Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 263 The Furnace
The weather is getting colder, life is stagnating, and the grass and trees are withering.

Not only are ordinary people becoming increasingly reluctant to go out, but the battered red and blue roses are also taking a break, returning to their nests to lick their wounds and gather strength for the coming year.

The devastated city of Plato finally got a brief respite. People mended their clothes, prepared for winter storage, and enjoyed the hard-won peace and tranquility.

Meanwhile, in the remote and impoverished Tiefeng County on the southwestern border of Palattu, a bustling scene unfolded.

Messenger cavalrymen carrying green flags are heading to various villages and towns to deliver the first issue of the "Communication Bulletin".

The first "grievance meeting" consultation meeting in Tiefeng County is also being prepared.

The migrant farms and military settlements are still racing against time to prepare the land and sow seeds. With winter fast approaching and the days getting shorter, everyone is working even harder.

If the draft animals are too tired to continue, then people will take turns pulling the plow; if there isn't enough work during the day, then bonfires will be lit at night to keep going.

Because they were not working for "Lord Montagne" or for some manor lord, but for themselves.

Human mentality is always a strange thing; as opportunities gradually diminish, people become even more reluctant to give up. In terms of sheer enthusiasm, the early days of autumn planting are far less intense than these final days.

The displaced people and the soldiers who were granted land were working like madmen, while the old self-sufficient farmers were enjoying the most pleasant time of the year.

The winter wheat, barley, and rye grown by independent farmers are mostly sown at the end of September or the beginning of October, and they are growing well now.

Wheat seedlings sprouted from the soil in large numbers, turning the farmland into a lush green expanse, resembling a newly trimmed lawn, adding a rare touch of vitality to the season between autumn and winter.

In fact, the wheat fields of self-sufficient farmers are in a huge crisis.

The problem isn't that the wheat isn't growing well, but rather that it's growing too well. This year has been a warm winter, and some of the early-sown wheat fields have already started to "joint".

In a few more days, when the temperature really drops, all the early-growing wheat seedlings will freeze to death.

Old man Farmer—the “agricultural consultant” Winters brought back from Wolftown—was deeply worried about this.

Countermeasures?

Winters didn't have it, but he knew where to find it.

He immediately dispatched messengers to summon major grain growers from nearby villages and towns to Revodan to discuss countermeasures.

"Sir, what if no one can come up with a good solution?" Old man Falmer was still extremely worried.

“It’s alright, sir.” Winters was already overwhelmed with debt and said with a laugh, “If there really is a famine, I still have Andrea Cellini.”

……

On October 30th, 559 of the Imperial Calendar, the day after Winters returned to Gevordan, it was an ordinary yet special day.

It's ordinary, because the sun rises and sets as usual today.

This is no ordinary day—and perhaps it deserves a grand celebration, because today, Winters will officially begin smelting iron.

Thanks to the hard work of senior student Mason, the kiln workers, and the bricklayers found in Thervodan, the blast furnace has been completed.

The smelter was located on a flat plateau on Tiefeng Mountain, far from human habitation but close to the mine, making it easy to obtain ore.

As per Carlos's request, the furnace was constructed with double layers of refractory bricks, reaching a height of over four meters. From a distance, it resembled a giant, long-necked vase placed on the mountainside.

If Carlos hadn't insisted on waiting for Winters to return before lighting the fire, Mason would have already moved on to the next step.

"I've already bragged about everything for you, so go ahead and do it with confidence." Winters, about to get serious, laughed and slapped the young blacksmith hard on the back: "What are you afraid of? Hold your head high!"

Carlos's upper teeth clenched against his lower teeth; he swallowed hard and nodded frantically.

Everyone could see that the young blacksmith was extremely nervous.

Carlos fasted for three days in advance, and this morning he even took a bath and changed into a new set of clothes. Moreover, he doesn't allow anyone to say the words "extinguished" or "failure," and he'll get angry with anyone who does.

To be honest, Winters didn't have high hopes for the young blacksmith's skills.

If the blacksmith brother Berian said "it can be done", Winters would bet all his chips without hesitation;

But Carlos Soya... just seeing how he could hit it off with a brilliant mind like Vahika gave Winters a bad feeling.

But he sincerely hoped that the young blacksmith could prove his intuition wrong with his actions.

Opening a furnace for iron smelting was a truly momentous event, and the blacksmiths of the forging town, upon hearing the news, all wanted to come and witness it.

