Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 95, Section 94: Annealing Process

When Qin Shi returned to the Ironworks this time, the treatment he received was quite different from before.

Although she was once a favorite of the King of Qin, she had no real power, no official position, and no family background. In today's terms, she was just a figurehead.

Therefore, although the people in the Ironworks were respectful and cautious, that was all they did.

But now, messengers had arrived as early as dawn to deliver the message, and by the time Qin Shi arrived, many people were already waiting outside the Ironworks.

"Greetings, Lord Qin!"

When Qin Shi finally disembarked at the Ironworks after passing through numerous guards, the Ironworks official and his craftsmen were already waiting there, their faces flushed and sweating profusely from the scorching sun.

Qin Shi nodded, and then took the small table bearing the King's seal from Chi Nu's hands.

Although the dragon-tiger seal is small and exquisite, it represents supreme authority.

She said loudly:

"We have come to the Ironworks on the orders of the King. You shall do your utmost to fulfill any instructions given."

"If anyone disobeys, he shall be executed immediately."

The iron official quickly bowed and knelt down, and the craftsmen behind him also knelt heavily on the ground:
"I will obey Your Majesty's command!"

The mark of "Holding Balance and Embracing the Jade" still seemed to linger on her palm, but now was not the time for her to establish her authority and demonstrate her virtue.

Therefore, Qin Shi handed the seal to Chi Nu, who was standing to the side, and then directly instructed, "You all go and do your own things."

"Iron official, please take me to see the most skilled craftsmen of today."

The iron official quickly agreed, but then hesitated: "Does the King of Qin want to see the artisans of Qin, or the remnants of the six states?"

Qin Shi replied without hesitation, "Bring them all."

……

She met this group of top blacksmiths in the side hall of the Ironworks where the royal carriage was received.

Today's top craftsmen are like Ou Yezi of yesteryear, each with their own pride. They are not as humble as ordinary blacksmiths and blacksmiths; their spirit is evident to the naked eye.

The Qin craftsmen on the left are respectful, eager to showcase their skills and gain official rank and change their social class. Yet, they also fear that their craftsmanship will be too outstanding, which is why they were chosen for the Lishan Underground Palace. Overall, this seems somewhat contradictory.

The craftsmen brought back from the six countries on the right had dull eyes; though still respectful, they seemed somewhat numb.

Qin Shi did not pay attention:

"What are your specialties?"

The iron official naturally introduced the Qin craftsmen first: "Your Majesty, this ironworks here is only for the royal army. From chariots to spears, halberds, and swords, all the craftsmen are skilled in their craft."

As he spoke, he had boxes brought out: "These are arrows made here."

This is a product manufactured by the famous Qin state's assembly line military factories; it is not only unparalleled in sharpness but also has extremely small margins of error.

Nowadays, it is precisely because of the standardized specifications of various weapons and equipment parts that they can be mass-produced and quickly replaced on the battlefield.

This is why he made great contributions during the Qin Dynasty's conquest of the six states.

Now, the iron official, unaware of what Qin Shi was planning, even presented a wheel gear.

This made her subconsciously glance at her watch.

As soon as she made a move, the blacksmiths who were waiting quietly in the room all looked over.

Despite the distance, as fellow craftsmen, we were still drawn to the intricate symbols and the steadily rotating pointer.

Qin Shi picked up the gear and recalled a gear that had been unearthed in the north of Xianyang in later generations.

At this moment, the convergence brought about by a thousand years of history filled her with emotion:

"Is this a bronze-clad iron-core gear?"

The iron official was taken aback, and so were the metalworkers and blacksmiths.

Does this important person actually know anything about this?!

Even the artisans from the six kingdoms, who were looking somewhat dejected, couldn't help but raise their heads—bronze encased in an iron core?!

Damn it! How could the tyrannical Qin Dynasty possess such craftsmanship!
During the Qin Dynasty, only the theory was studied. It is said that this process requires the furnace to reach 3000°C in an instant. However, even today, the common iron casting technology in the Qin state only reaches a peak of 1200°C.

