Chapter 8, Hundred Refinements (Volume 2, Part 1)
According to Wen Zhong's memory, there is a country to the west that has been ravaged by war for six hundred years, which is why the flag of that country is planted all over the world. Wen Tianxiang does not seek to have the flag of the Great Song planted across the globe; he only hopes that those who plunder will roll back to their homeland and personally experience the taste of their home being burned down.
It is better to be a person for a day than to be a dog for the Tartars, don't you think
Xiao Zinian murmured about the "Outline for Iron Smelting" given to him by Wen Tianxiang, diligently turning the iron blocks. Sweat mixed with oil rolled down his face, which was marked with dark and light streaks, soaking his tattered Confucian robe.
Two-thirds charcoal, one-third coke, pour the fire from the fire hole, observe the yellowing of the pig iron, lift the pig iron, and roast it near the flame until it melts
One day earlier, the steel is forged, and one day earlier, we descend the mountain to slay the Tartars. Yongxin has been massacred, Taihe has been slaughtered, and every word of the news from below the mountain is soaked in blood and tears
A two-layer refractory brick furnace, neatly stacked in the shape of a "Zeng" character. Charcoal is added to the upper layer, and iron is added to the lower layer. Large pieces of wood are used to block the fire door, igniting the fire and operating the bellows, causing the fierce flames to flow downward from the upper layer of the "Zeng" furnace to the lower layer.
Under the intense flames, the cast iron block gradually turned white. Several transport soldiers worked together to pull the bellows, and the bluish-white flames shot down over three inches long, causing the iron block to drip with glaze. Amidst the heavy flames, the dreams of the officials and soldiers to descend the mountain and seek revenge danced vividly.
"Indeed, your family is busy; I will go over there to take a look," Wen Tianxiang stood up, laughing as he walked towards the depths of the valley. Along the way, he occasionally stopped to chat with the blacksmiths, as if in a past life he had once wielded a hammer.
No one regards him as a craftsman anymore; his children can freely change their professions. They can even pursue education and enter officialdom
Xiao Zidian nodded and immediately sent someone to arrange the division of labor and cooperation. He was unaware that Wen Tianxiang's arrangement was intended to expedite the production of crossbow arrows, and instead regarded the division of labor and cooperation as a means of confidentiality.
"Holding a steel knife, ninety-nine in number, I will not cease until I have slain all the Hu people. I am a good son of the Han family, and I will not serve the Tartars as horses or cattle." The master blacksmith, Li Er, softly hummed the military song of the Broken Enemy, with the sound of hammers clanging as his accompaniment. The quality of the steel varied; the thick and hard ones were forged into strips and rapidly quenched, destined to be welded into blades. The softer and more ductile ones were first quenched, then tempered and kneaded, suitable for making crossbow arms.
Xiao Zi used a pair of tongs to pick out the iron block, examined it carefully, and handed it over to the craftsman beside him. The bare-chested blacksmith had been waiting for a long time; he took the iron block and, while it was still hot, hammered the wrought iron into thin, long strips on a stone by the mountain stream
The supply camp is stationed in a valley on the eastern side of Baizhangling, where the terrain is relatively flat. The mountain stream that flows by provides the blacksmiths with water for quenching. The cherished iron smelting furnace of Xiaozi is built beside the stream. If Wen Tianxiang had not received the memories of Wen Zhong, this improved Zengzi furnace, based on the chicken coop furnace, would not have appeared until the Anti-Japanese War. Now it has been introduced ahead of time, and Wen Tianxiang hopes that the battle he fights will be the last war on the Chinese mainland.
The bustling artisans, running and weaving through the crowd, gradually transform in his eyes into thousands of troops and tens of thousands of horses. Before the millions of iron cavalry, General Du Hu stands tall on horseback, brandishing his spear.
"To judge the existence or absence of something without seeing it with one's own eyes or hearing it with one's own ears, is that not a mistake?" Wen Tianxiang understood Du Hu's thoughts and humorously quoted a famous saying by Su Dongpo to tease him. From the general belief that it was impossible to produce a steel crossbow to now hoping to obtain one as soon as possible, merely a month has passed. He was very satisfied with Xiao Zi's work progress. However, at this moment, what concerned him most was how much Xiao Zi had truly mastered the simplified steel-making technique he had described over the past month and how many successful experiments had been conducted.
