"You don't need to worry about the craftsmen."
With one worry removed, Chen Wang also had a smile on his face, smiling confidently.
"By the end of May at the latest, the number of craftsmen in the Ordnance Bureau will at least double."
As long as there is enough money, many craftsmen should be recruited from Luo Guizhong.
Sun Chuanting's rectification of Xi'an's Four Guards mainly focused on rectifying the main army and the field. He did not pay too much attention to the Arms Bureau, and did not even make many changes.
The reason is very simple. Most of the inland defense stations have long been in disrepair. The quality of the guns and cannons produced by the Ordnance Bureau is basically of worrying quality. The internal problems are complex and wide-ranging, and it will take a lot of time and energy to rectify them.
But now that banditry is serious and rogue bandits are rampant everywhere, Sun Chuanting has no energy and time to rectify the Arms Bureau.
As the governor, Sun Chuanting only needed to submit a few documents to get enough clothes, armor and weapons from the Ministry of Works.
The Ordnance Bureau of the Four Guards in Xi'an is said to be responsible for making equipment, but in fact it only forges some swords, guns and spears, and even its main job has now been to repair damaged weapons and has been reduced to a repair shop.
It is precisely because of this that Chen Wang has room to operate.
Moreover, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting were almost completely distracted by Li Zicheng, and they had no time to think about anything else. They were stuck at this opportunity.
Li Zicheng entered northern Sichuan again this time. Although Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao led the cavalry to gallop through the starry night, they were still a step too late.
Now Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao are leading the troops as the vanguard to advance to northern Sichuan, and Hong Chengchou personally leads the army behind as the rearguard, also marching in a hurry.
Today, there are still many reinforcements from western and southern Sichuan left around Chengdu Mansion, and the governor of Sichuan has now been replaced by Fu Zonglong.
Fu Zonglong was originally the right minister of the Ministry of War and the censor of Qiandu. He once served as governor of Ji, Liao and Baoding military affairs. He was talented and knowledgeable about military matters. He was not a cowardly and incompetent person like Wang Weizhang.
So this time Hong Chengchou no longer had to worry about Li Zicheng breaking through Chengdu and losing his vassal status.
Although there is a deadline of three months to defeat the thieves, under the current situation, it is already an impossible task to defeat the thieves in three months.
Hong Chengchou became cruel and no longer pursued in a hurry. Instead, he made steady progress step by step, gradually narrowing the encirclement net, and was about to encircle Li Zicheng to death in Sichuan.
Hong Chengchou not only left enough troops at every checkpoint and intersection, he even considered the possibility of Li Zicheng breaking through the checkpoints and passes.
After receiving the order in Baoji, Chen Wang led his troops and marched all the way to Hanzhong. The original order was to guard Hanzhong and protect King Rui's safety.
After arriving in Hanzhong, because Li Zicheng did not enter the Hanzhong Mansion, Hong Chengchou's new order was also issued.
The new order is to move to Ningqiang after rest and recuperation, to take over the defense of Qipanguan and block the way for the rogue bandits to go north and enter Hanzhong Prefecture.
Sun Chuanting led the army to Chengjie to fill the vacancy and block Li Zicheng's northward road.
"There are currently 323 people in the Ordnance Bureau. According to the current situation in the Hanzhongwei Ordnance Bureau, if we stop all production and only cast artillery, we will cast three-pound cannons. By August, how many can be cast? Three-pound cannon..."
It is now March of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, and in September of this year, the Qing army will enter again and invade Beizhili.
According to the original process, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting would receive the edict in October and go to Beijing to serve the king.
Although the situation has changed a lot now, Li Zicheng was not defeated like in history, and many things are uncertain.
But some things must be considered in the worst case scenario. Once King Qin is really selected, he will undoubtedly face the Qing army directly.
In history, Sun Chuanting led his troops to North Zhili and soon fought with the Qing army for several battles.
Chen Wang wanted to say how many doors could be cast by October, but in the end he still did not give a date.
"Three-pound cannon?"
Bo Jue was slightly startled, but he quickly realized that the three-pound cannon Chen Wang was talking about was the bureau-level artillery mentioned at the beginning. Cannons that could fire three-pound cannons were named according to the weight of the shells.
According to convention, most artillery pieces will be given a loud and powerful name after they are cast. There are very few artillery pieces named after the weight of the shells like Chen Wang.
However, naming it this way makes the introduction much clearer, making it easier to remember and organize.
"Casting iron cannons must be made with clay molds. To cast cannons with clay molds, the mold must be made from extremely cooked clay, and then placed in a mold room to dry slowly in the shade. The mold making time can be as short as one The month can be as long as three months, all depends on the weather."
"If you want to speed up the process, you need to slowly bake it with charcoal fire, but this method extremely tests the skills of the craftsmen."
"If the craftsman's skills are not skilled, once the mold is not completely dry or the soil is not pounded, the cannon will not be able to be used at all."
"And one mold can only cast one artillery piece, so it cannot be reused, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive."
