Zhu Youzhen's undoubted decision made Zhang Xingsheng a little helpless. Immediately, Zhu Youzhen asked: "How much raw cotton has been collected by the inner government now?" How much lint can you get per 100 catties of raw cotton? ”

Zhang Xingsheng thought for a while, and then said: "Shuntianfu, Baoding, and Hejian purchased a total of 19,000 taels of cotton, 18 taels of silver per quintal, and spent a total of 32,300 taels. Each load of raw cotton produces 33 kilograms of cotton and 57 kilograms of cottonseed.

A total of 6,270 quintals of net flowers can be produced, and each quintal of silver is 6 taels. Based on the calculation of the old-style churning truck, a person can process a load of raw cotton a day and get 33 catties of lint. It is equivalent to earning 2 cents of silver, deducting 5 points of the craftsman's labor and food silver, and netting 1 cent and 5 cents of silver.

If you use the two kinds of ginning machines that Your Majesty provided to make you, then one person can process about one and a half loads of raw cotton and get 45-50 catties of lint. It is equivalent to earning 2 coins and 8 cents of silver, deducting 5 cents of the craftsman's labor and food silver, and netting 2 cents and 3 cents of silver.

Just grouting alone can earn more than 2,900 taels to more than 3,000 taels, and if you use 100 people, it will take about 4-6 months. The minister has already made nearly 10 different machines, and as long as His Majesty approves them, they can be built on a large scale. ”

"The ginning machine is all made? Take me to see it. Zhu Youzhen said excitedly.

The Chambers is located in the southwest, in an open hall with a row of machines in the middle of the hall. When Zhang Xingsheng took Chongzhen in, these craftsmen under the Wensi Academy were operating the machine and experimenting non-stop.

The ambassador who followed Chongzhen in immediately shouted at these craftsmen, asking them to stop what they were doing and salute Chongzhen.

"No, you don't have to get up, you all keep working. I have given an order that in the future, as long as the craftsmen who are at work do not have to stop to salute, Ambassador Wu, you can post this rule at the entrance of the Wensi Academy. Zhu Youzhen stopped the craftsmen from getting up, and then inspected the machines in order.

The first was the most common cotton ginning machine of the era, and the second was a roller ginning machine with a similar shape to the agitator, but with leather wrapped around an iron bar.

The third was a simple and practical cotton gin designed by Whitney, which filled iron rollers with iron hooks, and then forcibly tore the cotton lint off the cotton seeds as the cylinder rotated, and used centrifugal force to filter out the cotton seeds and throw the cotton fibers out.

Although Zhu Youzhen didn't know how to make it, as long as he said this idea, these skilled craftsmen of the Wensi Academy quickly made it.

Watching the raw cotton in front of him be thrown into the machine, and then quickly separated the cotton wool, Zhu Youzhen was a little fascinated.

He seemed to finally feel something connected to the later industrial age, and he couldn't help but get excited.

"Well done, all the craftsmen who participated in the development of these two ginning machines were rewarded and rewarded. Zhang Xingsheng, you draw up a list of rewards and report it to me for approval. ”

Hearing Chongzhen's words, whether it was the craftsmen on the scene or the chief and deputy ambassadors of the Wensi Academy, a smile appeared on their faces.

Zhu Youzhen then changed his head and said: "But don't be complacent, the ginning machine is still far from reaching this level?" Daming's annual cotton output exceeds 3 million quintals, if you rely on the speed of processing raw cotton, how can the scale of Daming's cotton planting continue to expand in the future?

I would like to put forward two more requirements to you, one is to calculate the detailed dimensions of each part of these machines, and after mass production, each part will be integrated and assembled. We require that each component be replaced on a different machine, and that the wood parts be replaced with iron parts as much as possible.

The second is, since the working parts of the machine have been finalized, then think about whether we can use mules, horses or water power to drive the operation of these machines without manpower? ”

The people in the hall who were still smiling just now suddenly restrained their smiles and fell silent. They didn't expect Chongzhen's requirements to be so high.

A young craftsman couldn't help but whisper: "Isn't it enough to increase by 50%?" How high does that have to be to be satisfied? ”

The hall was quiet, so although the young craftsman lowered his voice, Chongzhen, who was not far from him, heard it.

Zhu Youzhen smiled at the frightened young craftsman whose face was a little pale, and said with confidence: "When can a machine process 50 catties of lint in an hour, then it will be considered to be a qualified line." If you can process 8,000-9,000 pounds of cotton in one day, it will be considered excellent. ”

Everyone in the hall was frightened by Chongzhen's idea, which was six times the size of the new ginning machine, which already made these people feel that it was a fantasy. And a machine can process 8,000-9,000 catties of cotton a day, which only a god can do, most people think so at this moment.

