After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Liang, who was guarding outside, knocked on the door.
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
Before Guo An and Zhu Fu could react, Zhu Di sat up suddenly.
"What's the matter?"
Zhu Liang replied: "Your Majesty, Zhong Huo, the manager of the Iron Smelting Office, is reporting that the giant iron-making furnace at the foot of the mountain behind is now open!"
"Very good!"
Zhu Di got out of bed directly, stood up and walked out.
Guo An and Zhu Fu, who were still a little confused, staggered to follow.
When staying here at night, everyone slept naked. No one took off their clothes, not even their shoes. They could leave directly after getting out of bed.
After leaving the door, Guo An heard Zhu Di asking Zhu Liang: "What time is it now?"
"Back to Your Highness, it's midnight!"
"this late?"
Zhu Di sighed with emotion and walked straight towards the back mountain.
"yawn……"
Guo An let out a long yawn and tugged at his eyelids. After he regained consciousness, he grabbed Zhu Fu beside him and hurried forward.
When they arrived in front of the giant iron-making furnace, a group of craftsmen were already surrounding the iron-making furnace.
All around, torches and fires were lit, illuminating the area brightly.
Every craftsman's eyes flashed with excitement and anticipation.
"Your Highness is here!"
As Zhu Di arrived, Zhong Huo and a group of craftsmen quickly came forward to pay tribute.
"Meet your Highness, little man!"
"Everyone, get up."
Zhu Di waved his hand and looked directly at the giant iron-making furnace inside.
"Can you turn on the stove?"
Zhong Huo replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, it's almost five hours and it's time to start the furnace!"
Zhu Di directly ordered: "Open the furnace!"
"The villain obeys the order!"
Zhong Huo's face lit up with joy, he turned around and shouted loudly to the craftsmen behind him: "Your Highness has ordered, open the furnace!"
"Turn on the furnace!"
All the craftsmen looked excited.
As a blacksmith, the iron furnace is what they eat.
They had long heard that Guo Xianzun of Wanping County and his ten craftsmen worked day and night to build such an iron-making furnace that was two feet high.
Therefore, they have long been looking forward to when this giant iron-making furnace can make a furnace of iron.
But now, they could finally witness the giant iron-making furnace making iron with their own eyes, and even help out on the side. All the craftsmen couldn't help but feel full of power.
As an old craftsman opened the bottom tap hole, hot red molten iron flowed out directly.
"The iron is out!"
"Model on!"
"And then on……"
"Go to the crucible..."
"superior……"
Under the watchful eyes of Guo An, Zhu Di and others, the giant iron-making furnace poured enough molten iron for two cups of tea.
Fortunately, there are many craftsmen around the iron-making furnace, so we can deal with them calmly.
Zhong Huo also remembered Zhu Dizi's order during the day. When filling the molten iron, he first used some knife molds to fill it.
As a result, Zhu Di, Guo An and others saw that every time a mold was installed, a craftsman would take it and leave.
In the distant house, there was a clanging sound of beating.
After waiting until there was no more molten iron flowing out of the iron-making furnace, all the lights in the surrounding rooms were lit, and the sounds of hammering and forging were all heard.
"Ding ding dong dong..."
Just as Zhu Di was looking around the rooms with his eyes wide open and full of curiosity, Zhong Huo ran over with a happy face, "Your Highness, I just did some calculations and found a total of one hundred and ten rough steel knives. It weighs four hundred and forty kilograms, and there is another three hundred and twenty kilograms of molten iron, which makes a total of seven hundred and sixty kilograms!"
"Seven hundred and sixty pounds of molten iron?"
Zhu Di turned his head sharply and stared at Zhong Huo, "Are you sure what you said is correct?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, I will never dare to deceive Your Highness!"
Zhong Huo trembled and said hurriedly.
Zhu Di's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, his eyes flashed red, and he subconsciously looked at Zhu Fu and Guo An, and said excitedly: "Zhu Changshi, Guo An, a giant iron-making furnace can produce at least 1,000 tons of oil per day. Iron weighs 760 kilograms. As long as I ask the Iron Smelting Institute to build ten more giant iron-making furnaces of this size, wouldn't it be possible to smelt 7,600 kilograms of steel in one day, which is stronger than the pig iron in the past? ?
Is it more than 200,000 catties in one month and more than 600,000 catties in three months? "
Zhu Fu also saluted with excitement at this moment, "Your Highness is wise!"
Guo An also quickly followed suit and said: "Your Highness is wise!"
"Hahaha, six hundred thousand kilograms of pig iron, six hundred thousand kilograms, I didn't expect it to be solved so easily."
Zhu Di was overjoyed and laughed loudly.
No one could know how worried Zhu Di was at the moment he received the imperial edict.
Unexpectedly, only one day had passed, and six hundred thousand kilograms of pig iron, which was like a huge mountain to him, could be solved so easily.
Thinking about it, Zhu Di looked at Guo An and said with admiration: "Guo An, I will remember you for this!"
Guo An chuckled and said, "Your Highness, just remember to give your subordinate the one hundred taels of silver!"
Zhu Di was a little confused, "What one hundred taels?"
Guo An's eyes widened and he looked at Zhu Di helplessly.
"Your Highness must have forgotten that a month ago, His Highness offered him one hundred taels of silver and sent ten old craftsmen to Xiaguan to develop ways to increase the speed of iron smelting."
Hearing this, Zhu Di's face froze, and he remembered.
"It's been more than a month, I didn't expect you to still remember it every day!"
Guo An looked at Zhu Di seriously: "Your Highness, that is one hundred taels of silver. If I save a little money, it will be enough to cover my entire expenses for a year!"
Zhong Huo: "..."
Zhu Fu: "..."
Li Wang: "..."
Save some money, you need one hundred taels a year, don't you think so?
Zhu Di was furious, "You are such a thief, you are so extravagant! If the censors find out about it, they will definitely get involved with you again!"
"Your Highness, these are all earned by the officials in an upright manner, why should you be afraid of them?"
Speaking of this, Guo An is confident.
He believed that the iron-making alone was enough to make Zhu Di take him seriously.
Even if he was removed from power by the inspection censor, he could still enter the Yan Palace, work as a steward, and continue to live his life.
Maybe he would be safer then.
At least, he had never heard that when Lao Zhu was on the throne, he killed officials in the palaces of various vassals.
At this moment, Zhu Di was still thinking about his steel knives and had no intention of talking to Guo An.
In addition, I was in a good mood at this moment, so I said boldly: "When I go back, I will send someone to take the one hundred taels, no, I will give you four hundred taels more, and it will be my reward to you!"
Guo An shook his head and refused, with a firm look on his face, "Your Highness, we agreed on one hundred taels before, but I only want one hundred taels."
"Um?"
Zhu Di glanced at Guo An in surprise, "You, a thief, didn't particularly like money before. How come you don't want it when I give you more?"
Guo An said: "Your Highness, I forgive you. Although I like money, I also have my own principles."
"what ever!"
Zhu Di didn't care that much about this.
