A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 178 Xu Yue'e Is Missing
Wang Dou stopped abruptly, and said to Lai Yuanlong and Li Maosen, "Okay, Ambassador Lai and Li Guanshi, this hydraulic drilling machine is really wonderful. You two have made great contributions. I decided to vigorously promote the establishment of this hydraulic drilling machine in Shun Township Castle. It is used to make firecrackers."

He pondered for a while: "This kind of hydraulic drilling machine, let's build a hundred at first."

Everyone took a deep breath, a hundred seats, Mr. Cheng has such a big taste.

Lin Daofu stepped forward and said in a low voice: "My lord, if we want to build a hundred hydraulic drilling machines, it will cost a lot of money and food."

Wang Dou said: "Master Lin, you don't have to worry about this matter. For the relevant money and food expenses, you draw up a form, and I will reply after careful review. However, the establishment of these one hundred hydraulic drilling machines is imperative."

In the past, Wang Dou's craftsmen in Shunxiangbao could only make more than 100 firecrackers and more than 100 pairs of iron armor in a month. At the peak, they had made [-] firecrackers and fifty pairs of iron armor.After Wang Dou became the integrity officer of Baoanzhou City, he obtained more than [-] military craftsmen from the state city.However, due to the opening of various factories in Shunxiang Fort, many skilled craftsmen were scattered, and the gunsmith factory now has fewer craftsmen, and the speed of making firecrackers has even slowed down.

Wang Dou also planned to divert some artisans from the Gunsmith Factory to build an armor factory, and the manpower of the craftsmen was even more insufficient.The footsteps of Wang Dou's expansion of the army are imminent, and the problem of skilled craftsmen has always troubled him. Now with this hydraulic drilling machine, the problem is much easier to solve.

If Shun Xiangbao builds [-] hydraulic drilling machines, one craftsman will take care of [-] drilling machines, and [-] hydraulic drilling machines will only need [-] craftsmen to take care of them. The rest of the craftsmen in the gunsmith factory can free up their hands to make firecrackers. other parts of.Not only that, one hydraulic drilling machine can drill five gun barrels a month, and one hundred hydraulic drilling machines can drill five hundred gun barrels a month, using less manpower, but it is five times the production efficiency of the previous craftsmen in Shunxiangbao. times as much.

With such an obvious technical advantage, although the cost of this hydraulic drilling machine is relatively high, it is still very worthwhile for Wang Dou.He comes from a later generation, and he knows the advantages of mechanical power over manual power. He has the opportunity to use it for improvement, why not use it?
The matter was decided in this way, not only this result, Lai Yuanlong was in Shun Township Castle these days, and even studied with Li Maosen how to use the hydraulic forging hammer armor barrel, and had certain research results.

Lai Yuanlong showed Wang Dou a strange machine, which also used water power. No matter how Wang Dou looked at it, it was like a hydraulic rice pounding machine he had seen.Yes, Lai Yuanlong's source of inspiration is the hydraulic rice pounder in the Ming Dynasty.

Speaking of which, the hydraulic rice pounding machine appeared as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties. The principle is very simple. One end of the long water hammer is connected to the stone mortar, and the other end is connected to a square water tank. Then, bamboo is used as a water pipe to introduce water into the water tank. When the water tank is full, the weight of the water causes the box to sink, and the water pestle at the other end is lifted high.When the water in the box is poured out, the box becomes lighter and rises up, and the water pestle at the other end will fall down, pounding the rice heavily.In this way, it does not require manpower at all, which is very convenient.

Lai Yuanlong borrowed the idea of ​​the hydraulic rice pounder, but only improved some parts. The technology is not yet mature. When it is perfected one day, it is completely feasible to use it for hammering armor barrels.

After seeing these hydraulic machines, Wang Dou was very excited. The scientific and technological power under his rule had finally accumulated to a certain extent. Given time, when the opportunity is ripe, will the industrial revolution of Ming Dynasty be born under his rule?

……

After leaving the firearms factory, Wang Dou also inspected the Shunxiangbao gunpowder factory. The Li Daji Nitrate Officer invented granular gunpowder, which increased the power of the gunpowder and increased the range of the gunpowder.However, correspondingly, the chamber pressure of the gun barrel also increased, and the high-power gunpowder would cause the original strong gun barrel to re-emerge the danger of blasting the chamber, so how to improve and adapt to it was also a complicated project.After the successful development of new gunpowder, these days, Li Zhifen is experimenting with the best matching ratio of gunpowder and gunpowder.

Also in April, Shun Xiangbao opened a new pig farm, which was in charge of Qi Tianliang's wife Tao Shi. There were hundreds of pigs, including more than 300 piglets and more than 200 sows. Dou sees that many sows are pregnant and are expected to give birth to piglets soon. By the beginning of next year, the number of pigs to be slaughtered in Shunxiangbao Pig Farm is expected to reach more than 300, and there are still thousands of tons of pig manure available for use. Fertile fields, good prospects.

However, it was not easy to raise pigs on a large scale in the Ming Dynasty. Everyone in Shunxiangbao lacked such raising experience, especially the lack of veterinarians. A swine fever may destroy the Shunxiangbao pig farm.Picking pigweed and harvesting the straw for the whole nest is not an easy job, and the pigs also need a lot of bran and bean cakes.

When Wang Dou came to the pig farm, dozens of women were busy in the pig house, shoveling away pig manure, washing the pig pens, feeding pig food, etc. The whole pig farm had a foul smell that made people sick. Miss Ji, who was following behind Wang Dou, couldn't help covering her mouth and nose, seeing the quick movements and calm demeanor of those busy women, she blinked her eyes vigorously.

