Iron Powder and Spellcaster

"Do you know how to smelt iron?" Winters asked Carlos Sawyer, the younger brother of the great blacksmith Balian, seriously.

Carlos was a little flustered by the thunderous question. He hesitated and hesitated: "Yes... Sir, didn't you agree to rescue my brother and start the furnace again?"

"I asked you if you can?" Winters frowned slightly: "Or not?"

Carlos was forced into a corner and said bravely: "Yes!"

Seeing Carlos' evasive attitude, Winters guessed that this kid was probably not good at academics.

In fact, Carlos has another layer of thinking. He is not willing to show his skills before his brother comes back, but he is also afraid that no one will save his brother unless he proves his worth.

"Relax." Winters sighed: "I will save your brother whether you contribute or not. I have sent people to look for Balian, and there will be news soon. You don't have to be afraid, your brother is me. The friendship between him and me is much deeper than you think. That’s why Pierre will take you and protect you, so I won’t embarrass you.”

Carlos' nose felt sore and he nodded heavily.

The three Sawyer brothers, Carlos's father and second brother, are no longer here. Everything he did was for his eldest brother to return home safely.

Winters sighed. Without a big blacksmith, a small blacksmith should be able to make do...probably.

Not waiting for time, Winters took Carlos and immediately picked up the gifts and went to visit the father-in-law of the blacksmith Shaosha.

Chauchat's old father-in-law was named [Boltin]. He had many honors: he was one of the first settlers of Gevaudan, the first blacksmith of Gevaudan, and the first president of the Gevaudan Blacksmiths Guild...

When Gévaudin was but a few thatched huts on the banks of the Saint-Georges River, the flames were already rising in the forges of Portin.

The history of his forge is older than even the name "Gévaudin".

Boltan did not change his self-made nature. No matter how much property he saved, he still worked at the anvil himself every day, so he gained the reputation of "hardworking, shrewd and tough".

Because of his loud voice, sense of responsibility, and resolute action, the blacksmith Boltan gradually became the leading figure in Gévaudin, and his words were no less important than that of another citizen leader, the tobacco merchant Old Priskin.

But it all ended with the accident eight years ago.

Boltan, who was over fifty years old, had his back broken by a crane loaded with ore. He could no longer feel his body below the waist.

The smart and capable blacksmith has since become a useless person who can't even take care of himself.

Everyone in Gevaudan felt sorry for him, but even if everyone's sighs were combined and magnified a hundred times, it would not be worth the mental and physical pain of the old man.

It was at that time that Shaosha, a young blacksmith who worked in Boltan's forge, was adopted as his son-in-law by the old Boltan.

Blacksmith Shaosha became the new master of the forge, and old Boltan lived in seclusion. He was not even seen in the church every week.

But today, an unexpected guest came to the old Boltan house - the military tribune Winters Montagne.

Winters had made an appointment with Chauchat at a different time, but he always arrived early to do whatever came to mind.

Shaosha and old Boltan were extremely surprised.

"My Lord Tribune came to see me, a paralytic waiting to die." Old Boltan tried to hold up his upper body: "It's a great honor."

The old man was very thin, like a layer of skin hanging on his bones. Years of being bedridden caused his muscles to atrophy and his cheeks to become deeply sunken and droopy.

Looking at the old Boltan now, no one would believe that he was once a blacksmith with thick arms, a loud voice, and a lot of laughter and curses.

Shao Sha quickly reached out to help his father-in-law.

"No need to bother, let the old man come to you as he feels comfortable." Winters said frankly: "Actually, I only come to visit if I have something to ask for."

"You can ask." Old Boltan looked calm: "I will tell you everything I know."

"I want to know everything about the Tiefeng Mine. Where is the mine? What are the reserves? What is the quality of the ore? Can it still be mined? You are the person who knows the history of Tiefeng County and Rewardan best. I take the liberty to ask you. I also hope that Don’t mind, old gentleman.”

Hearing that "the best understands the history of Tiefeng County and Gevaudan", Old Boltan's mood fluctuated a little, but the ripples disappeared under the water in the blink of an eye.

"There are so many things, I don't know where to start."

Winters simply pulled up a chair and sat down, then motioned for others to sit down as well: "Then I'll ask, and I hope you won't hesitate to answer. Can Tiefeng Mine still be mined?"

"Yes." The old man nodded: "Tiefeng Mountain is a mountain covered with iron. The Hed people only mined the shallow outcrops. They have no ability to mine deeper. When we came here back then, we dug three sloping holes from the north of the mountain. The well is the so-called Tiefeng Mine.”