Not only blacksmiths, but also prominent citizens of Gervadane and even the little lion wanted to come and find out.

Winters refused and brushed them off.

Especially the sharp and intelligent little lion cub, who was both a friend and foe, Winters felt somewhat guilty, but still insisted that Juan take the little lion cub hunting.

On the one hand, he didn't want to reveal the technical secrets; on the other hand, Winters didn't want to embarrass himself.

Therefore, the "lighting ceremony" was very quiet, with only a handful of participants.

Senior Mason arrived excitedly, and Andrei was pulled along by him as well.

With Moritz absent, the supply of the water of life has recently been cut off, and the lieutenant colonel is listless and unusually anxious all day long, and he has never liked to appear in public.

Besides the four military tribunals, only the blacksmith father-in-law and son-in-law, Boltan and Chaussa, were present.

……

Upon returning to Gevodane, Winters immediately visited the old blacksmith, Mr. Portin, to ask him to be his advisor—an informal position with no title and no official registration, which suited the old blacksmith's wishes perfectly.

Also invited to be an advisor was Boltan's old rival, tobacco merchant and mayor Priskin Sr.

With the addition of Mr. Farmer, a farmer brought in from Wolf Town, Winters now had a small advisory group... and of course, the chief shadow advisor was still "Madame Montagne".

……

The old blacksmith had wished to see the black smoke from the furnace through his window. Winters went a step further, inviting the old man to participate in the lighting ceremony.

The old blacksmith readily agreed, first taking a horse-drawn carriage and then a stretcher, and it took quite a bit of effort to finally arrive at the foot of Iron Peak Mountain—this was also the first time the old man had left Rewodan in eight years.

Oh, and Kaman too.

The young priest was reluctantly sprinkling holy water on the blast furnace, holding a golden bowl in one hand and a small broom in the other.

The Parat people have a morbid obsession with "blessing rituals." People can be blessed, weapons can be blessed, farm tools can be blessed... there's no harm in sprinkling holy water on them.

So Winters gave Kaman a long lecture and practically dragged him to the blast furnace to "bless" him.

Kaman casually sprinkled the holy water twice, then simply splashed the remaining water in the bowl onto the furnace wall before returning to Winters' side: "Alright, all done."

"Not going to recite a few verses?" Winters blinked.

“Reciting scriptures? How about I carve a holy emblem on it for you?” Kaman was now easily provoked: “Tell me which scripture and gospel are for burning firewood.”

“Alright, then so be it.” Winters didn’t press the matter. “If this succeeds, the people of Iron Peak County will benefit immensely. Thank you, Mr. Kaman.”

Kaman pursed his lips, stared intently at Winters for a long while, then turned away in a huff and went back to the furnace, leaning against the furnace wall in a gesture of respect, muttering something under his breath.

Carlos had already prepared everything. The charcoal was neatly stacked in a funnel shape in the furnace, waiting only for Winters to ignite it.

Winters didn't intend to say anything either. After Kaman's blessing ceremony ended, he slowly closed his eyes and entered a spellcasting state.

When he opened his eyes again, the torch in his hand suddenly burst into flame.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Winters solemnly lit the flame of hope.

The two cows leisurely chewed on their semi-digested fodder, slowly and steadily pulling the bellows.

As a continuous stream of air was pumped into the furnace, the charcoal gradually burned until it glowed red-hot, and the scorching heat could be felt even from several meters away.

Seeing that the time was right, Carlos fed the blast furnace with raw iron ore and limestone from above.

The raw ore mined from the old mines is screened, roasted, crushed, and washed to obtain [primary iron ore]—as Carlos calls it.

and then?
Then there is no more.

During the long and tedious wait, only dark red slag and a small amount of golden molten iron fell to the bottom of the furnace. No matter how fervently Carlos prayed, no molten iron flowed out.

Carlos was frantic with worry, Mason was quite disappointed, and Andrei was already impatient.

Winters, on the other hand, didn't feel anything—he never expected to succeed on his first try.

"You insisted on waiting for me to come back before opening the furnace," Winters joked to the young blacksmith. "Were you afraid that Captain Mason would beat you up while I was away?"

Carlos was about to burst into tears right there in front of Winters.

“Sir, it’s good that Mr. Liu Soya is here. In the old days when we used a bloom furnace, it would take a whole day or even longer to start, it wasn’t this quick.” The old blacksmith, Portan, was very calm.

