At the foot of Ziyun Mountain, Tao Shiqi patted a big tree and said, "It's here! The coal produced here is the best to burn charcoal. The official instructed to build a charcoal kiln nearby and try to burn charcoal from the coal here. If we can burn the coke we brought, go to the south to smel iron. After everything is done, then mine and smel the south. Use coke to smel iron, as it is more powerful than using coal!"

A man in his forties, a man from Xiangzhou, named Qiu Chenglian, shook his head and said, "Using carbonite to smelter iron is something we are used to in Xiangzhou. His firepower is far better than charcoal. I have been smelting iron since I was fifteen years old, but now I have not heard of smelting iron with coke for 30 years. Carbonite is charcoal, and using charcoal to make charcoal is really ridiculous."

Tao Shiqi said: "This is a method that officials have tried and decided. How dare you comment like this!"

Qiu Chenglian said: "Yunjuan is a scholar, but how can we know these things? We have been smelting iron for decades, but we have never seen anything. We have specialized in things in the world. When it comes to studying, we are not as good as ours, but when it comes to smelting iron, we are not as good as ours."

Luo Feng, who was on the side, said coldly: "You are so many things! Just do what the officials ordered! If they cannot make iron with coke, they will naturally not think of a solution! If the officials ordered, they will not do it, what do you want to do!"

Seeing Luo Feng speaking harshly, Qiu Chenglian shook his head and stopped talking. However, looking at his expression, he still didn't believe that doing so could produce good iron.

Xiangzhou was the iron smelting center in the world at this time. Iron courses accounted for more than half of the world. In addition, coal was used to make iron smelting, which had its own superior natural conditions. Xiangzhou had iron ore, while its adjacent Zezhou and Luzhou were rich in coal and of excellent quality. Not only did the area produce a large amount of coal, but it also had a very complete variety, especially with low phosphorus content, which could use coal to make high-quality iron.

Whether it is coal or burned into coke, the iron produced is often mixed with harmful components, mainly sulfur and phosphorus. The sulfur impurities in it are simpler to remove, while phosphorus is extremely difficult to remove. Using coke to make iron, the furnace temperature rises, and there is a possibility of direct steelmaking. However, if the coal used contains sulfur and phosphorus too high, the quality of the steel is not good, and it is hard and brittle. In the Zelu area, there are low-sulfur and low-phosphorus coal. Although the ancients did not know the principle, they could still make good iron based on their experience.

Using coke to make iron, the furnace temperature is better than coal. The harm of sulfur is much smaller, and phosphorus is the main hazard. Du Zhongxiao remembers how to solve this problem, but just a brief memory of the method. First, it is related to the acidity and alkalinity of the furnace lining, but it is not clear whether it is acidity and alkalinity. Just remember it roughly and try it slowly. Another thing is to add the raw material for slag, mainly limestone. With this direction, you can always try it slowly and improve the process step by step. It is impossible to eat a fat man in one bite, it is nothing more than taking it slowly.

The place that Tao Shiqi chose produced high-quality coking coal, which Du Zhongxiao tried a few days ago. And he was very lucky. The coal thiophosphate here has low impurities, so it can produce high-quality coking for iron smelting. This is the place where Wuyang iron ore was later matched with coke, and it was also carefully selected here. Tao Shiqi is determined by the nearness, so it is purely luck.

The craftsmen from Xiangzhou were just sent by the government to help, and they would go back in a few days. Seeing that Tao Shiqi and Luo Feng did not listen to their own words, they just followed the instructions of their superior Du Zhongxiao, they were too lazy to persuade them. Whether they could refine good iron had nothing to do with them. When they were back, they just kept in mind what these people did.

Tao Shiqi set the place for mining and coking coal, and said to Liu Kongmu, Ye County who was with him: "Kongmu, according to the instructions of the official, he will take coal and coking here in the future. He will refine it into coking and transport it to the near county town. Don't choose a place to smelify iron. Go back and arrange the service and prepare to build a kiln here."

Liu Kongmu bowed and asked again: "It's not difficult to build a kiln, but who will mine coal and coke after it is built? There are many people in the field, so we can't continue to build a service. The county has a sparse population and does not have so many people."

