The successful weaving of medical gauze does not mean that it can be used directly.
Weaving is only the first step.
Zhu Yunwen could not build a pressure cooker, and there was no other way to sterilize or sterilize with high pressure and high temperature. He had to use boiling and high-temperature steaming for sterilization. Then he soaked the gauze in a Vaseline butter bucket to ensure it was fully even, and then dried and cut it. Edge fixing and packaging complete all the processes of medical gauze.
Among these processes, the most difficult is the preparation of petroleum jelly cream.
Vaseline is divided into two categories: natural and artificial. Whether natural or artificial, they are inseparable from petroleum.
Natural petroleum jelly is derived from petroleum residue concentrates such as paraffin heavy oil.
Artificial petroleum jelly is made from pure ozokerite, paraffin, paraffin wax, etc. obtained by fractionation of petroleum.
There are many records about petroleum in ancient China, such as "Like the sun, there is fire in the lake" in "Book of Changes. Ge Gua"; "Gao Nu, there is water to burn" in "Hanshu. Geography"; "Mengxi Bi Tan" It is recorded that "it burns like hemp, but the smoke is very thick...it is covered with oil at most..."
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Zhuotong well, the "father of oil drilling in the world", appeared. Of course, this kind of Zhuotong well was originally used to drill salt. But after being introduced to the West, it became oil drilling technology.
The name of petroleum was given by Shen Kuo in the Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, percussion drilling technology also appeared.
In the Song Dynasty's foreign wars, especially in the war to defend the city, a sharp weapon was oil.
Zeng Gongliang of the Northern Song Dynasty upgraded petroleum to an indispensable military material in his "Wu Jing Zong Yao".
During Wang Anshi's reform period, the Song Dynasty set up a special "fire oil production" workshop, which specialized in the production of oil weapons. Like the fierce fire oil tank, it played a "decisive" role in the war between Song and Xixia.
In the Yuan Dynasty, oil extraction technology made a breakthrough.
It is recorded in "Yuan Yi Tong Zhi" that "there is an oil well drilled in the Nanying River in Yangong County. The oil well is burning, and it also treats scabies in six livestock. The annual income is one hundred and eleven kilograms. There is also Yongping Village, eighty miles northwest of Yanchuan County. There is a well with a capacity of four hundred kilograms per year, and it enters the Yanfeng Treasury on the road."
More than five hundred kilograms a year may seem like a small amount, but considering the technology at the time, it was already terrifying.
The role of petroleum in ancient times was mainly divided into lighting, lubricants, medicine, military armaments, ink making, etc.
Some people may wonder that it is understandable to use petroleum as weapons and ink, but what the hell is medicine?
On this point, you can refer to the record in "Compendium of Materia Medica" written by Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty, "The smell of petroleum is the same as that of male sulfur, so it is used to treat sores. Its nature changes and all organs ooze. It can treat convulsions, fever, diaphragm, vomiting, phlegm and saliva in children... …it can resolve phlegm, and it can also open up the meridians and pass through the key points…”
Before Li Shizhen, there was already talk of petroleum medicine.
This kind of question in the medical field is not right or wrong, but it proves that oil existed in ancient society.
The conversation might have gone something like this:
Brother, your son is suffering from fright fever. Don’t panic. Let me go to the pharmacy to grab some oil...
The question is, does Zhu Yunwen have oil in Nanjing?
There really is!
According to records in the "Eastern Dynasties Chronicles" of the Ming Dynasty, when Emperor Jianwen was defeated by Zhu Di and the city of Nanjing was defeated, he "first gathered beads, clothes, treasure tents, treasures, and other precious objects in the Great Neilan Xiang Hall. in……"
Although the authenticity of "Chronicles of the Eastern Dynasties" needs to be verified, oil did exist in the imperial palace of the capital at this time.
Zhu Yunwen personally checked and found that the quantity was not large, less than 600 kilograms, sealed in a pile of iron cans and stored in an independent warehouse.
Through the fractionation of petroleum, paraffin is obtained and ultimately Vaseline emulsifiable concentrate is formed.
This kind of technology existed in the Song Dynasty, so there is no reason why it couldn’t be developed in the Ming Dynasty.
