Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 286 Development of New Firearms

At this time, ten gunpowder craftsmen had been brought to the gate of the government office, and Fan Ning said to them: "You all come with me!"

Ten craftsmen followed Fan Ning to the backyard of the government office. There is a large empty yard here, covering at least one mu of land. It was originally a temporary dormitory for officials. Later, after the new dormitory was built, it became vacant, just for Fan Ning to use. .

Fan Ning asked the craftsmen to sit down on the floor, and asked with a smile, "How is life here? Can the diet and climate be adapted?"

An old craftsman said with a smile: "I was very excited when I first came out. After living for a while, I feel that there is not much difference from the Song Dynasty. The air is more humid than the capital, the water quality is better than the capital, and the food is good. But the family is not around, and it is a little lonely. .”

"It's good if your family is not around! If you go to a brothel, your wife won't care about you." A young craftsman said loudly, and everyone laughed tacitly.

Another craftsman said: "There is nothing to do. We are all used to being busy. Once we are free, we feel uncomfortable."

Fan Ning nodded, and said to everyone: "You will be very busy in the future, I want to ask first, how many of you are from the gunpowder kiln? How many of you are from the firearms workshop?"

The gunpowder kiln is for making gunpowder, while the firearms workshop is for assembling firearms, both of which are under the jurisdiction of the Gunpowder Bureau.

The leading craftsman said: "Half and half, five are gunpowder kilns, and five are firearms workshops. They are all selected master craftsmen."

Fan Ning nodded and said: "From now on, you are under my direct management. You should all know my position. Now you elect a leader first, and then we can talk!"

Everyone looked at the old craftsman together, and one craftsman pointed at him and said with a smile: "We are all disciples and grandchildren of Song Laogong, of course he is the leader."

Fan Ning asked with a smile: "What's the name of the old man? How old are you?"

The old craftsman hurriedly said respectfully: "Reporting to Fan Yushi, the little old man's surname is Song. Everyone calls me Song Old Craftsman. I am 60 years old this year. I have been making gunpowder for 40 years, including gunpowder and firearms."

"That's good! Let me get down to business. This time we are transferred to Kunzhou to make a new kind of firearm, which is an iron-cased firearm. I think you all know it well, right!"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, Song Laojiang said: "I have been researching on iron-cased firearms for more than ten years, but it has not been successful."

"But to me, it should be successful!"

Fan Ning looked at the crowd and said: "As far as I know, you have signed a strict confidentiality contract with the imperial court before making gunpowder and firearms, but iron-clad firearms are even stricter. It will become the top secret of the Song Dynasty. Once leaked If you break the secret, your own and your family's lives will be in danger, but the income will also be very rich, three times that of the average gunpowder craftsman, so the ugly and good things will be said first, and now you can quit if you don't want to do it. I will not pursue responsibility, but Once you start doing it, you can’t quit if you want to quit, you should think about it now!”

Everyone was silent, at this time, a soldier outside the courtyard said: "Report to the censor, the raw materials for gunpowder have been delivered."

"Please move in!"

Soon, more than a dozen soldiers moved in dozens of jars, a total of thirty jars, and three large moisture-proof wooden boxes.

At this time, Old Craftsman Song came over and said to Fan Ning, "Censor, we are used to keeping secrets, and all of us are willing to accept it!"

No one can refuse the triple income, and everyone is eager to make iron-cased firearms. Secrecy is the minimum professional requirement for them. Everyone has long been used to it, so after thinking about it, there is no One quits.

Fan Ning was overjoyed, and smiled again: "Will you make an iron shell?"

Old Craftsman Song nodded, "Firearms craftsmen have been making iron shells for many years, but they have never succeeded. I don't know where the problem lies?"

"Let's go into the room, everyone! Let me tell you something."

Everyone walked into a spacious room, Fan Ning stood in front of a table with a few paper fireballs on the table, Fan Ning said to the crowd: "Everyone watch carefully!"

He pulled out an unusually sharp dagger, slowly cut the paper fireball in half, and placed it on the table, "Did you find the problem?"

Everyone looked closely, and slowly realized that the three gunpowder raw materials in the paper fireball were actually layered, with charcoal powder on the top, sulfur powder in the middle, and nitrate powder at the bottom.

