Chapter 191 Success does not have to be with me.
Su Ze and Eunuch Hu and Eunuch Tao, led by Little Eunuch You, came to a workshop on the edge of the Minjiang River.
Eunuch Hu looked at his adopted son in confusion. When was such a workshop built in the mine?
Eunuch Hu has been obsessed with the chemical experiment materials Su Ze wrote to him recently. He is so busy in the laboratory every day that he doesn't notice the workshop at all.
Su Ze smiled slightly. When Su Ze was tossing the water wheel, Little Eunuch You also noticed it. He quickly asked Su Ze whether the water wheel could drive a heavy hammer to forge metal?
Su Ze asked Uncle Zong Yuan, a master craftsman of the shipyard, to build this hydraulic workshop in the rapids of the upper reaches of the Min River near the mine.
Eunuch Tao watched with great interest the thundering hammer of the water wheel, but Su Ze led them deeper into the workshop.
"Little Eunuch You, is it ready for use?"
Little Eunuch You nodded. He pulled a wooden pole and opened the sluice gate. He only saw the river water beginning to flow into a large wooden barrel.
The barrel and the sledgehammer were connected together with a sling. As more and more water filled the barrel, the sledgehammer was pulled up by the sling.
When the water in the barrel was almost full, Little Eunuch You immediately shouted: "Get out of the way!"
He saw the bottom of the barrel opened, the water drained out, and the big hammer suddenly fell from the air, heavily. It hit the anvil.
The impact of the hammer and anvil erupted into sparks, and both Eunuch Tao and Eunuch Hu were startled by this astonishing power.
Su Ze pointed to the punch and introduced: "This is a hydraulic punch, which can be used to make hundreds of forged steel billets."
Little Eunuch You was very proud that this punch can be used to forge steel billets and then divide them into small pieces. Just let the water wheel forging hammer in front hit it, and you can make quite good steel.
In fact, this kind of water-powered machine is not very stable, and the striking power of the water wheel forging hammer is not very strong. In fact, it is almost the same as a weapon made by an experienced blacksmith.
But the advantage of this workshop is that it saves effort!
It only takes a few craftsman apprentices to forge a weapon that would take a good craftsman a month.
With such equipment, Little Eunuch You can focus more on the alloy ratio and continue to experiment with steel materials with more suitable ratios.
Su Ze said: "Since ancient times, money has been minted using the Qianfan casting method."
Eunuch Tao nodded. He was ordered to mint coins, so he had naturally done some research.
The so-called Qian Fan casting is to pour the burned copper water into the stone Qian Fan, wait until it cools down and open the Qian Fan, and you can get the copper coin with the front and back imprinted.
Ancient Chinese coins were all cast, while the coins we use in modern times are all stamped.
The stamping method is much simpler than coining. The raw material brass required for making coins is pressed into copper plates, and then the copper plates are cut into copper billets.
After heating these copper blanks, they are placed on a printing machine such as a hydraulic punch to stamp out the patterns on the coins.
This method of making coins is more efficient than the coin making method, and the coins produced by the printing machine have clearer and more standard textures. It can also print complex graphics such as portraits, flowers, and buildings. The coins produced are naturally More refined.
Su Ze explained the principle of the printing machine, and then asked little Eunuch You: "Little Eunuch You, can you make this printing machine?" Little Eunuch You thought for a while and said, "
Here are the things needed for this printing machine. We have everything, but the hydraulic ram needs to be modified. Godfather, I can do it."
Eunuch Hu was very satisfied, and Eunuch Tao was even more overjoyed.
"But."
Eunuch Tao looked at Su Ze.
Su Ze said: "However, if the coins made by the printing machine need to have a central hole, then an additional drilling process will be needed, which will slow down the coin minting speed." "Can't you directly
drill holes in the mold of the printing machine? ?"
Su Ze shook his head and said: "The copper coins I made are round on the outside and square on the inside. Each square hole must be aligned, so the working efficiency of the printing machine is too low." "If you want to
make square holes, you have to do it afterwards. Just grind it again."
