The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 255: Navy Ships Shipped in Dumplings

Wanli's method of using fine sand to conduct heat to refine oil was a very crude method.

However, this method can be used to extract kerosene.

Now we can make money with kerosene.

The simplest one is to make a kerosene lamp.

A kerosene lamp is a glass bottle at the bottom, a glass cover at the top, and a circle of copper in the middle with a small component that can move the wick up and down.

This thing is not difficult to make. For the craftsmen in the Summer Resort, it is just a matter of carving a few molds.

Wanli gave this thing to the master Zhou Danquan. Within a few days, Zhou Danquan made rows of kerosene lamps.

This thing can adjust the size of the light by pushing the wick up and down. It is much more convenient to use than the oil lamps of these days.

The next step is to make a kerosene lighter.

He also deliberately chose the time after the You hour when it was dark to invite Yongnian Earl Wang Wei's family and Zhou Danquan and others to the lobby of the original county government office.

At this moment, there were many kerosene lamps lit in the lobby, high and low, at all angles, lighting up the entire lobby like daylight.

To be honest, this kerosene lamp is really useful. Except for a slight odor, everything else is good.

Everyone has been wondering about all kinds of weird-smelling oils these days, but this odor is nothing.

Wanli even took out a kerosene lamp and placed it on the large table in the middle. He then took out the manuscript paper, picked up the brush, and gestured carefully, saying, "Father-in-law, I also want to make a kerosene lighter.

The meaning of this lighter is a bit similar to a tinderbox, but unlike a tinderbox, a lighter does not require a spark to be kept inside at all times.

You see, the outside of the lighter is made up of two iron shells made of tempered steel. The upper one is shorter and the lower one is longer, and they are connected by a thin hinge on one side.

The thing in the middle is a bit complicated, so we have to make a very delicate mold. The lower half of this middle part is also similar to an iron shell, but it must fit perfectly with the shell below.

After the iron shell below is filled with kerosene, we press this part in, and it becomes a small iron box for kerosene, and no oil can leak out.

In the middle upper part, we are going to make something with the wick exposed. This is a bit like a kerosene lamp, but it is not a slit, but a circle of thin iron sheet, and some small holes are also needed.

The most important part of the kerosene lighter is this part, which is a small iron wheel carved with fishing net flowers. Its general style is similar to the pulley, but much smaller.

Below this is a small hole for installing a flint stick, and a small spring must be installed inside. In this way, we can quickly turn the small iron wheel with our fingers to grind out sparks from the flint.

When sparks hit the wick in the middle, they can light it. "Father-in-law, do you understand this structure?"

This structure is actually not very complicated, but the thing in the middle is a little difficult to make.

Yongnian Earl Wang Wei nodded slowly and said, "I roughly understand the structure. Your Majesty, how big should we make this kerosene lighter?"

Wanli gestured, "It should be half the size of a palm. It should be easy to hold with one hand, and use your thumb to quickly turn the small iron wheel."

Upon hearing this, Yongnian Earl Wang Wei nodded repeatedly and said, "Such a small piece would be easy to stamp. I'll have someone carve a few fine molds and try it out."

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "How's your work on the barrels of oil?"

This one.

Yongnianbo Wang Wei said rather embarrassedly, "Your Majesty, we have made a set of molds for cast iron plates, and we have also made a set of molds for hammering thin plates. However, it seems that they are not thin enough. It is very difficult to roll them up, and it is not suitable for mass production. We need to make a set of thinner molds."

Wanli nodded slightly after hearing this and said, "Well, let's do it quickly. We are about to start refining oil in large quantities. It will be embarrassing if we have nothing to store it in."

Are we going to start mass refining now?
Yongnianbo Wang Wei said cautiously, "Your Majesty, it seems that not all the oil can be refined into oil. There is still 30 to 40 percent of slag, which is black and sticky. It takes a lot of effort to get it out every time. If we refine it this way, I'm afraid we can only refine a few barrels of oil a day."

This way of practicing definitely won’t work.

Wanli thought for a moment, then explained in detail: "The one in the middle that holds the oil is not actually a barrel. I was just anxious to try it out, so I asked you to make a simple barrel.

In the future, when we smelt in large quantities, we can’t use that simple barrel. You have to cast a boiler that is thicker than an iron pot.

This kind of boiler can be cast in two halves as you said, with copper sheets sandwiched in the middle to seal it tightly. It can be cast as large as possible.

For the lower part, you have to cast something like a tube to remove the slag. When the slag is hot, it is not very sticky and can flow out directly from the inside.

You can also keep the residue left over from oil refining. If you heat it and mix it with gravel, you can use it to pave roads, which is much better than dirt roads.

Also, you need to cast an inclined feed hole and an oil outlet on the upper part, so that it is convenient to feed, remove slag, and drain oil."

Oh, it turns out that the barrels for refining oil are different from the barrels for storing oil.

