RPAGF Chapter 213 Iron Smelting Technology
Chapter 213 Iron Smelting Technology
"Is it steelmaking technology?" Lin Ping pondered to himself, having roughly understood the current iron smelting technology.
The frying method uses pig iron as raw material. By adding iron ore, the carbon content is reduced and impurities are removed. It can barely be called steel, and the forging process is naturally time-saving and labor-saving.
For example, it takes five days to forge a steel knife from pig iron, but only one day to forge a steel knife from steel obtained by the frying process.
However, the frying process is complex and has too many uncontrollable factors, resulting in inconsistent quality of the steel produced. In some cases, the steel is much better than pig iron, while in others, it is even inferior to ordinary pig iron.
"Master Meng, why don't you try using wrought iron refined at low temperatures as the main material and pig iron refined at high temperatures as the auxiliary material, so that the molten iron from the pig iron drips evenly onto the wrought iron? Perhaps you'll get a different result." Lin Ping smiled casually, naturally not mentioning the benefits of doing so.
This was another breakthrough after the steelmaking method, and a symbol of the Chinese nation's smelting technology, leading the West by more than a thousand years.
Steel produced by the crucible steelmaking process not only has a high output and a high yield, but also has better quality. In terms of time, it is estimated to save ten times the time compared to the frying steelmaking process.
Almost every hour, a high-quality weapon can be forged. With continuous work, more than ten weapons can be made in a day. If twenty or thirty blacksmiths in the armory work at the same time, they can forge four hundred weapons a day, and even more than ten thousand in a month.
"How come I never thought of that?"
The blacksmith Meng jumped around excitedly, just like a frantic little deer.
Having devoted himself to research for two or three decades, he had lost interest in money, but was obsessed with new iron smelting technology. Unfortunately, he had reached a bottleneck and found it difficult to take another step forward.
Lin Ping's method was like a wake-up call. Even though he didn't know how effective it would be, Meng the blacksmith thought he should hurry back and try it out, hoping to get some unexpected results.
"Don't rush, Meng the blacksmith. Even though this method saves time and effort, it still takes a full hour to forge a weapon. The armory still can't complete the task my wife gave us." Lin Ping reined in Meng the blacksmith, who was about to break free.
These words struck Meng the blacksmith like a bolt from the blue, instantly bringing him to his senses. Indeed, even working day and night, he could only complete half of the task.
"Does the Prince Consort have another brilliant idea?" Meng the blacksmith asked in surprise. There was definitely something wrong with Lin Ping's shrewd eyes.
Furthermore, Meng the blacksmith had met Lin Ping several times and knew that this prince consort never did anything without being sure of success. Since he dared to speak up, he must have a solution.
"Blacksmith Meng could try putting the forged weapons directly into cold water. This would not only improve efficiency but also increase the sharpness of the weapons," Lin Ping said in a calm tone, unaware that this could change the course of the entire Daye Dynasty.
In this era of cold weapons, whoever has the sharpest sword has the most say. If the weapons of the city lord and his private army can all cut through iron like mud, they can naturally sweep across the Wu Kingdom and even the entire Daye Dynasty.
Of course, the city's main city has limited military strength and resources, so it's impossible to fight wherever it goes. Even if it has the idea of unifying the Great Dynasty, it needs a gradual process.
For example, first defeat the lord of the mountain city, seize the salt city, and then mine the underground oil fields. When there are more resources, launch an attack to break through the gate of Yingtian Prefecture, continue to recruit soldiers and horses, mine minerals, and gradually devour them.
If all goes well, perhaps decades later, the Daye Dynasty could truly change its surname.
Lin Ping naturally had no such ambition, nor did he want the Daye Dynasty to experience major war, since it would be the ordinary people who would suffer. He only sought peace in his corner of the world, to ensure the survival of the main city and the well-being of the people.
"Put it directly into cold water? Is the Prince Consort sure it won't crack?" Meng the blacksmith asked doubtfully.
As iron smelting technology has matured, people have come to realize the importance of quenching. Some experienced blacksmiths would spray a mouthful of cold water onto the weapon after forging, which would not only lower the temperature quickly but also make the weapon sharper.
Meng the blacksmith once had a sudden inspiration: why not put the weapon directly into cold water? But an accident happened. The red-hot weapon suddenly cracked the moment it entered the cold water. After that, Meng the blacksmith never dared to try it again.
Quenching with water does indeed carry certain risks, as the thermal stress is too great and the weapon is prone to breakage. Therefore, the clever ancient people came up with better methods. For example, recognizing the role of salts, they switched to using river water with a higher salt content, or even urine with an even higher salt content.
Later, liquids with relatively mild cooling effects, such as animal oil and vegetable oil, were developed.
All indications suggest that the Chinese nation's quenching technology was at the forefront of the world, although it had not yet reached its peak during the Daye Dynasty.
"Master Meng can try using a 10:1 salt water solution to cool the weapons," Lin Ping replied with a smile, actually stating the optimal ratio for the quenching liquid.
Lin Ping, possessing modern knowledge, is like a treasure trove; even a small amount of his knowledge could change the course of the entire empire.
There are some things that Lin Ping is unwilling to interfere with too much. If the enemy hadn't been forcing him, Lin Ping wouldn't have even stepped into the military camp.
In this world of swords and spears, how could one dare to lie in bed counting money comfortably? When there's nothing to do, one might reprimand the "good-for-nothing" disciple or flirt with the pretty maid.
Therefore, Lin Ping would not solemnly reveal the secrets behind it, nor would he use it to analyze the current situation.
The appearance of the new long spear and kukri excited Jiang Yunying for a moment; she even imagined all sorts of scenes of conquering new territories.
Lin Ping remained calm. She understood her husband's meaning and temporarily abandoned her grand plans. Right now, the most important thing was to win the competition against the Lord of the Mountain City.
Having obtained the method, Meng the blacksmith rushed to the armory like a runaway horse, excitedly conducting experiments.
Lin Ping also found the military camp boring, so he left Jiang Yunying behind and returned to his residence. He lay on his bed, bored out of his mind, and quietly snored.
Before the sun had even set, Jiang Yunying returned early and cautiously entered Lin Ping's room, asking softly, "Husband, you seem rather downcast? Is there perhaps something wrong with the iron-smelting method?"
Lin Ping sat up straight, his face still devoid of a smile, and shook his head, saying, "This smelting method is absolutely a revolutionary change. At that time, the production of weapons in the City Lord's Mansion will increase tenfold, and they will be even sharper."
Hearing this, Jiang Yunying was very excited, but Lin Ping didn't react much. She continued, "If that's the case, why is my husband so sullen?"
Lin Ping suddenly stood up straight, his expression more serious than ever before, and said solemnly, "Let me ask you, my lady, if our private army were to greatly increase in strength and be able to sweep across the Central Plains with its superior equipment, what would you most like to do?"
"Naturally, we should destroy Shancheng!" Jiang Yunying said without hesitation, clearly harboring deep hatred for this enemy of over a hundred years.
"What happened after the mountain city was destroyed?" Lin Ping continued to ask, his meticulous demeanor completely devoid of any trace of his former playboy ways.