Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 137: Leading the Way in Expansion and Efficiency
Chapter 135 Far ahead

The Steel Plant is the core department of the Iron Bureau, mainly responsible for smelting steel. It is heavily guarded, with soldiers standing guard at the door to prevent technology leaks.

Traditionally, China's steelmaking mainly uses the "steel frying" technology, which appeared in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. This is a remarkable invention, much more efficient than the previous "hundred-fold steelmaking", and more than a thousand years ahead of Europe.

The Ming Dynasty also used the steelmaking technology, but there were many innovations, such as using coke to increase the furnace temperature and expanding the iron furnace to improve production efficiency. In the production of firearms, composite gun barrels and baking molds were also widely used.

In addition, the Ming Dynasty's papermaking, sugar making, baking and steel casting industries were far ahead of the world at that time. The iron pots, white paper, sugar, and even porcelain, silk, tea and other products of Guangdong and Guangxi were widely exported overseas.

However, we have to admit that the handicraft industry in the Ming Dynasty was greatly affected due to various reasons, including political chaos, exploitation by mine supervisors, escape of craftsmen, and miners' uprisings.

The core facilities of the steel plant are two blast furnaces, which are surrounded by separate earth walls and guarded by soldiers. The two furnaces are one high and one low, one large and one small.

When Danchu and his group approached the blast furnace, they happened to see the first blast furnace producing a furnace of molten iron.

Whether it is steelmaking, roasting steel, or even modern steelmaking, the first step is to use raw materials such as iron ore and coke to produce molten iron.

The Jinxiu Ironware Bureau Steel Plant is no exception. The first batch of molten iron contains high levels of impurities such as carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus, and after cooling, it becomes pig iron.

As the name suggests, "hundred-fold steelmaking" is the process of repeatedly forging pig iron to remove impurities and obtain steel. You can imagine how efficient it is.

Stir-frying steel is to put pig iron into a large pot and stir-fry it repeatedly, just like cooking, hence the name. During the stir-frying process, impurities in the pig iron combine with air and oxidize. Although the efficiency is higher than that of the hundred-fold steelmaking, it is still not ideal.

As a time traveler, Danchu knows the importance of steel. The advancement of science and technology often relies on the advancement of materials. Steel is the most widely used and important material in modern times. For the Zhaoyong Army, it also has a very practical significance.

With qualified steel, we can cast better quality and lower-priced cannons that remain light while withstanding high chamber pressures; we can cut barrels with higher chamber pressures and make more durable and reliable springs, making the popularization of flintlock rifles possible.

In fact, it is not difficult to produce high-quality steel. Find a few skilled blacksmiths, beat the pig iron, and produce steel comparable to modern steel. However, the production efficiency is too low in this case, and it is impossible to promote it on a large scale.

What Dan Chu did was to use the advantages of being a time traveler to greatly improve the efficiency of steel smelting.

The first batch of molten iron was produced, and the heat wave hit everyone, and many beads of sweat oozed out of their bodies. Looking at the workers on the scene, everyone was sweating profusely, wearing only shorts, revealing their strong muscles. The workers who operated the blast furnace worked very hard, and they also knew many secrets. They were treated well by the Iron Bureau and had enough food every day.

The worker opened the valve at the bottom of the furnace, and the red molten iron mixed with impurities flowed into the second blast furnace, which was located lower and had a smaller volume. This blast furnace had a peculiar shape, with eight pipes extending from the furnace wall, each connected to a bellows at the end. There were two workers at each bellows, who took turns operating the bellows.

As the molten iron is poured into the blast furnace, workers begin to push the bellows to blow air into the molten iron. The oxygen in the air reacts with the impurities in the molten iron to produce an oxidation reaction, releasing a large amount of heat, causing the temperature of the molten iron to rise rapidly, reaching as high as 1600 degrees Celsius.

This is probably the highest temperature ever artificially created by humans.

The best part is that when impurities in the molten iron are oxidized by oxygen, they will form gases and escape without leaving any residue. For example, silicon impurities will be oxidized into brown smoke and escape, and carbon impurities will also be oxidized into carbon dioxide.

