Chapter 39: Improved Smelting

"Your Highness, have some tea."

In the office of the Armory, Zhao Xu and Wang Ying were conversing enthusiastically.

He asked Wang Ying about many of the folk crafts of Great Song, and Wang Ying answered every question fluently.

The two talked more and more congenially, almost forgetting the others present.

Liu Fu was so sour he could drip water; Yan Wang had never been this excited with him.

Feeling a faint sadness in his heart, he served the tea to show his presence.

"Liu Fu, you did well this time. When we return, this King will reward you." Picking up the teacup, Zhao Xu gave Liu Fu an appreciative look.

To him, it was best to have professional people handle professional matters.

In ancient times, the literacy rate was very low, and those who were literate and also understood technology were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Although Wang Ying was not a scientist-like figure, he at least did not reject technology and placed great importance on it.

And this was enough for him to serve as the Director of the Armory.

The feeling of being out of favor immediately flew out of Liu Fu's mind.

He chuckled and said, "Your Highness's urgency is this subordinate's urgency. That Wang Ying can please Your Highness is this subordinate's greatest honor."

Wang Ying looked toward Liu Fu, his eyes filled with gratitude.

If not for him, he would probably still be wandering the streets, and how could he have met an Yan Wang with the same interests as his own at the age of forty?

Zhao Xu nodded, drank his tea, and went to tour the Armory.

Wang Ying and Liu Fu introduced the situation from the side.

The Yan Commandery Armory occupied the space of one ward.

This ward was a standard area within the cities of Great Song.

If a city were like a chessboard, then this ward would be a square on the board.

Inside the square were either residential houses, businesses, or government offices; the Armory was the same.

"Currently, there are five hundred craftsmen in the Armory, including blacksmiths, carpenters, and masons; whatever Your Highness needs can be crafted now..." Wang Ying spoke as if counting his family treasures, revealing the Armory's assets.

Zhao Xu was overjoyed.

His purpose in taking over the Armory was the craftsmen within it.

With them, the technological advantages in his mind could be brought into play.

Once he had a technological advantage, he could compensate for the current unfavorable situation and sit securely on the fishing platform.

"From today on, the craftsmen of the Armory are not allowed to go out. Every technique I teach you from now on will be extremely important." After roughly inspecting the Armory, everyone returned to the office.

Ordering Liu Fu and the others to wait outside, Zhao Xu instructed Wang Ying.

"Yes, Your Highness." Wang Ying's heart sank.

From Zhao Xu's serious expression, he could sense the Yan Wang's earnestness.

Zhao Xu then picked up a brush from the desk and said to Wang Ying, "The current iron-smelting techniques of Great Song are very backward. I will teach you a method, and you must implement it immediately."

From what he understood.

The current iron and steel smelting techniques of Great Song were all inadequate.

Iron smelting was basically just hard burning, and what was burned out was a lump of red-hot iron.

Then these iron lumps were repeatedly hammered to become either wrought iron or steel.

Of course, the Weapon crafted this way was also acceptable.

But the problem lay in the low efficiency.

And such Armor and Weapons made by "tempering a hundred times" were generally exclusive to generals.

Ordinary soldiers still used inferior steel.

This was also what he had learned from Chang Wei.

Therefore, if he wanted to arm his Personal Army, improving the level of steel smelting was imperative.

Only when the quality and quantity of steel were raised could he do more in the next step.

Including gradually realizing the sprouts of industry in Yan Commandery and then developing step by step.

After all, it was not impossible to win while being at the same level as the Northern Di and Western Liang.

But the cost of winning would be too high.

Since he possessed a technological advantage, why not use technology to make the cost smaller?

"Blast Furnace?"

While Zhao Xu was writing and drawing, Wang Ying kept craning his neck to look.

At this moment, there were two tower-shaped structures on the white paper.

Inside the structures, Zhao Xu used different patterns to mark different materials.

After a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xu put down his brush and asked, "Is there anything you don't understand?"

"This is a method for smelting iron, but what is this Coke? And what is Lime?" Wang Ying looked puzzled.

Currently, Great Song mainly used charcoal for iron smelting, so he was greatly confused.

"Do you know about Coal Cake?" Zhao Xu asked, like a teacher.

He knew that the iron-smelting concept he had brought out was too advanced, and Wang Ying naturally would not understand it.

"This subordinate knows of that."

Zhao Xu continued, "See this kiln on the paper? Put the Coal Cake inside, pack it tight, and then smother it; also, you must choose the stinky Coal Cake."

"Stinky?" Wang Ying found it easy to understand smothering, because charcoal was made by smothering, which he understood, but he did not understand why the Coal Cake had to be stinky.

Zhao Xu smiled, "This Stinky Coal is different from other coal; only this can be used to burn into Coke."

The most suitable coal for coking is Bituminous Coal, which is also called Stinky Coal in ancient times.

Jinzhou, which borders Yanzhou, is modern-day Shanxi; one could say coal is everywhere there.

Therefore, there is no shortage of Coal Cake in Yan Commandery.

Wang Ying nodded, "Then what about this Lime?"

"Tempered and struck a thousand times, emerging from the deep mountains; burning in fierce fires as if it were nothing. Fearless of being crushed to powder, it seeks only to leave its purity in the world." Zhao Xu recited a poem.

This is a poem from the contemporary Ming Dynasty, describing the process of mining Limestone from the mountains and burning it for refinement.

His Yan Commandery borders Yanshan to the north, and in this contemporary region, Limestone deposits are abundant.

So, he described the appearance of Limestone to Wang Ying to see if he had seen it before.

"Grey stones? There seem to be quite a few in the mountains. I will send men into the mountains later to find some and try burning them," Wang Ying said—there are ready-made kilns in the Armory.

The problem of materials was solved.

Zhao Xu then spoke with Wang Ying about the construction of the Blast Furnace, requiring him to use ceramic-firing materials for the furnace body.

Because ceramic materials are refractory materials.

"And what is this furnace with a pipe connected to its side?" Wang Ying pointed at the tower-like structure next to the Blast Furnace.

"This is used for heat storage and air blowing," Zhao Xu explained.

The iron smelted by the ancients was in a solid state.

The reason lies in the insufficient temperature.

And to increase the temperature, one way is to use Coke, and the other is air blowing.

With these two things in place, the iron flowing out of the Blast Furnace will be liquid, which is very convenient for shaping and will save a large amount of hammering time.

After some explanation, Wang Ying understood roughly.

"I will send men to do as you say immediately." Wang Ying looked deeply at Zhao Xu.

Before meeting Zhao Xu, he was still somewhat conceited.

He believed that his own work was unique in the Great Song and incomparable to anyone else's.

But this thing that Zhao Xu brought out casually left him scratching his head.

"If there is anything you don't understand, feel free to come to the Prince's Mansion to ask," Zhao Xu stood up.

The trees desire stillness, but the wind will not cease; he had no choice but to produce some hard goods to deal with his enemies.

Patting Wang Ying on the shoulder, Zhao Xu left the Armory.

It was not until Zhao Xu went out the door that Wang Ying, who was still pondering the blueprints, came back to his senses.

By the time he left the office, he could only see Zhao Xu's back.

"The learned are teachers, the learned are teachers." Wang Ying muttered a few times and ran toward the workshops inside the Armory, disregarding his image.

He mobilized the craftsmen and began preparing materials for construction without stopping.

He wanted to see if everything Yan Wang said was really true.

Molten iron that can flow? This is simply unheard of.