Coming out of the Governor's Mansion, Zhu Yixi breathed a sigh of relief.
After some interactions, his loyal image was completely established.
Whether it's athlete's foot, the General Medical Office, or the plague, he handles everything properly, greatly increasing the possibility of taking over the business in the future.
While riding the horse, Zhu Yixi suddenly remembered: "Zhu Yi, go pick a bouquet of flowers to Jinxian Temple, put it down and leave according to the past rules!"
"Yes!" Zhu Yi nodded and ran away.
"Let's go to the craftsman camp!"
After waving their hands, five or six teenagers started running happily, and within half an hour, they arrived at the craftsman camp.
After Zhu Yixi's transformation, Jiangying has undergone great changes.
Although he is not good at firearms, Zhu Yixi always likes to leave professional matters to professionals. What he does is management.
Therefore, as a hard worker, he first carried out reforms in the system.
It is divided into Firearms Department, Ordnance Department, and Raw Materials Department.
Needless to say, the firearms department includes blunderbuss, French cannons, tiger cannons, etc.; the ordnance department includes shields, ladders, spears, arrows, etc.; raw materials include rough work such as iron-making, steelmaking, and logging.
Zhu Yixi, on the other hand, went directly to the raw materials department. All ordnance was determined by raw materials.
Wang Xi was also invited here.
"Crash-"
At this time, under the nearly five-foot blast furnace, a large amount of molten pig iron was poured out, weighing hundreds of kilograms. It was red and had an astonishing temperature.
Immediately, the molten pig iron quickly rose up and dripped into the wrought iron on the side, where it penetrated and fused.
This is because pig iron has high carbon content and wrought iron has low carbon content. The wrought iron drips pig iron, which increases its carbon content and neutralizes it, turning it into steel.
This was the world-leading Su Steel Method during the Ming Dynasty, which could make steel without the help of a crucible.
"good!"
Zhu Yixi clapped and applauded.
"Master Craftsman, you are here!" The craftsmen in charge of ironmaking saluted hurriedly and respectfully.
"Jingming, why are you here?"
Wang Xi turned around, saw Zhu Yixi, and then said, "Are you done with your work?"
"Almost!" Zhu Yixi smiled and said, "As soon as you come here, the entire craftsman camp will be different."
"Where are you talking?"
Wang Xi knew what he was referring to and couldn't help but said: "The blower already exists, I just increased the length."
"As for Su Gang's method, it was spread in the south of the Yangtze River, but it was blocked in Guanzhong and never spread."
"It's already pretty good!" Zhu Yixi smiled happily: "I've heard since you came here that pig iron production has increased by nearly 50%!"
"This has to be the advantage of burning with coke. It burns faster and hotter than coal."
Wang Xi smiled slightly, his face full of humility.
"If you don't tell me, how do we know how to use coke? We have been using coal, seven carbon and three to make iron!"
The craftsman on the side said with admiration on his face: "Not to mention, you directly use salt and mud to build a blast furnace. When it comes out of the furnace, it is pig iron. When it is left during the melt flow, you sprinkle dry mud and stir it quickly with a willow stick, and it is wrought iron. .”
"It saved us a lot of effort!"
To turn pig iron into wrought iron, it used to be fried, but sprinkling marl directly changes the carbon content, which is simple and quick.
"It's in the book, it's in the book." Wang Xi said with shame, "I just copied it."
"Don't be humble!" Zhu Yixi praised, and then asked: "How many kilograms of iron are produced every month now? How many kilograms of wrought iron?"
"The monthly production of pig iron is 1,800 kilograms, and the monthly production of wrought iron is about 500 kilograms."
The craftsman in charge of iron smelting said hurriedly.
"Why so few?"
Zhu Yixi frowned: "The blast furnace and blower are now available again, isn't it increased by 50%?"
Hearing the accusation, the craftsmen said in panic: "The craftsman knows it well. In the past, most of the pig iron was shipped from Fengxiang Mansion. We didn't smelt much, and we mostly beat mature iron."
"You can't buy too much ore, that's all."
"Then, where do you buy the ore today?"
Zhu Yixi said in a deep voice.
"Longshouyuan!" the craftsman said softly.
"Where?" Zhu Yixi frowned, feeling quite troubled.
There are not only iron mines, copper mines, gold mines and other associated mines there, but also a lot of them. Even he knows that it is the most complicated place in Xi'an.
Big households, gentry, Prince Qin's Mansion, and Yamen were basically all involved.
Even Sun Chuanting could only pretend to be deaf and dumb. It was really too involved and even Emperor Wanli couldn't compete.
After all, the land can support hundreds of taels every year, but mining is a matter of tens of thousands, and the land needs to be accounted for, so Sun Chuanting can compromise.
"There should be a lot of miners in Longshou, right?"
"There are about three to four thousand people there all year round."
When Wang Xi saw his question and answer, he quickly expressed concern: "You can't take advantage of Longshouyuan. It's a hornet's nest there and you can't move it."
"I understand!" How could Zhu Yixi be so stupid? Long Shouyuan could not eat this piece of cheese even if he was beaten to death, so he could only set himself on fire.
Is that for iron ore? A pound of iron is only thirty cents. Where are the gold, silver, and copper mines that can make money quickly?
Wang Xi breathed a sigh of relief, and then he said: "Iron mines are all kept private, after all, the court does not allow it."
"If you really want iron ore, you can go to Jingyang."
"Jingyang?" Zhu Yixi was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "Is there any iron ore in Jingyang?"
"Yes!" Wang Xi smiled slightly and said, "My family also has a workshop. In recent years, thanks to selling iron, it would have been very difficult otherwise due to drought and war."
"Jingyang is only a hundred miles away, very good!"
Zhu Yixi said happily: "Please write a letter in your hand. I will send someone to buy some ore and smelt some iron."
However, it was a pity in his heart that Long Shouyuan's background could not be touched. Wouldn't those small landowners in Jingyang be easily captured?
It’s just that Wang Xi has a role in the family, and he just invited him, so he can’t burn bridges by crossing the river, right?
"It's a small matter!" Wang Xi said nonchalantly: "You can also make money by selling ore."
After solving the pig iron problem, Zhu Yixi breathed a sigh of relief, left the raw material department with Wang Xi, and then said:
"Your Majesty, when enough materials are available, can we cast the red cannon?"
"How can we have enough copper if we lack it?"
Wang Xi looked puzzled and said: "You don't want to use iron to make cannons, do you?"
Zhu Yixi nodded.
"That will cause the wall in the chamber to break, and there will be many gaps, as big as a palm, and as small as a mung bean. Once the gun is fired, the chamber will explode."
Wang Xi hurriedly said: "The danger is self-evident. If you create it, I am afraid that if you don't hurt others, you will be in danger."
“But we can’t afford the copper material!”
Zhu Yixi said helplessly: "A squatting red cannon weighs at least two thousand kilograms. Each kilogram of copper must be two coins of silver (one kilogram of copper coins is about 160 coins), and the total consumption is four hundred taels."
"That's right!" Wang Xi sighed and said, "In the first year of the Apocalypse, Wen Dinggong (Xu Guangqi) purchased a four thousand kilogram heavy artillery. Fo Langji asked for a thousand taels, which is exactly the same as yours."
"Governor Sun made cannons at a cost of two to three hundred taels each."
"You have forgotten that out of ten cannons, the only one that is truly successful is two out of ten."
Zhu Yixi smiled bitterly and said: "In other words, in the true sense, four thousand taels and one cannon."
