Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 351 Fifth Uncle Gaocai (Part [-])
Outside the Nuan Pavilion on the east side of the central courtyard, plum blossoms are in full bloom.In the Warm Pavilion, Gao Cai, who was only in his fifties but was born prematurely, put down the manuscript in his hand, and asked the young man in front of him, "Did you design these by yourself?"

That young man is Gao Pragmatic. Although he is not yet ten years old, but because of his manner, he looks like a young man now.

"Exactly."

Gao Cai clicked his tongue in amazement, and then asked, "What's the result of Qi Yuanjing's trial production?"

Gao Wushi said: "Qi Zongrong is a military officer after all. Although he is also engaged in military training, the resources he can mobilize are still somewhat insufficient. Currently, he is still mobilizing manpower for research, and few finished products have come out. However, he has already completed the improvement of gunpowder. Well, according to him, after making the small particles mentioned by his nephew, the efficiency has indeed been greatly improved, and although the manufacturing process is a bit more complicated, it only costs some labor, and the increase in cost is very small. Very satisfied."

Gao Cai was overjoyed, and said: "Gunpowder is the foundation of firearms. Since your grain of gunpowder can increase the power of gunpowder, it is indeed great news... Is the manufacturing method the same as that written in your manuscript? If so, I will also It can be manufactured in small quantities and tested.”

Gao Wushi smiled and said yes.

Gao Cai was overjoyed for a while, and then asked again: "Then what about the idea of ​​packing medicine in a paper shell, what does Qi Yuanjing say?"

Gao Wushi said: "General Qi likes this one very much, saying it is the most useful for those recruits."

Gao Cai laughed, but said: "Your method is good, but there is also a problem."

"Oh?" Gao Wushi was a little surprised, and asked, "Please ask Uncle Wu for advice."

"Kraft paper is too expensive. If a large army fights, with your approach, a battle that is not too big will be won. The kraft paper alone will cost thousands of taels of silver, which is too extravagant." One thing, if it rains, what will you do with the kraft paper? You have to make oiled paper first, soak it in tung oil, and then dry it...the cost will be even more expensive."

At first, Gao Yushi didn't think that this fifth uncle who had no great achievements in history could have any unique insights, but after hearing what he said, Gao Yushi realized that he might have really underestimated the ancients.

A small battle costing thousands of taels of silver may not seem like a big deal, but if it accumulates, it may not be a small burden for Daming, a country that hardly goes to war every day.What's more, Gao Cai also pointed out the biggest problem of the paper shell fixed medicine: waterproof.

The Chinese are more proficient in waterproofing than the Westerners at this time, mainly because China is rich in tung oil-this thing has been one of the top products exported by China for a long time.But tung oil, even though China claims to be "abundant", is oil after all, so it's not much cheaper. If the paper shells of the fixed medicines all need to be soaked in tung oil and dried, the cost will go to the sea. .

Daming is poor—no, the Ming court is poor!How can the current imperial court afford this kind of prodigal game?If it's just the Qi family army doing this, then maybe they can squeeze in financially. After all, the Qi family army has always been ruthless in spending money, Zhang Juzheng is used to it, and he will help Qi Jiguang settle the money.

However, if only the Qi Family Army can afford it, then the effect of this gadget will not meet high pragmatic expectations.

"Uncle Wu is right." Gao Wushi frowned, thinking hard: "But how to solve it? Do you want to reduce the production cost of kraft paper? I'm not very good at papermaking..."

Gao Cai laughed, and said, "Don't just think about using paper. Although paper is easy to tear, it can only be used once, so it's not economical. If you want to save it, you have to make it last for a long time."

"Recycling?" Gao Wushi's eyes lit up: "This idea is good, but how to do it?"

Gao Cai smiled and said, "I have two options."

Gao Wushi was taken aback, and hurriedly asked: "Which two methods?" He really didn't expect that this fifth uncle can not only ask questions, but also solve them, so powerful?
"To put it bluntly, it's actually very simple." Gao Cai said, "The first way is to use bamboo joints. The bamboo joints are hollow, so we can buy some bamboo joints of suitable size first, and put the gunpowder needed for one shot in the bamboo joints. As for the opening, Whether to use a cork or a screw cap, that's a small question."

He stretched out his hand to make a gesture, and continued: "This bamboo joint is not only waterproof, but also the air-dried thin bamboo joint is very light. It can be used to make special belts for soldiers. Insert gunpowder into the belt one by one and buckle it. When you shoot, use one section at a time."

"Great idea!" Gao Wushi praised: "Uncle Wu's idea is really good. When my nephew returns, I will write to Zongrong Qi and ask him to try it out to see the effect."

Gao Cai smiled and said: "If there are few bamboo forests in the local area, it doesn't matter. You can use wooden ones. You can use local materials for the specific kind of wood. Our Daming carpenters are all over the world. Making this kind of small wooden vase is like an apprentice. Nothing is too difficult."

This is true. Chinese carpentry has always been excellent. Zheng He’s treasure ship was so huge that it didn’t even need a single screw.In this era of carpenters walking all over the street, making some small wooden bottles is really as easy as drinking saliva.

Gao Wushi clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Great, I will send a letter to Qi Zongrong to test both of these two methods."

Gao Cai nodded, and suddenly said strangely: "Practical, I have seen your intelligence, Uncle Wu, but there is one thing I don't understand, you seem to be more interested in firecrackers than artillery, why is that? Ordinary people prefer artillery, after all, artillery is more powerful."

When Gao Wushi heard this, he couldn't help smiling wryly, and thought to himself: How can I explain it?Tell you that based on the current situation of Ming Dynasty, the development of heavy cannons like red cannons is completely insane?
Gao Pragmatism’s consistent point of view is: after the mid-Ming Dynasty, the development path of Chinese firearms was quite correct. It can be said that according to their own needs, they made great strides forward along a path with their own characteristics.It is mainly reflected in the vigorous development of bomb firearms, muskets, light artillery firearms, and rocket firearms.But at the end of the Ming Dynasty, especially after the apocalypse, the emperor and his ministers were deeply impressed by the dazzling and powerful introduction of the Hongyi cannon, which caused the court and many officials and generals to focus on the research and development of firearms excessively in the direction of heavy artillery.Especially after Yuan Chonghuan advocated "with a strong city, use cannons", the imperial court invested most of its funds, manpower and material resources in the research and development and manufacture of heavy artillery.

With the government's sufficient financial resources, there is nothing that can't be done. After all, the development of heavy artillery is a matter of time, and it is not a bad thing to start earlier. Even Gao Pragmatic has decided that if he can preside over the reform in the future and achieve success , but also vigorously develop heavy artillery.

However, the terrible thing is that the financial resources of the Ming court were extremely tight at that time. Once too much power was invested in artillery, it was obviously more than enough for the development of other firearms.

Therefore, during the more than 20 years from Tianqi to Chongzhen, the development of other light firearms basically stagnated.Just as Bi Maokang has already explained the method of making flintlocks in "Illustrations of Military Weapons", if the flintlock guns can be manufactured in large quantities and equipped with troops like the Frang machine in the Jiajing period, and then continuously improved, it will be a rapid upgrade of the Ming army. A good opportunity for combat power.

But the problem is that at that time, the imperial court had already invested the main funds in the manufacture of weapons, so where else could it get the other money?Yuan Chonghuan has many problems, and one of them is the correct way of thinking about the development of Daming Firearms.

However, how does Gao Wushi explain to Gao Cai now?

(End of this chapter)