Qing'er knows everything, how can a smart lady not know?

Gu Bei smiled bitterly, thinking in his heart, was it suppressed for too long, or was it the effect of the wine, or Mrs. Liu was too tempting?

Gu Bei nodded and said, "I understand." ”

Qing'er laughed for a while, suddenly remembered something, reached out and took out a small porcelain bottle from her purse and handed it to Gu Beidao: "There are a few pills here, my uncle will take them, it will be good for my uncle's body." ”

Gu Bei was stunned and said, "What kind of medicine is this?" ”

Qing'er's face turned red all of a sudden, and she said in a low voice: "When my aunt came back last night, Qing'er asked Aunt Wang later, and Aunt Wang said that my uncle had taken some medicine and gave me this, saying that it could dispel the medicinal properties, and if it was okay, it would be good for me to strengthen my body after eating, and it would be beneficial and harmless." ”

Gu Bei took the porcelain bottle and poured two in his hand, and suddenly a fragrance filled his nose, smelling this smell, his mind seemed to be much clearer, so he put it in his mouth without thinking and swallowed it with his neck tilted.

Gu Bei's body recovered quickly, after all, he was a young man in his prime, and with all kinds of tonic medicines waiting, his weak body quickly regained his vitality.

The next day, early in the morning, Gu Bei took people to the gate of Mrs. Liu's mansion. The subordinates who guarded the door were very familiar with Gu Bei, and when they saw him coming, they greeted him with a smile.

Gu Bei came directly to the back house and entered the courtyard, Xiaocui Zhenghou was outside the door, and when he saw Gu Bei appear, he was overjoyed.

"Gu Xiannan, are you here?"

Gu Bei looked at Xiao Cui with a smile and said, "Come and see, what about Madam?" ”

"Madame is sick, but fortunately, Lang Zhong is able to do it, but she still can't get out of bed now."

Gu Bei was surprised: "Wasn't Mrs. Yesterday good?" Why did you suddenly get sick? ”

Xiaocui said: "I don't know what's going on, I got sick that night." ”

"Then take me there."

Xiao Cui answered, opened the door, and closed the door after Gu Bei entered.

Gu Bei lifted the curtain and came into the room, and after his eyes adjusted to the light in the room, he saw Mrs. Liu leaning on the soft couch, covered with a thin quilt, with a cloth towel wrapped around her forehead, looking sick.

When Mrs. Liu saw Gu Bei's figure, her eyes were happy, and a flush rose inexplicably on her pale face, and she struggled to sit up.

Gu Bei hurriedly said: "Madame, lie down, don't get up." Why did I fall ill, and I didn't send someone to report it, if I hadn't come today, I wouldn't have known. ”

Listening to Gu Bei's concerned blame, Mrs. Liu looked at him with a smile in her heart.

After Gu Bei blamed her for a few words, he remembered that she was a patient, "I don't know what kind of illness my wife has?" How better now? ”

Mrs. Liu's face flushed again, and she paused and said, "It's not a big deal, it's already better." ”

"That's good." Gu Bei stretched out his hand and stroked Mrs. Liu's cheek.

Mrs. Liu looked at Gu Bei with a smile, her eyes were full of affection, Gu Bei leaned down to kiss her red lips, Mrs. Liu let out a satisfied snort, stretched out her arms around Gu Bei's head and neck, and the two were intertwined with their lips and tongues, kissing endlessly.

After a long time, the two separated, and saw that Mrs. Liu's face was flushed and seemed to be emotional. Gu Bei said in a low voice: "Madame, let's raise you, when you are well, I will come again." ”

Mrs. Liu took a sip and cut her hair.

Seeing that Mrs. Liu was a little tired, Gu Bei kissed her face and got up to say goodbye, Mrs. Liu smiled and looked at Gu Bei and turned around.

After Gu Bei walked out of Liufu, he went straight to Luobei Port, preparing to personally preside over a grand event.

Luobei Port.

Dozens of victims and craftsmen gathered in a courtyard.

Gu Bei personally presided over a blast furnace with a wide belly, a gradually narrowing neck, and an appearance somewhat similar to a vase, which was set up on the foundation of a sedimentary rock platform near the bank of the Qinhuai River.

The construction of the blast furnace is not complicated, it was built by Gu Bei after seeing it in his previous life.

