Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 84 Good Steel Must Be Refurbished (Please Read 4k Words)

"This craftsmanship is like that of a god. The blade is smooth and shiny with hidden patterns. The spine of the blade is covered with soil and fired to make it hard and tough. If this ring pommel were to be found in the outside world, it would probably attract a group of fierce generals to fight over it!"

Han Ji held a ring-pommel sword that had been quenched in oil and cooled, examining it closely.

He had always loved craftsmanship, and when he learned that two master craftsmen had come to Taoyuan, he naturally came early to watch.

This knife was made as a trial piece, but with the help of the water-forging hammer, it actually resembled a divine weapon.

Hearing Han Ji's praise, Tong Bo wiped the oil stains off his hands and replied with a smile: "It's also thanks to the ingenuity of the forging hammer here. Otherwise, it would take my brother and me four or five hours to forge a knife in the past."

Tong Xing, who was usually quiet, nodded and said "Mm".

Zhang Xian's eyes lit up with even greater joy. He could tell the whole story from just one glimpse. Judging from the result of this ring-pommel sword alone, the two brothers' craftsmanship was quite good.

So he stepped forward and said, "From now on, the Taoyuan Blacksmith Shop will be in the hands of you two brothers. You two will also have to take care of these apprentices. Taoyuan is willing to hire you two to oversee Taoyuan with a salary of 200,000. Please don't find this too much trouble."

"You're too kind, Master. This is a family matter, how can we accept money from you? If Master Tong finds out, he will surely blame us!"

"It is necessary to accept the payment. Taoyuan is different from other places. You will receive exactly what you give. This is a matter of mutual consent. How can Master Tong be harsh when he knows this!"

"The story of Zigong in ancient times serves as a precedent, and this is the foundation upon which Peach Blossom Spring stands. If everyone were like you two, only giving and not taking anything in return, then Peach Blossom Spring would not last long."

Han Ji also chimed in from the side.

Tong Bo and Tong Xing exchanged a glance, then bowed to Zhang Xianqi, saying, "We are willing to serve you like dogs and horses!"

The last lingering unease the two brothers felt at being summoned by Tong Yuan vanished at this moment.

“Very well! Then I will not disturb you two brothers any longer. I only hope that you two can forge the iron halberd that Master Tong wants as soon as possible, so that I can learn Master Tong’s skills sooner. If every day is like today, I will not learn anything and only get beaten, then I will have a lot to suffer.”

After a few self-deprecating jokes to liven up the atmosphere, Zhang Xian and the others didn't stay long.

They pulled over He the blacksmith, who was still learning his craft, and the three of them went to the other side of the stream.

"Old He, leave the weaponry to them. You also need to continue to improve your armor-making skills. The new forging equipment here is even more exquisite than the old one, so you must pay close attention to it."

Zhang Xian patted He the blacksmith on the shoulder.

He never neglected one thing for another. Although this blacksmith He was only an apprentice with poor skills at the beginning, after several months of honing his skills in Taoyuan, he became proficient and skilled in making armor plates.

Weapons need to be used, and armor naturally needs to be made as well.

"I have never forgotten the trust that the Master has placed in me. However, both of them are highly skilled craftsmen. Why doesn't the Master entrust the matter of the armor plates to them as well?"

He the blacksmith hesitated, or rather, felt inferior.

“Look, I’m underestimating myself. I trust your skills, Lao He. They’re new here, how can we entrust the most important things in Peach Blossom Spring to them?”

"Besides, so what if they are master craftsmen? If you, Old He, improve every day, surely you can become a master craftsman too?"

"Old He, I think highly of you, so you have to live up to my expectations!"

Zhang Xian offered his earnest advice, and Han Ji, standing to the side, smiled upon hearing this.

Our lord is becoming increasingly adept at winning people's hearts.

He won over the two brothers with money when they first arrived, and encouraged them with emotional support and expectations, serving both sides.

"The Lord trusts me! I can only repay him with my life!"

"Hmm! Very good, very energetic! Alright, it's getting late. Take your apprentices and tidy this place up. Let's make some more armor plates today; the armor workshop is already waiting!"

"promise!"

He the blacksmith, beaming with pride, bowed and agreed, now only wondering what would become of Peach Blossom Spring without him.

He shouted towards the other side of the bridge, and the apprentices who had been working with him to make armor plates crossed the bridge.

The furnace was lit and the forging hammer was connected. Soon, there was a clanging sound from this side.

Zhang Xianhan and the other two exchanged a glance, smiled, and then left.

"My lord is going to put Blacksmith He against the Tong brothers."

"Haha." Zhang Xian chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Old He is a good man to begin with. He is willing to endure hardship and is also an old man from Taoyuan. He just suffers because he doesn't have a good master to teach him. Now that these two have come, as long as he is more competitive and humbly asks for advice every day, it won't be difficult for Taoyuan to add another master craftsman with his personality."