Upon hearing this, Yongnian Earl Wang Wei slowly nodded and said, "I understand." Wanli pondered again, "After refining a large amount of oil, we will have to consider the issue of how to buy it.

We use the oil refined at about 100 degrees to make kerosene tanks, and the kerosene refined at about 200 degrees can be used to light lamps and make lighters.

What can you do with the oil refined at about 150 degrees, father-in-law, have you ever tried it?

Yongnianbo Wang Wei said carefully: "Your Majesty, that kind of oil seems to be able to be used as lamp oil, but it will produce a little more smoke than kerosene."

That oil can also be used for lamp oil!
Isn't this an additional income?
Upon hearing this, Wanli pressed the issue, "Are you sure that oil won't explode or catch fire at the slightest touch?"

Yongnian Earl Wang Wei nodded slowly and said, "This humble official can confirm that the oil is similar to kerosene, except that it doesn't have the strange smell."

It is even better if it has no odor and is better for making lamp oil than kerosene.

Wanli didn't know what that kind of oil was used for in the future. At this moment, he was only concerned about making money.

There is also a strange problem. They didn't even extract paraffin wax to make candles.

He didn't know the reason yet, and now was not the time to think about it.

He thought for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "That kind of oil is called lamp oil, right? One tael of silver is worth 25 catties, and kerosene is worth 30 catties. Oh, and there's another kind of oil that comes out last. What's it good for? Have you tried it?"

This one.

Yongnianbo Wang Wei recalled: "That kind of oil wouldn't catch fire with a tinder if it was soaked in a wick, but it would burn brightly when poured on firewood."

That's diesel, it seems to have a higher ignition point.

However, no matter how high it is, as long as it can add fuel to the fire.

Upon hearing this, Wanli decisively said, "Put it in kerosene cans and use it to add fuel to the fire. When the enemy ship is on fire, throw these kerosene cans as much as possible."

This time, we made a lot of money. One hundred kilograms of crude oil can produce about eighteen or nineteen kilograms of gasoline, about ten kilograms of lamp oil, about fifteen kilograms of kerosene, more than twenty kilograms of diesel and thirty or forty kilograms of asphalt. The profit is more than one or two taels of silver.

After discussing with everyone, Wanli decided to refine a large amount of oil to make money.

However, there is still a key issue, which is that they have to have enough ships.

So far they have only found oil in Shaanxi Xingdusi, Neitao and Wai'ao. After they refine it there, they need to have enough ships to transport it to other places for sale.

Fortunately, the New Longjiang Baochuan Factory didn't make him wait long.

About ten days later, they finally made the boilers and oil drums for large-scale oil refining. Deng Zilong then led the navy officers and soldiers in a large number of warships to rush to the Summer Resort.

At about 15:00 in the afternoon, when it was getting dark, Wanli, who had received the news, quickly rushed to the pier south of the Summer Resort.

That guy, the dense centipede boats and octopus boats have filled up the river near the dock, and no one knows how many there are behind them. They are so dense that you can't see the end at a glance.

Deng Zilong had been waiting at the dock for a long time.

After the emperor and his ministers exchanged greetings, Wanli asked impatiently, "Yunqing, how many warships did you bring this time?"

Deng Zilong said without hesitation: "Your Majesty, I will bring all the first batch of 130 centipede ships and 300 octopus ships."

Great, finally we have a boat.

Wanli asked excitedly, "What about now? Are the twenty-four newly built docks and waterways completed?"

How can this be so fast?

Deng Zilong quickly explained, "Your Majesty, the construction of the new 24 docks and waterways will not be completed until next month. I'm here to ask Your Majesty what kind of ships will be built in those 24 docks and waterways this year."

Of course, that is to build centipede ships and octopus ships. Make money first, then fight. Only when the Ming army is fully paid can it be invincible.

Wanli pondered, "Let's build more centipede boats and octopus boats this year. Half of the newly built 24 docks and waterways will be used to build centipede boats, and half will be used to build octopus boats. We can strive to produce 250 centipede boats and 600 octopus boats per month. Is that a problem?"

Deng Zilong nodded repeatedly and said, "That's not a problem. The problem is that we've almost cut down all the trees over five meters tall in the deep mountains and old forests of Jiangxi. They're reluctant to use the ones over ten meters long, so the wood supply is quite tight."

Then go somewhere else to chop.

Wanli pondered, "Take thirty centipede boats back and quickly go to the deep mountains and old forests of Huguang to search for wood. Once you've cut down wood in Huguang, go to Bashu. Shipbuilding cannot stop; timber must be supplied in a timely manner."

Deng Zilong heard this and bowed repeatedly, saying, "I understand."

The navy’s ships are really going to start piling up like dumplings. In four or five years, the Ming navy’s ships will cover the sky and the sun!

(End of this chapter)