Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The glass workshop was built on the bend of the grain transport river. There are some tiny ice floes on the river, and a wide stone bridge connects the road from the town to here.

For the handicraft industry of this era, rivers are particularly important. In addition to being the driving force for production, they are also relied upon to transport raw materials from other places to the workshops by water. During land transportation, donkeys, horses and mule carts must be loaded and unloaded every time. Cross this large stone bridge.

And if there are too many goods to be transported at one time and the water transport capacity is overwhelmed, it is necessary to prepare in the loading area one or two hours in advance, load the goods onto the truck with the help of laborers, and then pass through the stone batches one by one. Bridge to avoid delays in shipment.

“Why not build more stone bridges?”

Adhering to the spirit of asking if you don't understand, Jiang Xinghuo asked directly.

"Goods are produced and transported in time periods. Usually, like now, even one stone bridge cannot be used up. Building a few more stone bridges is too wasteful. In addition, it is the peak period of shipment, and it will only be delayed for a while. That’s it, it won’t affect anything. On the contrary, if a few more stone bridges are built, these laborers and trackers will lose their livelihood.”

"These people can do nothing but endure hardships." As he spoke, Zhang Yuchu pointed to a group of laborers and trackers standing on the edge of the stone bridge to rest. The laborers were responsible for loading and unloading, while the trackers were responsible for moving the ships back to their destinations. Bends to pull up to docks, as well as help boats navigate when there's no wind and weak currents.

There was not much life at this time, only some people were unloading and pulling boats. The laborers were surrounded by various wooden boxes and baskets, while the trackers were dragging several long ropes under the stone bridge. People may be old or young, but they all have a common characteristic, that is, their skin is generally dark and rosy, and although they do not look strong, it can be seen from the lines under many people's unlined clothes that they all have muscles. You can tell by looking at it that it has gone through a lot of hard physical work, otherwise it would not be able to withstand it, let alone carry heavy goods as easily as it is now.

At this time, dozens of Zhang Yuchu's disciples came over after hearing the news, including those who were in the restaurant just now. The cultural education in Longhu Mountain is still good. These disciples are good at reading, literacy, arithmetic and loyalty, so they all He was transferred to work as the accountant and management of the workshop, and even as a salesman. Well, he was the kind who promoted "enchanted glass products" everywhere, focusing on a high added value.

Seeing Jiang Xinghuo looking at the laborers on the other side of the bridge, Zhang Yuchu seemed to understand.

"Let these guys try to resist."

This means letting them endure some hardships to educate them.

"Okay!" Zhang Yuchu happily agreed. If the Imperial Master held it up high and put it down gently, he would feel uneasy.

So Zhang Yuchu called a few disciples and asked them to learn how to carry goods from the mechanics who were wandering around.

When Li Gong saw these Taoist priests in feather robes coming over, he didn't dare to neglect them. Although he didn't know why these high-ranking immortal masters wanted to experience the work of low-level people like them, he still carefully explained to them some basics about anti-cargo. Operation and power generation techniques.

"See, that's it. Put your shoulders on the wooden box, then grab the bottom of the wooden box with both hands, and push it up hard so that it can be fixed. Otherwise, it will easily fall down."

"Try it." Zhang Yuchu gestured towards his disciple.

Seeing this, the disciple nodded, walked over and tried to lift the box containing fertilizer, and then successfully stabilized his body.

"Well, it seems quite simple!"

There was a surprised expression on the disciple's face, and then he was a little eager to try it. After all, this was his first try.

"Then lift it up again and take two steps."

"Oh, okay!" The disciple nodded when he heard this, walked over again, and tried according to the steps taught by the mechanical engineering teacher just now, trying to master the balance of his own center of gravity when carrying the goods on one shoulder.

However, after taking two steps, I felt a little shaky.

"How is it?" Upon seeing this, his companion asked.

