The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

In the early morning of midwinter, Xianyang in the north was shrouded in severe cold. The bleak and cool wind was like a group of wild ghosts, howling over the palace, echoing everywhere, making waves of heart-pounding sounds.

"so cold!"

As soon as Chenxi stepped out of the door, he was attacked by the biting cold. He shivered involuntarily and subconsciously shrank his neck. His slender body looked particularly weak in the cold wind, as if he would be swept away by the biting cold wind at any time.

"Go back to the house and rest!"

Yi Huawei gently embraced Chen Xi in his arms and patted her back lightly:
"I'll come back early today, let's have hot pot together."

"Hmm~! The road is slippery, be careful."

Chenxi nodded gently, her eyes full of concern and reluctance. Her gentle gaze was like clear lake water, rippling with deep love. She carefully instructed Yi Huawei for a long time before reluctantly letting go of Yi Huawei's hand, and her soft fingers slipped from Yi Huawei's palm.

Waving to Chenxi, Yi Huawei walked onto the prepared carriage. With the sound of Ada's whip, the carriage slowly drove out of the Xianyang Palace.

The wheels rolled on the hard stone road, making a dull sound. The horses pulling the carriage took steady steps, and the bells on their necks jingled as the carriage swayed.

The carriage moved forward all the way and headed straight for the central military base west of Shanglinyuan.

Half an hour later, the carriage finally arrived at the huge Central Armory. The Central Armory complex of the Qin Dynasty was so huge that it was shocking, stretching endlessly, and surrounded by tall walls.

The engineer of the Ordnance Department, Xie (voice-off), and his craftsmen had been waiting at the door for a long time. Xie was wearing a dark robe and a black belt around his waist, looking solemn and serious. His eyes revealed expectation and awe, and he looked in the direction of the carriage from time to time.

When Yi Huawei got off the car, Qie hurriedly came up to him, with quick but steady steps and a respectful look on his face. He came in front of Yi Huawei, led a group of craftsmen to bow deeply, put his hands on both sides of his body, and said in a very respectful tone: "I, the humble soldier craftsman Qie, pay my respects to the Prime Minister!"

"No need to be polite."

Yi Huawei waved his hand gently, his expression indifferent: "We will have a long time to spend together in the future. It's freezing outside, let's go in first. How many soldiers are there in total?"

"Your Excellency, the total number of central military personnel is 5,632."

He bowed his hands in response, with an extremely respectful attitude. Then he slightly turned sideways and gestured, "Please come in, sir."

"More than 5,600 people?"

Yi Huawei raised his eyebrows, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Around the time when Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, the Qin State's Armory reached its peak. As the Qin State's territory continued to expand and the size of its army continued to grow, the size of the Armory also expanded rapidly. Multiple armory workshops were set up across the country, forming a huge weapons manufacturing network. Large armory workshops were set up in important cities such as Xianyang and Liyang.

The Central Military Academy has more than 5,000 craftsmen, but they can barely provide equipment for the Imperial Guards and the Lang Guards.

Qi nodded and said, "My Lord, this military facility is the largest in Qin State. It is divided into five major workshops, with more than 5,000 craftsmen and 500 military supervisors!!"

Yi Huawei nodded and said, "Please show me around!"

"As ordered!"

Xi respectfully led Yi Huawei into the weapons manufacturing department.

As soon as I stepped into the huge workshop, a scorching heat wave hit me like a surging tide, catching me off guard. Although it was midwinter, the instant high temperature made beads of sweat appear on my forehead immediately, as if I was in a steamer.

Looking around, in the huge workshop, thousands of craftsmen were bare-chested, wearing only knee-length shorts, their bronze skin gleaming glossy in the light of the fire. They were sweating profusely as they swung their hammers, and every blow seemed to carry a thousand pounds of force, making a dull and powerful sound.

The furnace makers watched the blazing fires with full concentration, and the fire-blowers in their hands kept dancing. On the blazing fires, there were crucibles with various ores piled up densely in the crucibles. Under the high temperature of the fire, the ores gradually melted, and gradually, relatively pure metal juice flowed out.

The turners are busy shuttling back and forth, constantly adding ore and carefully transferring molten gold. With quick and skillful movements, the finished craftsmen are responsible for purifying and cooling the molten gold transferred by the turners, so that it can eventually form a solid block. Each link is closely connected, like a precision machine operating efficiently.

Yi Huawei frowned slightly, turned around and asked loudly: "What kind of ore is being smelted here?"

Xi also replied loudly: "It's mainly bronze, then tin, and iron is rarely used! Bronze and tin are mainly used to form alloys for forging various weapons. The reason why our Qin State has the best weapons in the world is because the formula for the mixing ratio of bronze and tin is a secret that is not passed on!"