Eunuch Tao said anxiously: "The promotion of money can't be delayed!"
Su Ze said: "This machine is like this. Eunuch Tao has another way, that is to change the style of money."
" Instead of using an outer circle and an inner square, round coins are cast directly." "
In fact, ancient artificial coins contained square holes to facilitate demoulding. Nowadays, when printing machine-made coins, there is no need to demould. In fact, there is no need to Leave a square hole."
"Another use of the square hole is that it can be threaded with hemp rope. My father-in-law wants to mint large-denomination copper coins, so there is no need to leave a square hole." Nowadays, one tael of silver in Nanping County is
one Thousands and five hundred coins, that is, one copper coin, are not used in daily transactions.
Basically, ten copper coins are put into a string, or a hundred copper coins are put into a big string for use.
Su Ze said: "You can mint slightly smaller new coins and use them as ten old coins, and then mint slightly larger new coins and use them as fifty old coins." Su Ze took out another Spanish silver coin
. , and the Roman silver coins he found in Moon Harbor.
"This is a silver coin pressed by the Western Yi people. It has complicated patterns and is very popular overseas. Our court can also mint such coins." Eunuch Tao touched these
two foreign silver coins, and they were indeed very exquisite.
The Spanish silver coin is from Mexico, with the cross coat of arms on the obverse and the Crusader emblem on the reverse.
The ancient Roman silver coin was a Caesar silver coin, with a profile of Caesar on the front and a standing image of Venus holding a scepter and the goddess of victory on the back. This silver coin was also well preserved and was picked out by Su Ze for collection.
"Who is this? He actually printed his face on the coins?"
Eunuch Tao exclaimed.
Su Ze thought for a while and said: "There is a saying in the Han Dynasty that there is a country in the far west called Da Qin, and this person is Huo Guang of Da Qin." Eunuch Tao suddenly realized that
although he had never entered the imperial study room to study, he also understood who Huo Guang was. , he immediately scolded: "Such powerful officials dared to engrave their heads on coins, they are indeed arrogant."
Su Ze added: "Later he was executed."
"Well done to these powerful officials! He should be executed!"
Tao Gonggong clearly expressed his stance on safeguarding imperial power, completely unaware that there was no emperor in the Caesar era.
Su Ze smiled and continued: "Can we print Taoist symbols on the front of the coins, and my father-in-law will submit it to His Majesty for your decision?"
Eunuch Tao thought for a while, if it was really possible to use very little copper to cast better-looking copper coins. , the emperor and ministers should not object.
But whether what Su Ze said is feasible or not depends on the finished product first.
So Eunuch Tao stayed in the mine, and with the help of Su Ze, Eunuch You began to make printing machines and forge brass alloys.
The synthesis of brass alloy is not complicated, but the printing machine does take a lot of effort.
Copper is not as malleable as gold and silver, and requires greater pressure to cast patterns. Su Ze and Little Eunuch You were busy for five days before transforming the hydraulic punch into a printing machine.
On May 10th, everyone came to the workshop again. Little Eunuch You put ten cut brass blocks into the stamping and printing machine, then opened the gate and started pouring water.
The hydraulic hammer gradually rose. When it reached mid-air, the water in the bucket leaked and the heavy stamp hammer came down.
Little Eunuch You once again filled up the water and raised the hammer, only to see that ten brass blocks were stamped into round, yellow coins.
Eunuch Tao immediately went over and took the copper coin off the mold. When he saw the clear patterns on it, he couldn't close his mouth.
[Discovered in the Mint, where you can learn the skill 'Metallurgy'. Do you want to learn it? ]
[ Found the mint where you can learn the skill 'casting and forging'. Do you want to learn it? 】
Su Ze was overjoyed and naturally chose "yes".
