The cheers of molten iron shook the entire construction site, and almost all the slaves were looking eagerly at the several chimneys near the construction site. One of the chimneys was able to smoke some time ago, and it was a fire kiln that was firing pottery. The other chimneys have only started to light in recent days.

Hearing this cheer, Mao Adada quickly ran out of the carpenter's shed, set up an eye shed and looked at it. Many slaves also put down their work like him, but their moods were very different - iron tools were too scarce, and it was too important, and an important part of the history of human civilization was how to obtain enough iron tools.

Not to mention at the end of the Ming Dynasty, even in the eighties and nineties of the twentieth century before China's steel production capacity exploded, it was a cow to be able to get some unplanned steel in China. It is because steel is extremely important that the Chinese are stunned to turn it into cabbage.

When Zhou Qingfeng was struggling with how to obtain steel, Mao Ada, who had been complacent about hiding two iron tools in his hands, regarded them as treasures, but he couldn't imagine that this civilized desert Ekhkulun could actually produce molten iron - this was simply going to smash his job.

Mao Adaa was still upset, and saw Cai Zhiwei, who came from Hetuala, running up with his assistant Jin Ge. These two are also masters and apprentices, and the relationship is much more harmonious. They set out their easels and began sketching smoking chimneys, cheering slaves and tall iron-making furnaces in the distance.

Seeing that Cai Zhiwei actually wanted to paint the relevant people and things, he stepped forward to express his disdain and said: "This is not a good-looking landscape, what is there to paint?" ”

Cai Zhiwei also smiled bitterly, "The chief said that this is a historic moment, and asked me to draw it for a record." I've been painting this every day lately, and the Khan of Jianzhou has delayed the portrait of my chief. ”

"That kid just doesn't know what to do, how noble the Great Khan of Jianzhou is, he actually dares to slack off." Mao Ah sneered in a low voice: "I have never heard of what kind of official position I named myself as 'chief', I must have come up with it." Amusing! ”

Cai Zhiwei didn't answer a few times and continued to paint his own paintings. However, it didn't take long for the news of the molten iron to reach the city of Ekhkulen, and at once the whole city of Belle Bezi was alarmed. Zhou Qingfeng was surprised when he made pottery, and now he is even more ecstatic when he comes out with ironware. The head of the department, Ucha, hurriedly brought a large group of people to kill him, just to see the strangeness of this iron-making furnace.

In ancient China, the nomadic and fishing and hunting peoples in the north went to great lengths to obtain iron tools. On the grassland, an iron pot can easily exchange several women. In northeastern Liao, the Jurchens also had to empty their families in order to obtain iron tools. The Ming Dynasty relied on this technological and trade blockade to gain unilateral national superiority.

Zhou Qingfeng was actually able to make an iron-making furnace, which made the Kulun people in the city overjoyed, and they collectively ran to watch. In fact, the technology of this iron-making furnace is not high, and he built a small blast furnace for local steelmaking when the 'big steel-making' was based on the map. The bricks used to build the stove are still terracotta bricks fired from the fire kiln, and the heat resistance level is not even up to standard.

In order to obtain charcoal with high calorific value, Zhou Qingfeng also built a small coking oven. In order to crush the ore, he had to mobilize hundreds of slaves to smash them with stones. The whole process is difficult and extremely tedious. He himself learned and tried at the same time, and he also took a lot of risks.

But with this technology that does not enter the stream, the movement of the iron-making furnace is too great. Zhou Qingfeng had no way to hide, so he could only show the Jurchen barbarians generously. But he hid some of the craftsmen and apprentices he had cultivated with great difficulty, and kept them a secret—even if the technicians were of extremely inferior quality.

When Utza arrived, the second furnace of iron ore was being burned. The molten iron has already been poured into the clay mould and is waiting for further processing. When he saw the dark red high-temperature iron ingot, he immediately lifted Zhou Qingfeng high and cheered loudly. A large number of belle-beyers who came with them also shouted excitedly.

Zhou Qingfeng was constantly lifted up by Wu Cha, with a formulaic smile on his face, but he scolded in his heart: "You happy ghosts, the iron smelted and the craftsmen cultivated are not for you." This is Lao Tzu's own. ”

Old Man Sun, as the housekeeper of Ucha, also stepped forward and said happily: "Zhou boy, you are a Belle." Utza has just announced to everyone that you will be the Beylor of Ekhkulun. Starting today, you'll be able to stand on your own. ”

Zhou Qingfeng was 'Beizi' before, which was equivalent to Chu Ying's subordinate. Now Ucha turned him into a separate force in name with a single word. Wu Cha gave Zhou Qingfeng a lot of benefits, and at the end, he asked him how to divide the iron made of this iron-making furnace through the mouth of Old Man Sun?

