So what if I traveled through time? I'll continue to roll in another place

Xiao Yueshan had been busy all day and quickly started to wash, change clothes and prepare for bed.

"Hey, you've finished your work, but I haven't talked about mine yet." Zhou Yao hugged her. They finally had some time together, and he didn't want to let her fall asleep so soon.

"What else do you want?" Xiao Yueshan looked at him helplessly. Why is this guy always so energetic?

"I recently handed over the work of the Hanlin Academy to the Ministry of Works. The Yuheng Qingli Division of the Ministry of Works is in charge of manufacturing, receiving and sending various official utensils, verifying military expenses, military supplies, and military expenditures in various places, and is in charge of the national measurement system, smelting and minting coins, and purchasing copper, lead, saltpeter, etc. It is somewhat related to my original major."

Zhou Yao was rarely happy at work and spoke excitedly about it.

"It was because Shangshu Xu Miao saw the gravity cart I made during the Autumn Banquet and thought it was very ingenious that he went to the Ministry of Personnel to ask for my help and assigned me to the Ministry of Works."

Xiao Yueshan was also very excited. With the incident with Lu Jiayan, she also felt that it was passive to rely solely on personal connections to get into officialdom. If she did not have military power, she would always be at the mercy of others.

"How is the smelting level here? Can we make firearms now?" The transition from cold weapons to hot weapons is a revolutionary step, and she is also very interested in this.

Now Zhou Yao has gone to the Ministry of Industry, which has material resources and skilled craftsmen from all over the country. If the conditions for research and development are met, the technical bottleneck should be overcome quickly.

"It's not possible yet. First, the gunpowder's detonation speed is too low, so it can only be used for fireworks. The purity of the gunpowder's raw materials, the preparation process, the compression and sealing conditions are not up to par, and it is currently impossible to make weapons with relatively high lethality. Second, the smelting and casting technology is not yet in place. It may be possible to make large cannon barrels, but it is still impossible to make fine bird gun barrels."

Zhou Yao was very interested in this newly assigned task and had already gained a general understanding of the productivity level of the Zhao Dynasty.

"I think the most urgent task should be to improve the smelting and forging technology first. Many machines need sufficient technical support. For artillery, the higher the purity of the molten iron, the stronger the barrel will be. The cast shells will not have bumps. Moreover, the improvement of forging technology will also be beneficial to the combat effectiveness of the currently used cold weapons and the efficiency of industrial and agricultural production tools." Zhou Yao has obviously given it some thought.

The desire to enrich the country and strengthen the army that is in the bones of the Chinese people was ignited, and Xiao Yueshan also felt his blood boiling when he heard it.

"Yeah, I think what you said makes sense. At present, we are only improving the mining and metallurgy level, which will not easily expose our identity as time travelers. Once the casting technology reaches the requirements for casting cannons, it will be much faster to test the improved gunpowder."

Xiao Yueshan thought about it and decided that using the financial, material and human resources of the Ministry of Industry would be a good idea, but it would not be as free as doing research and development on their own. They still had to avoid attracting attention and not expose their ability to develop firearms too early.

"Then let's start with metallurgy." Zhou Yao said with a firm look in his eyes. Compared with the ways of the world and court struggles, he was better at down-to-earth technology research and development.

"This requires a lot of money and time. You must be prepared for trial and error." Xiao Yueshan said worriedly.

"It doesn't matter. Researchers are least afraid of trial and error." Zhou Yao said with a smile, "At least I have a clear idea of ​​the general direction. As long as I persist, I will definitely succeed."

When Xiao Yueshan first met Chu Changning in Shijue Temple, he found that all the flower vases in the courtyard were bronze, and thought that Chu Changning liked to use antiques.

Later it was discovered that except for some light industries related to ideology, culture and daily life, the Zhao Dynasty developed relatively advanced because of Empress Yang.

Many other areas are basically at the level of the Qin and Han Dynasties, and many are even quite backward. For example, sacrifices, myths, and the smelting that they are concerned about today, all have the legacy of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

"The Bronze Age is followed by the Iron Age, so the primary focus should be on improving the purity of molten iron and large-scale iron smelting and casting ironware," said Xiao Yueshan.

