Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 98 Saying a hundred nice words is worse than doing one practical thing

In Lijiabao,

There was a table full of officials and servants, their mouths full of food.

The exiled people from the iron factory squatted in the yard and devoured the food.

There are steaming steamed buns, broth, noodles,

It was already a high-quality meal that I couldn’t even hope for.

In the next room, several stoves and stove workers were sitting carefully.

Answer Li Yu’s doubts.

"Pig iron, wrought iron, steel, what's the difference?"

"Pig iron contains the most impurities, followed by steel, and the smallest amount is wrought iron."

"What about characteristics?"

"Pig iron is hard and brittle, easy to break. Steel is moderate, flexible and strong. Wrought iron is the softest, flexible and can be used as iron wire."

"How to transform?"

"Beat it to remove excess impurities."

The impurities they call are actually carbon content.

Li Yu didn't know much, but he still had an impression of the most basic common sense framework.

Thank you for the nine-year compulsory education.

"What steps are needed to smelt iron in a blast furnace?"

"The first step is coking. Ordinary coal is isolated from the air, heated and eventually turns into coking coal."

"The second step is to build the blast furnace. The blast furnace has a wide belly and is slightly narrower at the top and bottom. The height is fixed and has a vent, a slag outlet, and a molten iron outlet. It is equipped with an artificial blower."

"The third step is to crush the iron ore, limestone and coke and put them into the furnace mouth, and continue to heat until the molten iron is tapped."

Li Yu smiled, feeling that the person he met this time was a professional.

"What kind of molten iron comes out of such a blast furnace?"

"Pig iron, and occasionally molten steel, but it's extremely rare."

"If you are making a musket, what materials should you use?"

"Steel is best, followed by wrought iron."

……

"I dare to ask the old man, how can pig iron be turned into wrought iron or steel?"

The old man with a haggard face looked around and seemed to have made up his mind:
"Return to the furnace and resmelt, stir the molten iron evenly, and after a period of time, it will become molten steel. If you continue to stir, it will become mature molten iron."

Li Yu guessed,

The process of stirring is to fully contact oxygen and molten iron to remove impurities.

It is equivalent to the converter of a steelmaking plant in later generations.

These people are real iron smelting professionals.

This time, Laiji really found a treasure for himself.

However, I still need to take a closer look.
"You're welcome, eat quickly."

The table is full of delicious food.

However, these people have no appetite.

Plop, the old man knelt down:

"Li Daguan, please save us. We can help you smelt iron."

Everyone started to follow suit, kneeling down and begging:
"Please, Mr. Li."

"That Chongming Island is said to be a barbaric land. If we are sent to the army as slaves, we will die."

Li Yu pretended to be embarrassed and frowned:

"I do intend to recruit you to help me with some ironworks business. It wouldn't be difficult if there were just a few people, but you are dozens of people."

"As long as the high officials don't let us go to the army, I, the Chen clan, will definitely be grateful and become your long-term employees."

After all, the old man had enough experience, and he immediately saw the heartbeat in Li Yu's words.

"it is good."

……

Li Yu was also relieved.

And kindly helped everyone up, especially the leader, old man Chen.

Obviously, he is the head of the family and the soul of the iron factory.

"Come on."

"What is the master's order?"

"Take my post and go to the government to smooth things over. Just pay as much money as you need."

"Thank you, Lord Li. You are the benefactor of our Chen family."

"Let's rest for a few days. In Suzhou Mansion, with me protecting you, no one dares to touch you."

Li Yu left quietly,

The ecstatic Chen clan members were left with tears streaming down their faces.

Before the exile army,

It's not as simple as it sounds, it's almost like entering the countdown of life.

The military men have always exploited the exiled prisoners severely.

Until death.

Not only would the court not reprimand him, but they would also acquiesce in this behavior.

Li Yu ordered his men,

Wash the Chen clan, change into new clothes, shave their heads, and then send them to Xishan Island.

And those escorted Chaozhou officials,
I finally received a hefty reward and left with a low eyebrow.

A young official smiled and said:

"These prisoners are so lucky to have such a kind-hearted master."

"Huh." The class leader sneered.

Everyone was puzzled, and then the class leader whispered:
"They were sold, and they were counting the money for them."

"what?"

"A few months ago, Mr. Li's men bribed the Chen's Iron Factory in our county."

Several officials were stunned and didn't know what to say.

"You guys are still young and don't understand the horrors of this world."

"Be a low-key errand and learn to look at people. Only by seeing through things without telling them can you live longer."