Although he has graduated for a long time, he still remembers that it is written in the history books that during the American Industrial Revolution, the cotton gin made by Whitney went from a black man who could not pick up one pound of cotton a day to easily separate 50 pounds of cotton a day with a human machine, and then a hydro-powered machine to separate 10,000 pounds of cotton a day.

The power of this industrial machine is beyond the reach of any immortal emperor. Thinking that he had finally taken the first step to change the future, how could Zhu Youzhen care about the surprised eyes of these people.

However, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, even if Zhu Youzhen said that the moon in the sky was square, someone would come out to prove why the moon was square.

These craftsmen, soon under the reprimand of the subordinate officials of the Bunsi Academy, began to work again.

When he walked out of this hall, Zhu Youzhen hesitated and said to Zhang Xingsheng: "These days, under the discussion with the Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, you will change the Wensi Institute into an independent private institution, and no longer serve as a yamen under the Ministry of Industry.

After the Ministry of Industry provides funding for next year, there will be no need to pay for the Bunsi Institute in the future. As for the subordinate officials of the Wensi Academy, the treatment of those who are willing to stay remains unchanged, and those who are unwilling to stay can be transferred back to the Ministry of Industry for other arrangements.

From now on, the institute will be divided into two parts, one specializing in machines, and the other will start a factory using the developed machines. The part that studies machines is called the Mechanical Research Institute, and the other part is called the Industrial Council.

The two parts are not subordinate to each other and are economically independent, but the Industrial Commission adopts the research of the Institute and is subject to patent fees. ”

"Patent fees?" Zhang Xingsheng asked with some confusion.

"Yes, like the new ginning machine just now, each one must be handed over to the research institute, and the cost of selling the machine is 25% of the price, and this fee is used to maintain the operation of the research institute and continue to invest in the research of other machines." Zhu Youzhen was unwilling, and the machine he worked so hard to develop was just copied off.

"But, Your Majesty. It is not difficult to make this new ginning machine, but it is just an idea. The machine-building factory under the name of the Industrial Committee can be handed over to the research institute for patent fees, but the others understand it and go back to a few carpenters and blacksmiths to make it themselves. Zhang Xingsheng immediately thought of a question.

"That's a problem." Zhu Youzhen immediately thought that if he wrote an edict directly to the cabinet, he would definitely be pushed back by those civil servants, thinking that he wanted to rob the people in the name of patent rights.

"In this way, when you go to Wu Chunfu, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, to talk about the restructuring of the Wensi Academy, by the way, talk to him about the establishment of a patent office under the Ministry of Industry. In the future, new technologies and new inventions can only be required to pay patent fees after the patent office has filed with them.

The patent office can charge a certain fee according to the number of years, such as 50 taels of silver to enjoy the patent protection period of years, years.

Also, you tell all the craftsmen in the palace and under the Ministry of Industry that if they come up with a new technology or invention and cannot afford to pay the patent fee, they can vote for the Industrial Council. The Industrial Council may pay the patent fee on behalf of the project that it deems to be meaningful, but share half of the patent rights. ”

Zhu Youzhen felt that if Wu Chunfu went to fight with the cabinet, a patent office that could make money, presumably this Ministry of Industry Shangshu would not miss it.

After looking at Zhang Xingsheng and nodding, Zhu Youzhen jumped back to the previous topic: "The two processes of peeling off the cotton lint on the seeds and breaking the cotton shell, in this way, you pick a part of the cotton seeds to do a complete set of procedures."

After all, the stripped lint can be used as raw material for paper for banknotes, and the squeezed cottonseed kernels can be used to feed horses and other domestic animals.

If you really don't have time to deal with the rest, you can save the process. But continue to experiment with how to use it, such as if you can add something to make it less toxic, or ferment it and then try to feed animals.

All in all, make use of all the remnants and don't throw them away. ”

Regarding Chongzhen's thoughts, Zhang Xingsheng could only be submissive, but he still comforted the emperor, who seemed too stingy: "Your Majesty, in fact, the income we have obtained in cotton is completely enough profit, and the cotton seeds that are pressed out are already extra profits when used to make soap."

The labor cost of these two processes has actually offset the profit from the use of domestic poultry and livestock feed. Therefore, even if waste cannot be used as feed, Your Majesty has no need to feel sorry. ”

Zhu Youzhen suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Xingsheng, and after watching him lower his head, he said with a smile: "Zhang Shengsheng, do you know what capitalism is?" ”

Zhang Xingsheng was dumbfounded, and replied after a while: "This, this, the ministers are shallow, and I really don't know what this capitalism is." ”

"Whether it is a person or a thing, if you don't squeeze out the last bit of use, you will never let go, this is capitalism. And with my current situation, I can't afford to waste anything.

If we want to raise horses and feed the sergeants well, we must find a better fodder than grass, otherwise we will never want to fight against the peoples of the steppe in cavalry.

You can send an order, and whoever can develop a shell-peeling machine will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver. Zhu Youzhen's tone changed from ridicule to seriousness.