Chapter 118: Standardizing Production!

The Weapon Bureau is located in a secluded spot on the back street of Dongzhimen, covering an area not considered large, just about seventy or eighty mu.

It flourished during the reign of the Chengzu Emperor; at that time, the Divine Machine Battalion served as the main force of the Capital Camp, and the status of the Weapon Bureau naturally rose with the tide.

However, following the collapse at Tumu Fortress, the Divine Machine Battalion was decimated, and the power of the military officials fell into other hands.

After civil officials took charge of this Weapon Bureau, they simply turned it into a machine for lining their pockets; as time passed, the Weapon Bureau became an existence as tasteless as a chicken rib.

Nowadays, the Weapon Bureau still has about two hundred Artisans.

Although these people have been removed from the slave registry, the high redemption fees and the restrictive nature of their skills force them to remain in the Weapon Bureau to serve.

When Zhang Yunxiu arrived at the Weapon Bureau, it was already noon.

Liu Gui, a Director of the Ministry of Works, and Sun Yuan, the Ambassador of the Weapon Bureau, had long been waiting here; they received Zhang Yunxiu and hurriedly led him to a small parlor in the inner room to be seated.

The small parlor was about five or six square meters, containing only a few pieces of old furniture and a simple tea set.

"The place is a bit crude, I hope Director Zhang will not take offense." Liu Gui smiled as he poured a cup of tea for Zhang Yunxiu, saying with a hint of apology.

"What are you saying? I didn't come here to enjoy myself." Zhang Yunxiu shook his head with a smile and went straight to the point, "Tell me, how long would it take to build three hundred Bird Muskets?"

Liu Gui and Sun Yuan exchanged a glance and replied, "It would take at least three or four months."

"So long?" Zhang Yunxiu was somewhat dissatisfied.

Sun Yuan stood up and apologized with a smile, "Oh, Director Zhang, this is not considered long. Our Bird Musket is skilled work; it cannot be rushed. Take the gun barrel, for instance; even a skilled hand takes seven or eight days to polish one, and with the rest of the processes, it takes fifteen days at the very least."

"For my two hundred or so people, it would be quite good if they could finish it in three months."

"Of course, I am talking about qualified Bird Muskets, not those pieces of junk from outside that explode in the barrel after firing a couple of random shots."

Zhang Yunxiu thought it sounded reasonable.

But this timeframe was still hard for him to accept; he lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then suddenly looked up and asked, "What if we hire some Artisans from the civilian population who know how to make Bird Muskets?"

"Their craftsmanship might not be up to par." Liu Gui said with some concern.

"Whether it works or not, we will try it first. By the way, the Bird Muskets you make must have a small hole reserved at the front for me." As Zhang Yunxiu spoke, he picked up paper and pen and drew something like a small circular hole under the muzzle.

"What is that for?" Sun Yuan squinted at Zhang Yunxiu and asked suspiciously.

"For mounting a Bayonet." Zhang Yunxiu smiled and gestured, "About six or seven feet long, single-edged; when encountering enemies, it can be attached at any time, and it can also be removed at any time."

"This method is actually quite good." The eyes of both Liu Gui and Sun Yuan lit up.

After inquiring about some basic configurations of the Weapon Bureau, Zhang Yunxiu became interested and looked at the two with a smile, saying, "Since I am already here, take me to see the place where the Weapon Bureau makes guns and cannons."

"That place is dirty; Director Zhang, just wait here, and I will go call the Artisans for you." Sun Yuan smiled and stopped him.

"What is dirty about it? The Artisans can go, but I cannot?"

Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand, his tone brooking no argument. Sun Yuan and Liu Gui could not refuse Zhang Yunxiu, so they had no choice but to lead him toward the right side of the official hall.

The right side was the area where the Artisans lived and worked, while the left side was where the officials were located.

The distinction was clear, and the hierarchy was strict.

