Daming: Mixed in Dangzhi County, Beiping

Chapter 70 Opening the Furnace for Iron Smelting!
Hearing Guo An's shout, an old craftsman paused, then turned his head slowly, and when he saw Guo An, he ran over with a panicked face and saluted Guo An.

"The villain sees Guo Xianzun, the villain is damned, he only looks at the iron furnace, and he doesn't pay attention to what is behind him. I don't know that Guo Xianzun and several nobles are coming."

Guo An smiled helplessly, "I told you a long time ago that there is no need for so many rituals here. Well, His Royal Highness King Yan is here today, and you will quickly open the furnace to make iron, and show His Highness the results you have been waiting for this month. !"

"His Royal Highness King Yan?"

Startled, the blacksmith subconsciously looked at Zhu Di beside Guo An, trembling all over, and quickly knelt down to salute.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. The villain is blind and has no eyes. He didn't even know that His Highness King Yan is coming. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Beside the iron smelting furnace, a group of craftsmen also heard the commotion here. After hearing that His Royal Highness King Yan had also come, all of them were excited at first, and then they all knelt down in panic and turned towards Zhu Di. Constantly kowtow and salute.

Zhu Di waved his hand casually, and said, "Don't blame those who don't know, hurry up and go to iron making!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The blacksmith got up quickly, and ran to the side of the iron-smelting furnace with a face full of excitement.

At the same time, he yelled: "His Royal Highness King Yan has an order to start the furnace to smelt iron!"

"His Royal Highness King Yan ordered to open a furnace to make iron..."

Hearing the voices of the group of old craftsmen, the blacksmiths who were busy with other things also rushed over here.

Those who carried the ore were carrying the ore, and those who were carrying the coking coal were moving in a chaotic and orderly manner.

Suddenly, Zhu Di, Zhu Fu and others who were looking around curiously heard a sound of 'dangdang' iron tools rubbing against each other.

Following the sound, Zhu Di couldn't help shrinking his eyes. On the side close to the iron mine, a square iron cart came out at some time, like a giant beast, and rushed towards this side quickly.

"Be careful, Your Highness!"

Seeing this kind of scene for the first time, Li Wang was so shocked that his hair stood on end and his scalp was numb, but he still subconsciously pulled out the steel knife in his hand and held it tightly in front of Zhu Di.

As for Zhu Di, Zhu Fu and others, their whole bodies were also tense.

Only Guo An and Zhu Liang, who seemed to have expected it, did not panic at all, and looked at the fast-moving iron car with admiration.

"Boom..."

And with a dull sound, the iron cart did not come towards them, but flew directly to the cliff behind the iron furnace, ran forward for a certain distance, and then stopped steadily.

It seems that they came here specially to send iron ore to the iron-smelting furnace!

"Pour iron sand!"

Before Zhu Di and Zhu Fu had time to ask Guo An, they saw two old craftsmen popping up beside the iron cart, each holding a big shovel, shoveling iron sand from the iron cart into the iron furnace .

"Guo An, what is this?"

With bright eyes, Zhu Di hurriedly asked Guo An.

Guo An replied: "Your Highness, this is an iron cart."

Zhu Di asked again: "How could these iron carts slide down from the iron mine above without hindrance, and still stop directly above the iron furnace?"

Guo An smiled slightly, pointed to the place where the iron carts just slipped, and explained: "Your Highness, there are a few slides built with big iron rods specially for these iron carts.

Just put iron sand and gravel on the iron cart, and then send the iron cart to the slideway. With a slight push, the iron cart can slide all the way along the slideway to the designated place! "

"There is such a magical slide?"

Zhu Di and Zhu Fu stared at each other with disbelief.

He had experienced the speed of the iron cart just now. Even if ten chariots were blocked in front of him, he couldn't resist the speed and weight. How could it be built with only a few iron bars? Can the slide be controlled?
Thinking about it, Zhu Di walked directly in the direction of Guo An's finger.

Sure enough, after walking a few steps, I saw a concave road connected by eight iron bars, with shiny friction marks on the iron bars, extending all the way up the mountain.

Then follow the slide to the direction of the iron making furnace.

The chute turned a corner directly under their feet, and extended along the slope all the way to the rock wall on top of the iron furnace.

Seeing this, Zhu Di and the others just thought about it for a while, then they understood, and their faces were full of admiration.

"With this kind of slideway and iron cart, from now on, there will be no need for craftsmen and labor to transport iron sand from the mountain to the next basket.

The mining speed of the entire iron mine can be increased by at least ten times! "

Guo An replied, "Your Highness is wise! This method can also be used for other minerals, especially coal mountains!"

"exactly!"

Zhu Di blushed, looked at Guo An and asked, "Who came up with such a coup? This king will definitely reward him heavily!"

Guo An replied with a smile: "Reporting to Your Highness, it is the next official!"

"you?"

Zhu Di's face froze slightly, and he walked towards the iron furnace.

"Your Highness, you haven't told the officer yet, what do you want to reward?"

Guo An was taken aback, and hurriedly asked.

Zhu Di pretended not to hear it, and watched with great interest the group of old craftsmen busy around the iron smelting furnace.

Guo An's face darkened, Zhu Laosi wanted to renege on his debt.

At this time, Zhong Huo, the manager of Tie Ye's office, who heard the report from his subordinates, ran over sweating profusely.

"The villain, Zhong Huo, who is in charge of the Tieye Factory in Shangzhuang Village, sees His Highness. The villain didn't know His Highness was coming, and he was far away to welcome him. Please forgive me!"

Zhu Di glanced at his sweaty head, his face still streaked with black mud, and said directly, "It's okay, get up!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Zhong Huo got up quickly and waited on him respectfully.

And this time, the iron cart above the iron-smelting furnace was 'dangdang' being pulled up the mountain again.Just as the iron cart got on the iron ore, there was another dull sound on the slide.

An iron cart loaded with iron sand rushed down from the iron mine again and landed firmly on top of the ironmaking furnace.

Those two old craftsmen appeared again just now, and quickly filled the iron-smelting furnace with iron sand.

In this way, it has been repeated seven or eight times, and after changing the old craftsman three times, the old craftsman on the cliff closed the iron furnace tightly and came down from above.

And the stove below the iron-smelting furnace was already burning ragingly. Zhu Di, Guo An and the others subconsciously stepped back more than ten steps.

After Zhong Huo, who had been silent all this time, flashed his expression, he bowed his hands to Zhu Di and said, "Your Highness, it will take at least four or five hours for this iron furnace to smelt molten iron. Your Highness may as well go to the lobby to rest for a while and drink some water." A mouthful of tea?"

"Ok?"

Hearing this, Zhu Di's face darkened, and he glared at Guo An who was at the side.

"It will take at least four or five hours for this iron furnace to smelt molten iron?"

Guo An didn't know what happened to Zhu Di, girls in later generations were not so fickle, but he still replied slowly: "Return to Your Highness, it should be so!"

Zhu Di looked at Guo An unkindly: "Then you, the thief officer, brought me all the way here to see this big iron furnace, and that iron cart?"

Guo An asked doubtfully, "Your Highness, is this not enough?"

……

(End of this chapter)