Wang Dou glanced at her, and said with a smile: "That's how the delicious meat on the dinner table comes from. If you can't stand it, I'll ask the guards to take you back to Zhoucheng."

Miss Ji rolled Wang Dou's eyes, and followed behind him without saying a word.

Next to the Shunxiangbao pig farm, there is also a chicken farm and a duck farm, each with hundreds of chickens and ducks. They mainly feed on the pig manure from the pig farm. Wang Dou built a chicken farm in Shunxiangbao. The purpose of the duck farm is not only to produce eggs for military and civilian consumption, but also to drive away chickens and ducks to eat insects if there are locusts.

In the end, Wang Dou, accompanied by Lin Daofu, went to Dongling Mountain and Xiling Mountain, more than a dozen miles away from Shun Township Castle, and inspected the sheep farms, cattle farms and horse farms located there. To his satisfaction, Shun Township Fort finally produced gratifying results under his planning and management.

When Wang Dou returned to Zhoucheng, Lin Daofu, Sun Sanjie, Gao Shiyin and others who stayed in Shunxiang Fort saw him off respectfully. When Dou was about to get on his horse and set off, he suddenly pulled the horse's head, and said to Wang Dou with a mournful face: "My lord, I have committed a crime, and there is one thing that I did not mention to my lord."

Wang Dou was a little strange: "Brother Gao, what's wrong with you?"

Gao Shiyin glanced at Miss Ji who was beside Wang Dou, and Wang Dou looked at Miss Ji, and saw that her family and guards were all far away, and said, "Tell me what's going on."

Gao Shiyin said: "In March, the lower official was ordered to suppress the bandits. At that time, Miss Xu in the fort found the lower official and said that she would join the army to fight. The lower official agreed because of her outstanding skills."

Wang Douqi asked, "Miss Xu?"

After thinking for a while, he remembered that it was Xu Yue'e, and couldn't help but frowned: "Nonsense."

He saw Miss Ji pricked up his ears, glanced at her, and said in a deep voice, "Go on."

Gao Shiyin's face was embarrassed, and he argued in a low voice: "At that time, the lower officials thought that there was a shortage of sergeants in the general army, Miss Xu was outstanding in skills, and she was your fellow countryman, my lord. I was thinking of this relationship, and the lower officials let her join the army."

He quickly said: "The little lady Xu led a few sworn sisters to enlist in the army, and fought with the army to suppress the bandits. The record is astonishing."

Gao Shiyin still finds it inconceivable when he thinks about it now, he said: "Miss Xu and the seven girls killed more than [-] bandits in total, and captured a lot of money. The soldiers in our general army all admire them .”

Wang Dou was also surprised. Gao Shiyin explained Xu Yuee's and others' gun-shield combined attack tactics in detail. Wang Dou pondered for a long time, then he said slowly: "Then where are Miss Xu and others now? Go and recruit them. The officer will inquire carefully."

Gao Shiyin said with a sad face: "It's gone. From the day before yesterday, Miss Xu and others came to the teaching ground to practice, and the lower officials sent people to the orphan barracks to inquire. The steward said that in the morning of the day before yesterday, all seven of Miss Xu left the camp. , I haven’t returned for several days, and I don’t know where to go.”

All the separated women who lived in the orphanage barracks had married other men. Only Xu Yue'e and other seven people were unwilling to marry, and they still lived in the orphanage barracks.According to what Gao Shiyin said, after Xu Yuee and others came back from suppressing the bandits, they took a total of dozens of taels of silver rewards based on their military merits. Hearing that Xu Yuee didn't take any money, they distributed all the silver rewards to several women under his command.After returning to the castle, they remained quiet and did not behave strangely, but unexpectedly, they all disappeared the day before yesterday.

There was a rumor that they saw Xu Yue'e and other seven women holding spears and shields, and they seemed to be carrying some simple packages. No one knew where they were going when they left Shun Township Fort.

Lin Daofu was listening, and his face was ugly: "I haven't seen you for a few days, could it be that Miss Xu and the others have become deserters?"

Shunxiangbao military households went out of the city every day to farm and work, and people came and went. Some military households in the city did not disappear for a day or two, and it was difficult for ordinary people to detect it. It was judged that the person was a deserter.In Shunxiang Fort, the deadline is seven days. If Xu Yuee and the others really left Shunxiang Fort privately and did not plan to return, it would be the first case of desertion after Wang Dou ruled Shunxiang Fort. Never before.

This incident is surprising, and Xu Yuee and others are now Gao Shiyin's subordinates. If Xu Yuee escaped from the army, Gao Shiyin would also be guilty if the investigation was carried out.And Lin Daofu is the defense officer of Shun Township Castle, and he is also responsible for lax supervision.No wonder the two looked ugly.

Wang Dou was silent for a long time, and said: "Let the matter of Xu Yue'e be dealt with by Master Zhen Fuchi."

After leaving the dejected Gao Shiyin and others, Wang Dou turned back to Zhoucheng. On the way, Wang Dou quietly thought about Xu Yue'e.Miss Ji rode her horse over and whispered to Wang Dou: "Wang Dou, just now your subordinate said that those women named Xu Yue'e enlisted in the army and killed a lot of enemies?"

Wang Dou didn't answer, and Miss Ji exclaimed: "It's a shame that women don't give in to men, but it's a pity that we don't have the chance to see them."

……

Back in Zhoucheng, Wang Dou parted from Mrs. Ji. Wang Dou looked at Mrs. Ji. At this time, the woman was unexpectedly quiet. She looked at Wang Dou quietly for a while, and said softly: "Wang Dou, today I I'm really happy...don't worry, I won't talk nonsense about some things."

(End of this chapter)