Chapter 139 Let Me Try the Knife
Zhao Yuanxi swallowed hard. If this happened in modern times, she would be a coal boss.
However, the current situation seems to be better. She can directly requisition the mine without paying any money.
When Jang Geum saw the Queen Mother's eyes sparkling, she knew that she had come up with another way to make money.
Zhao Yuanxi did think of a new way to make money. The reason why coal is not widely used nowadays is not only because coal mines are difficult to find, but also because if the coal is burned directly, a large amount of sulfide will be produced. If the combustion is not complete, it can easily cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
But Zhao Yuanxi knew how to desulfurize coal and could also make honeycomb coal.
What's the difference between this and giving the money to her?
Zhao Yuanxi asked someone to transport some coal back, and only then did she realize that most of the current means of transportation were still wheelbarrows.
If it is on flat ground, it can be pushed steadily, but if it encounters a ground covered with rocks, it will lie flat and have to be dragged purely by human strength.
"What's wrong with you, Queen Mother?" Jang Geum couldn't help but ask when she saw the Queen Mother sitting next to her with a bitter face and sighing constantly.
Zhao Yuanxi sighed, "This journey has been too difficult."
Jang Geum didn't understand why the Queen Mother would sigh like that just because they walked along some mountain roads.
"If the Queen Mother finds it too hard, you can recruit some laborers to build a road so that carriages can pass through."
Zhao Yuanxi clicked his tongue. It was true that to get rich one must first build roads, but if it was just to make her feel better, then that was a bit inappropriate.
However, Jang Geum's words gave her inspiration.
If these coals are to be used, they must be transported out. If they are transported along the road full of rocks, the cost of transportation alone will be higher than the value of the coal itself.
Road construction must be put on the agenda.
Zhao Yuanxi discussed this matter with Zhang Han.
Zhang Han was surprised to hear that there was a huge stone mine nearby. He immediately said, "I will dispatch some people to repair this road."
Zhao Yuanxi rubbed his temples and said, "Have Li make more two-wheeled carts. The unicycle transport efficiency is too slow."
"promise!"
If there were not so few livestock such as horses, cows and donkeys, Zhao Yuanxi would have wanted to build some more ox carts and horse carts to haul coal.
Unfortunately, in this era, livestock are more valuable than humans.
After Zhao Yuanxi obtained the iron ore and collected coal, she began her iron-making business.
There are two kinds of iron tools nowadays, one is pig iron and the other is wrought iron.
The main method of smelting iron is to mix iron ore with lime, put it into a high-temperature furnace, use bellows to increase the temperature in the furnace, melt it into liquid, and finally make pig iron.
Pig iron can be used directly to cast farm tools and pots, but because of its brittle texture, it needs to be processed further.
As for wrought iron, it is made by reducing the iron in the iron ore with charcoal at a relatively low temperature, and then repeatedly forging to obtain a relatively pure wrought iron.
What Zhao Yuanxi wanted to make was not the pig iron used today, nor the wrought iron, but a more complex steel that was in between the two.
In fact, there is now a technology similar to steelmaking. By heating pig iron to about 900 degrees and then keeping it warm, the carbon in the iron will be oxidized, the carbon content will be reduced, and the toughness of the iron will also be increased, but it still cannot achieve the effect of steel.
Actual steel combines the advantages of wrought iron and pig iron, being both strong and having sufficient toughness.
Zhao Yuanxi decided to use the steel pouring method, putting pig iron and wrought iron together, then putting them into the furnace for heating to neutralize the carbon content between the two to reach the middle value, and finally repeatedly hammering them to make their composition uniform.
Zhao Yuanxi swung the hammer again and again, making Jang Geum terrified.
Although she knew that the Queen Mother seemed to be born with supernatural powers, she never thought that she could swing the hammer hundreds of times without changing her expression.
She couldn't help but reflect on whether she had been too lazy recently and neglected martial arts, to the point that she seemed to be no match for the Queen Mother.
Not only her, but even Cheng Kuan, who couldn't help but come over to take a peek after hearing the news, was frightened and sweating profusely. He was very glad that the Queen Mother stopped when she beat him, otherwise he felt that he might be beaten to death by the Queen Mother.
Zhao Yuanxi didn't know how much shock he had brought to them.
She just felt that forging iron was much simpler than firing porcelain. It took a whole day to fire porcelain, and if it was damaged, it had to be redone. But if the forged iron was not right, it just had to be put back into the furnace and fired again.
After firing the last batch, she tested the toughness of the material and finally wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Look at this knife, how is it?"
Jang Geum glanced at the so-called "knife" in the Queen Mother's hand, not knowing how to comment.
Seeing that she was silent, Zhao Yuanxi felt a little embarrassed and said defensively, "Don't underestimate it. Although it doesn't look very good, it is definitely more powerful than you think."
After all, she is not a professional swordsmith. She was able to make it into this shape by learning from a blacksmith temporarily.
Anyway, it needs a shape, so of course I’ll start with a kitchen knife.
Zhao Yuanxi called Li and asked him to add a handle to his beloved "kitchen knife".
Li held the piece of iron and really couldn't understand why this thing was called a kitchen knife, but not understanding did not stop him from doing what the Queen Mother ordered.
Zhao Yuanxi took the kitchen knife in his hand, weighed it, picked up a piece of wood, and chopped it down in the middle. The wood broke directly in the middle.
Jang Geum's eyes were filled with surprise, as if she hadn't expected it to be so powerful, but she felt more like the Queen Mother was using her own brute force to split the wood.
Zhao Yuanxi stroked the blade, his eyes falling on the short knife at Jang Geum's waist, and suggested, "How about we chop each other?"
"This knife of mine is specially made." Jang Geum's brows were full of confidence.
This dagger has been with her for many years and has never been used against her.
"Then let's try and see which knife is more powerful, yours or mine!"
Zhao Yuanxi took the kitchen knife and chopped towards Jang Geum. Jang Geum raised the knife to block it, but the blade broke and she took several steps back.
Zhao Yuanxi was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand, threw away the knife in his hand, pulled Jang Geum and began to check, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Jang Geum shook her head, the shock still lingering on her face.
She looked down at the dagger that had fallen to the ground and broken into two pieces, and then saw the notch on the empress dowager's kitchen knife. "The empress dowager won!"
Seeing that she was truly alright, Zhao Yuanxi breathed a sigh of relief, then began to reproach her slightly, "Why did you insist on holding on if you couldn't stop it just now? If I hadn't withdrawn in time, you would have been struck by me!"
Jang Geum tilted her head, "Didn't the Queen Mother want to test the power of this knife? If I let go, then I won't be able to test it!"
Zhao Yuanxi knocked her head hard. "There are so many ways to try. You don't need to take risks. I was inconsiderate just now!"
No normal person could resist her strength, and Jang Geum was no exception. She was so focused on testing the sword that she forgot this point.
Zhao Yuanxi was just glad that he didn't hurt her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
