Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Chapter 137 Iron Refining Preparations

June 19th, morning.

The forest was still muddy after the rain. Peter stood in front of the iron mine deep in the forest north of Takhov village and took a deep breath of the air, which was mixed with the smell of mud and rust.

This mine has higher quality and greater output than the small iron mine next to Takhov village. It was previously controlled by the castle steward Ulrich and the bandit Kasper, who secretly mined it to make money.

Peter hadn't started mining even when he discovered it before, but now that he controlled the entire territory, he had no more scruples.

As for whether the surrounding lords will discover it?

After Peter looked through the parchment scrolls in Ulrich's house, he discovered that the old scoundrel had been secretly trading iron ore with several neighboring lords and knew everything that needed to be known.

That old bastard sold the iron ore at 5 hekels per pound, and with 200 pounds a day, that's 10 groschen silver coins, or 300 groschen a month. Meanwhile, Ulrich and Kasper worked together for two whole years to mine it!

When Peter found the secret storehouse beneath the castle based on the records, and discovered nearly 1 Grossens neatly packed in two large chests, he suddenly remembered that Zhao Dehan hadn't spent a single penny. Ulrich probably never dreamed that all the wealth he had painstakingly embezzled from the Borgo family would ultimately end up in his own hands.

Now that the wealth has been found, the news of the iron ore changing hands must have reached the surrounding lords as well.

Since we can't hide it, there's no need to. Speed ​​up mining, produce more iron ore, and smelt more steel to arm the army; only then can we cripple the enemy's teeth when they come to seize it!

"Sir, the prisoners have assembled."

Reinard, the militia captain of Takhov village, reported respectfully, his eyes filled with admiration for the young lord. Peter hadn't assigned the task of guarding the mines to the Lion Guard, but instead entrusted it to the militia of Takhov village. These militiamen received a daily stipend of 1 pfennig, for which they were extremely grateful.

Peter took a deep breath and turned to look at the prisoners of war from the trench warfare and the siege of Nebakov. They were cowering, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and numbness.

Peter had captured over 270 of von Polgao's vassal troops in the previous trench battle and 300 of Prague's collaborators in the siege of Nebakov. In the past, Peter might have converted some of these prisoners into the Griffin Guard. Now, as lord, the vast majority of the Griffin Guard's members would be selected from the local village militias.

The prerequisite for the regularization of the military is the regularization of its recruitment. A force composed of respectable men and free citizens is more stable and cost-effective than a force formed from bandits.

Peter couldn't possibly support so many prisoners for nothing, so they became the cheapest "slave laborers" in various labor situations—without wages, only simple accommodations and cheap meals.

Some were assigned to carpentry groups to continue logging, some went to the farmland water conservancy department to dig irrigation canals, and some went to the road and bridge engineering department to repair bridges and pave roads, but most went to work in military factories where troops were on guard.

For example, 150 prisoners were brought to this iron mine.

"From this day forward," Peter's voice echoed in front of the mine, "you will labor here to atone for your sins. But I tell you, your labor will not be in vain; for every month's quota you complete, your sentence will be reduced by ten days."

Whispers arose among the prisoners. A burly man with a scarred face said, "They make it sound nice, but they still want us to do hard labor!"

Peter's gaze locked onto the speaker: "You're Wall, right? I've heard of you, the warrior who fought to the last moment before being disarmed." Peter made no attempt to hide his admiration for the warrior. He slowly stepped closer to him. "But in the previous talent statistic, you said you were the best miner in Prague. Here, your skills won't be overlooked."

Wall was stunned; he hadn't expected the young lord to know his name and special skills.

"In my mine," Peter said, looking around at everyone, "skills are wealth. Those who know carpentry will be responsible for reinforcing the mine shafts; those who know metallurgy can work in the forge in the future. Those who perform exceptionally well will not only have their sentences reduced, but will also receive rewards."

A spark of hope ignited in the crowd. Peter knew that in this dog-eat-dog world, mere oppression would only sow the seeds of rebellion. What he wanted was not just subjugation, but also co-optation. These people might not be able to join the army in the future, but they could be transformed into workers. In short, labor could not be wasted.

Seeing that the prisoners had calmed down a bit, he waved his hand and said, "Let them go in and start digging!"

"Sir, should all these prisoners be shackled?" the militia captain asked in a low voice. Their Takhov village militia consisted of sixty men, divided into two teams, changing shifts every two days. Guarding one hundred and fifty prisoners still felt a bit too much pressure.

"No need. The specifics of mining will be managed by others, and they'll be divided into two shifts, each working twelve hours," Peter whispered. "The mine is staffed 24/7, and the fatigue will make them forget many things. We can also employ some tactics to differentiate between them. For example, shifts that complete their quotas ahead of schedule can receive an extra piece of black bread on top of their regular meals. Those who fail to meet their quotas will be punished with food. This will significantly reduce the pressure on you supervisors."

"I understand, sir." The militia captain nodded, indicating that he had learned his lesson.

As everyone lined up to enter the cave, some people started making a fuss again.

"I protest! I am a nobleman! You shouldn't treat me like this! I can pay a ransom, a lot of ransom!"

