Wrought iron cannons can't be cast directly, let alone the Song Dynasty, not even the Ming Dynasty.

The iron cannons cast in the Ming Dynasty were either pig iron barrels with hoops, or pig iron poured with an inner layer of wrought iron.

Zhu Ming went to the iron-smelting yard every day to squat for two hours, studying and trying with craftsmen, but in the end he could only declare failure.

In a word: the furnace temperature is not enough!

Song Liaojin has used blast furnace to smelt iron, and it is an improved version of the blast furnace, but the furnace temperature is usually about 1200 degrees, no matter how hard you try, it is 1300 degrees.

If you want to cast wrought iron, you have to continue to increase the furnace temperature.

Zhu Ming knew that it could be solved through a hot blast stove, but he still had no clue how to do it.

Then build a forging cannon first.

There are two ways to forge a cannon –

A kind of iron bars are arranged vertically, and iron hoops are added layer by layer on the outside.

The whole process, similar to the hoop barrel, the European iron cannon of the Age of Discovery, is basically made of wrought iron hoops in this way. The disadvantage is that the air tightness is extremely poor, and it is relatively easy to blow up!

The other is the forging cannon of the Ming Dynasty in China, which was struck tens of thousands of times with wrought iron, directly forged into iron plates, and then hammered into a quarter or half of an arc of iron rolls. Then the iron coil is forged and wrapped into a cylinder, and the section of iron cylinder is cold-forged and hammered, and the iron bar is used to fill the gap.

Although the labor cost of this forging cannon increases, the air tightness is greatly enhanced, and it is not so easy to blow up. Moreover, the required gun hoop is reduced, and even the gun hoop can be dispensed without, and the weight of the gun body is greatly reduced.

Of course, Zhu Ming chose the second type, the process of beating into iron plates tens of thousands of times, which can be first corrected by using a hydraulic forging hammer and then by hand.

The barrel of the Tiger Squat Cannon is very short, and one cylinder can be punched, and there is no need for multiple cylinders to be spliced. Only two semicircles are cold-forged into a cylinder, and a few hoops are added to fix it.

The water turbine was still being made, and Ju Ming had two blacksmiths build it by hand.

The first tiger squat cannon, two blacksmiths fought for more than 30 days. This is not enough proficiency, but you can also slowly increase your speed.

According to the documents of the Ming Dynasty, the forging of an ordinary military cannon only takes ten skilled craftsmen to make for 40 days. The Tiger Squat Cannon, on the other hand, has a very short construction period and can be produced in large quantities.

Zhu Ming's ultimate purpose in creating the Tiger Squat Cannon was to train Qi Jiguang's three-fold array.

This is a large, multi-service mixed formation used in the North.

Its foundation is still the mandarin duck array, but the wolf mill and shield are gone, and the musket and bow and arrow are changed. There are also chariots to defend the cavalry, and after engaging the enemy, they first attack with a large number of tiger squatting cannons, and then shoot with muskets and bows and arrows in turn.

There were several rounds of long-range firepower, round after round, and the Mongolian cavalry at that time had to collapse before they could rush to the vehicle formation.

The infantry is mostly mounted infantry, and it is not possible to ride mules, and there are also cavalry units, highlighting a "motorized", which can be pursued and harvested and marched quickly.

Qi Jiguang's three-fold array did not have any outstanding military achievements, because since the establishment of the battle, the Mongolian cavalry did not dare to go south. turned to the northeast of Huohuo, but let Li Chengliang brush up his achievements, and the Mongols would rather give Li Chengliang a head than face Qi Jiguang's three-fold array.

Now Zhu Ming has basically determined the idea of weapon production:

Pig iron is used to cast large-caliber iron cannons, because it is too bulky, most of them are used to put them at the head of the city for defense, and a few are dragged out to make siege artillery.

Wrought iron is used to forge tiger squat cannons.

Steel-filled steel is used to craft weapons and armor.

The latter two will be equipped with hydraulic forging hammers, which effectively saves labor costs.

Next, it is granulated gunpowder, and Zhu Ming plans to do it after the snow melts in spring.

"Gentlemen, drink this cup together!"

On Chinese New Year's Eve, the state mansion was extremely lively.