"Well, it feels quite difficult. If I don't step on this one well,"

However, the work of moving seemed simple, and there were indeed some skills involved. Even if he was mentally prepared, he still found it very difficult. After a few steps, he groaned and couldn't hold on anymore.

The laborer next to him took the box down, and the thin-skinned Taoist priest suddenly grinned and rubbed his shoulders.

"Hahahaha. Young man, you can't do it. You haven't walked a few steps yet. You need to exercise more." After hearing what he said, the laborers next to him burst out laughing, but there was no harm in it.

"Who said I can't do it!" Seeing that the laborers actually said that he couldn't do it, the little Taoist priest suddenly became anxious.

"Okay, let's do it again, walk to the center of the bridge, remember, don't show off." The atmosphere gradually relaxed. Seeing Jiang Xinghuo also smile, Zhang Yuchu couldn't help laughing when he saw his disciple like this.

"Do not worry!"

The disciple vowed to impress these people this time.

"Start!" Zhang Yuchu ordered immediately.

Then, the disciple took a deep breath and walked over again. This time he concentrated on it and concentrated all his attention. Finally, after making great efforts, he successfully walked steadily without tilting the center of gravity of the goods. Not only did the disciple In this way, you can even raise your right arm to balance your center of gravity.

"sharp!"

At this scene, the workers watching around praised it one after another.

He successfully walked to a position close to the center of the bridge, but seeing that he could no longer hold on, a laborer rushed over to help, supported him together, and slowly walked to the center of the stone bridge before letting go.

"How do you feel?" Jiang Xinghuo asked.

The disciple said truthfully: "It's not easy."

"Yeah, it's not easy."

Jiang Xinghuo sighed and said to the people in the restaurant just now: "It's not to make things difficult for you. Although what you did is a bit extreme, it's not that it's too wrong. I just hope that you can be more considerate when facing ordinary people in the future. , don’t be aggressive based on your status, do you understand?”

Several disciples obeyed the instructions obediently and carried them for another round, and then they gave up.

For some reason, Jiang Xinghuo suddenly got off the stone bridge and came to the river bank. At this time, a small boat was leaving the dock. In full view of everyone, Jiang Xinghuo took over the rope from a tracker, and he was also the leading tracker.

"What is the Imperial Master doing?"

"Stretching is a technical job, can he do it?"

"I don't know, maybe I want to give it a try, maybe"

Everyone started talking.

However, soon, everyone was surprised to find that with the skillful movements of Jiang Xinghuo, who took off his long gown, their so-called technical work became stress-free, as if they were familiar with the road.

Are there really gifted people in this world? It seems that the national teacher has never done this kind of work, right? What a humble profession it is to be a tracker. How could the legendary imperial master who descended from an immortal be engaged in such a thing? Simply unheard of.

Everyone didn't quite believe it, because they didn't know many people who could master the superb fiber-drawing skills, let alone a national master who had never done it before.

At this moment, they suddenly realized that they had witnessed the extraordinary power of the national master today.

"good!"

Many idle trackers applauded, and they were already impressed by Jiang Xinghuo.

This kind of admiration was not due to Jiang Xinghuo's ability to stretch, but because they truly saw that the high-ranking imperial decision-makers could work down-to-earth like ordinary people.

The emperor holding a golden hoe and waving it twice symbolically on the palace farmland on certain days every year cannot bring about this kind of empathy.

At this moment, even Qingfeng and others who stayed on the bridge couldn't help but applaud. When other laborers saw this, they also applauded. For a while, warm applause resounded throughout the entire river, echoing in the river. This empty river bend.

Jiang Xinghuo frowned slightly at such cheers, but he didn't feel proud at all. Instead, he felt very embarrassed and embarrassed.

Jiang Xinghuo's memory seemed to drift back to the time when he was pulling boats for foreigners.

Because he found that unknowingly, he was really getting further and further away from the original Jiang Xinghuo who had suffered so much and wanted to change the world and make most people live a better life.