After being captured, Goat-Head Hanco did a few days of hard logging work, and now he had to go into the dark mine, which immediately broke him down.

"I have claustrophobia, I can't mine, I'll die in there."

The little-headed knight Hermann was equally terrified. Bohemia's mining industry was far less advanced than that of Germany, and news of mine collapses causing deaths was commonplace. The little-headed knight had clearly seen such things before and was extremely resistant.

Unfortunately, the surrounding militiamen ignored the clamor of these losers and simply gave them a pickaxe and a shovel, then pushed them in.

Deep within the mine, Captain Busek Dub, a vassal of von Polgár, was pounding his pickaxe against the rock wall. Sparks flew as he recalled the crushing defeat of a few days earlier: the red-haired youth, like a ghost, weaving through the heavily armored warriors, his sword tearing through chainmail and spurting blood. That swordsmanship... it didn't seem like a skill from this world. Afterward, he heard of the defeat of von Olić's Prague army, the extra Prague citizens in the prisoner-of-war camp being proof of it.

Strangely, Peter the Red never interrogated these people with titles and status, nor did he demand a ransom. Was he indifferent to money?

When he heard that Von Polgao had spent 4.5 Grossens to ransom his son, he was so angry that he cursed the Polgao father and son for cheating people! Being forced to work in this iron mine today made him even more desperate. With Red-Haired Peter having such a way to make money, he would probably never lack money again!

But Peter doesn't want the ransom, what should we do?

"Hurry up!"

The foreman's reprimands pulled him back to reality. Dub wiped the mine dust from his face and bitterly realized that his former glory had vanished with the defeat, and it seemed that all he had left was to endure the hardship.

In a forest clearing less than two miles from the mine, twenty charcoal pits lay sprawled on the ground like giant beasts that seemed to exhale smoke rings.

One hundred and fifty prisoners, under the guidance of charcoal burners, neatly stacked felled oak logs. The air was filled with the fresh scent of wood and the smell of burning. This was a charcoal production base配套 (supporting) the iron smelting. The militia and charcoal burners of Dravico village were responsible for managing this place.

Iron ore—charcoal—iron smelter can form a small industrial chain in the northern forests, reducing transportation losses.

But making charcoal proved more difficult than expected. The summer rainy season made the wood damp and difficult to ignite, ruining the entire first batch of charcoal. Matt, the old charcoal maker in charge of the project, was so anxious he developed blisters on his lips.

"Where did the problem lie?"

Peter's voice came from inside the iron mine. He had just finished his inspection and saw old Matt, who was fidgeting anxiously.

Matt said, trembling, "Sir, the wood is too wet. Even if God blesses us, we won't get any good charcoal if we burn it directly."

Peter crouched down and grabbed a handful of damp sawdust. He knew that overly damp wood would consume a lot of heat to evaporate the moisture, affecting the efficiency and quality of carbonization.

"Any suggestions?" Peter asked.

"Build a drying shed," Old Matt said. "You can saw the wood into standard sizes, dry it in the shed for three days, and then put it into the kiln. This will make the charcoal more uniform and increase the yield! It just will delay the charcoal-making process considerably."

Peter understood his concerns and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be impatient. I know you're eager to produce charcoal to work with the iron smelting. I understand, so I won't put too much pressure on you. Just build the drying shed as you wish."

In medieval Europe, charcoal burners held a very low social status, a unique and often marginalized group who worked alone in the forests, living a harsh life. They weren't even considered villagers. This is why the village of Dravico was located in a remote and isolated place. Lord Peter not only paid them wages but also treated them with such respect, deeply moving old Matt, who secretly vowed to build the new kiln as soon as possible and do his best for the Lord.

"I have a new idea."

Peter stroked his chin, recalling the charcoal-making techniques of China at the same time. Unlike the backward underground burning method in Europe, charcoal was fired in kilns during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty.

These charcoal kilns are typically arched caves dug into earthen slopes, equipped with specialized flues and fireboxes. This structure allows for better control of temperature and airflow within the kiln, significantly increasing charcoal yield and quality while reducing wood waste.

The charcoal kiln is ingeniously designed, allowing charcoal workers to judge the carbonization progress by observing the color of the smoke and the temperature of the kiln. The entire process is divided into several stages, including drying, pre-carbonization, carbonization, and calcination, but it requires a high degree of control over the "fire temperature." The timing of sealing the kiln and the choice of clay material are also crucial, as an oxygen-deficient, smoldering environment must be created in the shortest possible time.

Peter's high intelligence attribute of 17 points began to take effect. The charcoal kiln process he had seen when he was reading "Tiangong Kaiwu" came to mind. He immediately had someone find a large piece of birch bark, picked up a piece of charcoal, and started drawing on it. A Chinese version of a charcoal kiln blueprint emerged.

Old Matt stared in disbelief at the newly designed charcoal kiln blueprints. The structure drawn on birch bark was unlike anything he had ever seen before; the design of the flue, dampers, and observation holes was unbelievably ingenious.

"Is this...is this the work of God?" he muttered to himself.

Peter shook his head and said, "No! This is human wisdom from the East!"