Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 184 It's time to go to Luoyang
The Wei River flows mightily; the original site of Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, has now been divided into many areas.

Inside the iron smelting workshop, a blast furnace stands.

The craftsmen are busy experimenting.

Li Shuang watched from the sidelines and observed the entire process.

The water mill crushes the iron ore, mixes it with coal and lime, and feeds it into the furnace throat. The materials are loaded in layers, and as the temperature in the furnace rises, molten iron flows out of the hearth and into the converter.

The entire smelting workshop is now operational, relying on the most ancient power source: water!
The success of the Fubing system was underpinned by the equal-field system.

With sufficient industry and corresponding policies to rely on, the soldiers were able to transform from ordinary farmers into well-trained soldiers.

However, the equal-field system alone is not enough; advanced smelting technology is also needed.

Being fully equipped and armed is the key to a soldier's combat effectiveness.

By this time, the crucible steelmaking method had already emerged.

However, the most important factor in the steelmaking process is the craftsman's experience.

Experienced craftsmen know when to blow air and when to add charcoal, and they know the mixing ratio of iron, coal, and lime. The steel they produce is vastly different from that of inexperienced craftsmen.

Fortunately, Li Shuang had enough well-trained craftsmen under his command.

When Xiao Baoyin left Chang'an, he took mostly treasures, maps, and women with him. The artisans in the city didn't garner much attention. Or rather, he didn't have time to pay them any attention. The thousands of soldiers under Wanqi Chounu's command weren't after the artisans.

In addition, the craftsmen that Li Shuang recruited from Hedong, Shanxi and other places were enough to manufacture the steel he needed.

Li Shuang understood that although Anagui of Rouran had fled back to the northern desert, he would eventually return south once he had recovered from his injuries.

Of course, if it weren't for him, there would have been other grassland tribes.

What enabled the nomadic peoples of the grasslands to sing and dance was never benevolence or morality, but the Maxim machine gun.

However, just thinking about the prerequisite technologies and the required talent pool when it comes to pointing out the Maxim machine gun, Li Shuang felt immense pressure.

All he can do now is increase steel production as much as possible.

Increased steel production is the foundation of prosperity. Whether it's military weapons, armor, stirrups, or civilian agricultural tools and ironware, all require the support of the steel industry to reach every household.

After several days of hard work, the craftsmen finally produced their first product.

A fine iron wok!

Looking at the iron pot, Li Shuang was already envisioning the future of the four major cuisines of Sichuan, Shandong, Huaiyang, and Guangdong.

In this era, cooking methods mainly involved baking, steaming, and boiling, while stir-frying was not the mainstream. The most sophisticated dish that could be stir-fried was simply egg fried rice.

Firstly, vegetable oil was not widely used, and secondly, the quality of the iron woks was not good.

This brings us to the Song Dynasty.

Although the Song Dynasty was cowardly, it did make some progress in civilian technology.

The widespread cultivation of Champa rice greatly increased grain production. As the population of the Song Dynasty increased, a rich system of pasta dishes was developed. The development of iron smelting technology also brought stir-frying into the homes of ordinary people.

Otherwise, Emperor Zhenzong of Song wouldn't have dared to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, which led to subsequent emperors not going there again.

Li Shuang was overjoyed to receive the iron pot and immediately experimented with it, rendering a pot of lard.

Works great!

Li Shuang is satisfied with the results of the experiment during this period.

At the very least, the output and quality of steel have indeed improved significantly.

Li Shuang's future plan is to use the former site of Chang'an City as a forbidden garden, which will house not only warehouses and military camps, but also a series of other important locations.

Li Shuang breathed a sigh of relief as he walked out of the ironworks.

In the distance, a lone rider galloped towards them. Wang Sizheng had been transferred from Hedong to Guanzhong and had entered Li Shuang's temporary residence.

As they drew closer, Wang Sizheng cupped his hands in greeting and said:
"My lord, Yu Jin has obeyed your orders and sent Huli Jin with 10,000 troops south to Lingzhou."

Hearing the rustling wind, Li Shuang said:
"Send another messenger to Wanqi Chounu and make him hand over Xiao Baoyin and everything he robbed in Chang'an!"

"promise!"
-
Shangdang, eldest son.

Shangdang County was the territory of Yuan Tianmu, but because it was an important passage from Taiyuan to Luoyang, Erzhu Rong often led a large army to enter and exit it.

Therefore, the eldest son of the county town also had a mansion of the Duke of Liang.

"Bastard!"

Erzhu Rong was furious, while Gao Huan, Heba Yue, Yuwen Luosheng, and others stood aside without saying a word.

Erzhu Zhongyuan knelt on the ground, his face extremely pale.

The incident began when Huli Jin mobilized his troops to the south. Erzhu Zhongyuan thought he had an opportunity and led his troops to Shengle, intending to seize territory.

Unexpectedly, Yu Jin had already made preparations.

Erzhu Zhongyuan not only failed to gain any advantage, but also made a huge fool of himself.

"Shuozhou and Hengzhou were originally one entity. Da Yeshuang has already established his own independent state, so why should he still occupy Shuozhou!"

Erzhu Rong listened and coldly said:
"Paws!"

To describe Erzhu Zhongyuan's character as bad would be an understatement. He was inherently cruel and ruthless, harming the people, committing tyranny, and engaging in rape and plunder.

As Erzhu Rong's cousin, Erzhu Rong had previously been too lazy to care about him.

After all, such people were not uncommon among the Erzhu clan.

It's impossible for Erzhu Rong to bring every Erzhu clan member who breaks the law to justice; otherwise, there probably wouldn't be many Erzhu clan members left.

However, this time, Erzhu Zhongyuan's actions truly enraged Erzhu Rong.

The sound of slapping rang out, and Erzhu Rong rebuked:

"Do you think I don't know what you've been doing in Mayi? You've squandered so much of Tianba's legacy that there's hardly anything left. How many people in Hengzhou speak well of you? You're so smug, and now you've set your sights on Shuozhou."

Erzhu Rong did not want to clash with Li Shuang over such a desolate place as Shuozhou, especially at this juncture when the situation in Luoyang was turbulent.

Erzhu Zhongyuan had no temper when he heard this.

Erzhu Rong would get angry whenever he saw him. Every time he reprimanded him, he would ask if he was wrong or not. He would promise that he was wrong, but would he repeat the mistake? Of course he would.

"roll!"

Erzhu Zhongyuan covered his face and left without saying a word.

Compared to the good-for-nothing members of his own clan, Erzhu Rong was much more at ease with Gao Huan, Heba Yue, and others around him.

They were skilled in both literature and martial arts, far superior to the Erzhu clan members who only knew how to fight.

“Recently, Prince Yuan Ziyou of Changle has written to me one after another, expressing his feelings for his father-in-law and son-in-law. What do you think he wants to do?”

While everyone was pondering, Gao Huan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"Congratulations, General of Chariots and Cavalry, the time has come to march south to Luoyang."

"what for?"

"After the emperor assumed personal rule, his actions drew widespread discontent. The emperor is intolerant of people, and the Prince of Changle has a reputation for being ruthless. I fear he might follow in the footsteps of his father, the Prince of Pengcheng, Yuan Xie. Once there is chaos in Luoyang, wouldn't the opportunity for the General of Chariots and Cavalry to march south arrive?"

After hearing this, Erzhu Rong smiled slightly.

……

(End of this chapter)