Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 577 Eighty-eight Cannon and Ma’s Ruler

There were also many people visiting the workshop. When Tuo Huan and Guo Kang came to the workshop, Zhu Wenkui was introducing weapons to everyone. A group of visitors gathered around a stand and watched him demonstrate.

"This is how our muskets are drilled out." He held an iron stick and showed it to everyone: "Roll the iron plate into two layers and beat it, and you will get an iron plate with a fine hole in the middle. Rod, then fix it on this frame, use this drill bit to drill, and that’s it.”

"The efficiency of current drilling equipment is very low. It requires a master to use it personally and take his time. Our equipment is much simpler. It can be connected to water power or animal power to allow many equipment to work at the same time. In this way, the efficiency is high More. If all ordnance depots can study and improve it, I don’t think we have to worry about insufficient supply at all.”

Then, he ended the introduction and asked everyone to come and see for themselves.

In the crowd, several officials from the Ministry of Industry immediately came up to him and surrounded him asking questions. Outside, many people gathered around curiously and wanted to ask questions. For a while, the scene was quite lively.

"What kind of thing is this?" Tuohuan asked curiously.

"It's just a drilling machine." Guo Kang said: "This thing already exists, but the accuracy and strength are not enough. We redesigned a set and tried to make it drill straight. At present, at least it can do the current job. These devices are sufficient.”

"I don't quite understand this, and I don't see any secret." Tuohuan admitted honestly.

"Actually, there's no secret. It's all hard work." Guo Kang thought for a while and said, "Making firearms is a bit similar to how we built the steam god before. Although the functions and appearance are very different, many of the technical problems faced are the same. It’s the same. I can list dozens of process problems, and they all boil down to one thing: insufficient accuracy.”

"Look at that barrel." He pointed to the iron rod standing on the stand as a demonstration: "If the barrel of the gun is not straight enough and the projectiles fly randomly, it will reduce the accuracy and power of the launch; if the projectiles and the gun are If the bore caliber is too different, gunpowder will be wasted and the power will be reduced. Also, if the plug I added to block the launch port is not accurate enough, it will not be plugged in, and it will spray sparks randomly when the gun is fired... In short. , there are already many problems in this area alone.”

"How should we improve it?" Tuohuan continued to ask.

"There is really no trick to this. We can only work hard slowly." Guo Kang shook his head: "Come and see this."

He stretched out his hand to say hello to Zhu Wenkui, then did not disturb him. He led Tuo Huan and others out of the workshop and to the shed at the back.

"Let me see... eh? Where is the person?" Guo Kang opened the door, looked around, and shouted: "Urban! Where is the person?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Urban rushed out from the corner: "Mr. Guo! Do you have any orders?"

"Where did we put our standard ruler?" Guo Kang asked.

"It's in the cellar. It was put in after being properly aligned two days ago." Urban replied, "Do you want to go take a look?"

"We have guests today, let's go and have a look." Guo Kang said.

Urban nodded, fetched a lamp, led everyone to the entrance of the cellar nearby, used the lamp to explore, and then walked in. Everyone followed and walked down, only to see that the cellar was not big and the walls had not been processed. It was obviously dug in a hurry and a variety of materials were placed in it. There is a basin on the shelf next to it.

"It's over there." Guo Kang pointed at the basin and said.

They walked over and saw water and ice cubes in the basin, with a long ceramic strip soaked in it. Neither Tuo Huan nor Theodora understood what this meant, and looked at Guo Kang in confusion.

"Materials will expand with heat and shrink with cold. I took you to see the glass workshop before. The thermometer inside has this principle." Guo Kang explained to Tuo Huan: "In order to reduce this effect, I customized a porcelain The temperature of the ice water is also constant, so the error can be reduced. "

"Is it necessary to be so exaggerated?" Tuohuan asked in surprise.

"It's okay so far, but in the future we will definitely require more and more precision. It's better to be exaggerated and troublesome now than to adjust all the utensils and make it messy." Guo Kang explained: "Promotion of the Ministry of Household Affairs The measuring instrument is too rough. It is fine for measuring fields and mileage, but it is not enough for such precise things. "

"There is one ruler in the workshop and one in the monastery. The ruler in the monastery is made of gold. The priests regarded this ruler as some kind of sacred existence and insisted on melting several sacrificial vessels to make one. ." He said: "Of course, if I have to say it, the measuring instrument is indeed the most representative of the concept of 'eternity' and 'universal' among all our devices."

