools, you need a lot of pig iron. In addition, the construction of Laizhou and Dengzhou requires a large amount of pig iron, and some even require steel. The construction of the naval dock also required a lot of steel.

"I am ready to liberalize the steel business and encourage large private businesses with strength to participate in the establishment of ironworks to alleviate the shortage of funds."

Zhang Zhun said eloquently.

For a long time, salt and iron have been monopolized by the state, and the state has strict control over salt and iron. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the control of salt and iron was also very strict, and private individuals were not allowed to operate iron mines on a large scale. During the Wanli period, the main iron ore mining areas were stationed with mine supervisors. However, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, the government's ability to control weakened, and private iron smelting industry emerged. Officials and businessmen collude to buy and sell iron ore farms, and they abound. For example, the Foshan mentioned above is all private smelters.

However, Zhang Zhun was not prepared to liberalize the production of steel in the area controlled by the Tiger Army. The main reason is that they are worried that once the private smelting industry flourishes, some people will definitely take risks and smuggle iron and steel into the eastern Liaodong region for the sake of profit. The weakness of the Tartars, in addition to the scarcity of population resources, the backwardness of the steel production process, is also a factor. If the Tartar gets a large amount of steel, which can be used to forge more weapons, the Tartar's combat power will continue to increase.

"The established policy remains the same."

"Continue to increase pig iron production."

"Continue to increase steel production."

Zhang Zhun instructed.

"Understood."

Li Fenglai and the three replied in unison.

Yin Gensheng seemed to sense something, and asked tentatively, "My lord, have there been any major military operations recently?" Are the Tartars coming to rescue Dengzhou City? ”

Zhang Zhun nodded noncommittally, and said with a cold face: "Be prepared." ”

Yin Geunsheng realized that he had asked something he shouldn't have asked, and hurriedly shut up.

Zhang Zhun then came to the craftsman's workshop.

The main work of the workshop is the production of tiger and hawkeye guns, as well as the supporting components. This is the core of the Tiger Army's weapons and equipment technology, so the guard specifications here are the strictest. After Zhang Zhun arrived, the first thing he inspected was all kinds of security and secrecy work. In the battle sequence of the Tiger Army, there is a group of soldiers without a number, silently guarding the safety of the craftsman's workshop. The Maoyan Division and the Intelligence Division are also stationed here.

In order to prevent the secrets of the Tiger Army from leaking out, the setting of the craftsman's workshop is very special. The workshop has a large secrecy area, surrounded by walls and barbed wire, like a prison. In the confidential area, all kinds of logistics services are readily available. Ordinary craftsmen must live in a secret area. And the craftsmen who master the core technology are directly monitored and cannot easily leave the core secret area.

At present, the production of tiger guns is stable at about 50 per day. The production of eagle eye guns is stable at about 10 per day. In the warehouse of the craftsman's workshop, more than 1,000 tiger guns are often stored, which are always needed in urgent need. In fact, the output of the Tiger Ben Gun can fully meet the needs of the Tiger Ben Army. Unless it is Zhang Zhun who suddenly expands the army on a large scale.

After a period of development, the production process of Tiger Ben has been very mature. From the initial flattening of the steel sheet, to the drawing of the thread, to the final finalization, to the quality acceptance, a total of 133 processes are divided. Each craftsman is only responsible for one of the processes. This is conducive to both technical proficiency and confidentiality.

In addition to the Tiger Hammer, the Craftsman Workshop is also responsible for the manufacture of Mini bullets. The production of Minnie bullets is actually very simple. A worker with basic training, using the right tools, is able to make three thousand mini rounds per day. A hundred workers worked at the same time, and 300,000 Mini bombs were produced every day. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the production of Mini bullets. The Tiger Army has a lot of Mini ammunition that can be used to train recruits.

What needs to be worried about is actually the manufacturing process and principle of Mini bullets. In fact, the principle of Mini bullets is really worthless. It's a conical projectile, and then the bottom is hollowed out and recessed into it. As long as others see the manufacturing process, as long as you look at it, you can remember it. Therefore, the secrecy of the Mini bullet is also very crucial.

Zhang Zhun then came to the gunpowder factory.

Smokeless gunpowder is no longer to be counted on, and Zhang Zhun doesn't know its formula at all. Therefore, he could only continue to make a fuss about the purity of black gunpowder and increase the power of black gunpowder as much as possible. Repeated practice has proved that only granular black gunpowder can be fully burned, so all the gunpowder produced by the gunpowder factory is granular gunpowder. And granular gunpowder is divided into many grades. The higher the purity, the higher the grade. As far as the manufacturing process is concerned, it is always about excellence.

To make black powder, pure nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal are required. Charcoal is no problem at all. Nitrate can be collected in stables, pigsties, toilets, etc., and then purified through a special process, again without problems. The problem is sulfur. In the area controlled by the Tiger Ben Army at the moment, the production of sulfur is not large.

Therefore, in the long run, the Tiger Army will continue to expand its territory to increase the possibility of the existence of sulfur mines. Unfortunately, Zhang Zhun really does not have a deep understanding of the distribution of minerals in China, and only knows some of the most basic overviews, such as the distribution of strategic materials such as coal, iron, and oil. As for the main distribution of sulfur in our country, we do not know anything, and we can only rely on the efforts of the people of the Gunpowder Bureau themselves.

At present, the daily output of gunpowder in the gunpowder factory is about 800 catties. The monthly output is about 24,000 catties. This kind of production is really not much. The combat consumption of Huang County is more than 10,000 catties. As the Tiger Army continues to expand, the amount of black gunpowder that needs to be consumed will definitely be more. Fortunately, the appearance of Mini bullets greatly reduced the consumption of black gunpowder. However, the use of a large number of ** packs requires a large amount of gunpowder.

Anyway, black powder, at any time, the more the better. One might say, why not exchange black gunpowder from the hands of the Ming army? In fact, it is a misunderstanding. Last time, Zhang Zhun extorted a large amount of black gunpowder from the hands of the Ming army, and after taking it back, he found that the quality of these black gunpowder was too poor to be used effectively. However, all the processes of these black powders have been completed, and it is difficult to improve the quality. In the end, it had to be used entirely to make landmines.

Instead of the black gunpowder of the Ming army, it is better to only have sulfur. The quality of the black gunpowder prepared by himself was much better than that of the Ming army. The imperial court's weapon production model lacked an effective supervision mechanism and incentive mechanism, and there were no high-quality products at all, and even those of qualified quality rarely appeared. Without that, quality can never be improved.