Chapter 26: An era of great potential
He Xi said: "Why is this? The south is humid and iron tools are easy to rust, so a large number of ordnance must be built. Aren't firearms more susceptible to moisture? That's why bows and crossbows were used instead."
Fu Zhong laughed after hearing this, feeling that He Xi was innocent and cute, and said, "You only know that gunpowder is easily affected by moisture, but you don't know that crossbows are more delicate than gunpowder." He picked up a half-finished bow and said, "Make it The bow is made of stem, horn, tendon, glue, silk, and lacquer, which are collectively called six materials. The stem is considered to be far; the horn is considered to be diseased; the tendon is considered to be deep; and the glue is considered to be harmonious. If it is made of silk, it is thought to be solid; if it is made of lacquer, it is thought to be exposed to frost and dew. But it is hot in the south, and when the bow is exposed to the humid areas of the south, it is easy for the glue to open and the bowstring to become weak."
"The gunpowder is damp, and there must be gunpowder that is not damp. And the worst thing is, just dry it. But the bow and arrow are glued and weak. There is nothing you can do. You can only engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy."
Then Fu Zhong didn't care at all about the fruits of the craftsmen's labor. Breaking open the semi-finished bow body, there are several layers inside, including a layer of wood and a layer of patches such as horns. There are also glue, paint and other things.
This is why it is said that compound bows were used in ancient China.
A truly strong bow cannot be used by just getting a long wooden stick somewhere.
He Xi took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Brother Fu, for your advice."
Fu Zhong was a little bored. He came here today, originally to warn He Xi, but now he has warned him, and now he will not leave immediately. He can only follow He Xi to visit. Nothing here is new to Fu Zhong of. He said boredly: "It doesn't matter. I actually only have a few words to say. Everyone in the army knows this. In fact, it is the officers who really value bows and arrows in the army. Ordinary soldiers can just use firearms."
Although He Xi felt a little uncomfortable. But it is also consistent with his understanding that the Ming Dynasty was a dynasty with a mix of cold weapons and hot weapons. Cold weapons have not completely retired yet. But thermal weapons have begun to quietly enter the scene.
He Xi understood it almost. Only the last bit. He Xi asked Foreman Ge, "Mr. Ge, do you get paid for working here?"
Foreman Ge said: "Your Majesty, you are joking. We are all craftsmen. We serve the imperial court here, so naturally we don't get paid. However, Your Majesty cares about the people. As long as we do well, we will be rewarded."
He Xi was stunned and rewarded him with money.
He Xi couldn't believe it, no one else. He Xi's understanding of the Ming Dynasty's craftsman household system was all about allowing craftsmen to serve the country free of charge. The craftsmen are exploited at every level, making their lives miserable.
But I never imagined that craftsmen would receive rewards for their work without wages.
He Xi said: "How much is the reward? Does everyone have it?"
Foreman Ge said: "Of course everyone has it. Although it's not much, it's enough to make ends meet."
He Xi recalled the craftsman he saw along the way. Although his clothes were shabby, the overall condition of this era was not unique to craftsmen alone. Even the clothes of the eunuchs and maids in the palace would have patches in inconspicuous places, but they couldn't be seen at a glance.
This is already decent.
This is determined by the productivity of this era.
The craftsmen's physiques and facial expressions can be seen. Although they are not very good, they are definitely not in trouble.
He Xi deeply felt that there were many differences between the Hongwu period and the Ming Dynasty that followed.
Not only is the current Wu noble and civilized, but it is also because the Hongwu system is flexible, although it can be adjusted, and it is not rigid and rigid like that of later generations. Just like the fact that this craftsman is rewarded with silver, it seems very simple. But it is completely different from the craftsman system after the Ming Dynasty.
And it was strange for He Xi to think about it just now. When the Hanlin Academy finished repairing the books, the emperor was rewarded with silver. When the work was completed, the emperor was rewarded with silver. Why was the craftsman not rewarded for his work? It was obvious that it had been.
The city of Nanjing slowly developed after Zhu Yuanzhang took over. In both the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, Jinling was intentionally suppressed. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was called Jiqing. When it came into Zhu Yuanzhang's hands, there were actually not many people. In today's metropolis with a million people, many people are wealthy households that Zhu Yuanzhang moved from various places, including military family members and a large number of craftsmen.
It takes craftsmen to build city walls, craftsmen to build palaces, and craftsmen to make weapons. Waiting for craftsmen.
In this era, craftsmen shouldered a large workload. Even the main task of these craftsmen was to work for the government, and they had no opportunity or time to do private work in private. If the court did not give them money, these craftsmen would have to rebel.
How could Zhu Yuanzhang, who started out as a rebel, make such a mistake?
