My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 219: Another Step Up

As the king and his ministers drank carbonated drinks, the conversation got to the point.

"Your Majesty, the main structure of Songjiang Shipyard is almost completed. This humble minister is responding to Tianfu to coordinate the follow-up affairs."

Li Min took a big sip of Coke and continued, "Shipbuilding steam engines and various supporting equipment also need to be shipped to Songjiang Prefecture. Once the new shipyard is completed, Daming can start building larger ships.

But I do have an idea."

"Oh, Minister Li, please speak frankly."

Zhu Yuanzhang still had full confidence in Li Min's abilities, and the Songjiang Shipyard was nearing completion, which was also good news.

“I have observed that Songjiang and Ningbo have many excellent ports, which are even better than those in Yingtian Prefecture. Therefore, in addition to shipyards, other factories can also be built in Songjiang Prefecture, such as steel mills, machinery factories, sugar factories, etc.

This will facilitate sea transportation, saving the trouble of transporting the goods to Songjiang Prefecture, and can be loaded on the ship locally, saving a lot of freight and time, and secondly..."

Li Min looked around and whispered, "In the Jiangnan area represented by Songjiang, Ningbo and other prefectures, there is still a lot of resistance from the gentry. I am considering opening factories mainly for the court in Songjiang. In this way, we can seize the market that the gentry have not entered in advance in terms of economy, and form an advantage over the gentry. Well, to use a strange word, it is called -

Taking advantage of the geographical conditions of Songjiang's natural seaport, we will build an industrial cluster, form scale advantages, and launch a dimensionality reduction attack on the aristocracy!"

Seeing that Li Min's speech was becoming more and more like Old Li's, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing. "Minister Li, this is a very good idea. Building new factories in Songjiang and other places is not only to curb the aristocracy, but also a need for the development of Ming Dynasty industry. But there is no rush now."

Li Min looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with some suspicion. Is there any resistance in building a factory in Songjiang?

Could it be that the treasury is insufficient?
It shouldn't be like this, he thought. The fleet for the first maritime trade has returned, and the huge profits it brought shocked the court and the public. Even he, who was not in Yingtian Prefecture, heard about it. The income brought by a maritime trade far exceeded the annual fiscal revenue of the Ming Dynasty.

Just when he was confused, Zhu Yuanzhang's words surprised him.

"Minister Li, we have a bigger project waiting for you to take charge!"

A bigger project?
Li Min's heart moved. He was excited whenever he heard about big projects. The Ming Industrial Party was born for big projects.

Taking the thick stack of information from Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Min read it carefully.

"The manufacturing process flow chart of the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle?"

He was shocked, and then asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, is this a new type of rifle?"

"That's right!" Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

"However, what does this Type 5-6 semi-automatic machine mean? I am quite confused!"

"You'll find out if you keep reading."

Ever since the needle-fired gun and steamship went into production, Li Min has been dealing with engineering projects almost every day. As a civil servant, he works harder than a military general. Now, he talks about structural strength and design optimization. It seems that he has learned more in the past year than he has learned in his entire life of studying.

Therefore, reading the process flow chart is now almost a piece of cake for him. Moreover, the flow chart is explained in great detail and is quite simple and easy to understand.

The more he looked at it, the more shocked he became. This... this... this is just the manufacturing process of a new gun?
After a while, he put down the information, took a few deep breaths, and said solemnly to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, once this new gun can be successfully put into production, it will be a leap forward for the industry of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little confused at this time. Li Han said so, Li Min also said so, but he himself didn't understand. He could understand that a new gun would have a significant impact on the form of war, but why could it also bring about huge progress in industry?
"Minister Li, please tell me why a new gun brought great progress to the Ming Dynasty's industry?" "Your Majesty, this is not just a matter of making a new gun, but involves the transformation of the entire steel industry and the explosives industry!"

Li Min couldn't help but stand up, dancing and gesticulating, looking extremely excited.

“The strange man said in the flow chart that the barrel of the new gun must be made of a brand new seamless steel pipe, which also requires the forging technology of seamless steel pipes and the manufacture of new forging machinery.

The new steel material is not limited to making guns, but can also be used in shipbuilding and other industries. "

Li Min continued excitedly, as if he had found a treasure: "Not only steel technology, but also the manufacture of new explosives. Your Majesty, once these things are realized, how much impact will they have on the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also shocked. Only then did he understand why Lao Li said that this was a arduous project.

But if this is realized, to what level will the national strength of the Ming Dynasty rise?
It’s immeasurable!
……

At this time, in the shooting range of the Ordnance Bureau of the Industrial Department, Liu Sanwu took out a soaked bullet from the basin and observed it carefully.

The news that the bullets could not be fired due to moisture had reached his ears. Liu Sanwu had been pondering this problem for several days, but he could not find a good solution.

After the Japanese delegation left, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to promote him, but he refused. His mind was all on guns, and he only wanted to make good guns.

Zhu Yuanzhang praised him greatly for this and awarded him ten taels of gold as a reward.

Although the oil paper used to make bullet casings has a certain waterproof effect, it still cannot protect the bullet body well if it is in a humid environment for a long time.

It's not so bad in the desert, as it's dry all year round and has almost no effect on bullets, but it may not be the case on the ocean.

The bullet in front of me, the primer and propellant have been soaked and can no longer be fired.

So what method can be used to prevent bullets from getting wet?

He pondered for several days but could not think of a suitable solution. Just when he was in distress, a eunuch suddenly came to the palace and summoned him to go to the palace to meet the emperor immediately.

Your Majesty wants to see me?

Liu Sanwu was a little surprised, but he immediately set off for the palace.

After arriving at the inner hall, Liu Sanwu was surprised to find that his biggest boss, Minister of Works Li Min, was there.

In addition to Li Min, there were also Xu Da, Duke of Wei, Li Wenzhong, Duke of Cao, and Yang Siyi, the Minister of Revenue.

Wow! He couldn't help but gasp. All the first and second rank officials of the court gathered here. Except for attending court, he had never seen such a scene.

After paying his respects to His Majesty, he paid his respects to all the superiors, and then carefully hid aside. In front of him, everyone was either a duke or a minister, so how could he, the person in charge, have the right to interrupt!
However, Li Min waved him over, then handed him a thick stack of papers and asked him to take a closer look.

Liu Sanwu took it and looked through it carefully. He was almost shocked by what he saw.

Bullets made of steel?

He slapped his head suddenly, wondering why he didn't think of such a brilliant idea!
(End of this chapter)