The first blast furnace in Daxia is four feet and five feet high, and the blast furnace volume is about fifteen cubic meters, which is larger than any iron-making furnace in this era, but in the 21st century, the blast furnace below 200 cubic meters in China must be forcibly shut down, and the small insect country is even already using 5,000 cubic meters of blast furnaces......

Graphite is not a rare thing, it was found in the mine by Gu Bei, but people in this era do not understand its use, and this thing is the best refractory material.

In fact, if you just build a small blast furnace for making iron, you can build it directly from clay. In order to improve its service life, Gubei used high-grade refractories used in modern steelmaking furnaces in the lining of blast furnaces.

Blowers are a big problem.

Without a blower to provide sufficient oxygen to help the main combustion, it is difficult to achieve the furnace temperature for the purpose of ironmaking, let alone steel......

Modern blast furnaces are all dedicated fans with powerful horsepower, but in the Xia Dynasty, bellows were still used. The bellows of this era were more like accordions, with wooden planks on top and bottom, surrounded by folded leather, and the wind was stepped on one by one.

This kind of bellows will age after a long time, and the leather must be eliminated.

The principle of bellows is very simple, just like that in the countryside.

Gu Bei commanded Wang Carpenter to make a new type of bellows, a large wooden box, with vitality, powered by a water wheel, and using an eccentric wheel to turn the rotary motion into reciprocating motion.

The whole blast furnace is equipped with four air boxes, four air ducts, and two spare air boxes to prevent accidents.

The section of the air inlet before the last inlet is put together, and there is a fire pool isolated from the inlet pipe below, which contains coal, and the air is preheated to a certain extent before entering the furnace.

Don't underestimate this step, air preheating, this is the most critical step in modern steel production to improve the efficiency of ironmaking, it seems to be inconspicuous, but it can make the furnace temperature rise directly by two or three hundred degrees!

In addition to the huge furnace body, a free-standing maintenance tower with solid wood supporting points on the ground is also built, and a furnace top feeding system is formed by using chutes, pulleys and pulleys.

The molten iron produced by the blast furnace is pig iron with high carbon content and many impurities, but it can already be used to cast large iron parts, such as iron anchors and the like.

Therefore, a groove is connected to the tap hole, which is usually closed, and opened if necessary, and the red-hot molten iron is directly injected into the mold to cast large iron parts.

Next to the blast furnace was a large iron stirring furnace, which was actually a reflex iron stirring furnace.

The shape of this iron stove is a bit like the teacup of kung fu tea, and it is a reverberatory furnace type with flame and iron isolation. It is built as a whole with refractory bricks, the bottom of the hearth is concave in the middle, surrounded by arched furnace walls, the lower part is the combustion chamber, and the air inlet duct is at the bottom of the combustion chamber.

Its structure can be seen as a three-storey building, with the third and second floors isolated from each other, and the first and second floors separated by multiple turnable iron fences. When the molten iron flows from the high road to the third floor, the coal on the second floor lies on the iron fence and burns, heats the molten iron on the upper floor, after the coal burns over the iron fence, the carbon slag falls into the slag room on the first floor, the iron fence is flattened, and the coal can be added to it from the coal inlet road that is inclined down 45 degrees.

It is also a hydraulic blast, and unlike the blast furnace, it also has a tall chimney built on the side.

In the past, the frying method used to stir with iron rods to burn and remove the carbon in the pig iron, so that the carbon content could meet the requirements of wrought iron, which was wrought iron, which could be forged into various utensils.

You can even get different qualities of steel, but because you can't accurately control the content of each element, the quality of steel depends on luck, and if you want to get enough to forge a sword, it's just like the probability of Zhongda Lotto.

But this can't help Gu Bei.

He had never practiced steel, but he knew the principle, and it was enough to know that steel was between pig iron and wrought iron.

In the past, pig iron was cooled into ingots and then heated to refine mature iron, but now this technology is to fry the pig iron water from the blast furnace directly to mature iron.

Wrought iron can be directly made into hoes and shovels and other agricultural tools, of course, the production process needs to be forged, carburizing and quenching, wrought iron is soft, strong forgeability, and superior processing performance.

Speaking of forging, I have to say that it is an artifact that not only has the technology of the times, but also has the simple operation of fools - hydraulic forging hammer.

The principle of this thing is very simple, it can be made by elementary school students who have learned a little physics.

However, what made Gu Bei wonder was why tools such as water mills, water drains, and water mills that converted water energy into mechanical energy could be invented in ancient times, but only the hydraulic forging hammer could not be invented!

