Daqin Engineering Corps

Cylindrical blast furnace, leather bag manpower blowing, charcoal as fuel.

Shen Bing walked around the blast furnace for a while, then asked the neighbors:

"Is Da Qin also smelting iron like this?"

Owing to answer:

"Vice general, all countries in the Central Plains smelt iron like this."

This seems to be expected.

Although the countries in the Central Plains are wary of each other and carefully prevent their iron smelting technology from flowing to other countries, driven by interests, artisans or common people will do everything possible to improve themselves by learning or even stealing technology.

Over time, the iron smelting technology of various countries is not much different.

If there is any difference, it is the difference in some details, such as the ratio of copper and tin in bronze ware, and the content of iron and carbon.

These are difficult to unify. In this era, we are still groping, and even the old master who has been making iron all his life can't tell why.

But of course, Shen Bing didn't need to explore.

2 Chapter [-] Water Power

In fact, Shen Bing discovered many problems just by walking around the iron smelting workshop.

This is not to say how powerful Shen Bing is, but that he knows some modern iron smelting knowledge.

Modern iron smelting knowledge is the result of various rigorous demonstrations after thousands of years of development, and each practice has its inherent scientific principles and reasons.

Now Shen Bing only needs to compare the blast furnaces of this period with the modern ones...if they are different, there will be problems.

For example, the blast furnace should not be a regular cylinder.

The reason is that the regular cylindrical shape will make it difficult for the blasted wind to blow into the furnace core... the long radius and high pressure in the furnace, so the furnace core is often in an oxygen-deficient state and it is difficult to completely burn.

Solving this problem is actually very simple, just change the cylindrical blast furnace into an elliptical cylinder.

The elliptical column is flat, and as long as the air inlets are opened on both sides of the flat, the blast radius is much smaller.

Another example is the human blowing of the skin... Shen Bing knew from the owe that they called the skin "橐" (tuó).

This is especially interesting.

Two people stand one to the left and one to the right in front of the stand, and two people stand to the left and one to the right after the stand, and then push and pull to press the air into the blast furnace.

Such blast equipment is one on the left and right sides of each blast furnace, so eight people are required to operate it.

This is not only extremely labor-intensive but also inefficient.

The reason why it is said to be extremely labor-intensive is that it takes at least several hours to smelt a furnace of iron, and these hours require uninterrupted blasting. When this group of people is tired, they will change another group. There are a few more people to add.

It is inefficient because manpower is limited and uncontrollable. Sometimes the wind is weak and sometimes it is strong, which will have an impact.

The above two reasons will lead to insufficient temperature and insufficient oxygen in the blast furnace, so the carbon cannot be fully oxidized and discharged... The temperature must be around 1200 degrees, and the carbon and oxygen in the air will react to form carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide to be discharged.

The iron in the Warring States period was brittle and easy to break precisely because the carbon content was too high. In the Han Dynasty, these problems were solved and ironware was popularized.

The last problem is charcoal for fuel.

There is no problem in ironmaking itself with charcoal.

In fact, charcoal has the advantage of less impurities, and the iron produced is purer.

The problem is that in this era of seriously backward productivity, the cost of using charcoal to make iron is too high...

Trees need to be felled, then burned into charcoal, and then piled into the blast furnace.

Among them, felling trees, burning charcoal, and mining iron ore are not labor-saving tasks, and they must be included in the cost of iron.

This is also one of the reasons why iron production was not high during this period, and its essence was restricted by fuel.

If it is to produce agricultural tools in small batches, it is barely okay. If it is to replace bronze wares as equipment for troops... such as iron swords, iron armor, guns, shields, etc., then the demand will be great.

At that time, charcoal will be used as fuel. How many people should be organized to cut down trees and burn charcoal?

Therefore, the most ideal raw material should be coal, which can be burned when dug out of the ground, and the cost is very low.

However, even if Shen Bing knew this, he was not in a hurry.

He learned how to behave under the influence of the previous papermaking incident.

What about making paper?

The result is that it threatens the status of the ruler. Although he has gained some benefits, he almost caused a disaster of death.

If the appearance of paper has such a big impact, then the appearance of iron or even steel that can be applied to the entire army equipment... then it will not only threaten the status of the ruler, it will directly become the king!

Just imagine, mastering advanced iron-making technology has the ability to build an army equipped with iron.

Sending such an army of iron into battle against the bronze weapons of the enemy... what would it be like?

How could Ying Zheng tolerate the existence of people like Shen Bing?

At that time, Yingzheng may have only two choices in order to prevent the technology from leaking:

One, put Shen Bing under house arrest for life or place him within a stone's throw.

Two, directly kill Shen Bing.

Shen Bing still wants to live longer, and at the same time he doesn't want to be kept in a cage like a canary, so of course he won't be so stupid as to make troubles at this time.

What's more, there is no need to iron the equipment at this time... Shen Bing's purpose is to assist Qin and make it last as long as possible.

Now that the Qin State has gained the upper hand, it can even be said that the overall situation has been settled. As long as this situation remains unchanged, the goal can be achieved, and the iron smelting technology will be improved, but there will be many more variables.

