Dahan first prince

Chapter 398 Hydraulic Forging Technology

After looking at the breastplate, the courtiers, under the leadership of Yang Chengyan, visited several other new weapons produced by the Shaofu.

For example, the bow body is three feet three, the string length is two feet five, and the crossbow with a shooting range of more than 240 steps, and the Mo knife whose blade is completely forged from iron, but the handle is almost the same length as the blade.

But there are no exceptions: These new equipment, which are obviously more powerful than the weapons equipped by the Han army today, and the cost is obviously high, are the same as the sentence that weighs seventy catties. Ying, a benefit distributed to the heroes present.

——You must know that in today’s Han army, the equipment of most of the leading soldiers is still only a spear, a halberd with a bronze tip, and a red military robe!

As for the sword, especially the sharp blade that can be used in actual combat instead of hanging on the waist for decoration, it is simply not something that ordinary people can have, let alone a random big-headed soldier.

Even the most important sword in melee weapons is like this, armor and the like, so it's even different.

Even if it is a leather armor, it is definitely an undoubted controlled item among the people. Without the title of Marquis above Guannei, no one dares to collect it!

Even high-ranking nobles such as Marquis of Guannei and Marquis of Che can only keep no more than one Zhajia in their home with permission, as a guarantee for the descendants of the family when the family goes to the battlefield.

As for bows and crossbows, bows are easier to talk about, but almost every household of the self-cultivating farmers whose livelihood can be barely guaranteed will hang a long bow with a long history on the wall of their home;

In the words of the folks, this is the "fundamental to living and living", and it is also one of the only means of self-protection when people encounter danger.

As for the crossbow?
Hey······

——As long as the word "crossbow" is attached to it, even if it cannot be used on the battlefield, it can only be used as a two-stone crossbow for practice, and it is a control weapon in the absolute sense!
Every part of the entire ballista has been registered by the local government and even the Chang'an court!

Ordinary people don't need to say much, even the meritorious princes, unless they get an amnesty, it is impossible to collect them at home!
The only army where the crossbow machine can appear legally is that if any crossbow machine loses parts, it will easily implicate a song, a team or even a school, and it will never stop until the parts are found!
As for the loss of the entire ballista, even if it is lost on the battlefield, it still needs to be in charge of a team of 500 people led by Sima and above to provide written certification and guarantee, and the subordinate captain himself is directly responsible for it!
Under such a background, can the strong crossbows and armor made by the Shaofu be owned by ordinary people?

——Aside from the question of "whether they can afford it" for ordinary people, even if someone can afford it, no one will dare to buy it!

As for the Mo Dao that exudes a chilling light all over its body, the completely forged iron blade alone has already insulated ninety-nine out of ten people in the world from this expensive weapon for life.

The reason is simple: in today's world, if the wealth reaches more than [-] yuan, it can be called a "middle-class family", that is, the middle class of later generations.

Nowadays, the prices of "iron" products all over the world, even if the complicated regulatory procedures and channel costs are put aside, the price of iron alone is as high as thousands or even thousands of dollars per catty.

This means that such a Modao, which is forged from at least [-] jin of iron, can only be afforded by a middle-class family with all their wealth, even if weapons control is completely ignored.

Therefore, for the iron scale armor, breastplate, and Mo Dao that are very attractive in appearance displayed by the Shaofu, all the officials of Gonghou only regarded it as a "class welfare", and they competed to bid, trying to leave a future for the family. A solid foundation for longevity.

As for the God Arm Crossbow, no one dared to "buy one and take it home", even if they were jealous.

Still the same sentence: Crossbow machines and armor are absolutely controlled products of the Han Dynasty, just like firearms and drugs in the new era of later generations.

As for these two types of threatening items that are likely to be judged as "conspiring to rebel" as long as they are touched, even the hero class at the top of the power pyramid of the Han Dynasty will never dare to move their minds.

After seeing all kinds of weapons newly made by the Shaofu, and receiving the promise from Emperor Liu Ying that "there will be a chance to send them to you for free", Gonghou Yuanxun left Luban Garden with a smile on his face, and each boarded a carriage back to Chang'an.

But what no one noticed is that Yangchengyan, Shaofu, was left in Luban Garden by the sullen emperor Liu Ying...
·
"Say it straight."

"What is the difficulty in forging steel with iron?"

Sitting in the class room of Lubanyuan, Liu Ying didn't beat around the bush, and pointed directly to the core of the problem.