Gu Bei also commanded the craftsmen to build a forging furnace, the basic structure of this thing is no different from the blacksmith shop where all rural blacksmiths repair hoes and other agricultural tools, that is, it is to increase and thicken, and the enlargement is to forge large iron parts, and the thickening is to keep warm.

There is a hydraulic forging hammer next to each calciner, under the forging hammer is a thick anvil, under the anvil is a thick wooden pier, and then below is a concrete base made of cement and stone, a multi-layer composite stress structure, which can withstand the huge impact force of the forging hammer falling.

The forging hammer weighs 250 pounds, the stroke is 3 feet, and the hammer is dropped 30 times per minute. Although it is the processing technology of hydraulic forging hammers, it is not different from the hammers of blacksmiths, but only the efficiency is improved.

Iron-making blast furnaces, blowers, hydraulic forging hammers, iron-frying furnaces......

Niu Dali, the chief blacksmith of the Bai family, looked confused, his ancestors had never made iron like this for generations......

The graphite in the mine came in handy, and Gu Bei ordered the craftsmen to crush the graphite first, add water and sieve it into fine mud.

It is then hand-shaped like a porcelain tire on a rapidly rotating wooden plate, and finally placed in a special high-temperature cellar for firing for ten hours, and the graphite crucible is freshly baked.

The refining of wrought iron has long been established, and Gu Bei's method cannot improve the quality, but only reduces the cost to the greatest extent and greatly increases the output.

The greatest value lies in steel!

In ancient steelmaking, there were three main processes: frying steel, making steel, and filling steel.

Frying steel is actually frying iron, and the frying iron furnace can produce it, but the main thing that is fried is wrought iron, and there is a small amount of medium and low carbon steel, and the quality is very unstable.

Hundred steels use fried steel as raw materials, repeatedly folded and forged after heating, or repeatedly stacked and forged with several raw materials with different compositions, the process is complex and the cost is high, and it is only suitable for making swords and swords.

Of course, with the hydraulic forging hammer, the process difficulty of 100 steels is immediately reduced by several grades, after all, the most difficult part of 100 steels is repeated folding and forging, and the hydraulic forging hammer is smashed all the way, how much faster than manpower?

What Gu Bei wants to practice is crucible steel.

Chen stood beside Gu Bei tonight, watching dozens of craftsmen build this magical workshop under Gu Bei's command, and admired it so much.

I don't know how the owner's brain grows, why he can always think of so many unbelievable, but extremely magical things.

Gu Bei commanded the busy craftsmen and the standing iron-making furnace, and said proudly: "From now on, those heavenly fragrance dew, glass, and other things will become vassals, and this is the most valuable thing, so," Gu Bei turned his head and said with a smile: "From now on, this iron factory will also be under your jurisdiction in the future, and you must arrange for guards to patrol for ten hours without stopping." ”

"What?" Chen Jinwang was taken aback and said, "Uncle, this iron factory is also handed over to a certain management?" ”

Even Tianxianglu, Luobeigang, and the owner didn't care so much about it before, but now they handed over the iron factory to him.

What kind of trust is this? Let him be full of emotion, there is such a proprietor, it is really a man who dies for the sake of pleasing himself.

"Uncle, everything is in order, can you light a fire to make iron?"

Niu Dali's face was black and gray, but he was fifty years old, but his legs were flying, and he ran to Gu Bei and Chen Jinwang and asked excitedly.

A few days ago, the equipment has been tested, there is no trace of fault, the blast furnace smelted a furnace of iron, although the quality is not good, but there are no cracks inside and outside the furnace body, pulley block, flywheel, waterwheel shaft, pulley, piston bellows and other moving parts, all are in good operation, now full of oil, there is no plug in operation, to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Today, it's the first full-process trial!

Gu Bei nodded with a smile and shouted: "Ignite the fire!"

All the craftsmen pulled their necks and cried out: "Ignition!"

Niu vigorously picked up the pine resin torch and threw it into the blast furnace through the bottom taphole.

The flap of the tap hole is made of pig iron, and a thick layer of refractory mud is applied on the inside, and the green smoke in the furnace is poured out of the mouth.

One of Niu Dali's apprentices lay on his stomach, squinted his eyes and looked inside, and shouted loudly: "Master, it's burning brightly!" ”

With that, he closed the trap door.