"Brother, are you tired? Do you want to stop and have a drink of water?" Wen Tianxiang squatted down beside the blacksmith Li Er, picked up the finished product he had forged, and asked with a smile
Moreover, in the artisan camp, one can personally see Lord Wen and hear him personally instruct everyone on how to smelt iron and forge steel
Prime Minister Wen stated that civil and military officials are on equal footing, and that soldiers and craftsmen are treated equally, with craftsmen not being bound by guild registrations, as they are also soldiers of the Breaking the Enemy Army. In the future, when there is money, the pay will be the same, and rewards for meritorious service will be the same as well. Reflecting on this, the blacksmiths felt their efforts were not in vain. Although the pay seemed distant and the rewards uncertain, they could at least stand tall as individuals within the Breaking the Enemy Army.
After completing the training plan in the morning, in the afternoon, Wen Tianxiang led Zou Chao, Du Hu, and Liu Zijun directly to the logistics camp. The production pace of military equipment must be accelerated. According to the news transmitted by General He from the vicinity of Ganzhou, recently, the scattered righteous troops from various regions have been converging near Baizhangling, which has already attracted the attention of the conquerors. In the Jianchang army area (Nancheng, Jiangxi), the newly allied troops have begun to assemble. The production pace of military equipment must be accelerated. According to the news transmitted by General He from the vicinity of Ganzhou, recently, the scattered righteous troops from various regions have been converging near Baizhangling, which has already attracted the attention of the conquerors. In the Jianchang army area (Nancheng, Jiangxi), the newly allied troops have begun to assemble
Not thirsty, I must hurry, I cannot let the brothers go to kill the Tatars empty-handed. You say, right? Blacksmith Li Er is probably from Jinghu (Hunan), his speech is filled with 'you' which sounds very familiar. Having seen Wen Tianxiang many times, he no longer addresses him by his official title.
Before the new affiliated army (the puppet army that has submitted to the Northern Yuan) enters the mountains for a crackdown, the troops must be armed to the teeth. In the first battle, either do not engage or, if we do, we must demonstrate our might, making the new affiliated army avoid our banner in the future. This was suggested by the military advisor Du Hu. The main force of the Northern Yuan has now entered the western and eastern routes of Guangnan. If we can defeat or intimidate the new affiliated army in the western route of Jiangnan, the Pulu army will have time to train a second contingent. At that time, he, as the military advisor of the capital, will be able to lead the soldiers once again and gallop across the battlefield. The main force of the Northern Yuan has now entered the western and eastern routes of Guangnan. If we can defeat or intimidate the new affiliated army in the western route of Jiangnan, the Pulu army will have time to train a second contingent. At that time, he, as the military advisor of the capital, will be able to lead the soldiers once again and gallop across the battlefield
The once prosperous city has turned into a rubble field under the iron hooves of the Northern Yuan. Zhang Heng of the Western Xia and Suodu of the Mongols play their respective roles; one takes on the role of the benevolent, soothing the cities that surrender, while the other adopts the role of the ruthless, slaughtering and exterminating those that resist
The first character taught by Master Chen consists of only two strokes: a left-falling stroke and a right-falling stroke. Master Chen said that the left-falling stroke should be forceful, while the right-falling stroke should be steady, just like a person who stands tall and upright wherever they go, embodying integrity and dignity
The sound of the flute, filled with excitement, also carried a hint of disappointment. The craftsmen had produced coke from peat, and the effect of mixing coke with charcoal during the iron smelting process was far superior to that of using charcoal alone. However, the peat they had gathered was quickly exhausted, and they were now mobilizing personnel to descend the mountain in search of more.
"Have you produced the coke that Lord Wen mentioned?" Du Hu asked tentatively. In recent days, he had encountered too many new terms. In the military, there were credible rumors that Wen Tianxiang had received a celestial scripture from an immortal while in a coma, complete with book titles and volume numbers that seemed entirely authentic. It was also rumored that Xiao Zi was a direct disciple of Prime Minister Wen, responsible for creating the precious artifacts mentioned in the celestial scripture. These rumors sometimes left Du Hu feeling confused, making him hesitant to speak too sternly when questioning Xiao Zi, this younger generation.
