Li Kuanji has now been transferred out of the East Factory and officially transferred to the Nanjing Firearms Bureau, and his official rank has also been promoted from 100 households of 6 products to 100 households of 5 products, and he has become the person in charge of affairs of the Nanjing Firearms Bureau with high authority, and has become Zhu Daolin's extremely important confidant.

In the construction of Gushan Iron City for half a year, Li Kuanji not only successfully completed all the construction tasks, but also through diligent study, and craftsmen according to the technical information provided by Zhu Daolin, continuous study, continuous practice, successfully manufactured excellent performance, powerful new gunpowder, and now has become a qualified gunpowder expert, so the problems and solutions he put forward are very targeted.

The six workshop managers and the twelve senior craftsmen are all proficient in the manufacture of gunpowder, talking about the origin of the industry, there is something to say, they cherish the current preferential treatment and social status, and they are grateful to the benefactor Zhu Daolin who gave them all this.

To everyone's please, Zhu Daolin overrode public opinion, popularized the "Nitrate Method" and the "Soil Nitrate Refining Method" free of charge, persuaded Bofu Qianzhuang to issue low-interest loans to farmers who built nitrate fields, and issued official notices to the surrounding prefectures and counties in the name of the Nanjing Firearms Bureau, doubling the purchase price of nitrate.

Since last month, the purchase of nitrate within a radius of 300 miles from Jinling has suddenly increased to 900,000 catties, surpassing the Huaibei, southwestern and Huainan regions that are rich in gunpowder in one fell swoop, and completely solving the problem of shortage of raw materials that seriously restricts the output of gunpowder.

What makes everyone even more proud is that the Gunpowder Factory of Nanjing Firearms Bureau adopts advanced production technology, safe and efficient production equipment and scientific raw material ratio, implements strict rules and regulations and reward and punishment measures, and produces three series of seven kinds of products with different proportions, such as artillery propellant, flintlock ammunition and blasting gunpowder, which far exceed any kind of gunpowder made by Francois in terms of output and quality.

If it weren't for the strict secrecy measures, the supervisors at all levels and all the apprentices of the craftsmen would have risked their lives. After signing a confidentiality contract and moving the famous match factory to Longtan New District, the reputation of Gushan Tiecheng Gunpowder Factory may have already spread to the world.

The crowd worked together and spoke freely, and soon worked out a plan to improve the stone grinding and animal power rotation devices, and Zhu Daolin inquired in detail about the improvement of the equipment of the second branch. After reading the improvement plan signed by everyone, I finally signed my name on the header of the report.

When the big thing was decided, the big and small supervisors and craftsmen immediately took their leave.

Zhu Daolin and Wu Jingxian returned to the dressing room outside the factory, changed their robes and shoes, and came to the wide yamen inside the east gate to exchange experiences while drinking tea.

Wu Jingxian saw that the time was not yet the end of the year, and the monthly output of the gunpowder factory had reached 400,000 catties, and the storage capacity of fire nitrate was as high as one million catties. You don't need to do any more to know that the gamble with Zhu Daolin was lost, so he took the initiative to give the lost inkstone to Ye Liangchen, and then asked in a low voice: "When do you plan to report the situation of the gunpowder factory to the saint?" ”

Zhu Daolin didn't plan to report it at all, but the reason for the delay was very tactful: "The gunpowder factory has just begun to be officially put into operation, and the output in the next half a year can only meet the needs of my troops to go north to quell the rebellion, even if I report to the emperor, there is no extra gunpowder to send to ......."

