Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 256 Blacksmith
"Do you even know how to smelt iron?" Winters asked Carlos Soya, the brother of the great blacksmith Berian, seriously.

The sudden, unexpected question startled Carlos, who stammered, "Yes...sir, didn't we agree to rescue my brother before starting the furnace?"

"I asked you if you can?" Winters frowned slightly. "Or not?"

Cornered, Carlos forced himself to speak: "Yes!"

Seeing Carlos's evasive attitude, Winters guessed that the kid was probably not very skilled.

Actually, Carlos had another thought in mind: he was unwilling to show his abilities before his brother returned, but he was also afraid that if he didn't prove his worth, no one would save his brother.

“Don’t worry,” Winters sighed. “Whether you help or not, I will save your brother. I have sent people to look for Bélien, and we will have news soon. You don’t need to be afraid either. Your brother is one of my old subordinates, and our friendship is much deeper than you think. That’s why Pierre took you with him and is protecting you, so I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Carlos felt a lump in his throat and nodded emphatically.

Of the three Soya brothers, Carlos's father and second brother are no longer alive, and everything he does is so that his eldest brother can return home safely.

Winters sighed. Even without a master blacksmith, a junior blacksmith should do... I guess.

Time was of the essence, so Winters, along with Carlos, immediately took the gifts and went to visit the blacksmith Chaussa's father-in-law.

Chaussa's father-in-law was named [Poltan]. He had many honors: one of the first settlers in Gevodane, the first blacksmith in Gevodane, and the first president of the Gevodane Blacksmiths' Guild...

When Gevadan was just a few thatched huts on the banks of the St. George River, flames were already rising in the forges of Portan.

His forges have a history even longer than the name "Thervodan".

Despite his humble beginnings, Portan remained true to his self-made nature. No matter how much wealth he accumulated, he continued to work personally at the anvil every day, earning him the reputation of being "hardworking, shrewd, and strong."

Because of his loud voice, sense of responsibility, and decisive actions, blacksmith Boltan gradually became the foremost figure in Zhevodan, and his words carried no less weight than those of another civic leader—the tobacco merchant, Old Priskin.

But all of this came to an end with the accident eight years ago.

Boltan, who was over fifty years old, had his back broken when a crane loaded with ore fell on him, and he could no longer feel his body below the waist.

The once shrewd and capable blacksmith was now a cripple, unable to take care of himself in any way, from eating and drinking to relieving himself.

The people of Zhevodan felt sorry for him and regretted his passing, but even if all their sighs were combined and magnified a hundred times, they could not outweigh the old man's mental and physical suffering.

It was around that time that the young blacksmith Saussa, who worked at the Portan forge, was taken in as a son-in-law by old Portan.

The blacksmith Chaussa became the new master of the forge, and old Portan lived a secluded life, not even appearing at church for weekly services.

But today, an unexpected guest arrived at the old Portin family's home—Winters Montagne, the military tribunal for the people.

Winters hadn't arranged to meet Chaussa at this time, but he always did what came to mind, so he arrived early.

Both Saussure and old Bolton were extremely surprised.

"It is an honor that Your Excellency has come to see a cripple like me who is waiting to die." Old Portan tried to prop himself up: "I am truly honored."

The old man was very thin, like a layer of skin hanging on his bones. Years of being bedridden had caused his muscles to atrophy, and his cheeks were deeply sunken and drooping.

Looking at old Bolton now, no one would believe that he was once a burly, booming blacksmith who laughed and cursed loudly.

Shao Sha quickly reached out to help his father-in-law.

“No need to trouble yourself, just let the old man be as comfortable as possible.” Winters spoke frankly: “Actually, I did come to visit because I have a favor to ask.”

"Please ask away," old Bolton said calmly. "I will answer whatever I know."

"I want to know everything about the Iron Peak Mine. Where is the mine? What are the reserves? What is the quality of the ore? Is it still being mined? You are the person who knows the history of Iron Peak County and Revodan best. I am taking the liberty of asking you questions. I hope you will not mind."

Upon hearing that he "knows best about the history of Iron Peak County and Ghevorden," old Portan's emotions stirred slightly, but the ripples vanished in the blink of an eye.

"There are so many things to say, I don't know where to begin."

Winters simply pulled up a chair and sat down, then gestured for the others to sit as well: "Then let me ask, and I hope you will answer without hesitation. Is the Iron Peak Mine still operational?"