On both sides of the main road stood about twenty bungalows; on the clotheslines in front of the bungalows, the clothes of men and women were hung together.

The men worked inside, while the women squatted in front of the doors, washing clothes and cooking.

These women were like sparrows near a loud drum, having long since grown bold; seeing a large group of minor officials surrounded by attendants,

they were not afraid at all, but instead chattered away, pointing and gesturing at the group.

After walking less than ten meters along the bungalows, Zhang Yunxiu smelled a pungent odor.

The smell of sweat, foot odor, and the stench of urine and feces were intertwined, forming an indescribable smell.

Zhang Yunxiu felt his throat itch, and his stomach churned violently.

"Director Zhang, shall we go back?" Sun Yuan seemed to be used to it, and at this moment, he covered his nose and said.

"No, it's fine. How much further?" Zhang Yunxiu suppressed his nausea, pressed his hands on his knees, and looked up to ask Sun Yuan.

"Another quarter of an hour and we will be there." Sun Yuan placed his left hand in front of his brow, looked into the distance, and pointed to a set of four-cornered flying eaves ahead: "Look, it's just past that crooked-neck tree."

Zhang Yunxiu pulled himself together and followed Sun Yuan, walking quickly forward.

After walking along the bungalows for a while and turning around a small earthen slope, in a low-lying area among a patch of white birch trees, four or five courtyards appeared in and out of view.

Inside, the Artisans, wearing only a single layer of clothing, were busy working in the heat.

"Let's go, let's go see quickly."

Zhang Yunxiu felt a great surge of energy and walked forward as if his feet had wings, with Sun Yuan, Liu Gui, and the other officials following closely behind.

At this moment, a lean man of about fifty years old was leaning on a Grand Tutor chair in the courtyard on the left, crossing his legs, smacking his lips on a dry tobacco pipe, looking very satisfied.

Taking a fierce puff of the dry tobacco, the old man straightened his body, looked at a sturdy man, and shouted: "Er Lengzi, are you really a fool? This damn thing is about to be quenched, what are you still standing there for?"

"And you, Goudan, it takes you ten days to polish a gun barrel, and you still polish it into this sorry state? If I were you, I would just dive into the moat and drown myself."

"Laughing, laughing at your mother's wall, if you ever finish your apprenticeship, don't you dare say this craft was taught by me; I can't afford to lose that face. Do you remember?"

The old man's words were vicious and sharp, cursing in every direction without a blind spot, centering on that person and using three generations of his ancestors as a radius.

Every man he scolded became tense, and their hand movements became lightning fast.

"Feng Laoer, what the hell are you babbling about!" An angry shout rose up. The old man turned his head and saw a dozen people standing at the entrance.

"Yo, Ambassador Sun, Master Liu are here!" The old man gave a fawning smile, tucked his crotch, trotted forward a few steps, and bowed and scraped, "These little bastards are not living up to expectations, I was just lecturing them."

After saying that, he rolled his shifty eyes, darting them over Zhang Yunxiu.

"What are you looking at? This is Director Zhang. The Emperor wants your Weapon Bureau to build three hundred Bird Muskets, to be delivered within three months at the latest. Is there a problem?" Sun Yuan glared, pulling Feng Laoer's gaze back.

"Is three months a bit tight?" Old Man Feng frowned, looking expectantly at Zhang Yunxiu.

"Old sir, this..."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and was about to speak, but Old Man Feng waved his hands repeatedly, replying with a bitter face: "My lord, just call me Feng Laoer; if you call me 'old sir', I will lose years off my life."

"Fine, Feng Laoer." Zhang Yunxiu nodded in agreement and added, "I see you have more than forty Artisans in this one small courtyard; adding these few courtyards together, there must be over a hundred Artisans, right? Can't you build a hundred Bird Muskets a month?"

"Oh, my lord, building Bird Muskets is skilled work; not just anyone among the Artisans here can build them." Feng Laoer revealed two large yellow teeth and explained repeatedly.

