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Chapter 140: Brother for a Day (Silver Leader 3)

"Brother Liqing, you're fine..." As soon as the boat docked at the pier, one of them smiled and clasped his fists in greeting.

"...I'm sorry for my stupidity, but I dare to ask you your surname." He called me "brother" as soon as he came up. He was definitely not a stranger, but he still couldn't remember it face to face. He only felt that he looked familiar. Yuan Keli could only return the greeting while awkwardly asking. .

"In Brother Xuanzai's house, do you remember the one-day brother?" The person who greeted him at the pier was of course Xu Guangqi. When he saw Yuan Keli, he didn't recognize each other and was not in a hurry to introduce himself. Instead, he mentioned another person.

"...You, you are Xu Zixian! I'm sorry for the rudeness, but I couldn't recognize my brother for a moment. It's a sin!" A word woke up the dreamer. When he heard Xuan Zai and Yi Zhi's brother, Yuan Ke immediately widened his eyes. Eyes, after a while, he finally confirmed that the person who came was not a fake, and quickly confessed.

Did Yuan Keli and Xu Guangqi know each other?Indeed, but we only met once, at Dong Qichang's home.Yuan Keli and Dong Qichang were close friends, while Xu Guangqi and Dong Qichang were from the same hometown and had a good friendship.

Coincidentally, Yuan Keli and Xu Guangqi were Jinshi in the same year, and they were born in the same year and month, just one day apart.Xu Guangqi's birthday is April 4th, and Yuan Keli's birthday is April 24th. Xu is the elder brother and Yuan is the younger brother. Dong Qichang joked that they were brothers for a day.

"Exactly, I heard that Li Qing was in Tianjin to transport water, and I was supposed to come to visit, but I couldn't help myself, and we didn't get to see each other until today. I'm so ashamed!" I was really happy to meet Xu Guangqi, an acquaintance in a foreign land, but when I thought about it, They were only ten miles apart, but they couldn't see each other because of the emperor's order, and they were a little annoyed.

"Brother Zi Xian, there is no need to blame yourself. I am not trapped in worldly things. I haven't seen Brother Xuanzai for a long time. Alas, it is a happy occasion for you and me to meet each other today. Don't say those spoiler words. Hey, is it also true that Xiongtai appears here? ...?"

Compared with the sentimental Xu Guangqi, Yuan Keli was much more free and easy. He swept away the unpleasant trivial matters with a sweep of his sleeves. Just as he was about to continue the conversation, he accidentally saw the giant waterwheel turning slowly not far away, and his expression changed in vain. , stretched out a finger and poked upward, with a look of disbelief on his face.

"To be honest, Sir, I have served His Majesty for more than three years, and today I have achieved a little success so that I will not let down the grace of God. Come on, come on, this is King Zheng Liangfu, who is a scientific researcher, and he is also the one who is favored by Your Majesty. Let’s work here together, brother.”

Xu Guangqi had obtained the emperor's permission to disclose to Yuan Keli the issue of his activities at the Tianjin Weihuangzhuang Machinery Factory despite being the head of the Ministry of Industry.Not only his own identity can be discussed, but also Wang Zheng's.

In other words, they belong to the same faction from now on. Although the outside world does not know the existence of this group, it has actually been formed three years ago and the membership is gradually expanding.

"That's it... what is being built here?" Yuan Keli didn't look too surprised on the surface and changed the subject by asking about the specific functions of the machinery factory, but his heart was beating involuntarily.

It is not clear whether Xu Guangqi was aware of this, but he still had the necessary political sense as governor of water transportation.It was obvious that the emperor had been secretly planning the plan a few years ago. He was a clear move, so was Li Zhi, while Xu Guangqi and Wang Zheng were idle moves.

No one knows what the purpose of the move is, and by the time you figure it out, it's usually too late.The problem is that in addition to the current few, no one knows how many moves the emperor has played.

This is where the scare comes. As the saying goes, it is easier to hide from an open gun than to avoid a hidden arrow.The emperor's thoughts were far from being as clear and transparent as he had imagined before. The city was too deep and his calculations were too sophisticated. One step after another, one link after another, he just didn't know when he would launch the attack and who his opponent would be. "What is it... Li Qing will know after you follow me in and take a look. You can only understand it but cannot explain it in words!" The question sounded very simple, but Xu Guangqi was stumped.

At present, the machinery factory mainly produces four-wheeled carriage parts, stainless steel crossbow arms and bolts and nuts of various sizes.But these are just small skills for training craftsmen. As soon as Zhao Shizhen's design drawings are completed, he will devote all his efforts to the manufacture of new artillery.

As for what other things can be made in the future, I really can’t tell in a few words. It seems that utensils related to metal can be made all-around, but it is too extensive and complicated, making it difficult to see the direction.

Accompanied by Xu Guangqi and Wang Zheng, Yuan Keli walked around the machinery factory for more than two hours before reluctantly boarding the ship and leaving. At first, he only thought that the hydraulic forging hammer was the most powerful, and could knead the iron ingots like dough.

Then I saw the stamping machine again, and I immediately changed my mind. This big thing was still neat. I lifted it up and put it down again, and a pure steel helmet was formed.

Just put a cloth cover or leather cover inside, and before the temperature cools down completely, soldiers can put it on and run to the battlefield. It is fast and of high quality. No matter whether it is a crossbow or a musket, it cannot be worn more than fifty steps away.

Wang Zheng also said that producing armor is as simple as a helmet. You only need to change the mold, press the hydraulic press up and down, and the all-steel half-armor comes out.It's just that only one-third of the machinery factory has been built at present, and the production capacity is not enough, so we don't produce so many types and select urgently needed ones first.

After seeing the lathe, Yuan Keli almost didn't want to leave. The high-quality [-]-melted steel rod seemed to turn into a wooden stick in front of the lathe. He could cut it if he wanted, and drill it if he wanted. The processed steel axle was straight and smooth, and he was afraid of it. It will last a lifetime.

But the most astonishing thing is the device called a ball bearing. Small steel balls are ground extremely smooth by craftsmen using machines, and then magically inserted between two layers of steel rings, so that the wheels can rotate in the wind.

You don't need to try it, you can feel it being put on the axle just by touching it with your fingers. The horse pulling the cart will save a lot of effort and can load more cargo.So much so that by the end, the bolts, nuts, and rope connectors specially prepared for shipyards no longer attracted much attention.

"Sir, the ship has been loaded." Seeing that the sun was already setting in the west, the governor had not yet given the order to return, so the entourage had to find an opportunity to remind him in a low voice.

"Zixian, Liangfu, you might as well go to the Haihe Shipyard if you have free time. I also have some unique skills there!" Yuan Keli raised his head and looked at the sky, and finally stopped to continue shopping. In addition to his eyes full of envy, there was also A little bit of competition.

It is true that there is a machine here that can cut iron like clay, and my hands are not empty.There are also machines driven by large water wheels in the shipyard. Although they are only used to saw wood, the scene is very spectacular, and there is no other semicolon in this one.

In addition, the main structure of the large ship has been completed. Compared with the four-wheeled carriage, bearings, forging hammers, and stamping machines, the mountain-like body and cloud-like sails are more exciting, and it also makes me who is responsible for supervising the construction feel more excited. Extremely proud.

(End of this chapter)