Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 80: Steel, Reminder, Sacred Heart [Seeking Follow-up Reading]

Liu Kuan and others stayed on the small hill until midnight - it wasn't cold, but they were thirsty. Gong Zheng asked the clerks to bring water bottles, teacups and some chairs.

It’s just past midnight.

The craftsmen beside the blast furnace burst into huge cheers.

"It's made of steel!"

"Absolutely right, look at the color of this light, it's molten steel!"

"Quick! Send it to the mixing furnace to stir!"

After the cheers subsided, the craftsmen, under the command of the master craftsman, sent the molten steel produced in the converter for stirring - according to the information provided by Liu Kuan, this step could slightly improve the quality of the steel.

The stirring time is not long. After the temperature of the molten steel drops slightly, it is sent into the mold and poured.

Most are cast into lengths of steel, while a few are rough billets cast into something.

After busying around for a while, Master Tang brought a few craftsmen and delivered a piece of steel to the small slope.

"Liu Fulang, Factory Supervisor, Factory Director, we have successfully fulfilled our mission and produced steel using our blast furnace and converter!"

"The quality of this steel is in no way inferior to the steel previously refined in the ironworks. Gentlemen, please inspect it on the spot!"

As Master Tang spoke, his gray beard twitched and his round, red face was filled with excitement.

Officials such as Liu Kuan were also very excited at this time and believed that Master Tang would not lie, but they still ordered people to inspect the quality of the steel on the spot.

The method is very simple, just chop with the well-forged thirty-refined steel knife.

The soldier who was conducting the experiment chopped down the steel with his sword, leaving a clear cut mark on the steel, but a chip also appeared on the blade of the sword.

Then Gong Zheng picked up the steel and took a closer look at the knife marks. He saw lines faintly visible, and it was undoubtedly good steel!
Liu Kuan looked closer and nodded, then asked, "How many kilograms of steel can this furnace produce?"

Master Tang had extensive experience in smelting. Although not all the molten steel in the furnace had been taken out for cooling and weighing, he already had an idea in his mind.

Upon hearing this, he replied, "Master Deputy Lang, at least 2,800 kilograms of steel can be produced!"

This data is similar to the one calculated by Liu Kuan and others before.

In later generations, conditions in all aspects were better, and the steel-out rate after the molten iron was fed into the converter almost reached 1:1.

The conditions of Liuhe Iron and Steel Plant today cannot be compared with those of later generations. The steel output rate is more than 90%, which is already very good.

In fact, since there are only so many impurities in molten iron, the steel output rate cannot be too low.

Liu Kuan said again: "Has the big steel pot been cast? Bring it over and have a look."

"It has been cast."

After Master Tang answered, he waved his hand to signal several craftsmen to break a mold and bring over the rough casting.

When they got closer, Wang Buqun and others saw that it was a rough rough of a large pot with a diameter of nearly nine feet and a depth of more than three feet!

Although casting technology was quite advanced in the early Ming Dynasty, it was still difficult to cast such a large iron pot - not that it could not be cast, but it was difficult to ensure the quality.

Because the larger the iron pan, the easier it is to break.

The super-large pot made of molten steel in front of him looked less than an inch thick. When it was placed on the ground by several craftsmen, it hardly shook, which showed its sturdiness.

Liu Kuan stepped forward and kicked it hard, causing pain in his foot. However, the pot only shook slightly and did not deform at all.

"The structure looks quite stable." Liu Kuan smiled. "Turn it over and get some hammers to test it."

The craftsmen did as they were told.

The big steel pot was overturned and fell to the ground.

The craftsman brought three sizes of hammers.

Liu Kuan took action again and banged the iron pot hard.

This time there were marks on the iron pan, but they were just small dents, not structural depressions.

Then, Liu Kuan asked a craftsman who was specialized in casting iron pots to inspect it again.

After inspecting it, the craftsman excitedly said, "Master, there's nothing wrong with this large iron pot. It only needs some polishing, and it will be useful for decades. It could even become a family heirloom!"

Liu Kuan nodded and said with a smile, "It seems that the steelmaking in the new furnace was indeed a success. You all have contributed. Director Wang and Director Gong will submit a list later, and the company will reward you accordingly." "Later, you will summarize the experience of this smelting and identify any areas that can be improved. We will start the furnace again tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."

"If there are no problems with this second smelting, we will cast a few boilers according to the drawings I gave you. Do you understand?"

The officials and craftsmen present immediately responded in unison, "Understood!"

