For access to a complete chapter, you can subscribe to my patreon.com/caleredhair
Molten steel mixed with heat flowed in the crucible. In the scorching summer, the steel workshop was as hot as a furnace.
Upon leaving the royal residence, Xiao Ming went directly to the steel workshop. In just a short while, his clothes were soaked with sweat.
“Your Highness, it’s too hot here. Let’s discuss this outside,” Chen Wenlong advised. Ordinary people would find it unbearable to stay in this steel workshop for a while, and he worried that it would be uncomfortable for Xiao Ming.
Looking at the shirtless slave craftsmen working diligently, Xiao Ming said, “No need. I am not that delicate. By the way, I heard the steel workshop has a new supervisor. Where is he?”
Chen Wenlong pointed to the young man who was rushing towards them from not far away and said, “Your Highness, that’s him. He is a student from Bowen Academy, specializing in steel production. He took office a month ago. As Your Highness said, he also mentioned Bessemer steelmaking, but later he just said there were no materials, so the matter was not brought up again.”
“Oh,” Xiao Ming showed an interested expression. After three years of cultivation, more and more students were entering various workshops in Qingzhou. However, due to limited conditions, many things they had mastered but found it difficult to realize.
But this was inevitable. In his contemporary era, his country was also poor and had nothing. At that time, scientists returning from overseas also started from scratch.
However, there was one point where he couldn’t compare: at that time, the entire nation was united in production, while the environment he was in was still at war. So, he could only achieve things one by one.
“I greet Your Highness.”
The young man calling himself Meng Kuo was scholarly in appearance, looking like a scholar. However, like the craftsmen in the workshop, the young man was also bare-armed, covered in black iron filings.
Xiao Ming looked up and down at Meng Kuo and said, “Chen Wenlong says you are from Bowen Academy. Since that’s the case, let me test you. Which produces higher quality iron in Bessemer steelmaking, acid or alkaline?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, it’s alkaline.” Meng Kuo said, “Acidic furnace lining cannot remove sulfur and phosphorus from the iron, but alkaline furnace lining can.”
“Why remove sulfur and phosphorus?”
“For steelmaking, phosphorus is a harmful substance. The presence of phosphorus increases the hardness and brittleness of iron. Good pig iron should have low phosphorus content. Sulfur promotes the combination of iron and carbon, making the iron hard and brittle, and chemically combines with iron to form low-melting point iron sulfide, causing hot brittleness in pig iron and reducing the fluidity of molten iron. Therefore, pig iron with high sulfur content is not suitable for casting fine parts.”
As Meng Kuo spoke, Chen Wenlong’s face was beaming. Xiao Ming couldn’t help but ask, “I asked Meng Kuo, why are you so happy?”
“Your Highness, this Meng Kuo was selected by me from Bowen Academy. His current fluent answers prove that my judgment was correct,” Chen Wenlong said with a chuckle.
Xiao Ming was also very satisfied with Meng Kuo’s answer. Regardless of conditions, at least he had mastered the knowledge. He then asked, “What are the oxidants in Bessemer steelmaking? What are the slagging materials?”
“The oxidants are only iron ore and oxygen. For slagging, there is lime.” Meng Kuo answered calmly and confidently.
Xiao Ming nodded and asked some deeper questions, which Meng Kuo answered promptly, making him even more satisfied.
After a pause, he said, “With you here, I can rest assured and entrust the Bessemer steelmaking production line to you.”
“Bessemer steelmaking?” Meng Kuo exclaimed upon hearing this.
“That’s right. I have found the alkaline lining material for the converter. Now the alkaline Bessemer steelmaking method can be realized. Next, you are to lead the craftsmen of the steel workshop to produce the converter and simultaneously build a production line to increase steel output.” Xiao Ming said this while handing the drawings to Meng Kuo.
Taking the drawings, Meng Kuo eagerly opened them. As Xiao Ming said, they marked all the equipment needed for an entire production line, and the drawings also included detailed structural diagrams of specific equipment.
“Don’t be afraid of failure. If it doesn’t work the first time, you can try a few more times.” Xiao Ming said to Meng Kuo. Any technological innovation would encounter various problems in its early stages. In Xiao Ming’s view, Bessemer steelmaking would also have to fail a few times before the tricks can be summarized from practice.
However, since the conditions for this technology were already in place, its realization was not far off.
And once Qingzhou could obtain a large amount of cheap steel, then building railroads, which required a lot of steel, would become possible, and the operation of steam locomotives in Great Yu Empire would no longer be a luxury.
At the same time, a large increase in steel production would also improve war capability, making weapon production easier, unlike now where most troops are still in the cold weapon era.
Meng Kuo carefully read the drawings once. He said to Xiao Ming, “Your Highness, I have been waiting for such a technology to be realized. Your Highness, rest assured, I will build the production line even if I don’t eat or drink.”
Xiao Ming nodded. The technical difficulties of Bessemer steelmaking were the converter and oxygen blowing. Now that the problems were solved, other issues such as material feeding and molten steel shaping were the same and did not require further research.
Over the next few days, Xiao Ming and Meng Kuo continuously discussed the establishment of the production line. Some of the facilities were also handed over to craftsmen for production. On the fifth day, the first batch of magnesite ore arrived from the mine.
This batch of ore was ordered by Xiao Ming to be mined first for experimentation. After calcination, grinding, and casting, the converter’s lining was formed.
After this step was completed, the remaining matters were a natural progression. Xiao Ming also did not want to continue participating. After all, he did not want to dampen Meng Kuo’s enthusiasm.
Because in his opinion, a leader should be moderately lazy, otherwise if they do everything themselves, subordinates will develop lazy habits.
Stepping away from the Bessemer steelmaking affairs, Xiao Ming continued to shift his focus back to the current chaotic situation.
At this moment, a piece of news brought by Wang Xuan made a cold sweat break out on his body.
“The Prince of Wei sent envoys to ally with the Prince of Yan, the Prince of Zhao, and the Prince of Liang?” Xiao Ming asked anxiously.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Wang Xuan’s expression was grave. “And the envoy has already reached the Prince of Yan. This is the news brought back by our secret agent in Bozhou.”
“This time, it seems the Prince of Wei is truly desperate.” Xiao Ming’s face was grim. This was a crisis that could lead to the downfall of his state.
If the four kings attacked him simultaneously, he would surely be unable to resist. After all, in this era, the advantage of firearms could not completely offset the human wave tactics of cold weapon armies.
And in fact, the true weapon that ended cold weapon warfare was the machine gun, but for him, he couldn’t produce that yet.
“Your Highness, if the Prince of Wei’s cunning plan succeeds, it will be a catastrophe for us. I believe we should immediately assassinate the Prince of Wei’s envoy to delay the alliance.” Wang Xuan said.
“This can only treat the symptom, not the root cause. If one envoy dies, there will surely be a second. Now, what we should think about is how to break this alliance.” Xiao Ming said bitterly.