Great Song Pirate

Chapter 379
Seeing the gradual completion of one concept after another, Xu Yi really wanted to relax, but counting the time and Xue Tu's steady stream of news about the situation in the north, Xu Yi did not dare to relax at all.

As the rolling mill was put into use, Xu Yi immediately turned his attention to the cannon casting field. With the use of the cannon casting iron fan, the cannon casting process has also undergone a complete change. The method of casting mud and casting cannons was completely abandoned, which greatly saved time and cost.

The copper cannons, which originally took at least one month to cast, could be completed in a few days after switching to this iron formwork, and they made three iron cannon forms at the same time, each casting can be completed at the same time Compared with the initial trial production, the casting process of the three bronze cannons can be said to be greatly simplified, and the output has doubled several times. Just a few years ago, they completed the production of nearly a hundred cannons. Batching copper and tin was a waste of time. Fortunately, Kong Qingxi purchased tens of thousands of catties of red copper from Shaozhou, Guangdong this time. Otherwise, their cannon-making field would probably run out of steam due to lack of raw materials after the Chinese New Year.

After a period of production, the craftsmen in the cannon casting field also explored a set of effective techniques, and the entire cannon casting process began to become orderly, starting from the smelting of bronze ingredients, to turning over the mold and pouring, and then From cooling and molding to later grinding, a complete technological process is basically formed, and the craftsmen cooperate with each other very tacitly, which speeds up their casting speed.

Xu Yi looked at a group of freshly baked shiny cannon barrels neatly arranged in the finished product workshop, and watched the craftsmen kept busy around these cannon barrels, a strong confidence filled his chest, he already had The most terrifying weapons in this world so far. With these powerful weapons, he really couldn't think of any other terrible enemies for his Fubo army.

The craftsmen used combined pulleys to lift these completed gun barrels, and then placed them one by one on the gun carriages that had been built in advance for final assembly. After this process was completed, the artillery was completely finished. It can be transported to the ship or delivered to the Danshui village. After watching such a scene, anyone will have a feeling of excitement. Xu Yi, as the creator of all these, naturally feels proud.

After watching the production situation of the Cannon Foundry, Xu Yi approached Ren Bin and asked him, "How much red copper do we have in stock now? How long is it enough for you?"

Ren Bin quickly replied: "This time Commander Kong transported back a total of more than 4 catties of red copper and several thousand catties of tin. We have cast more than 60 new bronze cannons in the past two months. It needs about [-] catties, and the remaining red copper in the warehouse is only about [-] catties. I am afraid that we will need to buy some more copper materials soon! The remaining red copper is probably only enough for us to use. In about a month, my lord, please prepare as soon as possible, otherwise, our cannon foundry will probably stop working!"

Xu Yi nodded and said: "It seems that we need to prepare, but this time I don't think we need to go to land to buy red copper. I came to you today to tell you something. We have found copper here. Mine, the first batch of ore will be shipped back in these two days, you should prepare in advance, we will smelt copper by ourselves in the future, is there any problem with this matter?" Xu Yi basically did not tell many people about the discovery of copper and gold mines , But for Ren Bin, there is no need for him to hide. If he wants to smelt copper, he still needs to rely on coppersmiths like them.

After hearing that a copper mine was found here, Ren Bin was also very happy, and hurriedly said: "Don't worry about this, my lord, we don't lack anything here, and there is nothing complicated about copper refining. If you can smelt red copper, just leave this matter to the humble officer! In this way, we can save a lot of expenses!"

Of course Xu Yi knew that he had the ability, so he confidently handed over the matter to him to prepare.

After Xu Yi arranged some things here, he immediately boarded the Pioneer without stopping, and sailed out of Jilong Village with a full load of newly built copper cannons, heading for Danshui Village.

After he arrived at Danshui Village, it was also a busy place, but Xu Yi didn't see Gao Xu and others coming to greet him, so he asked Chang Le who came to greet him, and Chang Le said that the village in the east was out of town. Some things, Gao Xu and Yang Zaixing rushed there early this morning to check. Chang Le didn't say the specific situation, and Xu Yi didn't pay too much attention to this matter, but shifted his attention to the shipyard.

All kinds of workshops here are busy, and the shipyard is in full swing. Gong Zhen has put in all his strength this time, and he is determined to build a big ship for Xu Yi. Afterwards, Gong Zhen couldn't wait to gather the people here, and began to get busy on the dock. Because they were well prepared, the placement of the keel was very smooth. When Xu Yi returned to Danshui Village this time, the The hull of the boat has begun to be boarded.