“Yes.” The old man nodded. “Tiefeng Mountain is a mountain surrounded by iron. The Hede people only mined out the shallow outcrops. They didn’t have the ability to mine deeper. When we came here, we dug three inclined shafts from the north side of the mountain, which is what is known as Tiefeng Mine.”

Winters nodded and listened, then pulled out his small notebook: "Then why did they stop mining later?"

Old Portan sighed deeply: "The ore from the Iron Peak Mine... is what the blacksmiths call poisonous ore. You may not understand, but Shaosha and this little guy should."

The old man gestured with his chin toward Carlos.

Although Winters didn't introduce Carlos, the old man immediately recognized the young blacksmith's identity.

“Poisonous ore is bad ore.” Carlos’s voice trailed off. “The iron refined from it is also bad; it needs to be…detoxified.”

Upon hearing the word "detoxification," a hint of doubt flashed in old Bolton's eyes.

But the old man didn't elaborate, and continued, "Many ores can be used to smelt iron. Limonite has been used for many, many years; siderite can be directly smelted into steel using a vertical shaft furnace; hematite, ferrous iron, and magnetite can also be used. But if it contains too much pyrite and ferric iron, the iron obtained will be of poor quality. It will be brittle and break easily."

Winters listened and took notes, but he only vaguely understood the blacksmith's jargon the old man used.

However, the old man was engrossed in his conversation, and Winters felt it best not to interrupt.

Old Portan recalled the past: "The Iron Peak Mine was considered a rich mine, but because the ore was too toxic, smelting it was very troublesome, and the quality of the iron was not good. So only in the early years did we use Iron Peak ore to smelt iron and supply it to the farmers throughout the county. Later, when steel bar iron came in, the Iron Peak Mine gradually declined."

"Is it possible to resume mining?" Winters asked seriously.

"Of course," the old man said with a faint smile. "The ore is right in the mountains, why can't we mine it?"

“To be honest, old man,” Winterstan said frankly, “I want to restart the Iron Peak Mine and start smelting iron.”

"Why bother?" Old Portan leaned against the headboard. "Wouldn't it be better to buy steel bars?"

Winters answered truthfully: "Steel Castle bars are unavailable, and all the blacksmiths in Iron Peak County are using their stock. If this continues, I'm just waiting to die."

As soon as he finished speaking, the small room fell silent.

……

Steel Castle Solingen is located in the Republic of Monta, nestled in the Shaded Mountains.

Therefore, the ironware and steel bars from Steel Castle were transported into Palatum by "waterway," flowing downstream all the way to the Jinliu River.

Upon arrival in Tiefeng County, the goods must depart again from Jinliu River, first to Jinghu Lake, and then travel upstream along Dajiao River until they reach Shovel Port at Shovel Lake for unloading.

In peaceful times, of course there would be no problem, but now the Blue Rose and the Red Rose are at war.

The Blue Rose's influence lies between the Red Rose's controlled territory and the Republic of Monta.

Want to ship it to Jinliu River? Dream on.

If the Blue Rose gets through, Steel Castle's goods won't be able to get through—if Alpard isn't out of his mind, he'll immediately cut off Steel Castle's iron supply to Red Rose.

Even if they get past the Blue Rose hurdle, there's still the Red Rose hurdle. The Kings' Castle won't just stand by and watch the newly reclaimed provinces, which are only half-close to them, receive iron supplies.

Even if we can get past the Red Rose, there's still the New Reclamation Army!
Tiefeng County is currently under triple lockdown, with each layer more stringent than the last.

Let alone a ready-made iron bar, not even a single piece of iron slag could be transported over.

Winters has far too many places where he needs to use iron right now.

Farming requires tools, and tools must be made of iron;

Winters needed to build houses for the refugees and soldiers, and he needed tools, which also required iron.

He also had to rearm his army as much as possible—he couldn't let his soldiers fight with short spears forever, could he?
He wanted armor, swords, spears, and muskets—all made of iron.

Winters, who had won the battle, sadly discovered that this land could be used to make tables and chairs, pottery, grow grain, grind flour, and make paper, but it could not be used to make a pound of iron, a foot of woolen cloth, or a suit of armor.

Tiefeng County is a thoroughly backward agricultural frontier county. Its commerce is not very developed, and it only has small-scale handicrafts.

The large estate economy resulted in poverty for everyone except the estate owners.

In the past, Iron Peak County made a living by selling crops and buying things that she could not produce.

Now, the logistics channels between Tiefeng County and the outside world have been cut off.

Winters faced only two paths: either live off his savings and wait for death, or fight hard and become self-sufficient.

