Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 566 This is your graduation project
Looking at the various mineral specimens and test reports on the table, Lu Jin felt very happy and gratified. The students he had taught for several years were finally able to do things, just like the feeling a teacher has when they see their students become successful.

He rose and walked to the front of the imperial desk, pacing among the crowd. Everyone present quickly stood up as well; it wouldn't be right to leave His Majesty standing while they remained seated.

Lu Jin then said, "Now that we have these ores, we can smelt better steel materials, which will be of great use to the military, people's livelihood, and industry. Do you know what I have summoned you all here for today?"

Liu Fang immediately said, "Is Your Majesty going to assign us new tasks?"

“That’s right.” Lu Jin nodded, then said, “I said before that the Gongshu disciples are based on the Gongshu Secret Manual, and promote the progress of productivity by developing various crafts, so as to achieve the goal of having enough soldiers and food, benefiting the world, and enriching the country and strengthening the army.”

"Among all the crafts, let's talk about industry. The most important industry is heavy industry. Heavy industry is the cornerstone of all industries. As the saying goes, if the foundation is not solid, the ground will shake."

"So what is heavy industry? First of all, heavy industry must be heavy, and secondly, it must be large enough. Can someone tell me what industries are included in heavy industry?"

One of the students, named Du Feng, immediately raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, it is mining, metallurgy, chemical industry, and construction."

Lu Jin nodded upon hearing this, "That's right. As the saying goes, there are all kinds of trades and professions. No matter which trade, in order to maintain production, it is inevitable to use tools. And tools are all made of various metals. Soldiers need armor and weapons to fight, farmers need all kinds of farming tools to cultivate the land, and carpenters and blacksmiths cannot do without a wide variety of machinery. Metallurgy, especially iron and steel, is the cornerstone of all trades, but mining is a prerequisite for steelmaking."

"And then there's the chemical industry. Although it's not very prominent and only plays an auxiliary role in industry, it's indispensable to all walks of life. Even the vendors frying dough sticks and steaming pancakes on the street still need alum and alkali."

"And architecture is meant to provide spaces for production and living, as well as roads for transportation, for all of the above-mentioned purposes."

"Only when these four foundations—mining, metallurgy, chemical industry, and construction—are laid well can all other industries prosper and develop."

Lu Jin glanced at everyone again, "Now that we've worked hard for the past few years, we've accumulated some resources. It's time to start developing heavy industry. You are all top students in your science classes. Do you have the confidence to develop heavy industry and build the Ming Dynasty into a country where the people are prosperous and the military is strong?"

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

Seeing that he had aroused everyone's fighting spirit, Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction and then said, "At the end of last year, I bestowed titles upon the founding heroes. In our Great Ming Dynasty, the highest rank for non-royal members is Prince, followed by five ranks: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. However, last year's bestowal of titles only included some Dukes, Marquises, and Earls, without any Viscounts or Barons. Do you know why?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other and then shook their heads. Lu Jin then looked at them and said, "Because the titles of Viscount and Baron are reserved for you!"

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this and immediately looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lu Jin then said, "From now on, anyone who makes outstanding contributions to the two academies of science and technology of the imperial court can be granted the title of viscount or baron."

"Of course, titles are not bestowed arbitrarily. Even if I favor you and bestow titles upon you, if you do not have any real achievements to show for it, it will be difficult to convince the public and will attract criticism from the court officials and even the people of the world. Others will say that I appoint people based on favoritism and bestow rewards indiscriminately. So, if you want to be granted a title, you must show real achievements that people can see and touch."

"Furthermore, viscount and baron are not your final destination. The titles of duke, marquis, and earl are too conspicuous. They should not be conferred lightly unless one has made great contributions to the country. Otherwise, even if I am willing to confer titles, the court officials will not agree. Moreover, if titles are conferred indiscriminately, it will only make people think that the titles of our Great Ming are worthless. Who will be willing to work hard for the court in the future?"

Tao Guangyi immediately followed up by asking, "Your Majesty, but the Academy of Science and Technology cannot go to the battlefield, nor can they serve as government officials governing the people. So what should they do to be considered a contribution to the nation?"

"It's very simple. As I said before, we should increase grain production, cultivate useful livestock breeds, master synthetic ammonia, and ensure the country has an inexhaustible supply of gunpowder and fertilizer. We can also build structures, or even bridges and roads. If any of you are capable of building a bridge across the Yangtze River, that would be a great contribution to the country and would be worthy of being ennobled as a count. If you build several such bridges, it would not be impossible for you to be ennobled as a marquis."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances once more. Good heavens, building bridges across the Yangtze River, and more than one at that, was enough to earn a title of nobility. It seemed like one didn't need to fight on the battlefield to achieve merit, but the difficulty was probably no less than winning a major battle.
Lu Jin then said, "However, the two academies of science and technology and the two academies of industry and commerce have not been formally established yet, and there are no academicians. It's not that I'm unwilling to grant the academician status, but that no one in the world can meet my requirements right now. However, this time I'm giving you a chance to become academicians. Who still remembers what the admission standards for the two academies of science and technology and the two academies of industry and commerce are?"

