The ground is easy to take down.

Originally, the Ming Dynasty had a special place for making weapons.

It is not a big problem to make room for the emperor to make steel.

The second step is the construction of the blast furnace.

The crucible steelmaking method refers to the method of melting metal materials into molten steel in a graphite clay crucible. He cuts the carburized iron materials into small pieces and places them in a closed clay crucible. Heating the outside of the crucible, the iron materials continue to absorb the carbon in the graphite.

It is melted into high carbon molten steel, cast into small ingots and then forged into the required shape.

The crucible method is the first method of producing liquid steel in human history. However, the production volume is extremely small and the cost is high.

Zhu Youxiao is really excited now.

Make a moving clockwork frog with your own hands.

"Brother Zhang, just come and I will help you!" Zhu Youxiao called a few people behind him: "These are all blacksmiths with excellent skills. If you need anything, just ask them."

Zhang Haogu saw these people lowering their heads, and none of them were afraid of neck pain. No matter what, they never dared to raise their heads.

Apparently, they had received the emperor's permission in advance and were ordered not to reveal the emperor's identity, so they could only act in silence.

Zhang Haogu looked at the crucible that Zhu Youjian ordered them to make, and he had to say that a lot of thought must have been put into it, and it was made exactly according to his own requirements.

"Get the iron first."

Zhang Haogu stretched out his hand, thinking that the blacksmiths must be the ones handing him things, but it turned out to be Zhu Youxiao.

As I said just now, I want to attack Zhang Haogu.

Judging from his eager expression, he must be looking forward to it.

"Steelmaking is different from other things. It requires high-temperature quenching for a long time. If you are accidentally burned, the consequences will be disastrous."

Zhu Youxiao said: "Don't worry, I will be cautious and not act rashly."

"Okay then!" Zhang Haogu shrugged.

This thing is actually not that dangerous. As long as it's not a desperate attempt, it's fine.

The blast furnace was ignited, and the blacksmiths skillfully burned it. The fire in the furnace burned vigorously.

Zhu Youxiao asked: "Is this enough??"

Zhang Haogu looked at the flame and said: "How is it possible? It takes time to make steel. The temperature is still not enough. If you want to smelt it, you have to reach a thousand degrees, two hundred degrees or even above. The heat is not enough now, can you?"

I’m actually not very sure about success, I can only say try it, or if it fails, try again!”

He said to the craftsmen: "You guys will take turns here every day. You must not let the fire go out, let alone let the temperature drop."

"We must try our best to smelt whatever we burn."

The blacksmiths responded submissively.

"I'm afraid it will take ten days and a half."

Zhu Youxiao asked in surprise: "It takes so long?"

"I can't control the time either. No matter how skilled these blacksmiths are, this is their first time refining manganese steel."

Zhang Haogu spread his hands and said: "Isn't this the first time to make steel? I can count it in the future. This time it will be fifteen days, next time it will be ten days, eight days, take your time!"

The blacksmiths said: "Normally smelting only takes half a day, but steelmaking takes at most three to five days. Burning for ten days and a half is a bit too long..."

"No, after refining, the crucible will be broken directly. It can only be used once. If the heat is not enough, the crucible will have to be made again, and the delay will be even longer."

Hearing what Zhang Haogu said was reasonable, Zhu Youxiao ordered the blacksmiths not to make any mistakes.

In this way, the blacksmiths worked day and night for less than half a month.

When Zhang Haogu and Zhu Youxiao arrived again, they could already feel the heat wave hitting them before they even got close.

The blacksmiths were all shirtless, their skin turned red and black, they were sweating profusely, and they looked tired and hot.

The hard work of steelmaking can be seen clearly.

"Success or failure depends on whether it turns into molten iron or not."

Zhang Haogu asked someone to take out the crucible and place it in cold water.

After the crackling sound, wisps of white smoke appeared.

He looked at Zhu Youxiao, who was looking at the crucible with his eyes wide open, full of expectation, which was self-evident.

Zhang Haogu thought that if this failed, Zhu Youxiao would not know how he would react.

"Take out the crucible, break it directly, and pour it into ingots."

When the blacksmiths were in trouble, they all understood it afterward, and it was nothing more than instillation.

But they had a hard time breaking the crucible.

"Usually, things are fired with an open mouth. All you need to do is pour it out. We have never seen this crucible before. Can you please tell me how to pour it?"

The techniques used by the blacksmiths in the past were all based on old rules. If there were any slight changes, they would be at a loss. They could only wait for Zhang Haogu to explain clearly how to do it before they dared to do it.

"If you want to make steel, then make steel. It's not that I, the Ming Dynasty, can't make steel. It's just that this is the first time I've seen this kind of steel-making method!"

A slightly younger blacksmith said.

A piece of skin was burned on his body, extending from the side of his neck to his shoulders, leaving ugly burn scars.

It seems that he has been burned during these days of steelmaking. No wonder he is full of resentment and has only tolerated it until now.

"The steel I want to make requires higher purity in order to have stronger toughness. Now I can only find charcoal to smelt it, and the highest temperature of burning is not enough. The crucible must be completely sealed to make the inside of the crucible reach a higher temperature.

temperature."

"Just like steaming buns, the steamer must be covered. After sealing the blast furnace, you also sealed it with a crucible?"

Another blacksmith made it clear: "That's it!"

This blacksmith was the master of the young blacksmith just now. As soon as he understood it, he immediately called his apprentice and asked him to bow his head and admit his mistake to Zhang Haogu.

Zhang Haogu waved his hand and said no: "What he said is the trouble caused after smelting. How to open it is indeed a problem."

"What should we do?" Zhu Youxiao was also in trouble.

Zhang Haogu ordered someone to place the crucible on top of the pouring mold, and he personally stepped forward with a small hammer and iron drill.

"Let's do it. If we're not careful, the contents inside will spill out, and I'm afraid my hands will be crippled."

The old blacksmith reached out to Zhang Haogu and asked for the hammer.

"Don't worry, there must be molten iron inside. Let me let it flow into the mold obediently.

Zhang Haogu gritted his teeth. In fact, he didn't understand very much. The things in the textbook just gave him a rough introduction. Did he actually practice it?

If you can get a rough idea, that's pretty much it.

The textbook basically gives a quick overview.

Textbooks won't tell you the details.

He had finally thought about it. It was just like beating an egg, except that the egg was slightly hotter. If it failed, he would definitely be the first to run away.

Zhu Youxiao also became nervous and stopped breathing.

Zhang Haogu thought to himself that he was about to give up because he was not sure, so he struck with a desperate spirit.

The crucible cracked with a sound, just at the most suitable place.

The red molten steel inside flows out and is poured into the mold.

"After cooling, it will turn into a steel ingot."
Chapter completed!