Chapter 115: graphite

"Pay half of the deposit first. Then you will continue to pay. I don't know what the prime minister would like?" Ju Xin said flatly.

"Okay. Okay. That's it. I will urge you to hand over two thousand muskets to Yan Guo as soon as possible." Li Si said.

"Then thank the prime minister. I'll leave now." Ju Xin said with a fist.

"I will enter the palace and report to King Ming. Forgive me not far away." Li Si said with his fist.

The two sides exchanged such greetings and left. Li Si immediately reported the latest situation of the firearm sales to King Qin.

At this time, Shangwen was worrying about how to improve the production of guns and artillery. The situation of the six countries buying firearms, Shang Wen did not know. But if these two muskets are produced in large quantities, they will definitely be able to handle them.

The artisans in the arsenal worked almost all day and night, and the output was very high in the first few days. Considering the large number of people, they could basically produce more than 50 muskets a day. Three bronze artillery pieces. The number of bullets is very high. Spherical projectiles plus wrapped. There are about 10,000 rounds a day. This number is already very staggering. These mainly depend on the female workers. The production of Minier bullets is somewhat low. Mainly in casting, the main energy is on artillery, so the production of bullets is reduced accordingly. There are only about one hundred to one hundred and fifty rounds a day. Such production capacity is far behind the consumption rate. A standard company, shooting at one time, basically consumes this kind of bullets. This is not the way to go.

The problem with muskets is still big. Mainly focus on the barrel. Although the production of barrels has been improved. But there are still problems such as bubbles. If forging is used, it is estimated to be far faster than casting. However, the proportion of defective products in casting is relatively high. Thus. It is bound to need to improve the processing technology. But the material level is very sad. The development of human weapons is basically only after the material problem is solved before making great strides forward.

In the current situation, we can only focus on production, and it is impossible to carry out the next round of development of smokeless powder. Shang Wen sat quietly in one corner and looked at the nervous and busy figures of the craftsmen. Shang Wen doesn't know what materials are currently available, especially how much can be improved in the forging process.

At this time, Shang Wen noticed that a young man was not knowing what was painted on the inner wall of the smelting crucible. It was dark. Shang Wen hadn't noticed before. Shangwen guessed that it was probably some kind of special ancient mixture, or coal ash, not like it. Shang Wen watched carefully. He stood up and walked over.

"What is this?" Shang Wen picked up the black object with his hands and sniffed it. Then I touched it with my hand.

"Mr. Qin. This is black soil. It is particularly resistant to high temperatures. I discovered by accident that this thing is painted on the inner wall of the crucible, and the crucible doesn't need to be broken." The young man introduced happily.

Slippery, Shang Wen rubbed the road vigorously with his hands. There is still some smoothness on the fingers. Could it be that this is graphite. It is graphite. Shang Wen had some surprises in his heart. The fingers couldn't help shaking.

"Qin Xian..." The young man saw that Shang Wen's face was a bit wrong, especially his hands were still shaking, and he felt as if he had made a mistake.

"Where did this thing come from?" Shang Wen asked hurriedly.

"Find it from the mountain?" the young man said.

"Is it, isn't it, little..." the young man whispered.

"You have done a great job." Shang Wen patted the young man's shoulder and said.

"This thing is called graphite. It is a kind of crystal. It can be used as a lubricant. Steelmaking, pencils, and molds. There are even sealing materials. In short, it is very widely used. I was surprised that this thing did not exist. Now, Now. You have solved a major problem." Shang Wen said happily.

"Yes, is it?" the young man said timidly.

"Go, go back to the accountant to get the hardware." Shang Wen was very happy. There is no scruples about rewards at all.

"Can you still find this thing?" Shang Wen said.

"Yes, it should be possible." The young man said affirmatively.

"By the way, what's your name?" Shang Wen then asked.

"Chen Yong". The young man replied.

"Well, you will look for this thing in the future. If there is no one in Guanzhong, go to the north to find it, and if there is no one in the north, go to Bashu to find it. The quantity of this thing is very large." Shang Wen said.

"Mr. Qin." Chen Da came over.

"My disciple has offended Mr.." Chen Da saw Chen Yong and Shang Wen talking, and looked at Shang Wen's excitement. Chen Da hurried over, thinking that his apprentice certainly didn't know where to do something wrong. So quickly apologize.

"No no. No. Your apprentice made a great contribution. Old Chen, look at this." Shang Wen said, picking up a handful of graphite.

"Isn't this the black soil my apprentice said?" Chen Da said.

"This is graphite. It is a very important industrial raw material. This thing is very useful. It is a kind of..." Shang Wen introduced this thing as a conductor. But thinking that there was no concept of electricity at this time, I had to change my words and talk about other things.

"It's an important thing. For example, use it on your crucible. This is its high temperature resistance. And casting molds. Didn't I tell you to use iron molds. With this thing, you can speed up . Moreover, this graphite can be processed into humans and shapes. It can be used as a sealing material, as well as a lubricant. And so on. The most important thing in front of you is to polish the granular gunpowder. With this graphite, the gunpowder can be protected from moisture. It can be stored very well. Convenient. And. The power is huge. The range of guns and artillery will be greatly enhanced." Shang Wen said in one breath the many benefits of graphite.

"So amazing." Chen Da only then began to carefully look at the graphite in his hand.

"Yes, this thing is very important. In the future, this kind of material should be paid more attention, and it is to raise the awareness of other people. Tell them, pay attention to the details." Shang Wen said.

"Mr. Qin. Mr. Qin." Shang Wen originally wanted to say something. But suddenly I heard a harsh sound. Shang Wen could hear who it was from that voice. Zhao Gao. No one else can speak like this.

\"Mr. Qin, I can see you. The king has important matters to discuss with you. By the way. You have to take a look at this first." Then he took out a memorial from his arms. Shang Wen took it and opened it. Between the lines. Shang Wen knew the reason for the matter. This is a weapon order. Moreover, the amount at the beginning was large. Five thousand muskets are needed. The sooner the better. But the word two thousand was mentioned later. Shang Wen didn't know what it meant. It is estimated to be related to the production of firearms.

See who is so big. Yan country. It turned out to be the country of Yan. Shang Wen is a little hard to imagine. Actually spent a lot of money to buy a musket. War is the catalyst after all.