However, a little bit of appropriate improvement is still necessary.

The reason is that it has entered February at this time, and it will be the time of winter wheat harvest in two months.

It is foreseeable that there will be a period of busy farming.

However, the countries in the Central Plains have experienced a sharp decrease in labor force due to successive years of war, coupled with low productivity, the food production is seriously insufficient...

In the past half a year or so, the territory of Qin State has increased the arable land of Zhao, Wei, and Chu... How to take care of it and how to cultivate it?

There are few iron farm tools, if the quality is not enough, wouldn't people starve to death by then?

So, among the three points of blast furnace, blast and fuel, which one should be improved?

Shen Bing didn't think much about it, and immediately chose Gufeng.

The change in the shape of the blast furnace has too much influence, and once the quality of iron is improved, it will increase in series.

Fuel will lead to an exponential decline in the production cost and cycle of iron, and it will not be far from being equipped with the army in batches.

If the blast is improved, it will save more manpower... If a cylindrical blast furnace is used, the wind force will still not be able to reach the furnace core, so the furnace will still lack oxygen, the temperature will still not rise too much, and the carbon content will not be graded number decreased.

Seeing that Shen Bing had been staring at the blast furnace without saying a word, Bian felt a little nervous.

He stepped forward tremblingly, hesitated for a while before asking:

"Deputy general, I wonder if there is something wrong with the iron smelting method of the subordinates?"

Shen Bing came out of his contemplation after being asked such a question, and he replied with an "oh":

"It's not wrong, I'm just thinking about this..."

Shen Bing suddenly forgot what the leather pouch for blowing wind was called.

Fortunately, he was not clever, and he reminded in a low voice next to him at the right time:

"sack".

Shen Bing nodded and said:

"Yes, it's this one... Why don't I use a waterwheel to do it for pushing and pulling back and forth like this?"

Hearing this, Ben couldn't help being dumbfounded:

"The lieutenant...are you talking about the waterwheel used to draw water?"

At this time, the waterwheel had already been passed from Zhao State to Chu State.

Shen Bing replied:

"Exactly."

Ben is still confused:

"However, a waterwheel can only draw water, so how can it blow wind?"

In fact, it's not only that Bian didn't understand, but also that he was confused all the way from the artillery division.

In addition to pumping water, this waterwheel can blow wind?

This is nothing new.

Shen Bing wanted to explain at first, but he gave up when he saw how they looked like they had never seen the world.

Of course, they who had never used water power could not imagine what it would be like, and it was useless to say it.

Chapter 261 Labor

In fact, it wasn't just Shen Bing who was worrying about the food issue.

When Li Si was in Handan, he went to see Ying Zheng with the memorials he had collected from all parties.

At this time, Ying Zheng was delighted to capture the King of Chu for Shen Bing. He was drinking fine wine in the tent while listening to Zhusheng, and from time to time, he slapped the desk to give a few compliments.

Li Si hurried into the tent, cupped his hands next to the Yingzheng case and said:

"I have something to play."

Ying Zheng was a little unhappy, and replied:

"Why are you so anxious? Let's talk about it after the widow has finished listening to this song."

Li Si didn't speak or back down, just maintaining the posture of clapping his hands.

Ying Zheng originally wanted to ignore it and continue to have fun, but Li Si stood on one side like this, which seemed a bit out of place, and after a while, even Ying Zheng lost interest.

"That's all..." Ying Zheng waved his servants away in disappointment, and asked Li Si in a barbed voice: "Is the matter that the prime minister wants to play more urgent than Shen Bing's capture of Shouchun?"

Liz replied:

"Although it is not as good as Shouchun, it is not far away."

Ying Zheng said "Oh":

"Let's hear it, I want to see how the prime minister captures another Shouchun."

Of course Li Si knew that Ying Zheng was unhappy, but he was unmoved and said:

"Your Majesty, in the past few months, our army has conquered the three kingdoms of Zhao, Wei, and Chu. Although we are invincible, our territory has grown too rapidly."

"However, the country of Zhao has been suffering from disasters for many years and waits for food emergency relief."

"When Shen Bing flooded Xiang Yan in Wei State, more than half of the fertile fields were destroyed."

"In the state of Chu, Xiang Yan strengthened the walls and cleared the country and took away a large number of laborers."

"And my Daqin has exhausted its food reserves due to successive battles..."

Li Si's analysis is correct.

The few countries that have just been conquered have food problems of one kind or another, even Qin is no exception.

So everything has its two sides: it is not good to win too slowly, and it is not good to win too much suddenly.

This is especially the state of Chu.

Chu was the only country that was prepared to retreat.

In order not to leave food to the Qin army, its soldiers deliberately destroyed and burned crops along the way, leaving most of the old and weak in need of food.

Although Shen Bing's ingenious plan later snatched back some labor in Ruyin and Shouchun in time, these labors are nothing compared to the migrated population.

Ying Zheng waved his hand impatiently and said:

"Didn't we seize a large amount of grain in Ruyin and Shouchun?"