Chapter 30: Getting on the Right Track

In the depth of winter, a biting cold wind swept across the Yanshan Mountains, howling from the northern steppes toward Yan City. The sentries stationed on the city walls shivered, occasionally cupping their hands to blow warm breath onto their frozen fingers. Looking north from the ramparts, they watched as carts laden with iron ore rolled slowly toward the city gates.

A soldier on the wall watched the approaching caravan and grumbled, "This damned weather has frozen us stiff. Even the drivers have sheepskin coats and trousers, yet the Imperial Court won't even issue us winter gear."

Another soldier retorted indignantly, "The Imperial Court? Why would those high-ranking officials give you winter clothes? What are you dreaming of? Those sheepskin coats were provided by the Prince of Yan, not the Court."

"I’d be better off driving carts for the Prince's estate!"

...

Meanwhile, at the smelting plant in the northeast corner of Yan City, the newly commissioned blast furnaces burned with intense heat. Under the soaring temperatures, the iron ore gradually melted, shedding impurities to leave behind molten iron, which was then refined repeatedly to increase its purity. Zhao Bin and Wang Wu wandered through the workshop; while Zhao Bin inspected the operations, Wang Wu peered around with the curiosity of a child.

"Your Highness, look, this is the latest farm implement forged according to your methods." A burly man with dark skin approached Zhao Bin holding a tool. This was Han Tie, the first director of the smelting plant appointed by Zhao Bin. A blacksmith by trade, Han Tie had been among the first to follow Wei Xiang into the mountains to prospect for ore. As a registered artisan, he was exempt from military service, and coming from generations of blacksmiths, he possessed a deep understanding of ironworking.

Zhao Bin took the tool to examine it and asked, "How does the toughness of this batch compare to the previous ones?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, the farm tools forged from pig iron in the past were prone to breaking and shattering. After adjusting the raw material ratios as you instructed, the toughness has improved significantly. As far as agricultural use goes, there will certainly be no problems."

"I see. And what if it were used for swords or blades?" Zhao Bin continued.

"Blades would be difficult, Your Highness. Farm tools rarely collide with anything harder than soil or the occasional stone, but swords are impact weapons. The iron we are smelting currently lacks the necessary hardness. To make weapons, the metal would require repeated heating and forging," Han Tie replied honestly.

"I know that. You are talking about 'hundred-refined steel,' right?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"A few weapons would be fine, but the process is too slow for mass production."

"Are you planning to forge weapons, Your Highness?"

"The heavy snows in the north are currently blocking the Jie tribes from invading, but they will surely return next year. We must be prepared," Zhao Bin replied calmly.

"Your Highness is right. If the Jie fail to raid before the autumn, they will inevitably return in even greater numbers the following spring." Being a local, Han Tie understood their raiding habits. "However, you need not worry too much, Your Highness. These Jie tribesmen generally do not attack large, fortified cities."

"It is not the safety of Yan City that concerns me, but the people outside the walls."

"Your concern for the people is truly admirable, Your Highness."

"Hahaha, admiration alone won't suffice. What matters is that you help me forge high-quality steel. Come, I will give you a general overview, and you can study and refine it yourself." Zhao Bin headed toward the office set up outside the furnace room, with Wang Wu and Han Tie following closely behind.

Inside the office, a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone sat on the desk—clearly untouched. Han Tie smiled sheepishly. It was not that he was illiterate, but his knowledge of characters was limited, and he had little use for such items. Zhao Bin picked up a brush, and Han Tie dutifully began grinding the ink.

As he spoke, Zhao Bin wrote on the paper: "The process from iron ore to pig iron is what we are doing now—removing visible impurities to form molten iron. However, this pig iron contains invisible impurities called carbon. Excess carbon makes the iron brittle; reducing it to a certain level turns it into steel.

"There are different ways to remove these impurities. The forging you blacksmiths use is one—repeated hammering allows the carbon to oxidize and separate. Another way is to inject oxygen during the smelting process, using our bellows to keep the air in constant contact with the molten iron, allowing the carbon to oxidize and separate."

"Your Highness, what is 'oxidize and separate'? Is oxygen just air?"

"You can think of oxidation simply as two substances merging to create a change. You have seen rust, right? That is a process of oxidation. As for air, there are many types—some smell acidic, some foul, and some are odorless. Oxygen is just one of many gases. The air we breathe contains oxygen along with other things."

"Oh! I never knew there was so much to iron smelting," Han Tie exclaimed, a look of sudden realization dawning on him.

"The principle is exactly that. Our equipment is crude, so we must repeat the process a few times to get good steel, but this is still faster than manual forging. Study it carefully, and if you don't understand something, come to the estate to find me. Also, since the iron is now suitable for farm implements, speed up production. I will have Cao Li send you more hands, and keep the workers in shifts—the men rest, but the furnaces do not. Get these tools finished and distributed as soon as possible; we have more important things to do later."

"Rest assured, Your Highness. At current rates, we can produce at least two thousand implements a day. Once we reach twenty thousand, I will shut down one furnace to begin steel production. I will finish all the farm tools within a month," Han Tie said, puffing out his chest. For him, this was a chance to change his destiny. Once just a minor blacksmith, he was now an official of the Prince of Yan's estate. To him, this was a position he never dared to dream of, so he treated his duties with utmost seriousness—he even ate and slept at the plant.

After leaving the office, Zhao Bin did not return to the workshop but walked toward the main gate. Li Hua, seeing him emerge, saluted with cupped hands: "Your Highness."

"Li Hua, the smelting plant is vital to us. I leave the security to you. Inspect everyone who enters and exits strictly; do not let outsiders wander in."

"Rest assured, Your Highness. All personnel have been registered, issued identification tokens, and their portraits have been recorded."

Ever since returning to Yan City, Zhao Bin had tasked Li Hua and Zhou Shun with guarding the smelting and salt-refining plants. He had also converted the surrounding area into dormitories and built high walls to protect his technological edge. While iron smelting had a high barrier to entry, the salt-refining method was so simple that almost anyone could learn it. He knew that "there is a brave man under a heavy reward"—if someone offered enough money, he could not guarantee loyalty. He could not gamble with the future; he had to implement protective measures, at least in the short term. As for the future, he hoped to eventually share the method to benefit all the people.

The salt plant was under the supervision of Sun Zheng, one of the guards, with Cao Li providing administrative assistants from the yamen, as the Imperial Court’s Salt Bureau would eventually require formal accounting.

Zhao Bin did not linger at the salt plant. After giving brief instructions, he left with Wang Wu. With the smelting plant, the salt plant, and the restaurant all now in operation, things were finally starting to get on the right track.