Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 64 Water Forging and Kiln (Please read 4k words)

Luoyang.

Five-colored sticks hung high above the city gate.

The Northern Commandant's Office under the Luoyang Magistrate.

"Aman, you beat Jian Shuo's godson today, why did you have to go to such lengths!"

Although he was no longer young, with a beard and a slightly shorter stature, Cao Cao still retained a youthful spirit.

"Let him be beaten! He's capable of bullying the innocent in the street, so he deserves my Five-Colored Cudgel! So what if Jian Shuo is one of the Ten Attendants? Do you think I'm afraid of him?!"

"You, you, this is not how an official should conduct himself."

The person in charge of admonishing him sighed with pity: "The officialdom is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions. If you give me a break today, I will make things easier for you tomorrow. But you block all the way up from the start. How will we get along in the future?"

"Enough, enough. If you could change your temperament, you would have done so long ago. If it weren't for my close relationship with your father, I might be the one impeaching you today!"

"I will remember the Ming court's teachings, but I simply cannot stand those scoundrels flaunting their power!"

Cao Cao remained as outspoken as ever, prompting the Luoyang magistrate at the head of the table to shake his head in dismay: "Alright, alright, just stay out of trouble for now. You'll be being sent out soon, so I wish you a promotion in advance."

After saying that, he got up and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Cao Cao pondered, "An external assignment... a demotion in name only?"

"Commander, are you going to personally go on the street patrol later?"

As he pondered, an official entered from outside the door to inquire.

"You may leave now; I have official business to attend to later."

"promise!"

The outskirts of Luoyang.

Inside the magnificent private residence, the handsome and distinguished Yuan Shao greeted the two men who entered with a smile.

"Brother Meng Zhuo, it is truly a great honor for Shao to have invited one of the Eight Chefs like you."

"Brother Boqiu, it's been a long time since I last saw you. You still look as dashing as ever. It's all thanks to your acquaintance with Brother Mengzhuo that Shao was able to meet such distinguished and talented people!"

"Hahaha, Brother Benchu, you flatter us. With your heart set on eliminating the traitors, how could we not come!"

He Yong stroked his beard and smiled, then introduced Zhang Miao to him: "This is Yuan Benchu, a man from a family that has held high office for four generations. He is devoted to public service and only seeks to eliminate the eunuch faction. His wish is the same as Brother Mengzhuo's. We should have a good chat today."

Zhang Miao nodded and cupped his hands towards Yuan Shao: "I have long admired the Yuan family's reputation. It is an honor to meet you here today."

"Oh, not at all. It's a great honor for Shaozhi that Chef Zhang Mengzhuo has come to my private residence. Please come in."

Deep within the private residence, lavish banquets and feasts of wine and women were held.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, the intricate details of important court affairs were constantly being discussed.

After a while, Zhang Miao, who was quite drunk, stood up and roared, "I wish I could exterminate all the eunuch traitors!"

Then he fell asleep immediately.

Yuan Shao, sitting at the head of the table, and He Yong, sitting to the side, both smiled.

"Meng Zhuo is not a good drinker, but this new wine from Changshan is indeed intoxicating. I even feel drowsy after drinking it."

Yuan Shao chuckled and shook his head, then ordered his men to carry Zhang Miao away.

After a moment of silence, he turned to He Yong and said, "Boqiu is always efficient in his work, and we have many like-minded people among us."

He Yong nodded and smiled slightly: "It is entirely thanks to the wealth of the Yuan family that we have been able to protect so many persecuted scholars, but now we are still missing one."

Yuan Shao understood: "Naturally, I must personally go to that place to make this matter successful!"

"Then I wish you all the best in the future!"

"Haha, everything will go smoothly!"

Yuan Shao raised his wine cup and drank with He Yong.

After the banquet, in his bedroom, Yuan Shao, facing the bronze mirror, once again began practicing his daily facial expressions, a habit he had maintained for many years.

He rose from being a concubine's son to the forefront by controlling his facial expressions and his attitude towards others.

Through the bronze mirror, his bright eyes revealed boundless desire.

'The eunuchs die? No! I want them all dead! The Ten Attendants, and the entire Han Dynasty!'
-
Peach Blossom Spring.

"Take this, decoct it in water and drink it twice a day. The symptoms will disappear within seven days."

Zhang Xian, who was in the pharmacy, deftly handed a medicine packet to a patient who had come to Taoyuan for medical treatment.

His daily routine consisted of these: practicing martial arts, managing his home and livestock, curing patients whose conditions ordinary doctors couldn't diagnose, and training the people of Peach Blossom Spring.

He keeps his schedule packed almost every day.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Zixu. However, I have another request. May I ask if that's alright?"

After receiving the medicine, the patient did not leave immediately, but instead continued to chat with Zhang Xian.

"Sir, please speak freely. I will not refuse to help if I can."

His expression remained warm and gentle.

"I certainly wouldn't dare trouble you with important matters, sir. I am a man of principle. However, seeing the prosperity of Taoyuan today, I wonder if you would be willing to purchase some of the local products?"

