Whoever controls coal and iron controls the times.
It can also be said that whoever controls steel controls the times.
But in fact, in this era, although I relied on hindsight to smelt better iron, it was only "wrought iron", not steel.
In a large classroom of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, on the podium and on the table in front of Zhao Hong, there was a piece of pig iron and a piece of wrought iron.
Iron containing more than 1.7% carbon is called pig iron;
Due to its high carbon content, pig iron is hard and brittle compared to steel and wrought iron, making it difficult to process.
Iron with a carbon content of less than 0.2% is called wrought iron;
Wrought iron is very soft, has good plasticity and ductility, and can be drawn into wire. Its strength and hardness are low, and it is easy to forge and deform.
At present, most of what is produced by Shaoxing Zheng's Iron Works and Jiangnan Ordnance Manufacturing Division is pig iron and wrought iron, and by chance, very little low-carbon steel is obtained.
Under the podium, hundreds of craftsmen and officials from Lin'an Prefecture and Jiangnan East Road were sitting in their seats, listening to the emperor's "everyone" explain the knowledge of "steel" in detail.
And on the table in front of everyone in front of them, there was a piece of wrought iron, a piece of pig iron, and a roll of drawings.
"Listen up, everyone, steel has stronger tensile strength and is more resistant to corrosion than wrought iron. Therefore, our top priority in the next step is to make steel."
Zhao Hong took the trouble to point to the drawings on everyone's table.
"This is a new steel-making method that I drew. Since it is a converter, not an open-hearth furnace, I call it the converter steel-making method."
The converter steelmaking method is a steelmaking method that does not require an external heat source and mainly uses liquid pig iron as raw material. The main characteristics of the converter steelmaking method are: relying on the physical heat of the liquid pig iron in the converter and the heat generated by the chemical reaction of each component of the pig iron (such as carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, etc.) with the oxygen fed into the furnace. The metal reaches the composition and temperature required for tapping. The furnace charge is mainly molten iron and slag-making materials (such as lime, quartz, fluorspar, etc.).
The converter steelmaking method became popular in the late 19th century, and information can be found everywhere on the Internet. Zhao Hong also found out about it because he had a lot of free time and often surfed the Internet.
Of course, all he knew was superficial. How to cast the specific "converter" and how to modify the smelting furnace still requires the collective efforts of craftsmen and officials.
"Your Majesty, can this "converter steelmaking method" produce a large amount of good steel?"
Hu Mengyu asked on behalf of the craftsmen and officials.
"Good question!"
Zhao Hong faced everyone and pointed at the drawings.
"As you can see, after air is blown from the bottom of the furnace, the furnace temperature will quickly rise to a very high temperature, and a furnace of steel can be made without adding any fuel. The steelmaking furnace is changed from a fixed open-hearth furnace to one that can be tilted to one side. , so that the molten steel can be poured out easily. Making the steel-making furnace a rotatable furnace makes it possible to make large amounts of steel."
Zhao Hong said solemnly that in fact he was not sure at all.
Using the converter steel-making method, the time required to make the same quality and quantity of steel is only 1/5 of that of the open-hearth furnace. It is a pity that there is no technology to obtain oxygen. Otherwise, using oxygen blowing technology, the converter steelmaking method can be 1/10 of the speed of open hearth steelmaking.
However, 1/5 is enough, making it possible to make large quantities of steel cheaply.
"I would like to remind everyone again that to build an iron plant in Daye, the furnace lining required is alkaline rather than acidic. In an acidic converter, it is difficult to oxidize and remove the phosphorus in the iron ore."
He picked up a piece of pure white marble, which was actually dolomite.
"Alkaline refractory bricks are made by mixing dolomite with clinker and tar at high temperatures. Tar can be produced by carbonization or distillation of fire oil. Everyone already knows this. Lining with alkaline refractory bricks , adding limestone while blowing air during the converter steelmaking process can produce good steel.”
Zhao Hong knew that the "alkaline converter" originated from a famous story in history.
In the late Qing Dynasty, when Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, was planning to build the Hanyang Iron Works, he needed to purchase a British steel-making furnace. The British asked that the iron sand be tested before deciding what kind of equipment to use. Zhang Zhidong replied: "China is so big. Where is the best coal and iron ore? But you can buy one from the British owner." As a result, the two acid converters purchased were not suitable for the Daye iron ore used by Hanyang Iron Works, and production was in trouble.
Later, Zhang Zhidong learned that the furnace he bought from England used an acidic configuration and could not remove phosphorus. As a last resort, he borrowed money from Japan and bought back the alkaline furnace, and finally succeeded in tapping steel.
"Daye? Does Your Majesty want to build an iron factory in Daye?"
Minister Zhen Dexiu asked in surprise.
Isn't there the Jiangnan Arms Manufacturing Department? Why build another ironworks?
"Yes, the New Deal will be implemented on Jiangnan West Road. In addition to the implementation of the Economic Boundary Law, Daye Iron Works is the top priority. Jiangnan Ordnance Manufacturing Department is too far away from the iron ore and coal producing areas, and its scale is not large enough. Therefore, Daye Iron Works The factory is imperative.”
In addition to the Daye Iron Works on Jiangnan West Road and the Lizhou Arms Manufacturing Branch in northern Sichuan, they are the focus of the next step in implementing the New Deal.
He originally wanted to launch the five-year plan immediately, but firstly, the steelmaking technology was not yet mature, and secondly, he did not want to rush it. In the first year of taking the throne, it is better to lay a solid foundation before trying again.
