Iron Dynasty

The first cannon was successfully cast, and the atmosphere in the equipment department was as hot as coal in a blast furnace.

Every craftsman had a smile on his face.

In the past month, they have been working day and night, and they have lost ten pounds in order to complete the task arranged by King Qi.

Now we just have to wait for the test firing of this cannon. If it is successful, it means that the equipment department has truly mastered the production technology of artillery.

His Royal Highness, let's try it. The craftsmen are all waiting eagerly. Chen Qi was afraid that Xiao Ming would not let them watch the test firing of the artillery. Just as uncomfortable.

Yeah, Your Highness, let us see it. The craftsmen in the equipment department requested one after another, and their eyes were looking forward to the power of the artillery.

The craftsmen were covered in sweat and iron powder, and a smell mixed with metal and sweat wafted through the equipment department.

With so many requests, Xiao Ming naturally couldn't refuse, he was just joking with Chen Qi just now.

Of course, the test of this artillery requires the participation of these craftsmen. Only in this way can problems be found and rectified in time.

Well, it's definitely too late today, we need a suitable venue, and the artillery is very heavy, transportation is also a problem, and it is also the artillery shell.

Xiao Ming's tone became a little heavier when he lifted the cannonball.

The shells of the artillery must naturally be suitable for the current artillery. If it is too large, it will not fit in, and the effectiveness of the small gunpowder will be greatly reduced. It is very likely that the shells will hit the feet.

Before the artillery was produced, the Equipment Division could not accurately calculate the caliber of shells needed for this artillery, because it did not dare to produce shells.

Xiao Ming is a little helpless about this. After all, there is no accurate measurement system in this era, and the products produced cannot be accurate. At present, the caliber of the muzzle can only be compared to the production of artillery shells.

Otherwise, the produced shells may not be able to be inserted.

He thought that this precise measurement system should also be established, so that the production of artillery and the production of shells could not interfere with each other.

It only needs to be produced in strict accordance with the size, and this is also necessary for the future industrial development of Qingzhou.

After all, once the lathe can participate in production, a metric is more needed to mass-produce parts.

Although Chen Qi and others are in a hurry, if the artillery is to be tested, some preparations are needed, not only the issue of shells, locations, and transportation.

There is another thing that Chen Qi can't manage, and that is the problem of gunpowder.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ming left the equipment department and went directly to Lu Tong's chemical laboratory.

At this time, the chemical laboratory, like the equipment department, was also handled by guards, and everyone involved in gunpowder production was closely monitored.

The importance of the country cannot be easily revealed to others, and these confidentiality measures are naturally understandable. These things involve the safety of the fief.

These people have become accustomed to this kind of environment.

Compared with the production of artillery, the production of gunpowder is much easier, but what Xiao Ming wants is high-quality gunpowder, because the work of Lu Tong and others is not easy.

Many granular gunpowders are unqualified and will come again.

In such a place, in order to avoid danger, any metal objects are not allowed to be brought in, and the tools here are basically wooden.

This is to prevent the gunpowder from exploding.

Your Highness, why are you here? It's too dangerous. Lu Tong looked anxious when he saw Xiao Ming coming.

This chemistry laboratory is not the one in Bowen College, otherwise Xiao Ming is really worried that one day the entire Bowen College will be blown up by Lu Tong.

Now this chemical laboratory is located outside the city of Qingzhou and adjacent to the workshop area, but it is separated by several hundred meters and surrounded by several walls.

You are not afraid of danger, what is this king afraid of? Xiao Ming said with a smile.

Lu Tong was stunned when he heard the words. He had never contacted other vassal kings, but he still believed that the vassal king in front of him must be different.

In King Qi's body, he could not feel any sense of isolation that is superior to others. On the contrary, Xiao Ming is always approachable and kind.

After a sigh of relief, Lu Tong reacted and said to Xiao Ming, Your Highness, part of the powder gunpowder you ordered has already been produced.

Really? How many? Xiao Ming asked with interest.

Lu Tong took Xiao Ming through the front yard and went straight to the back yard.

When this place was designed, it was both a laboratory and a factory. The first half was the factory, and the laboratory was in the back.

Twenty buildings of various sizes are distributed throughout the area, each with a different function.

The warehouse is also in the backyard, and Lu Tong moved all the gunpowder produced into the warehouse.

Arriving at the warehouse, Lu Tong pointed to a sack and said, Your Highness, this is it, don't know if it's enough?

The sack Lu Tong pointed at was about half a person tall, and it was so thick that a person could hold it. It was estimated that the powder gunpowder inside was about a hundred kilograms.

It's far from enough. Xiao Ming said: We have to speed up the pace. If there are not enough manpower, tell me, I can allocate it to you at any time, and you must increase the output.

This ancient war generally lasted for a long time, and the artillery fired a lot of times. This bag of granular gunpowder was simply not enough for an artillery.

Lu Tong nodded, Yes, Your Highness, I will let people speed up, but Your Highness, this material...

Is there not enough gunpowder material? Xiao Ming frowned.

Yes, this saltpeter usually comes from several nitrate caves in Shu, and there is no production in other places. Before His Highness came, Chen Bing and Cao Gang left. He said that all the saltpeter on the market can be bought now, but he will not be able to buy it in the future. No businessman sells saltpeter to Qingzhou.

Lu Tong's remarks made Xiao Ming cold. The current saltpeter in Dayu Kingdom mainly comes from several open-air nitrate caves in Shu.

Because the mining is easy and the demand is not large, Dayu State does not pay much attention to this saltpeter, and basically there is no special mining of saltpeter in other places.

Xiao Ming once checked the resource distribution map in the technology library. There are also saltpeter mines in his fief. He also asked Qian Dafu to keep looking for it, but there is no news yet.

He can't blame Qian Dafu for this. In this era, except for open-air minerals that are easy to find, finding those buried minerals is no less than looking for a needle in a haystack.

He asked Qian Dafu to look for a lot of minerals, and now Qian Dafu has been looking for it.

Although it is very hard to live in the wind and sleep, but so far there has been very little harvest, and there is no news of the saltpeter mine.

Now there is a problem with the source of saltpeter, which is a heavy blow to Xiao Ming.

Seeing Xiao Ming's uncertain expression, Lu Tong hesitated and asked, Your Highness, do you think this is the ghost of the King of Shu?