After all, most cast iron does not need to reach a melting point of 1500° due to excessive impurities.

At that instant, a temperature of 3000°C would destroy a clay blast furnace in an instant, and it would be impossible to even fathom how the craftsmen managed to do it.

Keep in mind that this temperature will still be difficult to reach even 1000 years from now.

The fact that they were able to apply this technique to the gears of the king's chariot clearly shows that they had turned the accidental into the inevitable.

Aside from being extremely expensive in terms of money, manpower, and resources, it has no flaws whatsoever.

Qin Shi couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself: Ji Heng is truly the epitome of understated luxury and simplicity!

Looking at the various weapons and artifacts on the side, one doesn't need a deep understanding of iron or to observe its properties and structure; one can tell just by the gradually rising spirits of the craftsmen from the six countries.

Although the Qin Dynasty has made additional developments in the ironworks, its ability to make weapons is still inferior to that of Chu and Yan.

But this is not the fault of the craftsmen, because the Chu region had abundant iron mines, which allowed blacksmiths to do their work.

In Xianyang, the meager output along the Wei River is hardly enough to make a significant impact.

She walked slowly over: "Where are the strong weapons and sharp tools you have made?"

The craftsman from Chu slowly raised his head and said, "Now that our country is destroyed and our homes are ruined, and a noble person has come in person, how dare we lowly people possess weapons?"

That's what I said.

Previously, the artifacts made by Qin craftsmen were all held aside by the iron official's servants, waiting for Qin Shi to inspect them one by one.

Qin Shi wasn't unhappy—although their positions differed, the other party's country had indeed been destroyed and their family ruined, so a little temper tantrum was nothing to worry about.

In any case, the wheels of history keep turning forward; it's all fate.

He smiled calmly and said, "Then it's fine not to look at it. It's nothing more than some basic steelmaking techniques."

She spoke casually, as if it were just a casual remark: "Let me think, it's pig iron smelting and casting, using the pig iron annealing process to repeatedly heat, fold, and forge it..."

This technology is advanced by today's standards, but compared to the malleable annealing technology further developed in the Han Dynasty, it is clearly far from sufficient.

However, nowadays, a stable increase in furnace temperature from 1000° to 1200°, and occasionally even higher, already represents a significant technological advancement.

In addition, their unique [pig iron annealing process] is exclusive to Chu and Yan, but clearly, national and personal hatred has led them to form a tacit alliance in private.

Today, the pride and disdain of those artisans from the six countries are understandable.

After all, the Qin state was lacking in this craft.

Even though it was just a few words, and some of the wording was different from what the craftsmen used, the meaning it conveyed was enough to make the craftsmen from the six countries widen their eyes!
How could you be so uncivilized!

How could anyone so casually reveal their closely guarded secrets?!
On the other side, the Qin Dynasty craftsmen were even more eager, their eyes gleaming and ears perked up. Some were rubbing their fists together, clearly itching to try it out immediately.

Even the iron official's eyes lit up; he stared at Qin Shi expectantly, his face practically screaming, "Really? Really? Really?"

Qin Shi smiled slightly, still relaxed and confident: "The [annealing process] is indeed remarkable, but you obviously haven't mastered the [forgeable annealing process] yet."

"In that case, we don't need you anymore."

"Iron official, tell them to leave."

It's here! Did you all have a happy May Day holiday?

I'm late; I've fallen asleep several times while studying materials science.

It's so hard to write something reliable.

There's still a lot to write about iron smelting; we can't just read the materials for nothing, can we?

Regarding the pinnacle of Qin Dynasty craftsmanship, historical records are constantly being updated, and there are many dubious marketing accounts [mixing true and false theories]. Furthermore, I simply don't fully understand engineering and materials science… In short, considering all these reasons, what I want to say is—

Please forgive any inaccuracies in the crafting process, dates, or tech tree progression here.