I want to be emperor

Chapter 105
The inner diameter of the gun barrels cut and polished by hydraulic machinery is highly uniform, smoother and straighter, and its quality is much better than that produced by craftsmen using some primitive tools by hand.

Turning the iron material into a hollow iron pipe, and then turning the iron pipe into a smooth barrel, these two processes are also the most time-consuming in the gun-making process, and are also the two most demanding links for craftsmen.

If the technology is not good or if you are a little careless, a semi-finished barrel will be scrapped.

Why is it said that a skilled craftsman can only make one gun a month, because a considerable part of the time is spent in forging the barrel, and the scrap rate is too high.

But after using hydraulic machinery, it saves a lot of time and effort, and the quality of the barrel produced is better, and the scrap rate is lower.

When forging, the iron hammer driven by the water conservancy machinery is more uniform than human power, and the landing position is more accurate, which is much better than the quality of the barrel forged by ordinary craftsmen.

When grinding the inner diameter, it is also a mechanical operation, and there is a uniform standard, so that the barrels produced will not be the same as those made by hand. There are barrels made by one craftsman that are larger, and barrels made by another craftsman. Smaller case.

The most important thing is that the above-mentioned process does not need to be operated by experienced craftsmen at all. Just find a young and strong man to train for three to five days, and he can still draw gourds to carry out this repetitive and boring operation process.

Senior craftsmen only need to patrol back and forth and stare at the technical parameters.

Therefore, the ordnance production of the Baoxiang Army is completely different from the ordnance production outside, so that a relatively large production capacity can be achieved with relatively few skilled craftsmen.

Luo Zhixue asked after seeing the factory building and equipment under construction: "After the Nanzhao County Arsenal is completed, how much production capacity will it be able to meet the requirements?"

Yuan Gaofeng said: "Don't worry, the General's Mansion, the new arsenal is run in full accordance with your requirements, the general. After completion, with the scale of the factory and equipment of the new arsenal, it can completely produce [-] muskets and [-] catties a month. There are six doors in the robe."

"In addition, if there is demand, we can also produce more than ten [-]-jin light guns per month."

"In terms of traditional ordnance, there are estimated to be [-] sets of cloth face armor, [-] spears, and more than a thousand knives of various types."

"As long as the craftsmen and raw materials are complete, with overtime work, this arsenal can equip two infantry battalions with one month's production capacity, and one artillery post with one month's long artillery production capacity."

After hearing this, Luo Zhixue nodded. This was the goal he set for this arsenal.

In the case of working overtime, try our best to explode the production capacity to be able to equip two infantry battalions and one artillery post in a month.

This goal is not random, but takes into account the needs of the Rural Protection Army's own military expansion.

Now the rural protection army is expanding very fast. After the completion of the first batch of three infantry battalions, Luo Zhixue immediately launched the reorganization plan of the fourth infantry battalion.

As soon as the recruits of the [-]th Infantry Battalion arrived, Luo Zhixue was already preparing to start the reorganization plan of the [-]th Infantry Battalion and the [-]th Infantry Battalion at the same time in the near future.

The recruits needed by these two infantry battalions had already been prepared a month ago, when Luo Zhixue was still in Songjiazhuang.

These recruits are currently undergoing recruit training in Songshan Village, and it is estimated that they will be able to complete the most basic recruit training in another ten and a half months.

Although completing the basic recruit training does not mean that they can go to the battlefield, it can still be used for reorganization training. In the future, they can be stationed in a certain place while training, so as to alleviate the current shortage of troops in the rural protection army.

And the above is the Six Battalions and Two Outposts plan. Later, Luo Zhixue wants to control the Nanyang Basin, and even go south to the Jianghan Plain. This force alone is far from enough.

Even if it is a start, there must be at least five thousand soldiers.

Therefore, in the short term, Luo Zhixue will expand three more battalions, and at the same time organize and train an artillery post, a supply post, and a cavalry post.

It has the scale of nine infantry battalions, three artillery posts, three cavalry posts, and three supply posts.

In this way, three brigade-level battle groups that can fight independently can be formed.

If we want to train three brigade-level battle groups in the next few months, food is not a problem, and neither is the number of soldiers.

The only problem is the ordnance, mules and horses.

There is no solution to the issue of mules and horses for the time being, but for ordnance, at least the equipment of the next three infantry battalions has to rely on this Nanzhao County arsenal.

Now it seems that this Yuan Gaofeng still implemented according to the plan he made at the beginning, and there was no situation of cutting corners.

But Luo Zhixue is also very clear that even if the follow-up arsenal can be successfully built, the machinery and equipment have been completed, and the workers have been trained, it is still unknown whether the arsenal will be able to reach the estimated output in the future.

Because this estimated production capacity is premised on sufficient iron materials.

The problem is that there are no iron mines in the area controlled by the Rural Protection Army. At present, the iron materials of the Rural Protection Army can only rely on the seizure of spoils, private collection, and outsourcing from the commercial and trade office.

In particular, the iron materials purchased by the Commerce and Trade Department accounted for more than half of the iron materials currently used by the rural protection army.

Just like gunpowder, iron materials are also a big trouble for the rural protection army.