"In two months, we will compare these two rulers, and then we will also make other rulers based on this length for everyone to use on daily basis. So far, it seems that it is still OK."

"Then if Tobe's ruler is not accurate, how long should this ruler be? Or is there no original definition of this concept, and you set this length arbitrarily?" Theodora began to think more philosophically. turned into something.

"We don't care whether there is an original unit of length, or whether this ruler is consistent with it. As long as our products can match ourselves." Guo Kang said: "Currently, there is no need to pay so much attention."

"If I have to trace the origin, I don't know it myself. There are rumors among the Europeans that one foot is the length of the king's foot. Of course, the length of the foot is inherently variable, and there are many kings, so Naturally, the measurement is not accurate.”

"And this measurement is the product of the gradual development and progress of the barbarians. Before, there was no such unit. It is said that when Charlemagne ruled, people often had disputes and conflicts because of different measurement units. Once, some people The merchants who bought and sold cloth came to the throne for this purpose.”

"The rulers used by both sides were not the same length at all, so they each insisted on their own opinions, and no explanation was of any use. Charlemagne was so angry that he kicked his feet and passed away. When the attendant saw this, he thought he was indicating that his feet should be used as the standard. As for the length, he immediately announced that everyone should stop using their own rulers. From now on, the length of the king's feet would be used as the ruler. This custom has been carried on by accident. "

"This is obviously a fabrication." Theodora pointed out: "Not to mention that this kind of thing is an everyday thing and it is not his turn to deal with it. How could a hero like Charlemagne faint at any time..."

"I told Xiao Zhu that he thought the same thing. It feels like the jokes from various places about... well, his great-grandfather's hunger fainting." Guo Kang scratched his head: "However, this is indeed a custom. "

"Our ruler also has a similar story. Our ruler was also used in the Central Plains. Later, in order to make looms, we even compared the ruler with the Yuan people. When we were chatting, I told them this story, and the Yuan people Said, there are actually similar jokes in the Central Plains.”

"It is said that Queen Ma's foot is also one foot long. Although it is different from the logic of Charlemagne's story, it is just right, which is very interesting. They call the engineering ruler we have here 'Ma's ruler'—— But don’t tell Xiao Zhu about this.”

"I know, I know." Tuohuan couldn't help laughing.

"Where did this legend come from? Is it really such an exaggeration?" Theodora asked in confusion.

"It must be made up. There is a corresponding relationship between the length of a person's feet and his height. Generally, the height is seven times the length of the feet. Therefore, tall people must wear bigger shoes." Guo Kang explained: "Western Jin Dynasty At that time, there were three rarest treasures in the arsenal: the sword used by Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty to kill the white snake, Confucius's clogs, and Wang Mang's head. Among them, Confucius's clogs were said to have been stolen by a thief from the inn when he was traveling around the state of Cai. The things were handed down and passed down from generation to generation. Jin people said that Confucius was different from ordinary people, and the same was true for his shoes. Because the clogs were one foot or four inches long, it looked like they were not ordinary people's objects. He is also extremely tall and strong.”

"The current ruler is longer than the ruler of the Han and Jin Dynasties. If his feet were really one foot long, he would probably be about the same height as Confucius. This is amazing."

"So that's it." Theodora understood.

"Why are you paying attention to this? You can't be young yourself." Tuo Huan muttered.

"Okay, okay, look at the ruler, look at the ruler." Guo Kang quickly interrupted the topic to prevent them from arguing again.

"I remember there are a few more here." He looked at the side, stretched out his hand to explore, and sure enough he took out a ruler: "This is a made, graduated instrument."

"After the basic unit is determined, the rest is not too difficult. With a stable ruler and compass, you can accurately divide the line segment into two equal parts, and then divide each into five equal parts, so that you get a length of one inch. Continue Going down, it can still be subdivided in this way. The Greeks have long been familiar with this method.”

"Slimer sizes, and this kind." He picked up a caliper: "But you probably won't need it. If you want to play with it someday, I'll teach you how to use it."

"What kind of novelty is this?" Tuohuan couldn't react.

"It's not new." Guo Kang shook his head and said, "During the time of the Yellow Emperor, a minister named Chui invented rules and criteria. It can be seen that this caliper was also invented by the ancient sage kings. This matter is also mentioned in the "Shiben" It’s documented.”

