It didn't take long for Cui Mingyuan, Qian Qian, Tan Xiaoda and the twenty craftsmen to all figure it out. After all, they were all highly skilled. As the saying goes, one can draw conclusions by analogy. At this time, everyone was interested in Liu Yan's idea of iron mold casting. I have a general idea of the entire process of cannon craftsmanship.
Now, everyone admired Liu Yan even more. The craftsmen looked at Liu Yan with reverence as if they were seeing the ancestor. You must know that although the material of the casting mold is only changed from clay to cast iron, the technical significance is different. It can be said to be a leap-forward change!
Even Cui Mingyuan seemed to be drunk, smiling so hard that his eyes narrowed to a slit. He had just arrived at the Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village, and he had learned such an important skill. This was a piece of pie in the sky!
At this time, Liu Yan explained in detail to Cui Mingyuan, Tan Xiaoda and the craftsmen: "This method of casting cannons in iron molds is not difficult to say, but it is not easy to do. First of all, the size of the cannon must be cast according to the size of the cannon. , make a clay mold in five sections; then make an iron mold model according to the number of clay mold sections. Each section of the clay mold is divided into two parts, and the inner surface is rotated with a lathe to make the surface smooth and regular in shape, and then dried for later use; inside the clay mold Put in the prefabricated handle and mold it into one piece with the iron mold during casting.”
“When using a clay mold to turn a cast iron mold, first place the muzzle section upside down on a clay flat plate, fill one of the sections with mud, dry it, cover it with the clay flat plate, tighten the mold, and cast it. One piece of the first section of the iron mold is obtained. Then the mud that is filled out can be used in the same manner to obtain the other half of the iron mold. In this way, by pouring section by section, a complete set of iron molds can be cast layer by layer."
Liu Yan's explanation made Cui Mingyuan, Tan Xiaoda and the twenty craftsmen suddenly feel emotional, as if they had directly seen the entire manufacturing process.
Everyone was shocked by Liu Yan's method. In addition to their original reverence and respect, everyone looked at him with awe and a hint of admiration.
Even the flag officer Qian Qian looked shocked and said to himself: "Now I finally believe that the artillery team will grow stronger. What the defense master said is true!"
In fact, this method was not invented by Liu Yan. This method had already been produced during the Opium War in the late Manchu and Qing Dynasties. m.
At that time, the artillery used by the Manchu Qing Dynasty had not been manufactured for many years. In particular, the artillery of many forts in the southern coastal areas were cast decades ago or even earlier during the Kangxi and Ming Dynasties, and were outdated and unfit for use.
Therefore, after the war started, the Manchu rulers discovered that there was a shortage of cannons, and the cannons used to defend the capital in the north did not dare to go south easily, so they ordered the officials below to speed up the production of cannons, and the cycle of making cannons from clay molds was too long. , the war was urgent and could not wait, so some talented people at that time thought of the fast characteristics of metal mold making tools and agricultural tools.
So the Manchu and Qing Dynasties began to use this method to cast cannons through a series of improvement measures.
Obviously, the iron mold casting cannon not only has the advantage of short casting cycle, but also has the advantage of repeated use. This not only reduces the manufacturing cycle, but also makes the cannons uniform in size and enables standardized production. The process can also reduce the possibility of defects such as honeycombing.
But it was a pity that the Manchus surrendered not long after this new cannon-casting method came out, and they didn't even have time to cast a few cannons.
When Liu Yan was thinking about these historical data, Tan Xiaoda, Cui Mingyuan and others also recovered from the shock, so Liu Yan continued: "You cast the artillery according to the method I told you, remember to cast it in the iron mold. After that, we will try to make a few cannons first, and if there are no problems with the method, we will immediately start casting the cannons in batches. What we are short of now is time!"
Cui Mingyuan and the twenty craftsmen no longer cared about talking at this time. They were all busy writing, using charcoal pens to record every bit of what Liu Yan said.
Then, Liu Yan said again: "There is one more thing you must keep in mind. Casting artillery is just like making blunderbuss. You must strictly follow the dimensions on the design drawings, and there must be no mistakes! Only in this way can standardization be achieved. Only in this way can we cast excellent artillery. In addition, every artillery piece produced by the Firearms Supervision Department must strictly record the name of the casting craftsman and inscribe it on the gun body. Once there is a quality problem with the artillery, the person responsible can be traced!"
Liu Yan has always been very demanding about the quality of military equipment, so Liu Yan's request at this time is understandable. The Firearms Manufacturing Department had already used methods similar to Liu Yan's regulations when making guns, armor and other weapons.
Liu Yan continued: "Also! The gunpowder and cannon balls of the artillery can also be based on the blunderbuss ammunition. They are all in a custom-made form and use granular gunpowder. The specific ratio is: nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. The ratios are roughly 78%, 80%, and 14%, and gunpowder shops should pay attention to this."
Tan Xiao clenched his fists to accept the order.
"Also, cannonballs can no longer use paper shells as casings."
Tan Xiaoda asked in confusion: "Can't we use paper shells? What materials should we use?"
Cui Mingyuan was already very excited when he heard this. He felt that magical ideas would always pop up in Liu Yan's mind. At this time, he heard something about fixed bombs. He felt that there were so many novel things in Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village. Cui Mingyuan felt dizzy.
At this time, Cui Mingyuan heard Tan Xiaoda's inquiry and Liu Yan said, "I'm going to use silk!"
Liu Yan also based on the experience of later generations. More than three hundred years later, some Western gunners began to use precious silk to wrap cannonballs and gunpowder, creating simple fixed-loading ammunition. However, it did not become popular. The main form of cannonballs There was still no fixed installation until the appearance of iron cartridges.