He suggested to Winters, "You don't need to wait here. How about I accompany you to Forgetown and introduce you to some of my old buddies?"

Winters agreed with the old man. Whether it succeeded or failed, they would know the result tomorrow; there was no point in waiting.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you.” Winters nodded with a smile.

Senior student Mason came with high hopes, but when he heard that the results wouldn't be available until tomorrow, his disappointment was palpable.

"I'll head back now," Mason said listlessly. "They're organizing people to cut grass at the horse farm; I'll go check it out."

"I'm going too," Andrei said, also heading out.

Upon hearing the word "horse farm," Winters hurriedly grabbed his senior: "Please come with me to Forge Township. The matter at the horse farm isn't urgent."

As he spoke, Winters gave Andrei a silent look.

Andrei understood and immediately changed his tune: "Exactly! Exactly! Let's go to Forging Village and look. Maybe someone there knows how to forge cannons!"

The reason they weren't letting Mason leave was because neither of them had dared to mention the matter of [the horse farm manager] to him yet, and now was the perfect opportunity.

It would have been better if Andre hadn't brought it up, because Mason was even more heartbroken when he did: "I've asked around everywhere, and nobody in Forge Township knows how to cast bells or cannons."

“What if they’re hiding something?” Wentes said, clinging to his senior. “With Mr. Portin accompanying us, their attitude will be different.”

Mason sighed and reluctantly agreed.

The group headed to the village of Forge, leaving Carlos with a few laborers to guard the blast furnace. With no one watching or supervising, Carlos finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The village of Duanlu lies at the foot of Iron Peak Mountain, close to the St. George River, and very near the blast furnace. On the way, the old blacksmith Boltan chatted with several bailiffs about important and trivial matters concerning iron smelting.

"The principle of iron smelting is actually very simple: just put charcoal and iron ore together and light a fire to burn them." The old blacksmith, Poltan, sat back and became animated when he talked about iron smelting: "From the earliest time I knew about it, that's how blacksmiths have been doing it."

“The simpler it sounds,” Winters remarked with a touch of melancholy, “the harder it is to do.”

“That’s right.” The old blacksmith clapped his hands and laughed: “When you put iron and charcoal together to burn, some people can make excellent sponge iron, some can make steel, but some can only make charred lumps that crumble when you squeeze them. The difficulty in iron smelting lies not in the principle, but in the process—that is, the secret formula, experience and process.”

Then, the old blacksmith Portan talked about the difference between the [storm furnace] and Carlos's [blast furnace].

The reason why a bloomery furnace is called a "bloomery furnace" is because it "smelts a large piece of iron at once".

"Iron doesn't have feet; it won't walk out of the furnace by itself." The old blacksmith gestured as he went. "So, if you use a piecemeal furnace, you have to dismantle the furnace walls every time you produce a batch of iron, take out the iron, and then rebuild it."

Mason suddenly became interested: "Why can't we melt iron into water—like bronze and gold—and let it flow out on its own?"

If you can melt iron, you can cast cannons; the senior's thinking is very straightforward.

"It's impossible. The temperature of the bloomery furnace is not high enough to melt the iron into molten iron. Iron is not gold or bronze; it is extremely difficult to melt. The forges used by ordinary blacksmiths like us can only soften the iron slightly. They are still far from being able to melt iron into molten iron."

"The iron wasn't melted during the iron smelting process? How was the iron made then?" Winters asked curiously.

"Uh...actually, I don't know either." Old blacksmith Portan replied with a slightly embarrassed smile, "Blacksmiths can smelt iron, but why can iron be produced by burning iron ore and charcoal together? Nobody knows. Why does iron soften when it's burned? Nobody knows that either. Why? Maybe it's because of magic."

Winters burst into laughter.

The old blacksmith Portan advised Mason: "[Casting] is much more difficult than [forging]. Any blacksmith can forge, but very few know how to cast. If you want to cast cannons, you'd better use bronze."

“But where am I supposed to find copper?” Mason said, somewhat disappointed.

"You can't make a silk wallet from pig's ears." The old blacksmith was helpless: "Without grass, there are no bricks."

Mason sighed heavily.

"We'll have everything," Winters reassured his senior. "At worst, we can just buy copper from outside."

