The Rise of Ming Dynasty 1646

Chapter 5 Rent a Workshop
Zhu Linmei suddenly remembered that a firearms expert named Bi Hekang had designed a flintlock gun in the late Ming Dynasty, which seemed to be called "Self-generated Firebolt", so he simply said, "Do you know about Self-generated Firebolt?"

"Naturally, there are patterns in the warehouse." Xu Tong said impatiently, "Why do you ask this?"

Zhu Linmei did not expect that there are drawings of self-generated firecrackers here. It must be known that later generations only know about self-generated firecrackers with a picture and a few texts in "Illustrations of Military Weapons", without any other information.

He was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Can you make this blunderbuss?"

Xu Tong shook his head, turned back and locked the warehouse, "I don't have time to mess with this for you. Make a new gun? You buy one or two and it's not enough for me to make a model. Do you want a bird gun? If you don't, just leave quickly."

Zhu Linmi wanted to ask again, when she heard a noise behind her.

He turned his head to look, and saw six or seven dirty men wearing rough clothes and thick aprons around their necks rushing towards them.

"Master Xu is here! Come quickly."

"Master Xu, the wages are agreed upon, the family is still waiting for money to buy rice!"

"How can the thatched roof of the dilapidated work shed be worth seven taels of silver?"

"Master Xu, back then..."

There was a small official next to him trying to stop him, "Do you guys have any rules? What are you shouting about?! Go back!"

Seeing a few people flocking to him, Xu Tong didn't panic, and said with a smile on his face, "Why, do you want to rebel?"

He pointed at the leading middle-aged craftsman and said, "Lu Ning, you still dare to make trouble? No one knows about your old background in Jiangxi, right?"

The middle-aged craftsman immediately shrank his neck when he heard the words, and dared not speak any more.In his early years, he was falsely accused and convicted in his hometown in Jiangxi, and fled to Fujian, but somehow Xu Tong learned about it.

Seeing that the scene was calmed down, Xu Tong glanced coldly at the few people in front of him, "You have destroyed the workshop of the Ordnance Bureau, and I will spend more than ten taels to repair it. How dare you talk nonsense if you only pay one tael each? "

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark-skinned man said with a bitter face: "Master Xu, I will accept the penalty for one tael, but you have to give me the rest of the wages."

Xu Tong stared, "Who said you won't be paid? In a few months, the Ministry of Industry's money will be given to you as soon as it arrives. It's not just your wages that haven't been paid."

"Master Xu, we can't leave unless we get paid."

Xu Tong winked at the little official at the side, "Liu Hong, drive these troublemakers out of me."

"Yes, my lord."

Hearing this, several rough-clothed men knelt down around Xu Tong, begging repeatedly.

Zhu Linmei frowned slightly, looked at Xu Tong and said, "Who are they?"

The dark-skinned man saw Zhu Linmi's well-dressed clothes and extraordinary appearance, so he only regarded him as an official, so before Xu Tong could speak, he raised his head and said, "My lord, some time ago there was a civil disturbance in Tingzhou. The bird-making gun called me and other craftsmen to help. Now that the work is finished, they say that everyone will deduct a tael of silver for the collapse of the roof of the shed yesterday. Eat with this silver."

It was only then that Zhu Linming realized that these were civilian craftsmen temporarily hired by the Military Weapons Bureau.

At the side Liu Honghu chased people away with a face, but he couldn't move these strong people at all.

Surrounded in the middle, Xu Tong couldn't get out, and frowned in disgust. Just as he was about to call out, he heard Zhu Linmei say, "Master Xu, I have a suggestion. I will pay these people's wages for you." , I will also repair the work shed.”

"Oh?" Xu Tong squinted at him, knowing that there was more to come.

"You just need to lend me that work shed for a few days," Zhu Linmi thought for a while, and then said, "Let me also have a look at the pattern of self-generating firecrackers."

Xu Tong was distressed when he heard the words, and he hesitated: "How can this workshop of the Armament Bureau be used for personal use?"

Zhu Lin said in her heart that you dared to sell the firearms of the Armaments Bureau to private individuals, but instead of using a workshop, you became more reserved?He first helped up the craftsman who was kneeling on the ground, and then leaned into Xu Tong's ear, "50 taels, let me use the workshop for ten days."

Xu Tong's eyelids twitched when he heard the word "50 taels", and he thought to himself, the fire rate of the self-igniting firecracker is too low, and it has been trial-produced a few times in the early years, and it has nothing to do with it, so it is not considered a secret.The wages of these seven craftsmen are only more than 20 taels, plus these 50 taels, one entry and one exit are more than 70 taels, so there is nothing to hesitate about.

He coughed and waved his hands to the craftsmen, "Go to the workshop and wait, and the wages will be given to you later."

After the craftsmen walked away, Xu Tong said to Zhu Lin: "Okay, Mr. Su will use the shed for ten days. However, you will have to pay for the consumption of carbon, wood, copper and iron during the period."

Zhu Linmi sighed in her heart, fortunately she is the prince's son, so she doesn't need to be distressed if she spends a few dozen taels of silver.You know, nowadays 70 taels of silver is enough for a family of three for six or seven years.

He made an agreement with Xu Tong, and after asking about the wages owed to the craftsmen, he realized that Qiao Qian had a bitter face.

It was only after questioning that they found out that they were in a hurry to go out, and they only had less than 50 taels of silver left.

Zhu Linmi had no choice but to send Qiao Qian back to the palace to get the silver taels.

The work shed that Xu Tong lent him was very simple, surrounded by four-foot-high wooden railings, and a half-collapsed ceiling was added.The blacksmithing stove had been turned off, and a few tools were randomly thrown on the anvil, and the drilling machine and mill beside it had all been cleaned up.

Zhu Linmi first took out more than 20 taels of silver to the craftsmen to settle the wages owed by the Armament Bureau, and then offered them ten days of taels of silver to hire them to make guns.

These craftsmen usually earn at most two taels of silver a month. Now that they have such high wages, and they also know that Zhu Linming paid the wages owed by the Military Bureau, they naturally agree to it.

Among these craftsmen was a carpenter, and with the help of several others, the collapsed roof of the workshop was repaired within half an hour.Zhu Linmi bought a new beam to replace the original one that was eaten by moths for only a few pennies.

At this time, Xu Tong also sent the drawings of the self-generating firecrackers. There are three sheets in total, and all the small parts are clearly drawn.

But when Zhu Linmi saw the size of the firecracker, she couldn't help smiling wryly—this blunderbuss was two feet long and weighed five catties and five ounces. It was clearly a long-handed blunderbuss for cavalry!

Only then did he understand why self-generated fire blunderbusses had not been taken seriously in the late Ming Dynasty.Most of the cavalry of the Ming Dynasty were from the north, and they had a soft spot for the three-eyed blunderbuss that could be used as hammers.In addition, flintlock guns such as self-generating guns are expensive, so it is reasonable to be neglected.

It's a pity that expert Bi invented this sharp weapon. If it is popularized in the Ming army, cavalry maneuvering tactics can also be seen in the land of China.

However, it is easier to improve on this basis than to start from scratch.

Zhu Linmei asked the craftsmen to build the bolt action according to the drawing. As for the gun barrel and the gun bed, they were doubled from the original drawing, and the butt was enlarged to make a standard rifle.

For the army of this era, infantry rifles are the core equipment, and of course this should be the focus of development.

(End of this chapter)