[The skill 'Forging' can be merged into the skill 'Forging'. Should it be merged? ]
"Yes" [Skills have been merged, Casting and Forging, Lv4, 100/400]
[Metallurgy, Lv1, 1/100]
After a few days of calculation, the words "Jiajing Tongbao" are written on the front of this new copper coin, and the center of the coin is Overseas Immortal. Relief of Island Horai.
On the reverse side is written "Emperor of Longevity", with the word "Dang Shi" in the middle.
The weight of the entire copper coin is heavier than the Song Dynasty coins popular in Fujian. In fact, the copper content is similar to that of the Song Dynasty coins. However, because of the use of brass alloys, the entire coin is more yellow and looks yellow.
The more Eunuch Tao looked at this copper coin, the more he couldn't put it down. Such exquisite copper coins could not be imitated by the private sector, and they seemed to be of high quality. It would be no problem to put them on the market as dozens of coins.
In addition to being ten, Su Ze also minted copper coins that were "twenty" and "fifty".
These two copper coins are slightly larger than the "Dang Shi" coins, with reliefs of the abbot and Erxian Mountain in Yingzhou printed on them.
Eunuch Tao, who participated in the entire coinage process, knew that this "ten" coin was similar to casting ordinary Song Dynasty coins, and because it was not cast with a coin mold, it saved the cost of fire and demoulding.
The cost of making twenty and fifty coins is slightly higher than that of ten coins. The copper in the treasury of Fujian Zhensi Yamen is enough for casting.
However, according to Young Eunuch You, if more workshops can be set up, the speed of copper smelting, copper plate rolling and coinage can be greatly accelerated.
Eunuch Tao said to Su Ze: "Mr. Su! If the 'Three Immortals Coin' can be recognized by the court, you have done a great job!"
Based on Eunuch Tao's understanding of Emperor Jiajing, such an exquisite Three Immortals Coin will definitely be recognized by the emperor. favorite.
Eunuch Tao said again: "I want to express my merits for Mr. Su!"
Su Ze shook his head and said: "Tao Dajuan, please don't attach my name."
Eunuch Hu and Eunuch Xiaoyou also said: "There is no need to attach my name." name."
Eunuch Tao was stunned, and Su Ze added: "If the palace asks, Eunuch Tao can say that this method was taught by an immortal in a dream, and that's why we have these three immortal coins. Your Majesty will definitely like it more." Tao Eunuch
. When the father-in-law thought that this was indeed the case, he quickly said: "But you guys?"
Su Ze said with a smile: "If you can achieve something, why would you regret this little fame? And Su is going to take the imperial examination."
Eunuch Tao suddenly realized, Generally speaking, the emperor rewarded the meritorious officials from other dynasties with the position of Jinyiwei.
Since Su Ze wants to take the imperial examination, the position of Jinyiwei is not suitable.
Thinking about it, with Su Ze's talent, he will definitely have to go to high school for the palace examination in the future. Eunuch Tao quickly said apologetically: "This is really embarrassing, sir." Su Ze said with a smile: "We are all
doing things for His Majesty, the success does not have to be mine. Well!"
Seeing Su Ze's arrogance, Eunuch Tao only had two words in his heart - "loyal minister"!
What a loyal minister! This is the most loyal minister!
For His Majesty's great cause, regardless of the reputation, Eunuch Tao was full of admiration for Su Ze.
He immediately said: "If the coinage is successful, Mr. Su will be indispensable!"
Since you don't want fame, just compensate him with money.
If the imperial court can really approve the use of stamping machines to mint coins, it will definitely make a lot of money. It is Eunuch Tao who can make the final decision to share some of the profits with Su Ze.
This time Su Ze did not refuse, nor did Eunuch Hu and his son.
Eunuch Hu and Eunuch Xiaoyou don't want to share the credit, also because they don't want to return to the palace.
The days of doing experiments in Nanping were so exciting. If they returned to the palace, they would have no backstage, and it would be impossible for them to be so free.
In this case, all the credit goes to Eunuch Tao.
The minted Three Immortals coins, together with Eunuch Tao's secret revelations about the coining methods and the "immortal teaching in dreams" coinage method, were sent to the palace through the channel that conveyed urgent military information.
