Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 375

"boom--"

On May 23, when the news from Japan arrived in the capital, a gunshot also rang out in the rifle school of the Military Armament Academy.

The gunman is Zhu Youjian, and the gun in his hand, if you look carefully, is basically similar to the Dreiser rifle 200 years later.

In the rifles and riding guns of the Ming army, the ammunition was loaded from the front of the barrel, but in this gun now the bullets are loaded from the back of the gun.

Not only that, but unlike the previous fixed gunpowder and bullets, this musket already has the prototype of modern bullets.

The warhead is conical, and the second half is wrapped by a paper tube.

After Zhu Youjian pulled the trigger, the long rod-shaped firing pin on the bolt pierced the paper shell, hit the primer, ignited the propellant, and fired the conical bullet.

This is a rear-loading percussion gun produced by the highest technology of the Ming Dynasty military industry. Once such a musket is equipped, it will form a dimension-reducing dominance of at least 200 years between the East and the West.

The research doctor who measured the target from a distance recorded all the data, and finally rode his horse back to the shooting point.

Zhu Youjian took off the wooden mask on his face, and behind him, Bi Maokang, Song Yingxing, Wang Zheng, Sun Yuanhua and others also came up one after another.

"This gun is not bad, how much did it cost? How long did it take?"

Zhu Youjian handed the musket to Bi Maokang, and Bi Maokang also explained:

"The cost is 140 seven taels of silver, and the craftsman made it by hand. It took a total of six months."

Bi Maokang's words represent that this percussion gun is not a mass-produced product.

Since it cannot be mass-produced, it is destined to only be used as a royal and noble toy.

Of course, the fact that mass production cannot be done now does not mean that it will not work in the future.

"Call..."

The doctor in the distance reined in his horse and stopped beside him. After getting off his horse, he handed over his document to Zhu Youjian with both hands, and explained:
"Your Highness, it is the same as the test. It can effectively penetrate triple cloth face armor in 130 steps, double armor in 160 steps, and heavy armor in 240 steps. The maximum range is [-] steps, and the effective range is [-] steps."

The various performances of the guns were written down in the document, and Zhu Youjian checked it.

First of all, this musket has not yet been named. The length of the gun is four feet five inches, about 1.4 meters four, and the weight of the gun is eight catties, about [-] kilograms.

The fire rate of the gun is 27 to 33 per stick, about nine to eleven shots per minute.

Since Bi Maokang and others used a rubber air-tight sleeve to prevent gas leakage on the surface of the gun bolt, soldiers did not have to worry about gas leakage to burn their eyes.

However, this is also a disadvantage, because the rubber air-tight sleeve is easy to age, so after about [-] shots, the rubber air-tight sleeve needs to be replaced, and the cost of this small air-tight sleeve is eight coins.

Due to the development of manganese steel research, the gun is also equipped with a one-foot-three-inch three-edged bayonet. The length of the gun plus the bayonet, the final height is five feet and eight inches, about 180 six centimeters.

In general, it will be a good iterative weapon without considering the manufacturing time, craftsman effort, and manufacturing cost.

With it, [-] Ming troops can easily sweep across Eurasia.

But the problem also came, its cost is actually not a problem, the real problem is time.

"If the imperial court wants to mass-produce him, how many pieces do you think can be produced in a year with the current level of craftsmen?"

Zhu Youjian glanced at the data, closed it and asked Bi Maokang, and Bi Maokang also said bluntly:
"At the current level of craftsmen, we can produce up to five hundred pieces a year."

"Before the fourth version of the steam engine was manufactured and joined the Ordnance Bureau to participate in the production, the result of the joint efforts of the third version of the steam engine and craftsmen could only be such an output."

"Is it possible to imitate European technology?" Zhu Youjian asked the key point, but Bi Maokang shook his head:
"It's absolutely impossible. Their metallurgy and iron smelting technology can't reach it. Not only them, but also the folk craftsmen of Ming Dynasty can't imitate it."

"The Military Academy spent 10,000+ taels of silver to manufacture it by hand. If it is imitated so easily, then the officials and others may deserve to die."