“However,” the old blacksmith Portan said hesitantly, “there’s a rumor that the royal blacksmiths in the north have invented a method to melt iron and cast it. Some people call that iron cast iron. It’s just a rumor, and I don’t know exactly how it’s done. I guess it must require a very powerful smelting furnace.”

"Really?" Mason was overjoyed.

"I don't know if it's true or not..."

Andrei, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up in a muffled voice: "We don't even know if that furnace can be built, so don't worry about things like casting iron, which are impossible to see. If you ask me, we should be thinking about what to do if we can't smelt any iron at all..."

“We’ll study it again when we get back.” Winters said casually, then asked the old man, “Could you continue to tell us about the blast furnace?”

The old blacksmith, Boer, answered honestly, “Actually, I don’t know anything about blast furnaces either, otherwise I would have personally helped you with the setup. Mr. Soya’s iron smelting is methodical and systematic. Even if he’s not an expert, he has learned from experts. When we first met, I was only 10% confident in Mr. Soya, but now I’m at least 50%.”

The old blacksmith sighed, "Although Mr. Soya is still young, his skills far surpass mine. My whole life... sigh, it's all been for nothing."

“How could that be?” Winters shook his head with a smile. “In my opinion, Mr. Soya’s furnace has been built, but the problems are yet to come.”

"So, what exactly is a blast furnace?" Andrei yawned. "That brick tower we just saw was a blast furnace? It didn't seem like much of a deal."

The old blacksmith, Boltan, explained it to Andrei again.

In short, a bloomer is like a cup with an opening at the top for feeding. It needs to be disassembled and reassembled after each use.

A blast furnace is like a cup with a tap; it allows for continuous smelting by feeding materials at the top and tapping iron at the bottom.

The old blacksmith used a crude but vivid analogy: "A blast furnace is like a person who keeps drinking water at the top and keeps urinating at the bottom. A blooming furnace, on the other hand, drinks a large cup of water at a time and urinates once a day, which is obviously not as good as drinking and urinating all the time."

Andrei laughed so hard the whole carriage trembled.

"How about we repair the road after the autumn planting season?" Winters said thoughtfully. "Repair it to the standards of the Legion's main road, and make it a paved and solid road."

Old blacksmith Portin was physically disabled and could only travel by carriage. Winters wanted to consult with the advisors more, so he also took the carriage, along with Andrei and his senior, Mason.

The carriage wasn't small, but it was still quite crowded with three officers. Winters and Andrei were in great discomfort, their knees pressed against the ground.

Moreover, the road between Gervodan and Forgetown was in very poor condition, making for a very bumpy ride, which rekindled Winters's obsession with road construction.

"Road repairs in winter?" Mason asked instinctively.

"I only have time during the winter off-season."

"We probably don't have enough manpower."

“Let’s take it one step at a time. For now, let’s only repair the section from Thervodan to Forgetown. We can repair the rest of the road later when we have time.” Winters rubbed his forehead. “There are so many things to do, big and small, it’s a complete mess. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

"That's about right." Mason nodded, then suddenly realized something seemed off: "Who's going to fix it?"

Mason looked at Winters, who silently looked out the window;
Mason looked at Andrei again, and Andrei silently looked out the window.

"Why is the Artillery Section called the Artillery Section?" Mason muttered with a complicated expression, "I think it should be called the Miscellaneous Soldiers Section!"

“Senior, why don’t you think about this?” Winters flattered him earnestly. “From top to bottom, who else in the entire army has this ability besides you?”

“Exactly,” Andrei said just as righteously: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

"Alright, stop flattering me. I'll take care of this." Mason sighed. "But I have one request."

"Please feel free to speak." Winters sat up straight, after all, his senior rarely made requests on his own initiative.

“Find some copper. I don’t believe we can’t find a hundred kilograms of copper in Iron Peak County.” Mason also looked out the window: “If we can’t make a big one, let’s make a small one to play with first. If we don’t fire a couple of shots soon, our skills will go to waste again.”

……

When Winters traveled by carriage to Forgetown, the students of the Gevordan Accounting School were having their first lesson.

Without paper and pen, each student carried a shallow square plate, sprinkled with fine sand, and used a wooden stick to outline on the sand.

There are no textbooks—Madame Montagne is still writing one;

There were no professional teachers; the lecturers were the most senior bookkeepers hired from the Priskin Trading Company.

There was no dedicated venue, so the city hall's council chamber was used as a temporary classroom.

