Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 296
Apprentice blacksmiths polished the blade of the ring head knife and wrapped the handle with linen. It took a few apprentices more than an hour to sharpen the knife, and one ring head knife was ready.

The leading blacksmith presented the knife with both hands, and showed it to Yuan Xi and others. Yuan Xi took the knife, slashed and stabbed it a few times, feeling that the weight was quite smooth, so he couldn't help but nodded.

He handed the knife back to the blacksmith and said, "Let's go."

The blacksmith hurriedly took the knife and handed it to several sergeants waiting on the side.

These people were selected by Tian Yu, and they were all proficient in knife skills. One of them picked up a knife and walked to the middle of the yard behind the blacksmith shop.

There are wooden stakes, iron pillars, planks, and even dummies covered in iron and leather armor in the yard.

The man raised the ring-headed knife and slashed and stabbed at the iron pillar ten times in turn. After the apprentices at the side finished waiting, they stepped forward with an iron ruler to measure the effect of the chopping and the damage on the knife, and then Record it on bamboo slips.

This is the test proposed by Yuan Xi. Whether any new steel forging method is suitable or not depends on the results of the data.

After more than a dozen tests were completed, several sergeants took turns holding the ring-shoudao knife and slashed at the iron pillar with all their strength. After more than 100 cuts, the ring-shou knife finally couldn't stand it and broke in two with a snap.

There was a trace of regret on the faces of the crowd watching, but more joy and surprise.

It's a pity that this ring head knife is undoubtedly a good knife, so it's a pity to break it like this.

The joy is that the number of chops this knife can withstand is much stronger than that of ordinary knives. Although it is broken, according to this method, more good knives can be forged!

You know, not everyone can afford this kind of hundred-forged steel knife on the battlefield.

For example, Cao Cao's Qingzhou soldiers have mixed weapons, some even have bronze weapons. Cao Cao's generals once complained that some soldiers' weapons broke after several times of vigorous slashing.

Generally speaking, one who stabs and slashes dozens of times with all his strength is already counted as a top-notch sharp blade.

And the ring head knife just now, after applying the steel pouring method and quenching method ahead of this era, has abruptly increased several times in terms of durability!
This shows that if a soldier slashes with all his strength on the battlefield to exhaustion, there will be no problem with the weapon.

He faces several times the enemy, and he will face the dangerous situation of breaking his weapon.

In the duel of full-armored heavy infantry, it will be the decisive key. Everyone has armor protection, and whoever has the weapon in good condition can decide the opponent's life or death.

A group of blacksmiths couldn't hide the excitement on their faces, they looked at Yuan Xi together.

A smile appeared on Yuan Xi's face, and he said to him, "You did a good job."

"When all the quenching methods are tested and improved one by one, and the most suitable one is found, it can be applied on a large scale."

"On the battlefield in the future, the lives and deaths of the soldiers will all be due to you."

"When the matter is over, you will all be rewarded, and all your children can enter the righteous school."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't hide their excitement, and said in unison: "I am willing to serve the envoy!"

Yuan Xi was also in a good mood. The successful test of the steel-making method will also promote the improvement of the iron-making method. Steel-making and iron-making are inseparable.

The improvement of ironmaking, from a military point of view, can not only produce stronger and stronger iron armor, but also produce more wear-resistant axles and other transportation tools, and can also promote production activities. The most direct is the development of iron farm tools. Manufacturing technology will also be improved, thereby increasing the efficiency of agricultural production.

Stronger iron means more iron tools. For example, most earth digging tools now use iron bars, which are thick iron bars similar to spearheads. Because iron is not strong enough, it can only increase the thickness.

And gradually improved, after doping part of the steel, the shovel can be manufactured, which is not only more convenient and effective to use, but also saves the amount of iron.

This is the benefit of technological progress, which can promote social progress in all aspects. Yuan Xi believes that in the near future, Youzhou will definitely be as prosperous as Jizhou.

Before Yuan Xi left, an old blacksmith was kneeling at the door, holding up a polished ring-sword with both hands.

He said loudly: "My lord, this is the best knife that everyone has forged with the new method."

"Everyone is a friend of Father Qian who was killed by Xu Jie, so we pooled together money to buy good iron, and made this knife, as a thank you to the envoy!"

Yuan Xi saw it, and took the knife with both hands.

There was a wooden figure standing beside him, holding his breath and concentrating, he slashed down with both hands suddenly, the knife flashed, and with a chirping sound, the wooden figure's head flew out horizontally, like cutting tofu.

Yuan Xi put away the knife, helped the old blacksmith up, and said solemnly: "Thank you for your kindness!"

"In the future, if there are fish and meat people like Xu Jie who do evil, I will use this knife to cut off their heads!"

After hearing this, all the blacksmiths knelt down and kowtowed, "Dare to die for your envoy!"

Compared with the previous sentence of obeying one's life, this sentence of obeying one's death has a little more convincing meaning!
On the way back, the accumulation of Yuan Xi's Xindao technology was a process of accumulation. The reason why he was able to test the Guangang method was not because of how many improvements he had made, but because the technical preconditions of the Guangang method had been met. up.

The next step of filling the steel method only needs an opportunity, and Yuan Xi just put this opportunity in front of everyone in advance.

It's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice. If the cast iron technology is not perfect in this world, then the invention of the method of pouring steel is naturally a joke.

