I'm not a lord

Chapter 344 Lindenman is everywhere

Eric stood beside the blast furnace, watching the craftsmen methodically load the mixed furnace charge into the furnace from the top.

Two hours later, the furnace charge was loaded, and a skilled craftsman lit the ignition charcoal at the bottom of the blast furnace. At the same time, the craftsman controlling the waterwheel pulled down the control lever, and the waterwheel began to rotate under the influence of the water flow, which in turn drove the water-powered bellows made of cowhide.

Black smoke gradually rose from the top of the blast furnace, and the temperature at the scene continued to rise. Eric couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

He remembers clearly that this was the eighth time Chixi County had attempted blast furnace iron smelting.

The previous seven attempts all resulted in failures of varying degrees. Some involved blast furnace collapses due to substandard brick quality, others resulted in melting of the clay due to incorrect clay ratios that couldn't withstand the high temperatures, and still others failed to raise the furnace temperature consistently.
The difficulties were numerous, and on two occasions, people even lost their lives.

This was on the premise that Lynn provided the complete set of technology and blueprints.

Without Lynn's insightful guidance, given the North's current level of experience, it might take another one or two hundred years to fully master blast furnace ironmaking technology.

However, it was precisely because of the experience that was not of this era that Eric's Iron and Steel Department was able to quickly put the technology into practice within a few months.

At this moment, Eric's eldest son, wiping sweat with a towel, walked to his side and said wearily:

“Father, this time we should succeed. We have learned from the failures of the past few times and checked all the materials and procedures. Everything matches the blueprints provided by the Earl.”

Eric sighed heavily and replied, "I hope it will be successful. The foundry guild of Sanhe City is about to move to Chixi County. If we can't smelt enough iron ingots before then, it will delay the Earl's cannon-casting plan, and we can't afford to take that responsibility."

That's how it is with technology; even if everything seems correct and flawless, there's still a significant chance of failure.

Even if you replicate someone else's experiment step by step, you may not get the same results.

Moreover, Eric was not an expert in iron smelting; he switched to iron smelting later in life.

Just a few years ago, he was a blacksmith in the Southern Territory, forging weapons and armor for nobles.

Later, upon hearing that the North was short of skilled blacksmiths, he took his family by boat to the North. Due to the war, after several twists and turns, he finally arrived at White Bear Territory, the northernmost part of White River Territory.

How did a blacksmith like him become the Minister of Ironworks in the White River Territory and even the entire Swamp Territory?

Wasn't it all because Lynn issued an order appointing him to be in charge of iron smelting in Chixi County?
Iron smelting and iron forging may both contain the word "iron," but they are two completely different jobs.

Blacksmiths are responsible for smelting raw iron ore into iron ingots, while forging blacksmiths are responsible for forging the iron ingots into various iron utensils.

Eric initially wanted to refuse, but he had no reason to.

Without Lynn's guidance and support, he would probably still be being exploited by the blacksmiths' guild in some municipality, constantly wielding a heavy hammer every day to make a living.

His two sons are presumably still blacksmith apprentices, barely making ends meet on meager incomes.

Now, Eric is a high-ranking minister in the Marshland, overseeing thousands of artisans, and his sons, too, have risen to important positions in the Ironworks thanks to their father's influence.

For the sake of his family's wealth and prosperity, he had to grit his teeth and do it even if he didn't want to.

Besides, what Eric has to do is not difficult.

Whether it was the hydraulic forging hammer, the hydraulic bellows, or the current blast furnace for iron smelting, Lynn was there to guide him forward and solve all the technical problems for him.

Eric only needed to recreate the concept on the drawings provided by Lynn.

These drawings even include detailed explanations of the difficult points, and anyone who can read will be able to understand them.

Eric didn't know why a nobleman of humble origins would possess so much knowledge and experience that was ahead of his time, but he wouldn't ask questions or make a fuss about it.

This is also one of the main reasons why Lynn valued and promoted him.

Under the skillful operation of the craftsmen, the temperature inside the blast furnace rose higher and higher.

About three hours later, the flames coming out of the furnace had turned a beautiful orange-yellow, and the slag flowing from the bottom of the furnace looked like flowing magma.

Seeing this, Eric breathed a sigh of relief. Based on his past failures, he knew that this blast furnace ironmaking project would most likely succeed.

As time passed, a large amount of molten iron began to flow from the bottom of the furnace.