Winters nodded and listened, then took out a small notebook: "Then why did you stop mining later?"

Old Boltan sighed deeply: "The ore in the Iron Peak Mine... is the poisonous ore that the blacksmiths call it. You may not understand, but Shaosha and this little guy should understand."

The old man pointed at Carlos with his chin.

Although Winters did not introduce Carlos, the young blacksmith was still identified by the old man at a glance.

"Poisonous ore is bad ore." Carlos said more quietly: "It is not good to smelt iron. It needs to... remove the poison."

Hearing the word "detoxification," old Boltan's eyes flashed with suspicion.

But the old man didn’t get it straight and continued: “Many ores can be used to smelt iron. Limonite was used many, many years ago; siderite can be used to directly smelt steel using a shaft furnace; hematite and black iron ore can be directly used to smelt steel. , Magnetite can also be used. But if it contains too much yellow iron and poisonous iron, the iron obtained will not be good. It will be brittle and will break as soon as it is bent."

Winters listened and took notes. There were so many blacksmith jargons in the old man's mouth that he barely understood them.

But the old man was in a lively conversation, and Winters thought it best not to interrupt.

Old Boltan recalled the past: "Tiefeng Mine is also considered a rich ore, because the ore is too toxic, smelting is very troublesome, and the quality of the iron lumps is not good. So only in the early years we used Tiefeng ore to smelt iron and supply it to the whole county. farmers. Later, the steel bars from Steel Fort came in, and the Tiefeng Mine gradually declined."

"Is it still possible to resume mining?" Winters asked seriously.

"Of course." The old man smiled lightly: "The ore is in the mountains, what can't be mined?"

"I'll tell you the truth, old man." Winters said frankly: "I want to restart the Tiefeng Mine and open a furnace to smelt iron."

"Why bother?" Old Boltan was half leaning on the bedside: "Wouldn't it be a good idea to buy steel castle bars?"

Winters answered truthfully: "We can't buy steel castle bars anymore. Now all the blacksmiths in Tiefeng County are using their stocks. If this continues, I'm just waiting to die."

As soon as he finished speaking, the small room suddenly became quiet.

…

The steel castle Solingen is located in the Republic of Monta, nestled among the shaded mountains.

Therefore, the way of transporting the ironware and bars of the steel castle into Plato was the "waterway", all the way down the river to the Jinliu River.

To transport it to Tiefeng County, you need to start again from the Jinliu River, first to Mirror Lake, and then upstream along the Dajiao River until you unload the ship at Shouzi Port in Shouzi Lake.

In peacetime, of course, that's fine, but now Blue Rose and Red Rose are at war.

The power of Blue Rose lies between the control area of ​​​​Red Rose and the Monta Republic.

Want to transport it to Jinliu River? Think beautifully.

At this level of Blue Rose, Steel Castle's goods will not be able to pass through - as long as Arpad has no problem with his mind, he will immediately cut off Steel Castle's iron delivery to Red Rose.

Even if they pass the Blue Rose level and the Red Rose level, the kings' castles will not just watch as the newly-reclamated provinces receive iron supplies.

Even if we can pass the Red Rose level, there will still be a new reclamation army!

Tiefeng County is currently under a triple lockdown, with each level becoming more stringent.

Let alone ready-made bars of iron, not even a grain of iron slag can be transported.

There are too many places where Winters needs to use iron right now.

Farming tools are needed for farming, and iron is needed for farming tools;

Winters had to build houses for the refugees and soldiers, and he needed tools, and the tools also needed iron;

He also had to rearm his army as much as possible - he couldn't just let his soldiers fight with short spears all the time, right?

He wanted armor, he wanted swords and spears, he wanted muskets, he wanted iron.

Winters, who had won the battle, sadly discovered that this land could make tables and chairs, pottery pots, grow food, grind flour, and make paper, but it could not produce a pound of iron, a foot of woolen cloth, or a piece of armor. make.

Tiefeng County is a completely backward agricultural frontier county. Its commerce is not very developed and it only has a small-scale handicraft industry.

The latifundia economy resulted in poverty for all but the estate-owning class.

In the past, Tiefeng County made a living by selling crops and buying things she could not produce.

Now, Tiefeng County's logistics channels with the outside world have been cut off.

There are only two paths before Winters: either sit back and wait for death, or fight hard and become self-sufficient.

