Chapter 29: The Cannon Foundry

However, to make people understand the benefits of machinery and equipment, they had to see it for themselves. The transmigrators couldn’t just pull everyone to Lingao to witness its industrial capacity. The only way was to set up a model on the mainland. Since Li Luoyou wanted to establish a cannon factory, this was the perfect model. Wu De believed that the efficiency demonstrated by this equipment in production would have a massive impact on the natives, enough to pique their interest in new technology and equipment.

“Commerce and industry in the late Ming were actually very developed. There was already a class of workshop owners,” Wu De said. “We can’t get a foothold in Jiangnan for the time being, but Guangdong has potential. By upgrading their equipment, we can foster the rise of a batch of new factories, giving them a primitive but scalable industrial production capacity. This will lay a foundation for our future control and industrialization of the Pearl River Delta.”

In the long run, by controlling the equipment manufacturing industry, they could control all manufacturing. Such technology diffusion would not harm Lingao’s technological hegemony in any way and could even stimulate the local equipment manufacturing industry through a steady stream of external orders.

“But can the people of the Ming connect a cannon factory with productivity? After seeing it, they will at most think: this Australian cannon factory is very powerful, but that’s it. They won’t connect it to civilian industries like weaving and spinning.”

“Hmm, I’m also doubtful,” Zhan Wuya said. “Modern people live in an industrial society and have basic industrial common sense. For the ancients, I’m afraid the average merchant doesn’t have this ability to make connections.”

“Perhaps the foundries will realize it. For example, mechanized bellows.”

“We shouldn’t underestimate the creativity of the natives,” Wu De said. “Besides, windmills and waterwheels already exist in the country. What we are providing is just an upgraded version with better efficiency and greater power output. At the very least, the value of these two things is something most people can understand.”

At this moment, Wen Desi coughed. “I’d like to ask a question. According to our strategy, we are pursuing a ‘non-interference’ and ‘continental balance’ strategy. Now, we are not selling cannons to the Ming, but directly exporting the tools to make them. Isn’t this diffusion of military technology a violation of our strategic policy?”

“I think it’s negligible,” Wu De said. “Wang Zunde himself is a cannon-making fanatic. Every time he organizes cannon casting, it’s by the hundreds. If we provide the equipment, it just means his cannons will be of slightly better quality and made a bit faster. The most direct result will be that he can make more cannons.”

Wu De continued, “Finally, even if we gave them 12-pounder Napoleon guns right now, I believe the Ming army still couldn’t handle the Jianzhou Jurchens. A few new weapons won’t change anything.”

More cannons would not save the fate of the Ming Dynasty; this had been proven by history. Sun Yuanhua hired the Portuguese as instructors to train a new army in Dengzhou using Western firearms, but this army was annihilated in the Ming’s internal turmoil, proving that “tools” could not save the Ming. From this perspective, selling some equipment to the Ming would not qualitatively change the balance on the mainland.

“Gentlemen, I must remind you not to forget one issue,” Yu E’shui interjected again to remind everyone. “After Zheng Zhilong surrendered, he received a large amount of aid from Xiong Wencan, from large warships to cannons. The Fujian Provincial Administration gave him a lot of support. Guangdong and Fujian are adjacent, and Wang Zunde is a major cannon producer. It’s very likely that some of the cannons will flow into Zheng Zhilong’s hands.”

“Zheng Zhilong is too busy fighting Li Kuiqi right now. Otherwise, he would have attacked us long ago,” Wu De said dismissively. “Even if a few cannons fall into his hands, they’ll be used on Li Kuiqi.”

This issue was debated for a long time in the State Council meeting. Finally, a compromise was reached: they would only export water turbines, windmills, gearboxes, bellows, and cannon boring machines. They would not export the iron mold casting technology, as the latter would greatly increase the speed of cannon production. This was despite some estimates that the Ming’s tragic financial situation would make it unlikely for them to produce too many cannons anyway.

