Zhao Ping did not disturb him, but waited quietly.
After a moment, Zhang Jiuya shook his head again and said, "Impossible."
"Iron is so hard, how can it be boiled into water?"
"You must be talking nonsense."
"I……"
Zhao Ping wanted to explain, but found that there was no way to explain.
He also knew nothing about iron smelting.
But he had learned chemistry when he was in school, and every substance has its own melting point.
It's not that iron cannot melt, but that the temperature cannot be reached.
But Zhao Ping didn't know how the temperature was rising.
Even if he wanted to confirm it, he couldn't.
"Uncle Xia Gu, do you have bigger iron here?"
Zhao Ping could only ask Xia Gu, but he couldn't let Master Zhang come in vain.
"No."
Xia Gu shook his head.
"Most of what I make here are farm tools, and most of them are spliced. I don't need large pieces of iron at all. I can make them with small bits and pieces of materials."
"what is it now?"
Mu Qiaoqiao was anxious, "How can we make spicy chicken without an iron pot?"
"How about I use these little ingredients to piece it together?"
Zhang Jiuya said: "Anyway, just use it when cooking and take good care of it. It can last a year or two."
"At that time, just tell me and I will make another bite."
"Or I'll go back to Qingzhou now."
"There are chunks of iron over there that could make a complete pot."
"When I finish it, I'll have it delivered to you for your use."
"Let's fight here, do the splicing first."
The answer was Zhao Ping.
"When the splicing is completed, after you return to Qingzhou, help us build a complete pot with large pieces of iron."
"Fine."
Seeing the hopeful look in the young lady's eyes, Zhang Jiuya couldn't bear to refuse and nodded in agreement.
Now that you agree, let's start working.
Start a fire and burn the iron.
Zhang Jiuya did it very skillfully.
But Zhao Ping was speechless, "Are we just going to burn like this?"
“When will the iron be hot red?”
"It'll be quick, just a few hours."
Zhang Jiuya said: "There are too few stoves here, so we can only buy them piece by piece."
"But with Xia Gu's help, I should be able to make a pot in three to five days."
"Mr. Zhao, Miss, if you have other matters, please go back first. You can't help much by staying here."
"good."
Mu Qiaoqiao nodded and planned to leave.
Zhao Ping asked, "Don't we have a bellows here?"
"Bellows?"
Zhang Jiuya wondered: "What is that?"
"It can increase the temperature of the flame."
"What?"
Zhang Jiuya was shocked, stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Ping's arm, and said nervously: "Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"Where is the bellows? Show me to me."
It can increase the temperature of the flame, which is simply a treasure.
If you can use the weapons workshop, the speed of making weapons can be greatly improved.
"Not now."
Zhao Ping shook his head.
"Are you kidding me?"
Zhang Jiuya's face instantly darkened.
Zhao Ping poured cold water on the newly ignited hopes, and no one was in a good mood.
"But I can make it."
Zhao Ping continued: "Give me a little time, and the bellows will be almost ready by this time tomorrow."
"hehe."
Zhang Jiuya sneered, not believing it at all.
A mere cunning man can make something that increases the temperature of the flame. Why doesn't he say that he can go to heaven and become an immortal?
Zhao Ping didn't seem to feel it and continued: "And the temperature of the firewood is too low."
"Just switch to charcoal."
Zhang Jiuya didn't answer. He felt that Zhao Ping was bragging.
The bellows incident had disappointed him to the extreme. If the eldest lady hadn't been present, he would have turned around and left.
On the other hand, Xia Gu asked curiously: "What is charcoal?"
"..."
It turns out they don’t even know about charcoal.
I really don’t know what kind of era this is. It’s backward, but it has a large population.
There are actually 70,000 people in a small and remote county like Yun'an County.
Moreover, there are various shops, wine shops, etc. in the county. Compared with those dynasties that are about to fall apart, it is already very prosperous.
At that time, Zhao Ping felt that the Wei Dynasty was like the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
But now there is nothing to ask for, not even the bellows most commonly used in blacksmithing.
I don’t even know what charcoal is.
The level of backwardness is probably worse than that of the Han Dynasty.
However, Zhao Ping did not sigh. No matter what, he would settle for what he had come.
Since the Dawei Dynasty didn’t have it, he would create it.
"I'll get it."
Zhao Ping said.
He had burned some charcoal before.
Zhao Ping was tired of eating water and cooking all day long, even if he had meat every meal.
It's really too indifferent.
So he wanted to develop some cooking techniques that were relatively famous in his previous life.
Such as hot pot, such as barbecue.
Now at the end of autumn, there are no vegetables in season.
There is no vegetable greenhouse.
If you eat hot pot without vegetables, you will lose your soul.