…

"So that's it." Old Boltan pondered for a moment: "Then I can understand your urgency to restart the Tiefeng Mine, but it's not easy."

"This matter is not just for my survival." Winters said seriously: "A wise man told me, 'The more money circulates, the more money there is.' Have you heard of it?"

"No, shouldn't money become less and less as it circulates?" Old Boltan's voice was deep.

Winters spread this [circulation theory] every chance he got: "For individuals, money circulates less and less. The dock workers received their wages and went to buy bread. The bakers earned money and went to the mill to buy flour. Money. Every time it changes hands, it will decrease a little. In the end, only a small part ends up in farmers’ pockets.”

He originally quoted the words of a wise man: "But when a baker earns money, he can support his family. When a miller earns money, he can also support his family. Every circulation of money makes the city and even the country more prosperous. From this point of view, the overall wealth is equivalent to 'increasing'.

Than being put into a jar and buried deeply by the miser and the old rich man. Money should be circulated more. The more circulation times, the better! "

The young blacksmith Carlos was in a daze, the middle-aged blacksmith Shaosha was thoughtful, and the old blacksmith Boltan became more and more shocked as he listened.

He had also had a vague idea of ​​what the tribune was talking about. But he has never been able to summarize it into a clear, concise and clear written explanation.

"We want to make money circulate more. First, we need to reduce the resistance in circulation channels, which is to promote commerce;" Winters said eloquently: "Second, we need to open up sources! Money is like water. It has no source. No matter how much water there is, The flow must also be cut off!”

He looked straight into old Boltan's eyes: "If I want to smelt iron, I want to open up the source of it. I not only want to smelt iron, I want to do all kinds of production that can be done. Even if the cost of 'making' is higher than others, it is still cheaper than buying." powerful!

I don't bother to hide my thoughts. My primary purpose in doing this is to save myself and strengthen myself. In this process, if I can benefit thousands of people in Tiefeng County, I will do my best.

Tiefeng County is now under my authority, not to mention benefiting anyone, but at least I won't do worse than the New Reclamation Corps! "

The room became extremely quiet, and Shaosha and Carlos did not dare to express their anger.

"When true heroes come out of youth, I, an old man, am really a little scared." Old Boltan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "These thoughts of 'the more money circulates, the more money flows', were you the one who came up with it yourself? That wise man, you said Yourself?"

"No, I don't dare to take credit. It was really a wise man who told me."

"Who is this wise man?" Old Boltan looked forward to it: "Can I meet him?"

"I will bring the wise man to visit me personally someday." Winters' cheeks were slightly red and he proudly told the old man: "My wife told me these."

"Ah? A female wolf?" Shao Sha was shocked and thought to himself: "Is it possible that Mrs. Montagne can not only fight?"

Old Boltan's smile became increasingly bitter, and then became free and easy: "Hahahahaha! Heroes come not only from boys, but also from girls!"

Winters laughed too.

"Actually, I have had similar thoughts to what you said." Old Boltan sat up straight: "I had carefully considered it back then. The iron peak mine could not compete with steel bars purchased from outside. Because the quality is not good.”

"Because it's expensive and the cost is high, right?" Winters understood immediately.

"That's right." Old Boltan nodded: "If it's cheap enough, even if the quality is a little lower, Steel Castle Bar Iron will definitely not be able to compete with the Iron Peak Mine - Steel Castle Bar Iron has to be transported across the entire Plato to Gevo. Dan, the shipping cost alone is huge! How can you not compete with them?"

The old man spoke faster and faster. He was no longer a useless person now, but a big blacksmith named Boltan with a loud voice: "If iron smelting in Tiefeng County can become a big business like Steel Castle. Gévaudin will also It will be better, and Tiefeng County will be better.

But buying mines costs money, buying charcoal costs money, open-hearth furnaces cost money, hiring people costs money, everything costs money. All added up, in the end, it is better to buy steel castle bars to save worry and effort! "

The great blacksmith Boltan scolded excitedly: "Especially charcoal! You need good charcoal to make iron, and the woods belong to the legion. Want to cut down trees and burn charcoal? Bring money! Money, money, money! The garrison only cares about money! Selling Land is exchanged for money, trees are sold for money, and mines are sold for money. The Legion has never thought about how important supporting an industry is to us ordinary people!"

Shao Sha was so frightened that his face turned pale. Although the sun had changed in Tiefeng County, it was still something he dared not think of directly criticizing the new land army.

The essence of this insult to the old authority is still contempt for authority. It is extremely easy to arouse the resentment and suppression of the new authority. Even if he is criticizing the enemy of the new authority - the former Duke, it is not something that a commoner can criticize openly.