As soon as Xu Yi arrived at Danshui Village, he immediately rushed to the shipyard excitedly. When he saw the large ship that had not yet been built, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. The flying-shear ship type is based on the familiar and mature Jiangbei ship type. This can be seen from the hull that has been initially completed. The total length of this ship is more than 30. Zhang, five feet wide and three feet deep, the whole ship is divided into thirteen compartments, all of which are made of thick wood. Just looking at these compartments, one can know that the ship can definitely be guaranteed Although the safety of sailing at sea has not yet been formed, it can be seen that it is huge. Although a ship of this size is nothing in front of those giant ships that can easily reach more than [-] tons in later generations, it is absolutely in this era. It can be called a colossus, and now when Xu Yi's ship Pioneer is put together with this ship, it suddenly feels a lot smaller!

Because the timber resources here are very abundant, Gong Zhen doesn't have to consider the issue of consumption at all, so the materials used in this ship have been multiplied to ensure that it is strong and durable. The hull alone uses three thick layers. The wood is spliced ​​together, and the thickness reaches a full foot and a half. It can even be said to be a bit of a prodigal, but at this moment, no one will blame him for wasting wood. Life at sea would be more guaranteed. No one would blame the shipbuilder because their boat was too strong, at least Xu Yi would not do so.

The whole boat is still built with the most advanced iron nails and mortise and tenon structures in the world today. The strength of the boats made in this way is far higher than that of the simple mortise and tenon structures in the previous life, and it is also far stronger than the boats with bamboo nails. Structural strength, which can be clearly seen from the parts that have not yet been completed. Hundreds of craftsmen and ants are clinging to the hull of the ship, knocking and knocking, and various materials that have been prepared are flowing through several channels. , was continuously delivered to the ship, and was installed by these craftsmen very skillfully to the parts they needed to install. Everything was done in an orderly manner. It can be seen that the organization work here is also done quite well. Xu Yi nodded secretly while watching .

Xu Yi then made a comparison between his current Pioneer and this unfinished large ship, and made a preliminary estimate of the displacement of this ship. After doing this calculation, Xu Yi himself was shocked. In terms of the size of the boat, when it is launched, it must have a displacement of at least a thousand tons. Calculated according to the load capacity, the ship can carry at least ten thousand stones. It seems that Gong Zhen is really determined to build this time. It is a huge ship of ten thousand stones. Looking at the world, there are really few other ships that can be built by the Fubo Army!Of course, the Shenzhou built by Da Song may be a little bigger than the ship in front of him, but as a warship, the ship in front of him will undoubtedly be far more fierce than the Shenzhou of Song Dynasty!

The guards who accompanied Xu Yi also looked up at the big boat that was being assembled in front of them, each of them opened their mouths wide and kept smacking their mouths. From their eyes, you can see their sympathy. Hope, no need to ask, this big ship will definitely become Xu Yi's boat, and then these personal guards will be blessed. If they can drive such a big boat out to sea, what a majestic thing it will be!

Soon after Xu Yi's arrival, someone notified Gong Zhen. Gong Zhen hurriedly sensed that Xu Yi was here at the dock, and happened to meet Xu Yi head-on, so he quickly bowed and saluted Xu Yi.

"Okay! Don't be polite! Tell me, when will this boat be launched?" Xu Yi grabbed Gong Zhen and asked him, pointing to the big boat in front of him.

"Reporting to my lord! Now we have done our best. Judging from the current speed, it will take at least two months for this boat to launch. This boat consumes far more labor than any boat we have ever built before. After some calculations, if this ship is completed, it will cost more than [-] labor!" Gong Zhen hurriedly explained to Xu Yi.

Xu Yi looked up at the big ship with his hips crossed, and couldn't help being a little amazed. The [-] man-hours required nearly a thousand people to work hard for more than three months to complete. With the current manpower, Gong Zhen can complete the ship within four months. , is already considered a very fast speed, although he is also very anxious to use this big boat as soon as possible, and go out to show his prestige, judging from the current situation, I am afraid that he will not be able to get on this boat in less than two months up!

Accompanied by Gong Zhen, Xu Yi circled the big ship for two laps, and Xu Yi said to Gong Zhen, "I'm here this time, and I have one more thing to tell you. Our ships will gradually increase in size in the future. Installing a large number of cannons, you already know this, and you have already seen the huge recoil of the cannons, so the deck of the newly built ship must be strengthened, and it must be able to withstand the huge recoil of a large number of cannons firing at the same time. Even if the artillery is not equipped now, enough strength must be reserved in advance to prepare for the addition of artillery in the future. I also took a look at this ship. It can at least carry more than ten thousand stones, and the space inside the hull is very ample. I plan to equip the artillery on the second floor and the deck, so as to ensure that the center of gravity of the ship will not be raised after installing a large number of artillery, and to ensure that the artillery is not affected by the weather. The gunner can fire the gun at any time in the cabin. You Special attention should be paid to leave enough space to equip artillery, and to reserve some space on the upper deck to reserve some space and strength for future equipment of newer artillery, so as to facilitate our future modification of the ship! You Make note of these requirements, don't make changes after the work is finished, it will be troublesome!"

