Chapter 32 The heart of licking the calf
"Sir, you are here." Foreman Ge's grandson saw He Xi arriving. said immediately.
It seemed that the voice of Foreman Ge's grandson disturbed Foreman Ge. Foreman Ge, who was originally in a daze, said, "But Master He is here."
Seeing this, He Xi stepped forward and sat down next to Foreman Ge. Said: "Mr. Ge, it's me here."
Foreman Ge saw He Xi coming. The whole person seemed to have been given a shot in the arm. His originally gloomy expression suddenly brightened up. His breathing became heavier, and he tried to struggle. He Xi quickly held it down and said: "Mr. Ge, just lie down and take good care of yourself. I will still rely on Mr. Ge in the future."
Foreman Ge said: "You don't need to lie to me. How can I not know what's happening to me at such an old age? My body and bones are broken. I can't help you. Now that I'm still breathing, I'll tell you what's in my heart." .”
He Xi didn't know what to say. He could only say: "Mr. Ge, tell me, I will listen."
Foreman Ge said: "I thought carefully about the reason for the explosion of the furnace this time, and noticed that it was a problem with the iron ore. Generally speaking, it is quite good if 30 to 40% of the 10% of the iron ore is iron. Previously, it was smelted Iron, the fire is not that big. So the iron ore melts slowly, but now the fire is too strong, the iron ore melts too fast, and the wind blows from below to above. The problem below is much better than the problem above .”
"There was a difference in temperature between the bottom and the top. So a cavity appeared under the blast furnace, and the bottom was burned into molten iron. The iron ore at the lowest surface was not completely melted, so the top was heavy and the bottom was light, plus other changes. That's what happened today. "
After hearing this, He Xi felt even more guilty and said, "It's my fault. If I hadn't been so anxious, this wouldn't have happened."
"Why do you say this, sir? My Ge family has been in the iron industry for generations, but we are all confused. Only a few words from you, like clearing the clouds, made me see the sun. I suddenly realized that if it weren't for the difference between steel and the difference in melting point that you said, I would also We can't analyze these problems. It is said that if you hear the Tao in the morning, you will die in the evening. Now that I am dead, I have met my ancestors underground and have something to say. This is because you are kind to me." Foreman Ge said strugglingly.
Foreman Ge's words are naturally flattering, but they cannot be said to be completely wrong.
Many things have theoretical guidance, and there is a completely different difference and speed between doing things without theoretical guidance.
Without theoretical guidance, the development of iron smelting in ancient China for thousands of years was all done by craftsmen groping in the dark, knowing what was happening but not knowing why. Many of them were groping based on experience. And He Xi's simple points seemed to carve out a direction in the darkness.
Although walking in this direction, there are ravines, mountains, and obstacles of one kind or another. But if you know which direction to go, you will have a direction for your efforts, instead of groping in the dark.
Foreman Ge is a great craftsman among blacksmiths. In the long history of history, it is nothing. But in the Hongwu Dynasty, he was still considered one of the leaders. In the iron smelting industry, he can be regarded as one of the outstanding figures. He has accumulated a lot more knowledge about the iron smelting industry than He Xi knows about Zhizhaopianlin.
It's just that there is no theoretical guidance, so we are trapped in the fog and unable to make any progress. With the guidance of He Xi's simple theory, Foreman Ge gained much more than He Xi imagined.
He Xi said: "Mr. Ge, there is no need to say this. I deserve it."
Foreman Ge knew he didn't have much time. I don’t care about being polite anymore. Said: "Sir, if you want to make steel, I have two ways."
He Xi was shocked and said: "Two ways."
Foreman Ge nodded and said: "Whether these two methods will work or not. I don't know, but I always have to try. Now I don't have time. I hope you don't think that I am an old man talking nonsense before I die, or that I am an old fool." ”
He Xi was very surprised. He was both happy and worried.
I am happy that He Xi finally has a direction.
After all, the idea of a blast furnace is already at the end of He Xi's train of thought, and every line is like a mountain. He Xi didn't know much about iron smelting. And in this era, it’s not even easy to learn. Compared with the Internet era of later generations, most knowledge is available online, and as long as you are willing, you can always learn it. But what is the situation in this era? First of all, the knowledge of craftsmen is mostly passed down orally and rarely written down. There is no place to study even if you want to study. Secondly, even if the craftsman teaches it in person, on the one hand, the craftsman may not have formed a system of knowledge. On the other hand, the craftsman cherishes his own broomstick. The art of eating may not be taught to anyone.
Foreman Ge pointed out the direction. At least it's one direction.
But He Xi also had some worries. Foreman Ge didn't say anything before, but now he has a direction. Are there two other directions?
