After the start of summer, Zhang Hong's team at the Dongning Ironworks had already produced their first batch of steel using a traditional reverberatory furnace.

The quality of this batch of steel was far inferior to that of steel produced in later generations.

However, after being hammered and refined, the steel is actually quite good!

Looking at the huge steel ingot in front of him, Li Xin's face showed a joyful expression.

"Wei Dahai, make a note of this!"

Li Xin said directly, "Give all the employees of Dongning Ironworks a major commendation!"

Everyone will be rewarded with ten strings of cash!

Zhang Hong of Dongning Ironworks has been promoted to Level 5 employee!

Other meritorious personnel will be promoted at the discretion of the authorities!

Level 5 employee?

Zhang Hong was also stunned.

Unexpectedly, in just one month, I have gone from a level four employee to a level five employee.

The benefits of becoming a fifth-grade employee were not only that the monthly salary increased from 800 cash to 1,400 cash, but also that each month there were two shi of sorghum rice, 15 jin of dried meat, and half a bolt of cloth.

Moreover, he was the highest-ranking employee in the entire Dongning Ironworks!

This treatment is among the best in the entire Dongning City!

"Engineer Zhang, Engineer Zhang..."

Zhang Hong was startled awake when his assistant quietly tugged at his sleeve.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Zhang Hong quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Your subordinate will do his utmost to build the Dongning Ironworks well!"

"good!"

Patting Zhang Hong on the shoulder, Li Xin said, "Keep it up!"

Our Prince Xin's Mansion is generous in rewarding those who have made contributions!

"We're aiming to enter mass production as soon as possible!"

"Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission!"

Zhang Hong quickly assured him.

Immediately, Li Xin also rewarded other meritorious personnel.

In addition, Li Xin authorized Zhang Hong to recruit a group of skilled workers in the city to supplement the Dongning Ironworks.

Today, in addition to coking, ironmaking, and steelmaking, Dongning Ironworks is also experimenting with other, higher-quality steelmaking methods.

The task is arduous.

Moreover, in order to meet Li Xin's requirements, a large number of talented people are naturally needed.

To ensure the operation of the Dongning Ironworks, the Chengxi Coal Mining Bureau, the Chengdong Tieshan Mining Bureau, and the engineering team are all working hard.

The coal and ore mined by the two mining bureaus were transported to Dongning City.

The construction team is also working hard to repair the roads to make it easier to transport ore.

Li Xin was also pondering what to do with the first batch of steel ingots.

This steel ingot weighs a full two thousand kilograms!

That's one ton!

Although the output cannot compare with that of later generations, it is still a long march that has seen the light at the end of the tunnel!

How to make good use of this first steel ingot is also crucial.

After much deliberation, Li Xin finally decided to use the steel ingot to manufacture industrial mother machines—machine tools!

Machine tools include lathes, drilling machines, planers, grinding machines, milling machines, boring machines, broaching machines, and so on.

It is an essential component for manufacturing machinery and equipment!

With machine tools, we can produce mechanical equipment more quickly, efficiently, and accurately.

Therefore, machine tools are also known as the mother machines of industry!

In fact, some simple lathes were used in this era, but only for purposes such as cutting wood and making furniture.

No one uses lathes for cutting steel.

Therefore, the manufacture of some iron products is often time-consuming, requiring manual hammering and polishing bit by bit.

Simple iron products are just like that.

Not to mention some extremely complex mechanical equipment.

Therefore, Li Xin decided to manufacture the machine tool first.

With machine tools, everything else becomes much easier!

Immediately, Li Xin searched through the field of intelligent technology and found a method for manufacturing machine tools using rudimentary techniques.

This method was also a ready-made practice during the Great Leap Forward's steel production era.

Hard, durable wood is used for lathe beds, frames, and carriages, while steel is used to manufacture bearing seats, feed wheels, headstock spindles, headstocks, and feed mechanisms.

This rudimentary lathe manufacturing method uses steel only for important parts, while other parts are made of wood, which can significantly reduce the use of steel.

Moreover, the finished product looks fantastic!

That's why Li Xin chose this method of making a traditional lathe.

Immediately, Li Xin transferred a group of carpenters and mechanics from the Ordnance Bureau, Dongning Ironworks, and the Carpentry Team.

Li Xin also organized this group of people into a manufacturing bureau, specifically responsible for developing rudimentary lathes.

Besides the rudimentary lathe, Li Xin also discovered manufacturing methods for drilling machines, planers, grinders, boring machines, milling machines, broaching machines, and other similar machines.

These manufacturing methods are mostly techniques from books from the Great Leap Forward era of steelmaking.

It wasn't just about steel smelting and lathes; products like cement, bricks, and soap were also largely based on books and knowledge from the Great Leap Forward era.

Back then, with massive construction projects across the country, the experiences and knowledge gained were summarized and compiled into books that were then disseminated throughout the region, becoming an invaluable helper for Li Xin.

After the manufacturing bureau imparted its knowledge to the workers, these tasks were handed over to skilled technicians.

Some skilled blacksmiths also began to use the first steel ingot to produce steel knives and locomotive heads.

These tools are sufficient for processing some rough parts.

With these cutting tools, the production speed of equipment such as catapults and triple-bow crossbows will be greatly increased!

As for other more advanced machinery and equipment, that can only be implemented when there are more and more skilled workers.

Li Xin believes that the industrial age has taken its first step, and only by laying a solid foundation can every step that follows be taken more effectively.

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