Chapter 96

"Master..."

Sun Yao wanted to say that Yang Yingming did not seem to have been taken by force; although his expression was somewhat frightened, it was clear that he had gone willingly. However, Zhang Han had already stopped him from speaking, pressing him down slightly, and then looked at the doctor with a determined gaze, repeatedly instructing him to treat Sun Yao carefully, with all expenses to be borne by the iron mine.

The miners around them saw everything clearly and heard it all. When Zhang Han spoke, the people around were silent, only the sound of the pine oil burning on the torches could be heard. After Zhang Han finished speaking, many miners shed tears, and the way they looked at Zhang Han was one of deep admiration and respect.

Some people are just born leaders, naturally becoming the core of the group. Of course, Zhang Han felt that another way to put it was that he was naturally good at swaying people's hearts. Even if he didn't do business, he would probably be good at sales. This was a natural talent.

The key was the attitude and the words. The attitude had to be firm but not overly excited. The words had to be steady, not too low, which would seem weak, nor too high, which would make people sense the hidden risks. After such a performance, Zhang Han showed his concern for Sun Yao and, at the same time, boosted everyone's morale.

"Master, let us handle this."

Liang Xing stepped forward at the right moment and called out to everyone present, "After the fifth watch, I will lead people to report this case to the county office. Those who have the courage and are not on duty, come with me. Do you dare?"

If it were a fight with the Han family, at this point, Zhang Han and the iron mine had not yet deeply ingratiated themselves with the miners. Although many would follow, their resolve would not be firm, and many would not go. But when they heard that it was just about making a report and creating a stir, everyone called out, "We are willing to go."

Zhang Han read by candlelight in the mine. When the sky was not yet fully light, Liang Xing led several hundred people out of the iron mine and headed for the city.

After the city gates opened, several hundred miners rushed into the city and went to the county office to file a complaint.

Seeing the situation, Zhu Qingyu did not dare to be negligent and personally arrived at the iron mine by sedan chair before noon.

Seeing the injured Sun Yao lying motionless and hearing that two people had been kidnapped from the mine, Zhu Qingyu's face turned grim. However, he still said to Zhang Han, "Of course, this official will investigate, but without solid evidence, there is little I can do."

"I understand the difficulty, Your Excellency," Zhang Han said. "Can I take preemptive action? After all, the Han family is being too overbearing."

Zhu Qingyu's face turned ashen. "This official also hates the Han family and will report this to my superiors, but before the truth is revealed, I ask you, Master Zhang, to be patient."

Zhang Han replied, "If so, I will not make things difficult for Your Excellency, but I must state that this cannot happen again. If it is found that the Han family is involved, I ask Your Excellency to enforce the law impartially."

Zhu Qingyu said, "There is no need to say more. I understand everything clearly."

Zhu Qingyu was certainly a capable official, but the arrogant demeanor of Han Tong from last time had left a deep impression on him. Zhang Han had always been restrained and had not caused much trouble in the county despite his relationship with Kong Minxing. The balance of his heart had already clearly tilted towards He Yusheng.

...

"The situation outside is quite tense," Han Tong pointed to the workshop and said to the managers of the iron mine, "We have taken such great risks, we cannot waste our efforts."

"Master, rest assured," a manager stepped forward and said, "Han Lao Liu is half-baked, but this Yang Yingming really knows a lot. It will take at most a day or two to build the regenerators and the pipes, and they have been tested. Everything is much better than our original furnaces. Only the fan needs to be made by a carpenter, which will take some time."

"Let's not worry about that. Is the coke ready?"

"It's ready. Han Lao Liu says we can directly smelt steel. We have prepared enough coke, and we will smelt with a strong fire. They produce good iron, and we will produce steel directly."

"Let's do it!"

The greed in Han Tong's eyes was obvious. He had put in a lot of effort to bring the people here. If he could smelt steel, wouldn't it be a huge profit? With the possibility of smelting steel, why stick to smelting iron?

Some of the more experienced ones thought about testing one furnace first, but seeing Han Tong's expression, they abandoned the idea.

Thinking about it, He Yusheng's iron mine had already produced iron in this way. Han Tong, with his impatient nature, could hardly wait to produce iron. Being able to endure these few days was already quite difficult.

The furnaces were all modified according to the instructions of Yang Yingming and Han Lao Liu. They had been tested and worked perfectly, storing more heat. Today, according to Han Tong's instructions, the prepared coke was used in the furnaces, and the iron ore was placed in the furnaces as usual.

"Light the fire!"

Han Tong gave the order with authority, and all the blast furnaces were quickly ignited, emitting waves of heat and thick smoke.