Yi Huawei knew that the Qin State's sword-making technology was very advanced, and it was able to create a bronze sword over 91 cm long, which was relatively rare at the time. Generally, bronze swords are easy to break and usually do not exceed 60 cm in length, but Qin State craftsmen mastered the optimal ratio of copper and tin, making Qin State's bronze swords excellent in hardness and toughness, giving the Qin army more advantages in close combat.

Moreover, the Qin State's Weaponry Department achieved standardization in the production of weapons. For example, among the more than 4 arrows unearthed from the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit, the size errors of the same type of arrows were basically within millimeters; the multiple parts of the bronze crossbow machine were also standardized in size, so that if the crossbow machine was damaged on the battlefield, the soldiers could directly replace it with a new part and continue to use it. This standardized production improved the production efficiency and quality of weapons and ensured the supply of weapons for the Qin army.

The Qin crossbow uses a streamlined three-edged arrowhead, which is similar in appearance to modern bullets. The three wing surfaces are almost identical, with a maximum error of no more than 0.02 mm. This arrowhead conforms to aerodynamics, which can reduce air resistance during flight and improve the accuracy and penetration of shooting. Thinking of this, Yi Huawei nodded slightly, with a thoughtful look on his face, his eyes wandering around the busy craftsmen, imagining their countless days and nights of hard work for these precise proportions. With a little curiosity, he asked:

"So in actual operation, how do we ensure the accuracy of these proportions?"

He replied respectfully, "Sir, we have strict procedures and inherited skills. Each craftsman has undergone years of training and has a keen sense of the weight of various materials. We use specific measuring tools and repeatedly weigh and adjust to ensure that the ratio of gold and water is accurate. Moreover, during the casting process, there will be experienced craftsmen supervising the entire process, and if any deviation is found, adjustments will be made immediately."

Yi Huawei smiled, with a hint of admiration in his eyes:
"It seems that you have really put a lot of effort into it. In addition to controlling the proportions, are there other key factors that affect the quality of weapons?"

He bowed and said solemnly, "My Lord, in addition to the ratio of gold and water, the casting temperature, cooling time and method are also crucial. Different weapons require different temperatures and cooling methods, which require craftsmen to judge based on their rich experience. For example, the casting of swords requires higher temperatures and slow cooling to ensure a balance between hardness and flexibility; while arrowheads require higher hardness, so the cooling speed must be fast."

"Oh!"

Yi Huawei nodded slightly. Behind these seemingly simple crafts, there are countless craftsmen's wisdom and hard work. In ancient times when science and technology were not well developed, the craftsmen of Qin State summed up these valuable experiences through continuous attempts and accumulation. In the simple workshops, they used their own hands and wisdom to build a solid foundation for the military power of Qin State.

"What's the mantra?"

Yi Huawei smiled, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "Tell me about it!"

After hesitating for a while, he dismissed his attendants and whispered, "My Lord, the formula is as follows: if you take one out of six parts of gold and tin, it is called the balance of bells and tripods; if you take one out of five parts of gold and tin, it is called the balance of axes and knives; if you take one out of four parts of gold and tin, it is called the balance of spears and halberds; if you take one out of three parts of gold and tin, it is called the balance of large blades; if you take two out of five parts of gold and tin, it is called the balance of arrows. If you take one out of two parts of gold and tin, it is called the balance of mirrors and swords!"
This means: if there are five parts of bronze and one part of tin in six parts of gold and water, then this gold and water can be used to make bells and tripods, because the hardness of this gold and water is relatively poor; if there are four parts of bronze and one part of tin in five parts of gold and water, this gold and water can be used to cast swords, because the hardness and flexibility of this gold and water are relatively moderate; if there are three parts of bronze and one part of tin in four parts of gold and water, this gold and water can be used to make long weapons such as spears, halberds, halberds, and halberds, because the hardness of this gold and water is relatively high; if there are two parts of bronze and one part of tin in three parts of gold and water, this gold and water can be used to make some heavy weapons, because their hardness is higher; and if there are three parts of bronze and two parts of tin in five parts of gold and water, this gold and water may be used to make small weapons such as arrowheads, because the hardness of this gold and water is too high and it cannot be made bigger; and if bronze and tin each account for half in two parts of gold and water, it can only be used to make chisels, etc., because this kind of gold and water has the highest hardness and cannot be used to make other things!
These gold and water ratios are the secrets of our Great Qin. Swords, halberds and other weapons forged with this ratio are the sharpest in the world!"

