"I need to expand an ammonia plant and a nitrate plant. You should have already prepared for this, right?" Roland asked.
Previously, the two plants were stuck on catalysts and had to rely on Agatha and Paper to solve the problem. The output had always been maintained at a moderate level. It was much higher than the original acid production method using saltpeter, but limited by the witches' magic power and population, there was no way to further expand the scale.
Since completing the periodic table of elements, the chemistry laboratory immediately focused on establishing samples. With Lucia's element separation, the Ministry of Chemical Industry had now matched the elements on the table with the actual samples. This made some rather rare materials, such as platinum and rhodium, which were commonly used in industrial nitrate production.
Perhaps in terms of efficiency, it was not as efficient as Agatha and Paper, but as long as there were people, it could build as many factories as it wanted. As the saying goes, if quality was not enough, quantity could make up for it. Without the witches, quality and quantity could not be discussed.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Kyle said slowly. "We've already verified the principle and made a small reaction vessel to simulate the synthesis process. As long as there are enough people, we can start construction at any time. "
"I can give you priority to the literate immigrants. Go prepare after the meeting." Roland paused. "In addition, I plan to open a new production line for lead-acid batteries."
The Minister of Chemical Industry did not show any strange expression. Others might not know what it was, but he had already read all the books on elementary and intermediate chemistry, and all the content was engraved in his mind.
Lead-acid batteries were also commonly known as batteries. The materials used were very simple: lead, lead dioxide, and dilute sulfuric acid. It was not difficult for the Alchemist Workshop, let alone the current Ministry of Chemical Industry. Using electrolyte solution to light a lamp was a classic experiment in high school chemistry.
The advantage of batteries was that they could be recharged repeatedly and only needed to be refilled with pure water every once in a while. The difficulty of manufacturing lead and lead dioxide plates was close to zero. They had not been produced before because they had limited uses and were not a priority due to the lack of population.
"The amount you need is about..." Kyle took out a small notebook and recorded.
"A hundred units per month is enough," Roland replied.
The battery was mainly used to start the piston engine's cooler. As the most dazzling industrial crown of Neverwinter, it was really unstylish for the ground crew to shake the biplane when it took off. Previously, Neverwinter did not have enough manpower. Now that Neverwinter had received a large number of immigrants, they naturally did not have to worry too much.
With more people, they could do whatever they wanted.
"With such a small amount, the factory will only need to hire a dozen new people to complete it," Kyle said as he stroked his beard. "Of course, the manufacturing of the lead plates, shells and other components will require Her Highness Anna's help."
"If you can provide detailed drawings, the Ministry of Industry has no problem." Anna nodded.
"In that case, allow me to think about it for a few days before I submit the blueprint."
Roland took a sip of tea with satisfaction. After several years of training, the Administrative Office was now full of talents, and cross-departmental cooperation had become the norm. This allowed him to only mention the beginning of many new projects, and someone else would finish them later.
"Next is the Ministry of Industry's mission —"
After the Battle of Taquila, his brain had a lot of things that needed to be improved and supplemented. Now, he could finally let go and start working.
The first thing he needed to do was to improve the combat capabilities of the infantry squads.
This was the so-called General Machine Gun Project.
The Mark I HMG would be replicated with lighter materials and its structure would be optimized so that the gun body and frame could be separated and carried by one person. Bullets would be supplied by either a cartridge or a magazine. In this way, they could immediately launch a counterattack whenever they encountered an enemy. Even if the enemy was a Senior Demon, as long as they were not ambushed, they could provide suppressive firepower and create opportunities for the anti-demon grenadiers.
Since there were no major changes to the structure, the focus of the lightweight project was on the materials. For example, aluminum alloy and plastic-like products made from rubber worm mucus. The production of both was not high, and the demand for biplanes was high, so the production would not be high.
But it was better than nothing. Moreover, the Air Knight also needed machine guns, so putting this project on the agenda could be regarded as killing two birds with one stone.
In Roland's opinion, even if the First Army fought in the Kingdom of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Everwinter, they should still maintain their local superiority and firepower. Only elite squads with special missions such as reconnaissance, cover, and rescue would be equipped with this weapon.
In addition, the semi-automatic rifle modified by Van 'er had been transferred to the Munitions Factory for official production. Currently, they were replacing the bolt rifle at a ratio of 1: 5, which meant that one out of five people would be equipped with a "Van' er rifle". In addition to the logistical pressure, the linkage mechanism was exposed, which would reduce the durability of the rifle and cause it to jam easily.
However, it could really improve the firepower of the soldiers.
The second project was the biplane. After nearly four months of high-intensity testing, the first generation biplane had been finalized and was named "Skyfire". It was similar to the "Unicorn", and its structure could not be considered complicated. However, if it was really produced and assembled by ordinary workers, the success rate would still be a problem. As for the engine, it could only be manufactured by Anna for the time being.
Even so, Roland still planned to gather all the best workers in the industrial area to overcome this difficulty. It had been more than three years since the first steam engine factory was built. The blacksmith apprentices had also changed from wielding iron hammers to operating machine tools. Now was the best time to test the level of manufacturing in Neverwinter.
In order to curb the mobility of the Devilbeasts, seizing the sky was the only solution.
And the "Skyfire" was undoubtedly just the beginning.
Lastly, it was to deal with the new appearance of the Spider Monstrous Beasts and the shortcomings of the First Army. Roland planned to add a small caliber cannon between the mortars and the Longsong Cannons to attack and fight against the Monstrous Beasts. Its size was tentatively set at 75mm, and it did not need to rely on the hummingbird to reduce weight and harden the road. It could also be used by the army. Usually, one or two horses could tow it, and when there were no horses, people could also be used.
This kind of infantry cannon did not have any technical difficulties, and it could be started by transferring a portion of the workers from the original cannon factory. However, before that, he had to first complete the trial production and test firing of the prototype.
Roland had already discussed this with Anna countless times in private, so he did not need to explain in detail. She understood tacitly with just a few words.
Nearly ten factories would be built at the same time, and twenty to thirty thousand people would be invested in the new project. It could be considered the grandest manufacturing project since the establishment of Neverwinter.
And with the acceleration of the migration of immigrants, not only would the pace not stop, it would even become more intense.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
