Chapter 54

The all-in-one machine kept running, and Yang Yuanzhao was in a good mood all day. At this moment, the all-in-one machine seemed to have recovered its former high efficiency, no, it should be even better. The gold mine from before, to some extent, brought in a fortune, with daily income exceeding 20,000. However, compared to tungsten powder, it was like a small fry.

Tungsten ore has a higher specific gravity. With a 1% content, each ton can yield 10 kilograms of pure tungsten. Eight cubic meters at a time, which is nearly 50 tons of ore, can extract at least half a ton of tungsten powder. At the current international price, 400,000 to 500,000 marks per ton, or 100,000 US dollars per ton, the value of half a ton is much greater than the gold ore extracted before. It's worth noting that gold ore containing more than 10 grams per ton is already considered high-grade.

Finally, night fell. Yang Yuanzhao, who had been eagerly waiting, quietly entered the warehouse with Zheng Daniu and collected all the remaining hundreds of cubic meters of black stone into the all-in-one machine, then left quietly without disturbing anyone.

Back at the Yang family chamber of commerce, in his room, Yang Yuanzhao entered the all-in-one machine. With hundreds of cubic meters of tungsten, he removed almost all the options, leaving only tungsten. The all-in-one machine then ran happily.

Eight cubic meters at a time, each time a considerable amount of tungsten concentrate could be extracted. Yang Yuanzhao placed these aside and even used the all-in-one machine to make a batch of special steel boxes. Each box was a rectangular prism measuring 0.5 by 0.5 by 1 meter. The special steel boxes were sturdy and thin, and when sealed, they could save a lot of space. Each box could hold about 4 tons of tungsten concentrate. Tungsten has a very high specific gravity, even higher than steel, with each cubic meter weighing almost 19 tons. The boxes, which looked small in volume, were surprisingly heavy when filled with tungsten concentrate.

This is valuable stuff. Even if 12,000 tons of tungsten ore are refined to 100 tons of tungsten concentrate, their volume would not exceed 6 cubic meters, and about 24 boxes would be enough.

The all-in-one machine began to run at high speed. At every moment, a large amount of ore powder was decomposed. It is estimated that more than 40 tons of tungsten could be refined into tungsten powder, which is a huge fortune. Its value is even higher than the gold and silver ores extracted before. This is what Yang Yuanzhao wanted to see.

Strategic resources can, to some extent, influence a country's political and economic situation. China, relying solely on its own strength, even with his all-in-one machine, is like a drop in the bucket. To accelerate development, to some extent, external forces or powers are needed. Germany, eager to dominate Europe and compete with Britain for world hegemony, has become a natural ally.

Densely piled in one corner of the all-in-one machine, tungsten has a high specific gravity. Forty tons do not occupy much space. A corner of the all-in-one machine can hold it without feeling crowded.

Wealth, this is enormous wealth. This is the backbone that allows Yang Yuanzhao to send Habib to Germany. Without mentioning anything else, just 120 tons of tungsten is enough to make the German side take notice. It's worth noting that Germany's annual production may not even exceed this figure.

Tungsten is widely distributed in the world, but its grade is generally low. Only less than 20% of tungsten has a grade exceeding 0.5%. Most can only be considered reserves, and some cannot even be counted as reserves. Such a metal is absolutely rare on Earth. On the other hand, tungsten has a wide range of applications, from the tungsten filament light bulbs that later became popular to ship decks, gun steel, battleships, and even some machine tools and other alloys. It is one of the most widely used non-ferrous metals.

At the beginning of the 20th century, tungsten had not yet been widely used, including its most important invention, the tungsten filament light bulb, which was invented by General Electric a few years later. Tungsten at this time can be considered a buried treasure.

Without mentioning anything else, even at wholesale prices or as a favor, 350,000 to 400,000 marks per ton, 120 tons of black stone are worth more than 60 million marks, almost equivalent to several million pounds. In the early 20th century, this can be considered a terrifying and shocking fortune. At this time, dollars and pounds were as valuable as gold, and they could be directly exchanged for gold at banks in various countries. The currency had not yet depreciated rapidly, and their purchasing power was very strong. With this money, many of the previously planned things could be implemented.

The second batch of black stone would take a few more days to arrive. One day was enough for Yang Yuanzhao to extract all the black stone. Continuing to extract the ore residue, Yang Yuanzhao began his street wandering in old Shanghai. It seemed to be a treasure land, with many good things visible everywhere. Although technology was backward and the people were ignorant, there were still many good things, a gathering of the world's products.

China has always been a central power. Even though the country was opened by foreign powers, its economic strength has always been at the forefront of the world. This strength, however, could not be converted into war potential. The Chinese were wealthy, and silk, ceramics, and tea were highly sought after abroad. Many merchants and adventurers came to China to start a career, and Habib was one of them. However, he unfortunately chose pianos, which had no market in China. Others also faced similar issues. Traditional businesses, due to established dominance and strength, were difficult to enter, but emerging industries were a different direction. More and more products, chemical goods, and even laboratory products were placed in China, with various names, and these became Yang Yuanzhao's treasure trove.

The development of technology is never a straight line; it should be a continuously ascending spiral. Many things were invented early but did not discover their true potential, like sulfanilamide, which was initially used as a dye. No one knew it would be a medicine. Major pharmaceutical companies in the future searched the world for new, unique substances, even entering the dangerous Brazilian rainforest to find special materials. These materials were compared, and they discovered many special drugs for specific diseases.

Yang Yuanzhao leisurely wandered through Shanghai, entering many shops and using the all-in-one machine to copy a large number of strange things. Most were useless, but in a few areas, such as urea derivatives, he discovered other types of fertilizers and some failed experimental products. Together, they formed an important system of future fertilizers, compound fertilizers, which are closest to the soil environment and do not significantly degrade soil quality. These were not studied in Europe and America until the late 20th century and did not enter China until the end of the 20th century, but now, the signs were already visible.

Yang Yuanzhao recorded all these things. Currently, in the entire northwest and even China, urea is sufficient. First, these basic fertilizers should meet the food needs. After solving the food problem for 450 million people, then consider larger improvements and soil conservation. That is when compound fertilizers can truly come into play.

Although they were useless, Yang Yuanzhao was still extremely excited. Shanghai, this oriental paradise, seemed like a garden filled with countless treasures, shimmering with a mysterious light. Even Yang Yuanzhao did not know what the next treasure would be. This mysterious unknown was intoxicating and captivating.

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