So he set his sights on barbecue.
Zhao Ping wandered around the county town and couldn't find any charcoal for barbecue, so he started making his own.
I have a lot of them at home.
This will come in handy.
He went home and asked Li Shou to borrow a donkey cart. He loaded the charcoal into the cart and sent it to Xia Gu's home in Xia Cun.
"Is this coal?"
Seeing the black pieces of charcoal, Zhang Jiuya couldn't help but shake his head, "A mountain villager is a mountain villager. He can't even recognize the coal."
"Coal can indeed make a fire, but it's not as hot as firewood."
"It's not coal, it's charcoal."
Zhao Ping corrected: "Don't use it yet, wait until I make the bellows before burning charcoal."
"The effect is definitely better than if you use firewood."
"I do not believe."
Zhang Jiuya was not convinced.
He is a dignified weapons supervisor, and in the entire Dawei Dynasty, there are countless people who can surpass him in iron smelting technology.
Having been working on iron for half his life, doesn’t he know that using something to burn iron can increase the temperature?
Still using such a mountain village husband to teach?
"Do not believe?"
Zhao Ping was stunned for a moment, but then he sneered.
"Master Zhang, how about we make a bet?"
"bet?"
Zhang Jiuya said coldly: "As an weapons supervisor, how can I get involved in gambling?"
"Don't tarnish my official name."
"No gambling."
Zhao Ping explained: "Let's bet against each other."
"If I can make something to increase the temperature of iron-making, you should stop being a weapons supervisor and come over to help me make iron."
"If I can't do it."
"Just tell me, as long as I, Zhao Ping, can do it, I will definitely agree to it."
"Not interested in."
Zhang Jiuya was not fooled at all.
What can a mere villager do to help him?
"I have acacia wine here."
"If you win, I can provide you with free drinks. You can drink as much as you want without taking any money."
Zhao Ping showed off his advantages.
"You know, my acacia wine is brewed with an exclusive secret recipe. It tastes better than the tribute wine from the palace."
"In the capital, a jar of acacia wine can be sold for ten thousand taels of silver."
Zhang Jiuya was a little moved.
Ten thousand taels of acacia wine, even if you don't drink it yourself, you can get a lot of money by selling it.
But when he thought about it again, he felt it was impossible.
If there is such a good wine, it has been spread for a long time. Why has he never learned the name of the acacia wine?
It must be Zhao Ping bragging again.
He declined politely: "I don't like wine."
"Then I'll give you money."
Zhao Ping refused to give up.
The Weapons Supervisor was the chief officer responsible for supervising the manufacture of weapons in the Dawei Dynasty. Although his rank was not high, he was a man of real talent and learning.
If he really has such people around him, he won't have to worry about making weapons anymore.
Once Xia Quan and the others are trained and equipped with suitable weapons, they will be absolutely invincible.
"I'm not short of money."
Zhang Jiuya sneered and dismissed it.
"Fifty thousand taels."
Zhao Ping still refused to give up.
"How many?"
Zhang Jiuya was moved.
Fifty thousand taels, how much salary can he get for one year as a weapons supervisor?
Even if you add in various other incomes, you still can't earn 50,000 taels.
You won’t even earn that much in your lifetime.
What's more, he still has to pay filial piety to his superiors.
Zhao Ping repeated: "As long as you can win, I will give you fifty thousand taels of silver at one time."
"Mu Qiaoqiao can testify."
"If I lose and can't get the money out, she can ask her father to send troops to kill me."
"Mr. Zhao, what do you mean?"
Mu Qiaoqiao was dissatisfied, "In front of me, you want to win over my father's capable men? Do you think I am transparent?"
"I'm doing this for your own good."
Zhao Ping smiled bitterly and said, "Miss Mu, don't you want to learn cooking?"
"The spicy chicken is cooked in an iron pot, but that is not the best cooking method. There are also barbecues, hot pots, teppanyaki, etc."
"These cooking techniques often require special tools."
"I kept Master Zhang for our future sake, not to poach your father's people."
"And I can guarantee that if your father needs any weapons, he can send someone over to tell Master Zhang and ask him to come forward to fight. I will never stop him."
"It's like asking Master Zhang to move to another place to strike iron."
"Is it really?"
Mu Qiaoqiao is not sure.
Zhao Ping's head was nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Then make a bet."
"I……"
Zhang Jiuya was speechless.
It’s really not that I’m greedy for money.
It's the lady's order, and I have to obey it.
Right, that is it.
If the bet fails afterwards, it will be the young lady’s responsibility and has nothing to do with me, Zhang Jiuya.
Hey, that's strange, why do I think I'm going to lose?
I want to win that fifty thousand taels of silver, okay?