Bi Maokang's words gave Zhu Youjian confidence, and he also asked Wang Zheng in the crowd:
"How long will it take for the fourth version of the steam engine? If the fourth version of the steam engine comes out, how much can the production of this musket be increased?"

"Return to Your Highness..." Wang Zheng saluted back, and then planned to say:

"The fourth version of the steam engine still needs to solve the pressure problem of the boiler. This problem requires trial and error. When it can be researched, the lower officials dare not speak at will."

"It's just that if the fourth version of the steam engine is developed, the output of muskets can be increased tenfold, because the power of the fourth version of the steam engine is enough to replace many things that only craftsmen can do, and the cost can be reduced by three to five times."

"Not only that, but if the fourth version of the steam engine is powerful enough, it is completely possible to let craftsmen do the precise steps and leave the rough steps to the machine."

"Once the subject of the lathe is broken again, it is not surprising that the output will increase by dozens of times."

"Dozens of times..." Zhu Youjian frowned slightly, obviously this kind of output still couldn't satisfy him.

But if you think about it carefully, the speed of tens of thousands of breech-loading muskets a year is not slow, and craftsmen can be trained now.

"The cultivation of craftsmen must be accelerated, and strive to ensure that the North and South Ordnance Bureaus can produce at the same time before the fourth version of the steam engine appears."

"Even if there is no breakthrough in the lathe, the annual output of [-] muskets must be reached."

"Yes!"

Zhu Youjian's words made everyone feel pressured, and his next words made the atmosphere a lot easier:
"How about the development of the grenade?"

"Returning to Your Highness, it can basically be put into production, but the cost is a bit high..." Sun Yuanhua stepped forward to bow, and behind him followed a doctor holding a wooden tray.

On the wooden plate is a model of a grenade, similar to a grenade with a wooden handle, but not so thin, just like a large bottle of mineral water.

"This thing weighs two catties and four liang. The head and tail are made of pig iron, and steel balls, gunpowder, and mercury fulminate are placed inside."

"The way to detonate is to pull the ring, and then the flint friction ignites the fuse in it, which in turn ignites the detonator and gunpowder."

"The power has been tested. No one can survive within one foot, and will be seriously injured within two feet. However, its ignition rate is only [-]%."

Sun Yuanhua's words made Zhu Youjian frown slightly, because this was not the kind of grenade he wanted.

Not to mention the cost of the current grenade, the weight alone is disappointing.

Two catties in the Ming Dynasty was [-] kilograms in later generations, and the total weight of the hand grenades Zhu Youjian served as a soldier in his previous life was only two to three hundred grams.

It is too difficult to throw this Ming Dynasty grenade that weighs six times the grenade of later generations at least 30 meters.

"A little less weight, a little more fire rate."

There is nothing harsh, Zhu Youjian only made his own request.

However, having said that, in fact, the research of the Ordnance Bureau is almost here, and the rest is about people's livelihood and industry.

So Zhu Youjian walked away, and the others followed him to the newly built steam locomotive research institute.

"Woooo-"

Before entering the yard, the siren sounded, but the difference was that the steam locomotive in the yard was a bit too miniature, and...

"Your Majesty! What are you doing?"

Zhu Youjian shouted suddenly, and Bi Maokang and others discovered that the emperor Zhu Youxiao was sitting on the front of the train at the moment.

I saw the one-foot-high and two-foot-long miniature train pulling Zhu Youxiao, and Zhu Ciran was sitting behind Zhu Youxiao.

The two father and son still have the face to smile while riding in the car...

"Play, play, play..."

Hearing Zhu Youjian's shout, Zhu Youxiao stood up guilty, while Zhu Ciran got through his crotch in a car.

"What kind of system..."

At this moment, Bi Maokang and others couldn't help shaking their heads in their hearts, and Zhu Youjian also walked up quickly, grabbed Zhu Ciran by the collar, and lifted him off the train.

He put Zhu Ciran aside, frowned and looked at Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao might feel a little guilty, and couldn't help coughing twice.

"Ahem, sit around casually, there is nothing wrong with this..."

Zhu Youxiao didn't know the power of the steam locomotive explosion, so he was still arguing here, but Zhu Youjian turned his head and said to Wang Zheng when he heard the words:

"Tell Long live the power of the steam locomotive's overpressure explosion."