"Don't mess with people you shouldn't mess with."

"Yes, yes, that's what the boss said."

Under the setting sun, several officials felt a chill on their backs.

Thinking of Li Yu's young smiling face, I feel sick in my heart.

……

The Chen clan suffered great disasters because of their rebellion, and they were innocent fish in the pond.

However, Li Yu tried his best to make up for it,

A new house was arranged for them on Xishan Island and they lived together.

Several servants were also arranged to help with chores.

Clothes, furniture, and money are all shared by everyone.

And a regular payment was set, 2 taels per month.

Old man Chen and several furnace workers doubled the amount.

Doctors were also sent to prescribe medicine to those who were acclimatized.

"Master Li is really a kind man."

"Hey, ancestors bless you."

"In this world, we still need to have skills. If we don't know how to smelt iron, will others save us?"

When Old Man Chen said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

"In a few days, Mr. Li will send people to build the iron factory, and we will all go to provide guidance."

"On this island?"

"Yeah. Show some real skills and don't be underestimated."

Du Ren allocated 100 laborers, as well as sufficient bricks, stones, and soil.

The selected location is 5 meters above the lake water.

Flood prevention is no problem.

There is a valley next to it for easy drainage.

It is only 100 meters away from the pier for easy transportation.

The iron factory is a heavy industry, so transportation convenience must be considered.

But Li Yu considered that once a war broke out, he might be bombarded by enemy ships.

The address I chose was behind a small hill.

Looking from the water, all you can see is black smoke rising from behind the mountain.

……

Du Ren personally accompanied several of Chen's stoves and inspected the construction site.

"From now on, you will be Director Chen of Xishan Iron Works."

"Thank you, Mr. Li, thank you, Mr. Du."

"Director Chen, you don't have to be polite. I'll leave the iron factory to you."

"Old man, I will not disappoint Mr. Li."

"Okay, let's go over there and have a look."

Du Ren pointed not far away:

"That's a coking coal plant."

"Okay, this will be much more convenient. I wonder, where is the coal washing plant?"

"No, it's right next to the pier."

Du Ren pointed from a distance to the area with black water beside the lake.

"Director Chen, if you have any other suggestions, please feel free to give them."

"I think we need to build roads. The road from the iron factory to the dock must be strong and wear-resistant."

Du Ren smiled and took out a drawing from his sleeve.

"Look at this."

On the drawing, it turned out to be a simple schematic diagram of a rail car.

A track map that is as straight as possible.

The iron wheels are embedded in the tracks and can be pushed by humans or pulled by mules and horses when going uphill.

If it goes downhill, just run.

Anyway, it has four wheels, so there is no need to worry about capsizing.

"Who designed this? It's wonderful."

"Master Li's invention."

"Really a god."

Old Man Chen admired him from the bottom of his heart.

In this way, transportation can save a lot of manpower.

"This rail will have to wait for your first batch of molten iron."

"Don't worry, Mr. Du, I will issue a military order."

blast furnace,

It is the most technologically advanced of all iron smelting facilities.

It is made of refractory bricks and Sanhe soil.

The height is particular, and even the angle of the furnace hearth is particular.

The masons repeatedly dismantled it three times before taking out the blast furnace that Old Man Chen was satisfied with.

……

Du Ren pointed to the bottom two openings and asked:
"Which one is the one who taps the molten iron?"

"The molten iron is heavy, so it will flow out from the bottom hole. The slightly higher hole on the back is where iron slag comes out."

Old man Chen continued to explain:

"Look at the opening in the furnace belly, which is the air inlet. The blower continuously inputs air so that the temperature in the furnace can be raised."

"What is the monthly output of such a blast furnace?"

"8 catties."

It sounds like a lot, but it's not much.

Iron is inherently heavy.

In later generations, even the edges of small workshops in towns and villages cannot be touched.

However, in this day and age.

Xishan Iron Works, which has four blast furnaces, is already an industry leader.

Half of the workers in the iron factory are from the Chen clan.

The other half is the apprentice arranged by Du Ren.

It was impossible for Li Yu to turn Xishan Iron Works into Chen's Iron Works.

In order to improve the quality of the molten iron, he sent people to the Changxing Coal Mine in Zhejiang to purchase a ship of high-quality coal.

It sounds far away,

In fact, it is just across Taihu Lake, with hundreds of miles of waterway.Changxing Coal Mine is over there, and Xishan is over here.

The quality of the coal over there is eye-watering.

Li Yu fantasized countless times about how great it would be if all of them fell.

