Chapter 424: Technical Feedback

False Song, Bianjing, a state-run workshop under the Armory Bureau.

The air was thick with the heavy smell of mixed coal smoke, iron rust, and sweat.

The clanging of hammers, the panting of the bellows, and the foreman's hoarse shouts wove together a noisy, busy melody.

Compared with a month ago, the workshop's layout seemed to have undergone some adjustments, and its efficiency had clearly improved considerably.

Especially in the smelting area, several new-style blast furnaces were spewing hot flames; the molten iron inside boiled, lighting up the bronzed faces of the workers.

A man about thirty, wearing the robe of a ninth‑rank minor official, stood before a blast furnace, carefully examining the fire's color and the bellows' operation.

He was Zhou Huaian, an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works who had once met Chen Wen.

He held a scroll of drawings, occasionally checking it and whispering with the old foreman beside him.

That old man was none other than the former owner of Liu's Smithy, Liu Lao Chui.

But now he had changed into a clean foreman's uniform; though his face showed respect, his brow bore a confidence he had lacked before.

"Lord Zhou, look at this furnace temperature,"

Liu Lao Chui pointed at the furnace chamber, his voice tinged with excitement.

"With your new method, the blast is stronger, the furnace hotter, the iron output has far fewer impurities, and its toughness is better!"

"Making spearheads and arrow clusters, the yield can rise by nearly twenty percent! The only drawback is that it takes… a bit longer."

Zhou Huaian gave a slight nod, his gaze still fixed on the furnace fire.

"Raising the furnace temperature is fundamental. A little extra time for a leap in quality is a great advantage."

"Foreman Liu, you have presented this improved blast‑furnace design; it is a service to the state. The Bureau has decided to promote you to chief of this project, overseeing the construction of these new furnaces, and to grant you the title of Master Artisan with double pay."

Upon hearing this, Liu Lao Chui's face flushed with excitement; he hastily bowed, his voice trembling.

"Thank… thank you, sir, for your patronage! I will devote myself wholeheartedly and not disappoint your expectations!"

He knew clearly that his rise from the owner of a privately owned smithy that could close at any moment to the workshop's chief and Master Artisan was entirely due to this Lord Zhou's recognition… and… the drawing left by that mysterious overseas merchant.

Zhou Huaian gently raised a hand, his tone calm.

"This is the reward you deserve. Do well, spread this method quickly to all workshops, so that our Great Song's armaments surpass those of the past."

"Yes! Yes!"

Liu Lao Chui answered repeatedly, then turned with vigor to direct the workers.

Zhou Huaian lingered a moment longer observing, then turned and walked slowly out of the noisy workshop area into the relatively quiet office precinct.

He stopped before his duty room and pushed the door open.

The room was bare except for a table and chair, a bookshelf, and stacks of filed documents and drawings.

He walked to the window, watching the bustling scene in the workshop courtyard, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused.

No one knew that at that moment his heart was churning with waves.

That day's brief encounter with the self‑styled overseas merchant "Mr. Wen," and the rough sketch he casually gave of an improved curved‑shaft plow, seemed to open a new window for him.

The sketch's conception was ingenious, its grasp of mechanical principles profound—far beyond any plow diagram in the Ministry of Works' archives.

Although he said it was merely idle chat, he faintly sensed that "Mr. Wen" was no ordinary person.

Not long after, Liu's Smithy submitted an improved blast‑furnace drawing.

He had studied it carefully; the thinking behind the drawing shared a certain hidden resonance with Mr. Wen's plow sketch—both built on predecessors' foundations, making the simplest, most effective tweak at the critical point, striking straight at the core without ornament.

Could this be merely a coincidence?

Zhou Huaian dared not think deeply, nor did he wish to.

He only knew that whether the curved‑shaft plow or the blast furnace, both were genuinely useful technologies that benefited the state and the people.

He tidied the plow sketch, mixed it with some of his own everyday ideas, and submitted it; so far there has been no reply.

As for the blast furnace, thanks to Liu Lao Chui's drawing and his vigorous promotion, it has already begun to show results.

He could feel that his colleagues in the Bureau were looking at him with more scrutiny and complexity.

Some praised his "keen eye for talent" and "courage to take on responsibilities";

others secretly criticized his "advancement by luck" and "getting too close to the artisans."