— Forged steel!
In the past few years, the top priority of Shaofu military projects!
For this project, Liu Ying almost gave Yang Chengyan unlimited authority;

Including, but not limited to, free use of Shaofu's internal funds and all materials stored in the Xiangfu treasury, and using Shaofu's property to purchase all necessary materials from the market at any time;

At the same time, Shanglin Wei, who was originally stationed in Shanglinyuan, had a total of 2000 captains and was expanded by Liu Ying into a full-staffed captain, a total of five captains, and a powerful armed force of tens of thousands of soldiers!

In terms of manpower, Liu Ying gave the green light all the way;

——As long as the Shaofu needs all the registered Han officials and officials, they will be sent to them!

For the talented folks and skilled craftsmen needed by the Shaofu, Liu Ying even gave Yang Chengyan a solicitation fee of 'ten gold per person', as well as an official position promise power of less than [-] shi!
This is how you ask for money and give money, ask people to give, and you can even say that you give what you want;
So far, the Shaofu wrought iron research and development project has been going on for three full years!
However, the hydraulic forging project that Liu Ying has been thinking about has not been seen yet!

A few days ago, when Yang Chengyan invited Liu Ying to visit the results in Shanglin Garden, Liu Ying thought that the project had made progress;

Bringing all the courtiers and officials here today is also Liu Ying's desire to use the message of "the iron age has come" to restore the confidence of the Han monarchs and ministers to raise troops to the north and trample on the barbarians.

But when he came to Lubanyuan and saw one iron armor after another, Liu Ying, who was full of hope, fell to the bottom of the valley again.

——I brought hundreds of officials and ministers to visit. Even if you, Yang Chengyan, have not mastered the hydraulic forging technology, you should find some fried steel, make some scale armor, breastplate, and some mo knives, and give me a long face. ?
With so much money, so many people, spending such a long time, in the end, show me the iron?

The pants are all off, you show me this? !
Hearing the dissatisfaction in Liu Ying's words, as well as the anger that was almost clearly written on his face, Yang Chengyan's forehead was covered with cold sweat in an instant.

After calming himself down, Yangcheng Yancai raised his head with a bitter face and told Liu Ying slightly about the difficulties Shaofu encountered in the 'hydraulic forging' project.

"Your Majesty accepts."

"It has been three years since the Shaofu received the order of His Majesty to use water conservancy forging as steel;"

"The Shaofu has already prepared all the waterwheels and drop hammers required for hydraulic forging."

"How difficult it is to make steel only from iron..."

Said the words full of melancholy, Yang Chengyan's brows could not help but be full of bitterness.

"The one who forges steel with iron first melts the iron into a liquid, and molds it into a billet;"

"The water wheel is then driven by the water flow, so that the giant hammer is raised and lowered repeatedly, and the iron billet is repeatedly forged to obtain a steel billet, and then rolled to obtain a steel plate and a rigid block."

"And the steel armor and steel knives obtained from the steel plates and steel blocks need repeated hammering and repairing by craftsmen to obtain the steel armor soldiers required by Your Majesty."

"However, there are still many problems in this process that have not been solved."

"——One of them: the billet molded by molten iron is still too brittle; after a little forging, it will crack and even shatter;"

"For the two, even if uncracked and unbroken steel is obtained, it will be difficult to withstand rolling and forging, and it will break during the process of making armor, so that the armor will be discarded before it is completed."

"Also, the iron used in forging steel is already expensive. The Shaofu used the high-priced iron, but it had to discard the steel. There was a lot of discussion in the field, in the field, and in the streets."

"If you wait for a long time, even if you are a craftsman of the Shaofu, you will inevitably feel discouraged..."

Expressing the grievance in his heart, Yang Chengyan finally lowered his head and sighed to himself.

In the past few years, Shaofu has looked glamorous, with the temperament of a big coal boss;

But only Yang Chengyan knew what kind of pressure the Shaofu had been under these years.

——Grain storage on behalf of the people and official operation of grain and rice. The Shaofu obviously followed the emperor Liu Ying's instructions and gradually gave up striving for profits in these two projects;
But from the perspective of the outer dynasty, Shaofu is "self-abolishing martial arts", giving up two huge sources of income for no reason.

Similar to "Why didn't the Shaofu ask His Majesty to order to prohibit the people from building granaries privately" and "Why didn't the Shaofu set the price of grain higher so as to make more profits", Yang Chengyan had heard many times;

Fortunately, with Liu Ying's backing, Yang Chengyan managed to bear the criticism that flew towards him like snowflakes.

But it was followed by salt and iron.

