Zhang Beichen took Ying Yiren all the way to Gongfang Street in Liyang City. Bai Mu was shackled by the guards and escorted over.
As soon as Bai Mu was discovered, people gathered around him.
One of the craftsmen, who had dark skin and a strong build, shouted anxiously: "My son, what's wrong with you?"
The guard explained: "This man poisoned the prime minister's horse and has been caught now!"
"How could you do such a stupid thing!" the craftsman cursed bitterly.
He saw Ying Yi next to him again and quickly bowed: "I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty!"
After Ying Yiren nodded, he said to Zhang Beichen in a bad tone: "I have met the Prime Minister."
Zhang Beichen knew that he was dissatisfied. This person is Bai Zang, Gongzheng of the Qin State.
Gongzheng was the official in charge of the handicraft industry at this time. Also called Baigong, or Gongshi.
Zhang Beichen didn't expect that Bai Mu was actually Bai Zang's son. Although Bai Zang was not a big official, he had very senior qualifications. When he was young, he studied under the world-famous swordsmith Ou Yezi. After he graduated, he was valued by Ying Yiren's father because of his outstanding casting skills and was appointed Gongzheng.
Almost all the weapons and equipment in the Qin army were improved and designed by him. Qin's generals would also ask him to forge their weapons. He is now the most famous swordsmith in Qin.
Zhang Beichen issued a decree to abolish bronze ware. For Bai Zang, who had been casting bronze ware all his life, it was simply killing him!
"Your Majesty, I did not say anything to discipline you, but you allowed this rebellious son to do such a bad thing. Please punish me!" Bai Zang appeared to plead guilty, but in fact he was begging for mercy.
Ying Yiren said: "The Qin Law will decide Bai Mu's matter. Bai Zang, I heard that you refused to carry out the Prime Minister's decree. Is this a problem?"
When Bai Zang heard this, he quickly explained: "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't cooperate. It's that the prime minister's decree to abolish bronzes is too ridiculous! In the past few hundred years, whether it was Qin or other countries, the armor and weapons used, They are all forged from bronze!”
"As for this ironware, it is not suitable for use as a weapon at all! Since the workshop stopped forging bronzeware, the entire Yueyang City, and even workshops in other parts of Qin State, have lost business!"
"As a craftsman, I still have a salary to support my family. What about the other craftsmen? They can only go hungry! Please be careful, Your Majesty!"
After Bai Zang finished speaking, the craftsmen on Zuofang Street shouted: "Please take a closer look!"
"I still have to support my family!"
"Your Majesty, please abolish this decree! If we do not forge bronzes, all workshops will be closed!"
Zhang Beichen shook his head helplessly. He had already explained before that all iron tools should be refined. During this period, the forging of weapons could be suspended. The current pig iron technology could be used as agricultural tools without any problems and could be used to make a living.
The new iron smelting technology can be completed in just a few days, but the craftsmen cannot understand it. Some people even encouraged Bai Mu to do such an impulsive thing.
Zhang Beichen knew after a moment's thought that it was someone from the old clan who was causing trouble again.
Bai Zang and Bai Mu are both members of the Bai family, but they are not very close to Bai Jiayi's lineage. Generally speaking, they are biased towards the influence of the Qin Kingdom's official family.
Bai Mu is young and has a short temper. If someone provokes him, he will cause trouble for him.
Ying Yiren looked at them and said coldly: "Mingcha? This is what I mean! Bronze materials are expensive, and our Qin country doesn't have much bronze materials. We need to use money and food to exchange for them in other countries!"
"As for iron and stone, Qin has it! It's easy to smelt and can equip an army! Don't you know that many of our soldiers don't even have a sword of their own?"
Bai Zang felt aggrieved and said: "Your Majesty, we also know that iron and stone are cheap. But iron tools are easy to break. If they are forged into swords and spears for the soldiers to use, wouldn't it be harmful to them?"
"Iron tools were like this before, but they won't be like this anymore!" Zhang Beichen said.
"The Prime Minister is not a craftsman, how can he guarantee it?" Bai Zang asked rhetorically.