"When you have time, give him some pointers." As he spoke, he glanced at Han Ji.

"How can I offer some advice?" Han Ji forced a bitter smile. The affairs of Taoyuan already weighed heavily on him, and yesterday he was assigned the task of finding a suitable person to recommend him. Now he understood what Alan meant when he said that his brother Xian wanted to use one person as several.

"My lord, why don't you seek out some more talented and ambitious people? Ji Cai is only thirty-three years old and doesn't want to die young!"

He shook his head, gave a wry smile, and waved his hand repeatedly.

Zhang Xian was taken aback, then said with a sigh, "Alas, Peach Blossom Spring is short of people!"

Now, Taoyuan has nearly 3,000 registered households. The problem isn't a lack of people, but a lack of cultured, insightful, and capable individuals.

Although there are many households in Taoyuan Village now, they are all displaced people who have gathered together. We hope to find talented people among them.
Sigh, I'm not afraid of boosting the morale of aristocratic families. These days, the talent market is basically monopolized by aristocratic families. Even the so-called "prodigy from humble backgrounds" first need to have connections to qualify as a "humble background."

People from humble backgrounds are not necessarily poor; they are simply from families that have fallen on hard times. Ultimately, they still belong to the same lineage as established families.

Why is it that after Han Ji came along, everything in Taoyuan could be brought to the forefront?

It was because Han Ji understood the ways of aristocratic families that he could make illegal things appear legal on the surface.

"The daytime schedule can't be disrupted. All skills training will finish around eight o'clock, so let's go to bed an hour later."

Zhang Xian sighed.

If there's no way to find talent, then we have no choice but to cultivate it ourselves.

This kind of training really has to be done by him. Unlike teaching young children in elementary schools, adults' thinking and memory are no longer at their peak, so we can only rely on his knowledge and skills.

"Sir, could you help me consider which teaching aids would be best for adult literacy programs?"

"Oh, no—"

Well, I guess I won't get a good night's sleep again tonight.
-
Zhang Xian plans to set up a night school. The two hours of teaching each night will not necessarily turn everyone into a bookworm, but as long as it can help people become literate, it will be a very good thing for Taoyuan.

For a force to develop in the long term, it must have sufficient internal capacity for self-sufficiency and a sufficient pool of talent.

If you don't want to be shackled by powerful families, the only way to break this deadlock is to take matters into your own hands! It would be a waste to not use your knowledge and skills.

Knowledge Level 3 (9250/50000)

Sub-skills:
Language Pro: You can master various languages ​​more quickly. Reverse Engineering 3: You can reverse engineer manufacturing methods from physical objects. Teaching 2: The learning ability of your students increases by 25%.

"Heaven will entrust this person with a great responsibility! If I don't step up, who will? It's just two hours less sleep! It's not like I'll die!"
Probably not!
Early the next morning, he greeted Tong Yuan with Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan as usual, then was whipped, and then left.

Tong Yuan remained silent, simply acting as a machine for extracting people.

The morning was packed with drills, agricultural and livestock activities, and skills training.

In the afternoon, Han Ji found Zhang Xianbing, who was organizing teaching materials, and reported on the matter.

"My lord, the steelmaking furnace is complete. Shall we test it today?" Zhang Xian, who was in the book, looked up and said, "Test it! Go and call the Tong brothers and Old He. They all have experience in smelting iron."

"I'm going to the warehouse to get someone to move the materials!"

"promise!"

It's been almost two months, and the steel-frying furnace is finally complete. Zhang Xian has simulated the steel-frying method in his mind countless times, and now he can finally get hands-on experience!
My previously listless spirit was instantly lifted; in the midst of a dull day, this sudden burst of novelty is exactly what I need.

He put down the textbooks he had mostly organized and walked briskly toward the storeroom.

Magnet chains, lime, and pig iron that has long been crushed using water calcination are all used in steelmaking furnaces.

Call on people to transport it to the frying furnace.

The furnace was also built next to the stream because the temperature of charcoal is limited and the oxygen supply for heating cannot be stopped, so it is convenient to use water to blow air.

Unlike forging hammers, blowers do not require as much force, so they use small waterwheels. A single blower is not much larger than a wheel, but there are many of them.

Zhang Xian rushed to the steel frying furnace. The furnace body, seven or eight meters long, was thick and robust, all made of refractory bricks. Platforms were erected around the furnace, level with the furnace opening. These platforms were also made of bricks and stones, filled with glutinous rice paste and adhesive, making them exceptionally sturdy.

There is another opening directly below the stove, which is the fire inlet. More than twenty ceramic pipes extend outward from the fire inlet.

These are the air inlets, which use water-driven ventilation to send air into the furnace.

The entire steel frying furnace occupies more than 100 square meters and is concealed by a brick and stone wall.