The Luo Zhixue that he engaged in is not even willing to pay salaries to the soldiers and officials of the Township Protection Army, because he has to keep a large amount of gold and silver to purchase supplies.

No, just after inspecting the arsenal under construction, Shi Wenbin, the director of the trade department, ran over to ask him for money...

"General, the batch of sulfur, saltpeter, finished gunpowder, and iron materials we purchased earlier have arrived. We only gave a batch of deposits before, and the final payment is still 3000 taels short."

When Shi Wenbin spoke, he was embarrassed, because this was the second time they had asked Luo Zhixue for money since they arrived at Li Qingdian.

And the last time Shi Wenbin just asked for 1 taels of silver, but he ran over to ask for money within a few days.

But he has no choice. Of the 1 taels of silver approved by Luo Zhixue a few days ago, part of the final payment for cloth and iron materials was delivered, and the other batch was taken by the caravan to Xiangyang to continue to place orders for various strategic purchases. supplies.

Now the supplies escorted by Fenghe Commercial Bank in Xiangyang have arrived at the wharf on the other side of the river in Liqingdian, and this time what they transported is the saltpeter and sulfur urgently needed by the rural protection army, as well as finished gunpowder and iron materials.

People don't play with you in the practice of giving the goods first and then paying the money. They always pay the money and deliver the goods.

Moreover, Shi Wenbin didn't dare to procrastinate, and he didn't even dare to let the military go directly to blackmail, because Fenghe Trading Company is the largest single raw material supplier for their rural protection army.

It supplied 30.00% of the gunpowder raw materials, about [-]% of the finished gunpowder and a considerable part of the iron material to the rural protection army.

If you cheated this time, don't expect to continue doing business with them next time.

So after learning that Fenghe Commercial Bank had delivered the goods, Shi Wenbin hurried to find Luo Zhixue.

Shi Wenbin was a little apprehensive, but Luo Zhixue didn't make things difficult for him.

Luo Zhixue knew better than Shi Wenbin that it would cost money to purchase these strategic materials, and it would cost a lot of money.

And Luo Zhixue didn't want to fall out with Fenghe business even more than Shi Wenbin did, so he cut off this strategic material supply line.

Immediately wrote a handwritten letter: "Take it and go to the pay office to get the money."

For such a large amount of expenses, without Luo Zhixue's handwriting and personal seal, no one can expect to take such a large amount of cash from the Rating Office.

After Shi Wenbin took over the handwritten letter, Luo Zhixue said: "The amount they shipped this time is much more than last time, and there is also an extra batch of iron materials. Yes, you can tell them, as long as they can deliver what we need Here, we have enough money for the Township Protection Army."

"Even if they don't have it, we'll make money for them, so that they can come here with confidence. Not only do they have money, but I, Luo Zhixue, guarantee their absolute safety on our land!"

Shi Wenbin said: "This subordinate obeys orders."

"My subordinates have dealt with people from Fenghe Commercial Bank several times. These people are very powerful. When I went to Xiangyang last time, I watched them load our gunpowder into the carriage directly under the eyes of the officers and soldiers. Woolen cloth."

"As long as we give the starting price, they will come again."

Luo Zhixue said: "That's good, you go and treat our guests well, prepare delicious food and drink, and pay for the goods immediately, we can't lose the way of hospitality of our rural protection army!"

Shi Wenbin naturally complied, and then took Luo Zhixue's handwriting and prepared to go to the ration office to extract gold and silver.

At the same time, on the pier on the south bank of the Baihe River, a huge convoy stopped here.

Two men in brocade robes were looking at Li Qing's shop across the river from the pier.

Li Siyuan, the shopkeeper of Fenghe Commercial Bank in Xiangyang, squinted his eyes and looked at Li Qing's store opposite: "This Li Qing's store has not changed much. There are still many people on the opposite side, and the wharf is also crowded!"

"Looking at Li Qing's store and what I've seen and heard all the way north, these people from Funiu Mountain are just like the rumors, they follow the rules."

As he spoke, he turned his head slightly to a young man in robes beside him: "Xiu Min, how long do you think we can earn the money of Funiu Mountain?"

Li Xiumin said: "If it's a small business, it's hard to say how long it can last. It's possible to do it for three to five years."

"However, a big business like the one now, at least one or two months, at least half a year will be over!"

"They're making too much noise now. Before, they just stayed in Funiu Mountain, and the government didn't have time to talk to them for a while, but now you look at these people, it's clear that they are going to settle here in Li Qingdian. , Without the convenience of the location, they can't stop the officers and soldiers!"

"It's okay to talk about Nanzhao County, but Chen Yongfu in Nanyang City, how can you just watch a bandit army of at least 2000 people stationed here, and they will come over sooner or later."

"At that time, I'm afraid they will still have to return to Funiu Mountain."

"When they return to Funiu Mountain, without the money and food in these places outside, what will they do business with us?"

"Third Uncle, we still have to hurry up and do a few more big deals with the officers and soldiers before they go north, and we have to be ahead of other firms."

"I heard that when they were in Lushan County, they took over the Song family. That was Song Shaoqing's ancestral house, and there is probably a mountain of gold and silver inside!"

"We don't take this money, but it will be cheaper for other companies."

(End of this chapter)