After thinking for a moment, Bo Jue replied.
"The Commander-in-Chief requires that the cannon should be light in weight and strong and durable, so it is better to cast the artillery in bronze."
"Compared to iron cannons, bronze cannon bodies and tubes are made of bronze. Although the materials used are much more expensive, they are much cheaper than casting iron cannons."
"When casting bronze cannons, you can use the iron molds that are used to cast agricultural tools. They are not affected by the weather regardless of the four seasons, and there is no need to waste time drying or drying the clay molds."
"Not counting the time it takes to cast the iron mold at the beginning, more than ten skilled craftsmen can make a three-pound cannon in one month with their hard work."
"It's just that most of the craftsmen in the city's Ordnance Bureau have no experience in making cannons. Although most of them are experienced craftsmen, teaching them the skills will only take several months..."
Bo Jue shook his head and said.
"According to the best-case scenario, between March and April, two cannons can be made by the students and the craftsmen who came with them. The skills will be taught at the same time as the cannons are being made. By May, most of the craftsmen will be familiar with it. Once you have mastered the craft, you can try your best to build the cannon when the time comes."
"There is a huge gap between new craftsmen and experienced craftsmen when it comes to making cannons. I'm afraid it will take a lot longer."
Bo Jue frowned, his mind spinning rapidly.
"There are more than 300 craftsmen in the Ordnance Bureau, including armor craftsmen and weapon craftsmen. Although the Commander-in-Chief said that he would stop all production and devote all his energy to making cannons, the specializations are different and the skills are also high and low. Those who can be cannon craftsmen, to There may only be a maximum of 200 people learning it in May.”
"According to the calculation of one gun for twenty people every two months, that's ten guns. Not counting the cannons made by the students themselves, not counting scraps and defective products. By the end of August, up to twenty three-pound cannons can be made."
"Twenty doors..."
Chen Wang repeated the last number Bo Jue said.
Extrapolating this to October, plus the one cannon Bo Jue can produce per month, the best situation is that there will be thirty-seven cannons. This is the best situation in theory, and it does not count scraps and defective products. under circumstances.
If counted, I'm afraid it won't reach this amount.
When King Qin goes north in October, he can bring three troops, one of which must be cavalry, and the other two infantry, which is eighteen rounds.
After dividing it up, each round can get almost one to two three-pound cannons, and the distance above the front is still acceptable.
"However, casting cannons, especially bronze cannons, consumes a lot of gold and silver."
Bo Jue looked slightly sideways, looking at Chen Wang who was lost in thought, and seemed a little hesitant. After hesitating for a long time, he finally interrupted.
"The iron mold for casting a cannon requires a hundred taels. Although it can be reused, making ten of them at one time is equivalent to ten thousand taels, and this is only the small part. The real big part is the copper used to cast the cannon."
This kind of bronze cannon that shoots three kilograms can't reach a thousand kilograms, but you can get hundreds of kilograms at will. Copper is extremely expensive nowadays.
Casting bronze cannons is no different from throwing money at them. More than thirty three-pound bronze cannons cost a lot of money.
Bo Jue was a little worried that Chen Wang wouldn't be able to come up with so much money.
Seeing Bo Jue's hesitant look, Chen Wang couldn't understand what Bo Jue meant.
"Mr. Pu doesn't need to worry about gold and silver, just go ahead and do it."
Chen Wang picked up the tea cup on the table, took a calm sip, and said lightly.
How could he not be able to build a mere thirty or forty three-pound bronze cannons?
There is gold and silver worth one hundred thousand taels hidden under the cellar of the city under his feet.
Part of this gold and silver was given by Li Zicheng, the captain of the transportation team, and some was left by the Golden Wing Penglu and the Black Killing Tiger Zhang Yuan.
Although it cost a lot to build two thousand-household residences and reorganize the weapons bureau, it is still sufficient for now.
In addition to the gold and silver, there was also a large amount of grain and grass seized at that time. Part of this grain and grass was stored in the two cities, and the other part was stored in the mountain village where Zhang Yuan originally collected grain.
When the price of grain in Huguang soared due to banditry, Chen Wang also asked Wang Yuankang to sell a batch of old grain and got a lot of gold and silver.
"correct."
Chen Wang suddenly remembered something, and the hand holding the tea cup stopped in the air.
"Since bronze cannons can be cast with iron molds, why can't iron cannons be cast with iron molds?"
The methods of casting cannons in this era were generally clay mold casting and lost wax casting.
The lost wax method has high requirements on the condensation temperature of the wax and the temperature. It can generally be used in winter. When the temperature is high in spring, summer and autumn, the wax mold will melt first.
After the clay mold is made, it must be ensured to be dry, otherwise when hot iron is added, the water vapor will evaporate and form bubbles. The bubbles will have a huge impact on the artillery, making it unusable, and it will take a lot of time to dry.