"You're right!" Winters felt like he had met a confidant, and he couldn't help but complain: "The New Reclamation Army doesn't care about the people's life and death at all. What they want is money, food and soldiers. They cannot represent the people of New Reclamation. Profits, because they only see their own interests! The starting point of all their actions is to extract more, more!"

Shaosha and Carlos were left alone, and Winters actually felt sympathy for the thin old man who was paralyzed in bed.

"I made careful calculations back then, and found that if we use coal to smelt iron, the cost would be greatly reduced. The iron from the Tiefeng mine would be comparable to the steel bar iron." The pain, sadness and despair in the old Boltan's heart were all wiped out. Hook it out.

He burst into tears and murmured: "In those years, there was not a day when I was not studying how to use charcoal to smelt iron. I spent all my time buying charcoal, building stoves, and sifting mines... But what? I was turned into a useless person. This is God's gift to me, this is the reward of fate..."

Winters didn't know there were such twists and turns.

"Please rest assured." Winters could only try his best to comfort the old man: "The New Reclamation Army has gone away! Tiefeng County is now under my jurisdiction, and the iron ore and charcoal are free of charge! I hope you will not hesitate to help me to revive my life. Iron Peak Mine.”

"As people get older, they tend to talk to themselves." Old Boltan wiped away his tears, tried to straighten his spine, and asked Winters seriously: "Do you want to restart the Tiefeng Mine?"

"That's right."

"Are the trees and iron ore all yours?"

"right."

"We also need manpower, a lot of manpower, do you have it?"

Winters coughed slightly: "Yes, I have more than a thousand prisoners."

…

Don Juan captured more than a thousand prisoners from Vogne County. These prisoners could neither be released nor killed, nor could they directly grant land to recruit soldiers because they could not afford to feed them.

Winters decided that the prisoners would be given food, but they would have to work for three years without pay.

Nominally, the captives served as slaves because they were hostile to Tiefeng County, but in fact they were slaves for a period of three years.

At present, the prisoners have been brought to Forge Township, and under the supervision of the army, they are planting winter crops with Winters' soldiers.

After the winter wheat and winter barley are planted, Winters plans to organize the prisoners into a logging team and a construction team to build houses for the refugees.

There are no legal or logical problems in selecting people to work in the iron mines.

…

"Then we can do it!" Old Boltan resumed his resolute attitude: "There are mines, charcoal, and people, so what are you afraid of? When you open a road in the mountains or build a bridge when you encounter water, hit him first with a hammer! What's the problem? , just solve it!"

The more Winters got along with the old blacksmith, the more he felt his temper was right: "Well said! Hit him with a hammer first!"

"Shaosha!" Old Boltan reached for the pen and paper on the table.

Shaosha hurriedly sent the pen and paper to his father-in-law. Winters saw that there was a thick pile of parchment on the table, and the paper was full of writing. There are also a lot of sketches and messy manuscript paper.

"Go to Forge Township and call Goncharov over." The old man scrawled on the paper: "He was the one who led the men to dig the inclined shaft back then. He is the most familiar with the mineral veins and deposits! "

Shaosha's body trembled. He swallowed and whispered, "Old Goncharov is dead. He died the year before last."

Old Boltan's writing stopped and he asked blankly: "How did he die?"

"You die of old age." Shaosha added tentatively: "The year before last, Mary and I told you to come, the day before Ascension Day. You were writing a book at that time, so you didn't want us to bother you..."

"Where's Paul? Paul Vinicius?" Old Boltan asked with trembling lips, "Is he still alive?"

"Old Mr. Vinicius is also dead. He drank to death." Shaosha said: "His forge is now in charge of his youngest son."

"They are all dead! We are all old!" Old Boltan cried first, and then laughed: "I am about to die too! Then we can't waste time!"

Old Boltan struggled to rummage on the desk, and finally found a map and handed it to the new owner of Tiefeng County: "Your Excellency, this is a map from 28 years old. I don't know whether it matches or not. I know. Go to Forge Township, find an old blacksmith, follow this map, and ask him to take you to the mine."

"Don't worry." Winters smiled and took the map: "As long as there is a map, I can find it."

"It's a pity that I have become a cripple and am trapped in this bed unable to move. Otherwise, I will follow you to Tiefeng! On the day when the smelting furnace of Tiefeng Mine starts to smoke again, let me take one more look by the window and I will die without regrets. ."