"Later, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang stole the creation of the ancestors and manufactured it in his own name. However, he failed to learn the trick and left out the most critical part of the scale. Therefore, future generations have not seen this kind of work for a long time. Complete Caliper."

"Through continuous efforts and with the care of Heavenly Father and Brother Heavenly Brother, we have successfully unearthed the essence of this design, understood the profound meaning of the Holy King, and restored the ruler. So far, it seems that it is indeed very useful, and it is worthy of being a masterpiece from three ancient generations. What a legacy.”

"How come everything can be ancient for three generations..." Theodora also felt that something was wrong.

"Don't worry about whether it is from the third generation of ancient times, just say whether it is easy to use." Guo Kang looked very experienced, obviously he had faced this situation more than once: "Such a convenient and exquisite thing, our ancestors are so smart, How could you not have thought of it? It must have been involved a long time ago.”

"So, if you have good things but don't know how to use them, and instead find excuses to block and exclude them, it can only mean that some people today are enjoying the prestige passed down by their ancestors, but they are incompetent and uneducated. Failure to understand the wisdom of the sages ruins the reputation of the ancients.”

"In various guilds, there are quite a few people like this. When we questioned them, they could only speak vaguely. They did not dare to claim that they were smarter than the Yellow Emperor, Confucius, Aristotle and other sages. I dare not say that I have not learned the knowledge of the ancients. Anyway, if one of him or the ancestor is wrong, let’s just say who is wrong?”

"Oh, then this is really useful..." Theodora didn't question it anymore.

There are not many things in the cellar, Urban said, because the environment here is relatively stable, unlike in the workshop above, where people come and go, and it is hot and cold. After looking at the ruler, they left the cellar.

"I think this idea does have some promise." Tuohuan commented: "And I'm thinking, since I can drill a gun, can I drill a cannon? The cannon is bigger, so the tolerance for errors should be stronger."

"Of course. And if the cannon is made of copper, the effect will be even better." Guo Kang nodded, turned around and asked, "Urban, where is our cannon embryo?"

"It's also in the warehouse. There were many people today, so we built it first," Urban said.

Guo Kang nodded and took everyone back to the big shed. Sure enough, he found the embryo he was talking about in the corner.

This is a bronze pillar as long as a person, thin at the front and thick at the back. A hole is drilled at the head, but it is not too deep.

"Master Shizi commanded everyone before, and they have been drilling for more than half a week, and the progress is not bad." Urban introduced to them: "Copper is softer than iron, so boring is easier. But after all, the artillery It’s very big and heavy, and it will take quite a while to finish it all.”

"In this way..." Tuohuan nodded.

"Copper cannons have many benefits. Although copper is heavier than iron in the same volume, the copper material has better toughness. When making cannons, the tube wall can be made thinner. Compared with the finished product, it is lighter than iron cannons. . Moreover, copper has a lower melting temperature and is relatively easier to process.” Urban continued to talk about the benefits: “So, we decided to give it a try.”

"Then why haven't you heard of it before?" Tuo Huan asked.

"We had too many projects before and a serious lack of funds, so we could only use iron to make a small cannon for testing. This time, the major chambers of commerce in the city donated a lot of money and utensils, so we could have a bit of luxury, so we hired some copper Craftsman, give it a try," Urban replied.

"Bronze cannons seem to be quite common. My father Khan and the others had seized them from the barbarians before. At that time, they didn't think there was anything worth noting..." Tuo Huan thought for a while and said.

"That's a problem with their craftsmen's incompetence, not a problem with the bronze cannon." Urban insisted: "The best material should be bronze, but many barbarian cannons today are made of brass, so naturally it won't work. And bronze they It’s not easy to play, and there are too many problems in casting... Our side will definitely gain a big advantage.”

"Okay, let's keep trying. If you are short of copper, come to me for it." Tuo Huan felt that there was no problem and agreed.

Urban seemed very happy and hurriedly expressed his thanks.

"Master Shizi is very busy during this period, but I have been watching here and will definitely give you a result as soon as possible." He promised.

"It's okay. We shouldn't be in a hurry. We would rather go slower and do fine work." Tuo Huan warned: "Weapons of this level are not so sensitive to speed. Quality and safety are the most important. A good The cannon-casting master can't blow himself up."

"I understand, I understand." Urban responded repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)