Although Chen Wang didn't know much about cannon casting, he remembered that it seemed that cannons could be cast with iron molds. He remembered that the method of casting cannons with iron molds appeared in the early Qing Dynasty.
Iron-cast cannons are highly praised in many online books because they are not only low-cost, but can also quickly arm the army.
"Iron-moulded cannon?"
Bo Jue frowned and shook his head.
"It's not possible to cast cannons from iron molds. I had originally thought about using iron molds to cast cannons."
"There are many problems that need to be solved when casting cannons in iron molds. The first is the problem of demoulding. I tried many methods at that time, but demoulding was extremely difficult."
"After a lot of effort was spent, one was successfully demolded and cast. However, the cast cannon could not fire more than a few rounds before it developed cracks and was not useful at all. It was a waste of a lot of money."
Bo Jue sighed. If he could cast the cannon with iron molds, he would indeed be able to save a lot of money.
But the reality is that there are many difficulties, and the most important artillery cast also has great flaws, and because of insufficient funds, he finally gave up this path.
Chen Wang's expression was slightly condensed. Listening to Bo Jue's tone, I'm afraid that casting the iron mold cannon is not as simple as those books said. There should be certain technical difficulties in it.
However, since there were indeed people in history who successfully cast cannons using iron molds, and iron mold cannon casting was still popular for a while, it proves that this road can be taken.
You only need to overcome a few difficulties before you can use iron molds to cast iron cannons.
However, the use of iron molds to cast iron cannons in history was only after the Opium War in the late Qing Dynasty. These difficulties may not be overcome.
"I think it should be possible to cast iron molded cannons. Mr. Pu might as well divert some of his energy to see if he can break through the difficulties."
Chen Wang figured it out, changed his mind, and said.
"If cannons can be cast from iron molds, it will undoubtedly save the country a lot of money. With the benefits of artillery, it can also block the invasion of the Northern invaders."
Bo Jue tilted his head slightly, thought for a moment, and finally nodded.
"The General Soldier is knowledgeable and has profound research on weapons. Since the General Soldier thinks it is feasible, the student is willing to conduct research in the future."
Chen Wang smiled and said.
"I heard that Mr. Pu had built a special workshop in his home in Nanzhili before, setting up a place for experiments."
"I don't know what the laboratory built by Mr. Bo looks like, but Mr. Bo can also build one in Hanzhong. When casting cannons and guns, he can record the data in it. If there is a problem, it is also possible to find out the reason. .”
"I have already allocated the funds to build the laboratory. When the time comes, you can directly contact Wang Tongzhi and he will fully assist you."
Chen Wang pointed to the right. Wang Yuankang smiled when he saw Chen Wang's finger. He clasped his fists and bowed down to salute Bo Jue respectfully.
Although Bo Jue did not hold an official position, Wang Yuankang did not look down upon Bo Jue at all.
The high standards and high treatment that Chen Wang sent to invite Bo Jue undoubtedly did not represent Chen Wang's attitude.
After coming from the Acropolis of Hanzhongwei and serving under Chen Wang, he saw all kinds of things.
Wang Yuankang had already made up his mind to follow Chen Wang from now on.
Chen Wang was different from everyone he had met before. Somehow, he had a feeling...
Chen Wang is definitely not a thing in the pond!
Therefore, Wang Yuankang has always been respectful to Bo Jue since he came to the city, as if Bo Jue was the commander of the third rank, and he himself was a commoner in white.
"If Mr. Pu has something to do, just ask, and I will do my best."
Wang Yuankang smiled and bowed again.
Wang Yuankang's low profile made Bo Jue somewhat uncomfortable.
In fact, Bo Jue was a little at a loss as to why Chen Wang respected him so much, but Chen Wang knew a lot about weapons and artillery.
After communicating these things, Bo Jue couldn't help but ignore Chen Wang's identity.
"I am planning to add a technical advisor position to the Ordnance Bureau, and specially appoint Mr. Bo to be responsible for technology."
"The Ordnance Bureau does not have a chief officer. It is currently managed by Tang Shiping. I will also ask him to cooperate with Mr. Pu and follow Mr. Pu's priority."
Chen Wang looked at Tang Shiping on the left again.
When Tang Shiping heard his name, he also took a step forward and saluted Bo Jue.
Bo Jue returned the salute somewhat cautiously.
Bo Jue has never been very familiar with interpersonal communication and greetings and send-offs.
He has endless things to say when talking about technology, but when it comes to other things, he has nothing to say.
Moreover, Bo Jue has not yet recovered from the bombshell news that Chen Wang said that he would be allocated funds to establish a separate workshop and laboratory.
"Mr. Bo, please rest first and put your health first."
Chen Wang stood up. He had already said everything he needed to say. Time was tight and there was not much time for him to delay. There were still some extremely important things in the guardhouse that he needed to deal with.
In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, there was no peace in the north, and neither was peace in Hanzhong.
soon.
Hanzhong Mansion will also suffer from famine.
What he needs to do now is to prepare for a rainy day.
(End of chapter)
