Chapter 85

Here is the second update, still desperately seeking favorites, recommendations, and Three Rivers votes. Additionally, I would like to thank the following readers for their support of the Dream of the Heavenly Dynasty: 28th Floor, Wu Zhiye Qiangzhe, Vladi Mi R, Daji Zai Mei Ye Shi Yao, Paiguaaa, Wangan9349a, Qi Wang, Tixue Tianjiao, fx0110, and Shuyou130220150602792.

The small alley by the street was already blocked off with barriers, and a small squad of Manchester militiamen was nervously guarding the area. Seeing Juzhi and Liu Peng, who were dressed as gentlemen, approach, a middle-aged militiaman who looked like a captain loudly stopped them and sent a militiaman to check them, ensuring they were not carrying any ammonium oil bombs. After making them unload the bullets from their revolvers, he finally let them pass the barrier.

"Sir, what's going on? Why are you searching us?" Juzhi asked the militiaman captain, somewhat puzzled.

"Bombs! Damn bombs!" The militiaman captain stared at Juzhi for a moment, recognizing him. "Are you Sir Zhu?"

"Yes, I am Zhu Juzhi."

The captain sighed. "It's all because of the bombs you invented. The other night, someone threw a homemade bomb at the Manchester City Hall, but it didn't explode. Yesterday, the mayor ordered the military and police to search the workers' district for the criminals, and these poor devils took the opportunity to start a riot!"

"Are all the roads to Vincent Street blocked?" Juzhi asked, changing the subject with a bitter smile. He wondered if his invention of the ammonium oil bomb was really disrupting the harmonious society of Europe and whether it might lead to suicide bombings.

"All blocked. You might as well stay at this Hot Restaurant for a while. The army is about to start suppressing the riots!" The captain pointed to a well-decorated restaurant and said to Juzhi.

"Liu Peng, let's go there and get something to eat." After squeezing through the crowd for about an hour, Juzhi felt hungry and pulled Liu Peng into the Hot Restaurant.

Despite the chaos outside, the restaurant was doing particularly well, with almost every seat occupied by a gentleman with a worried look, probably in the same situation as Juzhi. The smells of roasted meat, coffee, and cigarettes mixed together, creating a somewhat pungent atmosphere. Some people were having heated conversations.

"The situation is getting more chaotic, it's starting to resemble France in 1789!" A fat man with a standard Oxford accent said, looking worried.

"It's not that bad. The army is still loyal to the Queen, and the bourgeoisie is on the government's side. These poor devils won't amount to much!" Someone immediately countered.

"But the situation is dire," the fat man shook his head. "Isn't it? Food prices are getting higher, and workers' wages are getting lower. Our Jason-Churchill Company is offering new workers 4 pence a day, and child laborers only 2 pence."

"That's not bad. Who's hiring these days? Layoffs are everywhere. If this continues, not only will the workers be unemployed, but even we will be out of work."

The fat man turned out to be one of his employees? Juzhi, interested, approached him. "Sir, are you an engineer at Jason-Churchill Company?"

The fat man looked up at Juzhi, and Juzhi looked back at him. He was a truly large man, much bigger than Robert Churchill, with a large nose and peculiar mustaches on both cheeks.

"Heavens, you're Sir Zhu!" The fat man stood up abruptly. Juzhi's portrait was hung in the offices of all the factory managers under the Juzhi Company, so he had seen it before. "I am Henry Bessemer, an engineer at Jason-Churchill Company and also at the Jason Central Laboratory."

A chubby hand extended to shake Juzhi's, and Juzhi smiled and asked, "Mr. Bessemer, are you a chemist?"

In this era, Juzhi himself was a very distinguished chemist, so most of the research topics at the Jason Central Laboratory were related to chemistry, and the main employees were chemists.

"No, I specialize in metallurgy, casting, and mechanics," the fat man said proudly. "The shell of the Jason grenade was designed by me, and the latest Bessemer shell was also designed by me."

