Chapter 703: The Iron Embryo Takes Form

The furnace stands on high ground of the riverbank.

Built from clay mixed with broken stones;

Taller than a person;

Belly large, mouth small.

Its shape is based on Zhu Yue's memory of the blueprint;

It was gradually corrected into shape.

The bellows used are pieced-together hides;

Operated by two strong men taking turns treading the wooden rod to compress air.

The duct is hollowed-out thick bamboo;

Wrapped in mud to prevent burn-through.

The fuel is carefully selected coal chunks;

Mixed with some charcoal.

Everything is ready;

It is already noon of the third day after the experiment.

"Ignite."

Zhu Yue's voice is somewhat hoarse.

Xu Da throws the torch into the furnace.

The ignited dry grass sends up thick smoke;

Soon;

The coal chunks are ignited;

A dark red light glows inside the furnace.

"Bellows!"

The men treading the wooden rod begin to exert force.

The bellows rise and fall;

Air flows along the bamboo pipe into the furnace.

Whoosh—whoosh—

The fire gradually grows stronger.

Zhu Yue closely watches the color of the smoke issuing from the furnace mouth.

"Add coal; small amount; evenly."

Tang He uses a long-handled iron shovel;

Carefully scattering the prepared coal chunks from above into the feed opening.

The furnace temperature begins to rise.

Heat waves distort the air.

The onlooking crowd steps back a few paces;

But their eyes remain fixed on that dark furnace.

Time passes bit by bit.

A low rumbling continues to come from within the furnace.

That is the sound of fuel burning and air currents churning.

Zhu Yue's face shows no relaxation.

He knows the hardest part is yet to come.

Ore.

What they call 'ore';

Actually it's the reddish-brown stones picked up from the riverbank, with unknown iron content.

Also some severely rusted iron pot shards found in abandoned villages.

These have all been hammered into small pieces;

Waiting to be charged.

After an hour.

The flame color at the furnace mouth turns bright yellow.

Zhu Yue reaches out to probe the outside of the furnace wall;

He quickly pulls back.

"The temperature is about right."

"Charge!"

Xu Da and another man together lift the wooden basket;

Those broken stones and rusted iron lumps;

Are poured from the feed opening into the furnace.

Hiss—

A faint crackling sound comes from within the furnace.

"The bellows must not stop!"

"Keep the rhythm!"

Zhu Yue's voice rises.

He knew this was the most critical moment.

Ore needs to be reduced at high temperature;

Impurities need to be carried away by flux;

And they don't even have proper flux;

They only mixed a little picked-up limestone powder into the ore.

They can only rely on high temperature to burn it through.

Another quarter hour passed.

The flames at the furnace mouth took on a bluish-white tint.

The temperature was obviously higher.

But the furnace began to emit an ominous "crack-crack" sound.

The clay showed fine cracks.

"Pour water! Splash the outer wall!"

Zhu Yue gave the order immediately.

The prepared young and strong lifted water buckets;

They splashed water on the red-hot areas of the furnace wall.

Sizzle—

White steam rose.

The speed of crack expansion slowed.

But the furnace structure was obviously under extreme pressure.

"How much longer can it hold?" Xu Da asked, sweat covering his face.

"I don't know." Zhu Yue stared at the furnace; "But we must hold until the iron comes out."

He actually had no confidence.

All the parameters were estimates.

The furnace temperature might be insufficient.

The ore grade might be too low.

The furnace might collapse prematurely.

But the arrow has already left the bow.

Another incense stick's worth of time passed.

At the furnace bottom, the iron outlet began to seep a dark red viscous substance.

That wasn't molten iron;

It was molten slag.

"Quick! Poke open the slag outlet!"

A red-hot iron rod was forcefully thrust into the reserved hole on the furnace's lower side.

The mud plug blocking the hole was poked open.

The scorching, viscous, bubbling dark-red slag flowed out;

It fell into the previously dug earth pit.

A pungent smell spread through the air.

The slag was flowing out.

It meant the reaction was proceeding.

But where was the molten iron?

Zhu Yue's heart sank.

Could it be that the temperature really isn't enough?

Or perhaps the ore simply cannot yield iron?

Just then.

The furnace body shuddered violently.

"Not good!" Tang He exclaimed.

A larger crack burst open from the furnace waist.

Firelight leaked from the crack.

"Add water! Plug the crack!"

More water was splashed on.

Wet mud was smeared over the crack.