After a brief celebration, the craftsmen immediately used various molds that had been prepared in advance to catch the molten iron.

The molten iron produced at this time, after solidification, becomes 'pig iron'. This type of iron has a high carbon content and high hardness, but it is too brittle and lacks toughness. It can only be used to cast the most common agricultural tools and does not meet the requirements of weapons and artillery for iron quality.

Pig iron must undergo further processing to remove excess carbon before it can be forged into wrought iron that can be used to make various utensils.

However, the biggest advantage of blast furnace ironmaking is that it can greatly increase iron production, and its ironmaking efficiency is dozens or even hundreds of times that of bloomery ironmaking.

At least in the agricultural sector, the Swamp Territory will no longer face the predicament of iron shortage, which will naturally benefit Lynn in promoting agricultural reforms.

After all, his reforms were based on heavy plowing. Without heavy plowing breaking through the sticky black soil of the north, his agricultural reforms would not have been able to be implemented at all.

When Eric's two sons saw the molten iron being cast directly into iron plowshares in sand molds, they shouted excitedly, "Father, we did it! We did it!"

Eric also looked delighted, thinking to himself: I have finally lived up to the Earl's expectations!
At the same time, as a technician, he knew very well that the success of blast furnace ironmaking would completely change the North.

Two days later, Linus led a large number of craftsmen from the foundry guild to Chixi County and began producing new long-barreled cannons in cooperation with Eric.

Lynn did not intend to cast this more technologically advanced cannon directly using molten iron.

Pig iron is not suitable for casting cannons; it is too brittle and would likely cause the cannon to explode if used to cast it.

However, if the pig iron is to be refined to meet the requirements for casting cannons, the technical requirements are even higher, and a more complex refining furnace is needed to remove impurities such as sulfur and carbon from the molten iron.

This is not something that can be solved simply by mastering technology; it requires a large number of outstanding craftsmen in the new era, which the North clearly does not currently possess.

Therefore, Lynn decided to adopt a two-step strategy of casting and forging, continuing to use copper to cast cannons and iron to forge them.

When it comes to making artillery, copper is undoubtedly a superior metal compared to iron.

Copper is relatively soft and has a lower melting point than iron. Using copper to cast cannons requires less technical expertise than using iron, and the resulting cannons are more durable and less likely to burst.

Even before the Common Era, human technology was advanced enough to cast bronze cannons.

But the biggest problem with copper is that it's expensive, too expensive!

Copper is relatively cheap in the North, but still expensive. If all long-barreled cannons were cast in copper, it would probably bankrupt Lynn. Mortars are better; their barrels are short, so they consume less copper.

Long-barreled cannons, however, were not suitable; iron had to be used instead of expensive copper.

"As per the Earl's orders, your foundry will continue to cast cannons in copper, including larger caliber mortars and a small number of long-barreled cannons, while the forged iron cannons will be handled by our forging and iron smelting department. Oh, and the cannonballs will also be your responsibility. The Earl should have already issued the relevant blueprints to you."

Eric had already arranged the workplace for the foundry and equipped it with a large number of skilled blacksmiths.

The main job of these blacksmiths was to smelt iron ore into molten iron, which was then used to cast iron cannonballs.

Compared to stone cannonballs, iron cannonballs are a step above in terms of power and destructive force, and their molds can be reused to achieve mass production.

Linus toured the new workshop with great satisfaction, and his gaze towards Eric softened with kindness. He offered a word of advice:
“I’ve also seen the blueprints for the wrought iron cannon. That thing is much more difficult to make than the bronze cannon. I can provide some of your craftsmen to help you build the cannon.”

The so-called wrought iron cannon is made by forging wrought iron into long and narrow curved iron bars with a water-powered forging hammer, then splicing these iron bars into a cylindrical cannon barrel, and finally adding multiple iron rings to the outside of the cannon barrel to reinforce it.

Overall, this forged iron cannon looks like an iron barrel, requiring relatively low technology; it simply trades airtightness for low cost.

Historically, wrought iron cannons were a substitute for cast iron cannons before the latter matured, and they were popular for about two hundred years.

"Then I'll thank you in advance. With the assistance of craftsmen familiar with the cannon-casting process, we will definitely be able to complete the Earl's task ahead of schedule."

Eric was naturally very grateful for Linus's goodwill, and all he could think about was completing the task Lynn had assigned him as soon as possible.