Not only Bai Sheng, Zhang Bo, Li Bao, Deng Chun, Shi Yuangong and others brought their families to Zhu Ming's mansion to celebrate, but even Tu Shen and other high-level officials of the iron smelting field were invited by Zhu Ming to the Spring Festival party.

Counting everyone's wives and children, there were six tables.

"I respect each other for a cup, and everything will go well in the coming year!" Shi Yuangong raised his glass and stood up, there was something in his words.

Zhu Ming smiled: "Everyone is good with each other." ”

Qian Chen also came to toast: "I have lived for half my life, and I am not as happy as last year, and I have done a lot of things with Taishou." ”

Zhu Ming said: "Your Majesty gave you 600 degrees. Those who are able to work hard, after the beginning of spring, they will ask Brother Qian to take it to Jiangnan to sell, and by the way, they will buy some sulfur and saltpeter back. ”

"Guaranteed to live up to the trust!" Qian Chen laughed.

Li Bao also came to toast, and he lived quite comfortably. When there is an errand, he will do things for Zhu Ming, and when there is no errand, there are many men in the house who can learn martial arts.

Between the staggered planning and planning, the seven years of politics and politics have turned the page.

In 1118 A.D., history books often write the first year of Chonghe, but people living in this era only know that there are eight years of political harmony.

Because of the era name of Chonghe, Song Huizong felt that everything was not going well, and suddenly changed the yuan at the end of the year, which means "harmony and harmony". But only three months after the change, the yuan was changed again, and I don't know what the reason was.

……

In the first month of the new year, the Liao State negotiated peace with the Jin State.

Both sides can't fight anymore, for no other reason, it's just a lack of food.

Liaodong was in turmoil, bandits were everywhere, and even plundered people to satisfy hunger.

The two sides of Liaojin and Liaojin held peace talks while exterminating the thieves. The Liao State needs to lick its wounds, and the Jin State needs to digest the new territory.

The traitor Wang Huang was promoted to Shangshu Zuocheng (deputy prime minister), and Cai Jing felt a lot of pressure.

In February, the snow melted, the official documents of the imperial court were issued to all roads, and the national liquor tax rose sharply, which was called "adding wine money".

Ma Zheng, the envoy of the Song Dynasty, took Gao Yaoshi, a Han man from Liaodong, to cross the sea by boat to contact the Jin State.

They encountered a patrol of Jin soldiers halfway, and they didn't even dare to say a word, so they were so frightened that they fled directly back to Shandong. He also lied that he had arrived in Suzhou (Jinzhou, Dalian), and that Jin Guo was unwilling to engage in diplomacy and almost killed them.

Song Huizong was furious and put Tong Guan in charge of the matter.

In March, the imperial examination.

The Jinzhou people were wiped out, and not a single jinshi was admitted.

Yangzhou has another jinshi, and Ling Gu Xu is in the third grade.

Li Hanzhang, who disappeared for three years, also came back to participate in the imperial examination, and won the fifth place in the crane tail examination. According to his origin, he belongs to Huainan Shizi and has nothing to do with Hanzhong.

Of course, before the roll call, they didn't know their own Jiadi.

"Brother Ling, congratulations!" Li Hanzhang said with a smile.

Ling Gu Xu smiled: "Together, together." ”

The two were still lining up in front of the hall and talking about the old things in Yangzhou.

Ling Guxu suddenly asked: "I heard that Brother Kezhen went to join the army?" ”

Li Hanzhang shook his head and sighed: "I have been an officer for more than half a year, and it is difficult to say a word, so don't mention it." Anyway, it's not a formal martial arts position, so I simply quit and went home to study hard, and this time I finally got in. ”

Ling Guxu said in a low voice: "But Brother Zhen has heard that Zhao Kai, the king of Jia, also participated in the scientific examination this year." ”

"Don't say much." Li Hanzhang hurriedly reminded.

The whip began to sound in front of the hall, and everyone immediately shut up and honestly lined up to listen.

After a series of procedures, the roll call finally began: "The first person in the new science and technology jinshi, Zhao Kai of Kaifeng Mansion!" ”

The voice came out, and the audience fell silent.

More than 700 new science and technology scholars, all of them stupidly looked ahead, watching the 17-year-old Jiawang Zhao Kai enter the hall.