Niu vigorously waved his hand: "Bounce the wind!"

The water in the drainage canal hits the water retainer, transmitting the kinetic energy left from the height to the waterwheel, and then the eccentric wheel turns the rotating motion of the waterwheel into the reciprocating motion of the bellows piston, accompanied by a burst of chirping wood, and fresh air blows into the blast furnace from the air duct.

At first, the waterwheel rotated slowly, the wind pressure of the blower was small, the oxygen supply in the furnace was insufficient, and thick black smoke came out from the top of the furnace.

Eventually, a large stream of flames burst out from the smoke outlet on the top of the furnace and rushed straight up!

In addition to charcoal, the furnace is also filled with some iron ore that has been washed and calcined in the kiln, and limestone is used as a slag making agent.

This is not something that Gu Bei came up with, but the experience of the old blacksmiths, who have been making iron like this for generations, but due to technical limitations, the furnace temperature has never reached the height of melting molten iron......

Another person operates another water wheel, so that the winch linked with the water wheel rotates, through a set of pulleys, the rope that drags the feeding dump truck is slowly tightened, and the dump truck climbs to the top of the blast furnace along the inclined slide rail, and the person at the bottom pulls the control cable, the baffle on the dump truck is lifted, and the ore in the car is poured into the blast furnace.

The dump truck slowly retreated, and the workers shoveled the charcoal into it, and it climbed to the top of the furnace again......

The coal in the preheating pool has already ignited, and the air entering the furnace is preheated and blown into the furnace to intensify the combustion reaction.

Charcoal and iron ore tumbled and burned in the furnace body, and the smoke and dust released rushed out of the furnace to the top of the furnace and hit the sky, reflecting the face of the craftsman in front of the furnace!

Everyone stayed by the furnace and watched the spectacle that had never been seen before, the former iron-making furnace was just whirring black smoke, where was there such a blazing flame?

All craftsmen understand that such a hot furnace temperature is unprecedented, but they are afraid that they can really make a good furnace of iron!

No matter how high the furnace temperature is, it will take a while for the iron ore to melt, but everyone will not leave, even Gu Bei and Chen Jinwang will have lunch in the courtyard.

After the meal, the two were drinking tea, Chen Jinwang reported the latest situation, and saw Niu Dali running in with a rolling belt, his face was snot and tears, and he was so excited that he cried: "Uncle, God, God!" Go and see, it's already burned to molten iron! ”

Before Gu Bei could move, Chen Jinwang had already gotten up and asked in surprise, "Really?" ”

Niu vigorously wiped his face and nodded his head like a chicken eating rice: "It's true!" ”

Chen Jinwang got up and left, just took a step, remembered that the owner was there, and hurriedly said: "The owner, please first!" ”

As soon as Gu Bei got up, Niu almost fell when he was walking vigorously, Gu Bei smiled: "Old Niu, as for it?" ”

As for it?

Absolutely!

In the past, Niu vigorously followed his master to make iron, and the iron-making furnace was much smaller than the one his uncle drummed up, and there was less iron at one time, but the amount of charcoal that took effort and cost was several times more, and there was no day or night, and he didn't want to melt the iron ore, but even if it was melted, most of the time it was melted.

Now, it's only been half a day, and the iron ore hasn't burned red before it was put in, so it's practiced into water here?

He didn't know that the biggest hero here was the preheated air!

The air at room temperature of 20 degrees Celsius blows into the blast furnace of thousands of degrees, which is tantamount to pouring ice water on the fire, and the charcoal in the furnace not only heats the iron ore, but also heats the air, which has just been heated, and runs away from the top of the furnace, and the air duct blows in new cold air......

It's weird that the temperature can go up!

The air preheating is different, the charcoal is burning with iron ore dry firewood, and the hot air here is hundreds of degrees to give it new heat, can it not be hot?

From the observation port on the side of the blast furnace, you can see that the molten iron gathers at the bottom of the furnace, showing a charming orange red color, and it is time to open the furnace to produce iron!

Niu Dali's big apprentice put on several layers of thick kudzu linen clothes for protection, held long-handled iron tongs, and stabbed open the trap door of the lower tap of the blast furnace, and the orange molten iron flowed out happily......

The molten iron was mixed with the slag, which was heavy and the slag was light, and the slag was mostly floating on the surface, and the groove was blocked by a baffle made of pig iron, and the craftsmen took long iron sticks and pulled the slag aside.