Ma'am help, the general is in trouble again

Although Zheng Quchi has never made ancient weapons with her own hands, she has prototypes of various weapons from ancient and modern times in her mind. It can be said that she can draw hundreds of different weapons at once.

"Uncle Chang, hurry up and get something to eat. I'll go to the weapons inspection department after I finish eating."

"Madam, you just came back and are you going out again?" Butler Chang was a little worried that she was too busy to touch the floor.

Zheng Quchi smiled happily: "I was not busy when I was young. How can I enjoy my old age in peace when I am old? I am not tired."

Seeing that he could not dissuade her from this impetus, Chang Yue could only go to the kitchen in person to arrange a rich meal to replenish her.

After lunch, Zheng Quchi ran to the study, put the materials he had prepared in his arms, and went to the weapons inspection.

When she arrived at the Ordnance Supervision, she told the guard that she wanted to see the top leader of the Ordnance Supervision. This time she did not encounter any obstruction and was respectfully greeted all the way to the auditorium. Only then did she learn that the leadership team of the Ordnance Supervision had not long ago It has also been purged, and the supervisors, young eunuchs, prime ministers, chief registrars and other specialized officials have all been changed. Now the person involved is named Zhu Shang.

When Zhu Shang heard that the general's wife was here, he immediately remembered that she had made a big fuss with the Ordnance Supervisor and thought that she was here to cause trouble again this time. He immediately went to receive her quickly and enthusiastically, holding on to his official hat, like a frightened bird.

"I wish you the best. I've met the general and his wife. I'm sorry for the delay in greeting you from afar." As soon as he stepped forward, he bowed.

Zheng Quchi also bowed in return and said politely: "Where are you? I'm sorry for taking the liberty to come here."

"No, no, it's an honor for the general's wife to come visit our Ordnance Inspector and the Ordnance Inspector..."

Zheng Quchi quickly stopped the unnecessary greetings between the two of them: "I wish you are welcome, Sir. In fact, I came to see you today for an important matter."

When Zhu Shang raised his head, he saw her expression was serious, and her clear eyes were somewhat solemn.

When Zhu Shang heard that it was serious business, he immediately felt a thump in his heart, and asked with some uneasiness: "This, this is something, the general's wife might as well tell her directly. This official has only been in office for two or three days, and his ability to do things may be a little slack. But absolutely sincere.”

"I hope you don't have to be nervous, sir. It's like this. I think our country's smelting technology today is too backward and far behind other countries. You also know that the foundation of a weapon lies in its quality. If we don't work hard on it, it will We cannot make a sharp blade to fight against the aggression of other countries," she said patiently.

What she said made sense, and Zhu Shang nodded in agreement: "That's it. Recently, the official has been urging the military craftsmen to develop and create new smelting technology, and even created an unprecedented kiln temperature. It's just that this pig iron Smelting will never achieve the pliability and solidity of other countries.”

He first expressed his merits and then sighed, but he was not sure what the general's wife was going to do on this trip.

Zheng Quchi said directly: "There is no need to bother with research and development. I already have mature technology here that can directly smelt steel."

Zhu Shang was stunned for a moment, then reacted for a while, then said: "What kind of steelmaking process is the general's wife talking about? Is this really something I have never heard of before?"

Zheng Quchi did not give him an answer for the time being, but suggested: "Let's do this. You call some of the most powerful blacksmiths in the weapons supervisor over, and I will discuss it with them. If everyone unanimously agrees with this method, then the Ye Kingdom will be the leader of the country from now on. This process replaces lump iron smelting, pig iron, and cast iron, and how about mass-producing steel castings?"

Hearing this, Zhu Shang finally understood that the general's wife had brought a "big job", and the "replacement" in her words really shocked Zhu Shang. How could it be said that decades of smelting technology should be abandoned? Abandoned?

He was filled with surprise and doubt, and couldn't help but ask: "How does this steel compare to the fine iron produced in Julu and Ye countries?"

"It's even worse. If I describe it in words, you may not be able to understand it exactly. But when everyone is here, I will let you see it with your own eyes." Zheng Quchi said in a calm and determined tone.

Whenever she wavered or hesitated, Zhu Shang would not be so excited, but she was so sure that Zhu Shang felt short of breath and could not hide her excitement. She quickly ran out of the hall and shouted to the guards to find someone.

This can't be true, can it?

How could this be true?

But who is she? She is the wife of the general, the deputy general of the Six Nations Trial Army, and the chief craftsman who will serve as the supervisor. A woman like her who can break the tradition and repeatedly create unprecedented deeds in Ye country must not be A person who talks nonsense.

