Material Empire

Qin Hai's conversation with the workers lasted for two hours, and the information he got was mixed.

The gratifying thing is that the workers Yu Haitao and the others hired cover several key links such as steelmaking, casting, and steel rolling. At most, a dozen young auxiliary workers with less technical requirements can be hired to complete a set of steelmaking The process went down. This relieved Qin Hai from worrying about skilled workers.

In addition, these workers are very motivated to work. Yu Haitao revealed to Qin Hai privately that they promised the workers a monthly salary of 50 yuan, which is very attractive to these retired workers.

At that time, the wage standard of ordinary workers in the factory was only 60 to 70 yuan. These retired workers themselves received a pension. If they had an additional income of 50 yuan per month, they would be absolutely high-paid. Retired workers are faced with financial pressures such as children’s marriage and childbirth. They live a tight life and have a job opportunity with a monthly salary of 50 yuan. Even if they are forced to work hard, they will never complain. regret.

What made Qin Hai feel depressed was that these workers had no sense of steel refining at all, and their understanding of steelmaking only stopped at the level of opening the furnace cover, putting in the furnace material, and then turning on the electricity and blowing oxygen. Qiao Changsheng once went to Beixi Iron and Steel Works to study for a period of time, and he also knew some knowledge about reading the ingredient list, determining the ratio of slag to material, and calculating the amount of pre-deoxidizer, but he didn't know much about it. Other workers simply said that they would work according to the procedures back then. They seemed to have heard of such things as slag and liquid temperature, but they never understood them.

"Is this how you made steel back then?" Qin Hai couldn't believe what these people said. He even wondered if everyone was pretending to be stupid so that they could do less work.

Qiao Changsheng looked at his fellow workers, then sighed, and said, "Gong Qin, I'm not afraid of your jokes, that's really how we made steel back then. When I was at Beixi Iron and Steel Plant, I saw that they were very particular about making steel. , It’s like this and that. But our Pingyuan Iron and Steel Works doesn’t have this technology, so we can only follow the gourd’s drawing, as long as we can smelt molten steel.”

"How do you dephosphorize, desulfurize, deoxidize, and increase carbon?" Qin Hai asked.

Qiao Changsheng said: "We asked the technician from Beixi Iron and Steel Plant to help guide us. He wrote us a few methods, and we followed them."

Qin Haidao: "It's unreasonable. The composition of scrap steel and the carbon content of pig iron will all affect the specific operation. How can we stick to several methods?"

Qiao Changsheng looked at Qin Hai with a look of shame on his face, but he didn't try to defend himself anymore.

Ning Mo said in a low voice: "My dad said back then that the steel in Pingyuan is useless at all. It's no problem to use it to weld a water tank or something, as long as it doesn't leak anyway. The parts used for processing are slag. This gear broke before the teeth were milled. For this matter, my father fought with the director Fu that Master Qiao just mentioned."

"Director Fu is a good man." Qiao Changsheng hurriedly defended their old factory manager, "But he is a worker-peasant cadre who doesn't understand technology, and there is nothing he can do about steelmaking. In order to improve the quality of steel, he followed us. I spent countless nights together in the workshop, but it was useless..."

"Yes, if you don't have the relevant knowledge, it's useless to waste time." Qin Hai said calmly.

"Qin Gong, look at this..." Qiao Changsheng said half a word timidly, and Qin Hai had to add the rest. What he wanted to ask was whether they could meet Qin Hai's requirements with their skills. If the requirements are not met, does it mean that good things will be ruined. The 50 yuan a month's salary was ruined before it was received. The loss in everyone's heart is indescribable.

Qin Hai saw what Qiao Changsheng was thinking, and he said with a smile to everyone: "Masters, excuse me for saying something disrespectful to the younger generation, the method we used to make steel in the past is really unreasonable. However, I don't blame everyone, because these Technology should be taught to everyone by technicians, if no one teaches you, everyone will not be ashamed.”

"Qin Gong, tell me, what do you need us for?" Someone in the crowd asked loudly.

Qin Hai nodded resolutely, and said, "Of course I will ask all the masters to do it. We will never go back on what we agreed to do. I am only worried that the masters are afraid of difficulties and are unwilling to help us."

"Qin Gong, as long as we can do things, we are not afraid of difficulties, but we are afraid that our skills are too poor and we will miss the big event of Qin Gong and Platoon Leader Ge." The workers shouted one after another.

Qin Haidao: "As long as everyone is determined, there is nothing impossible. I think so, everyone should hurry up and clean up the machinery and equipment in the next two days. Master Qiao, you take everyone to try to smelt two furnaces of steel first. Find out how you feel. In the next step, I will give you a supplementary steelmaking course, sorry, I may have to ask you to be students for a few days."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, as long as we can learn, we are willing to be Qin Gong's students." The workers said.

