Chapter 125
At the foot of a mountain a few hundred miles away from Pingxiang, workers were transporting things back and forth on carts. They walked along the mountain road until they came to an open area. The workers poured out the things in the carts, and all they could see were things that looked like stones.
In the distance is a blast furnace under construction with a blazing fire burning inside. Craftsmen are putting iron ore and charcoal from the ground into the blast furnace in batches, in preparation for forging iron under high temperature.
Lin Shuge saw this scene when he arrived. "Zhongxuan, it's a good thing that we have seized this mine. With this iron mine, you can replace the weapons and armors of your soldiers with new ones." Lin Shuge said to Xie Chen behind him.
Xie Chen nodded and looked at a man in official uniform. The man had obviously noticed them as well. He came over and greeted them, saying, "Greetings, Lord Wei, Lord Lin."
Lin Shuge bowed to him and said, "Lord Sang."
The visitor was an iron official sent by the county governor's office, an official in charge of the production and sale of ironware.
Sang Xingdao said, "You two masters are busy with official business, why are you here?"
Lin Shuge smiled and said, "I just came here to take a look. After all, we noticed the Shaoliang tribe because of the ironware. We have to come and see what the mine that we finally took back is like now."
Sang Xing nodded and took them to the iron smelting site. The workers were adding limestone into the blast furnace. Seeing Lin Shuge's puzzled look, Sang Xing explained that this was to make the iron ore dissolve into molten iron better.
Lin Shuge was curious about what he saw, and several people came to the molten iron pool, where they saw molten iron flowing out from the blast furnace. Some workers added iron powder into the molten iron pool and stirred it quickly with wooden sticks, thus obtaining wrought iron. Sometimes, if the proportions were properly controlled, steel could even be produced.
Lin Shuge thought: This is the famous steel-frying method. In this era, people had mastered the world-leading iron-making technology, so iron was used extensively in weapons, farm tools, and daily necessities.
The craftsmen hammered the steel hard to make it tough. As the saying goes, "steel is made by repeated tempering." This is what is meant by this method.
"It's really amazing." Lin Shuge exclaimed. As a liberal arts student, many of his previous techniques actually relied on Xiang Ligu's superb skills. He himself was mostly just talking about it on paper. This kind of steel-making technology was the first time he had seen it in his two lifetimes.
Sang Xing's ancestors were all iron officials, so he was very familiar with iron smelting. In a gentle voice, he carefully introduced the various processes of iron smelting to Lin Shuge.
While Lin Shuge was listening to him, he turned around and saw a craftsman manually pushing and pulling something. The object was oval in shape and seemed to be made of leather. With the push and pull, the fire in the blast furnace grew bigger. It should be a blower.
"This is a bellows. Using it is more efficient than just burning firewood. In the previous dynasty, someone invented a water exhaust fan driven by water power. There is no river here, so using a bellows is better." Seeing that he was staring at it, Sang Xing took the initiative to explain.
Xie Chen picked up a hardened knife and played with it. It had not been sharpened yet, but its texture was flexible, neither too brittle nor too soft, making it very suitable for use as a weapon.
Lin Shuge thought of the blower made by Xiangligu in the brick kiln at that time, which could manually increase the fire. But when he saw the push-and-pull bellows, an idea suddenly occurred to him. In later generations, there were piston bellows, which also involved pushing and pulling, didn’t they?
Seeing that Lin Shuge was distracted, Xie Chen stepped forward and waved his hand in front of him, "Brother, what's wrong with you?"
Lin Shuge chuckled, "Zhongxuan, I was so stupid that I forgot about this thing." He looked at Sang Xing again, "Master Sang, I have an idea that can replace this bellows to blow air."
Sang Xing looked at him in disbelief. Lin Shuge quickly waved to the soldiers beside him and said, "Go find Xiang Ligu."
The soldier saluted and said yes, and soon brought Xiangli Gu over.