But he did not care.

He came from humble origins, relying on solid skill and diligence, and only step by step had he risen to the position of an Eighth‑rank Assistant Minister.

He knew better than anyone how a good technology could bring about change.

"Mr. Wen… just who are you?"

Zhou Huaian gazed out the window and whispered in a voice only he could hear.

"What is it that you seek?"

He faintly felt a premonition that his entanglement with that mysterious merchant would not end here.

Meanwhile, deep within the Chen Dynasty's borders, inside a secret experimental workshop subordinate to the Ministry of Works,

Zhao Lao Nian was holding a report just sent back through a secret channel, concerning the latest developments of the False Song's Armory Bureau, and read it carefully.

The report detailed how Liu's Smithy had been taken over, how blast‑furnace technology was beginning limited promotion, and how Zhou Huaian had attracted attention and been given greater responsibilities because of it.

Zhang Cheng and Wang Ru were also present.

"Hehe,"

Zhao Lao Nian lowered the report, his face breaking into his signature slightly simple‑minded smile, though his eyes glittered with shrewdness.

"This Zhou Huaian is indeed a down‑to‑earth fellow and also a sharp one."

"As for our little gadget, he not only understood it, he put it to use—and used it well."

Zhang Cheng gave a slight nod and analyzed,

"The bureaucratic system of the False Song's Ministry of Works is more efficient than we expected."

"Liu's Smithy was swiftly absorbed, the technology verified and spread—this shows that internally they are eager to adopt any technology that can strengthen armaments and consolidate rule."

Zhou Huaian is a capable, ambitious person, and he seems… not entirely bound by conventional bureaucracy.

Wang Ru added coldly.

According to follow‑up observation in the 'South Wind Chronicle', the Iron Crow Army's earlier 'purge' operation mainly targeted armed resistance and intelligence outposts, showing little interest in workshops and technical clerks.

This might be an exploitable blind spot.

Zhao Lao Nian picked up a standard‑issue gun barrel lying on the table, a product that had flowed out of the False Song and was forged with new bellows‑furnace technology; he flicked it with his finger and listened to its clear resonance.

Hmm, the stuff is not bad; it's stronger than what they originally had.

But that's about it. On our side, relying on the foundation laid by the ruler in his early years and continual improvements thereafter, under equal conditions our performance is at least thirty percent higher than their new furnace.

He set down the gun barrel and brushed off the dust on his hands.

However, our goal was never to let them leap to heaven in a single step.

By means of these 'small favors', letting them taste the sweetness of technical improvement and opening a window is enough.

The key is that Zhou Huaian.

Zhao Lao Nian looked toward Zhang Cheng and Wang Ru.

This person now has influence and is studying technology; we might consider sending him something more.

It needn't be shocking, but it should be a bit more clever than the bellows furnace, so he can continue to achieve merit and also become… more doubtful, more eager to explore what lies behind this technology.

Zhang Cheng fell into contemplation for a moment.

All right. But it must be done with extreme caution, in a more concealed way, absolutely avoiding drawing the notice of the Iron Crow Army or its lackeys.

Perhaps, under the pretext of the South Wind Chronicle's overseas rare‑goods trade, we could let some 'samples' or 'fragments' carrying technical ideas flow unintentionally into circles he can access.

Wang Ru nodded.

I will arrange personnel to conduct a deeper background check and risk assessment on Zhou Huaian, ensuring he does not turn around to become a threat.

Zhao Lao Nian smiled.

Fine, that's settled. I'll think up a few little things later, guaranteeing he'll feel an itch to see them yet won't be able to trace their origin.

The seed of technological infiltration has already sprouted silently in the soil of the False Song.

Although slow, it is steadily growing along the trajectory preset by Chen Wen and Zhao Lao Nian.

And all this feedback is continually being transformed into experience and cognition, flowing into Chen Wen's intangible growth progress.

Although he never personally visited the workshop, every advance in this cross‑world technological contest he initiated is like a tiny stream nourishing his essence that seeks 'Heaven rewards diligence'.

Within the quiet chamber, Chen Wen slowly opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching with an almost imperceptible arc.

He could feel that the progress bar had moved forward a solid notch.

The fire of technology has already been lit.

Next, we shall see whether this spark can, within the False Song's system, ignite a different sky.