If it hadn't been for that dream, I'm afraid he would still be unconsciously indulging in the information cocoon and continuing to make intrigues with the emperor and ministers.

"You deserve to be ashamed of yourself, and you deserve to be ashamed of yourself."

Jiang Xinghuo's voice was not loud, but despite this, his voice seemed to reach everyone's ears.

This made everyone stunned again, and then burst into laughter.

What this world lacks most is humility.

Jiang Xinghuo wiped his sweat, put on his gown, and gave instructions to Wang Bin.

"Go and place an order for the restaurant and treat these laborers and trackers to a meal. There must be enough meat and vegetables, and more steamed buns and steamed buns, and less rice. If you can't eat it or want to keep it, you can take it back."

Just giving some money will probably make these people reluctant to eat. In this way, bringing some orders to the restaurant can be regarded as a boost to the small town's economy.

Yu Qian followed Jiang Xinghuo. He had tried moving a box just now, but it was difficult for an adult to carry it, and a child couldn't even move it on the ground, so he had to give up.

"Master, are you not worried anymore?"

"Don't worry anymore."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the laborers and trackers who were immersed in a sea of ​​joy and said: "If you can do one thing, do one thing."

Zhang Yuchu followed Jiang Xinghuo and the group walked west along the stone bridge. After a while, they came to an archway.

The archway is very tall and majestic, with a base made of several huge blue stones. A plaque hangs on the stone door with the four characters "Fertilizer Workshop" written on it.

After passing the archway, you will see several huge waterwheels that are eye-catching. These waterwheels are the source of power for the workshop.

In fact, most of the machines of the First Industrial Revolution era, such as mule machines, water-powered spinning machines, automatic looms, blast furnaces, and automatic forging hammers, all relied on water power as power.

Even in the era when steam engines just appeared, it did not mean that steam engines could operate as smoothly and safely as waterwheels. Even in the early days of the first industrial revolution, factory owners would use steam engines to pump water up to power waterwheels.

Of course, natural power always has its limits. Many industries in the first industrial revolution required stable energy supply all year round, but hydraulic power could not do this. Hydraulic power would be affected by many factors such as rainfall, flood season, climate, etc., while steam engines could not provide this. Otherwise, steam engines only require coal, so the first industrial revolution was a great progress in the history of human power.

Zhang Yuchu took Jiang Xinghuo to a waterwheel house. This house was relatively large and seemed to be about three feet in diameter. Inside was a huge waterwheel and corresponding maintenance equipment.

Is this the largest waterwheel of this era?

Although he already knew it, Jiang Xinghuo still felt shocked by the ancient technology when he saw it with his own eyes. Water wheel, cam, connecting handle, runner, cog gear, needle gear, offset crank, and striker plate. It is hard to imagine. , which are all made by craftsmen with one knife and one saw.

Looking out of the clean glass window, you can see the river flowing in front of the house, and the rotating shaft affected by the impact of the river drives the waterwheel to rotate through a series of complex mechanical structures.

Obviously, water flows downwards. This is not nonsense, but a serious hydraulic mechanical principle.

Most waterwheels use the water of natural rivers to turn their shafts. Sometimes they need the help of artificial water channels, sometimes they use dams to form height differences, or a combination of dams and sluices.

Jiang Xinghuo visited several more waterwheel rooms and found that they didn't seem to be exactly the same.

"Are these waterwheels different types?"

"Yes, the main reason is that the type of water wheel is different."

After the craftsman's detailed explanation, Jiang Xinghuo understood that there are three types of water wheels in this kind of water wheel. The down-flow type uses the power of the water flow to enter the bottom of the water wheel, while the up-flow type uses water to fall from a height. Gravity impacts the water wheel blades. This type of water wheel is only used when more power is needed. In addition, it is the common horizontal water wheel among the people. The technology required is the simplest, but the disadvantage is that it requires manual labor. The power of cycling pedaling serves as an assist.