Yes, she definitely wasn't lying.

If she said there is, it definitely means there is!

Not long after, a dozen middle-aged men wearing only cloth coats and with bronze skin came over. Although not all of them were tall, their arms had obvious muscle lines and their bodies looked mighty and thick.

They must have been called out while they were working. They were covered in sweat and their cheeks were red.

A blacksmith wiped the sweat from his forehead, raised his hands and asked, "Master Zhu, what do you want from us?"

But Zhu Shang waved his hand: "I'm not looking for you, it's the general, no, it's Mr. Zheng who is looking for you."

They looked at Zheng Quchi strangely, but saw that she was wearing an inconspicuous green dress and carrying a cloth bag. It was not expensive fabric, but it was not the rough linen cloth of ordinary people. She met their eyes and smiled slightly. Peaceful and clear-eyed.

This is obviously a young woman, how could she become an adult?

The blacksmiths were surprised and murmured to themselves.

"I have a smelting process here that I would like to discuss with you, and I hope you can give me some advice." Zheng Quchi said politely.

The blacksmiths all felt respected by her, and they immediately put aside their doubts and quickly saluted: "Don't you dare, please tell me, Mr. Zheng."

Zheng Quchi took out a piece of steel brought from Fu County from his bag, placed it on the table, and then stepped aside: "I want you to identify this first."

The blacksmiths glanced at the hard lump and then glanced at Zhu Shang, only to see him raising his chin anxiously, urging them to hurry up.

So they got started out of curiosity. They first weighed the object and passed it around to each other. They didn't dare to make a conclusion for a while. When they asked Master Zheng if they could take it for testing, Zheng Quchi had no objection, so they started He took the iron piece and left.

In the smelting workshop, they observed its color, hardness and plasticity. After testing, their expressions became more and more exaggerated. In the end, each of them couldn't put it down and were extremely excited.

They ran back happily.

"Master Zheng, how was this done?"

"Master Zheng, who made this? What technique was used? What kind of kiln was used?"

"It is simply the most perfect smelting block we have ever seen. Its strength, hardness and even flexibility far exceed the level of smelting in our country. I, I have never seen this."

They seemed to have found a treasure, and they all told and asked questions with admiration and excitement, which was enough to prove that they knew what they were doing.

Seeing how excited they were about the shiny black iron, Zhu Shang hurried up and snatched it from their hands. He touched and looked at it. His understanding of iron smelting was naturally not as good as that of a professional blacksmith, but he was not ignorant either.

This thing does look different from the iron they smelted, but what is the difference?

"How is it?" he asked anxiously. The blacksmith couldn't hide his high-pitched voice and said: "It is far better than what we can smelt. I wish you sir, if our Ye country can produce this kind of iron, no, this is called steel, our Ye country's smelting technology will definitely lead all countries. It can make our Ye country's backward state advance by fifteen years, no, more than twenty years."

Zhu Shang was dumbfounded. Although he had some premonitions in his heart, he still couldn't hide his excitement when he actually heard these things.

He, he is really lucky in his official career. He has only been in office for a few days, and God has given him such a big surprise. No, it is not God, it is Mr. Zheng who has given him such great wealth!

"Since you think it's okay, I'd like to talk to you next about the method of forging pig iron and wrought iron in a certain proportion to adjust the carbon content in the iron. Do you think it's feasible?"

Hearing this, the blacksmith followed her train of thought and felt that the way forward suddenly became clear: "This... this may be feasible, but the problem is that it will take some time to try and adjust."

But Zheng Quchi said: "No need, I have a ready-made reference answer here. You just need to follow the steel filling as I said, and you will get results."

They stared at her blankly, their eyes trembling.

"Where did Mr. Zheng get this technique from?" Zhu Shang asked quickly.

Zheng Quchi faced their burning gazes and understood the turmoil in their hearts at this time. She said: "This method is the method of my hometown. Don't worry, this piece of steel is the result. You can give it a try."

-

He came alone. When he came out of the weapons prison, Zheng Quchi was sent out by a grand team. They even looked like they were "reluctant to leave" and wanted to stay, which scared the guards outside the weapons prison with goosebumps.

Zheng Quchi has handed over the information to them without reservation, and now she only needs to wait for them to produce results. She believes that it will not be too long. She also believes that the current weapons supervisor will fight in an all-round way to protect the country of Ye. Rise and burn with enthusiasm.

Rejecting their enthusiasm, Zheng Quchi fled from their passionate and adoring gaze.

On the way back, she let out a long breath.