Yi Huawei nodded slightly. The amount of tin does determine the hardness and strength of bronze products. The more tin, the harder the bronze products are, but also the more brittle they become. This precise ratio has been powerfully verified by advanced science in modern times.

In ancient times when science and technology were not well developed, the valuable experience of Qin State was summed up by countless craftsmen after many years of hard work. Qin State was able to defeat the six kingdoms and unify the Central Plains, and these silently dedicated craftsmen made an indelible contribution. In their simple workshops, they relied on their wisdom and hard work, constantly explored and tried, and laid a solid foundation for Qin State's military strength.

Yi Huawei felt a surge of respect in his heart. Behind every great empire, there are countless ordinary yet great people who silently contribute. He nodded slightly and asked thoughtfully, "What about molten iron? What is it usually used for?"

Qi smiled, showing a hint of indifference on his face, and slowly said: "Molten iron is usually mixed with some other ores to make farm tools such as plows, hoes, and palladium. Iron is rarely used to make weapons, mainly because iron is too brittle and easy to break and shatter, and is not suitable for direct forging, let alone making weapons. However, in the production of iron weapons, the six countries in Guandong are better than us, but compared with our bronze weapons, the iron weapons they made are still far inferior in sharpness and durability! That's why our Qin State can dominate the world with its weapons and armor."

"Oh, so that's how it is!"

Yi Huawei nodded slightly. The development of ironware is still immature, and the use of ironware is still at the early stage of pig iron. The temperature of the furnace cannot be increased at present, which is one of the main reasons for the limited development of ironware. According to the original historical trajectory, it may take until the time of Emperor Wu of Han to develop a relatively mature ironmaking process.

In Yi Huawei's impression, when the furnace temperature reaches about 1,000 degrees, iron ore is smelted into wrought iron, but this iron is too soft and has poor usability, and has no practical value; and when the temperature is raised by a blower by about 200 degrees, pig iron is obtained. Ordinary pig iron can only be used to cast ordinary iron farm tools, etc., because it is too brittle and easy to break, and still does not meet the standards of weapons. Only after the pig iron has been softened, forged, quenched and other processes can it be used to make weapons. At present, the production technology of Qin ironware is still at the pig iron stage.

Thinking of this, Yi Huawei had an idea in his mind. He smiled and said, "Let's go to the next workshop and take a look!"

"Yes, sir!" Yu hurriedly walked in front to lead Yi Huawei.

As Yi Huawei walked, he was thinking about how to let Yilan guide these craftsmen and transform the production line here.

Ten minutes later, Yi Huawei followed Yao and slowly stepped into a huge workshop.

As soon as I entered, I was greeted by a blazing breath, which was the heat waves emitted by the high-temperature furnace. Thousands of craftsmen were busy working inside, half of them were carefully pouring bronze and tin in proportion in the high-temperature furnace, and the other half were forging various long swords with the crisp sound of "ping-pong-pong", and the knocking sounds came one after another.

Is this the Great Qin Bronze Sword? !

There are only two kinds of good swords nowadays: one is a fine steel long sword made of extremely precious meteorite iron. Meteorite iron swords are extremely rare and rarely seen in the world. Each meteorite iron sword is worth a thousand gold. Many meteorite iron swords made by famous masters, such as Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, are even more difficult to find and have become legendary magic weapons. The other is the super-long bronze sword produced by the Qin State. The Qin State had extremely strict control over weapons, and super-long bronze swords rarely flowed into the private sector.

Yi Huawei quietly watched several craftsmen who were concentrating on forging bronze swords without disturbing them.

Although the craftsmen saw Yi Huawei, they did not know who he was and were subject to strict military law, so they did not dare to stop for a moment and just kept working. Sweat flowed down their cheeks, dripped onto the hot ground, and evaporated instantly.

Yi Huawei watched for a while, trying to figure out from the craftsmen's movements why Qin swords were the sharpest in the world. However, after watching for a long time, he still had no clue. He walked to the weapon rack on the side and gently took down a semi-finished bronze sword that had just been cast. Looking at it carefully, the sword flashed a faint cold light.

There is a saying that goes 'experts look at the doorway, while laymen just look at the excitement'.

Yi Huawei, an amateur, looked at it for a long time and shook his head helplessly, getting nothing. He turned to look at Qi and asked, "Master Engineer, why can the bronze swords of the six kingdoms in Guandong only be within two feet and six inches (60 centimeters), while the bronze swords of our Qin can be more than four feet (90 centimeters) long? What's the reason?"

He straightened his chest and said, "Of course, the bronze sword casting technology of our Great Qin is the most advanced, and there are also secrets that are not passed on. Please take a look, sir!"

As he spoke, he picked up a bronze sword and began to explain it to Yi Huawei.

(End of this chapter)