The Five-Year Plan, the invention of the steam engine, and the promotion of the first industrial revolution. These ideas made him eager to move, itchy and dizzy at the same time.
"All the craftsmen here will be transferred to Daye to prepare for the construction of the Daye Iron Works, so that good steel can be smelted. Everyone's salary will be doubled. If good steel is smelted as soon as possible, I will also reward you greatly."
Compared with many inactive officials, these craftsmen are the most valuable technical talents in this era.
In addition to these technical talents, he also plans to recruit two to three hundred interested young people from Jinling University to join the preparation and production of Daye Iron Works.
The next group of officials and craftsmen came in, anxious and unsure of what was going on.
"Do you know blue and white porcelain?"
Zhao Hong asked directly.
Blue and white porcelain began in the Tang Dynasty, matured in the Jingdezhen Kiln of the Yuan Dynasty in the early 14th century, and flourished in the Yongle and Xuande dynasties of the Ming Dynasty in the early 15th century. During Zheng He's seventh voyage to the West, blue and white porcelain spread throughout Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf, India, the Near East, North Africa and the East African coast.
In later generations, blue and white porcelain was enthusiastically pursued by European royal families and nobles. During Jiajing and Wanli, a large number of porcelain was exported to Europe, and two-way cultural exchanges were carried out. At the end of the 17th century and the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, millions of pieces of Chinese porcelain were sold to Europe every year, especially "blue and white porcelain", which became a symbolic display in the palace rooms of Europe's upper class and a symbol of wealth and taste. By the 18th century, blue and white porcelain had been collected and inherited on all continents.
Amid the astonished looks of the officials and craftsmen, Zhao Hong explained it seriously.
Jingdezhen, named "Jingdezhen" in the first year of Jingde by Zhao Heng in the Northern Song Dynasty, is under the jurisdiction of Fuliang County. It only produces pure white porcelain and blue and white porcelain.
Since I have come to this era, why not let Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain come out earlier? The imperial court supports so many painters, should they use their talents to show the beauty of Chinese culture and painting on porcelain, spread it to the world, and earn high foreign trade income at the same time?
"Ma Yuan, Xia Gui, you are all great masters of the Song Dynasty. If you can combine Chinese painting technology and porcelain art, wouldn't it be a great achievement?"
Two royal painters from the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy saluted Zhao Hong together to receive the order.
It is indeed a challenge to combine painting and porcelain art.
"Jingdezhen established a blue and white porcelain research and development point, sent craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry and painters from the Academy of Painting to go there, and sent a capable official to take charge of the matter."
Wang Gang, the envoy of Jiangnan East Road, quickly received the order.
Jingdezhen is where Jiangnan East Road is located. It is of course the best thing for the emperor to designate the development direction.
"In addition, Jingdezhen is also trial-making bone china. It is to add bone powder from cattle, sheep and other animals to the raw material of white porcelain. The dosage is from 35% to 45%. It needs to be fired twice, once with plain firing and once with glaze firing. It is required to be as white as paper , as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, and as loud as a chime. It’s up to you to try how to do it."
Thanks to the era of explosion of knowledge in later generations, coupled with his extensive research and experience, he was able to work with bone china and blue and white porcelain with ease.
When it comes to glass production, however, he can only offer basic advice.
Raw materials: quartz sand, soda or Glauber's salt, limestone, dolomite, feldspar, etc.
Decolorizing agent: soda ash, etc.
As for what else is needed to make the glass more transparent and of better quality, he doesn't know, so he can only try it out as he goes.
Soda ash can be directly extracted from Chenghai Lake in Yunnan, but it now belongs to Dali and can only be made with salt and limestone.
Zhao Hong handed the written list to the confused Wang Gang and said carefully to him and the craftsmen:
"Quartz sand is the main component of glass, accounting for about 60% to 70%. As for the composition of the other raw materials, you can try it yourself. There is also soda ash, you can add more or less. I leave it to you."
Float production of glass, tin pools and conveyor belts should not be difficult for these craftsmen.
As for products such as glasses and glass bowls, it does not seem difficult to produce them with molds, which is much simpler than ceramics.
Promoting overall economic development through several key projects can also develop science and technology. This is basically what he wants to achieve.
Before the five-year plan, we first laid a solid foundation for economic development to build momentum for the overall launch of the future economy.
Large-scale steelmaking, blue and white porcelain, bone china, glass, let’s start with these basic industries.
It seems that the two majors of steel manufacturing and industrial manufacturing can be added to the studies at Jinling University next year.
After the decoration was completed, the officials and craftsmen dispersed one after another. Zhao Hong walked out of the classroom in a daze. A gust of autumn wind blew, making him shiver unconsciously.
Half of the students had graduated, and the usually bustling martial arts hall seemed a little deserted, which he was not used to.
"Your Majesty, the Jiangnan Ordnance Manufacturing Department has manufactured another batch of artillery, as well as more than 50 kilograms of short-barreled artillery. What do you do with it, Your Majesty?"
Wei Liaoweng asked softly from the side.
"Give half to Sichuan Road, and the other half to Huaidong and Jinghu. As for short-barreled artillery, equip warships as soon as possible."
Zhao Hong quickly made arrangements and added.
"Give it to Cao Youwen and Yu Jie, and bring some tea, honey, dried fruits, soap, etc. to send over. The frontier fortress is bitterly cold, so we cannot treat the soldiers badly. Tell them to train well, otherwise, if I wait for my private visit incognito, I will find any mistakes. , can’t spare them.”
To give both grace and power, power alone is not enough, you must also make people feel comfortable.
I just don’t know what the northwest frontier is like?
