Chapter 245: Artillery Moves South

"Is it really that simple?" Wang Chong asked.

"It is that simple," Zhao Xu laughed.

In fact, the difference between ordinary steel and spring steel is just a matter of "heat treatment."

Simply put, it means forging steel into steel bars and then inserting them into an ordinary furnace fire to bake; this process is called medium-temperature tempering.

Tempered steel bars will exhibit the characteristic of being hard on the inside and soft on the outside, becoming elastic.

Not only Wang Chong, but Wang Ying was also stunned into silence.

He also had not expected that such a simple process could produce a different kind of steel.

From this, he realized that there seemed to be quite a lot of knowledge within this steel.

"This subordinate is willing to bet and admit defeat; from now on, I will focus on making the firing mechanism," Wang Chong said submissively.

Zhao Xu nodded; he had originally only intended for Wang Chong to focus his mind, and now the goal had been achieved.

However, the production of the Flintlock, besides the issue of materials, also involved a mass production problem just like the Artillery.

Mass production of Artillery was solved through Iron Mold Casting.

But the Flintlock did not have a shortcut method like an iron mold.

The only production method was Assembly Line production.

After all, letting one craftsman independently craft a Flintlock from start to finish would likely take a month.

Whereas an assembly line only requires manufacturing the parts and then assembling them at the end.

However, this would require standardizing the dimensions of the parts.

So he said to Wang Ying: "You have come at the right time. This Prince will give you a more precise measurement standard, and soon this Prince will also promote this set of weights and measures to the entire Yan Commandery."

"Weights and measures?" Wang Ying and Wang Chong looked at each other, waiting for the Yan Wang's follow-up.

Zhao Xu then explained to Wang Ying and his son what an assembly line was.

Upon hearing this, the two were suddenly enlightened, and at the same time, they were very astonished.

They had not expected that it was possible to achieve mass production of Flintlocks through this method.

However, this indeed required a measurement standard.

"Meter, decimeter, centimeter, millimeter..." Zhao Xu picked up a brush and began to write on the paper.

While writing, he said: "What measuring instruments is the Armory currently using?"

"Compasses, squares, and rulers," Wang Ying said.

Zhao Xu nodded; the compass is for drawing circles, the square is for drawing right angles, and the ruler is for length.

But these tools were not suitable for an assembly line.

He felt it was necessary to manufacture new measuring tools for the Armory, which were Vernier Calipers.

These are high-precision measuring tools commonly used in contemporary manual work.

They are also tools for checking the dimensions of workpieces.

With this, it would be convenient to check the parts manufactured by the craftsmen.

However, wanting to manufacture a precise ruler in ancient times is very difficult.

This is also one of the reasons why ancient times could not achieve assembly line production.

But this problem could not stump him.

With just one thing, he could realize contemporary scales in Yanzhou.

This is the Mercury Column.

Mercury is quicksilver; in ancient times, this thing was not hard to find.

To make a Mercury Column, besides needing mercury, one also needs a glass tube sealed at one end.

Now the Armory has already mastered the manufacturing process for Glass, so blowing a glass tube is not a problem.

At that time, one only needs to take a basin of mercury, take out the glass tube, fill it completely with mercury, and then invert it into the basin filled with mercury.

At this time, the mercury in the glass tube will descend, creating a vacuum.

The distance from the ground to this vacuum is 760mm.

The reason is that the Mercury Column is used to measure atmospheric pressure.

Under standard atmospheric pressure, the height of the mercury column is this value.

With this value, he could further subdivide it, letting the craftsmen evenly divide the ruler within the range of the naked eye, obtaining a high-precision ruler in the Great Song.

Thinking of this, he explained this method to Wang Ying.

The two fell into a daze once again.

But after the daze came joy; if they could obtain such an Original Ruler, the Armory would be able to polish fine parts from now on.

"You prepare the things first; this Prince will participate personally. Once the first Original Ruler is made, this Prince will teach you how to make the Vernier Caliper," Zhao Xu said calmly.

Previously, he did not do this because the Armory did not yet need such precise things.

But from now on, it would be different.

Not to mention the Flintlock, polishing Drill Bits and other cutting tools also requires high-precision measurement.

And with these high-precision things, the next step would be to produce more compact machinery.

Otherwise, everything else is nonsense.

"Yes, Your Highness," the two replied.

With no other matters, the two took their leave of Zhao Xu.

After exiting the study, Wang Ying and his son looked at each other and shuddered at the same time.

The things the Yan Wang was teaching them now were truly increasingly beyond the scope of their understanding.

Then they both sighed at the same time, shook their heads, and left, feeling ashamed of their own inadequacy.

The study.

After the father and son of the Wang Family left, Zhao Xu ordered for Chang Wei to be summoned.

He had promised Zhao Heng that he would send the Artillery to Jingshi as soon as possible.

Now that the Artillery had been produced, it should be sent over at the first opportunity.

Accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger; if he delayed too long, he feared the ministers in the imperial court would wag their tongues in his ear.

A good deed might instead become a bad one, making him displeased.

Regardless, for the moment, he still needed the support of Zhao Heng.

Moreover, since Zhao Heng had given him the entirety of Yanzhou this time, he truly ought to express his gratitude.

"Find some new recruits, train them briefly, and have them deliver the Artillery to Jingshi," Zhao Xu said.

Chang Wei was aware of the matter regarding these low-spec Artillery.

He teased, "Your Highness, are you not afraid of a barrel explosion when testing the cannons? It might frighten the Emperor."

"The first batch consists of Grey Cast Iron Cannon; as long as they are not fired continuously, the probability of a barrel explosion is quite small," Zhao Xu shot him a glance.

Although the Grey Cast Iron Cannon is not as good as the Steel Cannon, its performance is still relatively excellent.

However, even so, one must wait a while after firing a single shot.

It does not match the firing speed of his Steel Cannon.

As for the White Cast Iron Cannon, that is even worse, and the cooling time required is longer.

"Yes, this general understands," Chang Wei chuckled twice and turned to leave.

The next day.

These Artillery were loaded onto ships, headed south along the Yellow River, passed through the Huai River, went south down the Yangtze River, and arrived at the foot of Jinling City in seven days.

The Imperial Palace.

Upon learning that the Artillery from Yanzhou had arrived.

Zhao Heng cancelled his plans to meet privately with Xiao Shishi.

He summoned Liang Cheng and rode the imperial carriage to the north of the city.

This news also reached the ears of the powerful clans and the nobility.

They arrived one after another, following behind Zhao Heng, craning their necks to gaze at the ships from Yanzhou.

Seeing the cylindrical objects being carried off the ships, their eyes were filled with curiosity.

After the chaos in Yanzhou, the Artillery of Yan Wang had long been rumored to be miraculous in Jinling City.

Everyone said that with a single shot, it could devastate an area for dozens of miles.

It was precisely this Artillery that had scared the Northern Di so badly that their courage shattered, which was why they came to sue for peace.

"Your Majesty, look, this Artillery is so imposing; at a glance, one can tell it is no ordinary item," Liang Cheng smiled, his aged face full of wrinkles.

Zhao Heng smiled and nodded; the envious gazes of the powerful clans and the nobility made him feel very satisfied.

This Artillery was, after all, a gift from Yan Wang to him alone.