"The newly developed waterwheels used now are very powerful, and their efficiency, rotation speed, and device durability are much higher than those of previous waterwheels," the craftsman said.

"Well, this kind of water wheel is specially developed for us to process materials when producing glass." Zhang Yuchu added with a smile.

As mentioned before, there is no difference between burning glass and ceramics, but the preliminary processing of materials requires various complex technologies, especially the lack of power to process raw materials.

Zhang Yuchu took Jiang Xinghuo to visit several other mechanical equipment. These equipment are also very powerful. They can roll the raw materials for making glass into a very fine state and perform deep processing.

"In the Ordnance Bureau and the Military War Bureau, the research and development of steam engines is progressing very slowly. After all, they belong to the imperial court, so they have more autonomy here. How are you doing what you said before?"

Jiang Xinghuo's words were not very clear, but it is obvious that in terms of technology research and development, the imperial court, especially the military industry agencies of the imperial court, prioritizes the research and development of military technologies that can achieve short-term breakthroughs and achieve practical effects, and are also subject to budget constraints. , so for a project like a steam engine that costs billions of dollars, has an extremely long research and development cycle, and has extremely low input and output, even if it is urged, there will be some lag, and there is no way.

But the fertilizer workshop is different from the glass workshop. It has high profits, sufficient cash flow, and is directly controlled. Therefore, the funds invested in research and development are not so difficult. Orders can be implemented immediately, and it is not as complicated as the government.

"It's already underway, but the progress is very slow and it's very difficult to mass-produce it. Not to mention performance, just to meet the minimum requirements, there are too many technological breakthroughs that need to be made."

Later, Zhang Yuchu led Jiang Xinghuo to a building. This building occupies a very large area and the space inside is extremely huge. There are many equipments placed inside, and the craftsmen are busy assembling various parts. .

"This building is specifically responsible for researching new technologies. These are the latest production equipment. This time, I also specially invited skilled craftsmen from the private sector to be responsible for all aspects of steam engines."

Zhang Yuchu explained: "These parts are all needed to make a steam engine. Since no one has seen them, I can only try them bit by bit according to your requirements."

In fact, it is necessary to open up new industry fields. However, the current technology is still difficult to break through, so we must cross the river by feeling the stones.

"These things were slowly figured out after studying and drawing on the drawings given by the National Master. However, these technologies are still too complicated. If we want to fully achieve the expected results, we must not only solve the individual components, but also solve the matching problems. Only by using more materials can the cost be controlled, which is estimated to take at least one or two years.”

"Yes, I understand." Jiang Xinghuo nodded with deep understanding.

Pistons, water tanks, cylinders, water pumps. Everything must be explored from scratch.

The technical difficulty and concept of manufacturing a steam engine that can be put into industrial production in batches is completely different from making a simple and small one by hand.

And because his new steam power technology is currently only at the theoretical level, with no specific model and no corresponding experimental equipment, it is indeed difficult to develop it perfectly depending on the current technical level. , can only rely on high investment and enough patience to grind slowly.

"However, we don't dare to touch the money in the account now. After all, we have to turn over most of the profits. This is a specialized product and needs to be used to supplement commercial taxes. Therefore, on our own, we may easily fall into insufficient follow-up investment. In a quagmire of slow development progress.”

Zhang Yuchu's complaint was reasonable. Jiang Xinghuo thought about it and asked, "What if the amount of commercial tax paid is slightly reduced and more resources are invested in the research and development of steam engines?"

"This" Zhang Yuchu hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Just give it a try, it should work."

"Um."

Jiang Xinghuo encouraged: "Steam engines are the most important technology. If there is a breakthrough, it will definitely bring about earth-shaking changes to the world. It is better for you to solve this kind of thing. The Weapons Bureau and the War Bureau should invest more. It's a bit worse, but no matter what, whether it's one or two years, or three or four years, I hope our products can be put into production as soon as possible and earn more profits! By then, the investment will definitely be able to recover the cost and make huge profits. "

"Do you want to send someone over to keep an eye on it?" Zhang Yuchu was a little excited, but still asked.

