After the parts in the mold were quenched one by one, they were taken out. More steel blocks were also quenched with the efforts of the men, giving off a blue luster under the afternoon sun!
A group of blacksmiths selected as inspectors and Song Yingxing and Wang Zheng went out to inspect together!
As a senior blacksmith, Liu Jiacheng's father Liu Jintie was also among them. Although his legs and feet were inconvenient, his skills were evaluated on the spot and he was rated as excellent, so he also participated in this test!
"It's really the best steel! The old man has been smelting iron all his life, but he never thought that steel can be formed in one go!" Liu Jintie was extremely emotional. The saying that steel can be made into steel in a hundred times is not an empty talk. It was extremely difficult to make steel in the past, but now it is. It was so simple and of such high quality that he couldn't help but admire it!
The other blacksmiths also praised loudly!
Huang Xiao and Zhu Youxiao were also overjoyed!
Wang Zheng collected the parts, said hello to Zhu Youxiao, and took his people there. He wanted to polish these parts as soon as possible and produce a steam engine as soon as possible!
"Mr. Zhu! Mr. Huang, we succeeded! We can build a large blast furnace!" Song Yingxing said excitedly.
Zhu Youxiao nodded with a smile on his face.
Huang Xiaodao: "Brother Zhu, have you ever thought about it? We make large quantities of iron, one furnace weighs 100,000 kilograms, and the coal, iron and even labor required are not a fraction..."
Zhu Youxiao and Song Yingxing were both stunned. They had not thought of this. Now that Huang Xiao mentioned it, they both started to think about it.
Zhu Youxiao said: "It has to be made into something and sold."
Song Yingxing nodded.
Huang Xiao said with a smile: "Brother Zhu is absolutely right! Making farm tools, iron pots, etc. is naturally a method. Our quality is good, the price is low, and the sales volume must be very good! But, this is the fastest way to make money. The court’s money.”
"Making money from the imperial court?" Both of them were surprised.
Huang Xiao smiled and nodded, "Brother Zhu, most of the weapons needed by the imperial court are produced by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry. I wonder how much a sword costs?"
Zhu Youxiao and Song Yingxing were both at a loss.
"He Biao, you answer." Zhu Youxiao handed this question to the guard leader He Biao.
"A standard knife costs three or two cents," He Biao said.
Zhu Youxiao said: "I remembered. Last month, the Ministry of War reported that the replacement of weapons for the guard station required more than half a million knives. It should be this number."
Huang Xiao nodded and said: "The knives alone are 16,700,000 taels, arrows, crossbows, artillery, and fire blunderbuss. How much does it cost in a year?"
Zhu Youxiao was a little embarrassed and said: "This is just the amount reported. The court...the court also has limited money. It spends about two million taels on weapons a year, and this amount is not available every year."
Huang Xiao smiled and said: "If Brother Zhu can take over this business, the problem will be solved at once!"
Zhu Youxiao was thoughtful, Huang Xiao said to Song Yingxing: "Mr. Song, I see you just made a knife mold. If it is sharpened, take one. Commander He, take a knife made by the Ministry of Industry." .”
The two went separately.
Soon the two of them took out a knife and came over.
Putting the two knives together makes them look superior and inferior.
The steel knife exudes a faint blue edge, while the Gongbu knife is dull and has faint rust.
Huang Xiao took the steel knife and chopped it down hard on the ground.
With an explosion, the knife on the ground suddenly broke into two pieces, while the steel knife in Huang Xiao's hand only had a gap!
Several people were shocked.
He Biao praised loudly: "What a sword! What a sword! What a peerless sword!"
Huang Xiao asked Song Yingxing, "How much does a knife cost?"
"The blade costs about three yuan. Including protective gear and labor, it should be around four yuan."
"So cheap?" He Biao was startled and murmured: "This precious sword only costs four cents of silver!"
Zhu Youxiao's face froze and he said: "These rubbish knives from the Ministry of Industry are so expensive! What a bunch of rats!"