"oh--,"

Zhang Xian's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What does your village produce, sir?"

"It's just some ordinary grains and some animal hides and horns. Peach Blossom Spring is much closer to here than to Zhen Ding."

"It can be sent over, I'm willing to accept it, but the price will naturally be the purchase price, and I won't pay more."

It's a good thing that some villages want to trade with Taoyuan, so he naturally won't refuse.

"That's how it should be, that's how it should be. Then this old man will take his leave and will send someone over tomorrow."

Zhang Xian nodded and watched him leave.

The patient had barely left when Xiahou Lan rushed over.

"Brother Xian, the waterwheel that Mr. Gongzhi made is finished!"

"Great!" Zhang Xian exclaimed with delight, stepping over the medicine counter. "Let's go take a look!"

The two hurriedly ran out of the pharmacy. By the stream, a two-meter-high dam had blocked and stored the water.

The walls, constructed of rammed earth and pebbles, are sturdy. At the far end, water rushes down, and a waterwheel is spinning continuously, propelled by the current.

Han Ji was also there at this time, standing under the waterwheel, looking up and nodding from time to time: "It's a bit small, but the power should be enough."

Beside him, the protruding connecting rod of the waterwheel creaked and groaned, and there were several gears and a solid iron block fixed in place.

The iron block is prismatic, large in the middle and small at both ends. If several parts are connected, the power of the waterwheel can drive this hammer.

"Sir, is this item ready?"

Zhang Xian jogged over, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the turning waterwheel and a high platform built by the stream, where several earthen and stone furnaces stood.

That's the location for the blacksmith's shop. Once Han Ji confirms that the waterwheel is usable, Taoyuan will begin smelting iron.

Not only iron smelting, but also water-powered mills are being prepared. With the help of water power, Taoyuan's productivity will increase significantly.

More importantly, the armor plates used to make the armor can be produced quickly!

Business dealings with the Zhou family had allowed Taoyuan to accumulate a considerable amount of iron ore. The raw materials were sufficient, and the estate also had blacksmiths under its care. Now, with Han Ji's water-forging technique, the iron smelting industry could be said to have a perfect start. "My lord has arrived." Han Ji cupped his hands to Zhang Xian, then turned his gaze to the items, stroking his beard thoughtfully before replying, "It should be possible; we'll see after we try!"

“Yes, we’ll know once we try it. Brother Lan, go and invite Master He over. We’ll test the fire in the furnace today.”

"Hey!" Xiahou Lan cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and ran towards the manor.

Zhang Xian walked up to Han Ji and examined all the objects that were not yet connected.

The wooden gear next to the connecting rod is movable; simply push it towards the connecting rod to drive the next gear.

In addition to the water-powered forging hammer, the air intake pipes of several furnaces can also be driven by waterwheels, thereby continuously supplying oxygen to the blacksmith's furnace to increase the furnace temperature.

These were his inspirations. After coming up with them, he told Han Ji to take charge of making them. Now, after more than half a month, he can finally start trying them out.

Han Ji waved his hand, directing several Taoyuan laborers who were waiting nearby: "Put in the stop pin to stop the waterwheel first."

"Yes." The group stepped forward and stopped the waterwheel.

Seeing that the waterwheel had stopped, Zhang Xianhan personally took charge, fixing the connecting rod, which was as thick as a man's thigh, onto the rotating wheel, and then moved the transmission rod of the water forging hammer.

The drive rod of the water forging hammer is equally impressive, even thicker than the connecting rod of the waterwheel, with a row of neat protrusions at the front end, though they vary in length.

A row of teeth of varying lengths are directly embedded in the transmission rod; this is the key to making the water forging hammer move after the waterwheel connecting rod drives the gear.

When the gear comes into contact with the protrusion on the transmission rod of the water forging hammer, it will lift the water forging hammer high. After it turns around and loses contact, the water forging hammer will fall directly down.

These protrusions represent the height the water forging hammer lifts. The longer the protrusion, the higher the water forging hammer lifts; the shorter the protrusion, the lower the height, but the faster the frequency.

The transmission rod of the water forging hammer can move back and forth and left and right. Although it is quite cumbersome to move, Han Ji's ingenuity is fully demonstrated here.

Connecting all the items together, Han Ji waved for someone to remove the waterwheel's stopper.

The water jet, several meters high, started turning the waterwheel again.

However, compared to the initial rotation speed, the waterwheel is now rotating significantly slower.

However, the results still met Zhang Xian's expectations.

The water forging hammer was lifted up by the waterwheel and then fell down again.

The thick logs on both sides of the hammer effectively restrained its fall, ensuring that each strike landed precisely in the intended location.

The animal hide duct bulged up, and a steady stream of air was blown into the furnace. However, the furnace was not yet lit, so blowing air was useless. So the connection was simply disconnected.

Otherwise, the blacksmith's furnace won't be able to be lit later.

The water-powered forging hammer roared, but Zhang Xian grew to love it more and more as he looked at it. This thing was great! With this, the speed at which impurities in iron ingots could be removed by hand would increase many times over.

