Recreating the prosperous Tang begins with summoning players

Chapter 80

Guazhou, Dashuixia Mine.

According to Jiang Lun's suggestion, Li Yan announced that the iron works under his rule would be monopolized by Bafu, and that the Iron Affairs Bureau would be set up to take charge of ironmaking.

However, the blacksmiths who were controlled by the government before gave them the status of free citizens. After the last inspection, they were granted the barren fields near the Dashuixia Iron Works.

According to Jiang Lun's plan, blacksmiths could directly purchase iron ingots from the ironworks and sell them as iron products.

Bafu included iron tax in the price of iron ingots shipped from the iron factory, but because of the high ironmaking efficiency of Dashuixia Iron Factory, the price of iron ingots with iron tax added was still not too high.

However, the high-quality iron ingots smelted in blast furnaces are sought after instead. Today, Guazhou ironware is a well-known brand in Longyou.

Ironware from Guazhou also began to be sold to nearby counties and counties, which also made the supply of iron ingots in Dashuixia in short supply.

In Jian Xia's laboratory, she is working on an ancient technique of mechanical engineering - sand casting and casting.

In reality, mechanical engineering has long been cast without this ancient method.

But in Datang, there are no high-temperature resistant molds and no punching machines. If you want to cast cannons, you can only use the method of turning sand into molds.

The specific method is also very simple. Jianxia first made a mold of a cannon with wood, then buried the wooden cannon in the sand and compacted it, then took out the wooden mold, so that the center of the sand would be empty, and then poured molten iron into it to cast it. out of the desired shape.

The principle of a cannon is actually not complicated. The air expands when the gunpowder explodes, pushing the shells out of the barrel.

Although the standard black powder made by Cui Ruoyun is not as powerful as modern explosives, it is enough to launch shells.

But now that the technology is limited, and wanting to build a cannon as soon as possible, Jian Xia chose to make a muzzle-loading cannon.

This kind of cannon needs to be filled with gunpowder from the muzzle, and after the lead wire is plugged, the shells are loaded from the muzzle.

The explosion of gunpowder can push the shell out of the barrel. The Hongyi cannon of Ming and Qing Dynasties is such a kind of cannon.

The advantage of this kind of gun is that it is easy to cast, and there is no redundant mechanical structure, as long as the cast barrel can withstand high temperatures.

The disadvantage is that it is inconvenient to fill. After each shot, you have to wait for the barrel to cool down before continuing to fire. Continuous firing is easy to explode the chamber.

However, with the tools Jian Xia has in hand, she can only cast such a cannon.

The red molten iron was poured in, and the assistant moved a large stone and pressed it on the sand mold box. This was to compact the molten iron and make the cannon body as tight as possible.

After the molten iron gradually cooled, Jian Xia removed the sand mold again, and the cast cylindrical cannon appeared in front of her.

Jian Xia took out another small hammer and kept beating on the cannon body to judge whether there was any crack on the cannon barrel.

There is no way, there is no electronic flaw detection equipment these days, so this ancient method can only be used for flaw detection.

Jian Xia finally realized that it was hard work to develop industry in the poor and white era that her mentor said, and this shit can only use ancient methods for everything, and it is a winning prize if it can produce qualified products.

Hey, this gun seems to work.

Jian Xia put down the small hammer and ordered the assistant to push the cannon to the test range.

Charge the gunpowder, insert the fuse, load the shell.

When the fuse is ignited, when the flame contacts the gunpowder, the high-temperature explosion expands the air, and the round shell is "pushed" out of the barrel.

The six-pound shell hit the hill next to the test site, and after a loud noise, a lot of rocks fell down.

Jian Xia stepped forward, there were no cracks on the body of the cannon, and the shape of the barrel did not change. Is this cannon a success?

Jian Xia's experimental assistant stepped forward and asked, "Did senior sister succeed?"

Jian Xia nodded and said: "There is no crack in the barrel, the barrel remains intact, and the steel of the barrel is qualified."

"It really worked!?"

In order to cast cannons, Jian Xia has refined thirteen furnaces of molten iron, and finally the qualified steel has been obtained.

Jian Xia nodded and said, "It's ok, but there are still a lot of impurities in the steel of the cannon body. After one shot, it needs to cool down for 10 minutes before continuing to fire."

"This is already very powerful!" The student who was an assistant said excitedly.

Jian Xia is obviously dissatisfied with such a cannon: "You can only use round shells. The loading speed of the front-loading gun is already slow, and the gun body needs to be cooled. The rate of fire is too slow."

However, it is obvious that her juniors do not have the same excellence as hers: "Sister, it is not bad to be able to make such a cannon in Shamo, and we do not have the heat treatment technology, so we have no way to deflame and strengthen the cannon body."

"Yeah, it can be regarded as the completion of the task, let's hand in the task."

Just when Li Yan was packing up his things and preparing to go to Shazhou, he suddenly received a task handed in by Jian Xia.

The cannon casting is complete!

This news made Li Yan excited. After thinking about it, he decided to test the power of the cannon before leaving Guazhou.

On the last day of the first lunar month, King Jianning ordered Ba Mansion to be moved to Shazhou. The people of Guazhou were very reluctant to part with the county king who loved the people, and spontaneously came to the gate of the city to see him off.

But the common people did not wait for King Jianning's guard of honor at the gate of the city. It turned out that Li Yan had already left early, and the common people could only return regretfully.

Zhang Mi didn't understand why King Jianning took them all the way east. It was obvious that His Highness was going to Shazhou in the west.

Zhang Xian originally sent off Li Yan with the leading figures in Guazhou City, but unexpectedly Li Yan took them all the way east.

Seeing the chimney billowing with thick smoke, Zhang Mian finally understood where he had gone.

Dashuixia Iron Works, which was established by King Jianning, is said to be able to produce thousands of catties of iron ingots every day, and is now an important source of income for Guazhou.

His Highness wanted to inspect the iron factory before leaving, that's why.

Zhang Mi thought so, but King Jianning's frame did not enter the iron factory, but went to the mountain behind the iron factory.

Zhang Mi became more and more puzzled, Li Yan specially avoided the people to see him off, and brought them local officials here, what exactly was he trying to do?
Is it to kill everyone here?No way?
The more he thought about it, the more outrageous it became, and Zhang Mian became a little flustered.

When the frame continued to move forward, Zhang Mi found that this place seemed to be a shooting range.

range?Who will train in this place?
All I saw was King Jianning getting out of the carriage, a young woman greeted him from the shooting range, and then someone pushed out a black lacquered iron barrel.

What is this?
The powerful local officials in Guazhou were driven out of the car by King Jianning's personal guards. They stood behind Li Yan and watched the craftsmen push the cannon to the shooting position.

Charge the gunpowder, install the fuse, and load the shell.

Jian Xia ignited the fuse herself, only to see the long pitch-black iron barrel thundering, and a six-pound iron ball shot out from the gun barrel and hit the target on the opposite mountainside.

A large piece of the boulder on the mountainside was smashed down by the iron cannonball. The smoke of the shelling and the rocks falling down the mountain left an unforgettable impression on Zhang Mi and other officials and gentry.

But Li Yan said with a smile: "The lonely king is going to Shazhou, and the affairs of Guazhou will be left to the princes."

"If there are people who are corrupt and pervert the law to oppress good people, Governor Zhang, please kill them with this gun."

(End of this chapter)