……

“I see.” Old Portan pondered for a moment. “Then I understand your eagerness to restart the Iron Peak Mine, but this is not an easy task.”

“This isn’t just about my survival,” Winters said earnestly. “A wise man once told me, ‘The more money circulates, the more money you have.’ Have you heard that?”

“No, shouldn’t money decrease as it circulates?” Old Portan’s voice was low.

Winters took every opportunity to spread this theory of circulation: "For an individual, money decreases the more it circulates. Dockworkers take their wages and buy bread. Bakers earn money and buy flour from the mill. Money decreases with each transaction. In the end, only a small portion ends up in the farmer's pocket."

He quoted a wise man in his original text: "But the baker earns money and can support his family. The miller earns money and can support his family. Every flow of money makes the city and even the country more prosperous. From this point of view, the overall wealth is actually 'increasing'."

It's better to let money circulate more than to have it stuffed into a jar and buried deep inside by misers and rich old men. The more times it circulates, the better!

The young blacksmith Carlos was dazed, the middle-aged blacksmith Saussa seemed thoughtful, while the old blacksmith Portan became more and more shocked as he listened.

He had also had vague ideas about the system the tribunal was talking about. However, he had never been able to summarize it into a clear, concise, and explicit written explanation.

"To get more money circulating, firstly, we need to reduce resistance in the distribution channels, which means promoting commerce," Winters said eloquently. "Secondly, we need to increase revenue! Money is like water; without a source, no matter how much water there is, it will eventually dry up!"

He looked directly into old Bolton's eyes: "I want to smelt iron, I want to increase production. I don't just want to smelt iron, I want to do everything I can. Even if it costs more to 'build' than others, it's better than buying!"

I have no intention of hiding my thoughts. My primary purpose in doing all this is to save and strengthen myself. If, in the process, I can bring benefits to the thousands of people in Tiefeng County, I will do my best.

"Iron Peak County is now under my authority. While I may not be bringing prosperity to the region, I certainly won't do any worse than the New Reclamation Army!"

The room became extremely quiet; neither Saosha nor Carlos dared to breathe.

"True heroes emerge from among the young, and this old man is genuinely a little frightened." Old Portan shook his head with a wry smile: "These ideas about 'money increasing with circulation'—you came up with them yourself, didn't you? That wise man, are you referring to yourself?"

"No, I dare not take credit. It was truly a wise man who told me this."

"Who is this wise man?" Old Portan asked with anticipation. "Could I meet him?"

“I will personally bring that wise man to visit him another day.” Winters blushed slightly and proudly told the old man, “My wife told me all of this.”

"Ah? A she-wolf?" Chauza was startled, thinking to himself, "Could it be that Madame Montagne is not only good at fighting?"

Old Portan's smile grew increasingly bitter, but after the bitterness came a sense of nonchalance: "Hahahaha! Heroes come not only from young men, but also from young women!" Winters laughed along with him.

“Actually, I’ve had similar thoughts to what you’re saying.” Old Portan sat up straight. “Back then, I considered it carefully. The reason why Iron Peak Mine couldn’t compete with the steel bars bought from outside wasn’t entirely because of poor quality.”

“Because it’s expensive, the cost is high, right?” Winters immediately understood.

“That’s right.” Old Portan nodded. “If it’s cheap enough, even if the quality is a bit worse, Steelfort Iron can’t compete with Iron Peak Mine. Steelfort Iron is transported all the way from Palatour to Revodan, and the transportation costs alone are enormous! How could it possibly lose to them?”

The old man spoke faster and faster; he was no longer a cripple, but the booming-voiced blacksmith, Boltan: "If iron smelting in Iron Peak County could become a big business like Steel Fortress, then Ghevordan would be better, and Iron Peak County would be better too."

Buying ore costs money, buying coal costs money, building open-hearth furnaces costs money, hiring people costs money—everything costs money. All these things add up, and in the end, it's not as convenient and less labor-intensive as buying steel bars!

The blacksmith, Boltan, angrily rebuked, "Especially the charcoal! Iron smelting requires good charcoal, and the forests belong to the Legion. Want to cut down trees for charcoal? Give me the money! Money, money, money! The garrison only cares about money! Selling land for money, selling trees for money, selling mines for money. The Legion has never considered how important supporting an industry is for us ordinary people!"

Shao Sha was so frightened that his face turned pale. Although the sun had changed in Tiefeng County, directly criticizing the newly established army was still something he dared not think about.

Such acts of insulting the old authority are essentially acts of contempt for authority. They are extremely likely to provoke the resentment and suppression of the new authority, and even criticizing the enemy of the new authority—the former duke—is not something a commoner can openly criticize.