"Alright then, let's stop here today, let's continue working first," Qin Hai said.

The workers dispersed, and under Qiao Changsheng's command, they began to clean up the machinery and equipment. They were used to this kind of work in the past, and the people who worked with them were all former workers, and they cooperated very well, so Qin Hai didn't need to worry about it.

Qin Hai asked Miao Lei to stay in the workshop to work with the workers. Together with Ge Dongyan, Ning Mo, and Yu Haitao, he walked out of the workshop and came to a shady place, where he found a few pieces of scrap steel to use as stools.

"Xiao Qin, can you do it with the skills of these workers?" Ge Dongyan, who had been silent just now, asked worriedly. He didn't understand the technology of steel production, but from Qin Hai's question and answer with the workers, he could feel that the workers Their skills are really not that good, and most of them don't know what Qin Hai's questions mean.

Qin Haidao: "It's a little troublesome, but it's not too bad. Now if you don't count on them, who else can you count on?"

Ge Dongyan said: "If it doesn't work, let's contact some big steel mills and ask them to help."

Qin Haidao: "Platoon Leader Ge, we Ming people don't talk dark words. In the cooperation between us, the provincial military region does not participate in shares in name, but in fact it is to share dividends. This dividend is the equipment we provide free of charge to the provincial military region. If We find a big steel factory to help, how will the money be calculated?"

"We asked them to help make steel, and we paid as much as they should. The payment for the military shovel was paid to your account, and the rest of the money is your profit?" Ge Dongyan said. Although he is a soldier, he is not completely ignorant of such accounts.

Qin Haidao: "Platoon Leader Ge thinks things are simple. If I do this, outsiders will not see that I provided free equipment for the provincial military region. They will only see that I, Qin Hai, bought low and sold high, and made a lot of money. Anyone Go to the Public Security Bureau to report me, this is the crime of speculation, when the time comes, will you send me food?"

"Who dares to catch you." Ge Dongyan stared.

"Why, you want to interfere in local affairs?" Qin Hai asked back.

"We...at least we can explain it to you." Ge Dongyan's tone softened. He also knew that what Qin Hai said was correct. No matter how much money Qin Hai made in running a steel factory, it was considered legal business income, and no one else could control it. But if you don't have a factory, relying entirely on buying and selling, it was indeed a very sensitive matter back then.

In case someone sneered, not to mention Qin Hai was arrested by the Public Security Bureau, even if he was asked by the county for questioning, it would be a great trouble. Of course Yue Guoyang can come forward to help mediate, but this is equivalent to causing trouble for Yue Guoyang. It was a well-known secret back then, but after all, it should not be said in public. Therefore, it is better to have as little trouble as possible.

Qin Haidao: "Platoon Leader Ge, don't worry, these workers are still very proficient in basic operations, what they lack is only technical guidance. I will find a way to get a group of technicians to stare in front of the furnace to provide them with real-time guidance Bar."

"A group of technicians..." Ning Mo smacked his lips, wanting to say something, but finally couldn't say it.

These days, Ning Mo and the others have also learned about the situation of technicians, and found that it is much more difficult to hire technicians than to hire workers. The number of technicians itself is very small, and because it is a cadre establishment, it is not as easy to recruit as a worker establishment. They searched for so long but couldn't find any usable technicians. Qin Hai just said "a batch", what kind of domineering...or arrogance?

"Platoon Leader Ge, to start production, we need capital investment. The 2,000 yuan that Commander Yue lent me before is not enough at all. Have you brought more funds?" Qin Hai began to ask substantive questions .

Ge Dongyan looked at Ning Mo and Yu Haitao, hesitated for a moment, and said nothing.

Qin Hai followed his eyes and looked at his little partner, and then said: "Platoon Leader Ge, if you have something to say, just say it. I, Fatty and Haitao are buddies. You don't have to hide everything about this project from them."

Hearing Qin Hai's words, Ning Mo and Yu Haitao looked at each other, and there was a touch of emotion in their eyes: Qin Hai is really a loyal buddy, such a big project, at least tens of thousands of profits. Our buddies make no secrets, can such a righteous person be found in the entire Pingyuan County?

Ge Dongyan also nodded, feeling a little more respect for Qin Hai's character in his heart. He said: "Xiao Qin, since you are so honest with Ning Mo and the others, then I will tell you straight. The army has already paid 200,000 yuan in advance, and Commander Yue ordered you to hurry up and open a bank account. , he asked someone to send the money.”