Daqin: A buff of incredible comprehension

When asked about the condition of the stamping machine, Tian Zhou said that it was already ready but there was a shortage of materials.

Tian Zhou further elaborated on the meticulous arrangements for the coin minting work and explained the reasons for the concealed installation of the equipment.

"Very good." Gu Ming praised his responsible attitude, "Our coinage is not only beneficial to me but also important to the craftsmen. Some craftsmen in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are fully capable of coping with the new method without the need to call other personnel to participate."

Even if they couldn't take the copper coins directly, accumulating some scraps every day could add a little meat to their meals. Therefore, they would rather the profits go to insiders than to the coinsmiths.

"Sir, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has been engaged in the coinage industry for hundreds of years and has rich experience. We should..." Zhang Ming saw that he looked serious and stammered, unable to speak.

"You agreed?" ** asked sternly.

Zhang Ming lowered his head and nodded slightly, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Ugh……"

** sighed. How could this honest man be so easily moved!

The craftsmen of the Ministry of Civil Affairs volunteered to continue minting coins, as it was clearly profitable!

"You're so generous." "I won't give in to them!" "Call them over and I'll send them off myself." "Let's go check on the punch press first."

After a round of scolding, he walked out in anger. Zhang Ming had no choice but to hurriedly follow him.

The two continued walking along the ironworks. Two kilometers away lay the upper reaches of the Wei River, with rolling hills on either side. Passing through a lush forest, the landscape flattened. Looking around, they noticed signs of maintenance on both the trail and the ground.

"Look, sir," Zhang Ming pointed to a gurgling stream in the distant valley. "The terrain here is similar to the wildling camp we found when we were searching for the lost plowshare. At the time, I was thinking, instead of going to all the trouble of building a waterwheel, why not borrow the rice-pounding method? Wouldn't that make a punch press? And it's easy to defend here, with only one passage leading to the outside world, so there's no risk of smuggling or theft."

Looking out, I saw a small waterfall with a drop of four or five meters. Below the waterfall, a horizontal wooden bar, like a seesaw, was placed in the pool of water. The end closest to the waterfall had been converted into a square trough, while the other end housed the hammer handle. The forging platform had already been constructed. The horizontal bar was tilted to the side. If it filled with water, the hammer would drop; when the trough dried out, the heavy hammer would rise again.

"That's a small waterwheel, used as a roller," Zhang Ming explained. "Sandstone and grinding stones are placed inside, along with copper coins. The water drives the wheel, grinding away the burrs on the coins, leaving them with a mirror-like finish."

Zhang Ming was thrilled. "Junior Brother Tian, ​​if you can apply even a little bit of your engineering skills to socializing, I'll be able to leave the Imperial Household Department to you in the future."

Zhang Ming humbly replied that he would definitely learn from his mistakes. "Mr. Chen, I will keep your instructions in mind and will think carefully before acting. I will never act rashly again." He sighed, knowing that it was useless to say anything.

As the group walked along the road, the sound of footsteps could be heard in the woods.

"Greetings, Commander Chen." A shrewd old man bowed, followed by over a hundred others kneeling. "I am indeed the humble man! The mold used by the first Qin King Wen to cast the 'ban liang' was made by my ancestor, and has been passed down through three generations to this day."

** chuckled: "So it's an aristocratic family!" "Are these all your people? Are there more children from similar aristocratic families?"

"How dare I call myself a noble family." The old man and others could see that the other party's tone was unfriendly and couldn't help but worry.

"A century of constant war has seen the people displaced and countless casualties. Yet, you have lived a life of leisure!" The ** spoke sternly, "Now, it's time to step down and let the wise prevail! Since ancient times, the capable have been elevated to the highest rank, while the mediocre have been degraded. You, clinging to your old ways, have led to no progress in the minting of the Qin coinage. It's time for you to resign."

The Ministry of Civil Affairs craftsman's face changed drastically. "Are you going to fire us?"

"Nothing serious has happened." ** interrupted him. "It's just about restoring your place of origin, not about punishment. You can go away."

"Mr. Chen, please explain clearly what is wrong? This concerns the national strategy..."

"If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame. Why bother worrying about it?"

"Minister Zheng will surely make proper arrangements."

The craftsmen refused to leave. "We have minted coins for generations in loyalty to the court. How can we just give up now?" The old man, Yao Zong, pleaded for details. "Please also ask what the new coin will look like. If it surpasses ours, I will be content to accept it."

** sneered: "Do you think I still care whether you are convinced or not?" He suddenly flicked his sleeves.

Yao Zong retreated in panic.

**'s eyes were sharp: "Today, the rules are set. Tian Zhou, light the fire and smelt the copper. Start work!"

Following his order, Tian Zhou immediately went to gather people. Soon several carriages arrived and everyone held their breath and waited.

"Mr. Chen, we have served the imperial court for generations, and we would never dare to use public resources for personal gain." Yao Zong tried to save the situation, but he knew he could not afford to offend this man.

"There are people around me who are equally loyal to the court. The capable will be promoted, the average will be demoted, the mediocre will be retired, and the inferior will be eliminated.

More than a dozen people were busy working, some carrying heavy hammers, while others were carrying coal, furnaces, copper materials and various tools on their shoulders or in their hands.

Lin Feng quickly arranged the various tasks, and everyone dispersed to perform their respective duties. Wang Ping was now filled with regret.

He was just a skilled craftsman. How could he compete with such a powerful figure? Even if the Imperial Household Department's technology wasn't as good as theirs, so what? There was no such thing as regret. Even if he wanted to back out now, there was no way.

About half an hour later.

The copper in the furnace had already melted into liquid copper, which the craftsmen immediately poured into clay molds to form flat copper plates. Lin Feng personally installed the templates, sweating profusely and working extremely hard.

"Can't the coinage be done in one go?"

An official looked at Lin Feng curiously as he moved out two sets of molds and asked.

"Sir, the master said that the hammer will be damaged if forged for a long time."

Lin Feng wiped the sweat off his face and replied, "So we first use a rough mold to cast the prototype, and then use a fine mold to carve the patterns and words."

“It may seem a bit troublesome, but it can save a lot of time and energy on manual engraving.”

The official nodded in understanding. He knew the painstaking effort my father put into crafting the mold, and that using water power was much more convenient.

Soon after, other craftsmen also removed the clay molds, took out the square copper blocks and put them into the crushing machine, which eventually turned them into thin copper sheets.

"Brother, the ingredients are ready."

Lin Feng's disciples had been working together seamlessly. "Come here."

Lin Feng took a deep breath, wiped the sweat off his face, and thought about the operation of the machine.

Although the hydraulic equipment was new, it could significantly increase production and required no complicated operation. However, if something went wrong, it would be more than just a loss of face.

Lin Feng shouted, "Start the hammer!" The simple yet heavy upper and lower molds on the simple forging table, like a barbecue grill design, made him sigh secretly. But these were handmade works that took countless efforts!