Next, we are waiting for news from the court. If the emperor agrees to mint three immortal coins, then we can start the minting machine immediately!
Su Ze returned to Nanping County and immediately called his close relatives and asked him to deliver a letter to Lin Mojun of Changning Guard.
In the letter, Su Ze asked Lin Mojun to organize Chang Ning Wei's people to secretly purchase Song's money in the market, and asked her to go to Yuegang to purchase copper blocks.
Based on Su Ze's understanding of Emperor Jiajing, the beautifully printed new money will definitely capture his heart, not to mention that Eunuch Tao has already said in his letter that casting big money is profitable.
With the urinary nature of this longevity emperor, he will definitely support the casting of new money.
Fujian has developed commerce, but money shortage has always been a serious problem that restricts commercial development.
That’s why Fujian needs the silver that comes from ocean trade, but everyone knows that silver is a good thing. Although Fujian receives a large amount of silver through smuggling trade every year, a large amount of silver also flows out of Fujian. Money is expensive and things are cheap. Not gone.
And casting high-quality copper coins can indeed unblock the money method very well.
Money itself is based on trust. Even gold and silver currencies are not priced entirely according to the value of precious metals.
If the people of Fujian can recognize that new money with better quality is actually good for business activities, then Changning Wei secretly minting some new money will not affect the entire Fujian business system.
Su Ze's bigger goal is to purchase copper to test cannon casting.
Although some Folan cannons can be purchased in Yuegang, the power of Folan cannons is not great in naval battles.
What can really play a decisive role in naval battles is the front-loaded cannon weighing more than twelve pounds, that is, the Hongyi cannon.
However, the Portuguese's cannon-casting technology was still lagging behind, and Su Ze could not find Spanish or Dutch people to buy cannons.
According to Captain Alfonso, the twelve-pound muzzle-loading cannon is still an advanced technology in Western countries, and it is not enough to be used on warships. The gun manufacturers with the technology to cast it are basically in Europe.
With the unreliability of maritime trade nowadays, even if you find a seller, you don’t know when you can buy it.
In the timeline before Su Ze traveled through time, it was not until the Wanli period in the early seventeenth century that the red cannon began to enter the Ming Dynasty.
Now Su Ze's Level 4 casting skill actually has a method of casting front-loading cannons such as red cannons.
However, the temperature of the blast furnace is not high enough, and the steel produced is not up to standard. If the iron cannon is cast using the sand foundry method, it will not be able to withstand the explosion of the shell and will easily explode.
Su Ze estimates that in order to cast a qualified red cannon, he needs to upgrade his metallurgical skills to Lv10.
But instead of iron cannons, you can use copper cannons!
The melting point of copper is lower than that of iron, and the smelting difficulty of copper alloy is also lower than that of special steel. Several copper cannons can be made first.
Although he was holding on to the deer king's tiger skin, Chang Ning Wei was famous in the Fujian waters for a while.
But Su Ze knew that with the strength of Chang Ning Wei's ships, they would not be able to make any waves in the East Asian waters.
The money earned from robbery and protection fees is not enough to repair the ships on Dong'ao Island, let alone the cost of training sailors.
The waters of East Asia are about to enter a world of great contention. The Ming Dynasty, Japan, Korea, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Dutch, and even the United Kingdom will all compete here.
The prologue of exploration in the Age of Discovery is about to come to an end, and countries around the world are facing an era of more intense maritime competition.
Su Ze looked to the northeast, then to the southeast, and sighed, his biggest enemy was time.
I have read some books recently and gained a new understanding of the maritime situation in East Asia in the sixteenth century. The direction of maritime development may need some adjustments.
It’s not contrary to the previous article, it’s that the protagonist constantly updates his knowledge and proposes more reasonable and feasible solutions.
I’ll leave this aside for now, I’ll write about it later.
The character skill cards are being checked and organized recently and will be released in the free chapter. Thank you all.
(End of chapter)