Chapter 1117 The Road to Change (Third update, please subscribe)
Every piece of steel contains the secret of a country's rise and fall!
It doesn’t matter who said this. What matters is that he said the root of the rise and fall of nations in the 19th century.
What industry was the most important in the 19th century?
It must be the steel industry!
Steel is the country, because industrial production cannot be separated from steel. Without steel, it is impossible to manufacture steam engines and machine tools. It is also impossible to produce machines with machines. Naturally, there will be no industrial revolution.
It is also for this reason that the Ming Empire has always attached great importance to the steel industry.
From the 57-foot-tall, 10-foot-diameter furnace of Nanhua Dahua Iron and Steel Company in 1862, which produced only about 3,600 tons of iron per year, to Dahua Steel's No. 1 blast furnace in 1870, which produced 36,000 tons of iron per year, from steam blowers to hot blast furnaces, to the use of winches to send materials to the top of the blast furnace, to belt conveyors, trains and hand-cranked rail cars used to move furnaces and main rolling spans, these technological advances greatly increased the output of blast furnaces.
Four years later, in the fifth year of the Empire, Dahua's No. 7 blast furnace produced 100,000 tons of pig iron per year.
If every piece of steel hides the secret of a country's rise and fall, then one thing is certain: the Ming Empire, as the world's number one steel power, has undoubtedly found this secret - technology.
While European and American countries were still relying on small blast furnaces to accumulate output, the Ming Dynasty already had the world's most advanced large-scale blast furnaces. There was even a giant blast furnace whose annual output was equivalent to that of an entire country.
"Is this Long Bo?"
Inside the Imperial Steel Company in Xuzhou, Pan Zhijun looked up at the huge blast furnace and watched the smoke spewing out of the furnace mouth. His eyes were filled with nothing but shock!
How can I not be surprised?
"Yes, it is Longbo. This giant blast furnace is not only the largest iron-making blast furnace in the empire, but also the largest in the world. It produces 450 tons of pig iron per day, with a coke ratio of about 900 kg/ton of pig iron. Do you know why it is called "Longbo"? "
While Cheng Donghai asked back, he looked at the giant blast furnace with amazement.
"Long Bo, according to legend, there was a giant country in ancient times, called Long Bo. The people of Long Bo were so tall that they could walk around the world in a few steps."
"I know, I know, that's what the giant means, that's what the giant means... It's worthy of the name, worthy of the name!"
Pan Zhijun nodded repeatedly and said in amazement, speaking Southwestern Mandarin.
"Brother Denian, do you mean that we should introduce this this time?"
Why did Pan Zhijun come to Daming this time?
It was to introduce the equipment needed for the steel plant. As the son of an official, he had studied abroad in the Ming Dynasty. Although he was only 25 years old, he was already a candidate for governor and was deeply trusted by Xuzhou. Of course, this Xuzhou was not the same Xuzhou as before. He was now in the state of Minas Gerais. After the Ming Empire occupied it, it was called Xuzhou. The Xuzhou on the Chinese side was the capital of the Chinese Empire.
Since the Empire occupied Minas Gerais, it has started large-scale development of the iron ore here. The first large-scale iron mine in the Empire was discovered here, with reserves of nearly 10 billion tons. As a result, many companies in the Empire jointly established the "Imperial United Steel Company". This company not only has the world's first-class equipment, but is also the largest steel company in the Empire, with an annual output of more than 4 million tons, accounting for 30% of the Empire's steel production.
It is precisely because of the largest scale and most advanced technology here that Pan Daotai chose to cooperate with Imperial Steel Company.
"China is huge!"
Cheng Donghai said.
"China will need to build more than 100,000 miles of railways in the future. With China being so large, all walks of life will need more than 100,000 tons of steel. If we only focus on the present, why build a new factory? A Liguoyi Iron Works and a small blast furnace will be enough."
Liguoyi Iron Works was the first iron work built by Li Xuzhou when he founded the Westernization Movement. The initial investment was only a few hundred thousand taels, and the annual output was only a few thousand tons. After more than ten years of development, the annual steel output has exceeded 140,000 tons.
Because it did not follow the wrong path of Hanyang, and due to the expansion from small to large and the demand for railway construction, the ironworks developed rapidly. It is currently known as the "largest factory in the Far East" and of course it is also the most proud industry of Emperor Li.
In terms of pride, it is even not inferior to the shipyard in Qingdao - last year the Qingdao Shipyard built a 2,800-ton protected cruiser, which is known as the "No. 1 Ship in the Far East."
In the past few years, thanks to the technology and knowledge brought back by tens of thousands of students who studied in the Ming Dynasty, China's Westernization Movement has developed far beyond history. A large number of factories and mines have been built from the Northeast to the Central Plains, and large railways have been built. Especially after the constraints of the Qing Dynasty were eliminated, it has achieved rapid development.
In fact, even when Emperor Li was still Lord Li, the development of the Westernization circle centered on Xuzhou and Haizhou and radiating to southeastern Henan and northern Anhui by railways was far better than in history. In addition to the threat of the Heavenly Kingdom, which forced the court to "indulge" local powerful groups and suppress conservatives in order to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty, the more important reason was that there was the successful experience of Nanhua to learn from. In addition, under the guidance of Zhao Tianfeng, who rebelled against Nanhua, the Westernization Movement in Xuzhou did not flourish in all directions and fail completely as in history, but was promoted in an important, selective and orderly manner. Of course, the most fundamental reason is that there was not as much money as in history, so it could not be squandered.
This has led to the current industrial development of China, which can only be said to be a coincidence. More importantly, in the past decade or so, a steady stream of international students have poured into the Ming Dynasty. Those who are either government-sponsored or self-funded, no matter what major they study in the Ming Dynasty, have injected fresh blood into the ancient empire after returning home.
Just like Pan Zhijun, the son of the governor of Guizhou, he went to study in the Ming Dynasty at the age of 16 and studied metallurgy at Nanyuan University. After returning to China five years later, he first went to the Liguoyi Iron Factory. After being transferred to the Ministry of Industry last year, he wrote to the court, suggesting the establishment of the Liaodong Iron Factory. Last year, geological survey personnel discovered a large iron mine in Liaodong.
Whether or not the second-generation officials like him, or even the descendants of the founding heroes of the Chinese Empire, are young talents is actually not important at all. What is important is that after receiving new-style education, they are working hard to promote the transformation of that ancient land.
"Indeed, given the size of China, the amount of steel needed is more than a million tons, but..."
Pan Zhijun pursed his lips and said hesitantly,
"However, such a large-scale iron-making blast furnace requires far more ancillary equipment than a small factory, which also means a larger investment. In addition to the investment in the iron ore mine and ancillary facilities, at least tens of millions of yuan will be needed. This amount of money... China has a lot of work to do and it really cannot be taken out!"
When he said he couldn't come up with the money, Pan Zhijun looked at "Uncle Long". Although he couldn't come up with the money, he knew that as long as such a blast furnace was built, its output would exceed China's current annual steel output!
Isn’t this just one furnace supporting an entire country?
"Alas, my old schoolmate, money matters are not a problem."
Cheng Donghai laughed.
"We can cooperate with Imperial Steel. For example, we can jointly invest in the construction of Liaodong Iron and Steel Company. We provide the equipment and technology, and you provide the land, mines, and construction funds..."
(End of this chapter)
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