But when Tan Xiaoda, Qian Qian, Cui Mingyuan and the twenty craftsmen heard that custom-made cannonballs would be made from silk, they were all shocked.
"Sir! Even if we, the Qianhu House in front of Xiahe Village, are wealthy now, we can't waste money like this! How much silk is this one shot? How much money will be spent after a big battle!"
Seeing Tan Xiaoda's anxious look, Liu Yan said with a smile: "Mr. Tan, this cannonball is different from the lead bullet of the gun. If it is still made of paper shells, there will definitely be residual debris after burning in the barrel. Not only It will increase the time and difficulty of cleaning the barrel, and once it is not cleaned in place, it will accumulate in the barrel, which will cause the barrel to explode!"
Liu Yan said seriously: "Compared with the lives of our new soldiers in Xiahe Village, and compared with the outcome of the war, spending some money to buy silk is not a big deal! After the money is spent, you can still make more, if the soldiers sacrifice If the battle is lost, there will be no room for recovery."
Everyone looked at each other in shock after hearing this, and were finally convinced by Liu Yan.
Therefore, Tan Xiao was ready to deliver orders to hundreds of Song Gongming households tomorrow, and immediately sent people to Jiangnan to purchase large quantities of silk, and began to develop custom-made artillery shells.
After that, Liu Yan, accompanied by Tan Xiaoda, Qian Qian, Cui Mingyuan and others, inspected the firearms manufacturing office and saw that each workshop was in order and many craftsmen were working enthusiastically. I am also very satisfied in my heart.
After the artillery casting was completed, Liu Yan took Qian Qian and left the firearms manufacturing office the next day and returned to Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village.
Cui Mingyuan, the gunsmith, stayed at Wangjiazhuang Baihu Institute and was appointed by Liu Yan as the supervisor of the firearms workshop of the Firearms Supervision and Manufacturing Department, responsible for the casting of artillery.
In Qianhu's official hall, Qian Qian said excitedly to Liu Yan: "Your Excellency is really a genius. Now my subordinates believe it. Your Excellency can really strengthen the artillery team!"
Liu Yan said with a smile: "This is natural. I will not lie to others. It's just that we have a tight deadline this time and cannot wait until these new cannons are cast."
Qian Chong also felt a sense of regret, but his generous character also made Qian Cong laugh and said: "This is not the case. When the Qing soldiers and Tatars are killed this time, my subordinates will come back with you. Then you will be able to We need to equip the artillery team with more artillery."
Liu Yan laughed and said, "This is natural!"
Soon, on the eighth day, the army's personnel, strength, money, food, supplies, and military equipment were all in place. Liu Yan decided to lead his army and set off two days in advance to join the battle in Julu.
Outside the city of Qianhusuo in front of Xiahe Village, more than 3,700 soldiers were arrayed in order. These soldiers were all elites who had undergone rigorous training. At this time, the soldiers of the New Army were all armored, and the infantry, cavalry, and artillery teams were all ready, and their combat power was high. Strong!
Almost all the military households, merchants, and officials from the Thousand Households in front of Xiahe Village came to the north of the city to see off Liu Yan and the three thousand and hundreds of new army officers and soldiers.
Zhang Lei, the garrison officer, Zhao Min, the magistrate, Yue Ming, the money and grain officer, Song Gongming, the commercial officer, and Tian Huixu, a hundred households, led the people from Qianhu in front. The crowd surrounded Wang Yunhe, monk Shan and Ruoshui.
In addition, several directors of the Wangjiazhuang Hundred Household Office, Chu Yunfei, Gao Yunshan, Chen Jiangshi, Qian Zao, Tan Xiaoda, Xu Le, Zhao Xun, and Cui Mingyuan, also braved the cold and came here to help Liu Yan and the army. The soldiers saw him off.
Liu Yan looked at the crowd, as well as the thousands of soldiers and civilians who spontaneously came to see him off, and his heart was filled with excitement and high morale.
"With such people and subordinates, the future is bright and we can definitely defeat all enemies. I will win this battle!"
"Your Majesty, all units of the army are ready. Please give your orders!"
Bai Zong Miao Shao rode his horse to report.
This time, in order to transport the army's money, food and supplies, Liu Yan specially recruited a large number of oxen carts from Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village, a total of 300 vehicles, all of which were distributed to the general supplies and heavy troops, greatly increasing the army's mobility. Kicked up a notch.
At this time, Liu Yan was wearing armor, with a divine war horse under his crotch. He suddenly pulled out the wild goose feather sword from his waist, patrolled in front of the army formation, and roared loudly: "Our Ming army is victorious!"
"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"
The huge army formation composed of three thousand and hundreds of soldiers was a sight to behold. The roars of the soldiers pierced the sky, seeming to shatter the cold wind in winter. The sun instantly shone in the army formation, as if it was covering the army. A layer of golden armor.
Thousands of soldiers and civilians couldn't help but feel shaken when they saw this. Today's Ming Dynasty actually still has such elite officers and soldiers. It shows that the Ming Dynasty has not yet exhausted its energy. Even if the Tartars cause trouble, they will eventually be driven back and it will not work!
Then Liu Yan rode his horse to Wang Yunhe, but did not dismount. He just looked at his wife with a smile, and then at the two concubines, Shang Shan and Ruoshui.
The three women didn't say much, as if they had agreed upon it, they all saluted Liu Yan and saw him off.
"Ha ha!"
Upon seeing this, Liu Yan laughed heartily, beat his horse and returned to the front of the military formation, roaring loudly: "Let's go! Let's go! My sons, let me kill Hu!"
Some people died, but not completely...