"Speaking of the stove." Winters said seriously: "I bring something new, something that may completely change the Iron Peak Mine."

Shaosha's eyes widened, and old Boltan's appetite was whetted.

"That's him." Winters patted Carlos on the shoulder.

"He?" Shao Sha was puzzled.

Winters said seriously, "This little guy—knows how to smelt iron in a blast furnace!"

"He? He understands?" Shaosha was shocked. He thought the child next to the tribune was a follower: "Such a young master?"

"It's naturally best to have a blast furnace." Old Boltan was a little disappointed. Obviously he didn't believe that a kid with no hair could understand a blast furnace: "It doesn't matter if you don't have one."

The old man sighed and recalled those days: "Back then, we all used [block furnaces] to smelt iron, which was also the reason why the iron from Tiefeng County couldn't beat the iron from Steel Castle - the iron from Steel Castle was smelted in a blast furnace. Yes, it saves time and effort. I also tried to build a blast furnace, but it didn’t work.”

"It doesn't matter." Winters smiled broadly: "Just give it a try."

Carlos was about to cry.

When leaving, Winters asked old Boltan: "I heard you just said that you tried to use coal to smelt iron?"

"Coal is also poisonous. If you use coke to smelt iron, all the good iron ore will be destroyed." Old Boltan sighed again: "So I have been trying to remove the toxicity of cocoa, but I have not succeeded."

"Where did the coal come from?" Winters raised his eyebrows slightly: "Is coal produced in Lin County?"

"There is coal in Tiefeng County." Old Boltan replied matter-of-factly: "It's in Xiaoshi Town. Xiaoshi Town is Xiaoshi Coal Town, but it's just wet coal. It needs to be drained, so mining is a bit difficult."

Winters sighed softly and bowed to the old man to say goodbye.

Chauchat kept sending the tribune outside the door. Winters asked Chauchat casually: "Old Mr. Boltan writes a book?"

"Yeah, I'm writing a book about blacksmithing." Shao Sha nodded.

"When I go back, I will make a stand for old Mr. Boltan so that he can write more easily." Winters thought about it and said with a smile, "I also need to make a deck chair so that the old man can lie down. It’s more comfortable.”

"Don't dare, don't dare." Shao Sha declined hastily.

"When it's done, I'll send it to you." Winters then ordered: "Hire a servant to massage the elderly's limbs every day. I also stayed in bed for a long time to recuperate, and it was all because of someone massaging my limbs that my muscles would not be damaged. Shrink.”

"Is massaging the limbs useful?" This is the first time Shao Sha has heard of this kind of therapy.

"it works."

"I'll make arrangements right away." Shao Sha bowed his head gratefully and said, "Thank you."

Winters patted Shaosha on the arm and left with Carlos.

Riding on the road, Winters suddenly said: "Carlos!"

"Yes." Carlos said excitedly, "Yes!"

"I blew it for you." Winters smiled kindly and said, "Don't embarrass me."

Carlos laughed too, and it was worse than crying.

"Okay, how much does your kid weigh? I know it without weighing you." Winters tapped the young blacksmith on the shoulder with the whip pole: "Just do your best."

Carlos nodded desperately. He suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said: "If you want to build a blast furnace, an earthen kiln is not enough. You have to use refractory bricks. You also have to find me a brick burner."

"You want a bricklayer? There are only stonemasons in Gevaudan. Where can I find a bricklayer for you? If there is no bricklayer, you have to bake bricks!"

"I won't……"

"Ok, deal."

"Yes." Carlos just climbed out of the deep valley and fell back again.

Memories seemed to be connected by threads, pulling Winters' thoughts back to a few months ago.

Winters pondered to the little blacksmith and said, "I really have two brick burners on hand."

"Where?" Carlos was excited.

"you know."

"who?"

"Shaun the potter, and his brother Xiao Ping." Winters chuckled: "They are the two brothers who helped old Misha and you when we were in Wolf Town."

"Are they brick-burners?" Carlos was shocked: "Aren't they two bellows pullers?"

"I'll send someone to pick them up right now!"

Seeing that the last obstacle to building the blast furnace was removed, Carlos cried again.

"No." Winters laughed heartily: "I want to go back to Wolf Town myself!"

"You don't need to pick up the brick burner." Carlos simply said, "Otherwise, I'll pick him up."

"I not only want to pick up Brother Sean." Winters' smile grew wider: "I also want to pick up a priest!"

[I was not happy writing the previous chapter]

[This chapter is an additional update]

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