Just like now that Yuan Xi brought over all the encyclopedias from his previous life, he would not be able to invent steam engines and explosives for a long time.Because of the lack of front-end technology, it has not yet been perfected.

For steam engines, the key bellows technology is currently lacking, and this will not appear until the Tang Dynasty at the earliest.

Of course, if the bellows were invented earlier, and then using the existing technology, it would take several years or even decades to build something similar to a steam engine.

Because the technology required for the original steam engine is really not difficult.

British scientist Needham once put forward a famous thesis: steam engine = water row + bellows.

He wanted to use this formula to explain that without the technological achievements of ancient China, the heart of the modern revolution in the West—the steam engine—could not have been invented.

From the perspective of the key structure of the steam engine, the bellows solved the problem of double-acting valves, while the water row provided the conversion equipment between linear motion and circular motion. The combination of the two was the earliest steam engine.

The bellows was invented in the Tang Dynasty or the Song Dynasty, and then spread to the West. It was widely used in Europe in the 2000th century, and the water row appeared in my country more than [-] years ago.

When Watt invented the steam engine, the iron-making and steel-making technology used was not even as good as the steel quality of the same period in China.

From this perspective, the advanced technology in ancient my country has laid the foundation for the invention of the steam engine.

However, the Chinese who invented the bellows and water drainage first did not produce a steam engine in nearly 2000 years, which is very worthy of deep thought.

Yuan Xi has been thinking, what key factor is missing?

He thought a lot, and finally he came to an immature conclusion.

Confucianism, after being distorted from its original intention, became a tool of control, and after it became almost a doctrine, it ran counter to its original intention.

Although it has formed a class social system that stabilizes the society, guaranteed the operation of ancient Chinese society, and guaranteed life and production in peaceful and prosperous times, but the disadvantage is that it is used to suppress and eliminate different voices and ideas. Technological innovation is quite oppressive.

The reason why later generations rejected Confucianism was not simply because some of its thoughts were behind the times, but because it was easily used by people with ulterior motives and became something that harmed the interests of the working people.

But in every era, there are people who want to pick it up again with ulterior motives.

In the thousands of years of Chinese history, people have actually invented things like steam engines several times, but either they were not taken seriously, they did not continue to be improved and applied, or they were lost after the prototype appeared, just like the legendary wooden cow and horse. Is this kind of thing It really existed, and if it is true, does it have something in common with the steam engine?
Just like the steam engine, although the front-end technology has appeared, it has not been close for nearly 500 years, just like the level of steelmaking in the West has not changed for more than 1000 years. People of later generations will find it incredible in retrospect.

So Yuan Xi is so eager to see, if he can push the wheel of history a little bit and walk on a different path from the previous ones, will the world become a better place?
After he returned home, the joy in his heart hadn't dissipated, but he heard some bad news.

Guo Jia fell ill. Although Hua Tuo prescribed medicine for him, he wanted to talk to Yuan Xi about his illness.

When Yuan Xi rushed to Guo Jia's house in a hurry, the whole room was filled with the smell of medicine. Guo Jia had four concubines, two were boiling medicine, and the other two were serving water to wipe their faces.

Hua Tuo sat by the bed and said what to Guo Jia.

Yuan Xi thought to himself that Hua Tuo had just told Guo Jia the way to keep in good health a few months ago, but Guo Jia was lucky, and bought two more dancers before leaving.

When Hua Tuo saw Yuan Xi coming in, he quickly stood up and said, "I have seen the envoy."

Yuan Xi sighed: "Mr. Yuan Hua has worked hard, how is Mr. Feng Xiao's health?"

Hua Tuo said helplessly: "I have persuaded him several times to restrain himself, but in the end he neither abstained from sex nor alcohol. If this continues, it is not the way to live longer."

Guo Jia stood up and muttered: "Rebooting is impossible, at most cut it twice a day."

"Not to mention quitting drinking, let alone the coldness in the north, how can I live without drinking?"

After hearing this, Yuan Xi apologized: "It's my fault for bringing Mr. to such a bitter cold place."

Guo Jia was a little embarrassed when he heard this, and said, "My lord, you are offended by saying this. Life and death are destiny, and Jia has already taken it lightly."

Hua Tuo sighed: "Your fellow from Yingchuan, Cao Cao's mastermind Xi Zhicai, died a few years ago."

"I think if you continue like this, at least five years, at most ten years, I'm afraid you won't be able to pass that hurdle."

Seeing Hua Tuo's seriousness, Yuan Xi felt a little heavy, but Guo Jia laughed and said, "Five years is a bit short, ten years is quite a lot."

Yuan Xi was a little helpless, thinking that this was the path Guo Jia had chosen, and he couldn't persuade him.

Guo Jia then sighed, "But I only have one regret."

After hearing this, Yuan Xi hurriedly said, "Sir, please tell me."

Guo Jia said: "I think Mr. Yuanhua has many disciples. I'm afraid someone will inherit what he has learned."

"I'm a widow with no family and no disciples. Originally I intended to take that kid Sun Li as my apprentice, but that kid doesn't have a high level of comprehension, he doesn't like to use his brain, he just likes to do it. I'm really speechless."

"Now I think that if I can find an apprentice who can inherit what I have learned, I will have no regrets."

(End of this chapter)