"In addition, the artillery casting, which the emperor attaches the most importance to, cannot be taken care of at all. The new large-scale cannon foundry and musket factory in Longtan New District have just begun to lay the foundation, so let's buy some guns from the Franco machine man and send them to them. It would be better to wait for the completion of the new factory next autumn and then report to the emperor. ”

Wu Jingxian nodded helplessly: "That's right, the water and land armies under your command are all new armies equipped with a large number of firearms, in the past two months, two batches of new armies have frequently pulled out to shoot guns**, I heard that hundreds of muskets have been damaged, and the amount of gunpowder is naturally extraordinary,"

"Also. The shooting range in the Longtan New Area and north of the Shangyuan Barracks opened the mountain and quarried every day, and there was not enough gunpowder, and it was estimated that it would not be relieved until the gunpowder branch was put into operation...... It seems that from now on you will have to accumulate gunpowder, and you must not delay the battle in the north. ”

Zhu Daolin sighed: "Gunpowder is secondary. What I am most anxious about now is the copper-bottomed paper shell cartridge used in single-shot rifles......"

"More than 50 senior craftsmen have been working together for more than two months, and the copper bottom, paper shell and projectile of the gun bullet can finally be made, but the thunder and mercury that make the primer cannot be made, so I can only find a way to order from the Tianshu Pavilion, and I don't know if people are willing to help me make it."

"Without this 11MM custom-installed copper-bottomed paper shell bullet, the 2,000 good guns in the warehouse would not be used, which is really a headache!"

Li Kuanji, who was sitting on the side, hurriedly stood up and asked for punishment with a face full of shame: "It's the incompetence of his subordinates, please punish the general." ”

"Sit down, it's none of your business, it's also to blame me for taking it for granted, I'll ask the Tianshu Pavilion when I go back, by the way, transport the machine that produces guns and bullets back, you just prepare the plant, let the research team continue to do experiments, even if you can't do it, you can accumulate more experience." Zhu Daolin commanded.

Li Kuanji sat down slowly: "The research team has tried hundreds of times according to confidential information, but has never been able to obtain stable thunder and mercury, and has also injured four craftsmen. ”

"THERE IS ALSO THE PROBLEM OF COPPER PLATES, THE ROLLING MACHINE OF THE IRONWORK WORKSHOP IS STILL IMPROVING, AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ROLL THIN COPPER PLATES BELOW 2MM, AND THE ACCURACY OF THE MACHINE AND THE ROLLS IS NOT ENOUGH, AND THE PRESSURE EXERTED BY ANIMAL POWER AND GEARS IS NOT ENOUGH."

"THEREFORE, EVEN IF THE PROBLEM OF PRIMER IS SOLVED, IF THE GUN AND AMMUNITION FACTORY WANTS TO MANUFACTURE 11MM COPPER-BOTTOMED PAPER SHELL BULLETS ON A LARGE SCALE, IT MUST FIRST SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF THIN COPPER PLATES, AND IT CAN'T BE FAST JUST BY HAND AND MOLD BEATING!"

Zhu Daolin nodded silently.

Before the steam engine was put into use, whether it was cold rolling and hot rolling can not be pinned on hope, only the processing accuracy of several groups of rolls on the rolling machine is a problem, not to mention greater power, the fastest solution can only be to buy back the ready-made thin copper plate, this is not difficult, but you can't expect to do this for a long time, right?

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Daolin comforted: "Kuanji, don't worry about it first, the research and development of thunder and mercury can be handed over to the research group, and the technical matters are not in a hurry, so you should concentrate your energy on the production of flintlock guns and paper bullets and the personnel arrangements of the gunpowder branch, and strive to double the output by the end of the year." ”

"In the next half a year, all affairs must revolve around the war, and the same is true for other major workshops, this time the northward counterinsurgency is related to our future and destiny, we can only win, not lose!"

"This is also the reason why the Jiangnan New Army has carried out live-fire training at any cost in the past two months and has continuously carried out coordinated operations in the field, and it is much better to fight and practice more than to stay in the barracks behind closed doors, and everything that will be done next can be summed up in such a sentence: Everything is for war!"

Li Kuanji's heart was awe-inspiring, and he immediately straightened his waist: "Subordinates obey orders!" ”

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