The discovery of Anshan Iron Mine ignited Weishuo's enthusiasm for steel smelting, after all, whether ancient or modern, steel represents the economic and military strength of a country or a region.

Digging iron ore is better said, it is only a manual work, as long as someone can always dig out the ore. However, steelmaking is a technical job, and no matter how many people do not understand technology, they cannot make iron into steel.

Wei Shuo didn't know anything about steelmaking, he only knew that there were two major steelmaking technologies in ancient China: frying steel and filling steel. But they don't know anything about the technical details. Fortunately, the steel frying method was invented in the Western Han Dynasty and is a very widely circulated steelmaking technology, and some blacksmiths in Liaodong are proficient in this method.

Since he had mature steel-making technology, Wei Shuo naturally did not let it go, he built a steel-smelting workshop near the salt flat water, and recruited dozens of blacksmiths to specialize in steel-frying steelmaking.

In the process of frying steel, due to the low temperature, the steel cannot be melted, the iron and slag are not easy to separate, and the carbon can not penetrate quickly.

In order to solve this problem, the intelligent Chinese people in the Northern and Southern Dynasties invented the steel filling method after the accumulation of technology of "block refining method" - "100 steel making" - "steel frying method", making epoch-making contributions to the development of world smelting technology.

The method was immediately sought after and in the years that followed, it was continuously improved. Until modern times, some of the techniques in the steel filling method are still widely used, which shows how far-reaching its impact is.

Steelmaking by steel filling method can not only produce a good carburizing effect, but also produce a violent oxidation effect during the refining process, so that the iron and slag are separated, and the steel with less slag and uniform composition can be produced. Weapons made in this way are tough and sharp.

Although there was already a steel frying method to provide him with the required steel, Wei Shuo was still not satisfied, and he organized some craftsmen to prepare to overcome the steel filling method. In the process of organizing the research, an old craftsman provided a detail that made Wei Shuo realize that the steel filling method may have existed for a long time, but it was not until two hundred years later that the Northern Qi people Qi Wuhuaiwen carried it forward.

In fact, Wei Shuo didn't know that in history, about the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the new steelmaking process "steel filling" method was already in its initial form. Later, the continuous war hindered the further development of the technology. Tao Hongjing of the Southern Qi and Liang dynasties first recorded the steel-filling method, and it was not until the Northern Qi Dynasty that Qi Wuhuaiwen made significant improvements and perfected this steelmaking process.

According to historical records, Qi Wu Huaiwen's steelmaking method is: "burn pig iron fine, heavy and soft collar, and count the number of nights to become steel", so the steel smelted is called "Su Tie", Qi Wu Huaiwen once used this method to make a very sharp "Su Iron Knife".

The old craftsman only knew a little about the steel filling method, which was passed down by word of mouth from his ancestors. The ancestors of the old craftsmen were forced to move to Liaodong for refuge due to the chaos in the Central Plains during the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty. Now, after several generations, some of these technical details have long been lost, and in order to get a complete steel filling method, it is necessary to put a lot of effort into sorting out and studying.

Although he could not get a complete steel filling method from the old craftsman, Wei Shuo finally saw a glimmer of hope for success. In order to complete the technological innovation as soon as possible, Weishuo set up a steel filling method research and development team headed by old craftsmen, and deployed several skilled craftsmen and a large amount of money.

At the same time, Wei Shuo also wished Laoshan and Xuzhou a letter to the two places, asking the two places to pay attention to collecting technology and talents related to steelmaking, and once they have a harvest, they should get it at all costs.

Not only that, Wei Shuo also took the opportunity to officially elevate the status of craftsmen through the official name. In fact, before this, he had been sparing no effort to elevate the status of craftsmen and doctors, but the effect was very insignificant. Except for the corner of Laoshan Mountain, which was deeply influenced by Wei Shuo, whether it is the eastern part of Xuzhou or the newly occupied Liaodong, the status of craftsmen has not changed very significantly.

This time, Wei Shuo, despite everyone's opposition, forcibly divided the craftsmen in the jurisdiction into three classes and nine grades. There are three levels: apprentice, craftsman, and craftsman, and each class is divided into three levels: low, intermediate, and advanced. For example, apprenticeships are divided into low-level apprentices, intermediate apprentices, and high-level apprentices.

