If there is a ship, there must be a cannon.

During the Zhengde period, China's steel production was equivalent to that of the whole of Europe combined, and its smelting technology also reached the peak of the world.

The frying method has been promoted nationwide, and the large-scale, mass production and continuous production mode of raw wrought iron have been realized. The molten pig iron smelted by the iron-making furnace flows directly into the iron-making furnace and is stirred with willow sticks to form wrought iron, which not only improves production efficiency, but also reduces charcoal consumption.

In Europe, it will take more than 200 years to invent a similar smelting furnace, which was popularized in China as early as the Chenghua period.

In addition, Europe uses iron rods to smelt molten pig iron, and only low-carbon wrought iron can be obtained. The Ming Dynasty stirred with willow sticks, and the carbon of the willow wood was mixed into the pig iron, slowing down the speed of pig iron decarbonization, and low-carbon steel could be directly obtained.

If the skill and luck of the steel frying master are good, there is still a chance to fry medium carbon steel, or even high carbon steel.

Of course, most of the time, only high-quality wrought iron can be fried. This situation is most common in government-run iron works, such as the Zunhua Iron Works in the north, which has been using criminals to fry steel, which is called "frying prisoners". Its mortality rate is extremely high, and it is said that nine out of ten "Gu Nineteen Deaths" will die, and they are often beaten to death or died of disease. If the lives of people who fry steel can't be saved, how can they improve their own frying technology?

The private iron factory is much more powerful, the most typical is Foshan!

In ancient China, salt and iron were monopolized, but the Ming Dynasty government did not control the iron smelting industry. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's thinking, the amount of steel produced by the government is enough, and there is no need to compete with the people. At that time, an official discovered a new iron ore mine and suggested that the emperor immediately nationalize it, but the horse's fart was slapped on the horse's leg and Zhu Yuanzhang was directly exiled overseas.

The blacksmith households in the Ming Dynasty served the heaviest and worked for the government for half a year. The lightest in service will work for the government for half a year out of five years. The rest of the time is freely allocated.

It was these favorable factors that led to the iron-smelting and steelmaking technology of the Ming Dynasty to reach the peak of the Chinese feudal dynasty and the world at that time.

However, Wang Yuan wants to cast cannons, and there is a very fatal situation, that is, the quality of China's iron ore is too low!

The large-scale use of coal to smelt iron in the north has led to more brittle iron, which is very easy to blow up when used for casting guns and cannons. Bamboo charcoal is still used in the south to smelt iron, and the quality is slightly better, but there are still many impurities, and the smelting cost is also very high.

Copper cannons are now commonly used in Europe, but unfortunately there is a serious shortage of copper in China, and the manufacturing cost of copper cannons is unbearable.

Then cast steel cannons?

Wang Yuan inquired about the blacksmiths, steelmaking was time-consuming and laborious, and the output was very low, so it was better to cast copper cannons from the cost point of view.

There were two main steelmaking methods in China at this time

One is the aforementioned fried steel, but the main products are wrought iron and low carbon steel, and the success rate of frying high-quality steel belongs to the category of metaphysics.

One is steel filling, and in the Ming Dynasty, there were improvements in two directions. One is the "pig iron covering method", which has been widely promoted across the country; The second is the "pig iron pouring method" Suzhou Iron and Steel, which currently only stays in the South Zhili area.

Comprehensive cost and quality considerations, Sugang casting cannon is the most cost-effective, but the price of Sugang is still countless times more expensive than copper!

What's even more embarrassing is that Wang Yuan, as the governor of Zhejiang, cannot run around at will during his term of office. The best iron and steel factories in the Ming Dynasty were mainly run by the government in the north and south of Zhili and Shanxi, and the private enterprises were mainly in Fujian, Guangdong and Huguang, and Zhejiang's iron-smelting and steel-making technology was really worrying.