“That’s right!” Winters felt like he’d found a kindred spirit, and he couldn’t hold back his words: “The New Reclamation Legion doesn’t care about the lives of the people at all; all they want is money, food, and soldiers. They can’t represent the interests of the New Reclamation people because they only care about their own interests! Every action they take is driven by the desire to extract more and more!”

Chosa and Carlos were left out in the cold, while Winters found himself sympathizing with the frail, bedridden old man.

“I calculated it carefully back then, and if we used coal to smelt iron, the cost could be greatly reduced. The iron produced by the Iron Peak Mine could then be comparable to the steel bars from Steel Fortress.” Old Poltan’s pain, sorrow and despair were all brought out.

Tears streamed down his face as he murmured, "In those years, I didn't spend a single day without researching how to smelt iron with coal. I worked day and night buying coal, building furnaces, sifting ore... but what happened? I was smashed into a cripple. This is the blessing of the gods, this is fate's reward to me..."

Winters was unaware of the twists and turns involved.

"Please rest assured." Winters could only try his best to comfort the old man: "The New Reclamation Legion has already left! Iron Peak County is now under my jurisdiction, and iron ore and charcoal are free! I hope you will be generous in helping me to revitalize Iron Peak Mine."

“As people get older, they tend to talk to themselves.” Old Portan wiped away his tears, straightened his back, and asked Winters seriously, “You want to restart the Iron Peak Mine?”

"Yes."

"The trees and iron ore are all yours?"

"Correct."

"We also need manpower, lots of manpower. Do you have that?"

Winters coughed lightly: "Yes, I have more than a thousand prisoners."

……

Don Juan captured over a thousand prisoners from the County of Vaughan. These prisoners could neither be released nor killed, nor could they be directly given land to recruit soldiers—because they could not afford to support them.

Winters made the decision to feed the prisoners, but they would have to work for three years without pay.

Nominally, the prisoners were forced to perform labor services because of their hostility towards Tiefeng County, but in reality, they were slaves with a term of three years.

The prisoners have now been taken to Forgetown and, under the supervision of the army, are working alongside Winters' soldiers to plant winter crops.

After the winter wheat and barley were planted, Winters planned to organize the prisoners into logging and construction teams to build houses for the refugees.

There is no legal or logical problem in selecting people from among them to work in the iron mine.

……

"Then let's get started!" Old Boltan regained his decisive and efficient demeanor: "With mines, coal, and people, what's there to be afraid of? We'll pave the way through mountains and build bridges over rivers, let's smash them first! We can deal with any problems that arise later!"

The more Winters spent with the old blacksmith, the more he felt they clicked: "Well said! Let's give him a good whack first!"

"Shosha!" Old Portan reached for the paper and pen on the table.

Shaosha hurriedly handed the paper and pen to his father-in-law. Winters saw a thick stack of parchment on the table, covered with writing. There were also many sketches and messy drafts.

"Go to Duanlu Township and fetch Goncharov for me." The old man wrote hastily on a piece of paper: "He was the one who led the men to dig the inclined shaft back then. He knows the ins and outs of the ore veins and deposits best!"

Shaosha shuddered, swallowed hard, and whispered, "Old Goncharov is dead. He died the year before last."

Old Portin paused, then asked blankly, "How did he die?"

“He died of old age,” Shaosha added tentatively. “Two years ago, Mary and I told you, the day before Ascension Day. You were writing a book then and didn’t want us to bother you…”

"What about Paul? Paul Vinicius?" Old Portan asked, his lips trembling. "Is he still alive?"

“Old Vinicius is dead too, drunk to death,” said Chaussa. “His forge is now in the care of his youngest son.”

"They're all dead! We're all getting old!" Old man Portan cried first, then laughed loudly, "I'm dying soon too! So we can't waste any more time!"

Old Portan struggled to rummage through his desk, finally finding a map which he handed to the new master of Iron Peak County: "Sir, this is a map from twenty-eight years ago. Whether it matches or not, I don't know. Go to Forge Village, find any old blacksmith, and have him take you to the mines according to this map."

"Don't worry." Winters smiled and took the map. "As long as I have a map, I can find it."

"It's a pity that I've become crippled and am stuck in this bed unable to move, otherwise I would definitely go to Tiefeng with you! On the day the smelter in Tiefeng Mine starts smoking again, let me take one last look from the window, and I will die without regrets."

“Speaking of furnaces,” Winters said seriously, “I’ve brought something new, something that could potentially revolutionize Iron Peak Mine.”