"Yes..." Wang Zheng had no choice but to bite the bullet and spread the knowledge to Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Ciran.

Since the problem of the high-pressure boiler has not been solved, although the current steam locomotive model can run and move, it cannot pull too many things. The more things are pulled, the greater the pressure it bears, and the pressure will explode when the pressure reaches the threshold.

It can be said that Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Ciran were sitting on a powder keg just now.

Zhu Youxiao felt scared for a while, but Zhu Ciran said:
"If it explodes, won't I fly into the sky?"

"Feiyou..." Zhu Youjian almost couldn't hold back his kick, but fortunately Zhu Ciran quickly hid behind Zhu Youxiao.

"Where's Dingguo?" Zhu Youjian looked around, he just asked Li Dingguo to watch the father and son carefully.

"Dingguo was sent by me to see the steam engine ship..." Zhu Youxiao responded with a guilty conscience, and Zhu Youjian's eyes twitched when he heard this.

Sure enough, to stare at people like Zhu Youxiao, you have to be shameless guys like Lu Wenzhao and Sun Shoufa.

Withdrawing his dissatisfaction, Zhu Youjian looked sideways at Wang Zheng:

"Has the speed of the steam locomotive and steam ship reached the level mentioned earlier?"

"It has been achieved, or even surpassed, but the thermal efficiency is still very low." Wang Zheng responded and explained some difficulties.

In general, a steam locomotive is composed of a boiler, a steam engine, a frame, a running part, and a tender, while a steam engine ship generally uses a steam system to generate low-pressure steam to meet heating, heating and other living needs. It consists of auxiliary boilers, Exhaust gas boilers and fuel oil, water supply, blast, steam delivery equipment, pipelines, valves, etc. serving them.

These things are very complicated when they are simple, and Zhu Youjian naturally can't understand them.

Zhu Youjian didn't understand it. Apart from making wood, it was naturally difficult for Zhu Youxiao to understand other things.

They listened briefly, and then Zhu Youxiao couldn't help asking:

"After the fourth version of the steam engine comes out, can I set off at Mao and arrive in Tianjin at noon?"

"This... I'm afraid it won't reach..." Wang Zheng didn't want to lie, so he could only bow down and apologize:

"The important thing about steam locomotives is continuity, and short distances are actually not as good as horses."

"After the fourth version of the steam engine that I expect is successfully installed, the speed of the steam locomotive should be around [-] to [-] miles per hour."

"As for the speed of the steam engine ship, it should be about fifteen miles per hour without sails, and it should be able to reach twenty miles in deep sea with sails."

"Sixty miles per hour..." Zhu Youxiao seemed to think it was not bad when he heard the speed.

"So, in three days and three nights, 36 hours, this steam locomotive can run more than 2000 miles?"

"That is to say, even if I want to go to Qiongzhou to see the sea, it will only take seven days at most?"

Zhu Youxiao's thoughts were far away, and he even thought of going to Qiongzhou.

Regarding his thoughts, Zhu Youjian did not speak out against him for the time being, while Wang Zheng bowed and said:

"Theoretically it can be achieved, but in practice it requires the laying of railroad tracks."

"Then how is the laying of the railway tracks in the world?" Zhu Youxiao's eyes lit up, but Wang Zheng was stopped by him.

Wang Zheng is a researcher, how could he know what's going on outside.

"Ahem...the construction of the government roads has started, but the railway has not yet started to get on the right track." Seeing this, Zhu Youjian had no choice but to stand up and rescue Wang Zheng.

"Why didn't you build the railway first?" Zhu Youxiao's eyes showed regret, and when he looked at his younger brother after a while, his face was full of complaints.

"..." Zhu Youjian felt speechless and could only explain:

"The production of rail tracks is insufficient, so naturally it cannot be laid and constructed."

"Besides, the severe drought is still going on, and there are plenty of work-for-relief things."

"Okay..." Zhu Youxiao sighed in frustration, turned around and found that Zhu Ciran had disappeared.

"Where's the prince?"

"Huh?" Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Zhu Youjian looked around, while Bi Maokang bowed and said:
"His Royal Highness ran out just now when His Royal Highness, you and Long Live were listening to Wang Shilang's report."