Following this, someone at the meeting proposed that although technology diffusion was inevitable, there should be a dedicated department to evaluate how, and which, technologies should be diffused, to avoid posing a threat to the strategic situation.

Thus, it was decided to establish a “Technology Coordination Office” under the Ministry of Science and Technology, specifically responsible for evaluating exported technologies and products.

Li Luoyou was unaware that a secret meeting had been held over this issue. For the next few days, he was at leisure, sightseeing everywhere. Liu San, with the intention of displaying their strength, also arranged for him to visit various places.

The “Holy Ship” was now a popular attraction, and for a guest of Li Luoyou’s stature, it was a must-see. The next morning, Liu San accompanied him by carriage to Bopu and entered the naval pier surrounded by barbed wire.

Li Luoyou carefully observed the Australian soldiers in their blue uniforms and straw hats. They were different from the soldiers he had seen in Dongmen Market. Besides the blue uniforms, they wore round, flat-topped straw hats with a black cloth band, from which two ribbons hung down the back of their necks.

Liu San had prepared a new “pass” for him and Quark, stamped with conspicuous red ink reading “Valid for Today Only” and “Single Use.”

After their passes and documents were checked, Liu San led them onto a launch to the Fengcheng.

When Li Luoyou stepped onto the deck of the Fengcheng, standing on this high and open deck with the sea breeze blowing, his legs suddenly felt unable to move.

After finally catching his breath, he slowly walked forward. The deck under his feet was rough steel. Huge, rust-covered chains lay about. Li Luoyou cautiously walked to the ship’s side and looked down at the dark, rippling seawater below. A wave of dizziness overcame him, and he quickly looked away.

Although it was a ship, he couldn’t feel the slightest sway or roll. It was as solid as a rock.

Li Luoyou touched the cold steel railing. A ship like this was beyond his comprehension. He pondered for a moment and asked Liu San, “This ship is so large, how does it move?”

“With a machine.”

“A machine?” Li Luoyou asked. “A machine, if not pulled by horses or oxen, must be powered by a windmill or waterwheel. Windmills and waterwheels are obviously impossible. Could it be that there are many horses and oxen driving it from within the ship’s belly? How many would that take!”

“Even with many more horses and oxen, they couldn’t move it,” Liu San thought. This Li Luoyou had some knowledge, at least he had the concept of “power.” “It uses the power of steam.”

In fact, the Fengcheng used large marine diesel engines. Liu San felt it was impossible to explain the concept of an internal combustion engine, so he chose a simpler explanation.

“Steam? Can you let me see it?”

“Why not? But the machine on this ship is enormous, and it’s dark down there, so you can’t see clearly. There are similar, smaller ones in the factories.”

“The machines used on ships can also be used in factories?”

“Why not?” Liu San found the question strange.

Li Luoyou didn’t press further. He stared for a long time at the Armstrong rifled heavy cannon on the deck, its bluish gleam, the circular sliding track beneath it, and the huge, conical shells standing nearby.

He had always suspected this cannon was just a fake for show. If nothing else, how could such a giant cannon be moved by human power? But if such an iron ship could be propelled from Australia, thousands of miles away, to Lingao, what was this cannon in comparison?

The Australians had invested so much here, and they had such powerful tools!

At this thought, his hope of buying cannons from Lingao suddenly became very urgent. He whispered to Liu San, “Has your leadership made any progress on the matter of selling cannons?”

Although Liu San had not yet received formal notification, he had been briefed on the meeting’s outcome. Selling cannons was definitely off the table. He said evasively, “I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“If I could have your assistance in this matter, Master San, I would be eternally grateful!” he said, giving a meaningful look.

Liu San understood perfectly. He didn’t even have to actually help; just leaking a little information would earn him a valuable gift. Yesterday at Dongmen Market, the ginseng he had offered Li Mei, regardless of its quality, would not have been cheap. And that was just a friendly gesture upon meeting. If he were to be persuaded to help with a specific matter, the great Proprietor Li wouldn’t hesitate to offer a hundred-year-old, top-grade wild ginseng.