After giving the instructions, Liu Kuan left and went back to the post station in Liuhe County to rest. It had been more than a month since he came to Daming, and except for his first night and his wedding night, this was the first time he stayed up until midnight.

···
Five days later.

Liu Kuan returned to the capital with his entourage, bringing back three boiler bodies of different sizes and two carts of various steel casting parts.

After entering the city from Yifeng Gate, the team headed straight to the power project team compound at the foot of Lime Mountain.

Upon hearing the news, Guo Tianwen brought a group of people to greet them at the gate of the courtyard.

When he saw Liu Kuan and others, he even forgot to greet them. His eyes seemed to be attracted by the boilers carried on the three carts.

Without waiting for the trucks to stop, Guo Tianwen climbed onto the front one and reached out to touch and knock on the boiler.

"Great! Great!" His eyes sparkled and he grinned broadly. "It's truly a steel boiler; it feels different just by touching it! With it, we can finally conduct a real steam engine test!"

Liu Kuan shook his head upon seeing this, and had to remind him: "Master Guo, be careful, the burrs on this boiler are very sharp, don't cut your hands."

Guo Tianwen turned a deaf ear and went inside the boiler to check again. He only came out of the boiler after the truck stopped in the yard.

Because the boiler had collected a lot of dust along the way, Guo Tianwen was also covered in dust, but he still had a happy smile on his face.

After he looked at the other two boilers and two large steel casting parts, he came over and saluted Liu Kuan.

Then he said, "Don't worry, Vice-President Liu. Now that we have the steel boiler, we will complete the test as soon as possible and build the steam engine!"

Seeing Guo Tianwen was a little carried away, Liu Kuan had to say again, "Master Guo! Steam engine testing is about stability and safety, not rushing!"

"If you fail to grasp the importance of the matter and cause a major accident due to negligence, don't blame me for replacing you mid-battle!"

Hearing these harsh words, Guo Tianwen was stunned for a moment, then put away his smile and bowed solemnly, "I understand - I was just too happy just now. When the test really comes, I will remember Deputy Liu's instructions and put safety first!"

Seeing Guo Tianwen's upright attitude, Liu Kuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that you understand. The steam engine is a groundbreaking invention and is of great significance to the Ming Dynasty. As long as it can be successfully built, it won't matter if it takes a little longer."

"The official knows."

Afterwards, while unloading, Liu Kuan inspected the power project team compound. Seeing that there were no problems, he left.
Fengxian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang threw a memorial into the basket with an unhappy look on his face.

"There are actually people who are submitting memorials to advise against the reform of the Liuhe Iron Works. How ridiculous!"

Zhu Biao happened to be there.

He took the memorial out of the basket and examined it, saying, "In my opinion, this Censor Cheng is just like the others who submitted memorials a few days ago. They only see the doubts and harms of the reforms, but not their benefits. They submitted the memorial for the sake of the court."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, "You're just blindly advising someone based on hearsay, without knowing the facts. Do you think you're thinking about the court? You're just seeking fame and reputation. You have no brains!"

Zhu Biao smiled helplessly and threw the memorial back into the basket.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his voice again, "Draft an imperial decree to recall all those who recently submitted petitions opposing the reform of the Liuhe Iron Works to the capital. I want to show them the results of the reform and see what else they have to say!"

Zhu Biao was moved when he heard this. "Father, do you want these people to watch the test firing of the new cannon together?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, "You guessed it right."

It turned out that after Liu Kuan successfully smelted molten steel at the Liuhe Iron and Steel Plant, he wrote a memorial and had it sent back to the capital to report to Zhu Yuanzhang, requesting the Ministry of Industry's Arsenal to send people to the Liuhe Iron and Steel Plant to assist in casting three new types of cannons.

Two days later, people from the Military Equipment Bureau arrived in Liuhe County.

Therefore, when Liu Kuan left Liuhe Iron and Steel Plant, the casting of the new cannon had already begun.

If nothing unexpected happens, the first batch of steel-cast cannons produced by the Liuhe Iron and Steel Plant will be transported to the capital in a while and handed over to the emperor's personal army for test firing.

If there is no problem with the artillery, it will be equipped first to the emperor's personal army.

It can be predicted that after being equipped with steel-cast field guns, rapid-fire guns, and tiger squat guns, and becoming proficient in relevant tactics, the Ming army's combat effectiveness will be greatly improved!

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　　Thanks to [Give me a bad name, all of which already exist] for the reward of 100 Qidian coins!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)