Even old man Chen said,

The calorific value of coking coal produced by Changxing Coal is at least 3% higher than that of local coking coal.

Don’t underestimate this 3%.
When the furnace temperature is high, the quality of the molten iron is not improved at all.

Because it promotes even flow.

Of course, the furnace temperature cannot be too high, otherwise it will explode.

This degree depends entirely on the experience of the stove.

There is no thermometer.

The iron factory is definitely a technical job.

If Lai Er hadn't done something like this in Chaozhou Prefecture, Li Yu's self-produced steel plan would not have been launched until the year of the monkey.

……

but,

With the establishment of Xishan Iron Works and the arrival of the Chen clan, some people were unhappy.

Zhang Tiejiang and his son sensed a hint of crisis.

The job-stealers are here.

Although the Chen clan is an iron smelter and a blacksmith themselves, they belong to the upstream and downstream relationships in the industrial chain.

But there is no way to prevent others from crossing the border.

In terms of technical difficulty, iron smelting is higher than blacksmithing.

Li Yu noticed their worries and felt that it was necessary to comfort them.

After all, their loyalty is higher than that of the Chen clan.

Having been tested together, the sense of belonging is stronger.

There is a promise that can be fulfilled in advance.

Get Zhang Manku a wife!

It is better to say a hundred nice words than to do one practical thing.

Two days later,
He found Zhang Blacksmith and his son.

"Having been on Xishan Island recently, are you still used to it?"

"Thanks to the master, I live well and eat well."

After all, Blacksmith Zhang and his son are also the leaders of the craftsman camp, and their treatment conditions are not bad.

Li Yu clapped his hands,
A girl came in outside the door, lowering her head and fidgeting with her clothes.

"What do you think of this girl? By the way, she is from the same hometown."

"Master, this is?"

"I promised you, work hard and renew Manku's string next year. I thought, good things come sooner rather than later. Did you do it in advance?"

"Thank you sir."

The two were very happy and at a loss.

Because this girl obviously has a good background.

And it looks good to be fertile.

"By the way, when I have children in the future, I will save the cost of education. She is literate."

"Oh, this is it, this is it~"

It was obvious that the Zhang family and his son were very satisfied with the marriage.

……

Li Yu took out several pieces of gold jewelry that he had prepared:
"This is my congratulatory gift, keep it."

"From now on, you have to worry more about the craftsmen."

"Don't worry, sir. If we don't take it seriously, are we still human?"

"I heard someone say, Manku, are you interested in the iron factory?"

"Yes, a little bit."

"I will arrange for you to enter the iron factory as an apprentice. It is always good to learn more."

Zhang Manku knelt down happily and thanked him.

For a craftsman, this is a good job.

If you can learn other people's techniques, you will be more popular in the future.

Under normal circumstances in ancient times, I wanted to learn a technology.

First, let someone act as a guarantee and be a free apprentice for three years.

After the performance during the apprenticeship was satisfactory, the master began to slowly teach some entry-level techniques.

It was another three years before I gradually came into contact with key technologies.

However, until you graduate, you cannot learn the core [-]% of skills.

Because the cat still has a hand in teaching the tiger.

Not to mention master and disciple.

Li Yu finally warned:
"Dad Zhang, you are getting older. You don't have to do everything yourself. I hope you will play the role of a master and bring more qualified apprentices. No matter how many craftsmen there are in the future, I only trust you."

"Yes, the old man understands."

……

To win over people's hearts,
Zhang Tiejiang and his son left Lijiapu with brisk steps. They came with two people and left with three people.

A year later, maybe there will be four people.

Before leaving, Mr. Zhang and his son made another suggestion.

The pros and cons of using steel or wrought iron for musket barrels.

Steel has a long service life and is not easily deformed, but it is time-consuming to process.

Wrought iron has a short life, but is easy to process and low in cost.

That's a good question,

Li Yu also had to weigh it carefully. A good weapon may not be the most advanced, but the most suitable for the army.

Nowadays, machine tools have whale oil, which can replace industrial lubricants.

Drilling gun barrels is more efficient, but the load must also be taken into consideration.

After all, the system is a one-time reward.

The number of drill bit spare parts is limited.

Perhaps, steel barrels can equip some elites.

Wrought iron barrel, as the mainstream equipment.

Because, a very cruel fact,
Once there is a head-on battle with the Qing army, muskets and soldiers are consumables.

Li Yu's initial strategy was to hoard large quantities of muskets and artillery.

Build a few loyal Guards regiments.

