Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The establishment of a specialized ordnance research institution was something Zhu Youjian had decided long ago.

As early as last September, when he first ascended to power, he asked the Ministry of War to establish the Ordnance Department.

He also ordered Shang Zhouzuo, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and other officials to collect various types of firearms and submit them to the War and War Bureau for testing to determine the standard weapons.

Now, after various twists and turns, the Ordnance Department has finally been led by Bi Maokang, the Ordnance Minister with the support of Yuan Keli, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and has taken over the relevant agencies of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry.

However, in addition to the institutions of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry, the manufacturing of Ming Dynasty's ordnance also included the inner court yamen. The War Bureau, Armor Factory, and Wang Gong Factory, which are both under the supervision of the inner government, all have this responsibility.

With the support of Yuan Keli, Bi Maokang wanted to bring the yamen of the inner court under the jurisdiction of the Ordnance Department. Of course Zhu Youjian was not willing to do so. He did not want the weapons used by the Royal Horse Guards to be restricted by the Ordnance Department.

Therefore, he established the Ordnance Research Institute and introduced the power of the Ministry of Industry to be responsible for the research and development of ordnance and the determination of standard weapons.

The Ordnance Department's Ordnance Bureau and other institutions were transferred from the Ministry of Industry to the Ministry of War. Moreover, in the field of ordnance manufacturing, there will also be places to turn to the Ministry of Engineering in the future.

If Bi Maokang didn't want to take control of the inner court yamen, and he needed help from the Ministry of Industry, he could only agree to join forces among the three parties to establish an ordnance research institute.

In order to get the Ordnance Research Institute on the right track faster, and to dispel the idea of ​​the Ministry of War usurping the power of the inner court, Zhu Youjian chose Lu Xiang, who had repeatedly made contributions to printing, to take charge of this yamen.

Lu Xiang was very excited when he heard the emperor's appointment.

Because ordnance matters were much more important to him than printing, so his contribution was naturally greater.

As long as he does this well, it is possible for him to not only officially serve as the head of the Wensi Academy, but also to turn the hundreds of families in his body into a hereditary one.

However, just because the credit is great, so is the responsibility. Once there is a problem with the ordnance, he will be beheaded and sacrificed to the flag, and there is no room for reasoning.

So he said with excitement and some trepidation:
"I have never made ordnance, and I don't understand ordnance research."

"Your Majesty has entrusted you with such a heavy responsibility, and you are truly frightened."

Zhu Youjian valued him very much and believed that Lu Xiang was familiar with the concepts of group experiments and standards and specifications he proposed and had grown into a qualified scientific researcher, so he patiently gave guidance:
"The study of ordnance is similar to the study of printing in the Institute of Arts and Sciences."

"It's all about trying bit by bit to determine product specifications and process flow."

"As long as this aspect is done well, standard weapons can be determined and the quality of ordnance can be controlled."

"You should know these things after you have been the director these days."

"Do you still have any questions about the various standards and regulations in the printing industry?"

Lu Xiang thought for a moment and quickly understood what the emperor meant.

The so-called determination of product specifications means determining standards such as format size and standardized fonts.

Lu Xiang, who is good at carpentry, knows all these things well. After all, if the mortise and tenon don't match up, it's useless. As a genius in the woodworking industry, Lu Xiang can tell whether the mortise and tenon can match up just by touching it with his hands. The rules and regulations have long since penetrated into his bones.

As for the process flow, the printing steps are broken down, and engraving, molding, casting and other tasks are assigned to specialized craftsmen.

If someone wants to make changes, they must apply for an experiment, and modifications can only be made after verification and approval.

This is already well known to everyone at the Printing Research Institute. Lu Xiang didn't think there was any difficulty and thought it would be no problem to go to the Ordnance Research Institute to do these jobs.

In order to reassure him and to keep track of the progress of various researches, Zhu Youjian added:
"You are doing practical things. You can take leave and not attend court meetings."

"I allow you to come to the palace once a month to report on the progress of the Academy of Literature and Thought and the Ordnance Research Institute."

"If there is anything important, you can also tell Wang Chengen and ask him to take you into the palace."

"Wang Chengen, give him a military badge so that he can apply for admission to the palace even when you are not around." This is a great power, and it means that Lu Xiang has the opportunity to apply for a face-to-face interview at any time. Many court officials did not have this power and could only appear before the emperor when summoned.

With this power, Lu Xiang can reduce a lot of troubles. If someone dared to bully him based on his status, he might mention it in front of the emperor and be punished by the emperor.

So after Wang Chengen heard this, he immediately signaled with his eyes, asking Lu Xiang to thank him quickly.

Although Lu Xiang still didn't know what this power represented, he naturally wanted to express his gratitude for the emperor's reward.

Then I heard the emperor say to Wang Chengen:

"The yamen of the inner court ordnance manufacturing will be unified in the future."

"The Armor Factory, Wang Gong Factory, etc. will be under the unified management of the Military Warfare Bureau from now on."

"Management personnel are concentrated in the War Bureau. The Armor Factory and Wang Gong Factory exist as workshops and warehouses, and a chief craftsman is set up to be responsible for production."

"Especially the Wang Gong Factory, which needs to manufacture and store gunpowder, so special attention must be paid to safety."

"We must not have a big explosion like the one during the Tianqi years, which would affect the stability of the capital."

Mentioning this matter, Zhu Youjian turned to Lu Xiang and said:

"The study of ordnance is no better than the study of printing, and there are many dangers involved."

"In the future, research institutes should be built in open areas around them to prevent accidents from harming residents."

"Safety management regulations must also be explored and everyone must strictly follow them."

"The Ordnance Research Institute has established a safety management office to take charge of this matter."

"Every research institute and military workshop must set up a safety team to clarify relevant responsibilities."

These words were very solemn. Wang Chengen and Lu Xiang did not dare to ignore them, and they all obeyed their orders solemnly.

Then, Zhu Youjian revealed another reason why Lu Xiang was in charge of the Ordnance Research Institute:
"Lu Qing is good at carpentry, so he should be familiar with mortise and tenon structures, right?"

"Tell me, can you make a latch and place it on the gun to fix the bayonet, so that the gunman can have close combat capabilities?"

As he spoke, he gestured and took out a sketch so that Lu Xiang could design the bayonet latch based on this.

Lu Xiang is good at carpentry, how could he not know how to do mortise and tenon. After just a cursory glance, he understood what happened to the so-called bayonet jam, and responded:

"It can be made, but I don't know if it will be strong."

Zhu Youjian said happily:

"Make it first and see. You can use wooden models to verify bayonet fixing methods such as tenon type, sleeve type, and plug type."

"After the plan is determined, let the blacksmith build it and let the soldiers try it out to see which way of fixing the bayonet is the strongest."

"If you do this well, I will give you a great credit and let you serve as the fifth rank."

The bayonet may not seem very conspicuous, but it is a very important thing.

With the bayonet, the gunman does not need to be equipped with other cold weapons such as swords, or even needs the protection of the spearman, and can fight independently.

Coupled with its low difficulty, Zhu Youjian listed it as the first thing to be developed. (End of chapter)