Chapter 92

In the presence of seasoned iron miners, the molten iron flowed for about two and a half hours. When it was almost done, Li Dayong, with an excited look, said, "Master Zhang, this furnace probably produced more than four thousand catties, perhaps close to five thousand catties."

Sun Anle also said, "Master Zhang, this furnace of iron is excellent. I see that the impurities in the molten iron are not many, which will save a lot of work in forging high-quality iron."

Sun Anle had been working in the iron mine for at least thirty years. From his perspective, although it was just molten iron, the high temperature of the furnace made the molten iron bright red and very pure, with few impurities. After he said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhang Han smiled and pointed to the heat storage chamber next to the blast furnace, saying, "My furnace indeed has a higher heat output, and I use coke, which naturally results in fewer impurities."

After the molten iron came out, it would need to be heated over a charcoal fire and then forged to remove impurities, transforming it from pig iron to high-quality iron. Without this process, the pig iron would contain too many impurities and would be unsellable.

Since the molten iron already had few impurities, the cost of charcoal and labor for forging would be significantly reduced, which would naturally increase profits. This was a clear fact, and the other mine owners present understood this, and they all looked at Zhang Han with admiration.

The large quantity and high quality of the iron produced by Zhang Han, a newcomer, far exceeded that of a thirty-year veteran. The way people looked at Zhang Han was different from when he first entered the mine.

Sun Anle looked at Zhang Han and said solemnly, "Coke is very expensive, isn't it? One load of coke is worth three loads of coal, right?"

"Indeed," Zhang Han nodded and invited everyone to the side of the furnace. They had been standing at the front of the furnace, which was about the same height as the ground. Walking around to the side, they could see the molten iron still glowing red and emitting heat. The heat storage chamber was about one-third the height of the blast furnace. A group of miners were moving the charcoal away from the heat storage chamber, and those who had been fanning the fire had dispersed. Zhang Han pointed to the unburned coke and said with a smile, "This is the remaining coke. I've calculated that with the heat storage, each furnace can save about 30% of the coke. If we consider the cost, it's not much different from before, but the purity and yield of the molten iron are much higher, so the profit is still substantial."

The heat storage chamber and the use of coke to smelt iron were new to experienced miners like Sun Anle, something they had never heard of before. Sun Anle, without being polite, lifted the hem of his robe and tied it around his waist, then moved close to the heat storage chamber to examine it closely.

Seeing Sun Anle about to touch it, Cai Jiu shouted from the side, "Don't touch it..."

But it was too late. Sun Anle's hand touched the chamber and quickly pulled back, shaking it a few times.

The temperature of the furnace was very high, and the outer wall of the heat storage chamber was also extremely hot. Zhang Han had calculated that smelting iron required a temperature of about 1,200 degrees Celsius, and smelting steel required about 1,600 degrees Celsius. Currently, the refractory bricks and structure were not up to standard, but they could gradually improve and experiment. In the future, they could continuously produce steel, which was ten times the price of iron. As long as they could produce it steadily, a furnace of steel would be worth half a furnace of silver, significantly increasing profits.

Sun Anle, despite being burned, laughed heartily.

Sun Jingtong also smiled and said, "Master Zhang, my uncle hasn't been this happy in a long time."

He continued, "It's not for any other reason. My uncle has spent most of his life in the iron mine, and seeing such a furnace makes him very happy."

Sun Jingtong was afraid that Zhang Han might misunderstand and think that the Dongshan Association intended to copy this technology. He knew that while the furnace and heat storage chamber looked simple, the detailed technical aspects would be kept secret by Zhang Han. Allowing everyone to observe so closely was already very generous.

Zhang Han only smiled in response. He had a good impression of Sun Jingtong, who was tall, upright, and generous. He extended his hand and said, "It's almost noon. Let's have a simple meal here."

"Of course, we would be honored," Sun Jingtong quickly agreed before anyone else could speak.

The dining hall was on the left side of the iron mine. As they approached, they realized that what they had seen when they first entered was just a small part of the mine. Plans were in place to build five blast furnaces, along with various processes for forging pig iron, requiring over 5,000 workers. Each row of five houses could accommodate fifty people, and they needed to build about a hundred rows. Fortunately, the area was large enough, and nearly thirty rows had already been built. Inside, there were hundreds of bricklayers, led by master craftsmen, along with stonecutters, all working diligently. While Dongshan lacked wood, it had an abundance of stone, which was used for the foundations of the houses. The cost was manageable, and the resources were plentiful.

