Then, Zhu Di looked at Zhong Huo again and said, "In this matter, the Shangzhuang Village Iron Smelting Works has also made great contributions. The manager will be rewarded fifty taels of silver and the craftsmen ten taels!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Zhong Huo knelt down directly, tears of excitement filling his eyes.
Fifty taels?
Now, how much food and clothing can he buy for his family?
"Okay, get up quickly and forge a steel sword for me!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Zhong Huo responded quickly.
Then he stood up and walked to a nearby house. He felt that his whole body was filled with endless strength. This time, he wanted to forge it himself.
And as Zhong Huo informed the surrounding craftsmen of the twelve taels of silver, all the generals in the iron smelting institute suddenly became excited, and the strength in their hands could not help but become stronger.
As for Zhu Di, he once again wandered around the rooms with great interest.
After a few laps, Guo An felt his legs were a little tired.
"Your Highness, it's still early in the day. Would you like to go get some sleep?"
Zhu Di glanced at Guo An and said, "So many steel knives are being made, how can you still sleep?"
Guo An was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Zhu Fu beside him, and said quickly: "Your Highness, both the official and Zhu Changshi are still asleep."
Zhu Fu looked startled.
Zhu Di said: "If you want to sleep, go to sleep. I can't sleep."
"Forehead!"
Guo An was helpless.
At this moment, Zhu Di was like a child who couldn't care about anything else after seeing his beloved toy.
However, Zhu Di's body bones could hold up, and Guo An didn't want to stay up all night with Zhu Di here, so he couldn't help but look at Zhu Fu who was standing aside.
Zhu Fu shook his head quickly and said, "If Mr. Guo is tired, you can go and rest for a while. I will stay with His Highness here."
Guo An shook his head helplessly, "I am also here to accompany His Highness."
He couldn't possibly say that he alone didn't dare to go back to sleep in that dilapidated house?
In this way, I stayed up for more than an hour.
The sound of forging in the entire iron smelting plant gradually weakened.
Another two quarters of an hour passed.
Zhong Huo walked over with a steel knife that looked like a wild goose feather knife with a dark and shiny blade. There were also some pictures of mountains and rivers engraved on the blade, which was extremely exquisite.
Zhu Di's whole body was shaken, and his eyes widened when he looked at the steel knife.
Zhong Huo raised the sword in front of his head with both hands and said respectfully: "Your Highness, I am lucky that I have lived up to my fate. The steel sword has been forged."
Zhu Di quickly took it and gathered it next to a fire. He stroked it with his hands and praised, "Good knife, good knife!"
After saying that, Zhu Di walked directly to the knife testing ground.
Guo An, Zhu Fu and others quickly followed.
Zhu Di raised his knife and dropped it, and there was a piece of wood on the ground.
"good!"
Zhu Di shouted excitedly again, and his interest did not diminish at all, and he started to chop again.
It was only after the dozen or so tree stumps in front of him were cut down to calf height that Zhu Di slowly stopped.
Then, holding the steel knife again, he came to the fire in the room and examined it carefully.
The blade has no curls or gaps.
Zhu Di nodded with satisfaction and looked at Zhong Huo, who had been following him closely.
"How many steel knives of this kind have been forged?"
Zhong Huo said: "Reporting to Your Highness, all the craftsmen in the entire Iron Smelting Institute are awake tonight, and one hundred and ten steel knives have been forged!"
"Very good."
Zhu Di looked satisfied.
"Do you have a scabbard?"
Zhong Huo said quickly: "Your Highness, please forgive me, but there are only a dozen old scabbards in the Iron Smelting Institute."
Zhu Di said: "It doesn't matter, take it out and put it on for me first. The remaining scabbard of the steel sword can be made for me within five days!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Zhong Huo breathed a sigh of relief. The craftsmen like him would have to continue working tomorrow. If they continued to make scabbards overnight, the bodies of the craftsmen would definitely not be able to bear it.
In less than a moment, ten steel knives with scabbards were delivered to Zhu Di by Zhong Huo.
Dozens of houses around him also returned to silence.
Zhu Di, who was looking at the steel knife, didn't know what to think of, and ordered Zhong Huo: "No one is allowed to reveal any information about these steel swords, or even the giant iron-making furnace!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Zhong Huo, Guo An and others responded quickly.
"In addition, after the scabbards of the remaining one hundred steel knives are made, I will send someone to take them away. These steel knives are not allowed to be disclosed to the outside world."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Okay, I'm fine now. You can go and rest later!"
"The villain is not sleepy!"
"what ever!"
Zhu Di waved his hand casually, looked up at the sky, and asked, "Is it already the fourth watch?"
"Your Highness, it's already halfway through the fourth watch!"
Zhong Huo replied quickly.
"It's half past the fourth watch. When I return to Beiping City, the city gate will have been opened!"
Zhu Di murmured, and then gave instructions to Li Wang, who was holding a steel knife in a silly mood.
"Li Wang, hurry up and gather a group of guards to follow me back to the city!"
Li Wang quickly said: "Your Highness, it's still dark and the road at night is not safe."
Zhu Di said: "What's unsafe? Is it possible that the Beiyuan army could sneak into the vicinity of Beiping Mansion?"
Li Wang immediately lowered his head, not because he was afraid of being ambushed by the Yuan army at night. Besides, it was impossible for the Yuan army to appear near Beiping Mansion.
What he was worried about was that it was pitch dark at night and he couldn't see his feet clearly. The road was full of potholes. If something happened and Zhu Di was injured, it would be a serious crime.
However, he could not disobey Zhu Di's order in this matter.
Seeing this, Guo An saw something and quickly stepped forward and suggested: "Your Highness, it is still so dark now that the horses can't see the road clearly. Wouldn't it be more dangerous for us to sit in the carriage? If we let the horses pull the carriage. , fell into the ditch on the roadside, and spread the word that His Highness’s eternal reputation..."
Zhu Di scolded angrily: "Shut up, you thief, because a dog can't spit out ivory..."
Guo An just shut up.
Zhu Fu said again: "What Magistrate Guo said is not unreasonable. Let's wait for half an hour and the sky will start to turn brighter! There is no urgency to go back. The Iron Smelting Institute is now very important to His Highness." , Your Highness can also take this time to learn more about the Iron Smelting Institute and see what difficulties the Iron Smelting Institute has now."
Hearing this, Zhong Huo's eyes lit up and he looked at Zhu Di expectantly.
Zhu Di pondered for a moment and asked Zhong Huo: "I want the Iron Smelting Institute to smelt 600,000 kilograms of steel within three months. If you have any difficulties, you can tell me now."
Zhong Huo hurriedly said: "Your Highness, as long as the Iron Smelting Institute builds ten more giant iron-making furnaces, I will definitely be able to smelt 600,000 kilograms of steel in three months.
However, to smelt so much pig iron in three months, more coking coal and iron stone and iron sand are needed.
At present, the supply of coking coal and iron stone to the iron smelting plant is completely insufficient. "
Zhu Di waved his hand, "I will send you as many people as you want!"
Zhong Huo quickly raised his hands and saluted, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Zhu Di asked again: "Are there still difficulties?"
Zhong Huo glanced at Guo An hesitantly and continued to report to Zhu Di.
"Your Highness, there is a lot of rain in Beiping now. I am worried about the heavy rain. The giant iron-making furnace has no room to block it, so we cannot continue to make iron in heavy rain!"
…
