False eunuch in late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 26: Making Steel Together

Tian Shixian is indeed more suitable to be the instructor of the guard than Cao Qing, who is half-filled.On the premise of successfully buying people's hearts, Cao Qing delegated this part of his power and let Tian Shixian act as an instructor. After all, he cannot stay in the barracks all the time.There are more important things waiting for him to do.However, the training plan is always in Cao Qing's hands.Every day, Cao Qing would spare time to share joys and sorrows with these soldiers, and let these soldiers always remember who brought them a good life.

The artisans led by Yang Shiliang and Zhou Bugui processed the items Cao Qing needed without using very efficient manual production.There are still many things that Cao Qing needs.For example, he summoned a group of very powerful porcelain experts through the inner government.Of course, at this time, you can only be called a craftsman. The status of a craftsman is not high, and there are important people in the palace, and these craftsmen can't ask for it.Even if you don't get much remuneration, your business level has been proven invisibly.

Cao Qing wanted these people because they were proficient in building heat-resistant insulation materials.The kiln temperature required for firing porcelain reaches 1200 to 1400 degrees Celsius.The temperature requirement for steelmaking is 1500 to 1700 degrees Celsius. Although the gap is very large, as long as Cao Qing gives them a more perfect heat-resistant brick formula, it is possible to fire heat-resistant bricks that can withstand high temperatures.It can even withstand high temperatures of 2000 degrees Celsius. In that case, there is no problem in making glass.

Cao Qing enjoyed the convenience of the royal family, and with a wave of his arms in the name of the royal family, various experts and raw materials of this era were continuously transported over.No cost at all.Of course, in the end, Zhu Youjian and the state treasury will have to pay the bill.Although Cao Qing is a bit extravagant, for the power center of this country, such expenditure is nothing at all.

"The quality of these refractory bricks is good." Cao Qing praised the manual skills of this era very much.Although this kind of heat-resistant brick is not as strong as the modern machine-pressed brick structure, and its resistance performance may be somewhat lacking, it is enough for Cao Qing's current requirements.

"It's good that Eunuch Cao is satisfied. In fact, the recipe provided by Eunuch Cao is good. The heat-resistant bricks produced will not be deformed at all after being fired. If such heat-resistant bricks are used to build kilns, the porcelain produced will be more beautiful. Exquisite." Porcelain craftsman Xu Dejian said.

Xu Dejian actually wanted to play Cao Qing's idea of ​​changing the formula from heat resistance.Cao Qing is more treacherous than him, so naturally he won't let him out easily.

"Porcelain? I'll talk about this later. This batch of heat-resistant bricks has been fired, so don't rush back. I still have a lot of things to do for you. Don't worry, you won't be short of money and food." Cao Qing said .

"Thank you, Mr. Cao." Speaking of money and food, the enthusiasm of these craftsmen is quite high.After all, Cao Qing was also generous in his moves.After the heat-resistant bricks are fired, they will be given as much silver taels as they need, and as much grain as they should be given.Not at all discounted.Let these generals have a better and better impression of him.

"Not enough, my ugly words are on the front, working here, many things are the top secret of the royal family. You'd better not inquire about it, and forget it immediately if you hear it. The formula for making bricks is also very important. Don't take it by yourself. Mistake." Cao Qing threatened.

"Don't dare, dare not." Although these craftsmen didn't understand Cao Qing's words very well, they did understand that this father-in-law was definitely not lying.

The Xing family sisters stood on the hillside and looked at the busy construction site not far away, which was very novel.

"Sister, what is that little eunuch planning to do here? Are you planning to build a cave dwelling?" Xing Xiuniang asked.

Xing Hongniang shook her head: "How do I know?"

"Second sister, that little eunuch kept staring at you that day, maybe he has taken a fancy to you. I heard that some eunuchs in the capital married wives outside the palace. Could it be that he has taken a fancy to you." Xing Xiuniang asked again.

"You little girl, you actually made fun of my sister. See if I don't tear your mouth open." Xing Yuanyuan said.

The three sisters of the Xing family all look like fairies in the sky, and Xing Yuanyuan is the best among the three sisters.She also likes to dress up the most, so wherever she goes, she is always so eye-catching.

Cao Qing did not find the three sisters hiding behind the dense forest. He was holding a simple construction drawing to direct the plasterers.

"The size of this place is wrong, and your deviation is too big, so quickly dismantle it and rebuild it for me." Cao Qing said.

"Misaligned? No, I've measured everything carefully." The plasterer was very puzzled.

"Look for yourself, how much is the difference? This is a five-point difference. How can it be said that there is no deviation? I have no objection to everyone rushing to work, but you must do the work carefully for me. Otherwise, you will have to start all over again." Cao Cao Qing said.

Cao Qing is now leading the construction of an indigenous coking oven kiln.With the current technical conditions, this is the most advanced way of coking.Although Cao Qing also knows some proposed hydraulic coking devices, but it cannot be realized under the current conditions.But after the steel is trained, a hydrocyclone coking oven can be built.The quality of coking can also be improved.

"Eunuch Cao, you have worked hard. How about sitting in the village and drinking a cup of tea?" Xing Shanhai said.

"Master Xing, you are too polite. It's not appropriate for us to come and bother you every day." Cao Qing said.

"What's the point? Mr. Cao is willing to sit in my village, that's because I can punish someone. I'm a rough person, and I don't know how to turn around." Xing Shanhai said.

"Since this is the case, our family will not be polite. I will disturb you in the village again." Cao Qing said.

"Eunuch Cao, what kind of workshop is built here?" Xing Shanhai asked.

Cao Qing took a look at Xing Shanhai and said, "It's okay to tell Mr. Xing, but please don't tell Mr. Xing. This is to build a steel-making workshop. In the future, all the equipment for the military battle bureau will be built here. .”

"Ah, I really shouldn't talk too much in a lowly position." Xing Shanhai was very happy to see that Cao Qing didn't hide anything from him.

A few days later, the coking kiln was built.The Neifu also transferred a batch of coal from the nearby open-pit coal mine.Coal is produced not far from Kyoto, and naturally they are all open-pit mines.The quality is acceptable, at least it has met Cao Qing's requirements.

According to Cao Qing's request, the charcoal was put into the coking kiln and then ignited.Charcoal is not easy to catch fire, so it has to be ignited with wood first, and then burn for 8 to 11 days, then it can be poured with water to extinguish it.At this time, what was obtained inside was basically the coke that Cao Qing needed.

During this period of coking, the open hearth furnace is already under construction.Cao Qing made those craftsmen make various utensils, and Cao Qing spent a lot of effort to build it into an unprecedented open hearth furnace in this era.Westerners will not invent this device until more than 200 years later.

"Old Yang, do you think Eunuch Cao can make steel with this method?" Zhou Bugui asked.

"It's hard to say. I've never heard of this kind of steelmaking method. It would be amazing if a large amount of steel could be smelted!" Yang Shiliang said.

"That's right. This is the first time I've seen such a complicated steelmaking furnace. I don't know how Mr. Cao came up with it." Zhou Bugui said.

"Yes. It's really amazing. The coke oven over there is also very strange. But Eunuch Cao figured it out." Yang Shiliang said.

In this era, coking methods have already appeared. Yang Shiliang and Zhou Bugui, as the best blacksmiths in the Ming Dynasty, naturally knew about coking.However, this is the first time I have seen a coking kiln built on such a large scale as Cao Qing.

(End of this chapter)