In the beginning, it was Lu Chan, the second-generation child of the Lu family's relatives, who was arrested by Shanglin Wei for trespassing on Shanglin Garden;
Although in the end, the emperor Liu Ying just lifted it high and put it down gently, but Lu Chan was like a tarsal maggot, completely stuck to Yang Chengyan.

In just half a year, at least hundreds of Chang'an officials of [-] or more impeached Yang Chengyan for "enriching his private pockets with fake salt and iron profits"!
During this period, Lu Chan even sent someone to tie Yang Chengyan, who was on his way home from the next court, back to his home!
If Liu Ying hadn't sent someone to rescue him immediately, Yangcheng Yantangtang's body of Jiuqing would have been "beaten into a trick" by Lu Chan, a foreign relative's dude...

Up to now, Yang Chengyan can't remember how much he has experienced in various attacks on grain, salt and iron;
Some people are purely jealous and want to make things bad on purpose;
There are also some people who covet the huge income of the Shaofu and want to get a share of it.

But more people still wanted to watch the day when Yang Chengyan fell because of an unreasonable hostility.

Until the beginning of this year, these people finally waited for the opportunity: the Shaofu forged steel project was launched, and the news that "Shanglinyuan discarded more than [-] catties of iron billets within half a month" also appeared on the streets of Chang'an inexplicably. .

Afterwards, a group of unemployed meritorious princes headed by Zhifang Hou Yongchi gathered outside Weiyang Palace to impeach Yang Chengyan for neglecting his duties and willfully infringing on national property.

Before Liu Ying could react, Ting Wei had already raided the Wuhou Mansion in Yangchengyan;

Fortunately, these years, Yangchengyan's hands and feet are still clean, and the limelight of the "Shaofu" is really enviable. Ting Wei did not find any evidence of "corruption and bribery" and "embezzlement of Shaofu's assets" in Yangchengyan's mansion. .

But this matter has also completely pushed the Shaofu forged steel project to the forefront.

——You must know that in today's world, apart from Shaofu, the iron output of the people for a whole year is only 20 catties!
In order to ensure that none of the 20 jin of iron flowed into the grassland, the Chang'an court spent huge manpower and material resources every year to monitor the flow of this part of the iron;
As a result, the Shaofu forged steel project has just started, and within half a month of Shaofu's efforts, nearly one-tenth of the world's iron production has been scrapped?

Even if it was not intentional, this is definitely an unforgivable 'mistake'!
Seventeen thousand catties of state-owned property worth tens of millions was just abandoned by Yang Chengyan, which shocked the entire court.

At this point, Yang Chengyan, who was the target of public criticism, had no way out.

Only by showing results as soon as possible and the forged steel that Liu Ying yearns for day and night, can Yang Chengyan sweep away all the public opinion that is not good for himself or the Shaofu, and raise his head above the court again.

However, for today's Han Dynasty, forging steel technology is still a bit too difficult...
"Where is the hundred steelmaking?"

"Have you ever tried to make steel?"

While Yang Chengyan was thinking, Liu Ying suddenly asked a question, causing Yang Chengyan to subconsciously shake his head.

"Never."

"Your Majesty said earlier that the art of forging steel should be used for armor and soldiers in the future;"

"However, all the craftsmen in the Shaofu think that the process of refining steel is too complicated. Even if steel can be obtained, it may be difficult to mass-produce..."

But when Liu Ying heard the words, the angry look on her face could not help dissipating, she lowered her head and thought for a long time, and finally got up from her seat.

"Let's use [-]-year-old steelmaking."

"Even if it's slower, with the help of hydraulic forging, it's better than today. The Shaofu doesn't think about eating and drinking all day long, and it's rare to get a couple of steels in the end."

"It's summer now;"

"I'm in March with the Shaofu."

"In autumn and September, the Shaofu should use the method of hundreds of refinements to prepare a full amount of Mo Dao with three thousand handles and scales..."

"No, three thousand plate armor!"

"In addition to the Mo Dao and the Plate Armor, there are three thousand each, and the Divine Arm Bow should also have ten thousand."

She made an explanation with a serious expression, and looked at Yang Chengyan with unquestionable eyes. After Yang Chengyan nodded, Liu Ying sighed and walked out of the classroom.

And after Liu Ying left, Yang Chengyan finally slumped on the ground as if he was relieved from a heavy burden, and stared in a daze with dull eyes.

"The method of hundreds of refinements..."

"Ugh·········"

"That's the only way..."

"I just don't know, why does His Majesty take three months???"

"Autumn September..."

"Autumn September..."

(End of this chapter)