Of course you have to adjust it. It's just that the craftsmen don't get monthly wages or annual salaries, but are similar to project wages. Obviously, in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, craftsmen served the court for a few months a year and worked on their own the rest of the time. This system is perfect. Now, giving more rewards is just a temporary measure because there are too many projects in the imperial court.
This matter is neither big nor small.
But the impact on He Xi was very big.
Make him really feel it. The vitality of the new country of Ming Dynasty. I also felt that an emerging country has a vast world and a lot of potential, and there are not so many rules and regulations at all.
An idea suddenly came to his mind.
"How can it be a good idea for a flying general to meet Emperor Gao?"
Is this also a high emperor?
He Xi had been in the palace before, focusing more on protecting himself. After all, he had just come into contact with Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Yuanzhang's reputation in later generations was more than just a cruel one, killing heroes and burning the celebration building.
He Xi mostly wants to protect himself. Now his career ambitions are ready to start.
His tongue was slightly dry, and his whole body was a little excited. Concentrate your mind and ignore the fact that some god in the dark chose him to come to this world. He couldn't live up to such an opportunity.
However, everything must be done well from this one thing.
Prove it to Zhu Yuanzhang. The power of modern technology.
It's just that He Xi couldn't figure out how to solve the problems in front of him for a while. Now you know everything you need to know. It's time to go back and check the information carefully.
He Xi looked at the sky and said, "Let's stop here today." He turned around and said to Fu Zhong, "Brother Fu, you helped me a lot today. Let's do this. I'll treat you, and I'll give you a favor from Brother Fu." .”
Fu Zhong suddenly became interested and said: "Okay. I just came back from Peiping and will start the southern expedition in a few days. I heard that His Majesty has built a new thirty-sixth floor in Nanjing. Everyone. They are all top-notch craftsmanship, something I have never tasted. But, have you brought any money?"
He Xi was stunned and subconsciously touched the cell phone hidden in the inner pocket of her clothes.
Can Daming pay via mobile phone?
He Xi really didn’t bring Ming Dynasty’s money. Without him, he has always been in the palace, and he has what he wants? Daming's money was of no use to He Xi at all. How could he bring money?
It was extremely embarrassing for a while.
Fu Zhong said: "Then wait until Nan Zheng comes back and you invite me." After that, he left.
After He Xi returned to the palace, she checked the information on her mobile phone and computer again. It was a pity. He had never paid attention to these contents before. After all, who would know that he was about to travel through time?
So after hiding the computer, he picked up the gold pen and analyzed it on paper.
Things have priorities. As Fu Zhong said, the most important issue is armor, and other issues can be pushed aside. Even in He Xi's view, if he can complete the armor, other issues can be postponed. of.
After all, as the founding king of the country, Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige was at its peak. Just because Nanjing's treasury has been vacant for a period of time, nothing big will happen.
Moreover, armor is the most important of the so-called armaments. Since ancient times, the court has not banned bows, arrows, swords and guns, but armor, as long as it is hidden, it is a capital offense.
So armor comes first.
But He Xi reviewed the armor craftsmanship in his mind and shook his head.
One pair of armor requires more than one hundred nail leaves, and one hundred thousand pairs have more than ten million nail leaves. Although there are many blacksmiths, it is impossible to create so many armor leaves in a short period of time.
Not to mention the numerous weaving, riveting and other processes.
Don't know when it will be.
He Xi secretly thought: "We must change the armor to greatly reduce the number of armor pieces. Let's learn from plate armor."
He Xi had not thought about creating a real plate armor. He just wanted to greatly reduce the blades of the Ming armor. In He Xi's opinion, it was best to reduce it to a dozen pieces. Even less, then, plus a hydraulic forging machine. It can greatly reduce working hours. If possible, enough armor can be replenished within three months.
It's just that there is very little information that He Xi can find, and many of them are very simple phrases or conceptual things. Finding principles, concepts, or professional terms from every corner of the computer is not enough for He Xi to design a complete solution.
He Xi got up and walked around, feeling a little irritable. He suddenly thought of it, turned on the computer again, and found an article. Or materials. It says Anshan Iron and Steel Constitution. and various explanations.
In fact, if he hadn't dug it out, he wouldn't have been able to remember when it was in his computer, whether he was looking up information for his essay before the college entrance examination, or in a politics class in college. Now this article has given him a lot of inspiration.
Only now did he understand that what he brought from the lower reaches of history was not scientific and technological knowledge, but the crystallization of the wisdom of countless people over the past six hundred years.
Now he can't do such a high-end combination of two, one, and three. But it is still possible to mobilize the masses and hold a Zhuge Liang meeting. After all, it is the local experts of this era who really solve the problem. Not him, a college student from later generations who is not majoring in mechanical metallurgy.
Thinking of this, He Xi finally found his direction. During the hurried meal in the palace, Xu Baoer did not forget to bring a thousand gold coins. He hurried out again.