The rest are to quickly recruit troops, quickly train, and quickly go to the battlefield with low-cost militia without armored firearms.

All plans must be based on reality.

The biggest reality of the Qing Dynasty was that there were so many people.

Use inferior and cheap firearms to consume the elite of the Qing army.

The Eight Banners outside the Pass, plus Sauron, are the real elite of 10,000+.

As long as tens of thousands are consumed, Qianlong will be too distressed to go south.

Because mobile forces are limited.

You can't. You don't want it in the capital, outside the customs, or in the north.

……

if that,

Naturally, ambitious people will take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble.

The White Lotus Sect will definitely not miss this opportunity.

The local governor with real power will also take the opportunity to gain power and compete with the central government.

Therefore, Li Yu's positioning for war is once it breaks out.

Relying on frontline fortress defense, it attracted Qing troops to besiege.

A large number of firearms militia regiments were dispatched from the rear to engage in positional contact battles with the Qing army.

Against the Eight Banners, a one-to-one battle loss is a huge victory.

Let Jiangnan become a flesh and blood mill.

Until the Qing army could no longer bear the casualties and voluntarily gave up the attack and stayed in Jiangbei.

One step in the war will be considered as reaching the standard.

And for this first step, a lot of preparations need to be made.

For example, no less than 5 real fortresses.

A large amount of firearms, food, and gunpowder are stored inside.

To suppress the Qing army, a large number of artillery was needed to defend the city.

Otherwise, the Qing army can bring in hundreds or thousands of cannons and beat you to pieces.

We also need a small but elite river navy.

Only in this way can we protect the logistics route and the rear.

The water network in the south of the Yangtze River is densely covered,

The Yangtze River, the Grand Canal, Taihu Lake, and countless rivers and ditches are all battlefields for the river navy.

The admiral of Jiangnan, the commander-in-chief of Susong Town, has a navy under his command.

Although in Li Yu's eyes, those are rubbish.

However, if you don't have a gunboat.

These junk watermen can also travel across the waterways and land at any time.

This situation must not be tolerated!

……

Li Yu wrote and drew on the paper.

Each period is 3 months, and a development plan is customized.

The main focus is to catch up with Chaoying and build construction sites quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.

The major infrastructure construction on Xishan Island has come to an end.

The next step is to produce muskets like crazy.

There was no time to install a flintlock gun. Now that the matchlock technology was mature enough, mass production was launched.

Also, solve the technical problems of the artillery as soon as possible.

There are guns but no cannons,

It's like holding a short sword yourself and the enemy holding a 4-meter spear.

Seriously speaking, cannons are more useful on the battlefield than guns.

Material and process requirements are higher.

Because the chamber pressure is greater, once it explodes, everyone around will be buried with it.

Copper, iron, and steel can all be used to make cannon.

Bronze cannons are too expensive, one is worth five, so we should eliminate them first.

Steel cannons are good, but they are difficult to process and costly.

Pig iron is too brittle to bore the cannon bore, so it can only be cast in one piece, which is prone to explosion.

Therefore, wrought iron was chosen as the material for the artillery.

The wrought iron here is relatively close to low carbon steel.

A group of craftsmen from Lijiabao met and discussed for a long time before finally coming up with this plan.

Combined with President Hu Qian's experience on the Jinchuan front line, he drew sketches of various common artillery pieces.

The Chen clan members of Xishan Iron Factory were surprised.

Can private individuals make cannons?

This is a serious crime of beheading.

However, Blacksmith Lao Zhang told him with a smile:
"Our master has great hands and eyes. These cannons were built for the Ministry of War."

"Why don't you, Master of the Ministry of War, make it yourself?"

"Because the guns we made can shoot far and accurately. The price is also cheap."

"what?"

"Director Chen, you don't understand when you first come here. Our master, ahem, there is someone above."

"understand."

The Chen clan's admiration for Li Yu has reached a new level.

It is always a good thing to take refuge in a master with a profound background.

As a businessman in the Qing Dynasty, there are not many red-topped people to support you, and the government officials dare to come and cause trouble.

……

An independent courtyard high on Xishan Island,

A man hurriedly knocked on the door and entered, telling Du Ren:
"I found a hidden pile near the iron factory."

Du Ren was reading the daily output report of the coal mine, stopped and asked:
"Which side's spies? Are they under control?"

[The website often swallows chapters and comments, and it’s not because the author is bored and deletes them.Even the main text posted by the author will occasionally have fewer words. It is a characteristic of the national server, so you can get used to it. 】

(End of this chapter)