"Then how many people can build Bird Muskets?"

"About fifty people, I suppose."

"Fifty people?"

This number was far fewer than Zhang Yunxiu had imagined.

He frowned, pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and said, "How about this: you strip away the processes that anyone can do."

"That way, those skilled Artisans can save time and only come in at the end to complete the crafting of the Bird Musket."

This was essentially assembly-line production, and it also required standardizing production as much as possible.

Only with standardization could the quality of the Bird Musket be guaranteed.

Feng Laoer grinned and praised, "That's a good method, but it would require drafting more manpower; some people would do nothing but polish the gun barrels, some would specialize in forging iron, and the remaining Artisans would focus on assembling the Bird Muskets."

"Good, tell Sun Yuan how many people you need," Zhang Yunxiu said, gesturing toward Sun Yuan, then continued, "I won't play games with you; besides your existing wages, for every Bird Musket crafted, once it passes inspection, I will pay you one tael of silver as a wage."

"As for how the rest is distributed, that's up to you."

"If the Master says so, then I'm confident," a sharp glint flashed in Feng Laoer's murky eyes.

Before, even if he forged ten Bird Muskets a day, the money he earned was the same.

Now it was different; the more he worked, the more he earned, and he wished he could work all twelve hours of the day.

Glancing at Zhang Yunxiu, Feng Laoer asked tentatively, "Master, what if we finish the Bird Muskets ahead of schedule? Do the extra ones count for money too?"

"Didn't you say that three hundred in three months would be a stretch?" Zhang Yunxiu chuckled, squinting at Feng Laoer.

Feng Laoer and Sun Yuan both scratched their heads and gave an awkward laugh; Zhang Yunxiu composed his expression and said sternly, "In three months, craft as many as you can for me; I will provide the iron, and I will give you a reward of one tael of silver for each Bird Musket."

"But it must be understood that the quality must be up to standard."

"Alright, Master, just watch; I will definitely put the Bird Muskets, complete and whole, into your hands," Feng Laoer patted his chest, then turned his head to look at the stunned Artisans, "Did you all hear that, you bastards?"

"We heard you clearly!" the Artisans shouted at the top of their lungs.

Seeing that the morale was usable, Zhang Yunxiu did not want to stay here long; stepping on his "wind-fire wheels," he fled from this foul-smelling place.

Returning to the small hall, Zhang Yunxiu gulped down two cups of tea in succession before saying with lingering fear, "Starting from tomorrow, clean up the place where the Artisans live; what kind of state is this?"

"Yes," the two replied.

"Also, I will provide the iron myself; send the first batch of pig iron over tomorrow, and you must hurry," Zhang Yunxiu urged.

"Rest assured, Director Zhang, we two will surely give our all."

The two cupped their hands and replied in unison; Zhang Yunxiu nodded slightly and began to paint a bright future for them: "This Weapon Bureau has great potential; if you work hard, your future prospects will go without saying."

"Then we thank Director Zhang for the guidance."

As soon as the words fell, the three of them were all smiles.

By the time Zhang Yunxiu returned home, it was already the Shen period.

Once he sat down in his own small hall, Zhang Fu skillfully refilled his tea and reported in detail, "Young Master, the pig iron you asked me to buy has been fully acquired."

"A total of over ten thousand catties."

"How much did it cost?"

"Over two thousand taels of silver."

"So cheap?"

"It was all obtained from Tangshan in Hebei," Zhang Fu covered his mouth with his hand and smiled mysteriously.

Zhang Yunxiu knew there was some trickery involved, but he did not dwell on it, only ordering Zhang Fu to transport the pig iron back quickly.

Don't look at this ten thousand catties of pig iron as a large amount; what is used to craft Bird Muskets is wrought iron.

After refining, it would be considered good if there were six thousand catties left.

(End of this chapter)