Fan Ning said: "The matchstick burns in, but it encounters carbon powder. It can't be ignited for a while, and the matchlock goes out. This becomes a dumb fireball, or there is too little nitrate powder, the combustion is not sufficient, and then it only smokes but does not burn. problem lies in."

Old Craftsman Song sighed, "This question was actually raised a few years ago, but the revision is still unsatisfactory."

"The problem lies in the gunpowder powder. It should be mixed to make gunpowder grains the size of soybeans. The rougher the surface, the better. The more burrs are more effective. Just like we burn fire, there are more debris and burrs on firewood, but it is easier combustion."

Everyone suddenly realized, Old Craftsman Song slapped his forehead, "Gunpowder grains! We went in the wrong direction and tried our best to purify the nitrate powder and sulfur, but didn't consider changing the form."

Fan Ning said again: "There is also a problem with the gunpowder formula. I will give you a new gunpowder formula, and then everyone will work together to make the gunpowder granules, and then test the iron shell. Don't worry. Test again and again. It can’t be made in half a year.”

Fan Ning gave the black powder formula of the later generations to everyone, and the craftsmen began to make it busy. In fact, they still needed a lot of tools, such as baking stoves, cast iron furnaces, fine scales, etc., to make gunpowder and firearms. The toolmakers had brought them, and Fan Ning sent a dozen soldiers to help them carry them.

Fan Ning called Old Craftsman Song to his official room again, and asked him, "Are there any difficulties that need to be resolved now?"

Old Craftsman Song thought for a while and said, "It's best to have a special house. Gunpowder is a dangerous item after all. It's better to keep it in a remote place. There is also a coordinating officer who sometimes needs the help of the army and some raw materials. One official will be in charge of coordinating."

Fan Ning nodded, "I have already agreed with Marshal Di, he will arrange more than a dozen tents for you, and there will be tents around, guarded strictly by soldiers, right next to the barracks, it will probably be built tomorrow, as for There will be a dedicated official in charge of daily affairs, and after the imperial court approves it next year, Kunzhou will set up a military department, and there will also be a firearms department."

Old Craftsman Song heaved a sigh of relief, "Then there is nothing else."

Fan Ning also instructed: "I still say the same thing. Iron-cased firearms are the top secret of the Song Dynasty, and they can even change the national destiny of the Song Dynasty. The ten of you must keep it strictly confidential. If you want, you can send your family members. In short , the imperial court will never treat you badly."

"Please rest assured, Yushi, we will never reveal any secrets."

At this time, a young civilian officer walked in quickly, bowed and said: "The lowly post is Zhang Qu, and I am here to report to Fan Yushi by order of Di Shuai!"

Fan Ning said with a smile: "I am currently preparing to establish the Firearms Department, and I will be the supervisor for the time being, but I need a Sicheng to be responsible for the daily affairs management of the Firearms Department. From now on, you will be in charge."

"Humble post obeys orders!"

Fan Ning pointed to Old Craftsman Song next to him and said: "This is the leader of the craftsman, called Old Craftsman Song, who has worked in the Beijing Firearms Bureau for 40 years. I don't know what you usually do, but he knows, he will Let me tell you one by one, I hope you will cooperate tacitly, if you have any difficulties, come to me directly, if I am not here, you can find Di Shuai."

Fan Ning explained to them a few more words, and the two left together.

The room finally became quiet. Fan Ning pinched his forehead lightly, only to feel a headache. Zhao Zongshi returned to the country, leaving behind a myriad of things to deal with, such as the crisis of war horses, the winter, and Go to Japan to recruit civilians, build cities, build roads, build schools, etc.

However, his biggest problem now is the lack of officials. Apart from fifteen horse breeders, there are only ten officials in the government office, which is not enough at all. If he had known, he would have kept Ming Ren and Ming Li.

Fanning sighed, took out a piece of paper, and listed all the problems to be solved one by one, and divided them into three categories according to the urgency to be dealt with.

Category A belongs to the most urgent need to be solved, there are three major issues, one is to build a new warehouse; the second is to solve the wintering problem of war horses and personnel;

(End of this chapter)