The phosphorus element has a great influence on the performance of the gun barrel, so the molten steel must be dephosphorized.

The small blast furnace uses an alkaline lining and adds quicklime to the furnace, so that the reaction in the furnace is carried out under alkaline and high-temperature conditions. The phosphorus impurities in the molten iron are oxidized under high temperature conditions and combined with lime to form solid slag that precipitates at the bottom of the furnace, and the dephosphorization problem is perfectly solved.

The efficiency of turning molten iron into steel is thousands of times higher than that of steel frying technology.

This is actually the famous "basic bottom blowing air steelmaking process". Even today, no matter how much steelmaking technology advances, it is still essentially the basic bottom blowing steelmaking process.

The British invented the "acid bottom-blown air steelmaking process" in the mid-nineteenth century, which greatly improved steel production efficiency and also contributed to the birth of modern weapons such as ironclad ships.

However, this steelmaking method is only suitable for high-quality iron ore with low sulfur and phosphorus content, so it is not widely used. It was not until the late 19th century that Europe invented the "basic bottom-blown air converter steelmaking method", which laid the foundation for modern steelmaking technology.

The quality of Huaxia iron ore is generally poor, and only the alkaline bottom air blowing steelmaking method can be used.

After two quarters of an hour, the foreman on site called a halt, and the worker operating the bellows finally put it down as if he had been pardoned, and collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Other workers had already prepared the molds, ready to pour in molten steel, either to cast gun barrels or to cast solid cylinders.

The molten steel comes out of the furnace, scorching hot and bright orange-red in color, which is the characteristic of high-quality molten steel.

Bi Fangji sincerely praised: "The Marshal is worthy of being a prophet of God, and he really has the wisdom of ghosts and gods. I have been determined to study since I was ten years old, and I boast that I am knowledgeable and proficient in iron smelting. But I never thought that the Marshal only needs to lightly touch and turn stone into gold, which is a million times better than me."

Familiar with English, proficient in iron smelting, and accomplished in battle... Danchu spread the news of his miracles from time to time, which had completely convinced the foreigners. The foreigners in Macau had also heard about this, and seven or eight of them came to join him.

Liu Yuchun was from Ningbo, Zhejiang. He was a scholar and proficient in firearms. He drifted to Guangxi and worked under Danchu. He served as the general manager of the Ironware Bureau. He was smart and decisive, and was Bi Fangji's right-hand man.

"The Marshal is omniscient and omnipotent, just like a saint reborn. There is hope for the recovery of China." Liu Tongchun's praise was also very sincere and there was no flattery in his words.

"Hehe." Danchu didn't give in, nor did he explain, which made him seem even more unfathomable. He asked, "At present, how many kilograms of steel can the steel plant produce in a day?"

By eliminating the step of steel frying, the efficiency of steel production was greatly improved. Liu Tongchun was confident and replied:
"On normal days, we can produce three furnaces of molten steel a day, which can produce 1,500 kilograms of steel. During busy periods, the workers rest but the blast furnace does not, so we can produce five furnaces of molten steel a day, which can produce 2,500 kilograms of steel. But recently, we have only produced two furnaces of molten steel a day."

Two thousand five hundred kilograms in the Ming Dynasty, equivalent to about 1.5 tons in modern times, is insignificant nowadays. But in the Ming Dynasty, in remote Guangxi, this data was already quite astonishing.

“Why are there only two furnaces of molten steel?”

"The demand in Zhaoyongjun is not that great. We also tried to produce farm tools and iron pots, which were popular but not widely sold."

The situation was chaotic, and business was blocked, so it was natural that the market could not be opened. The Zhaoyong Army had a small territory and was unable to promote ironware among the people.

Danchu blurted out, "Isn't it said that the army has always had a high demand for muskets?"

He quickly thought of the answer: if the efficiency of musket production could not be improved, it would be of no use even if more steel was produced.

Chapter 136: Expanding Production and Improving Efficiency

After leaving the steel mill, Danchu and his companions came to the gun factory, which was adjacent to the steel mill and, as the name suggests, mainly produced muskets and artillery.