"Master, these furnaces really store heat well."

In just a few days, the furnaces were modified, and even the most experienced workers had never seen such good furnaces. Good ventilation, heat recovery, and coke savings—what was once a mysterious process turned out to be not so complex.

Generally, a furnace of iron would take more than two hours to produce, and the fastest would take one and a half hours. One furnace a day was because of the many preparations needed, such as preparing the coke, placing the iron ore, sealing the furnace top, and then igniting the fire. As the fire gradually intensified, the workers stood near the furnaces, listening to the crackling inside. Although they couldn't see the inside, they imagined the flames rising. At this point, not many people were needed, only Yang Yingming running around the furnaces, instructing people to open the small doors of the regenerators to let in fresh air.

These people, of course, did not understand the specific scientific principles, but allowing air into the furnace was beneficial for combustion, and Han Tong nodded in approval.

In front of Han Tong, an incense stick was lit, an old custom. One stick represented one hour. After one stick burned out, another was lit. Experienced furnace workers could calculate how long to burn based on the amount of iron and coal. This time, Yang Yingming, following He Yusheng's rules, ordered the incense to burn for one and a half hours, and for the smaller furnaces, one hour, so they could be ready at the same time.

Han Tong only hoped to smelt steel. If successful, the Han family's wealth and power would rise to new heights.

Several furnace workers stood by each furnace, holding iron hooks. Behind them was a brick path made of refractory bricks, leading to shallow pits with various patterns. The molten iron would flow into the pits and form iron plates. Each furnace corresponded to several iron plates, and once the iron plates cooled, they would be the finished pig iron.

"Bad, very bad, the furnace is going to explode!"

At this moment, an old furnace worker listened carefully and shouted repeatedly, his face contorted. He waved to the others and quickly fled. At this moment, his life was the most important.

Yang Yingming and others also fled quickly. Someone pulled Han Tong back, and he was still dazed. Although he was the master, he rarely came to the mine unless there was something important. The mine was dirty and chaotic, and the miners' huts emitted a continuous stench. Han Tong would not come here unless necessary. Now, as he was dragged away, his face was full of confusion, not knowing what had happened.

At this moment, several furnaces exploded one after another. People had already moved several dozen steps away, but the scorching, sticky molten iron still splashed onto many people. Some people jumped and screamed in pain, then continued to flee. Explosions continued to sound, and bricks and molten iron flew everywhere. The entire iron mine was like an ant nest that had been dug up, with people running around aimlessly, screaming, and the explosions continuing without end. Almost all the furnaces exploded simultaneously.

Yang Yingming also ran around in the chaos, his heart in turmoil. Everything was correct. He was an experienced furnace worker and knew the situation of the blast furnaces very well. He had done everything according to what he had seen at He Yusheng. How could the furnace explode?

At this moment, his arms were tightly grabbed by two sturdy men with grim faces. Yang Yingming felt something was wrong and instinctively tried to shout, but he felt a tightness around his waist, and someone said in a low, menacing voice, "Don't make a sound, or I'll stab you."

"Help..."

Yang Yingming still tried to shout. Although he was a gambler, he was not stupid. Today's incident was clearly targeted at him. If he were taken away, his fate would not be good. He tried to shout, but then he felt a sharp pain in his waist. Looking down, he saw a dagger deeply embedded in his flesh. As he looked up, he saw a face full of malice, with cold eyes. The man twisted the dagger as they made eye contact.

Yang Yingming jumped in pain, but after the man pulled out the dagger, he stabbed him several more times in the chest and abdomen, each time driving the dagger to the hilt. Yang Yingming felt his strength draining away. No one covered his mouth, but he could no longer make a sound.

The two men who had grabbed Yang Yingming still dragged him away. The iron mine was in chaos, and no one paid attention to this. Yang Yingming's consciousness was fading, his vision darkening. At this moment, he looked at the man who had stabbed him, suddenly remembering something, and pointed at him, saying, "You, you are Yang Qiu..."

"Rest in peace," Yang Qiu nodded, his lips curling. His face was splattered with blood, but he did not wipe it off. He used his clothes to clean the dagger on Yang Yingming's body. Looking at Yang Yingming, he said coldly, "You chose your own path, so don't have any regrets."

Yang Yingming's mouth made gurgling sounds, and blood began to flow out. His eyes quickly lost their light, and his pupils dilated. Yang Qiu, who had killed many people, knew he was dead. He turned to Yang Sijun and Wen Zhongfa and said, "Follow the previous instructions carefully. This time, be cautious. You two were brought here by Liang Xing and me after pleading with the master. If you mess up again, you two will be on your own, and don't come to us with complaints."

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