No matter what He Xi thinks in his heart. He Xi said: "Mr. Ge, please speak."
Foreman Ge coughed twice, regardless of the pain in his body, and said: "The first direction is to use pig iron instead of iron ore. This situation will not happen with pig iron. It is better to have a smaller blast furnace."
In fact, Foreman Ge was ready to say this from the beginning. Just don't dare.
There is no other reason. There is a huge difference in status.
He Xi lives in the palace, and in the eyes of the craftsmen, he is a noble person. Such a person can kill their whole family with just one word. No matter in professional or non-professional matters, how dare they go against He Xi?
And Foreman Ge never thought that such a thing would happen. After all he felt merely defeated. No big deal either. With He Xi's status, it would be okay to fail a hundred times. But if they, the craftsmen, offend someone like He Xi, their entire family might be killed in one go.
How dare you say this nonsense?
But it's different now.
Foreman Ge knew he was going to die.
Foreman Ge's sons died early and he had only one grandson. The grandson is too young, and many ancestral techniques have not been passed on to his grandson. He is now considered well-known among craftsmen. But he knew very well that this status was due to his skills and age. It cannot be passed on to grandchildren.
When he felt that he was not good enough, the first thing that came to his mind was, what should he do about his grandson? What can he leave to his grandchildren?
After thinking about it, there is nothing. Not even much money.
So at this time, he didn't care about hiding it. Tell He Xi everything you can think of and know. Of course, this is who He Xi is after getting along with him for a few days. Foreman Ge also made a judgment. Only then was he willing to exert all his power to show off in front of He Xi.
The purpose is to leave this vital connection to his grandson.
Don't say anything else. Just by raising his hand, He Xi could change his grandson's lifestyle.
It's just that He Xi hasn't understood the value of his current status.
Foreman Ge said: "The second method is what I just thought of. Your Excellency said that pure iron is very soft, right?"
He Xi said: "Yes."
Foreman Ge said: "Wrought iron is the softest iron I have ever seen. According to adults, wrought iron is the closest thing to pure iron, and it is also the iron with the least carbon content. The principle of steel-making by the steel-filling method is that The pig iron with high carbon content and the wrought iron with low carbon content are neutralized together to obtain iron with the right carbon content, or steel.”
"And how wrought iron is made."
"The molten iron is introduced from the iron-making furnace. It is continuously stirred in the square pool next to the blast furnace. What finally solidifies is wrought iron. If the iron is not stirred, the iron produced is pig iron. But the stirred iron is wrought iron. Then the process of stirring is a process of reducing the carbon content. Therefore, as long as the heat is controlled well, the carbon content is controlled and steel can be made directly."
He Xi listened very hard.
Try hard to understand what Foreman Ge said.
He probably guessed why this happened. That is to make the molten iron fully contact with the air, because the high temperature will ignite the charcoal in the molten iron. Reduce carbon content. Thus achieving the purpose of controlling carbon content. But the heat is really difficult to control.
However, even so, this idea was something He Xi had never heard of or even thought about. Now that I think about it, it is extremely clever, and more importantly. No need to increase oven temperature.
Of course, there are flaws.
The drawback is that there is almost no room for upgrades.
It's not like making steel in a blast furnace. Over time, we have accumulated technology and experience. It is very useful for further improvements. This is just a fork in the road.
Foreman Ge coughed twice, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Hemorrhage from the large internal organs was gradually rising. The time has come to say one word less.
Foreman Ge said: "Sir, I have told many details to my grandson. I am no longer here. Please take good care of my grandson."
Seeing this, He Xi sighed and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Ge, all your achievements will be credited to your grandson."
Foreman Ge said: "Your Majesty is so kind to me, and I am extremely grateful. It's just that my grandson's qualifications are dull, so I still ask you to listen to your guidance. Even though I'm under the spell of Jiuquan, I am also grateful to you."
After speaking, Foreman Ge looked at He Xi nervously.
He Xi was not sure what Foreman Ge was thinking for a while.
In He Xi's view, he dare not claim a title for his merits in steelmaking, but it is still okay for the grandson of Foreman Ge to be a minor official. But Foreman Ge asked his grandson to join his family. This was the rhythm of being a domestic slave. It doesn't sound like it's for your grandson's benefit.
After all, He Xi didn’t know enough about the social ecology of the Ming Dynasty.
Foreman Ge's choice is in line with the values of this era.
What is a bureaucrat who is a craftsman? They are the lowest among all officials, even worse than some petty officials. And what are the domestic slaves of high-ranking officials? That is the seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door. Relying on the master's family, you will have no worries about food and drink for a lifetime, no, for several lifetimes. But once a small official with a craftsman background loses his backer, almost any official can take advantage of him.
How to choose, do you need to say?