Gong Zhen nodded and wrote down Xu Yi's request, and said, "To tell you the truth, my lord, we have thought about it again this time. I have also considered the issue of installing artillery on the second deck of this ship, and I have already reserved it." It is strong enough to support the installation of the artillery, and I have re-arranged the layout of this deck according to the requirements of the artillery. If the current artillery is used, the second-floor cabin alone is enough to accommodate forty doors. There are twenty doors on each side, and if it’s not enough, some cannons can be installed on the upper deck, if this is the case, this ship will really be able to walk sideways on the sea in the future!”

Xu Yi was of course overjoyed when he heard that, this Gong Zhen is really powerful, he has even thought of this problem in advance, so what else can he worry about?

"Not bad! It seems that we have really thought of getting together this time, so we can do it according to your idea. I will not interfere with you! I am waiting for you to quickly build this boat for me, let me Sit on it and go out to show off!" Xu Yi smiled at Gong Zhen.

"Don't worry, my lord, Gong Zhen guarantees that the ship will be built within two months, and it will be handed over to the lord for use!" Gong Zhen nodded in agreement.

When Xu Yi led Li Bo and the others out of the busy shipyard, they met Gao Xu head-on. Gao Xu was walking towards the shipyard, caught Xu Yi, and welcomed them into the In Danshui village.

Xu Yi saw that there seemed to be some worry in Gao Xu's eyebrows, so he sat down and asked him: "Today I see that you seem to have something on your mind, did you encounter any troublesome things, why don't we talk about it together?" All right!"

Gao Xu got up quickly and replied: "My lord's guess is right. We have indeed encountered some troubles these days. After we arrived here, we have basically been busy with the pioneering work here for the past six months, and have not paid too much attention to the surrounding area. Those tribes, now our few immigrant settlements have basically been completed. With the efforts of these immigrants, we have reclaimed hundreds of thousands of acres of rice fields around Danshui Village, and we are about to harvest the first season of rice. During this period of time, a group of natives suddenly came from the east, and they were very unfriendly to us. During this period of time, they frequently attacked our village in the east, and killed dozens of our immigrants. We are working for this Things are a headache, I just went to that village today to appease the frightened immigrants there, and you happened to come here, my lord!"

After listening to Gao Xu's words, Xu Yi realized the seriousness of this matter. He was not unprepared for this kind of thing to happen. It can be said that he had already expected such a situation. The conflicts among these local indigenous residents were just ignored by everyone some time ago. It seems that what should have happened still happened!

"Why did those natives attack us, have you found out?" Xu Yi asked Gao Xu.

"It has been found out. When our immigrants were opening up wasteland by the forest, they encountered these natives. The two sides did not understand the language. No one can explain the specific reason for the conflict. But what is certain is that both sides did it. The natives There were also casualties at the beginning. Since then, they have continued to attack our immigrants. So far, the settlement in the east has injured hundreds of people and killed dozens. With one exception, they all had their heads chopped off. Brother Yang and my brother had already brought the garrison and some young soldiers there, and they were shooting scouts to go deep into the forest to find their tribe. This time, Brother Yang and my brother wanted to give They will attack head-on, and they will also test the combat power of our infantry here now!" Gao Xu replied.

Xu Yi thought for a while, nodded and agreed, but he still asked a little worriedly: "In this case, let Zaixing and Gao Jun teach these natives a good lesson, but I'm worried that our people may not be good at dealing with them. Fighting in the jungle, if we go deep into the jungle, I am afraid our brothers will suffer relatively heavy casualties, are Zaixing and Gao Jun sure about this?"

Gao Xu immediately replied: "I don't think you need to worry too much about this matter. After the practice of Brother Yang and my brother during this period of time, our garrison and youth army here can no longer be compared with before. A large number of crossbows and armors have been sent here. Brother Yang has already distributed these things and equipped an armored army of 500 people, and each has a pair of crossbows. I think it is still impossible to deal with some of these natives questionable!"

Xu Yi was somewhat relieved now, but he still decided to go to check the situation there in person. Gao Xu wanted to persuade Xu Yi to rest in the village for a night, and it would not be too late to go tomorrow, but Xu Yi didn't He agreed, so Gao Xu had no choice but to immediately order people to prepare horses for Xu Yi, and sent one of his men to lead the way for Xu Yi. Xu Yi took Li Bo and fifty personal guards and rushed towards the village where the accident happened.

The place where the accident happened was the easternmost settlement of Danshui Village. It was named Xingyuan Garden by Gao Xu and the others, and more than 3000 immigrants were resettled. However, these 3000 immigrants were divided into several villages to settle down. These immigrants can conveniently go to their fields to farm. Compared with those villages near Danshui Village, the power here is a bit weaker, and this is also the easternmost end of Danshui Village's current sphere of influence. If you go further east, you will enter We are in the dense virgin forest, so it is not surprising to meet the aborigines in the mountain forest here.

(End of this chapter)