A student named Xu Qiubai immediately raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, the standard for becoming an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering is to be the best in the world. You don't need to be proficient in every industry, but you must at least be the best in one industry or professional field."

“That’s right.” Lu Jin nodded. “So this time we’re giving you a chance to become number one in the world. The two academies of science and technology are here to solve problems for the court, the country, and the people.”

“You don’t need to do what ordinary people can do. Those who are selected for the two houses are meant to challenge what ordinary people consider impossible. You should not even bother to be second in the world. If you want to be, be first! Without this belief in striving for first place, you are not worthy of being in the two houses.”

"Yes!" everyone shouted in unison again.

After giving a 'pre-battle pep talk' to a group of students, Lu Jin said, "Then let's assign tasks for the future."

Everyone immediately stood up straight, chests out and heads held high, hoping His Majesty would call their names.

"Heavy industry should prioritize steel. Li Xianming, I remember you are the son of a worker at the Luzhou Ironworks. If I remember correctly, your father was a craftsman who repaired and built blast furnaces. You should be very familiar with blast furnaces, right? Have you ever worked with your father?"

Li Xianming immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I have helped my father build three furnaces and repaired more than a dozen furnaces in shifts. Later, I went to study at the factory-run school, which reduced my opportunities to work."

Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Have you heard about the entrance exam questions for Enke this time?"

“I’ve heard of it; it seems to be a question about blast furnaces,” Li Xianming nodded immediately.

"So, did you find it easy?"

"It is indeed simple."

Lu Jin nodded again and said, "They are only calculating the blast furnace volume and material consumption. But you, if you were to design a blast furnace yourself, would you be confident?"

Li Xianming did not act rashly out of enthusiasm, but carefully considered the matter for a moment before asking Lu Jin, "Whether I am confident or not, I cannot say. It depends on what targets His Majesty sets."

"Very good. You don't easily agree to things you're not sure about. It seems you have a good understanding of your own abilities, which makes things even more secure."

"As for my requirements for the new blast furnace, the furnace body must be made of steel, either riveted or welded, lined with refractory bricks, and use steam-powered blast and steam-powered packing. However, tapping iron and slag must still be done manually, and the annual output of a single furnace must not be less than 10,000 tons."

"However, it doesn't need to be too big. The total annual output should be within 50,000 tons, and the effective volume inside the furnace should be a few dozen cubic meters. What do you think? Are you confident?" Upon hearing this, Li Xianming frowned immediately and looked at Lu Jin, saying, "Your Majesty, may I calculate it first?"

"can."

So Li Xianming immediately took out his notebook and pencil, stood there and began to calculate, writing and drawing as he did so, while also muttering to himself.

'Dividing the annual output by the number of working days gives the daily output. A blast furnace taps iron six to eight times a day. Dividing the daily output by the number of taps per day gives the amount of iron tapped per tap. Dividing the amount of iron tapped per tap by the density gives the volume of iron tapped per tap, which is the approximate volume of the blast furnace. Once the volume is determined, the dimensions of the blast furnace can be calculated.'

After calculating for two or three minutes, Li Xianming put down his pen and said, "Your Majesty, if this furnace is 25 cubic meters, then the annual output should be about 10,000 tons; if it is 30 cubic meters, the annual output should be about 15,000 tons."

"The annual output of a 50 cubic meter plant is around 35,000 to 50,000 tons; a 100 cubic meter plant has an annual output of about 150,000 tons."

"According to His Majesty's requirements, it should be less than 50 cubic meters. This furnace should be about 2 to 3 meters in diameter and about 12 meters high. It should be at least twice as large as the existing brick-built blast furnaces in our ironworks. A single furnace can produce 30,000 to 50,000 tons of pig iron per year."

"Although the students have never built such a large furnace before, they can give it a try."

"Very good, then you will be the chief designer of this blast furnace. In addition, I will assign you two assistants." After Lu Jin finished speaking, he glanced at everyone again, and all the students present immediately stood up straight.

"Ji Zhili."

"arrive."

"You come out."

"And Wang Yue, you come out too."

"Yes."