The matchlock gun had been used in many wars and its technology was mature, so it was favored by the soldiers on the front line. Thanks to the far-leading iron smelting technology, the efficiency of the gun factory in producing matchlock guns was improved, but it still could not meet the needs of the army.

"Now, how many matchlock guns can the gun factory produce every month?" The fundamental reason why the Ming people called matchlock guns "chong" was because of different concepts. They regarded guns as cannons, which led to many detours. Danchu insisted on changing the "chong" to a gun. It seemed a small matter, but it could also subtly change the concepts of the military and civilians.

"About a hundred. If there are more, we can't do anything." Liu Yuchun answered truthfully.

"where is the problem?"

"The key to producing a matchlock gun lies in the barrel. The traditional method requires two pieces of refined iron to wrap around an iron core, rolling them into two iron tubes, one large and one small, with the large one wrapping the small one tightly, forging them repeatedly, then pulling out the iron core, letting the iron tube cool and tighten itself, and then using a drill press to drill out a barrel with a smooth and straight inner wall.

"With the guidance of Marshal Meng, the molten steel we refine is of better quality and can be directly cast into solid steel columns, saving the effort of rolling iron pipes. However, drilling gun barrels is unavoidable. This process is very precise and requires high standards. Each person can only drill about 1 inch per day, and it takes about a month to drill a gun barrel."

Danchu did not comment, but asked: "What is the quality and cost of the matchlock gun produced by this method?"

Bi Fangji, who was the mine supervisor and had the responsibility to supervise the quality of military production, replied: "The quality is very good. The barrel is dense and straight, which can withstand higher chamber pressure, increase the charge, and use heavy bullets. The matchlock gun we are currently producing weighs about eight pounds. Its accuracy and power are comparable to the twelve-pound large bird gun, and it can penetrate Ming armor at a distance of sixty steps."

The models of matchlock guns produced in the Ming Dynasty varied, ranging from six pounds to more than twenty pounds, and their power also varied.

The matchlock gun produced by Jinxiu Ironware Bureau was as powerful as the heavy matchlock guns commonly used by foreign soldiers, but it was much lighter and could be held and fired with both hands, without the need to support the gun with a butt. This improvement was of great significance, as it not only improved the portability of the gun, but also increased its firing rate.

"The cost has also been reduced. Each musket costs about 1 liang 15 qian of silver, less than 2 liang, 4 qian of silver lower than the price of the bird gun, twice the price of the raw lacquer bow, and slightly lower than the large bow."

There are too many unexpected things in this world. I thought that the price of matchlock guns was high and would burden military expenditures. But I didn't expect that the cost of matchlock guns was even lower than that of long-tailed bows.

The production period of a musket is as long as one month, which seems to be very inefficient. However, the production period of a bow is even longer, and the production period of a bow can take at least several months, and at most more than a year, or even several years.

Rockets are also long-range strike weapons, and their production cycle is very short, ranging from a few days to a month. However, rockets consume too much gunpowder and have poor actual killing effects, which Danchu does not like.

"When did the muskets go into production? How many have been produced now?" Dan Chu asked.

"It went into production four months ago, and we have now produced more than 360 of them."

The efficiency is still too low. At this rate, it will take a long time for us to be equipped with firearms.

There was no way. The Zhaoyong Army only had three territories: Yong'an Prefecture, Zhaoping County, and Wutunso, with a total population of only a few hundred thousand. It was not easy to recruit craftsmen.

Danchu sighed and asked, "I heard that the production of muskets in Fujian and Zhejiang is very large. How do they do it?"

Liu Tongchun was from Ningbo and was familiar with firearms production. He said, "Matchlock guns have been produced in Fujian and Zhejiang since the Jiajing period. The production technology is mature, there are many skilled workers, and the people are relatively wealthy. In addition, there are many rivers in the two provinces, and water power can be used to drive wooden beds."

Wooden beds are machine tools, including drilling machines, boring machines, milling machines, lathes, etc. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, machine tools were already quite developed, but they were restricted by material technology and were mostly made of wood.

