Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 266: Old Zhu's worldview is severely impacted! The terrifying power of industrialization!
The carriage rolled forward and soon arrived deep into the steel plant.

Old Zhu got off the carriage and Zhao Rui hurried forward to greet him.

"We are here incognito today, so we cannot be polite." Old Zhu waved his hand, signaling him to excuse himself, and said, "You can just call me Mr. Zhu."

Zhao Rui responded quickly.

Afterwards, he took Lao Zhu and his party to visit the production workshop of the steel plant.

"This steel mill was built using the latest scientific research results of the Daming Academy of Sciences, combined with the practical experience of iron smelters."

"The steel plant can produce more than 500,000 kilograms of steel every day, which is more than ten times the country's total output!"

"Moreover, the steel produced by the steel furnaces here is of excellent quality, far better than before."

……

Zhao Rui's expression was full of excitement.

His Majesty went on a secret visit to the Ming Manufacturing Bureau. He was of course very excited to have the opportunity to report his work results to His Majesty the Emperor in person.

Old Zhu was stunned as he listened to his introduction and watched the furnaces of boiling molten steel pouring out.

Old Zhu remembered very clearly that he had asked the Ministry of Revenue to calculate the country's annual iron production, which totaled more than 18 million kilograms.

On average, about 50,000 kilograms a day.

This is the total output of the country.

And now, just one steel plant under the Manufacturing Bureau can reach more than ten times the original national total.

It's an exaggeration.

"Wait a minute, you said that more than 500,000 kilograms of steel are smelted here every day?" Old Zhu asked.

"To refine one pound of iron, you need four or five pounds of iron powder and six or seven pounds of charcoal. If you refine 500,000 pounds of iron every day, you need to bring in five million pounds of iron powder and charcoal."

"How is this possible?"

This amount of transportation has already exceeded the total amount of goods transported into Jinling City every day.

If the steel plant really had such a large transport capacity, this place would be full of horse-drawn carriages carrying goods.

Zhao Rui was stunned when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Sir, please look over there!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu looked in the direction he pointed.

Everywhere you look, you can see mountains of iron ore and coal.

But Lao Zhu's gaze did not linger there, but fell on the carriage beside him.

It was a carriage pulled by two horses, and what surprised Lao Zhu was the load capacity of the carriage.

Because the carriage was obviously much larger than an ordinary carriage and was filled to the brim.

Normally, two horses could not pull such a carriage.

"Sir, you are right. To produce 500,000 kilograms of steel, a large amount of iron ore and charcoal is indeed needed."

"If we use a horse-drawn carriage to transport it, it will naturally be impossible."

“So we rely mainly on water transport.”

Zhao Rui noticed the Emperor's gaze and smiled, "That's a horse-drawn carriage. We use the horse-drawn carriage to transport iron ore and coal from the dock directly to the vicinity of the steel furnace."

"A horse-drawn carriage is pulled by tracks, and its transport capacity is ten times that of an ordinary horse-drawn carriage."

"The cargo carried by one horse-drawn carriage is equivalent to that of ten ordinary horse-drawn carriages."

“It is because of it that so much iron ore and coal can be transported.”

Zhao Rui explained in detail.

All the steel mills use coal shipped from far away, rather than traditional charcoal.

How to transport these materials, how to put them into the steel furnace, and refine them into steel...

When Lao Zhu learned that such a large steel plant had only 10,000 steel workers, he was so shocked that his eyes almost fell out.

Old Zhu was not completely ignorant of iron smelting.

He knew very well that the folk tradition was that a blacksmith could smelt one pound of iron a day.

That's right.

The 50,000 kilograms of iron produced every day in the Ming Dynasty were the result of the hard work of more than 50,000 blacksmiths.

This does not include the subsequent processing by blacksmiths, who will further forge the smelted iron into specific tools such as knives, guns, hoes, and plows.

But this steel plant of the Manufacturing Bureau only needs 10,000 people to smelt 500,000 kilograms of iron every day. Such efficiency is incredible.

Zhu Gaochi was very proud: "It is precisely because of the improved efficiency of steelmaking at Daming Steel Plant that the price can remain at an extremely low level when the national demand for steel increases significantly."

……

"This is a pulley block. Many goods that need to be lifted in the factory are lifted with it!"

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“Instead of using ordinary firewood and charcoal, the steel mill burns coal dug from the ground.”

"There are special blowers to make the coal burn fully."

……

"The quality of the steel produced by the Daming Steel Plant is even better than the refined steel that has been quenched more than ten times outside."

"His Royal Highness said that the quality of the steel out there is not good. Daming Steel Factory must strictly control the quality."

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"This is rebar, which is used to be placed in cement to increase the strength of cement buildings."

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"This is steel specially used for making guns and cannons."

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"This is the latest gun from the Ming Dynasty Manufacturing Bureau. It has rifling inside, so it can shoot very accurately and far."

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"This is the latest table clock, very exquisite. Now all the ministries use it to tell time. It is much more accurate than the old timers."