Huang Xiao smiled and said: "Brother Zhu, why should you be angry? Isn't this a normal operation? Whose pocket does it fall into when the funds are allocated by the court? Needless to say, the emperor is only responsible for signing and sealing. This is a weapon, haha!"
Zhu Youxiao's face turned red. These shortcomings had been commonplace as early as the Wanli Year. He couldn't figure out the connection even if he tried to think about it. Now that Huang Xiao said this, he suddenly felt like a A fool.
Huang Xiaodao: "If this money has been embezzled by these corrupt officials, it is better to earn it for us! At least when our soldiers fight, they will not lose their lives in vain because of the smashed weapons! And the money we earn, on the one hand, can Reducing the cost of farm tools and other livelihood products can also support more craftsmen, improve the lives of the poor, and support the research and development of steam engines. It can be said to kill several birds with one stone! What do you think, Brother Zhu?"
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said: "What the wise brother said is a good word!"
Huang Xiao laughed, "Brother Zhu personally went out to grab this big order!"
Zhu Youxiao suddenly felt the great responsibility and nodded firmly, saying: "Of course! We are doing this for the country and the people!"
Huang Xiao smiled, and they discussed the planning of the steel plant and the exploration and development of coal and iron mines.
Song Yingxing said: "Our glass kiln should be ready for operation, why not go over now and have a look!"
Zhu Youxiao was overjoyed and said: "This is a double happiness! Let's go! Take a look! Haha!"
Song Yingxing arranged for the craftsmen to build the blast furnace, and then led Zhu Youxiao and others to the glass workshop.
Song Yingxing opened the kiln after making arrangements in the past.
Most of the craftsmen selected here have experience in firing porcelain. After Song Yingxing explained the craftsmanship to them individually, the difficulty level was not high. After all, we have thousands of years of skills in calcining ceramics.
"Ah, this molten glass is as red as molten iron! What are these added things?" Zhu Youxiao exclaimed.
Huang Xiaodao: "This is soda ash (sodium carbonate) extracted from plant ash. Mixing it can lower the melting point... It contains iron ore, so the original pulp is colored. After soft manganese is added to remove the iron, it can be Colorless and transparent glass is obtained.”
"This is...chemistry! Right!"
Zhu Youxiao exclaimed: "White soda ash can be extracted from black plant ash... This knowledge is really profound and profound!"
Song Yingxing held up his hand and praised: "Mr. Huang's chemistry is much more profound than the strange book "Mo'e Xiaolu". I really want to take a look!"
Huang Xiao said with a smile: "This is almost done. I will give Mr. Song a copy as soon as it is completed. I have been too busy these days to edit, otherwise it would have been published earlier. The strange book Mr. Song mentioned is indeed that of my Chinese ancestors." The crystallization of wisdom, this chemistry also draws on a lot of knowledge!”
The chemical engineering knowledge recorded in "Mo'e Xiaolu" could be said to be among the best in the world at that time! British scholar John Lee described it in detail in the fifth volume of his "History of Science and Technology in China" and highly praised the chemical knowledge it recorded!
Song Yingxing said happily: "Then I have to read it carefully!" He said to Zhu Youxiaodu: "Mr. Huang's method of making glass is really ingenious. In the past, when we made porcelain and colored glaze, we fired it as a whole, but Mr. Huang The method is really amazing! The finished product can actually be blown! I’m going to give it a try!”
As Song Yingxing spoke, he went down not far from the glass liquid pool and took out a long blowpipe that was hastily made. There was a group of workers nearby who took a long ladle filled with glass liquid and prepared it nearby.
Song Yingxing dipped some glass liquid and blew it carefully, and soon a bubble appeared. With a wave of his hand, the worker slowly poured the glass liquid in the ladle on top of the bubble. Song Yingxing continued to blow, and the bubble gradually became smaller. Big, gradually a glass bottle with a big belly and a thin neck was completed.
After the quenching cooled down, Song Yingxing took it over.
"It looks so beautiful on my first try! Mr. Song is amazing!" Huang Xiao praised.
Zhu Youxiao was also very impressed. Song Yingxing smiled sheepishly and said, "Let's try making a mirror!"