After Zhang Xian entered the courtyard, the Tong brothers and Lao He and Han Ji also arrived.

The crowd gathered around the furnace, whispering amongst themselves.

"You've arrived, so let's begin."

Zhang Xian waved his hand, and the blacksmiths responded in unison.

They're both blacksmiths; although the furnaces in front of them look different, their methods are the same.

Add materials and heat the furnace.

The Tong brothers were experienced; they first heated the furnace before adding the material, with He the blacksmith helping them.

The three of them stood on a platform level with the furnace opening and worked together.

Below the platform, Zhang Xian controlled the furnace temperature.

This furnace is quite large, capable of holding a thousand kilograms of iron scraps at a time. The furnace chamber concentrates heat, and the continuous influx of air from below raises the temperature limit of the charcoal.

Halfway through the heat, Tong Bo called out, "Lime, grass and wood."

His younger brother, Tong Xing, and the blacksmith He then each threw in lime and alkali powder.

Sparks rose, and a small mushroom-shaped ball rolled up at the furnace opening.

Han Ji recorded each step, and the group's first attempt at melting iron was surprisingly well-organized.

About two hours later, the furnace was glowing orange-red. The three brothers on the platform had already come down. The temperature there was not low. They were drenched in sweat at first, but later the sweat dried up completely.

"Judging from its appearance, most of the iron inside is melted."

Tong Bo circled the stove a few times, examining it closely, and then spoke.

Zhang Xian looked up at the flames at the furnace opening and nodded: "Perhaps it has melted. The next step is crucial!"

He put on a leather skirt and thick leather gloves and went up the steps to the platform.

The key to steel speculation lies in the word "speculation".

When the iron in the furnace is half-melted, use an object to stir the furnace to promote the reaction between the iron and iron oxide to form a carburizing effect. Then the pot of molten iron is ready!

Zhang Xian and his group spent the entire afternoon here.

From the point of being half-melted for two hours to the point of being finished, it took them a total of five hours. The molten iron, weighing over a thousand kilograms, turned white. Before taking it out of the pot, Zhang Xian specially scooped out a little to cool it down.

The test using a magnet to hang the chain revealed that the magnetic attraction was very weak, which also indicates that the carbon content of this molten iron was just right!

Of course, the molten iron in the furnace could not be so evenly distributed, but it was still a pot of excellent molten iron!

The molten iron from the boiler is poured into a mold and cooled into pieces. Then it is hammered with a forging hammer, which saves time and effort and ensures that the quality of the finished product is accurate!
Five hours to cook one batch, weighing a thousand kilograms, that's quite a large quantity.

Zhang Xian stepped off the platform, removed his leather skirt for protection, and was drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted.

However, he was in high spirits. If the furnace could be used successfully on its first try, it meant that his design was correct.

With this steel-making furnace, Taoyuan will be able to be self-sufficient in iron materials in the future, without having to purchase finished iron, which will greatly reduce expenses and potential bottlenecks.

One batch can produce a thousand catties. If we had more stoves and more people, it wouldn't be a dream to produce ten thousand catties a day!

However, as soon as this thought arose, he sighed when he saw that all the charcoal around the stove had disappeared.

It seems there's still a long way to go.

The furnace is fine, the molten iron is fine, but the fuel is the problem!

Zhang Xian didn't count exactly how much charcoal the villagers brought over, but a rough estimate would be no less than 20,000 jin.

Now, of the original 20,000 jin of charcoal, only a small pile weighing less than 400-500 jin remains.

In other words, this pot of molten iron, weighing a thousand kilograms, required nearly twenty times the amount of charcoal it would produce.

He finally understood why steel production was so low in ancient times; the rate of fuel consumption was simply terrifying.

This is only a thousand catties of molten iron. If it were ten thousand catties or a million catties, then producing it once would be equivalent to consuming an entire forest.

Zhang Xian frowned.

'The coking coal issue also needs to be addressed!'

The furnace gradually cooled down, and the molten iron poured into the mold also cooled down.

The sky was darkening, and torches were lit all around.

The Tong brothers smashed a mold, and the chunks of steel inside came out.

It was still a bit hot to the touch, so I simply used water to cool it down.

Several people gathered around the piece of steel to examine it, and then they saw Tong Bo take a small knife from his waist and scrape it back and forth on the steel a few times.

"Excellent material! If this material is used to forge the Overlord Halberd that Master Tong wants, it will surely be an unparalleled weapon of destruction!"

"Brother, let me touch it!" As a master craftsman, Tong Xing naturally understood the trick from his brother's few scratches.

Just by listening to the sound, he knew the material was top-notch!

He the blacksmith was secretly learning from the sidelines. Seeing the Tong brothers' high spirits, he asked, "Master craftsmen, what's the significance of those few strokes you just made?"

(End of this chapter)