"Metallurgy and casting? Mr. Bessemer, do you know how to smelt steel?" Juzhi became interested immediately. Steel was the bread and butter of industry! Whether for casting cannons or making guns, steel was indispensable.

"Of course, Sir. I've been working in my father's foundry since I was young, so I have a deep understanding of metallurgy. I also studied mechanical design in London and invented a new stamping method, but unfortunately, I forgot to apply for a patent. Additionally, I have done research on pigments and printing techniques."

Juzhi nodded. Many inventors and engineers of this era had a broad range of knowledge, knowing a little about everything but not specializing in any one area.

"How did you end up working for our Juzhi Company?" Juzhi asked.

The fat man smiled. "It's all because of the damned economic depression. My pigment and craft business was not doing well, and your Juzhi Company offered a very attractive salary, so I came to work for you."

"Liu Peng, do you think we could open a steel mill in Hong Kong?" Juzhi suddenly had an idea and turned to Liu Peng.

"A steel mill?" Juzhi spoke in English, and the fat man understood, interjecting, "Is Hong Kong the place the Chinese Emperor ceded to us? Does it have coal mines? Does it have iron mines?"

"No, it doesn't."

The fat man spread his hands. "Sir, opening a steel mill in a place without coal or iron mines is not a good idea."

"Don't worry, Harry. This steel mill will definitely make money." Juzhi smiled and looked at Liu Peng. "When our Juzhi Company's ships go to the South Seas, they transport coolies. What do they bring back?"

Liu Peng shook his head. "Although the South Seas are rich in resources, there's nothing we can sell to China except opium. However, the opium trade involves too many interests, so if we were to do it..."

"Coal, iron ore, and timber." Juzhi interrupted. "We can't just set up a university and academy in Hong Kong; we should also establish industries and make Hong Kong the core of our Juzhi Company's trade system in East Asia. The coolie trade is just one part of it. Our ships will transport laborers to the South Seas and bring back industrial raw materials like timber, coal, and iron ore. We can set up iron mills, shipyards, and even armories in Hong Kong, then sell the manufactured steel, ships, and weapons to China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, and import gold, silver, ginseng, furs, silk, tea, crafts, and laborers from them. Liu Peng, is such a cycle feasible?"

Liu Peng frowned after hearing Juzhi's idea. "It's feasible, but Foshan's iron industry is thriving, and it's said that the best iron in the world comes from Foshan. Setting up an iron mill in Hong Kong might conflict with Foshan's iron industry."

"How much iron does Foshan produce annually?" Juzhi asked casually.

"About four or five million... pounds, I guess." Liu Peng thought that tons were a foreign unit, and in China, we use pounds, which sounds more impressive!

Four or five million pounds is roughly equivalent to 25 million kilograms, or 25,000 metric tons. If converted to imperial tons, it would be even less.

"Mr. Bessemer, what is the threshold for starting a steel mill today? How much investment would a steel mill with an annual production of 100,000 tons require?"

"100,000 tons! Impossible." Bessemer thought, "Sir Zhu is really asking for the moon! A reverberatory furnace can produce about 40 to 50 tons of iron per day on average. Considering maintenance and repairs, the annual output is limited to about 13,000 to 14,000 tons, but that's just wrought iron, not steel! Steel is produced using the crucible method, where iron is placed in a crucible made of graphite clay and heated in a crucible furnace, similar to baking a cake. This method has a very low output and high cost, so steel is very precious. How can it produce 100,000 tons a year?"

After listening to Bessemer's explanation, Juzhi finally understood. The European steel industry hadn't even started yet. He stood up, patted Bessemer's broad shoulder, and smiled. "Mr. Bessemer, let's work together to turn the impossible into the possible. I've decided to invest in a steel mill in Hong Kong, and you will be the general manager. I want an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons of wrought iron within three years. Can you do it? How much investment will it require?"