When the Haining shipyard was building a large dock, Wang Yuan rode to Shaoxing, where Zhejiang's largest iron ore mine, Lizhu Iron Mine, was located.

The prefect of Shaoxing called Liang Qiao, and when he heard that the governor was inspecting, he immediately came to pay a visit.

But that's all, Liang Qiao belongs to the real Qing officials, and the visit to the governor is purely out of officialdom etiquette. Historically, as soon as his term in Shaoxing expired, he immediately returned to his hometown to serve his seriously ill mother. After sending his mother to the end, he studied hard behind closed doors for more than 20 years, during which he only accepted a few disciples, who were indifferent to fame and fortune, did not attach themselves to the powerful, and died of illness at home.

However, the magistrates of Huiji and Shanyin counties slapped their horses vigorously, annoying Wang Yuan so much that they were almost as good as Hangzhou Fucheng, and Shaoxing Fucheng was also split in half, half of which belonged to Shanyin County and half to Huiji County.

Wang Yuan came to visit, and when he saw the local magistrate, he naturally asked the government: "Shaoxing counties, how is the Guanyin statue rebuilt?" ”

Liang Qiao replied: "The old statues of Guanyin have all been demolished, a few new statues have been molded, and most of the new statues are still under construction. ”

Wang Yuan asked again: "Have you encountered resistance?" ”

Liang Qiao replied: "I know the governor's intentions, this is to rectify the bad habit of drowning babies, and there are countless living babies. A little resistance, not enough to worry about teeth. ”

Wang Yuan was very happy: "This governor must report to the imperial court and explain Liang Taishou's political achievements. ”

Liang Qiao didn't give a good face, and said: "No, the old mother in the family is very old, and she is often sick and bedridden. When my term expires next year, I will resign and return to my hometown, and my achievements will be of no use to me. Moreover, although I support the Governor's construction of the Angry Eyes Guanyin Statue, I oppose the Governor's opening of the sea in Zhejiang. Whether the Governor listens or not, I have to say a few things that I don't like. Opening the sea is beneficial to businessmen and harmful to small people! ”

"Hahahaha!"

Wang Yuan couldn't stop laughing, he felt that Liang Qiao had a good appetite, but his vision was a little worse, he said: "Then regardless of the matter of opening the sea, this governor Yao wishes Lingtang good health and a long life!" ”

Liang Qiao is a filial son, he likes to listen to this, and he also has a much better impression of Wang Yuan, and immediately hugged his fists and said: "Thank you Governor Jiyan." ”

He also encouraged the two magistrates of Huiji and Shanyin, and Wang Yuan temporarily stayed in the Shaoxing Hotel to rest.

The next day, accompanied by Luo Fang, the magistrate of Shanyin, Wang Yuan went to inspect the Guanying Iron Works.

The situation of the ironworks is very bad, firstly, the scale is not large, and secondly, the enthusiasm of the iron-smelting craftsmen is not high. Many people didn't work at all, and they didn't even have an iron-making furnace on, and they were chatting around there.

Luo Fang, the magistrate of the county, consciously lost face and called the director of the iron factory to scold.

The director of the iron factory could only explain stubbornly: "This year's task is almost completed, and it is enough to smelt two or three furnaces of iron, and I am afraid that the furnace will not be opened again for half a year." At this time, when the furnace is opened, there is no iron to be refined, and it will only cost a lot of silver in vain. ”

The official iron factory of the Ming Dynasty strictly implemented Zhu Yuanzhang's ideas and was completely in the planned economy mode. How much iron is produced every year, there is a task, and the task is idle when the task is completed, and the craftsman is recruited to serve in the furnace after receiving the task.

Luo Fang was very angry, and scolded: "Today, the governor inspected, can't you turn on the furnace and smelt more iron in the factory?" ”

The director of the iron factory muttered: "There is not much funding from above, and iron ore and charcoal have to cost money." ”

"Bastard!" Luo Fang was furious.