……

As Old Zhu listened to Zhao Rui's introduction, the shock on his face grew more and more intense.

Steel mills use many "clever" tools to improve production efficiency and reduce the manpower required.

He personally saw the steel produced by the steel plant and found that the quality was indeed extraordinary, far better than the original iron smelting plant.

"The Daming Manufacturing Bureau has dozens of factories. In addition to the steel mill, there are also paper mills, weaving mills, alarm clock factories, gun factories, and gunpowder factories..."

Seeing that the Emperor was in high spirits, Zhao Rui immediately took them to visit other factories.

The more Old Zhu looked, the more frightened he became, and the more incredible it seemed to him.

He was very clear about the role of craftsmen.

Otherwise, nearly 200,000 craftsmen of all kinds would not have been conscripted to come to Jinling City.

But Lao Zhu never thought that the same production could be expanded to such a scale.

Hundreds of thousands of workers did the work that originally required millions or even tens of millions of people!
The "science" pioneered by Huer has such a great impact?

Shocked. Deeply shocked.

After spending a day wandering around the factory of the Daming Manufacturing Bureau, Lao Zhu felt completely numb.

The impact that the manufacturing bureau factory brought to him was too great.

As a result, even Old Zhu, who always expressed his emotions as he pleased, couldn't recover for a long time.

Coming out of the factory, Zhao Rui pushed a strangely shaped car.

There is one wheel in the front and one wheel in the back, and the two wheels are in a straight line.

The body of the car is made of steel, and wood is also used in some places.

It looks very strange.

"This is a bicycle, also invented by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Zhao Rui introduced it while pedaling and riding on it.

Old Zhu also became interested. After Zhao Rui stopped, he got on and rode, but found that he could not keep the bike steady at all.

"You need to learn and master certain balancing skills before you can ride this bike."

Zhao Rui smiled and said, "His Royal Highness said that our bicycle still has a lot of room for improvement. At present, it can only be used for fun and has little practical value. He said that without rubber tires, it is not a real bicycle."

As he spoke, he scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

Zhao Rui just found bicycles novel and interesting.

I thought the Emperor would definitely like it, so I took it out to show Zhuge Liang.

But when I get excited, I talk a lot.

Too much talk leads to mistakes.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself did not know what the "rubber tires" he was talking about were.

Fortunately, Lao Zhu did not ask any further questions and said with a smile: "This thing is quite interesting. Let's buy one."

His previous attempt at riding a horse was unsuccessful, but it instead aroused his competitive spirit.

Zhao Rui responded quickly, and the tension in his heart subsided.

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Where's the steam engine? Isn't it said that the steam engine is the number one treasure of the Daming Manufacturing Bureau? Has it been built? Take us to see it!"

Zhao Rui's face froze slightly. The latest steam engine test machine had indeed been built and was being tested.

However, Zhu Gaochi was standing by all day, busy doing tests.

He was also specifically told that this time he should not do as he did last time and just make a half-finished product and show it to outsiders.

We must wait until it is completely successful before reporting to the court.

Zhao Rui had the same idea, which was why he never took Lao Zhu to see the latest steam engine.

Now that His Majesty the Emperor has specifically asked me to go, there is no way I can escape anymore.

At that moment, Zhao Rui led Lao Zhu and his party there.

Before reaching it, a series of rumbling sounds were heard.

Zhu Gaochi walked out covered in soot.

Just now he heard Zhao Rui come to report that the Emperor was coming in person. He didn't have time to wash himself or change clothes, so he could only come out like this to greet him.

Old Zhu glared at him angrily.

It's outrageous that the son of a prince ends up like this.

Since there were other workers present, he was not reprimanded on the spot.

Zhu Gaochi led Lao Zhu and others in.

The first thing you see is two huge machines running non-stop.

The roar of the machines was deafening.

Even the sound of speaking could not be heard clearly.

All I saw was a wheel spinning rapidly, and a huge water pipe was pumping the water in the pool from the left pool to the right pool, and from the low place to the high place.

The high water column demonstrates the amazing power of the steam engine.

Old Zhu was shocked and speechless for a long time.

He looked around like a curious baby, and was extremely amazed by this thing.

Leaving the workshop where the steam engine was located, they arrived at the room where the R&D staff usually held meetings and discussions. The huge noise disappeared, and Zhu Gaochi proudly introduced it to Lao Zhu.

Describe the working principle of the steam engine.

Lao Zhu is a very smart man. Although he had never come into contact with it before, he understood it as soon as he heard it.

"It is a treasure. It is many times better than the old waterwheel that uses human power and foot to pump water for irrigating farmland."

"It can not only be used to pump water for irrigating farmland, but also to power ships and trains." Zhu Gaochi took out the pictures of the steam ship and the train painted by Zhu Yunhuan and introduced them to Old Zhu.

"These steamships and trains you mentioned require a lot of steel." Old Zhu listened to him with great interest and pointed out their shortcomings incisively.

Steel is expensive...

But when he said this, Lao Zhu was suddenly stunned.