"The three of you will form a furnace research group, with Li Xianming as the group leader, responsible for the overall design of this blast furnace. Ji Zhili is good at chemistry, so you will be responsible for the chemical part required for the blast furnace, such as testing the iron ore composition, making refractory bricks, etc. If it is acidic ore, use alkaline furnace lining, and if it is alkaline ore, use acidic furnace lining. In short, it needs to be neutralized in order to produce good steel."

"Wang Yue is good at mechanical and engineering coordination. You will be in charge of the actual processing and construction, especially the foundation of the blast furnace. Such a large furnace is no different from a small tower. How heavy is the entire furnace body plus the materials inside? Will it cause the foundation to collapse and sink? Will there be foundation settlement? Will such a tall furnace tilt and fall over?"
"Therefore, you must pay special attention to the selection of the blast furnace site and the construction of the foundation, and make detailed calculations. If all else fails, you can pour a reinforced concrete support platform and build the blast furnace on the concrete foundation."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue frowned and asked, "Your Majesty, where exactly should this furnace be built?"

"Of course, we should build it at the Dangtu Ironworks, which is close to the capital and has better conditions in all aspects. Otherwise, we wouldn't have chosen to build the factory there in the first place. In addition, there are already blast furnaces there, so there shouldn't be any major geological problems. However, we have never built such a large blast furnace before, which is why I asked you to pay more attention and be careful."

Wang Yue nodded, "I understand."

"So, do the three of you have any problems?"

"No problem!" the three replied in unison.

"Good. If this furnace is built, it will undoubtedly be the number one furnace in the world. At that time, I will let the three of you enter the Academy of Engineering together."

"It is said that the annual steel production in the Han Dynasty was 2500 tons, and in the Tang Dynasty it was 3900 tons. By the time of the Song Dynasty, due to the technology of iron smelting with coke and the urgent demand for iron pots, the steel production in the Song Dynasty surged, and it is said to be about 10 to 15 tons per year."

The three exchanged a glance, noticing the surprise in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected the Song Dynasty's steel production to be so staggering, exceeding that of the Han and Tang Dynasties by an order of magnitude. However, they were also puzzled: if the Song Dynasty produced so much iron annually, why couldn't it defeat the Liao, Jin, and Mongol dynasties?
But Lu Jin continued.

"What can this data comparison show? It shows that with the continuous progress of technology, productivity has indeed increased by leaps and bounds throughout history. Now we have new technologies. We have chemical knowledge to test the composition of ores. We have steam engines to blow air and can lift materials to heights that are inaccessible to human hands. Therefore, we can build larger blast furnaces."

"If such technological advancements were made, and the Ming Dynasty's steel production were still inferior to that of the former Song Dynasty, then there would be no point in thinking about benefiting the world, enriching the country and strengthening the army. It is estimated that they would not even be able to afford to make an iron pot for every household in the country."

"So you must do a good job. I'm giving you two or three years to build this blast furnace, and then to run it on a trial basis for one or two years. Treat it as an experimental project. If there are any problems, continue to improve it. Once it's fully finalized, each of you must submit at least a few high-quality papers. This blast furnace will be your three graduation projects."

"Once the technology matures, it can be promoted to other ironworks across the country. We originally had three ironworks in Luzhou, Dangtu and Xuzhou. Last year, we built seven more ironworks in the north, making a total of ten."

"If the furnaces you build can be widely adopted in these ten ironworks, with each ironworks producing 50,000 tons per year, then the national annual output will be 500,000 tons, which will allow us to surpass the peak of the former Song Dynasty in one fell swoop!"
"Whether our Ming Dynasty can achieve a leapfrog growth in steel production compared to the former Song Dynasty depends on the three of you."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we will certainly live up to your expectations!" the three replied immediately.

After making his promise, Li Xianming couldn't help but feel puzzled when Lu Jin mentioned the term "graduation project".

"Your Majesty, I have another question. You just said that this blast furnace is our graduation project. What does that mean? Does it mean that after we finish this blast furnace, we won't have to continue studying in the science class?"

"Of course you should continue reading. As the saying goes, one is never too old to learn. This is your graduation project, but it means that you have already entered the field of furnaces and kilns and can be called experts. At that time, you will have to continue to study on your own and also lead students to study together, so as to cultivate more talents for the court. Only in this way can the technology continue to improve."

"As for other disciplines, you should continue to study them, but in the future, you should still focus on furnaces and kilns as your main research direction. After you finish this blast furnace, there are air converters, cement rotary kilns, glass kilns, ceramic tunnel kilns, and steam boilers waiting for you. That's enough for you to study for a lifetime."

"However, no matter what time it is, you will always be my students, do you understand?"

The three of them waited until they heard the last sentence before bursting into laughter. "Yes, teacher."

(End of this chapter)