Everyone observed for a while, feeling the grand scale and financial strength of Zhang Han. Just the cost of building one row of houses, including labor, was at least forty taels of silver. Building all the houses would cost thousands of taels, not to mention the daily expenses of mining and smelting. Each furnace would cost several thousand taels to build, and the mine had not yet made a profit. How much silver had Zhang Han already invested?

The biggest expense was the relationships. Although Zhang Han had connections, opening an iron mine would require additional gifts. Just the local magistrate, the second, third, and fourth gentlemen, along with various clerks, secretaries, inspectors, and local officials, would require significant expenses in Lingqiu alone.

Now, the way people looked at Zhang Han had changed. This young man was like a living, mobile silver mountain.

Li Dayong said sincerely, "Master Zhang, you are truly generous."

Zhang Han smiled and said, "Master Li, you flatter me."

At this moment, Cai Jiu walked over and said, "Master, the miners' meal is ready, but the food and wine for the masters have not been prepared yet. There was a mistake."

Cai Jiu looked uneasy. He had been focused on the blast furnace, almost eating and sleeping by it. With the successful production of molten iron, he felt relieved. However, he was uneasy about neglecting the masters and the mistake that had occurred.

"Sorry," Zhang Han said to everyone, without getting angry.

A master named Zeng Yongxian laughed and said, "Today, we are the ones causing trouble. The mine is busy, and Manager Cai probably didn't have time to take care of these things."

At this moment, Cai Jiu's status among the masters had risen. Previously, they had seen him as a lucky miner favored by a noble, timid and hesitant, not someone who could handle social situations. Now, his weaknesses were seen as strengths. He might not be good at socializing, but he had managed to build such a furnace and mine, which would become the largest and strongest in Dongshan. With such a manager, it didn't matter if he wasn't good at socializing. Ultimately, what mattered was real ability.

Cai Jiu smiled at Zeng Yongxian, grateful for his kindness, but he still rubbed his hands, unsure how to handle the awkward situation.

At this moment, a doctor from the mine came over with badger oil to treat Sun Anle's burn. This oil was common in iron mines, as burns were frequent. Applying it could speed up healing and was considered an effective traditional remedy.

Sun Anle's arm was badly burned, and the doctor muttered as he applied the oil, but Sun Anle didn't flinch. He looked at Zhang Han and said solemnly, "Master Zhang, we will eat what the miners eat. Are we so delicate that we can't eat the same food? If any master finds this unacceptable, they can wait. My uncle and I will eat the miners' food... but one condition: the wine must be good. It's rare to visit, and Master Zhang's wine must be excellent. I must try it."

Hearing this, Li Dayong and others, though reluctant, nodded. Zhang Xueceng, with his hands behind his back, looked around proudly. At this moment, he didn't want to say anything. Although this was not his property, it was the work of a descendant of the Zhang family from Puzhou, which was enough for someone with a strong sense of family.

"Since President Sun is willing to eat the ordinary food, I will follow your lead," Zhang Han said, recognizing Sun Anle's generous spirit, though there might be some underlying motives. He didn't refuse and instructed Cai Jiu to serve the food.

Everyone continued to the row of houses and sat down. The miners were either working in shifts or had been sent to eat elsewhere, leaving a few to serve as assistants, carrying dishes and bowls.

Soon, the food arrived, filling several large basins. Three of the basins contained vegetables: eggplant, lettuce, and cucumber. The dishes were fresh and fragrant, making everyone's mouths water.

In the middle was a basin of gourd and meat stew. Zhang Han pointed to the basin and said with a smile, "These are mostly offal from sheep and pigs. With over 800 people here, if we served regular meat, even several pigs wouldn't be enough. So, we bought all the offal from Lingqiu and added some regular meat, mixing them together to give everyone a taste of meat."

Li Dayong looked at the four basins of food and said with a smile, "I thought the miners' food would be simple and dirty, but Master Zhang is truly kind. To be honest, this is better than what we have at my mine."

Sun Anle and Sun Jingtong didn't speak at first. They tried the food and then nodded to each other. Sun Jingtong said, "It's better than what we have at the Dongshan Association."

Zeng Yongxian laughed and said, "Master Zhang, it's not easy to get a compliment from Jingtong."

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