But he absolutely could not accept such a gift. A report had been submitted last night about Li Luoyou’s attempt to give a gift to Li Mei. He could only say vaguely, “This matter requires patience.”

Li Luoyou, pretending to gaze at the seascape, asked in a barely audible voice, “Which gentlemen would require my… attention?”

Liu San had to pretend he didn’t hear.

Seeing that this group of Australians was determined not to accept any bribes, Li Luoyou was somewhat disappointed. On second thought, they probably didn’t care for ordinary treasures. As for ginseng, perhaps these overseas people didn’t know its benefits. It seemed only the “honey trap” might work.

Mulling this over, he was taken to the Bopu Arsenal. This was the transmigrator group’s main cannon manufacturing base, producing artillery for both the army and the navy. However, the navy’s demand for cannons was huge, so at this stage, they were primarily producing naval guns.

For security, the arsenal itself was a fortress, with high walls of red brick on a stone foundation, a fortified main gate, and a moat. Marine guards with loaded rifles stood guard at the gatehouse. From within the towering red brick walls came a continuous, deafening roar, the clang of impacts, and clouds of white and black smoke. The air was filled with a strong, pungent smell.

Li Luoyou hesitated for a moment, and saw that Quark was also hesitant. The place looked frightening. The two of them instinctively made the sign of the cross and silently recited a passage of scripture before following Liu San inside.

Inside the arsenal were row after row of iron-framed buildings, each as tall as a three-story building. Their large doors were open, revealing black iron machines roaring tirelessly inside. On the iron tracks, workers pushed carts loaded with iron ingots and steel blocks.

They visited the casting workshop, where the immense heat from over a dozen simultaneously operating iron-smelting furnaces made it almost impossible for the two men to stand firm. The workers were dressed in thick clothing, their faces wrapped in towels, and wore black goggles.

The molten iron, glowing red, hissed as it flowed into the casting molds. For a moment, smoke filled the air, causing Quark to cough violently and flee with his face covered.

Li Luoyou fared much better in comparison. Since he had taken on the business of cannon casting, he often went to foundries to watch the workers make cannons. So he could endure it for now—he was very eager to see how the famous “Australian cannons” were made.

As far as he could see, the Australians’ cannon casting didn’t exceed his expectations. It was still a matter of making molds and casting. Of course, their scale was much larger, they used more tools and equipment, and they worked much faster than the workers in Foshan.

But in the next workshop, he immediately noticed a difference—the cast cannon blanks were solid! How could they be used? He watched as workers used a crane to lift a cannon blank and place it in a hot furnace for heating. After a certain time, the blank was lifted out again, red-hot, and carefully loaded onto an iron cart, clamped between two giant iron tools. Then, this clamp rotated ninety degrees. The workers pushed the cart to a large drop-hammer machine.

Amidst the steam, Li Luoyou watched the huge hammer slide down from the top of the frame and strike the red-hot cannon blank fiercely. The workers operated the iron clamps, turning the blank during the brief intervals when the hammer was lifted, allowing it to be struck inch by inch. Red sparks exploded with each deafening blow. The hard iron, like dough, was reshaped under the hammering.

The tremendous vibration and heat made it almost impossible for the group to stay nearby for more than a minute. After watching for a short while, Li Luoyou’s shirt was already soaked with sweat.

The pungent smell, the thick smoke, the deafening noise, and the immense power displayed by the machines—neither Li Luoyou nor Quark had ever witnessed such a scene. The largest scene Quark had ever seen was an English woolen mill and a shipyard, but compared to this place, they were like quiet gardens.

The craftsmen, their clothes blackened by smoke and sweat, worked amidst the smoke and noise, operating the giant machines. They ran and shouted, a dozen of them pushing a machine together, their muscles bulging, each looking strong and powerful. Li Luoyou couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine. This was like the devil’s armory, the forge of hell!