"Sir, the gunpowder has been produced according to your instructions, and several muskets have also been made. It's what you said about using gunpowder to shoot things out..." As soon as Xiang Ligu arrived, he reported the progress of gunpowder to Lin Shuge.
"No, you can just take your time to make the gunpowder. I'm not rushing you. I called you here today to ask you to make something. Do you see the bellows over there for blowing air?" Lin Shuge pointed at the thing in the craftsman's hand.
"I can actually make this thing." Xiang Ligu said as he walked around the bag a few times.
Lin Shuge: "I'm not asking you to make this either. What I want to make is called a piston bellows, which can also be blown by pushing and pulling."
Xiang Li Gu glanced at him and skillfully took out a pen and paper from his pocket. Lin Shuge took it and started drawing in a few strokes.
"Look, the bellows is made of wooden boards. Here is the pull rod. There are two air inlets and one air outlet. Here are two movable baffles at the air inlets to let the wind in. The middle partition can be covered with chicken feathers to make the wind more dense. Finally, insert the pull rod and a bellows is ready." Lin Shuge pointed to the bellows on the paper.
Fortunately, when I was in modern times, I liked to watch various videos on restoring ancient crafts on a certain website, Lin Shuge sighed in his heart.
Xiang Ligu had long been accustomed to his ideas that popped up from time to time, and he just nodded when he heard it, "Sir, I will go back and try it today, I should be able to do it."
It was Sang Xing who was surprised. This County Magistrate Lin seemed to be a civil servant. When did he become proficient in these skills? He thought of some rumors he had heard in the county magistrate's mansion. Could it be that the idea of cashmere for papermaking was really come up by this magistrate himself?
"Wait, Master Sang. Xiangli doesn't brag. If he says he can do it, then he can really do it."
At that time, the bellows could not only be used to smelt iron, but it would also be more convenient for people to cook at home.
"Let's go, Zhongxuan. I've learned a lot today and even got an unexpected gain. When Xiangli Gu finishes making it, I will gather craftsmen from all over the county to learn from him. But this time, I have to ask them to pay Xiangli Gu some compensation. I will write a letter to Zhou Du and Xu Yu so that the people of Ganzhou can also use it. Oh, yes, and the County Magistrate's Office." Lin Shuge was really excited and talked to Xie Chen as they walked.
Xie Chen smiled somewhat helplessly. Every time his brother talked about these things that benefited the people, he would talk endlessly. He responded with a smile, his eyes unconsciously filled with doting.
Sang Xing watched the two leave for a long time without moving. He had heard of Lin Shuge's reputation before he came. He only knew that although this man was the youngest county magistrate among the counties in Dingyuan, he had a very high reputation. When he met him a few days ago, he only thought that he was a gentle and elegant young man. Only after seeing him today did he know why he had such a high reputation.
He looked back and saw that the workers were still pushing and pulling the bellows. The fire was gradually rising and molten iron was flowing into the pool continuously. Sang Xing thought to himself: Maybe the bellows that Lord Lin mentioned can really be more effective.
…
In the blink of an eye, it is the time for the La Festival. Every household in Qingquan starts to prepare for the sacrifice. Royal officials or wealthy children will go out hunting and use the prey to sacrifice to their ancestors. The wealthy families of the common people will buy some meat for the La Festival, and even the poor will grit their teeth and buy some. After all, meat is used to sacrifice to ancestors. At the end of the year, they have to let their ancestors see that they are living a decent life.
Because it was the La Festival and his mother was the only one at home to take care of the family, Aman asked for a day off from the county government. Since he was recruited by the county government, he has received a monthly salary. With this money, the family is better off than before.
He came back carrying two pounds of meat. He smelled the fragrance coming from the house and called out "Mom". A woman came out from the kitchen.
"Aman, why are you back today?"
Aman handed the meat in his hand to his mother and said, "Today is the La Festival, I asked for leave from the county."
