The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 48 - Iron Smelting

For Zhao Xu, though he had to part with some silver, the land was now in his possession.

To the regional magnates, land was merely a tool for profit. But for him, it was the key to gaining the support of the people in Yan Prefecture.

Thus, while the magnates could abandon land for silver, he could not.

“Your Highness is truly wise, sacrificing small profits for greater good. With tens of thousands of mu of land now acquired, more than half of Yan Prefecture’s land is under the Prince’s Mansion,” Liu Fu thought, his heart racing with excitement.

As for the remaining land, it was still held by the Zhang Family and several other regional magnates. However, this did not affect the overall situation.

With the matter settled, Zhao Xu instructed Liu Fu to bring out the contracts for the magnates to sign one by one, serving as proof of their investment in the business guild.

Once the agreements were signed, Zhao Xu continued, “By handing over the land, you have shown great righteousness. In the future, I will not treat you unfairly. The Prince’s Mansion will have more profitable ventures, and there will be odd jobs available for you.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” the group replied, beaming with smiles.

This promise was particularly significant for the Dong Family, Yang Family, and Lv Family, who had already benefited from the Prince’s Mansion. Supporting the mansion was a duty they could not shirk.

They were the first to sign the contracts, having no other path to take.

As for the other magnates, they had long envied the businesses of these families. The Prince’s Mansion now sold liquor in large quantities, requiring a massive number of liquor jars, which meant considerable silver.

Next, Zhao Xu discussed the structure of the business guild with everyone.

The Yan Prefecture Merchant House was jointly established by the regional magnates of Yan Prefecture. Each family had to contribute to the guild.

With the magnates now participating in the profit-sharing, Zhao Xu decided to entrust the sale of the Prince’s Mansion’s liquor to the guild, allowing them to keep track of sales for transparency.

Additionally, similar to the ice-making venture, the magnates had to provide personnel for sales, while the Prince’s Mansion was only responsible for production.

Beyond the existing profit-sharing, any family that could sell additional liquor would receive a commission.

“Commission, now that’s a novel concept,” Dong Yuan chuckled, stroking his beard.

Prince Yan’s proposal was exactly what he had hoped for. With many family members and no land, they could now sell liquor.

As the guild grew, their profits would increase.

With the matter settled, the magnates looked at Zhao Xu with a slightly different gaze. At this moment, Zhao Xu was not only Prince Yan but also their benefactor.

They had no choice but to follow Prince Yan.

The busy morning stretched into noon. Zhao Xu had the Prince’s Mansion prepare a banquet for the magnates.

Unlike previous occasions, this felt more like a modern company’s inaugural banquet. The magnates discussed not romance but how to expand the guild and sell more of its goods.

After an hour of lively drinking, most of the magnates left in a drunken stupor.

Zhao Xu was also slightly tipsy. Returning to his bedchamber, Luan’er was ready to help him settle down.

Just then, Feng’er entered.

“Your Highness, it seems you won’t be sleeping just yet. Mr. Wang from the Armory Office has sent someone, requesting your presence to observe the iron smelting,” Feng’er said with a smile.

Luan’er gently stroked Zhao Xu’s back, pouting, “What’s there to see in iron smelting?”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu sobered up considerably. He tapped Luan’er’s head lightly, “You little girl, you don’t understand. This is a crucial national resource.”

Leaping from the bed, he hurried to the Armory Office.

“Your Highness, this way.”

Upon learning that Zhao Xu had arrived, Wang Ying emerged from the Armory Office. Instead of wearing his official robe, he was dressed in a simple short shirt, his face smudged with soot. Yet, Wang Ying carried an air of fervent excitement and anticipation.

Following Wang Ying into the Armory Office, Zhao Xu saw two towering structures over three meters high in the inner courtyard. These were the primitive blast furnaces. The Armory Office’s blast furnaces were crafted from clay used for ceramics, serving as natural fire-resistant bricks. The top of the furnace was covered, with two openings below-one connected to the blast furnace and the other for liquid iron to flow out.

“Your Highness, the coke and limestone have been prepared as instructed. The coke was slow-burned in the kiln, and the limestone was quarried from the Yan Mountains,” Wang Ying reported. After receiving Zhao Xu’s iron smelting method, he had pondered over it all night. By the next day, he had ordered the construction of the blast furnace and the gathering of materials. Once everything was ready, he informed Prince Yan.

“Let’s begin,” Zhao Xu said, feeling a surge of excitement. In his view, the ancients were not lacking in intelligence. Some of their exquisite skills were even beyond modern replication. They simply needed a guide to lead them down the right path. Undoubtedly, he was that guide now. Thus, in this iron smelting endeavor, he would only provide Wang Ying with some pointers, leaving the rest for him to figure out. As expected, Wang Ying had prepared everything meticulously.

“Light the blast furnace,” Zhao Xu ordered. He hadn’t yet disclosed the detailed process of iron smelting to Wang Ying, which was why Wang Ying was eager to consult him. Following his command, the craftsmen ignited the coal briquettes in the blast furnace and started the bellows. Zhao Xu then instructed the craftsmen to add iron ore, limestone, and coke in the specified proportions. Once done, Zhao Xu and Wang Ying stood aside, awaiting the results.

“Your Highness, what is the pool below for?” Wang Ying inquired. Zhao Xu glanced at the pool in front of the blast furnace. Once the liquid iron flowed out, it would enter this pool. Three craftsmen stood nearby with rods in hand. Zhao Xu explained, “Iron is classified as pig iron and wrought iron. The freshly smelted iron is pig iron, high in carbon. Stirring it while hot burns off impurities, and once the liquid iron cools, it becomes wrought iron. This method is called the puddling process.”

Wang Ying understood the concepts of pig iron and wrought iron, but he was unfamiliar with the idea that the iron’s state depended on its carbon content. Hearing this for the first time, he was greatly astonished. “So that’s how it is,” he exclaimed.

Zhao Xu nodded and continued, “Afterward, the wrought iron can be melted in a graphite crucible to produce steel.”

“Graphite crucible?” Wang Ying asked, puzzled. He had once prided himself on knowing all the world’s techniques, but Zhao Xu’s brief explanation had left him feeling quite unsure.

“There is an inkstone made from black stone, the cheapest kind. That black stone is graphite,” Zhao Xu elaborated. With the wrought iron produced, the entire steel-making process was essentially complete for him. All that remained was to create the graphite crucible. His knowledge informed him that graphite inkstones existed in ancient times. For scholars, paper, ink, brush, and inkstone were indispensable. Thus, he proposed it directly, making it easy for Wang Ying to understand.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ying suddenly understood. Zhao Xu then explained the method for making the graphite crucible to Wang Ying. As they chatted, less than an hour passed before a craftsman suddenly called out. A thin, fiery red line emerged from the blast furnace. Wang Ying rushed forward to inspect it, overjoyed.

“It’s real, the iron has truly turned into liquid,” Wang Ying said, looking bewildered. The craftsmen were equally stunned. Initially skeptical, they were now convinced after witnessing it firsthand. Zhao Xu, however, remained composed. The ancients couldn’t smelt liquid iron because the fire’s temperature wasn’t high enough. Iron melts at over 1500 degrees, and by using coke and a blast furnace to blow hot air in, he had raised the temperature sufficiently.

Amidst the crowd’s exclamations, the line of liquid iron grew thicker, flowing steadily into the pool below. The red glow of the fire made Wang Ying’s face as red as iron.