The combination of medical gauze and Vaseline allows the gauze to maintain a certain humidity when covering the wound, preventing the gauze from adhering to wound blood or pus, and helps wound healing.
Before the Lantern Festival, the first batch of gauze was successfully completed and packaged in alcohol-sterilized wooden boxes. Each wooden box contained fifty small packages of medical gauze, a pair of small scissors, and a small glass bottle of alcohol.
Zhu Yunwen called Zhu Zhi and Zhu Geng into the palace, patted the wooden box, and said with a smile: "There is no problem with the medical gauze. The problem now is how you sell it to the Ministry of War."
Zhu Zhi patted his chest and promised: "Your Majesty, this matter is easy, just leave it to our brothers. However, if the Ministry of War purchases it, how should it be priced?"
Ma Enhui also came over, waiting with shining eyes.
This is an issue related to the harem's money bag. As the master of the harem, how can Ma Enhui not care about it.
Zhu Yunwen took out an account book, handed it to Zhu Zhi, and said: "Cotton and wine are the biggest costs. The current cost of a box is forty yuan, but considering that the subsequent oil needs to be extracted from outside, plus the harem manpower investment, the monthly expenses Wait, a box costs at least one hundred cents, which is one cent. Apart from these expenses, we also need to get something, and the price is at least three cents."
"Of course, three coins is the bottom line. I suggest a box of five coins. If you can sell it for six coins or even eight coins, that's your ability. When the time comes, you can share more profits. But remember Yes, business must be done in the long term, and mutual benefit can only be achieved in the long run. If the Ministry of War purchases in large quantities, discounts can be given."
Zhu Zhi and Zhu Geng were so happy that they ordered people to move thirty wooden boxes and prepare to start their own sales business.
Ma Enhui took the abacus, calculated it, looked at Zhu Yunwen and said: "Aren't the palace's monthly expenses drawn from the inner treasury? Why are they included in the cost of a box? Besides, the emperor only mentioned the current cost, but I didn’t consider how many boxes can be produced every day.”
"Currently there are only twelve sets of weaving machines, and the manpower is still small, so we can produce twenty boxes per day. In time, if we expand the scale, it will not be a problem to produce a hundred boxes per day. If a box is sold for five yuan, and a hundred boxes a day, it will be fifty taels of silver. That monthly income is one thousand five hundred taels! One year is eighteen thousand taels... Oh my God, Your Majesty, I am a little dizzy."
Zhu Yunwen supported Ma Enhui and said with a smile: "Queen, that's not how the accounts are calculated. After the cost, a part needs to be allocated to Zhu Zhi and Zhu Geng..."
"For such a good thing, why not leave it entirely to the inner palace?! You have given the two kings an advantage in vain!" Ma Enhui said angrily, snorted, and then said: "Since it is profitable, I will order Luo Yan'er to prepare Expand production."
Zhu Yunwen looked at Ma Enhui, who was obsessed with money, and reminded: "Queen, there are not many weaving machines in the palace that can be transferred to Chengqian Palace..."
Ma Enhui glared and asked Zhu Yunwen: "What does the emperor mean, I haven't received a penny yet, so I still need to buy a weaving machine?"
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said: "We agreed not to ask for it in the name of the inner palace. Haha, the queen needs to spend some money if she wants to expand the scale."
Ma Enhui turned her eyes and said with a smile: "I have a way."
The queen wanted to spin cotton herself and set an example for the people. She advised officials and scholars all over the world not to forget the suffering of farmers and mulberry trees and to cherish the people's strength. However, the looms in the palace were old and insufficient, and she sighed day and night.
After Zheng Ci, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, heard about it, he directly allocated twenty looms to the palace with a stroke of his pen.
The Queen praised the Ministry of Works, but said she hoped to start with the seed removal process to "feel the burden of the entire process and feel the suffering of the people."
The entire Ministry of Industry was so moved by the Queen's determination that they burst into tears. Not only did they provide the harem with a churning wheel, a big bow with rope strings, and a three-spindle spinning wheel that were needed for removing seeds, elasticizing cotton, spinning, and weaving, but they also kindly asked , do you need technical training?
As a result, he was ruthlessly rejected by the queen...