"Run out? Where did you go?" Zhu Youjian only felt like a nanny, and everyone had to worry about it.

"Going to the steam ship..." Bi Maokang lowered his head while talking.

"It's called Li Dingguo..."

"what!"

Before Zhu Youjian could say anything, he heard someone's "scream" coming from the door. When everyone looked back, they only saw Li Dingguo "holding" Zhu Ciran and walking over.

After all, he was the man who singled out the elephant as an adult. Li Dingguo handcuffed Zhu Ciran's hands with one hand, and put him in front of Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Youjian.

"Hehe..." Zhu Youxiao watched Zhu Ciran being beaten, and laughed cheerfully.

"Your Highness, the grassroots have offended..."

Li Dingguo let go of his hand and bowed to Zhu Ciran, who was beaten up and immediately hid behind Zhu Youxiao.

"Hooray, steamboats are fun."

After apologizing, Li Dingguo bowed to Zhu Youxiao again, obviously in response to Zhu Youxiao asking him to see the steam ship.

"Is it interesting?" Zhu Youxiao rolled his eyes.

"Send Your Majesty back to the palace!" How could Zhu Youjian not know what Zhu Youxiao was thinking, and immediately turned to greet the Jin Yiwei at the door.

Seeing this, Jin Yiwei at the door didn't know what to do for a while, but Zhu Youxiao immediately grabbed Zhu Youjian's hand softly:

"Hey, it's not safe for my younger brother to watch alone. I need to be beside my younger brother to protect the law and protect my younger brother."

"Huh?" Zhu Youjian frowned when he heard this, and turned his head to look up and down at Zhu Youxiao's somewhat puffy body, with a trace of disgust unavoidably showing in his eyes.

"Cough cough!" Zhu Youxiao also reacted, thinking of his younger brother's force on horseback and bow, he quickly let go of his hand and coughed.

However, since he was subdued, Zhu Youjian didn't bother to bully him anymore, so he walked in front of Bi Maokang and others and said:
"It's better to get all kinds of people's livelihood research related to the steam engine out early."

"Yes..." Bi Maokang and the others agreed honestly, and Zhu Youjian also took them to visit the Armament Academy with Zhu Youxiao.

In general, many studies in the Armament Academy have reached the achievements of the early nineteenth century, but some key things have not been researched yet.

Once these problems are resolved, then Daming can release technology little by little to increase productivity.

Right now, the territory of Ming Dynasty is about 600 million square kilometers, and the development value of these places is extremely high.

Among other things, it is the land of Nanzhou with only 10,000+ people. Once Daming can release the technology of the early [-]th century, Nanzhou will be the new Jiangnan.

In this era, Nanzhou did not suffer so much damage, so the natural grassland area is [-]% of the country's land area, and it is also the place with the largest natural grassland area in the world.

With billions of acres of natural grassland and more than one billion acres of agricultural developable land, no matter how you look at it, it will be a new Jiangnan.

If tens of millions of people are moved there, everyone can live a very nourishing life with arable land and pastures.

This is just Nanzhou. One must know that Daming also has Java Island, which claims to be able to feed the most people.

Right now, Java Island is the Nanhai Prefecture of Ming Dynasty, and the population here is less than 30, and the cultivated land that has been developed is less than 500 million mu.

If it is really carefully developed, it can easily feed tens of millions of people, and it is very nourishing.

Some people may question that most of the people in Ming Dynasty are farming and grazing, so who will sell so much grain to?

But the problem is that Ming's population is only a quarter of the world's, and Europe can't even afford wheat at this moment.

The wheat needed to feed Europeans can feed tens of millions of Ming farmers.

What's more, there is also the natural factory of South Asia.

In addition, it has to be admitted that Daming will still take the route of education for all, and this will not be shaken.

But education and educated elites are two concepts, and elites are always only a small part.

A small number of elites will change themselves, their families, and even society, but how can most mediocre people survive?This is what Zhu Youjian wants to consider.

In his view, the division of land and the fact that the land cannot be bought or sold is a legacy he left to the future people.

While transforming Daming into a capitalist society, while retaining the land of the self-cultivator, it only takes a dozen acres to allow this person to survive on a basic basis, and occasionally sell agricultural products to make money.