Eric didn't understand grand principles like "If you treat me like a national hero, I will repay you like a national hero," but he was grateful and always repaid kindness.

Lynn provided him with a comfortable life and paved the way for his two sons' futures. He could only repay the king's favor by working even harder.

Eric's opponent, Linas, had a similar mindset.

The Foundry Guild was originally at the bottom of Sanhe City, but now it has surpassed all other handicraft guilds. He can only repay this kindness by sacrificing his life.

Under the joint leadership of Eric and Linus, the artisans in Chixi County made rapid progress, with good news coming out almost every week.

In early October, Earl Lynn of White River, accompanied by his personal guard, left Golden Deer Castle to embark on a tour of his territory. His entourage also included the newly formed Royal Council and Secretariat.

He did not head directly east, but instead first inspected Birch County and the newly established Northern County to the north.

Birchshire was originally the direct territory of the Duke of the Marsh, and its transformation into a county system did not encounter much resistance. The only problem was that a few local bullies from a few manors gathered to cause trouble.

This small-scale disturbance was immediately suppressed by Joseph the Fourth Prince's army.

Joseph currently commands two thousand infantrymen of the White River Legion and temporarily serves as the security commander of the Swamp Territory, responsible for cooperating with local officials to suppress unrest.

Northland County was originally the territory of the Earl of Northland, a key northern border town of the Swampland Territory, specifically used to defend against the northern barbarians.

Historically, there have been many attempts by people from the northern region to migrate south, but they were all easily defeated by the local nobles.

When Lynn took control of Golden Deer Castle, the Earl of the North surrendered without resistance and was awarded the title of First Baron.

Under Lynn's arrangement, the current Earl of the North, along with his family and other nobles, moved to Golden Deer City on the shores of Golden Deer Lake, and the nobles under his command also received corresponding titles.

However, the migration was not smooth. A group of barons and knights were unwilling to give up their territories and move south, and attempted to rally people to rebel against Lynn's rule.

The second son, Hugh, led his cavalry legion in a swift attack, suppressing the noble rebellion. He is currently stationed there with two thousand cavalrymen.

Lynn's officials then entered the scene and took full control of the administration of Northshire.

However, unrest still frequently occurred in the area, and some unfortunate officials even died in the chaos.

This is not surprising.

In Europa Universalis IV, Lynn is essentially 'building a core' in the newly occupied territory, and the troops and officials he dispatches are the executors of this core-building project.

To put it simply, it means establishing a vertical administrative, judicial, and tax management system in the local area.

In this process, the power and voice of local forces will inevitably be weakened, which in the game means an increase in the level of rebellion, and then Lindenwan, the rebels, will naturally appear.

However, Lynn was not afraid of the rebels at all; in fact, he was intentionally encouraging them to rise up.

Anyone who has played Europa Universalis knows that once a rebel army appears in a certain area, simply eliminating the rebels will significantly reduce the level of rebellion in that area for decades to come.

The key to solving a problem is to address the person who raised it!

If all those who want and are capable of launching a rebellion are physically eliminated, then naturally no one will rebel anymore.

Lynn's brutal redistribution of local power was intended to force the rebels out as much as possible.

Now is almost his best and only window of opportunity to reorganize his territory. Once Otto in the east begins his operation, he will no longer be able to leave most of his troops in the swamp territory.

Right now, his core legions are either suppressing rebellions or on their way to suppressing rebellions.

The second son, Hugh, led a cavalry corps to guard the Northland County; the third son, Young, led 5,000 infantry to besiege Blackwood Fortress; and the fourth son, Joseph, was responsible for maintaining order in the four core counties.

With a three-pronged approach, any rebels that appeared would be surrounded and suppressed within half a month, leaving them with almost no time or space to grow stronger.

At the same time, Lynn also began to establish a system of relay stations in various places.

Not only could the post stations maintain smooth traffic, but they could also spread his decrees throughout the entire territory as quickly as possible.

This is ancient political wisdom from the East.

In the second week of October, Lynn arrived in Birchshire and stayed at the autumn hunting lodge of the Dukes of the Marshlands.

It's called a palace, but it's really just a few large wooden houses in the forest, surrounded by a wooden fence.

On the very day he moved into the palace, an urgent military report came from Golden Deer Fortress in the south.

After nearly a year of rest, Otto III finally made a big move, deploying 20,000 troops, including Count Harvey, with his sights set on Mirror Iron Territory.

(End of this chapter)