With the current freeze-thaw efficiency of the Daming Manufacturing Bureau's steel mill, the price of steel can be reduced to an extremely low level.

After all, the original cost of one pound of iron was one worker's one day's work.

But now it has become 50 kilograms a day.

Theoretically, the price can be reduced to one-fiftieth of the original price.

According to Zhao Rui, the Daming Academy of Sciences and the Daming Manufacturing Bureau are still using scientific methods to conduct research to further improve and enhance production efficiency.

In the future, perhaps a worker will be able to produce 100 kilograms of iron a day, or even 200 kilograms, 300 kilograms, or even 1,000 kilograms.

At that time, perhaps what Zhu Gaochi said could really be easily achieved.

Before this, the imperial court needed a large sum of silver to make a full set of weapons and armor for a Ming soldier.

Therefore, there were only a very small number of elite Ming troops wearing full armor.

Most ordinary soldiers can only use simple armor and weapons.

But now that the Ming Manufacturing Bureau has raised steel production to this level, the situation is completely different.

"We will first manufacture standard-sized steam engines and distribute them to local governments for use in pumping water to combat drought and disaster relief."

“And also to drain groundwater from coal mines.”

Zhu Gaochi was also a very smart person, so of course he would not refute what Zhu said at this time.

Zhu Yunhuan also told him that although the vision of steamships and steam locomotives was good, he should not be too anxious to realize them.

One step at a time.

Take your time and push forward.

Early steam engines only needed to fully utilize their ability to pump water.

Of course, it is also used in textiles.

However, the most important problem in the textile industry at present is the lack of raw materials, the lack of cotton and wool, rather than the lack of textile efficiency.

The Ming Dynasty had a large amount of cheap labor, so at least for the time being it did not have to worry about textiles.

When the supply of raw materials such as cotton and wool increases in the future, it will be the time for steam engines to drive textile machines.

Therefore, Zhu Yunhuan focused its early application on "pumping water".

Food is the foundation of social production and life.

As for the changes brought about by textiles, we have to wait until we go overseas and no longer have to worry about raw materials and markets.

Human-powered water wheels have a very long history in Chinese history.

It can also be said to be one of the most important production tools for the people.

However, how can a human-powered waterwheel compare to the efficiency of a steam engine in "pumping water"?
When it comes to drought relief, there is no such thing as surplus labor.

Invest as much effort as you can.

The sooner the fields can be irrigated with water, the more farmland can be saved.

Another point is that areas that were originally unsuitable for paddy fields can be converted into paddy fields with the help of steam engines to pump water.

In the original history, after Watt improved the steam engine, more than a thousand steam engines produced in the early days were basically all used for pumping water.

Later it was gradually expanded to other machines.

"How much does it cost to build a steam engine?"

Lao Zhu asked the key question.

In his opinion, this lump of iron has many parts and a complex structure. Even if the price of iron is cheap, the cost of making it into different parts will probably not be too low.

"It depends on the power," Zhu Gaochi explained. "The higher the power, the higher the price."

"His Royal Highness said that horsepower is used to measure power, and the current cost is forty taels of silver per horsepower."

"A 15-horsepower steam pump costs about six hundred taels of silver."

"We are reducing costs through standardization and assembly line approach."

"According to estimates, if all the standards are set and mass production is carried out, assuming that 10,000 units are produced each year, the manufacturing cost of each unit can be reduced to about one-fifteenth of the current level, which is about 40 taels of silver per unit."

Then, Zhu Gaochi explained in detail what horsepower is.

That is, use a horse to pedal a waterwheel and see how much water it can pump in eight hours.

Let’s compare it with a steam engine.

The data obtained after measurement is one horsepower.

There are two types of steam engines currently under development, one with fifteen horsepower and the other with thirty horsepower.

He then explained what large-scale standardized production, assembly line operation, and how to reduce costs.
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"Although when you think about it, the price of a one-horsepower machine is more expensive than buying a horse."

“But the maintenance of the machine is cheap and not as strenuous as raising a horse.”

"Moreover, the machine can operate around the clock, all year round, except for repairs and necessary maintenance."

“In fact, a one-horsepower machine can do more work than five horses.”

Old Zhu nodded slightly.

The Central Plains had been ruled by the grassland barbarians for decades, and many farmlands were converted into pastures by them, resulting in a surge in the number of horses in the Central Plains.

Therefore, the price of horses in the early Ming Dynasty was not expensive.

Nowadays, a horse of medium quality costs only ten taels of silver.

But the number of horses that the Central Plains dynasty could raise was ultimately limited.

But machines can produce continuously, which is different.

If it is true as Zhu Gaochi said, if 10,000 15-horsepower steam pumps are produced a year, wouldn't that be equivalent to having 150,000 more working horses?
Oh no.

One horsepower of machinery is equivalent to the work of five horses, which means an extra 750,000 horses per year.

It will continue to increase next year.

More and more every year.

If production technology is further improved, efficiency is further increased, and costs are further reduced...

The intuitive algorithm immediately made Lao Zhu feel the terrifying power of "industrialization".

……

(End of this chapter)