"Need not."

Of course Jiang Xinghuo had to express his trust in him at this time and said, "I'll leave this matter to you. No matter what, we must race against time to get it done."

"Actually, the craftsmen worked together and wrote a plan. I also participated. Imperial Master, please take a look." He handed Jiang Xinghuo a stack of paper, which was full of words.

Jiang Xinghuo took the plan and read it carefully.

This plan details all aspects of the expected experiments and technological breakthroughs, including materials, components, technical difficulties, etc.

"What I mean is that we should do our best if we want to do it." Zhang Yuchu said eloquently, "Of course, for the sake of safety, I think we should hire more craftsmen, so that the progress will be faster."

"Yes, but you still have to keep it secret. If you recruit more people, there is a risk of people having too many eyesight."

Zhang Yuchu nodded in agreement and said, "Understood."

After visiting the power and R\u0026D sites, only the final factory production area is left.

The interior of the production area is also very large, divided into rooms in the southeast, northwest and northwest. At this time, many workers in blue clothes are busy, carrying materials, cleaning, or producing. These workers are very hard-working. Zhang Yu smiled one after another.

Unlike laborers who work hard, most of the workers in the glass workshop here need to have apprenticeship experience and be able to operate various steps of ceramic firing.

Traditional handicrafts, even on a large scale, are all passed down from master to apprentice, but this is different in the workshop. Although there is a master to lead the apprentice, it is still different from the traditional model where personal dependence is very important.

Therefore, the apprentices who work here generally live a more comfortable life than outside. At the very least, they don't have to work as a servant for the master's family, being ordered around, washing clothes and feet, and pouring chamber pots.

"It looks pretty big. Can the production keep up?"

"I can barely keep up. The demand for glass is huge. It used to be three shifts, but now it has slowed down a bit, and it's two shifts."

"What happened to the glass Bagua mirror used by the restaurant owner? It couldn't be produced in more than 20 days?" Jiang Xinghuo asked again.

"That one is not easy to burn, and it is mostly supplied to merchants. Many merchants need to customize the style individually."

"Yeah." Jiang Xinghuo nodded, "Next, the product categories can be expanded. Glass beads and hollow vessels made of glass are all products that are definitely selling well. You don't necessarily have to stare at the mirror to work, like these glass gossips Mirrors and the like are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and you still need to send people to sell them. Once this batch is finished, we should stop it. Glass products should still be easy to sell and be widely accepted by a wide range of people."

"Telescopes and astronomical telescopes have also been restricted because they involve military use and spying on the palace, so now they must be independently approved by the Fifth Army Governor's Office. Then allocate resources to these two lines?"

"Okay, how many people are there in the two workshops now?"

Zhang Yuchu said: "At present, the two workshops combined, all workers, guards, and craftsmen total more than 5,300 people."

The reason why there are guards is because glass products generally sell for a higher price and will be targeted by people who want to make a fortune, as well as to maintain internal order in the factory. After all, there are so many people, and it is not good to cause trouble, so they are specially equipped with them. Received a considerable number of guards.

“How much does an average worker earn per month?”

"Now the distribution is based on an average of 70 kilograms of rice per person per month."

Jiang Xinghuo frowned and said: "70 kilograms per person per month? If I remember correctly, ordinary farmers in South Zhili can still earn 1,200 kilograms of rice after deducting various taxes in a year. Isn't the income of workers A little lower?”

Zhang Yuchu shook his head and explained: "In the workshop, food and accommodation are included. They don't have any expenses in daily life, and no one deducts from them. They don't need to face some complicated things outside. These are net income. In fact, The workers are quite satisfied.”

Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment and said: "The basic grain will be increased a little more, to 85 kilograms, and floating rewards will be provided. According to the worker's workload and effort, we will try our best to work more and gain more."