Chương 636: Money is given when needed, and people are given when needed.

"It's not just about not needing ropes," Song Yingxing added from the side.

"His Majesty said that the transport capacity can be doubled and the loss can be halved. In the future, when the grain is transported to the local area, it will no longer be 30% moldy on the way. In the past, if 10 shi of grain were transported, it would be good if 7 shi were left. In the future, 9. 5 shi will be left."

Wang Duo swallowed hard, touched the blueprints again, and his eyes reddened.

"My dad died from exhaustion pulling ropes... If only we had this ship back then..."

......

The third image shows a steam boring machine.

The instructions on how to automatically feed the tool post, how to adjust the tension of the tailstock center, the required precision for scraping the guide rail, and how to calculate the tension of the belt drive are all clearly explained.

Even the type of steel used for the knives and the method of quenching for maximum durability are noted in small notes, along with a cross-sectional diagram of the knives.

The gunsmiths went completely mad.

Old gunsmith Zhang Tie squeezed the most, his arm muscles were taut, and his sleeves were rolled up to his shoulders.

In the past, boring cannon barrels relied on four or five people holding a drill bit and pushing it in. They could only bore one cannon a day, and it was often off-center. Three out of ten cannons would be ruined. The problem of the barrel being off-center could not be corrected no matter what. Not only was it inaccurate, but it was also easy for the barrel to explode.

Last year, one of the test shots exploded, sending debris flying a long distance and nearly injuring someone.

"This... this knife rack can move in by itself?!" Zhang Tie's voice cracked.

"This thing can bore a large cylinder perfectly round from the inside? Absolutely? Then our previous problem of the gun barrel being off-center... wouldn't that just solve it directly? We wouldn't have to use a drill to force it in anymore?"

"It's not just about solving cylinder problems," Song Yingxing said with a smile.

"From now on, we'll use this thing to bore all the gun barrels and cannon barrels. It's accurate and fast; we can bore dozens a day, and mass production won't be a problem. Zhang Tie, you won't have to stay up all night grinding drill bits anymore."

After hearing this, Zhang Tie slapped his thigh hard, so hard he almost crippled himself, wincing in pain and yelling:

"My goodness! I'll never have to stay up all night grinding drill bits again! Last time, I stayed up for three days and three nights trying to get a cannon barrel right! My eyes were almost blind!"

......

The fourth picture shows a twin-roll mill, with the quenching temperature and tempering time of the rolls clearly written out, and a cross-sectional view of the rolls also drawn.

The people in the iron smelting group immediately started breathing heavily, staring intently at the blueprints. Some even began calculating how much steel could be rolled in a day, gesturing with their fingers to indicate the dimensions on the blueprints.

......

The fifth steam water pump clearly shows two options: a multi-stage impeller and a plunger type. Each option is suitable for specific scenarios, has a specific head, and is clearly labeled. Even the corrosion-resistant materials are indicated.

The miners clenched their fists, knowing they wouldn't be afraid of flooding no matter how deep the mine went.

As everyone flipped through the sheets one by one, their breathing grew heavier and their eyes brighter, like starving men seeing a grand feast. They didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, for fear of wrinkling the drawings.

Wang Chui's hands were trembling. As he looked at the rolling mill blueprints, he kept muttering, "So that's how it is... So that's how it is..."

Flipping to the very end, there was a huge chart underneath, covered with lines drawn haphazardly. The timeline stretched from the first month of the lunar calendar to the twelfth month, clearly marking out the materials that needed to be prepared in advance, which project had to wait for which one to be completed first, and which groups could work in parallel. It even specified the exact day when parts were to be inspected.

"What... what is this thing?" Wang Chui scratched his head.

"It's all circles and lines, like a strategist deploying troops."

"This is called a schedule," Song Yingxing said.

"His Majesty drew it up himself, clearly outlining which tasks should be done first, which should be done later, and who can work with whom. We can just follow the plan without worrying about the order or wasting time. His Majesty calls this 'overall planning,' which helps us avoid detours."

Everyone was even more stunned and impressed after hearing this. His Majesty had even planned out what they would do every day? This was incredibly detailed! He even specified when to collect supplies! Wasn't this enough to make anyone lazy?

Everyone held the blueprints, turning them over and over as if they were rare treasures. No one was willing to put them down for a long time, and everyone wished they could engrave the blueprints into their minds.

...

Song Yingxing tapped the blueprints, drawing everyone's attention back to him:

"Don't just be surprised. We've paved the way for the steam engine. What's coming next is the real challenge—His Majesty doesn't just want a breathing iron monster; he wants an entire industry chain."

He pointed to each element on the blueprint, speaking slowly but deliberately, each word striking a chord deep within.

"For a train to run, it needs rails, qualified steel rails from a steel mill, sleepers, carriages, and a station..."

For a steamship to be launched, it needs a high-pressure boiler for riveting, a specialized dry dock, and a dry dock for ship repair...

Boring machines and rolling mills, once built, can then be used to manufacture even more precise parts, leading to better steam engines and better machine tools. It's a positive feedback loop, understand?

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

What kind of loop? What kind of feedback? Can you eat it?

Wang Chui scratched his head and chuckled, "Your Excellency, just tell us what to do. We don't understand these fancy words."

"It's alright, you'll understand as you do it," Song Yingxing said, waving his hand without further explanation.

"Follow the blueprints, and you can't go wrong. Simply put, the machines we build can help us build even better machines, faster and better, like a snowball rolling downhill."

He paused, lowered his voice, and swept his gaze across every disheveled face in the room:

"What we've worked day and night for the past year has already propelled the Han Dynasty forward by hundreds of years. Don't stop, keep going. In the future, our children won't have to rely on hand milling or manual labor anymore."

Everyone felt a surge of warmth in their hearts.

In the past, everyone thought that "sealing the cylinder to within two millimeters" was something only a god could do. Countless people squatted in the workshop at night, cursing at the parts, blowing up countless furnaces and wasting countless materials, but they still managed to get it done.

Now they are all covered in dust and dirt, but their spines are straight, and the arrogance in their eyes that says "we did it" cannot be hidden.

Song Yingxing cleared his throat and dropped another bombshell:

"His Majesty personally instructed that we should receive money and manpower as needed. The Ministry of Revenue has approved a special fund of 25 million coins, which is piled up in the Ministry's warehouse, just waiting for us to use it. All materials will be given to our research institute with the green light. We will receive iron and coal as needed, and other departments will have to take a backseat."

During the research period, everyone's monthly salary will be doubled! Apprentices will also receive a raise! Those who make great contributions will have their ranks and residences bestowed upon them by His Majesty personally, not just empty titles!

"Buzz—" The crowd erupted in a cacophony of gasps, some people staring wide-eyed for a long time.

The cornbread in Gou Sheng's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," without him noticing, and asked with his mouth agape:

"Master... your monthly salary has doubled? I used to get five hundred coins a month, now I can get a thousand?"

"Is that even possible?" Ma Teng's hands trembled with excitement. He earned a thousand coins a month, and doubling that would be two thousand coins, enough to feed his whole family for half a year.