"That's right. Ironware here is very scarce at present. Most of the ironware is made of iron with a very low carbon content and soft properties obtained by directly reducing ore. The quality is poor, let alone mass production." Zhou Yao has already learned about it in detail.

"The Ministry of Works' records indicate that there is a large iron mine in Xizhou, which is under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture. This is the smelting center closest to Fengtian Prefecture. I would like to report to Lord Huai and go to the Xizhou mine and the nearby smelter in person to take a look." Zhou Yao discussed with Xiao Yueshan.

"But I really don't want to be separated from you. I don't know if you want to go. It's just that the journey is bumpy and it's my first time going there. I'm unfamiliar with the place and it might be dangerous. I think you'd be safer in the capital."

He was struggling with the issue of separation from Xiao Yueshan, which had troubled him for a long time. "Fortunately, Lu Jiayan is here with you. With her around, Junwu will definitely come every day, and you will be safer."

"Okay, I have no objection." Xiao Yueshan nodded and said, "But you must be careful when you go to Xizhou."

"Don't worry, I definitely will." Zhou Yao patted her hand soothingly.

The couple fell asleep snuggling together.

On the second day, Zhou Yao informed the Minister of Works Xu Miao and the Right Vice Minister Huai Wenhan of his idea, and both of them agreed with his idea.

Xu Miao had been very interested in what Zhou Yao said at the autumn banquet before. Now that he saw that Zhou Yao was very insightful and adapted to the role quickly, he liked the young man he had just recruited even more.

"It is said that 'the Ministry of Personnel is noble, the Ministry of Revenue is rich, the Ministry of Rites is poor, the Ministry of War is fierce, the Ministry of Justice is strict, and the Ministry of Works is cheap'. Everyone in the court says that my Ministry of Works is a 'cheap ministry', a whip that drives slaves to do hard labor. Compared with the Ministry of Personnel, which is in charge of the appointment and assessment of officials, and the Ministry of Revenue, which is in charge of money and grain, it is a department where officials who are not welcomed go.

I didn't expect that Mr. Zhou, who came from the Imperial Academy, could adapt to the Ministry of Works right away. I was right about you." Xu Miao was so happy that his eyes were hidden in his wrinkles.

"When Lord Zhou was supervising disaster relief in Jiangzhou, he had insights into military farming and water affairs. Later, he was framed because of his integrity. He must be pragmatic and capable." Huai Wenhan also admired Zhou Yao.

Xu Miao stroked his beard and continued, "Since Lord Zhou is so interested, I will approve it and send another officer, Wen Xiong, to go with you. However, Xizhou is remote and the mines are complicated, so Lord Zhou should be careful along the way. If you need anything, just let me know and the Ministry of Works will do its best to meet your needs. If you do a good job on this mission, it will be a great achievement."

After Zhou Yao thanked the two adults, he began to prepare for his trip to Xizhou. He not only read a lot of books about iron smelting, but also consulted experienced craftsmen everywhere. Wenxiong has been in charge of smelting and casting for more than 30 years and is very familiar with the current manufacturing process. The two discussed many things in depth.

Xiao Yueshan was also very happy to see Zhou Yao so excited, and helped him take care of the personnel and finances of his entourage.

Jiashu was almost recovered from his injuries at Zhou's house in Yangzhou Prefecture. She asked someone to tell them that when Zhou Yao returned from Xizhou, they could take Jiashu to Beijing together.

Zhou Yao was so busy that he couldn't keep his feet off the ground. Shou Junwu was also very interested in the trip to Xizhou. It was crossed out. He should be very interested in Lu Jiayan who was staying at Zhou's house.

Every day he was more diligent and punctual than his previous shifts. He ran to Zhou's house three times a day. Sometimes he brought Brother Zhou some plasters for bruises and injuries, sometimes he brought Brother Zhou some windproof and warm clothes, and sometimes he had some experiences in Xizhou to share with Brother Zhou.

Anyway, it didn't matter whether Brother Zhou had time to see him or not, as long as he could get in. Following Lu Jiayan, Xiao Yueshan spent more time with Shou Junwu than with Zhou Yao.

A few days later, after everything was ready, Zhou Yao and Wen Xiong set out on a journey to Xizhou with their followers. He was exhausted along the way, but his heart was filled with longing for his wife and a sense of mission.