Seventeen years old, prince, champion.

The combination of these three words, whoever believes who is a fool, it is strange that there is no cheating!

The prince's participation in the imperial examination is nonsense, why did he win the top prize at the age of seventeen, and fool the world's scholars as fools?

The civil and military officials stood in the main hall, looking at their noses and noses, and their noses and hearts, all pretending to be dead, but they didn't know anything.

"Don't go, stand in His Highness." Song Huizong reminded.

The roll call continued: "The second person in today's science and technology, Wang Ang of Chengdu Mansion!" ”

This is Wang Jue's nephew, from the Wang clan in Shuzhong.

Song Huizong saw that the two were standing side by side, so he said: "The imperial examination of the prince is already in violation, and I am afraid of being the champion again." I thought about it again and again, and promoted Wang Ang to be the first person to be a Jinshi, and demoted Zhao Kai to the second person to be a Jinshi. ”

It's all done like this, and he actually wants to be embarrassed, and temporarily turns the prince into a role model.

The champion Wang Ang was awarded the secretary of the provincial school secretary, and Zhao Kai, the king of Bangyan Jia, was not awarded an official position.

"The third person of today's science and technology, Raozhou Zhang Tao!"

Zhang Tao's father, Zhang Gen, was a transfer envoy on Huainan Road.

This did not cause much controversy, because Zhang Gen's reputation is excellent.

Zhang Gen was soon demoted by Song Huizong to collect liquor taxes because of his criticism of Hua Shigang. then continued to spray Changping's new law to harm the people, and then was thrown by the emperor to be the deputy envoy of the regimental training, and completely became a loose official with no power.

And the ancestors of the Zhang family have also made great contributions to the country.

Zhang Qian has five brothers, four of whom were admitted to the Jinshi, and only Zhang Qian was unwilling to participate in the imperial examination. He was familiar with all kinds of miscellaneous books at home, discovered the copper smelting method of gallium from the Book of Shennong, and asked his son to dedicate it to Su Zhe after the experiment was improved.

Since then, the Northern Song Dynasty has had wet copper smelting technology, and more than 15% of the national copper production of the Huizong Dynasty comes from gall alum refining.

By the time the Southern Song Dynasty lost its northern copper mines, 85% of the country's copper production came from gallium smelting.

Moreover, the Zhang family is still continuing to improve the copper smelting method, and they are the super-rich people in Shangrao.

After the roll call ended, Ling Gu Xu got an official position and was thrown to Jiangxi as a principal.

As for Li Hanzhang, he has not been awarded an official for the time being, and he must continue to take the customs examination. His father still has some connections, and it is estimated that there is no problem with the test, at least he will not wait in the capital for a real shortage.

The new science and technology scholars came out of the Donghua Gate, and the people of the whole city sought after the onlookers, but their expressions were complicated.

Ling Guxu was invited to Li Hanzhang's rented house, and when he entered the door, he said: "It's unreasonable, I've never heard that the prince can still take the top prize!" ”

"Don't be loud," Li Hanzhang lowered his voice, "This is not something we can discuss." ”

Although Ling Gu Xu lowered his voice, he still couldn't hide his anger: "The imperial examination is a great thing in the world, how can it be regarded as child's play?" I heard that King Jia is not yet eighteen years old, can he really get the top prize? According to me, I'm afraid that the jinshi is not qualified, and there are people who leak the question from beginning to end, and maybe someone helps to catch the pen and operate. ”

Of course, Li Hanzhang was also indignant, he had studied hard for so many years, and finally got a top five jinshi.

Zhao Kai was good, he violated the imperial examination as a prince, and he won the champion all of a sudden.

There were even people who helped wash the floor, saying that the prince was hiding from everyone and quietly went to register for the exam. What about this fool?

If the prince takes the exam, he must pass the seal of Kaifeng Mansion Yin, and he will have to send it to the Ministry of Rites for review, and the examiner will also have to review his identity. How did these three procedures get around?

From top to bottom, they are all helping Jiawang Zhao Kai cheat!

Not only Li Hanzhang and Ling Guxu, but also the scholars are talking about it. Those scholars who were not admitted to the Jinshi and had not left the capital were even more angry, feeling the greatest insult since enlightenment.

(End of chapter)