"I'm not talking nonsense." The director of the iron factory was not afraid, because Luo Zhixian was not his direct leader.

Wang Yuan soothed: "Okay, no need to scold." And do not waste money by opening iron furnaces because of Bendo's rebellion. Luozhi County, there is a folk iron factory nearby, you can accompany me to take a look. ”

Factories belonged to official institutions in the Ming Dynasty, such as the East Factory, the West Factory, and the Armor Factory and the Shiji Factory.

The official iron-smelting department is called an iron factory, and the people are called an iron-smelting workshop.

Backed by the largest iron mine in Zhejiang, and the government does not forcibly control it, it has naturally developed many private iron works.

Luo Zhixian immediately took Wang Yuan to the largest one in the vicinity, and sent someone to call the owner of the workshop in advance.

"Late born Wang Lu, meet the governor!" The owner of the iron factory said.

Wang Yuan smiled and asked, "Are you famous?" ”

Wang Lu replied: "I was lucky to be born later, and Hongzhi went to school for ten years. ”

Wang Yuan praised and said: "Shaoxing is really a place where the article is splendid, and the owners of an iron-smelting workshop are all talents. ”

Luo Zhixian quipped: "Shaoxing is indeed prosperous. ”

Jiangnan literacy rates in the Ming Dynasty were very high, according to a Korean official. Since he could not speak Chinese, he could only communicate through writing, and when he met passers-by in the north, seven or eight out of ten were illiterate, while in Jiangnan it was just the other way around.

Wang Yuan asked, "Friend Wang, can this iron factory make steel?" ”

Wang Lu said: "Wrought iron is mainly made by frying steel, and occasionally steel can be fried. To really make steel, you have to find a blacksmith shop, and they specialize in making steel for some customers. ”

"You're still going to fry steel?" Wang Yuan asked.

Wang Lu said: "The method of frying steel has been transmitted to Zhejiang since the generation of my grandfather in his later life. It is the method of filling steel, and many craftsmen will also, but there are few people who buy steel, and Shaoxing is still mainly iron-making. ”

In ancient times, there was no patented technology, and it was difficult to keep it secret.

As soon as the "Sugang method" was invented, in just a few years, it spread in Nanzhili, and then simply spread to Huguang.

Under the leadership of Wang Lu, Wang Yuan visited the factory, which was obviously much more lively than the government-run iron factory. The iron-smelting craftsmen had a positive attitude and worked in full swing, because they could make money, and working in the government-run iron works was purely free of charge.

There are seven groups of fourteen furnaces in the factory, all of which are connected to the iron-making furnace and the iron-frying furnace, and there is also a forging furnace that exists alone.

The molten pig iron from the iron-making furnace flows directly into the iron-frying furnace, where the craftsmen stir it with willow sticks.

Wang Yuan could only watch the excitement blindly, he didn't know anything about iron smelting, he only knew a little about the principle.

However, Wang Yuan remembered that it seemed that the great development of steelmaking in Europe began with the steelmaking of Rausch's crucible.

"Friend Wang, do you know the crucible steelmaking method?" Wang Yuan asked.

"Crucible?" Wang Lu was stunned, and quickly reacted, "What the governor said is a square furnace?" The square furnace can only make iron, not steel. ”

The word crucible has existed in ancient times, and the crucible iron-making method was also invented as early as the Han Dynasty.

Nowadays, the crucible iron-making method is still preserved only in the northwest, southwest and small workshops in various places, and the iron factories in Jiangnan and Hebei have long been eliminated.

Wang Yuan thought for a while and said: "Friend Wang, I'll pay for it, you can help build a square furnace, the higher the temperature of the furnace, the better, I'll try to see if I can make steel from the square furnace." ”

Wang Lu wanted to speak again and again, but he still endured it without admonishment, and only treated the governor as a money to have fun.

Square furnace steelmaking?

!

Well, the word, the Ming Dynasty already had it, and it still left a famous tablet.