Another corner of Tuolongguan was built into a blacksmith workshop. Dozens of tall furnaces were built. The first batch of blacksmiths recruited from Wudi totaled 120 people, most of whom had been engaged in smelting for generations.
In addition, there were hundreds of carloads of extremely high-content iron ore, delivered via Qin's trading company's horse team, and Qin Qing promised Ji Jie that he would send as much as he wanted.
Although iron ware has begun to gradually replace bronze ware, the temperature required for smelting iron is much higher than that of bronze, and the process complexity is also much higher. In addition, pig iron is produced from iron ore, which requires a series of complicated processes.
It can be turned into fine iron, and then it can be turned into fine steel through a more complicated process. Therefore, among the Seven Kingdoms, bronze smelting is still the main method. Iron products are rarely used for weapon forging and are mostly used for the production of agricultural tools.
Looking at the iron ore unloaded from the carriage, Ji Jie knew the importance of this item. Of course there is no problem in buying it in the initial stage, but once it is mass-produced, there must be a large supply of raw materials, and purchasing and transporting it by carriage cannot
Meet the requirements and be easily restricted by others.
"Is there anyone who knows this thing in the future?" Ji Jie asked.
The blacksmiths nodded one after another. They had been working with iron ore for many years, so they were naturally familiar with it.
"I don't mean what's in front of you!" Ji Jie said with a smile, "but can any of you find this thing in the wild? I mean in an environment you are unfamiliar with."
Everyone was silent, and a middle-aged man with a square face stood up and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, although I don't dare to vouch for it directly, I think I know a lot about iron ore. I have often followed my father's house since I was a child.
My ancestor went up to the mountain to collect it with his own hands. My ancestor once said that if you want to forge a peerless magic weapon, you must strive for excellence in the use of materials from the beginning, and you must do it yourself without any sloppiness!"
"Well said!" Ji Jie walked up to the man and asked, "What's your name?"
"Ou Ming!"
"Your surname is Ou?" Ji Jie suddenly remembered Ou Yezi, a world-famous sword master, and couldn't help but ask: "Are you related to the sword master Ou Yezi?"
Ou Ming bowed and replied: "Ou Yezi is the ancestor of our family!"
After making a profit, Ji Jie was so excited that he unexpectedly recruited Ou Yezi's grandson. What's even more valuable is that Ou Ming not only knows casting, but also knows iron ore. In this way, he can work on a two-pronged approach, improving and exploring forging on the one hand.
Technology, on the one hand, sends people to detect the presence of iron ore nearby.
"I have decided to set up a foundry supervisor here!" Ji Jie immediately made a decision: "Appoint Ou Ming as the foundry supervisor, who will be fully responsible for iron casting and ore exploration. The rest of the people must do their best to assist him and ensure that
It’s everyone’s credit for the success, and I will definitely reward you heavily!”
"Thank you so much for your love!"
From then on, in addition to the rhythmic sounds of the paper mill every day, there were also endless clanging sounds in Tuolong Pass. On the third day, the first furnace of iron juice was successfully smelted, and the black pig iron rods were displayed in front of everyone.
.
Ji Jie picked up an iron rod. Pig iron is brittle and not as strong as a wooden rod. He has never dabbled in smelting technology, but as a modern person with extensive science knowledge, there are still many blacksmiths who surpass them.
place.
For example, he knows how to make steel. Although he can't explain what the process is like, he also knows that turning a piece of pig iron into mature iron and then into refined steel requires countless calcinations and beatings in order to remove impurities and reduce its content.
Carbon content.
In addition, I have heard about folding, composite steel clamping, carburizing and other processes in forging technology. He took out these theoretical things to discuss with Ou Ming, which benefited Ou Ming a lot.
Ou Ming applied the theoretical knowledge gained from Ji Jie into practice. They were not eager to create a shocking finished product, but focused all their energy on the production of materials, first mastering the processes including smelting, casting, etc.
, and then it becomes very simple to turn it into a finished product.
Ou Ming is worthy of being the descendant of the foundry master Ou Yezi. He is proficient in various techniques and has made innovations. Under his leadership, the foundry supervisor took out more than a dozen steel samples with different softness and hardness after a month.
Invite Ji Jie to come over and review.
"Please take a look, Your Majesty!" Ou Ming picked up a piece of sharp steel and said, "This is the hardest piece of iron we have ever forged. Even if it is heated red, it will be difficult to change it with a sledgehammer.
Its appearance and hardness are more than three times that of bronze!"
"So hard?" Ji Jie was surprised.
"That's right!" Ou Ming continued: "It's just that the production of this kind of steel is extremely complicated, and once it is formed, it cannot be changed and cannot be promoted on a large scale! But don't worry, sir, we have also forged another sample with a similar hardness.
Slightly inferior to steel, but it has strong plasticity and ductility. The blade is extremely sharp and will not curl after repeated slashing. It can be forged with steel bars with excellent toughness to achieve both rigidity and softness.
Effect!"
Ji Jie took the samples in his hands one by one. The colors of different samples were very different, and the weights also changed. He was glad that he used Ou Ming correctly. As the saying goes, if a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. If you want to work in troubled times,
Survival in the world must rely on a strong army, and the foundation of a strong army is the weapons in the hands of soldiers.
"Are there any difficulties during the actual operation?" Ji Jie asked.
Ou Ming shook his head, then nodded again, and said: "The main reason is that the smelting of iron ore is labor-intensive and difficult to control the temperature of charcoal, which wastes a lot of time. If this matter can be solved, what will happen next?"
It will definitely get twice the result with half the effort!”
Then change the charcoal to coal. Ji Jie immediately started to do it. He carefully described the properties of coal and sent a large number of people to search everywhere.
Little did they know that Ji Jie's decision once again pushed the history of human civilization forward for hundreds of years. There is no way, who gave us a modern brain, it would not be a failure of God's good intentions.
Good news came frequently. The first returning team reported that there was a large amount of coal deposits near Qishan, located several meters deep underground, which could meet the requirements of open-pit mining.
The second team reported that they had discovered iron ore in the Gobi area at the junction of the Zhou Dynasty and the Yan Kingdom, and it was hematite with a high iron content. The mine was so big that you couldn’t see the edge at a glance. Because it was located in the Gobi, the Great Zhou and Yan Kingdoms
It has always been ignored, so that it has been inaccessible for hundreds of years, making it suitable for secret mining.
"That's great, these are all things that tmd can get without spending money!" Ji Jie was so happy. On the one hand, he recruited civilians nearby to mine coal in the fiefdom of Zhaocheng; on the other hand, he asked Zhao Ling to send a team of cavalry to the Gobi.
Camps and border defenses were established on the beach, and more civilians were recruited in large numbers to go there for mining after the autumn harvest.