But the furnace's roaring grew louder;

As if it might explode at any moment.

"Shall we stop the bellows?" the man operating the bellows said, his voice trembling.

"We can't stop!" Zhu Yue gritted his teeth.

It stopped;

The temperature plummeted;

The semi-molten material inside would solidify;

Complete failure.

The furnace might explode.

But the wind stopped;

It will definitely fail.

"Keep blowing!"

"Everyone, step back ten paces!"

He roared;

But he himself stepped forward a step;

He stared fixedly at the iron outlet.

The slag was still flowing;

But it was getting slower and slower.

The furnace shook more violently.

Is it over?

Zhu Yue clenched his fist.

His nails dug into his palm.

Just as he was about to give up.

The iron outlet.

That hole that originally only flowed slag;

Suddenly a different stream of light surged out.

Brighter;

More incandescent white;

Carrying a heavy, metallic texture.

Not slag.

It's molten iron!

True molten iron!

Although only a thin trickle;

Although mixed with much slag;

But it flowed out!

"Catch it!"

Zhu Yue bellowed.

Xu Da reacted instantly;

He grabbed the rough stone trough chiseled from stone nearby;

He rushed to beneath the iron outlet.

The incandescent white molten iron flowed into the stone trough;

Sparks flew, dazzling.

The light illuminated Xu Da's face, twisted with excitement.

"Success! Brother! Success!"

Tang He also rushed over.

More molten iron surged out.

A thin trickle;

Yet it continued without cease.

The furnace still wailed;

Cracks were expanding.

But the molten iron truly flowed.

The stone trough quickly filled half full.

The scorching metal liquid gently swayed within.

"Enough! Pull back!"

Zhu Yue saw the furnace body already tilting;

He hastily gave the order.

Xu Da and Tang He strained to drag the heavy stone trough away from beneath the furnace.

They had just moved a few steps.

Boom—

The earthen furnace finally could not support;

One side collapsed.

Scorching coal chunks and unmelted stone tumbled to the ground;

Flames shot up to the sky.

The heat wave forced everyone to retreat repeatedly.

But no one went to look at the collapsed furnace.

All eyes;

Focused on the stone trough.

That small pool;

Still slowly flowing, emitting astonishing heat;

Dark red, blazing white molten metal.

Iron.

It really is iron.

Zhu Yue walked to the edge of the stone trough.

The heat scorched his face, making it feel hot.

He lowered his head and looked.

Gazing at the metal that had never been so precious.

Rough.

Containing impurities.

But it is iron.

It is iron that can be forged, hammered, and used to kill enemies.

The camp's first furnace-produced iron.

It's done.

"Pour water; let them solidify."

His voice was a little hoarse.

Xu Da carefully splashed water around the stone trough to cool it.

A hissing white vapor rose.

The surface of the molten iron quickly darkened;

forming a hard crust.

Another quarter of an hour passed.

Zhu Yue used iron tongs to lift a solidified, irregularly shaped dark-gray iron lump from the stone trough.

It was heavy.

Its surface was full of pores and slag.

But when he tapped it with his knuckles;

it emitted a dull metallic sound.

He raised this iron billet.

toward everyone holding their breath and watching.

"Do you see it?"

"This is iron."

"Our own iron."

A stifled cheer burst out from the crowd.

Many even had red eyes.

In this chaotic era where one cannot guarantee survival from morning to evening;

on this riverbank shrouded by invisible shadows;

this rough iron billet;

it represents not just weapons.

but a tangible hope that can be held in one's hand.

Zhu Yue set down the iron billet.

He turned toward the pile of still-burning furnace ruins.

"Clear the area."

"Record all material ratios, blowing times, and the location and timing of the furnace cracks."

"Tomorrow."

"We will build a second furnace."

"Make it bigger."

"Make it sturdier."

"Produce more iron."

He turned around;

his gaze swept over the crowd.

"Today is just the beginning."

"We have the iron billet."

"Next, we will forge it into spear tips, into knives, into arrowheads."

"Let all those who want to take a bite of us——"

"end up losing a few teeth."

The crowd's cheers grew louder.

Zhu Yue said nothing more.

He walked back to the edge of the stone trough;

gazing at that iron billet gradually cooling.

Firelight flickered in his eyes.

The first step;

has finally been taken.

Although staggering.

Although almost fell to the ground.

But finally;

stepped out.

He lifted his head;

looked toward the northeast.

Before autumn.

We will have knives.