It is often said that steel is forged through repeated tempering; even hundreds of blows by human hands cannot compare to a dozen or so blows from a water-forging hammer.

However, safety must still be taken into account; we cannot ignore safety just for the sake of production capacity.

After the water forging hammer struck the ground a dozen times, Zhang Xian waved his hand and had someone push the transmission rod away, and the water forging hammer fell silent.

At that moment, Xiahou Lan also arrived with blacksmith Master He.

Although he is called a blacksmith, strictly speaking he is just a blacksmith apprentice, otherwise he would not have fallen on hard times and ended up in Peach Blossom Spring.

But the apprenticeship is enough. He doesn't need to forge any divine weapons now; he just needs to make some armor plates.

They might even forge large pieces of iron, then modify the hammerhead of the water-forging hammer and cut it directly into small armor plates.

With the help of water conservancy, even drilling holes in the armor plates became simple; all you needed to do was change to a sharp hammer head, and you could make a hole with just one strike.

What? You're asking what to do if the iron sheet is too hard and the forging hammer just smashes it open?
Why don't you make the hole when the iron sheet is hot?

"Master Manor." Master He was panting, clearly having run all the way here.

"No need to be polite, Blacksmith He, please start the furnace."

Zhang Xian nodded slightly and said something, and Master He went up to a blacksmith's furnace and started a fire.

There wasn't much charcoal in Taoyuan, but it was certainly enough for testing the furnace. Charcoal was still the mainstream fuel for iron smelting in the Han Dynasty, and it wasn't difficult to obtain.

It could even be said that Taoyuan could open its own charcoal kiln for firing. Han Ji's arrival was not just that of a scholar; he also brought a great deal of craftsmanship from this era, including kilns.

There are single kilns, connected kilns, tall kilns, and short kilns. Han Ji wrote a lot about these things in his spare time, and they are now kept in Zhang Xian's bedroom.

That's why he's considered a talented person.

The waterwheel rumbled, and the fire in the blacksmith's forge ignited the charcoal as the wood burned.

The air ducts were reconnected, the bellows gurgled, and the flames burned brighter and brighter. He the blacksmith wiped the sweat from his forehead and threw a piece of pig iron into the furnace. The iron gradually turned red in the high temperature, eventually even approaching scorching white.

"It's overcooked! It's too hot!" Han Ji shouted hurriedly. "Take it out quickly, or it will ruin the material. How come your blacksmithing skills are so rusty?"

"I was a little nervous," He the blacksmith stammered as he picked up the iron, feeling regretful.

Zhang Xian stared at the leaping flames in the furnace and shook his head: "Don't rush, don't be nervous. Just like you used to be when you were an apprentice, try hammering it."

He stepped forward and pushed the transmission rod of the water forging hammer, which was connected to a short cam. The water forging hammer was seen to rise slightly and then fall quickly.

He instructed, "Pay attention to the rhythm of the hammer blows; you only need to control the iron material."

Perhaps comforted by his words, He the blacksmith felt much more at ease and, following his past experience in blacksmithing, began to place the iron material under the water forging hammer.

Clang clang clang.

The rhythmic hammering continued, sparks flew, and layers of oxidized impurities peeled off the iron.

Seeing that He the blacksmith was in the zone, Zhang Xian said, "I'm going to raise the height of the forging hammer now, and the hammering frequency will slow down. Be careful to control it."

"I understand perfectly, Master He." He the blacksmith exhaled a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Han Ji, watching from the side, kept shaking his head.

Zhang Xian connected the transmission rod of the water forging hammer to the long cam, and suddenly the rhythm of blacksmithing changed, with the forging hammer being raised to a height of more than a person.

"Blacksmith He, try to forge the iron into a sheet, about the thickness of a fingernail crescent."

"Yes, Master."

He the blacksmith devoted himself to blacksmithing.

Zhang Xian clapped his hands and came to Han Ji and Xiahou Lan's side.

"Alan, how long can our charcoal reserves last?"

Xiahou Lan thought for a moment and replied, "It does weigh a thousand catties."

Zhang Xian nodded and looked at Han Ji.

Han Ji said, "At the current rate of consumption, it can only last for another half month at most. If we want to smelt iron on a large scale, we must build charcoal kilns as soon as possible."

"Then let's get started on the preparations. I remember you once said you had experience in kiln building?"

"Indeed." A hint of excitement flashed in Han Ji's eyes: "When I was on the run, I helped a wealthy family build a kiln."

"Let's use a multi-unit kiln. Taoyuan has plenty of land, and the efficiency of a multi-unit kiln far exceeds that of a single kiln."

Zhang Xian pondered for a moment and said, "You can make the decision on this. As for the personnel and supplies on the estate, I'll have Alan assist you."

As he spoke, he looked at Xiahou Lan and said, "Why don't you spend your free time following Mr. Gongzhi?"

"Understood, Brother Xian."

Xiahou Lan nodded.

(End of this chapter)