Shaosha's eyes widened, and old Bolton's appetite was also piqued.

“That’s him.” Winters patted Carlos on the shoulder.

"Him?" Shao Sha asked, puzzled.

Winters said emphatically, "This little fellow—he knows how to smelt iron in a blast furnace!"

"Him? He knows?" Shao Sha was taken aback. He had thought the child next to the tribunal was an attendant: "Such a young master craftsman?"

“Having a blast furnace would be best, of course.” Old Portan was somewhat disappointed, clearly not believing that a child who hadn’t even grown a beard yet would understand a blast furnace: “It’s alright if we don’t have one.”

The old man sighed and recalled the old days: "Back then, we used [bronze furnaces] to smelt iron, which is why the iron from Iron Peak County couldn't beat the bar iron from Steel Fortress—Steel Fortress's iron was all smelted in blast furnaces, which saved time and effort. I also tried to build a blast furnace, but I didn't succeed."

“It’s alright,” Winters said with a beaming smile. “Just give it a try.”

Carlos was about to cry.

Before parting, Winters asked old Portin, "I heard you just say that you tried using coal to smelt iron?"

“Coal is also poisonous. Using coal to smelt iron ruins all the good iron ore.” Old Portan sighed again. “So I have always wanted to remove the toxicity of coal, but I have not been able to succeed.”

"Where did the coal come from?" Winters raised an eyebrow. "Does the neighboring county produce coal?"

“There is coal in Iron Peak County,” Old Portan replied matter-of-factly. “It’s in Little Stone Town. Little Stone Town is Little Coal Town, but it’s wet coal, so drainage is needed, and mining it is a bit difficult.”

Winters gave a soft exclamation, bowed to the old man, and took his leave.

Sausage escorted the tribune to the door, and Winters casually asked Sausage, "Is old Mr. Portin writing a book?"

“Yes, I’m writing a book about blacksmithing.” Shaosha nodded.

“When I get back, I’ll make a support frame for old Mr. Portan so he can write more easily.” Winters thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “I also need to make a reclining chair so the old man can lie down more comfortably.”

"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Shao Sha hurriedly declined.

“I’ll bring it to you when I’m done.” Winters added, “Hire a servant to massage the old man’s limbs every day. I was also bedridden for a long time, and it was only because someone massaged my limbs that my muscles didn’t atrophy.”

"Massaging the limbs is effective?" This was the first time Shaosha had ever heard of such a therapy.

"it works."

"I'll arrange it right away." Shao Sha bowed gratefully. "Thank you."

Winters patted Sausage on the arm and left with Carlos.

As they rode along the road, Winters suddenly called out, "Carlos!"

"Here." Carlos jumped up. "Yes!"

“I’ve already bragged about it for you,” Winters said with a friendly smile. “You’d better not embarrass me.”

Carlos laughed along, but his laughter was more like a grimace.

"Alright, I know your worth without even needing to weigh you." Winters tapped the blacksmith's shoulder lightly with the handle of his whip. "Just do your best."

Carlos nodded vigorously, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "If we want to build a blast furnace, an earthen kiln won't do; we need refractory bricks. You'll also need to find me a bricklayer."

"You need a bricklayer? Revodan only has stonemasons. Where am I supposed to find a bricklayer for you? If there are no bricklayers, you'll have to go and make bricks yourself!"

"I won't……"

"Ok, deal."

"Yes." Carlos had just climbed out of the deep valley when he fell back in.

Memories seemed to be strung together by threads, drawing Winters' thoughts back to a few months ago.

Winters pondered for a moment and said to the little blacksmith, "I do have two bricklayers on my hands."

"Where?" Carlos exclaimed excitedly.

"you know."

"Who?"

“The potter Sean, and his brother Shawping,” Winters chuckled. “The two brothers who helped old Misha and you back in Wolf Town.”

"They're bricklayers?" Carlos exclaimed in surprise. "Aren't they bellows operators?"

"I'll send someone to pick them up right away!"

With the last obstacle to building the blast furnace removed, Carlos wore a long face again.

“No!” Winters burst into laughter. “I’m going back to Wolftown myself!”

“You don’t need to go pick up a bricklayer,” Carlos said. “Otherwise, I’ll go pick him up.”

“I’m not just bringing the Sean brothers,” Winters’ smile widened. “I’m also bringing a priest!”

[I didn't feel fully satisfied with writing the previous chapter.]
[This chapter is an extra chapter]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments.]
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(End of this chapter)