As arranged by Madame Montagne, the first lesson would not teach arithmetic or reading and writing, but rather the logic of "double-entry bookkeeping".

The "teacher's" voice was a little hoarse as she spoke haltingly: "...Double-entry bookkeeping is actually very simple. One column on the left, one column on the right, one for recording expenses, and the other for recording income..."

This seasoned bookkeeper was over fifty years old, but it was the first time he had ever lectured by looking directly into the eyes of dozens of people, so he was inevitably nervous.

The council chamber is a two-story building. The first floor is where citizens debate and discuss matters, while the second floor is for observers to sit.

Anna was sitting on the second floor of the council chamber, resting her chin on her hand and listening.

She didn't actually have deep feelings for Wolf Town, Theodore, or Iron Peak County, nor for the Accounting School. It was only for that person that she went to such lengths and fussed over everything.

But now, a strange feeling lingered in her mind... Pride? Triumph? Pride? It seemed like none of them, yet it also seemed like a little of all of them.

Anna couldn't figure it out, which troubled her and left her feeling confused.

It is indeed very interesting that a school run by a woman and enrolling men to attend classes is probably the first of its kind in the history of Iron Peak County and even the New Territories—although she was hiding behind Winters.

"...In double-entry bookkeeping, every transaction is recorded simultaneously as both income and expense in two ledgers. Each ledger serves as the basis for auditing the others, creating a tightly linked system... Double-entry bookkeeping is not for convenience, but to curb human greed. Never entertain evil thoughts, remember! That's the devil whispering to you..."

Anna listened with a scrutinizing gaze.

“This teacher isn’t very competent; we need to replace her,” Anna thought. “We shouldn’t hire the most senior bookkeeper; we should hire the bookkeeper with the loudest voice.”

Anna put her hat back on and prepared to leave the council chamber. A casual glance at the students' seats downstairs almost made her gasp.

She saw Scarlett dressed in men's clothes and trousers, with her hair cut short like a man's, and her face dirty, sitting in the corner of the "classroom" listening to the lesson.

Although Scarlett looks like a boy who hasn't quite grown up yet, Anna is certain that the boy is Scarlett Mitchell.

Anna felt dizzy. She knew Ms. Little Cher was very bold, but she didn't expect her to be this bold.

……

After class, Scarlett was trying to sneak out of the council chamber.

A woman with a black veil covering her head blocked her way—it was Mrs. Medellin, Mrs. Mitchell's maid.

Scarlett tried to pretend she didn't know Mrs. Medellin, but Mrs. Medellin clearly recognized her.

Scarlett was then taken away on the spot.

Instead of taking Scarlett back to see Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Medellin took her to the officers' quarters near the garrison.

Scarlett thought she was going to be scolded by Monsieur Montagne, but instead she was met by Madame Montagne.

"You silly girl," Anna said tenderly, stroking Mrs. Little's hair. "How could you bear to cut it off?"

“It’s okay, it will grow back.” Scarlett sniffed freely.

"Does Mrs. Mitchell know?"

Scarlett shivered involuntarily and pleaded pitifully, "Please don't tell my mother, she'll be furious."

"Can you keep this a secret forever?"

"The longer it's kept secret, the better..."

"Why did you cut your hair?" Anna asked with regret, heartache, and confusion. "Why?"

“I have to attend classes,” Scarlett replied matter-of-factly. “I also want to learn bookkeeping.”

Anna wanted to retort, "Then why didn't you just come to me directly?"

But recalling the awkward scene she witnessed when she first arrived at Mitchell Estate, she understood somewhat.

A young girl experiencing her first love, a stubborn personality, a fragile and delicate sense of self-esteem... Anna seemed to be looking in a mirror.

She wasn't angry, but felt even more heartbroken, and a seed sprouted in her heart.

“If you really want to learn bookkeeping,” Anna said gently, taking Scarlett’s hand. “Could I teach you?”

[Thank you to all readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments.]
[The single-use furnace used by Japanese swordsmiths to forge "tamahagane" is a bloomery furnace.]
[Smelting furnaces for direct steelmaking are not uncommon; this method was more prevalent in more primitive eras because it was very uneconomical.]
[The Japanese swordsmiths' technique of refining tamahagane (steel) is somewhat of a misdirection due to limited natural resources—or rather, a specialization in a particular area to adapt to local natural conditions.]
[The economic base determines the superstructure, and natural endowments determine the direction of technology.]
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(End of this chapter)