"Lan Yue, aren't you following?"

Lan Yue's chuckle came: "No, why would such a capable person as the Lord be frightened by them?"

"It's not that I'm scared, it's just that I can't stand a bunch of old men standing around me. They even have to hold their voices while talking. I'm not made of glass. I can't break it if I speak louder."

"It's not because they have too much respect for their master. The master doesn't hold anything personal or asks for anything in return, and he generously teaches them the art of steel injection. I think they all regard him as their savior."

"The knowledge I know does not mean that I can reproduce it perfectly. Professional things have to be done by professional people. Besides, it's not that I don't ask for anything in return, but today's imperial court is so poor that they don't even have enough money for water control. , where can I ask for something in return? It’s better to fatten it up first.”

The four of them couldn't help laughing at the same time: "The Lord still has foresight."

Zheng Quchi rolled his eyes and was too lazy to reply.

In fact, there is still room for improvement in the steel obtained by this method. Later, the iron-fried technology was used to cast the iron, and the iron block was smelted at high temperatures and folded and forged many times. After further carburization, the weapons of the Ye Kingdom would definitely be greatly improved. Leading the seven countries, but such fine weapons are labor-intensive and time-consuming, and cannot be mass-produced. She plans to only specialize in custom-making a batch for Yu Wensheng and the others.

Zheng Quchi walked on the stone paved path. The apricot and plum branches peeked out from the courtyard wall. It was quiet and elegant. The road had been in disrepair for a long time. The stones had become warped after being repeatedly stepped on by pedestrians. After water accumulated underneath, If you accidentally step on it, you will be splashed with mud and water.

As soon as one thing stopped in her mind, she started thinking about another thing.

Regarding the water conservancy project in Canling County, in fact, it is not only Canling County, but also Fu County. They are really brothers and sisters. One is suffering from floods all year round, and the other is suffering from drought. If she can realize the South-to-North Water Diversion project this time, many people will be affected. If water is diverted to the Fu County area, the problems faced by the two counties can be solved at the same time.

But this is not simple. This will be a long-term plan, and we still have to take it step by step.

He was so busy thinking about things that he didn't notice that his foot was in the air, and he was immediately splashed with mud. Zheng Quchi lowered his head and glanced down.

"I didn't expect that Shengjing, the most prosperous city in Ye country, has bad roads..."

This can also be seen from the side of Ye State's financial crisis...

God, she remembers the road construction in Kyoto City...it seems to be under her control, right?

She didn't expect that she would run into things related to her job even if she walked along this road. She secretly took note of this road and planned to record it when she went back. When the funds were sufficient, she would repair it. After all, it was the capital of the country, so the basic construction had to be whitewashed.

She continued walking forward until she came to Liu Mansion.

It was rare that she had free time today, so she naturally wanted to make time to see Brother Sang and Yaomei.

But as soon as she reached the door, she was suddenly stopped by someone.

"Zheng Quchi."

She frowned slightly, feeling that the voice was very familiar. After thinking about it for a moment, she turned around in shock and saw the mad swordsman Gan Xin wearing a tattered cloak.

He stood at the opposite corner of the street, his cold and angular face was as sharp as a knife, his eyes were straight and fierce, and his tall and burly body just stood there, giving people a sense of invincibility and intimidation. People took detours one after another for fear of accidentally bumping into this evil god.

"Gan Xin?"

she blurted out.

It turned out to be Gan Xin, the mad swordsman whom we broke up with a few months ago.

"I, no, I am here to fulfill my promise. Zheng Quchi, are you still willing to accept a disciple?" His voice was as shocking as a cannonball, and as soon as he spoke it, the ground shook for miles around.

After Zheng Quchi was stunned for a moment, he loudly replied: "Take it."

Hearing this, he immediately bared his white teeth and strode over. At this time, someone opened the door of Liu Mansion from the inside, and saw Liu Fengmian, Liu Chaiji, and Brother Sang and Sang Yaomei, who were walking behind them. They all rushed in front of Zheng Quchi and said sternly to Gan Xin who was walking in front of him: "Who dares to act wild in my Liu Mansion?"

It can only be said that Gan Xin's temperament is that of a bad person who is not to be trifled with. His roar of "Zhang Fei" just now frightened the concierge into hurriedly going back to notify the Liu family, and then they were ushered out for "rescue".

"Go wild?" Gan Xin spit out two words like rolling thunder in his throat.

Liu Fengmian and the others suddenly felt a biting cold wind going around their necks. The chilly feeling made them unconsciously touch their necks to see if they were still there. (End of chapter)