Different levels represent different treatments, and the higher the level, the higher the treatment. Take the highest rank of the master craftsman, not only can he be awarded the title of master craftsman, but also have the right to see the official and not worship, and if the master master commits a crime, the local government has no right to judge and deal with it, and must be handed over to the court and the emperor for handling. In addition to receiving political preferential treatment, master craftsmen can also receive a certain amount of money from the government every year.

Wei Shuo's move can be regarded as stabbing the hornet's nest, which caused a violent backlash from internal readers. Pei Wei, Gao Zhan, Lu Chang, Yang Tan, Xianshi Xiake, etc., whether they are from the family or the children of the Han family, are very dissatisfied with Wei Shuo's status as a craftsman in Liaodong. In particular, the article of not worshipping officials can be said to poke at the pain of the deep-rooted official-oriented thinking in the hearts of scholars.

But in the face of the monstrous wave of opposition, Wei Shuo was unmoved and insisted on his own opinion. Even when everyone threatened to resign, he was uncompromising. In the end, under Wei Shuo's insistence, the status of Liaodong craftsmen was still raised in one fell swoop. This policy thoroughly stimulated the enthusiasm of the craftsmen, and not only actively participated in the grade examinations held by the government, but also accelerated the development of the steel filling method.

The reason why Wei Shuo greatly improved the status of craftsmen was because he knew that the low status of craftsmen in ancient China had led to the loss of countless superb skills. For thousands of years in China, countless craftsmen from various dynasties and generations in various industries have exerted their ingenuity and created many crafts and products.

However, because of the low status, in order to survive, the ancient craftsmen developed a very bad habit, miserly their own craftsmanship, often after exploring some superb craftsmanship, but the broom cherished itself and refused to leak it, and also created what old habits such as passing on men and not women, as much as possible to seal the created craftsmanship in the craftsman family.

However, this practice, although it protects the interests of the craftsmen themselves, has led to the inability of many excellent crafts to be effectively passed on, and once a craftsman family has a major change, many very good craft means have been wiped out in the long river of history.

The fundamental reason for all this is that the status of the ancient craftsmen was too low, and their own interests could not be guaranteed. With no other choice, the craftsman had to resort to an unsophisticated means to protect his interests as much as possible.

On the contrary, if the government can come forward to ensure that the interests of the craftsmen are not violated, Wei Shuo believes that the craftsmen are still willing to share their treasured skills with the public.

Just like this time, in order to speed up the progress of the development of the steel-filling method, Wei Shuo offered a reward of 300,000 yuan to find steel-making skills. At first, some craftsmen were worried about being deceived, but after the Liaodong County Shoufu introduced a series of policies to improve the status of craftsmen, Liaodong craftsmen gradually dispelled the doubts in their hearts.

After obtaining the corresponding level, many craftsmen have handed over their secret skills to the government for acceptance, and once they are selected by the government, they can not only improve their own level, but also get a lot of money rewards. Moreover, the interests of the craftsmen themselves will also be protected by the government, and no one is allowed to use the skill without his consent, otherwise he will be severely punished by the government.

However, in order to encourage craftsmen to teach their skills to the outside world, Wei Shuo also linked the rank of craftsmen to the number of disciples they taught, and their merits. If the craftsman wants to improve his level, then hurry up and recruit disciples or raise the level of disciples!

As Wei Shuo vigorously promoted the status of craftsmen in Liaodong, the neighboring counties of Changli County and Youzhou were also affected, and local craftsmen fled to Liaodong with their families. Murong Diao was a resourceful person, and naturally knew the importance of craftsmen. In order to prevent the artisans from fleeing eastward, he sent heavy troops to intercept the absconding artisans near the border.

Although Wang Jun of Youzhou has the intention to stop it, on the one hand, he is worried about angering his only ally at the moment, Liaodong, and on the other hand, he is indeed powerless. Since the New Year, Wang Jun has focused all his energy on dealing with Shile, and has no time to take care of other aspects.

Wei Shuo was very happy when he learned of this wave of artisans, and he sent troops in the direction of Changli to meet the fleeing craftsmen, and on the other hand, he sent sailors to the Bohai Sea by sea. Landed on the coast of Youzhou and Changli County, and picked up the craftsmen by sea to return to Liaodong.

According to later statistics, Liaodong received hundreds of craftsmen from Youzhou and Changli in this operation, including their families, a total of more than 1,000 people came to Liaodong, which can be said to have gained a lot.