"Ministry Master, this iron ore is too little." Zhou Qingfeng took Wucha to visit part of the iron-making process, and took the opportunity to complain: "There are only so many ores in the city, and there are not many iron ingots in all the refining. If the master can get iron ore, I can give half of the iron ingots to the master. For the rest, as long as someone makes an offer, I am willing to sell. ”

Zhou Qingfeng's conditions are very good, but the key is still stuck on iron ore. There are no decent iron ore mines around Ekhkulen, and even if there are, there is no technology to mine them. Ucha also understood this, nodded and replied: "I will send people to the other tribes to inquire, it is said that there are mines in the east and north, and they should be willing to exchange with us." ”

The matter of iron ore will be left to Wucha to find a way, and Zhou Qingfeng really has no choice. However, there was another matter that needed Utcha's help, and his own Manchu language was not good enough, so he asked Old Man Sun to tell Utcha on his behalf that I wanted to exchange some of the slaves I had with the beyler bezi in the city.

What the?

Slave exchange?

Old Man Sun didn't understand for a while, so he deliberately asked again, "Do you want to exchange the slaves you have trained with great difficulty with Wucha?" That's a big loss! ”

Zhou Qingfeng successively controlled more than 700 slaves. After a month of training, the slaves had greatly improved their physical and mental outlook - the construction of cities and other tasks had always been arduous, and it was not uncommon for a hundred slaves to die in it. Although Zhou Qingfeng's small fortress is not large, it is not an easy task.

But Zhou Qingfeng was stunned and tried his best to keep the mortality rate of slaves at a relatively low level, many slaves learned a lot of knowledge in the process of labor, and even some people ate enough and slept well, and even became stronger. In the opinion of Old Man Sun, the batch of slaves in Zhou Qingfeng's hands can be called strong, obedient, and sensible, and they must not be sold and replaced.

Zhou Qingfeng didn't pay much attention to these slaves, and said with certainty: "I want to replace about half of the slaves in my hand, that is, those who are working the construction site." There are about more than three hundred, most of which were sent by Chu Ying. Discuss privately with Ucha, I want to at least one for two. ”

Chu Ying was training for the Ucha Department during this time, and it is said that the training was very good. He had sent more than 400 slaves to Zhou Qingfeng before, and Zhou Qingfeng obviously wanted to do something with this batch of slaves. But when Old Man Sun heard that he was going to exchange strong slaves for ordinary slaves, he was very distressed, and hesitated for a while before telling Ucha about it.

Ucha was also surprised to hear this request, and he didn't understand and stretched out his hand to drag a working slave, and asked in a not very proficient Chinese: "So, one for three?" ”

Three for it? Old Man Sun obviously raised the price for Zhou Qingfeng.

The slave who was dragged out was about 1.7 meters, with a good physique and an honest face. In Ucha's opinion, this is a very good slave, and he doesn't need to do much training to go into battle. He didn't believe that Zhou Qingfeng would take out such a good slave in exchange.

Seeing Wu Cha's surprised expression, Zhou Qingfeng immediately changed the price strategy, and said with a smile: "This kind of strong one should be exchanged for four." He dragged a dozen or so slaves from the construction site, picked out the best ones, and shouted, "These are all one-for-four, and the worse ones are one-for-three." By the way, I don't want to be too young, and I don't want to be too old or sick. ”

Zhou Qingfeng was bargaining with Ucha, and other Belle beers in the city also gathered around to ask what was going on. Hearing that Zhou Qingfeng was going to change slaves, they immediately became interested - Zhou Qingfeng made a lot of excitement in this logging field, and the nobles in the city paid attention to it every day. He trained slaves well, and this was well known to everyone.

The vast majority of Ekhkulen's population of more than 10,000 people were slaves in a personal dependency relationship, and they were commodities that could be traded by the nobles at will. But the good slaves are a minority, and most of them are struggling on the verge of death. Hearing that Zhou Qingfeng was going to change slaves, someone soon raised the price and shouted something like 'one for five, one for six'.

This lively posture couldn't even be controlled by Ucha, and soon more than 300 exchange places were all divided. The nobles in the city all felt that they were taking advantage of themselves, and immediately ordered people to pull out their thin, sick, and even dying slaves for exchange.

Zhou Qingfeng was like picking up garbage, picking and choosing the slaves sent. He opened the Eye of Heaven to investigate all slaves, refusing to accept some slaves who were really worthless, and bargaining for some slaves who had the value of reform. In the end, he exchanged more than 300 relatively strong slaves for more than 1,000 ordinary and even sick slaves.

For Zhou Qingfeng to be such a loser, Old Man Sun really beat his chest and loudly blamed him for being a loser, "Don't be a slave who can work, what's the use of collecting some that can't work?" ”

Zhou Qingfeng said happily: "Originally, when those slaves came into my hands, they couldn't work one by one, I could train the original batch well, why can't I train the current batch well?" And most of them were originally slaves of Chu Ying and Dashan, but they were only raised in my hands for a month.

Don't look at the ones who were replaced today are all strong, in fact, those are the ones I picked left. What I needed was a blacksmith, a carpenter, a mason, or a clever slave who could learn to understand Chinese and accept commands.

The stupid ones who were replaced today are all those who are not good, and those who are replaced by me have the potential to cultivate. Just give me another month, and I'll be able to dig gold out of the gravel again. Others see me at a loss, but in fact I take advantage. ”