Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 600 The City of Steel
Jizhou, Zunhua County.

When the whole north was plunged into a world of ice and snow, this place was still bustling and bustling. There was an endless stream of horse-drawn carriages, and people rushed here regardless of the snow.

Not for anything else, because this is the iron smelting center in the north.

Since the Yongle period, Zunhua's iron and steel has become the heart of the Ministry of War. It is the iron factory with the longest official operation in the Ming Dynasty, and it imports hundreds of thousands of catties to Beijing every year.

With the development of the commodity economy, the government-run industry gradually withered. In the ninth year of Wanli, officials and craftsmen were completely abolished, and iron ore and firewood were all leased to the private sector for operation, thus adopting a procurement model.

This scene of people advancing and officials retreating spread all over the Ming Dynasty. For example, Jingdezhen no longer has official kilns, but only folk kilns.

However, as the imperial court moved northward, as the most important iron-smelting center in the north, Zunhua was once again valued.

Thanks to the gathering of ironware, a large number of arsenals were set up here.

When Zhu Jing came here, she accepted the hospitality of the Ordnance Division Langzhong Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng is one of the three apprentices accepted by Wang Yan. Although he is only thirty years old, he is skilled in technology and has amazing management skills, which is impressive.

The emperor had met with Wang Wei quite a lot before, and Wei Sheng naturally saw Zhu Jing often, so he was very enthusiastic because he was on official business.

"Brother Zhu, you came here quite early."

Outside the county seat, Wei Sheng brought a few guards, and saw Zhu Jing coming on horseback from a distance, and greeted him with a smile.

"Master Wei!"

A beautiful one got off the horse, and Zhu Jing returned the salute with a little respect.

"Let's go, a banquet has been set up in the city, just to warm up."

"Thank you for your kindness. It's just that I'm on duty now, and it's really urgent. Let's go to Tie Ye first!"

Zhu Jing declined, her face full of sincerity.

"Let's take a rest overnight!" Wei Sheng shook his head and said, "Tiezhi is located eighty miles west of Zunhua City, so we can't get there in this snowy day."

"OK then!"

Zhu Jing could only compromise and rest in the county town.

However, this Zunhua County is different from the quiet winter in Beidi. The county is overcrowded, full of inns, cars and horses are noisy, and it is full of heat and extremely lively.

"This is a merchant from Northern Zhili who came here to buy and sell ironware."

Wei Sheng pointed to the rows of houses that were emitting heavy smoke, and said: "Thanks to so many pig iron shops, there are more than one hundred blacksmith shops in Zunhua alone, most of them are located in the east of the city, and there are more than a thousand craftsmen and apprentices. , the huge county town is shrouded in smoke and the sound of hammers all day long, which makes people irritated."

"But those businessmen like it. There are two or three streets of inns and restaurants alone, but they are far away from the west of the city."

"I heard that there is a town in Guangdong called Foshan, which produces millions of catties of iron every year. It is the most exquisite in the huge south, and it sells very well."

Zhu Jing was surprised when she heard what she said, and she couldn't help but speak.

"Foshan!" Wei Sheng shook his head and said disdainfully, "Although Zunhua is not as good as it is now, it's just been in chaos for too long. In a year or so, it will be enough to recover."

Foshan is the city of steel today.

The next day, a group of people went west and arrived at Zunhua Tieye.

After a few miles, Zhu Jing smelled the thick smoke.

When I saw it with my own eyes, the whole person was stunned.

They saw a two-foot-high fence lying straight in front of everyone's eyes, and they couldn't see the side at a glance.

Inside the wall, blast furnaces several feet high stood like poles, and the number could not be counted at a time. The monthly output of government-run and private-run iron factories is hard to measure.

A large number of iron ingots were loaded onto the cart, which slowly drove away.

It covers an area of ​​more than [-] mu, with arrow towers, moats, and Wengcheng, which is equivalent to a closely guarded city.

On the other hand, more than a thousand soldiers from the Beijing camp guarded every step of the way, regardless of the slightest slack.

"You can call him the city of craftsmen, or the city of generals, but I like to call him the city of steel."

However, Zhu Jing has a unique vision.

"Why is this snow black?"

"Because there are many workshops of the ordnance department of the ironworks, and many workshops are also located here..."

Wei Sheng smiled: "Burning coal is cheaper than burning firewood. When the smoke rises into the air and coincides with the snowflakes, it will naturally be black."

"From ordinary iron nails, to horseshoes, saddles, gun heads, muskets, cannons, armor, etc., as long as iron is involved, the Ordnance Department will place the workshop here."

"There are more than a hundred of these factories, and about 8000 people are craftsmen, which can supply the production of the entire Beijing camp. If the expansion is doubled, it will not be a problem to supply the whole country..."

"As for military robes, military tents, clothes and socks, etc., they are placed in Tianjin Mansion and Shuntian Mansion. The Ordnance Department definitely has more than [-] people."

Speaking of this, Wei Sheng proudly raised his chest, stretched out his right hand and clenched it tightly, which is the result of his efforts to expand over the past few years.

It is an extremely conspicuous achievement that the craftsman camp with hundreds of people in the past has reached such a large scale.

Zhu Jing praised, but didn't take it seriously in her heart. Ninety percent of such achievements are due to the credit of Wang Yan and the emperor.

"By the way, how is the research on new weapons?"

"this way please--"

Only then did Wei Sheng come to his senses, and invited several people to enter.

This city of craftsmen and steel is extremely lively. There is a workshop every few dozen steps. There are a large number of bare-chested men, and a steady stream of coal gives them an innumerable source of heat.

The heat wave hits the face, and the snowflakes have melted three feet above the ground, and the black snow outside the city before is gone.

Watching the carts of black charcoal arrive, Zhu Jing knew a little more about this city of steel.

The coal from Shuntian Prefecture, the grain from Beijing, and various materials from all over the world made their achievements like this.

Just like Shaowu's three-year budget, more than one million was spent on the Ordnance Department. After a long period of time, what a huge number this is.

But now, something that satisfies him has been born - a musket suitable for cavalry.

"This is based on the improvement of the imperial court's three-eyed gun. The matchlock has been turned into flint for ignition, and the length reaches five feet. Even if there is no gunpowder, it can also be used as a mace—"

As he said that, a slender three-eyed firecracker was placed in front of his eyes.

The style is much more pleasing to the eye than before, but the short board of the three-eyed firecracker is also obvious, the range is short, and the accuracy rate is low, which is flawed.

However, after removing the matchlock, it is much more convenient, enough to be called a good weapon.

Seeing his appearance, Wei Sheng immediately waved his hand again, and a new type of firearm appeared.

It is about a foot long, and looks exquisite.

"This is a spring wheel pistol from Xiyi. It is short in style and has strong concealment. As long as it is loaded before the battle, it can be used as a spare by turning the spring wheel tightly, ready for battle at any time."

Wei Sheng sighed: "This thing has obvious flaws, it's easy to break, and it's extremely precise inside, just like a Xiyi clock, it's hard to use it if it's damaged..."

Hearing that he could prepare in advance, Zhu Jing's eyes lit up instantly: This is a good thing for sneak attack.

(End of this chapter)