Tao Shiqi said: "As long as the kiln is built, the field camp will naturally be arranged. A few months later, some boatmen in Caihe will be cut off and let them come here to make coking. Caihe is not far from here, so it is convenient for them to move."

The Cai River is one of several major water transport arteries in Kaifeng Prefecture. The fibers of the Bian River have begun to be cut, so they naturally do it. The Cai River connects the Ru River water system, not only refers to the boatmen in that section of the river, but also includes the Ru River boatmen in nearby prefectures and counties, many of which are locals.

The mining and iron smelting here was organized by the Transportation Department entrusted the unified field affairs of the field affairs. As a county under the rule, Ruzhou and Ye County certainly did not dare to neglect. Although the first place of the iron ore was discovered belonged to Wuyang, after careful investigation, the mine that was decided to be mined first was within Ye County. The coal mine here also belonged to the jurisdiction of Ye County, and Liu Kongmu was appointed by the magistrate to be responsible for this matter.

Seeing that it was getting late, Tao Shiqi said, "Tonight we will rest in Rufen Town in the south. We will live there these days. We will wait until you build the charcoal kiln and burn out the coke, and then go back to the county town."

Liu Kongmu said that, and ordered his fellow servants to take Malai and go to Rufen Town together.

The geographical location of Ye County is very important. It is one south and one north with Fangcheng County, guarding the Fangcheng Pass that communicates between the north and south. It has been a strategic location since ancient times, with many sections of the Great Wall of Chu in the territory. From Ye County to Xiangcheng, and then to Xuzhou, it is the main road from the Jianghan area to Kaifeng Prefecture. Ye County belongs to Ruzhou. Compared with Wuyang, it is more suitable for Du Zhongxiao to set up an iron smelting center here.

Although he is not a civilian official, Du Zhongxiao tried to stay away from Xuzhou as much as possible to avoid being interfered with his hometown affairs. Because of the official avoidance system, Du Zhongxiao's land camp does not include Xuzhou, and even if there is idle land in Xuzhou, the supervision power brought by the Transport Department clearly stipulates that the scope of Du Zhongxiao's ability to manage is limited to Southwest Jing Road.

When he arrived at Rufen Town and settled down, Tao Shiqi called Luo Feng to his room and said to him: "Those craftsmen from Xiangzhou seem to disagree with officials and have a lot of strange things. We cannot rely on them for the next days, we have to think of some solutions ourselves."

Luo Feng said: "Yes, I can see that. They rely on their years of iron smelting, and they think they have nothing to do, and they always talk strangely to officials. Unfortunately, there are few people in our area to manage iron, and it is inconvenient to recruit, so they can only tolerate them. Recently, the yamen issued three booklets, asking the subordinate officials to read it and make some suggestions to see if it is feasible to teach people. After reading it carefully, it is very useful. According to the method of this booklet, we can also record it when mining, coking and smelting iron. It is best to choose a few reliable craftsmen, give them money and grain, and do it with us."

Tao Shiqi nodded: "No, good, your idea is very suitable for me. In a few days, the Transportation Department will transfer some iron smelting households from Shanzhou. This is what we will do here in the future. People from Xiangzhou will leave in a few days. When they arrive, we will carefully understand the various matters of mining coal, burning charcoal and smelting iron. If they can also write it into a booklet, it is everyone's contribution, and officials will be rewarded with great rewards."

Luo Feng nodded and said yes. He was driven out by his family and was determined to make a name for himself and went home to be proud. After entering the field affairs, he worked hard and studied very hard, and he was careful, so he had become Tao Shiqi's right-hand man.

The three booklets compiled by Du Zhongxiao gave Luo Feng a different idea and opened a new door for him. It turned out that there was such a knowledge in the world, and he could do it like this. Although he read and read a book and read a word in his childhood, his family was in decline, and he had no learning environment and had no knowledge of classics and history. It was unlikely that he would study and get a Jinshi in this life. Learning some other knowledge and having no worries about food and clothing is a way out.
Chapter completed!