"Prime Minister, General, what brings you here?" Xiao Zi, with a face full of the colors of smoke and fire, put down the task at hand and hurriedly rushed over to pay his respects
During the day, he forged iron, and in the evening, he learned to read with the soldiers, studying illustrations. He was busy from morning till night, even having to run to the restroom. Yet, Li Er felt that he was living a fulfilling life
It has gone relatively smoothly. We have successfully crafted two sample bows, which have a range of 230 steps. Although they do not reach the distance of the divine arm bow, they are faster in terms of drawing and shooting. The key advantage is that there is no need to bend down and step on it, which saves effort. Xiao Zixing reported excitedly
The superiority of the steel crossbow is evident. Firstly, it does not deform due to weather conditions. Secondly, it does not require as many types of materials. The military treatise states that to craft a good bow and crossbow, one must "analyze the bow shaft in winter, treat the angles in spring, work on the sinews in summer, gather all materials in autumn, place the bow arms inside the bow case for shaping during the cold winter, and refine the exterior in the harshest winter." Although the process of making a steel crossbow is complex and the craftsmanship demands strict standards, it does not have such stringent time requirements. Therefore, in Xiao Zi's mind, this exceptional skill must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Northern Yuan, lest it be used to slaughter the soldiers of the Great Song, just as with the divine arm bow.
The Baizhang Ridge cannot remain peaceful forever, which is why he chose the simplest, most easily constructed, and most easily destroyed technologies for Xiao Zi to explore. Wen Tianxiang now agrees with certain viewpoints of the later Wen Zhong, emphasizing not to rush the development of technology to higher and deeper levels, but rather to solidly digest, promote, and manage every step of the existing technology, prioritizing quality before quantity. This is the lifeline of the logistics department in guerrilla warfare. Wen Tianxiang now agrees with certain viewpoints of the later Wen Zhong, emphasizing not to rush the development of technology to higher and deeper levels, but rather to solidly digest, promote, and manage every step of the existing technology, prioritizing quality before quantity. This is the lifeline of the logistics department in guerrilla warfare
The eyes of the craftsmen and Xiao Zi were ablaze with anger, as many of the craftsmen hailed from the Jiangnan West Road, the very homeland that had been ravaged by the Tartars.
In the mountain stream, a plume of white smoke suddenly rose. After the smoke dissipated, the blacksmith Li Er discovered that Prime Minister Wen had arrived again. This time, he was not alone in inspecting the supply camp; he was accompanied by Deputy Commander Zou Chao, Military Supervisor Liu Yanwang, and Staff Officer Du Hu.
Do not rush, take it step by step. First, use the steel of inferior quality to make some agricultural tools and send them to the villagers down the mountain. See if the mountain people have any peat in their hands. Wen Tianxiang smiled and suggested an idea to He - Tu - Shu Xiaozi, "Moreover, when making the crossbows, let the craftsmen work separately. Those making the bow arms should only make bow arms, those making the drive wheels should only make drive wheels, and those making the crossbow mechanisms should only make crossbow mechanisms. This can be further divided, but each component must be stamped with a number and the manufacturer's mark, so that if a malfunction occurs, we can identify which process was not executed properly."
"It is simply astonishing in its craftsmanship," Du Hu picked up a piece of soft steel used for making crossbow arms, gazed at it for a while, and sighed deeply. As a member of the scholar-official class, he usually either underestimated the skills of craftsmen or regarded them as overly mysterious. Today, having the rare opportunity to witness the various stages of soft steel production, the shock in his heart was beyond description
The soldiers responsible for the next process collect the wrought iron bars, stacking them crosswise in the steel furnace. One layer of iron bars is followed by a layer of charcoal. Once the furnace is filled, it is sealed, and the charcoal fire is burned for seven days and nights, resulting in the smelting of crude steel. The crude steel is then extracted and repeatedly forged, transforming it into the blades of large knives and spears, which can be wielded by the soldiers to strike down the Tartars
This is the iron smelting technique taught by Wen Tianxiang. According to the Prime Minister, a good master can produce eighty pounds of wrought iron from one hundred pounds of raw iron, and can even directly smelt iron into steel. Currently, the logistics camp has clearly not reached this standard; among all the soldiers and blacksmiths combined, there are fewer than ten craftsmen capable of producing seventy pounds of qualified wrought iron from one hundred pounds of raw iron. The demand for military equipment is urgent, so Xiao Zi has no choice but to operate several furnaces simultaneously and take matters into his own hands.
Under the guidance of Master Chen Longfu, for the first time in his half a lifetime, he picked up a brush, and the trembling sensation felt heavier than holding a hammer
The blacksmith Li Er picked up the freshly forged gun tip, touched the scorching edge of the tip, nodded in satisfaction, and placed the gun tip into the stream.
Come over and see how your progress is, Master Du is still thinking about his soft sword, Wen Tianxiang replied with a smile