Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 420 Hydraulic Forging

Zhu Gui couldn't wait to know what tricks Lin Che had prepared for these people.

Then he hurriedly asked: "Sir, does the price of the armor sold by the imperial court to the gentry have to be higher?"

"Firstly, it was to save part of the military expenses for the Northern Expedition, and secondly, it was to show some gentry who were harboring Northern Yuan ambitions that the Ming Dynasty's finances were in trouble."

"In this way, they will definitely report the matter to the Puppet Yuan, and I, the Ming Dynasty, can take the opportunity to uncover these thieves hiding inside."

After Lin Che’s popular science.

Zhu Gui hated those gentry who harbored the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

He thought that his husband's strategy of using the aid and suppression order to trick these thieves into fighting Bei Yuan on the battlefield was too merciful.

According to Zhu Gui's idea, there should be an attitude of not letting go of the wrongdoers.

Wait until the cavalry troops of the gentry's sons are assembled.

Directly eradicate all people related to Bei Yuan.

However, Zhu Gui knew that he was young and had no weight in speaking in front of his father.

So I can only think about using fishing methods when selling armor to catch more dog thieves who don't forget Bei Yuan, and then eat them in one pot.

Who knew that when Lin Che heard his plan, she smiled and shook her head: "The armor cannot be sold too expensively, otherwise most of the gentry will be dissuaded from participating in the suppression."

"Because among the gentry, there are not only those who cherish the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but also those who really want to serve the imperial court."

"So the court should not set too high a threshold for this matter. It is best to set the price of armor at around ten taels.

"Selling armor for ten taels?"

Zhu Gui picked his ears with his fingers, thinking he heard wrongly.

He looked at Lin Che in disbelief and asked, "Sir, even the most common leather armor costs about twenty taels."

"And ordinary iron armor starts at least fifty taels, and that doesn't include the helmet."

"I really can't figure out what kind of armor can be made with ten taels of silver?"

Zhu Gui actually wanted to ask Lin Che if it was obvious that the imperial court was paying money to sell the armor to the gentry.

Otherwise, Taishi couldn't imagine what kind of armor he could find for ten taels of silver.

"When did I say that I would make them fully armed armor?"

Lin Che began to write and draw on the white paper.

He also smiled and said: "For cavalry, the most necessary protection is the chest and head."

"So the armor sold to them only needs to have a helmet and breastplate."

“This not only protects their vital points, but also the burden on the horses will not be too heavy, which is very suitable for chasing the enemy.

Zhu Gui didn't expect that the armor could be sold in pieces.

But after he saw the drawings drawn by Lin Che.

Immediately I understood why this armor was worth ten taels of silver.

Because the breastplate on the drawing looks like a beaten iron plate.

However, there are obvious curves on both sides of him.

While covering the front of the body, it can also block damage from the waist and ribs.

The helmet, on the other hand, has no particular emphasis on aesthetics at all. It is just an upside-down iron bucket, with only the eyes exposed.

Zhu Gui suddenly felt that whether this iron plate and iron bucket-shaped armor could be worth ten taels of silver was probably a question.

Zhu Bai couldn't help but asked weakly: "Sir, would the gentry buy armor like this?"

"Only fools would buy cheap and high-quality things!"

Lin Che's eyes flashed with confidence and she said, "You may not think it's just a piece of iron, but its defensive power is comparable to that of sophisticated armor."

"And this kind of curved breastplate can also resist attacks from blunt weapons to a certain extent."

"As for the helmet, it doesn't look good, but its defensive power is also very good. It won't lose its combat effectiveness instantly even if someone knocks it on the head." You know, plate armor can be regarded as one of the pinnacle armors in the cold weapon era.

Although it has size limitations, forging a full set of deck fertilizers is extremely expensive.

But compared to armor with equally excellent defensive power, its cost is much cheaper.

Moreover, if you only build the breastplate, it also solves the problem of deck versatility.

You can use a hammer to adjust it if it doesn't fit.

The most important thing is that the cuirassiers have already proven themselves on the battlefield.

If the Ming Dynasty could form a large number of cuirassiers.

So in the case of a head-on decisive battle, the remnants of Beiyuan could not be the opponent of the Ming army at all.

He didn't quite believe that the so-called plate armor could compete with armor, but Zhu Bai didn't think so much about it at all.

He asked directly: "Sir, although the plate armor you mentioned is powerful, it is too big and it must be time-consuming and laborious to forge it."

"And the price you set is so cheap, I'm afraid the court will end up doing a loss-making business!"

The most troublesome thing about forging armor is hammering the armor pieces over and over again.

It is a job that tests the skills of craftsmen.

Because of the heavy strength, the armor will be made too thin and unable to block the enemy's weapons.

But if you are gentle, you may not be able to beat out the impurities inside.

It will also affect the armor's defense.

Just like Lin Che's drawings, there was no splicing at all, and there was a whole breastplate forged from steel.

If you want to make it into shape, three or five blacksmiths must join forces.

Otherwise, as soon as the upper half of the armor is finished, the unforged area below has cooled and turned into pig iron.

As a result, although the breastplate does not use much material, the labor cost has increased a lot.

If the price is ten taels of silver, the court will have to pay the same amount of silver for every breastplate and helmet sold.

"You will indeed lose money using traditional forging methods."

Lin Che sipped her wine and said with a smile: "But if you want to hand over the forging task to Water Conservancy Forging."

"Not only can the cost be reduced by more than half, but the manufacturing of breastplates and helmets can also be greatly accelerated."

"And the more we build, the faster the costs of both will drop, and the court will still be able to make money in the end."

Because Lin Che had drawn detailed drawings of hydraulic forging when she was teaching Zhu Xi how to make gunshots.

So he didn't bother to spend any more time on it today.

He just briefly explained the principles of hydraulic forging to Zhu Bai.

And how to use it to forge the blacksmith from a single piece.

After Zhu Bai listened to the principles of hydraulic forging, he fell into a long-term shock.

He never thought that the flow of water in the Yangtze River would be worse than normal.

After being paired with suitable machinery, it can actually replace the blacksmith in doing some tedious work.

"Hahaha, the reason why man can become the master of all things is because he can invent and use tools."

Lin Che smiled faintly and said, "As I told your second brother before, water power can be used to drill gun barrels."

"It can also be used to forge weapons, and even be used to grind wheat to help people grind wheat into flour."

"The most important thing about the role of water power lies in what people need."

The development of every tool is inseparable from people's desire to save energy.

According to later generations, laziness is the driving force behind technological progress.

(End of this chapter)