The Prodigal Son of the Empire

Not long after this, Wang Kang personally went over to command, "Stop, turn on the furnace!"

Hearing this, all the craftsmen were startled, because the final result is about to come out, whether it is success or failure, it is at this moment!

Under Wang Kang's order, all the craftsmen moved a rocker arm, which is a mechanism that can open a hole in the inner furnace and let the molten iron flow out!

Soon after some operations, the molten iron that had undergone secondary smelting flowed out along the pre-set channel.

The location of the flow is an earth mold!

This earth mold is in the shape of a circle, more than three meters long. If someone pays attention, they will find that this length is exactly the same as the height of the excavated tunnel!

"Master Kang, do you want to make the finished product directly? No need to temper?" Master Xi asked in surprise.

"No need!" Wang Kang replied with a smile.

"The first one is finished, change the next mold, hurry up!" shouted the foreman.

Soon someone immediately placed a new mold and continued to pour molten iron.

But at this time, Master Xi took off his shirt directly, and said loudly to Wang Kang: "Master Kang, I want to test it myself, whether the refined product is as you said, harder than iron!"

"Ha ha!"

Wang Kang laughed and said, "Let's test it..."

[Author's Digression]: Reading my book will not only make you feel good, but also let you learn knowledge.

2 Chapter Twenty

Master Xi took off his shirt and looked eager to try. He is a master iron smelter in the Metallurgical Bureau, and he has been researching for many years, and he also wants to find something harder than iron.

If you find it, it will be a pioneering work, and there are many places where it can be used, such as weapons.

If you can easily cut off the opponent's weapon when the two soldiers are handed over, the significance of this will be immeasurable to the country!

And Wang Kang is now boasting that he can refine something harder than iron, steel!

What is steel?They've never heard of it.

They also saw the whole process, the same novelty, unprecedented!

Although their doubts about Wang Kang have decreased, they don't believe that Wang Kang can refine it at all!

How many craftsmen in their whole smelting bureau can't do what a prodigal can do?

This is simply Arabian Nights!

Therefore, Master Xi decided to test it himself. He did not believe that Wang Kang could refine it.

Li Zheng and the others thought the same way. This was not malicious, but normal logical thinking, no one would believe it.

Moreover, there is a bet between them, the bet is worth [-] gold coins, with these [-] gold coins, it can bring better development to the Metallurgical Bureau.

The cooling of molten iron takes time, this is a process of heat dissipation, called solidification!

The filled molds are placed on a trolley and transported to another cellar which has been dug.

Because it is underground, the temperature is very low, and several large buckets of water are placed here, and the ground is also sprayed to absorb heat.

This also takes time, including Wang Kang, all the craftsmen are waiting here, because this is their first refining furnace.

And they all want to see if they succeed.

Wang Kang was very relieved sitting on the side, while Li Zheng and the others couldn't wait, staring at them.

"Haha, let me tell you, everyone, is it so urgent?" Seeing this scene, Wang Kang laughed.

After several times of getting along, the two saw a lot less, and there was no tit-for-tat as before.

Wang Kang also understood that these people didn't have any malicious intentions, they just had an obsession as old craftsmen.

This trait is very common and can be found in old pedants.

Hearing Wang Kang's voice, Wang Fuchen came over and asked, "Master Kang, why did you make it into this shape?"

He looked at the long mold, puzzled.

Wang Kang smiled and said, "It's for the support of the tunnel."

"Tunnel support?" Li Zheng listened to the conversation between the two, thought for a while and said: "It is indeed necessary to support, I probably estimated that the width of Dongshan is about two miles to three miles."

"Excavating such a long distance, and there will be pedestrians in the future, it really needs support, and it must be quite solid." (Note, in ancient times, one mile was about 500 meters, and it is the same here.)

"It's just that it's not suitable to use this support?" Wang Fuchen said: "Look at the mold, if it is poured out, it will be slightly thicker than a thumb."

"Of course not, that's just the main thing, and it still needs to be filled with concrete!" Wang Kang laughed.

"What is concrete?" Li Zheng asked suspiciously. After asking, he felt a little embarrassed. Indeed, he asked too many questions like this today.

Wang Kang didn't respond, and patiently explained: "Concrete is mixed with cement, sand, gravel, etc..."

Wang Kang drew a schematic diagram on the ground with his fingers, "First erect the steel bars, then pour this mixture and finally solidify. This is called reinforced concrete!"

"RC?"

"Cement is the gray dirt-like stuff you fired in the south!" Li Zheng said.

"Correct!"

Hearing this, several people were silent, and it was something new, and they had never heard of it before.

Li Zheng really wanted to ask, after all, are you from the Ministry of Industry or they are from the Ministry of Industry.

Why are there so many new inventions, and they all have huge effects.

After a while, Wang Fuchen sighed and said, "This time we came to your Xinfeng County, but we were not willing at first. It was ordered by Lord Shangshu and entrusted by Lord Jucheng."

"It was an eye-opener, really an eye-opener."

"Although we are in the Ministry of Industry, what we see and know is not as good as yours."

Li Zheng also had the same expression, "In the past few days, we have learned what you are going to do, dig mountains to build roads, and dig tunnels directly."

"To be honest, the Imperial Ministry of Industry never thought of building such an idea, but you did it!"

"amazing!"

At this time, Master Xi said: "Regardless of whether the steel you want to smelt can be successful or not, you have won the bet between us. Raise the furnace temperature, and the refractory bricks have proof."