Zhang Beichen smiled confidently and said: "Gong Zheng, and all the craftsmen. Hearing is false, seeing is believing. If Gong Zheng or other craftsmen are interested, I will forge a weapon with each of you here today, I will Use iron. Use bronze, let’s see who forges the better weapon!”
"How dare you compete with me in forging swords? Our technology is top-notch in the entire Qin Kingdom!"
"No matter who it is, a mere iron weapon can be broken with a bronze weapon!"
"Okay!" Bai Zang heard this and immediately agreed, saying, "If the bronzes I forge are better than the Prime Minister's irons, please ask the Prime Minister to withdraw the ban! Allow us to continue forging bronzes!"
"Okay!" Zhang Beichen nodded, "If I win, you will strictly implement the decree. From now on, bronze wares will be abolished and iron wares will be forged!"
"Okay, please be a witness, Your Majesty!" Bai Zang said to Ying Yiren.
"I am here to see you forging with my own eyes!" Ying Yiren agreed.
"The workers are about to make the sword!" Not only the craftsmen, but also other people on the street gathered around. Bai Zang is the top swordsmith in the country and has not made a move for many years.
Now that he is about to take action, he is actually trying to forge with the new Prime Minister. Everyone is naturally curious!
Bai Zang started immediately. He first asked Ying Yiren to temporarily release his son's handcuffs and help him, then took out the bronze material and started smelting.
On the other side, Zhang Beichen asked his men: "Is the shaft furnace ready?"
"Come back to me, sir, we are ready!"
"Okay, now go into the workshop and smelt iron and make swords!" Zhang Beichen shouted.
"Shaft furnace?" Some craftsmen who didn't know the reason were confused and didn't know what kind of medicine Zhang Beichen was selling in the gourd.
Soon they came across what was called a shaft furnace. It is about twenty feet tall (four to five meters high), eight or nine feet in diameter, and has an oval shape.
The top is loaded with materials and the bottom is blasted, so that the burning high-temperature gas can better heat the furnace materials and reach a higher temperature.
"Is this a shaft furnace?" The craftsmen here have never seen such a smelting furnace.
"Make a fire!" Zhang Beichen gave the order, and someone started adding ingredients to make the fire.
When the temperature came up, everyone felt a heat wave rolling around them.
"What a big fire, much bigger than our stove!" A craftsman exclaimed.
"It would be a pity not to use such a good furnace to smelt bronze!"
"Prime Minister, do you still know how to smelt?"
Bai Zang and Bai Mu were also extremely surprised. They naturally knew that the higher the temperature of the furnace, the better the smelting effect would be.
In Zhang Beichen's shaft furnace, the pig iron was melted into molten iron, but in their furnace, the bronze material was still slowly heating, indeed much slower.
The temperature in the shaft furnace is getting higher and higher, and the heat wave is rolling. The surrounding craftsmen are already sweating all over the body just by approaching.
Ying Yiren mobilized her spiritual energy, and a hint of coolness enveloped herself, and it also spread to Zhang Beichen. It felt like turning on the air conditioner.
"Start stir-frying!" Zhang Beichen ordered again, and craftsmen stir-fried the pig iron and iron ore above.
This method, called steel frying, uses the mutual chemical properties of the materials to reduce the carbon content of pig iron to the composition range of steel and wrought iron.
Bai Zang and others became more and more confused as they looked at it. What was this doing? When they were smelting bronze, they had never seen this method.
When the stir-frying is almost done, the molten iron is taken out and gradually solidifies into an iron embryo.
"Get the hammer!" Zhang Beichen took off his shirt directly, revealing his strong and tight muscles.
The rewards in the simulator are not for white-collar workers. Now Zhang Beichen's physical fitness is already very strong!
Ying Yiren glanced at her secretly and thought to herself: "It's so white, so muscular, and so powerful. Lord Beichen's body is so attractive... What on earth are you thinking, there are so many people here looking at you!"
She quickly looked away. At this time, Zhang Beichen had already grasped a bronze hammer and began to hammer the iron embryo.