Danchu thought for a moment and said, "Jinxiu is surrounded by mountains, but there are also many rivers. In your opinion, which rivers have the advantage of water conservancy?"

Liu Tongchun didn't dare to answer this question easily and turned his eyes to Bi Fangji.

Bi Fangji understood and replied: "The water in Jinxiu River and Panwang River is sufficient to drive the wooden bed. But we need to mobilize laborers to build dams and weirs."

"How much labor and money will it cost?" Dan Chuli accomplished the task with a firm tone.

Bi Fangji made a rough estimate and said, "It will take five hundred strong men, and the cost will be no less than two thousand taels of silver."

"No problem," Danchu said readily, "Jinxiu Tusi Tian Qi is thinking about serving the country, and his son is about to serve in Zhaoyong Army. I have decided to set up a patrol inspection office in Jinxiu, and allow the Tian family to inherit the post of patrol inspection. Building water conservancy projects will also be a good thing for Jinxiu Tusi. As for silver, I will find a way to subsidize it."

Bi Fangji and Liu Tongchun were delighted and said, "With the hydraulic drilling machine, the efficiency of musket production will be doubled."

In that case, two hundred muskets could be produced every month, and production efficiency would be greatly improved.

Danchu was delighted and said, "I have a few ideas to improve the production efficiency of the gun factory. First, we need to distinguish the steps, divide the work, and work together.

"Artisans pass down their craft from father to son, and they are particular about their craft. They are not willing to pass on their skills to others easily. Even if a master accepts an apprentice, he will not easily pass on his skills. This has resulted in us being unable to recruit qualified craftsmen and unable to significantly expand production.

"The key to division of labor in production is to distinguish the processes, and each person only does one process. For example, the person who drills the barrel is only responsible for the barrel, the person who installs the front sight and rear sight is only responsible for the front sight and rear sight, and the person who screws is only responsible for the screws. It is no longer possible for one person to do all the processes as before.

"There are many benefits. It can prevent the leakage of technology. Even if one person escapes, he only knows one process. It can promote the standardization of parts. One person is responsible for one thing. After the skills are proficient, the parts will tend to be consistent. In the future, if the gun is damaged, it will be easier to repair and replace."

This requires breaking the original production model and breaking the authoritative position of the head in handicraft production. Zhaoyong Army was established not long ago, full of vitality, without historical baggage, and it was easy to implement production reforms.

Liu Yuchun was delighted when he heard this and said, "General, this division of labor and cooperative production system will bring many benefits. We must implement it as soon as possible."

Danchu smiled faintly and asked, "How are the craftsmen in the weapons bureau paid?"

"It is based on the standards of the Zhaoyong Army cavalry. Single men are provided with food, and those with families are given food. There are also additional rewards during festivals."

This is similar to the situation of artisans in the Ming Dynasty. However, local governments in the Ming Dynasty often exploited artisans, officials at all levels embezzled labor and material silver, and labor and material were not guaranteed, so the products produced by artisans were of poor quality. The government was short of funds and could not afford to reward artisans during festivals.

In contrast, the Qing dynasty had already begun to pay wages to craftsmen. Some craftsmen who made guns and cannons received wages comparable to those of the Eight Banners soldiers. As a result, the Qing dynasty craftsmen were more motivated to produce, and the level of firearms manufacturing gradually surpassed that of the Ming dynasty.

The Zhaoyong Army had no money to pay the soldiers, let alone the craftsmen.

Danchu pondered for a moment and said, "It is urgent to expand production and increase efficiency. So, let's do piece-rate production. For example, for the craftsman who drills gun barrels, we set a quota of 100 gun barrels per month for him. If he exceeds this number, he will be paid by piece.

"In addition, we might as well produce some muskets and artillery with slightly inferior performance. Our army does not need to equip them, and sell them specifically to military leaders like Chen Bangfu and Li Chengdong, or even other armed forces, in order to supplement military expenses and support craftsmen."

With Danchu's approval, Liu Tongchun became more confident in running the Ironware Bureau.

(End of this chapter)