Chapter 203: Pig iron, wrought iron and fried steel
Kong Jing took the arrow from Liu Yu's hand, put it in his arms, and continued: "If the arrow fails to break through the armor, or the armor fails to control the spear, the craftsmen will be punished according to Qin law, ranging from fines to minors."
Severe punishments include deprivation of people's title and land, and in severe cases, direct execution. Therefore, the Qin army not only has strong warriors, like wolves and tigers, but also sharp armored soldiers, relying on this method."
Having said this, Kong Jing smiled slightly: "Liu Yu, are you willing to work with me to build the best weapons and armor in the world?"
Liu Yu breathed a long sigh of relief and nodded vigorously: "I wish you all the best!"
But at this point, Liu Yu still frowned: "But what you did just now, chopping off your fingers because you got the wrong water, isn't it a bit too much? I know this water is used for quenching, but what kind of water
It’s not water, what’s the difference?”
Kong Jing shook his head: "Liu Yu, you don't know this. Most of the making of iron depends on this quenching. Whether it is good steel or rotten iron can be said to a large extent depends on this quenching."
matter."
Liu Yuqi asked: "Is it so important? What's the big difference between steel and iron?"
Kong Jing smiled slightly and pointed to his arms: "Just like this arrowhead, in the Qin Dynasty, bronze arrowheads were used. Bronze is very soft, even if it is cooked bronze that has been hardened by adding a lot of things.
They could only barely penetrate the leather armor. Therefore, although the Qin army had sharp armor, they still suffered a lot when encountering iron weapons. This was also the reason why the Qin army gradually transitioned from this kind of bronze weapons to the early Han Dynasty.
The reason for the iron."
Liu Yu nodded: "Yes, it is said that bronze was only used in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties in ancient times. Anyway, you can't see it now. Even my farm tools are made of iron. However, I never knew about this iron
How it was made, and I don’t even know what the difference is between iron and steel.”
Kong Jing said seriously: "Iron is made by combining iron ore and charcoal and sealing them in those high-heat furnaces. When the iron ore encounters extremely hot flames, it will melt into iron juice, and then solidify.
Some impurities in the iron juice will be removed and it will become iron blocks. This method of making iron blocks began to appear in the middle and late Warring States Period, and by the early Han Dynasty, it had gradually taken shape."
Liu Yu nodded: "I heard from the blacksmith in the village that this kind of iron is called pig iron. It is very hard and can be used to cast things, but it is also very brittle. It will break when it encounters a slightly stronger external force, and
, you can’t forge it repeatedly, right?”
Kong Jing smiled slightly: "That's right. The hardness of this kind of pig iron is okay, but it can only be cast, not forged, so it is not practical. The reason for this is because there are a lot of impurities in the iron juice.
, only by continuously melting and casting the pig iron, casting and melting again, and after repeated many times, the impurities in it are almost eliminated, and then it will become wrought iron."
Liu Yu said with a smile: "This wrought iron is even more difficult to use. It is extremely soft and will bend when touched. I won't even use this wrought iron on my farm tools."
At this point, he curled up his lips: "It's strange, shouldn't this iron become harder and stronger as it is refined? How could pig iron become wrought iron and become softer?"
Kong Jing smiled and said: "The reason is that our predecessors have been trying for hundreds of years to realize that some of the impurities removed can increase the hardness of iron. The most important thing is charcoal powder!"
Liu Yu was surprised: "Charcoal powder? Isn't that the ash left after burning wood into charcoal? This thing can make iron hard?"
Kong Jing nodded: "Yes, it sounds so incredible, but it is the fact. So the key to changing from iron to steel lies in the addition of this charcoal powder. When we make steel, we melt the wrought iron and then add the iron
The essence and charcoal powder can be forged after solidifying again."
"This forging is to take a whole piece of fiery red steel and hit it hard with a hammer on the anvil while it is hot. In this way, the piece of steel will be beaten into various shapes we want.
, after the shape is almost completed, the entire red steel block is quickly immersed in water. If the quality of the water is what we need, it can be cooled extremely quickly and turned into various steel materials."
Having said this, he pointed to the iron helmet he was wearing and said, "Helms like this one are made into a helmet shape using this method to protect your head."
Liu Yu said thoughtfully: "No wonder I see blacksmiths quenching a piece of hot red iron into water when making iron. So, the texture of the water determines the hardness of the steel?"
Kong Jing sighed: "That's right. If the water is too cold and cools down too quickly, sometimes there will be cracks inside the steel. If the water is too hot and cannot cool down, then the steel cannot cool down quickly and will deform and the hardness will not be enough.
Therefore, what kind of armor must be made with what kind of water. Otherwise, what will be the result if the soldiers go to the battlefield wearing brittle or cracked armor?"
Liu Yu sighed: "That means armor can't hold arrows, and spears can't penetrate armor. It's really a serious matter."
Kong Jing nodded with satisfaction: "Actually, I can turn a blind eye. It's not like I go to the battlefield and do my shit, but the real victims are soldiers like you, Liu Yu. If you wear inferior quality
Armor can lead to death, weapons that break at the first touch, and you can't kill the enemy, will you still defend that person like this?"
Liu Yu curled up his lips: "But I just chopped off one of his fingers because I was lazy to get water. Isn't that a bit too much? Even if you beat him severely, you can do it like this next time
, it’s probably better than this.”
Kong Jing shook his head: "Liu Yu, I'm a little disappointed when I see you today. You are also an officer. You should know that if Ci doesn't lead the army, this is not an ordinary combat unit, but a bunch of scum picking the leftovers.
, useless losers with no future. If they hadn’t signed a three-year contract to sell themselves when they entered the camp, they would have wanted to go home. If we didn’t use this extraordinary method, everyone would be cheating. I won’t punish them severely this time.
For those who take the lead, this will only happen more and more in the future. Again, when the time comes, the unlucky ones will still be the soldiers!"
Liu Yu sighed: "Can't we think of some other ways to give them the same chance to stand out as ordinary soldiers?"
Kong Jing smiled and said: "That depends on your ability. If you can make good armor and ordnance and satisfy Xuan Shuai, you can be the first person to walk out from here. Liu Yu, I believe
You have the ability, but it depends on how much effort you are willing to put in here!"
Liu Yu's eyes flashed coldly: "I will definitely provide the best weapons and armor for the best warriors!"