Daming will become a superpower that will dominate the future of global food, trade, and military affairs, especially under the suzerain-vassal system.

If you want to liberate the productivity of farmers, you have to produce enough agricultural production tools, so Zhu Youjian took Zhu Youxiao and the others to the Agricultural Research Institute and stopped.

There are models of agricultural tools, drawings, and many doctors studying in the yard.

In the five years since the apocalypse in the Ming Dynasty, more than 700 doctors of science who can participate in research have been produced in four years. Their quality may not be as good as an ordinary high school science student in later generations, but they are Zhu Youjian in this era. A group of "geniuses" that can be found.

Among the various research models, a model that is actually needed is the steam engine towing the vehicle (the predecessor of the steam tractor).

This thing is like a small locomotive. Its standard body shape is six feet high, four feet wide, and seven feet long.

It weighs [-] jin. Needless to say, with such a weight and a speed of less than ten miles per hour, even if it does not get stuck in the field, it will compact the soil so that it cannot be plowed at all. .

Sun Yuanhua, who is in charge of research at the Agricultural College, said regretfully:
"If this tractor can be manufactured, a commoner can easily cultivate one mu of land in one day, and one person can work fifteen mu of land during busy farming hours."

"It's just a pity that Guochao's technology is not enough to get it out for the time being."

"That is to say, after this thing is made, everyone will be able to eat enough?" Zhu Ciran, who was hiding behind Zhu Youxiao's buttocks, stretched out his head and glanced at the huge monster in front of him.

"Almost..." Sun Yuanhua smiled kindly, and Zhu Youjian also had a worried expression.

It is not a good thing to expand the territory too much, because many expansions of the territory are invalid expansions.

For example, the Western Regions and Central Asia in the Tang Dynasty, Korea and the Southwest in the Han Dynasty, and the Three Propaganda and Six Comforts in the Ming Dynasty.

To put it bluntly, it means that the productivity cannot be reached, and so many people cannot be released to emigrate.

Zhu Youjian noticed this rule, so the territory he had laid down before actually looked carefully. Except for Annan, other places were places that Ming could swallow.

The places that Ming can swallow are often along the coast, because shipping is cheap and relocation is easy.

It's just that it's impossible for Ming to attack coastal countries every day, because if this happens, there will be problems with the depth of Ming on land.

Even now, the land depth of Daming is extremely worrying.

There is no Uzang, no Western Regions, and there is no three announcements and six comforts in Mobei, Northeast, and Southwest.

The difficulty of migrating to these places is several times that of migrating to sea.

How to lower the difficulty?This naturally requires the help of trains and agricultural machinery.

People are transported by train, and agricultural machinery can plow the land in the first year and put it into production in the second year.

The people in Liaodong have worked out a set of procedures, plowing the land in the first year, planting sorghum in the second year, and planting wheat or rice in the third year.

In short, the problem is digging the ground, and it is impossible for Daming to have so many cattle to provide to the relocated people, so the machines that can be produced are the most important productivity.

Historically, Europeans developed the tractor 30 years after the appearance of the Watt steam engine. What the Ming Dynasty should do is to shorten the time of its appearance.

Zhu Youjian wants Daming to lead Europe by 200 years and seize the market in advance, so trains, steam ships, and tractors are the three carriages of Daming in the future.

It's just that it's easy to fight. With Ming's military equipment, once the eight 10,000+ troops launch the Western Expedition, regardless of logistics, they can completely take down most of Europe.

In consideration of logistics, he had to admit that it was impossible for Daming to open up on the westward road beyond the dividing line between the Volga River and the Caspian Sea at the farthest.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian glanced at the tractor model, then turned and went to the next research institute.

Seeing this, Zhu Youxiao also followed, as did Li Dingguo, Bi Maokang and others.

Only Zhu Ciran stood in front of the tall steam tractor and looked up at him, as if he was thinking about the question he just asked.

"With the appearance of this thing, will everyone be able to eat enough..."

　Thanks, finally got it out.

　　The state is much better today, and I feel that tomorrow's update should be brought forward to "Chapter 1 between five and six o'clock" and "Chapter 2 before eleven o'clock".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)