Chapter 86 Iron and Steel
Coal is easy to dig. As long as you don’t dig deep, there will be no accidents if you dig in the shallow strata outside. Huo Zian took a group of Zheng family cattle and horses to dig.
Jinsui was particularly generous and said that all coal miners could have a dry meal with meat.
Unexpectedly, this decision brought about an unexpected surprise. Before this, the refugees in the mountains did not dare to come out.
Especially after hearing about King Li's cruelty, anyone passing through the border town, whether human or horse, had to stay and work.
Even though Han Xing repeatedly brought people to publicize that the refugees could obtain border citizen status from King Li after leaving the mountains, no one dared to come. At most, they could do some business privately with the Tuntian Camp.
This time Huo Zian led his men into the mountains to dig coal because King Li promised them a meal of dry food and meat soup.
The firemen built a stove at the foot of the mountain and cooked food. Baskets of multi-grain bread were lined up in rows, and Dongpo pork and bone and radish soup were stewed in a big pot.
Anyone who carried a basket of coal from the mountains would be given a bamboo slip with work points written on it. Ten work points could be exchanged for a large bowl of meat and two bread cakes.
The aroma of the spiced broth was carried by the wind into the mountains and forests. The refugees drooled when they smelled it. The red meat was obviously made with a lot of sugar.
There was a bowl of snow-white salt next to the bone soup for the workers to dip the bones in.
There was sugar, salt, meat and bread. Even during the Chinese New Year, the refugees could not have such a good meal! After asking around, they found that no matter who they were, as long as they carried coal out, they could exchange it for food.
A brave young man came forward to ask, but the Zheng family's cattle and horses did not dare to answer. The Black Feather Camp officer who was supervising them smiled and assured them:
"Our prince said that no matter you are a refugee or a herdsman, as long as you feel that you are still a citizen of Daxia, you can just carry coal to exchange for work points. Not only can you exchange it for cooked food, but also for grain."
The refugees hurriedly asked, "We won't go into the border town. Can we just exchange with you at the foot of the mountain?"
After getting the answer that there was no problem, the refugees in the mountains first settled the women and children, and had to be on guard. In case they were caught by King Li, at least their families would be safe.
The young and strong men then went together to carry bamboo baskets to carry coal. The refugees called coal "stone coal", which can be used for burning fire and cooking, but it is very easy to extinguish and the thick smoke is choking.
In winter, people often burn charcoal and end up with entire families being poisoned by the toxic smoke.
The thing that is most in short supply in the mountains is firewood, so they would not burn coal unless they had no other choice. They did not expect that King Li would like this thing.
When Jin Sui heard about the refugees carrying coal down the mountain, he smiled and told the soldiers of the Black Feather Camp not to force them and just set up a trading point at the foot of the mountain.
After a long time, they knew that King Li would not arrest people indiscriminately, so they dared to enter the city naturally.
As for obtaining border resident status, it is not that easy!
One thousand work points are the basis. Only when you have accumulated one thousand work points will you be eligible to be selected. Only after you pass the subsequent assessment and are determined to be honest and not a criminal, can you obtain border resident household registration.
Cheng Yu agreed very much: "Although the border town is short of people, it is better to have fewer people than to have too many. Besides, it is human nature that people will not cherish things that are too easy to get."
Jin Sui smiled and said, "That's right. If I give everyone border citizenship when I see them, then if something goes wrong in the future, they will immediately give up their citizenship and become border citizens again."
"What this king wants is for people to feel a sense of belonging to Border Town, to regard Border Town as their home, and to unite as one when things go wrong."
Of course, the government's policies must also be good. The thing that border towns lack the least is land. Jinsui has stipulated that all border residents who pass the assessment will be allocated homesteads and population fields by the government.
They even provided free seeds for the first three years, and rented oxen and farm tools. Only with good policies could the refugees be attracted to the city.
When the coal was transported back to the city, Jin Sui and the blacksmith immediately took action to modify the furnace and bellows, and used coal as fuel to melt pig iron.
The blacksmiths were first surprised at the strong firepower, especially with the help of the bellows, the fire was blue with purple. They seldom could produce such a strong firepower when using firewood.
When they saw the pig iron emitting black smoke and burning less and less, they hurriedly said, "No, Your Majesty, the fire is too strong and the iron will be burned."
Jin Sui was calm: "Those are impurities in the pig iron. Once they are burned away, the swords made will be harder and sharper."
The blacksmith took note of it carefully, and when the bright red molten iron without a trace of black was sintered, he poured it into the gun head mold that had been prepared in advance.
After cooling, a shiny silver gun head is formed. As long as the blacksmith does some minor trimming and polishing, it will become a top-quality gun head.
Cheng Yu, who watched the whole process and took notes, carefully examined the spear head, then asked the blacksmith to install the white wax rod and tried out the spear himself.
The long spear stabbed and poked, and it actually cut the ordinary long knife like cutting tofu.
He exclaimed in disbelief: "It is indeed extremely sharp, Your Majesty is truly a genius!"
Jin Sui said with a hint of pride: "When did I ever brag? This is no longer iron, but the essence of iron, steel!
I said I would create the hardest and sharpest weapon in the world, and I will definitely create it!"
"And using this method, it's no problem to make a hundred gun heads a day!"
The biggest problem at the moment is that there is too little pig iron and the transaction with the Yan family has not yet been responded to.
Yan Shiyi came on the third day after Han Xing gave the gift. He had a slightly proud expression on his face when he came, but perhaps he was afraid that Jin Sui would beat him again, so he didn't dare to show it.
It was just the arrogance that flashed in his eyes, the snapping sound of the folding fan in his hand, and the annoying look that made Jinsui clench his fists in his sleeves.
"King Li wants to trade pig iron with my Yan family?"
Jin Sui held back his anger and said, "I want to talk to Yan Jiu, not to the turtle."
Yan Shiyi choked, his arrogance retreated, and he said angrily: "Can't you just call me Shiyi?"
"Calling you Eleven is too intimate. We are not that close."
"Then why do you call me brother Yan Jiu?"
"Your brother is so handsome! Yan Jiulang, it sounds like the name of a handsome young man, and it makes people feel good when they call him that."
Yan Shiyi's temples throbbed, and he gnashed his teeth in anger at first. When he saw the black tiger behind Jin Sui, he said in a deflated tone, "In fact, my father didn't write "Wu Gui" back then. It was just that his handwriting was sloppy, and the clan leader found it wrong, so he wrote it wrong when he entered the family tree."
Jin Sui smiled politely and asked, "What was originally written?"
Yan Shiyi said proudly: "It's 'Yuan Gui'!"
Jin Sui was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he held his stomach and tears came out of his eyes, and said breathlessly:
"A compass is not much better than a turtle. No wonder your eyes are so round. Be careful and eat less. It will be miserable if you grow into a round shape after middle age."
Yan Shiyi was really angry this time: "Jun Yanqing! Do you still want to trade with the Yan family?"
Jin Sui wiped his eyes and said, "Of course I do, but your brother is not at home, can you make the decision?"
Yan Shiyi raised his chin slightly: "Of course! But it's not a pig iron transaction. Pig iron is one of the family assets. Even my brother can't trade with outsiders casually."
Jin Sui asked curiously, "What kind of deal is that? I am just short of iron now, nothing else."
"Do you want the scrapped ironware?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