"That's great. Come and try the La Festival rice I made." The woman took the meat to the kitchen and brought out a bowl of thick rice in a blink of an eye.
This year, a cooking method came from somewhere, which is to cook rice, various fruits and meat sauce together. The cooked rice has a mellow taste, with the fragrance of rice and the aroma of meat.
"Mom, you made it too? The county government canteen also makes this. Brother Daniu even showed it off to me. I was in a hurry to come back, so I didn't go to eat it." Aman brought the rice over, took a bite, and it was indeed delicious.
"Really? I heard that it was indeed spread from the county government. Everyone said that the county magistrate loves to eat it, so it must be good." The woman said, and then glanced at her son who was snoring and eating, "Aman, after the New Year is over, I will ask someone to help you look at it."
Ah Man blushed when he heard that, and looked up and said, "Mom, I'm still young, there's no rush." As soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped on the head.
"You still say it's small. Let me tell you, this year everyone is selling bricks and doing work, and they have some money in their hands, especially those who have skills. Ah Fu from next door earns a lot just because he has the skill of making kangs. I heard that his family is planning to find a girl for Ah Fu next year, and they are going to rebuild their brick and tile house." The woman looked disappointed.
"Also, I heard that the county government has made some bellows and iron pots. The bellows are used to make fire and cook, and the iron pot is used to stir-fry. Some wealthy families in our village have already used them. I went to take a look a few days ago and was really amazed. When the bellows is pushed and pulled, the fire will burn very vigorously. The same goes for the iron pot. It is said that the dishes fried in it are more delicious than those stewed. Now, there are many more carpenters and blacksmiths in the county. Girls at home are already keeping an eye on them, hoping to find a good marriage. You..." The woman chattered on for a long time.
"Mother, this matter cannot be rushed, but I have also seen the bellows and iron pots you mentioned. I will buy a batch of them for our family after I receive my salary before the New Year. I guarantee that they can be used this year."
Aman was calculating the salary in his mind. Lord Lin was considerate of his subordinates and it was said that there would be an extra reward during the New Year. The bellows was okay, but the iron pot did cost some money.
The woman was pleasantly surprised and said, "My son is really capable. If you ask me, my son works in the county government office, which is better than them making kangs and bellows..."
Aman interrupted, "Mother, you're here again." He finished his meal in a few seconds, put the dishes and chopsticks back into the kitchen, and his men quickly cut the meat and stewed it, preparing for the sacrifice.
Lin Shuge was busy for the whole day. Ordinary people only needed to worship their ancestors at home, but the county government had to worship various gods. All matters had to be reviewed by him, and it was almost dark when he finished.
He dragged his hungry body towards the inner house, and looked up to see Xie Chen riding a horse towards him. After seeing him, he got off the horse and walked towards him with something in his hand.
"Brother, are you hungry? The army went out hunting today and got a lot of prey. I asked the cook to cook according to your method. Come and try it." Xie Chen looked at his tired face, raised his head and touched his fair cheek, and said with some heartache.
"That's great. I'm almost starving. By the way, there is Laba porridge in the county government canteen. You can try a bowl too." Lin Shuge walked towards the room with him side by side.
"Laba porridge? The whole day today the county has been filled with the aroma of rice. It must be the Laba porridge, right?" Xie Chen picked up Xiaobai who ran over and grabbed Lin Shuge's calf.
"Yes, I gave the recipe to some restaurants in the county a few days ago and asked them to make it today to attract diners. When someone asked for the recipe, they taught it to them. The recipe is simple and delicious, plus there is a festival effect, so it was naturally launched." Lin Shuge saw Xiaobai scratching the food box in Xie Chen's hand with his claws, so he picked it up and brought it over. He felt how heavy it was when he held it in his arms. It was so heavy.
Xie Chen noticed that he said a few words he had never heard of before. His eyes moved slightly, and he calmly talked to him about the bellows.
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