Steel Dynasty - Chapter 461

[Chapter 461 Steam Engine Workshop]

The cold texture of metal came from the barrel of the flintlock gun.

Lifting the flintlock gun and aiming forward, Xiao Ming said: “Maybe you can try another kind of bullet, which will be easier to load with round projectiles.” The

flintlock gun has been produced and equipped for some time, Xiao Ming said We have been mentally prepared for the emergence of rifled guns. In the contemporary era, the first rifled gun was born in the early 15th century. This rifled gun is collectively called a rifle.

In the early seventeenth century, the Danish army in Europe was the first to use rifles. However, the production of rifled guns at this time was complicated and loading was very difficult. This resulted in rifled guns not existing on a large scale in European armies, but as part of the flint gun. A skirmish line existed for the musketeers to attack.

At the same time, the difficulty of loading is part of it. The low-intensity explosives such as black powder also make the range of the rifled gun not too outstanding. However, compared with the smoothbore gun, the range of the rifled gun based on black powder has increased from 90 meters to about 200 meters. This is already pretty good.

Now he can’t change the black powder, but for Xiao Ming, he can change the bullet. After all, he is very aware of the disadvantages of rifled guns and knows how to overcome these disadvantages. What he told Song Changping was the later Minie bullet.

“Is your Highness talking about the cylindrical-headed bullets in the books?” Song Changping said: “It is precisely because of the difficulty in loading round lead bullets that the official is trying to produce this kind of cylindrical-headed bullets.” “

You are already making this kind of bullets.”

Bullets? Yes, your progress is getting bigger and bigger now.” Xiao Ming laughed.

The Minie rifle with the Minie cartridge is a front-loading rifled rifle of the 19th century. This rifle is very powerful and can shoot up to 900 meters, and can ensure accuracy within 500 meters.

It’s a pity that Song Changping’s rifled gun and the reproduced Minie bullets have met the requirements of this kind of rifle, but they can’t keep up with the gunpowder. After all, the gunpowder used in the Minie rifles of that period was all strong gunpowder.

Therefore, according to his estimation, Song Changping’s rifled gun combined with Mini bullets can at least achieve a range of about 300 meters, and there is no problem in maintaining accuracy within 150 meters.

And because this kind of bullet is slightly smaller than the caliber of a rifle, it solves the problem of the bullet being too large to fit into the barrel or blocking the barrel when loading the bullet.

Because the slightly smaller Minie bullet can be easily pushed into the gun bore with the ejector rod, the rate of fire is greatly increased.

At the same time, the Minie bullet is threaded around the projectile to match the rifling. Animal oil is used to fill the middle of the thread, and cork material is used at the bottom of the bullet.

When shooting, the gunpowder gas impacts the cork, and the cork suddenly expands the bullet after the instant impact.

The bullet is enlarged, so the bullet itself can be relied upon to complete the sealing of the chamber at the moment of launch, without leaking gunpowder gas and causing the loss of kinetic energy of the bullet, thereby greatly increasing the range of the bullet.

This is also the reason why Xiao Ming concluded that after using Mini bullets, Song Changping’s rifled gun could increase the range to 300 meters or even 400 meters.

“But it is a pity that the production of this kind of bullet is more troublesome, and soldiers cannot make spare bullets anytime and anywhere on the battlefield.” Song Changping said.

Xiao Ming said: “There are advantages and disadvantages. The manufacturing cycle of rifled guns is long, so we can temporarily produce small batches to equip the troops. And now that Lin Wentao has developed the steam engine, it may not be a problem after a while. You should focus on research now when you go back.” Let’s talk about how to draw rifling and produce cylindrical bullets. “

Song Changping nodded. He used a hook knife to pull out this rifled gun by hand. It was very time-consuming and laborious, although he didn’t know what steam engine Xiao Ming was talking about. , but it seems to be a very powerful thing.

Leaving the rifled gun behind, Song Changping told Xiao Ming some tips on manufacturing rifled guns before returning to the military workshop.

He came here mainly to seek Xiao Ming’s opinion on rifled guns. Now that he has the power support of Xiao Ming, he will be free to produce new rifled guns after he returns.

Watching Song Changping leave, Xiao Ming looked at the first rifled gun in the Chongqing Kingdom with a smile. He was very comforted by the day-by-day progress of the fiefdom.

With these technological foundations, he feels that his fiefdom is becoming more and more secure, but the most important thing for him now is how to apply steam engines to the production of all walks of life in Qingzhou today.

Thinking of this, he thought carefully all night. The next day he went to the Equipment Department and asked Lin Wentao and Zhang Liuju to come over.

“Your Highness.”

Lin Wentao was still in an excited mood because of the advent of the steam engine, but Zhang Liu seemed much calmer, because the equipment department was the first to follow Xiao Ming and had seen too many changes.

Xiao Ming thought for a long time last night and decided to let Lin Wentao and Zhang Liu set up the Qingzhou Steam Engine Workshop, which is to mass-produce steam engines. Therefore, he said: “The reason for calling you here is very simple. Now you two will be responsible for the production of steam engines.” , To this end, I am planning to set up a special workshop. This workshop will be in charge of the two of you, with Lin Wentao as the workshop supervisor and Zhang Liu as the deputy workshop supervisor. “

“Steam engine workshop?” Lin Wentao became excited when he heard this. His identity is just a student, and now he wants to become a workshop supervisor. This status is directly comparable to Chen Qi and Lu Tong, so he is naturally happy.

Zhang Liu also smiled. This was a status promotion for both of them.

“What? Not happy.” Xiao Ming joked.

“Yes, yes, how can we not be willing?” Lin Wentao and Zhang Liu laughed at the same time.

Xiao Ming nodded and handed a book to Zhang Liu. This book recorded how to combine steam engines with other machinery. In the future, Lin Wentao would be responsible for production and technical improvement, while he would be responsible for the use of steam engines.

Zhang Liu took the book and flipped through it, and was deeply shocked. In his eyes, Xiao Ming was now an omniscient and omnipotent being.

After deciding on the personnel, all that remains is the issue of location, funding and craftsmen in the workshop.

In order to allow the steam engine workshop to start production one day earlier, he ruthlessly transferred half of the craftsmen in the Equipment Department to Lin Wentao.

The craftsman of this equipment department has always been Xiao Ming’s royal craftsman, and now that he has reluctantly given up his favor, it is clear that he is determined to use steam engines.

The three people agreed on the matter, and Xiao Ming immediately asked Chen Wenlong to select a factory in the workshop area. At the same time, he asked Lin Wentao to send the first steam engine to the lathe workshop and combine it with a boring machine to cut the cylinder.

The difficulty in steam engine production is the cutting of cylinders. Now that the first steam engine is laid, the efficiency will naturally increase.

After establishing a steam engine workshop, Xiao Ming sent the structural drawings of the Jenny textile machine to Chen Wenlong for the remaining craftsmen to produce.

This year he wants Qingzhou’s textile industry to dominate the Chongqing Kingdom.

(End of chapter)