A kind of fear seeped into his heart. He felt he was losing his self-control. “God, is my soul to be lost here?” he prayed silently, feeling he should leave this place immediately. But an unprecedented force kept him from leaving. He vaguely realized he was seeing something he shouldn’t be seeing, a power that no one in this world had ever seen or controlled. A door had suddenly opened to him, and he couldn’t help but want to see clearly.

The forged cannon blanks were sent away on iron carts. Li Luoyou saw them again in the next workshop. He thought they couldn’t be the ones just forged, because there were many other blanks piled up in the workshop. This place was filled with many black machines with stone bases. On the workshop ceiling, iron shafts spun rapidly, with many leather belts extending down from them, driving many iron wheels.

The hammered steel castings were loaded onto huge iron beds, advancing slowly at an angle. If he looked closely, he found that the cannon blank was rotating rapidly towards a tool-like object, and continuous shavings of iron flew from the cannon’s body. At the same time, a foul-smelling oil was constantly drizzled onto the cannon, seemingly flowing from the cutting tool.

Soon, the once uneven, hammered surface of the cannon blank became a smooth, gleaming surface.

Li Luoyou was instantly dumbstruck. The four words “cutting iron like mud” appeared in his mind. He had seen Japanese swords that could cut iron like mud, but they were made of the finest hundred-times-folded steel, requiring countless hours of labor, and were considered treasured swords even in Japan. The Australians were actually using such treasured blades to cut cannons!

The next scene shocked him even more. The cannon blank was fixed on a frame, and a multi-edged steel cutter spun rapidly, drilling into the center of the solid blank. Iron shavings were continuously brought out by the cutter head, mixed with black, dirty water. A smell of hot iron mixed with oil filled the air.

So the cannon bore was drilled out with a cutter. The Australians’ cutters were so sharp! Li Luoyou thought, this isn’t wood, it’s a large block of iron! When iron meets iron, at most it should chip. How could it dig a hole?

Finally, he saw the finished products. Cannon barrels of various sizes, gleaming with a bluish light, were mounted on iron frames on carts. Li Luoyou secretly calculated that in this casting workshop alone, more than fifty cannons were being made simultaneously! In Foshan, even with all the workers and materials ready, it would take five or six months to make that many—just drying the clay mold for casting would take a month.

“Truly a sight to behold!” Li Luoyou felt a thrilling sensation. “No wonder everyone says the Australians’ firearms are unparalleled in the world! Cannons made like this are in a different league from what a few blacksmiths can make by melting iron ingots and pouring iron water!”

Quark also nodded. “Proprietor Li, this cannon factory is a hundred times better than the best in England—in Europe!” He took a greedy breath. “If they were to operate at full capacity, conquering all of China would not be difficult!”

“They can still expand production?” Li Luoyou was shocked.

“Didn’t you see that many machines are not running?” Quark said. “If they were all turned on…” He shook his head. “Great Proprietor Li, I think we can forget about the matter of you commissioning me to build a cannon factory.”

Li Luoyou didn’t know that he had already reached an agreement with the transmigrators to trade slaves, a faster and easier way to make money, and had lost interest in the foundry business. He was just using this as an excuse to back out. Li Luoyou, thinking he was being sincere, couldn’t help but nod. “It’s just that this is a weapon of the state; they may not be willing to sell it.”

Seeing them somewhat shaken, Liu San quickly invited them to the arsenal’s office to rest. Hot towels were brought, and then iced kvass was served. After they had calmed down a bit, Li Luoyou immediately had a pile of questions for him: why were the cannons cast solid and then drilled out, instead of being cast hollow? What kind of cutter could possibly cut iron? Why was the cannon body hammered?

Liu San answered all his questions with “I don’t know.” Li Luoyou assumed he was intentionally being secretive and didn’t press further. In reality, Liu San was not from an engineering background and was not deliberately keeping secrets.