Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 97, Section 96: Blast Furnace Materials
The Yan craftsmen were dragged away by the soldiers, looking dazed.

The last thing I saw was the nobleman taking a silk scroll from a maid, on which various pictures were faintly visible.

But then, the heavy doors blocked his view, and he could see nothing.

In the side hall, Qin Shi indeed paid no attention to him.

Nowadays, artisans have a low social status—although this does not prevent them from being valued in military engineering, it is extremely difficult for them to improve their status.

Unless one possesses the power and status of someone like Ou Yezi, they might receive some preferential treatment; otherwise, their property would be considered the private property of the monarch or government.

As an object, what does it matter which owner it belongs to?

They themselves were the same.

Given Qin's ruthless conquest of the six states, those who truly refused to submit, even at the cost of death, would not have survived to this day. Those who did survive were mostly those who were willing to compromise.

Now that a way out has been given and others have compromised, instead of following the crowd when they should, they insist on showing off their lofty ideals and righteousness. Qin Shi has no patience to deal with such a fool pretending to be a smart person.

Moreover, the reason she had been so lenient with them before was because she needed to find artisans who were proficient in the process of refining steel and annealing. The Yan Kingdom was not so special that it was irreplaceable, and she already had artisans from five other countries.

Then why bother getting entangled with others?
now!

The soldiers guarded the place firmly, while Qin Shi watched the craftsmen take the silk book from Chi Nu's hands, quickly display it in front of everyone, and then quickly put it away.

Her voice was gentle:
"The techniques and drawings mentioned earlier are all recorded in the silk manuscript."

To save battery power, she first made a basic outline, noting down every detail she could think of. Then she quickly turned on the computer, retrieved the file from the reader, and began to record and organize the information rapidly.

Although the details are still not finalized, the overall direction should be under control.

"Since Your Majesty unified the world, the six states have become six territories of my Qin state. Now, in serving the king, I ask you all to do your utmost."

She softened her tone: "Otherwise, if one learns the best skills of my Qin state but doesn't serve the ruler well, then there's no point in living. Isn't that right?"

The craftsmen, still preoccupied with the fleeting image they had just seen, bowed their heads deeply upon hearing such chilling words.

Then look at Gao Ye, the Chu blacksmith who was the first to surrender; he should be the most skilled among this group.

Qin Shi smiled and said, "The ten of you are all among the most skilled metallurgists in our Great Qin. Now, let's form a steel project team. Gao Ye, you will be the team leader! You will be responsible for managing and training everyone."

"But what you learn, you must not keep to yourself. Only by pooling your wisdom and efforts can you improve your skills to a higher level."

"If there is any gain, the king and I will naturally reward you."

Everyone looked up instantly, staring at Qin Shi in shock. Even the iron official seemed hesitant to speak.

Although they didn't understand some of the terms, it didn't prevent them from comprehending them.

They've grown tired of hearing these taunts and threats every day.

But that [team leader]...

In other words, Gao Ye, a man from the State of Chu, has now become the leader of this group of people who all possess unique skills.
Qin Shi then looked at the Qin craftsmen: "Previously, the Chu blacksmiths were slightly better than ours at making weapons, wasn't that right?"

This is something everyone has to admit.

Although they could forge tiny gears for the royal carriage in an instant at the cost of destroying a furnace, and their bronze ware was far superior to that of other nations.

However, it is indeed slightly inferior in terms of the toughness and hardness of ironware.

“Therefore,” Qin Shi slowly scanned the crowd, finding the craftsman whose skills the iron official had just described as the most skilled artisan in Qin—

"Tieyan, you will be the deputy leader. Gao Ye has only been in Qin for a short time, and with your assistance, the King will feel more at ease."

Gao Ye remained expressionless, and was even more relieved by this matter.

Without the assistance of the Qin people, it would be difficult to even keep these people in line, let alone manage them. Besides, he was indeed a Chu person, and he was not at ease with himself.

Tie Yan's surname "Tie" was bestowed by the late king. As a native of Qin, he was naturally loyal to the King of Qin, and he understood this in his heart at this moment.

His skills are lacking, which is why he can't win people's respect. But this man from Chu might not be a good person either; he needs to be wary of him. Humph!
He raised his head, a surge of ambition rising within him: Once I learn even better skills, I will become the best in my field, and this group leader position will be mine!
He felt a pang of guilt: "Alas! It's all his fault for not being smart enough; otherwise, how could a man from Chu have become the leader!"
In short, the project team composed of top-level blacksmiths was beginning to take shape. Qin Shi didn't undertake anything more complicated. Instead, under the expectant gazes of everyone, he reopened the silk scroll:

"First, we need to rebuild the blast furnace."

There is a picture on the silk scroll depicting a stove that is slightly different from the cylindrical vertical stoves they usually use, with a large belly shape in the lower middle part.

Gao Ye frowned and asked, "May I ask, Lord Qin, what is a blast furnace?"

Qin Shi explained: "It was taller and larger than today's vertical furnaces, and it could melt more iron at once—at a higher temperature as well."

She pointed to the illustrations on the silk scroll and explained:

"The temperature at the furnace throat feed point is slightly low."

"The temperature in the upper and middle parts is two to three times higher."

"The furnace hearth temperature is about 50% higher than that of current vertical furnaces."

Without a thermometer to accurately report the temperature, she could only give vague answers. The hearth of a blast furnace typically reaches 1500°C to 1600°C.

But Gao Ye was not pleased. Instead, he asked, "If the temperature is this high, the vertical furnace will crack and become unsustainable."

"Would it be enough to just replace this blast furnace?"

This is the core issue of technological development in every era—materials.

All technological advancements require the support of materials.

The same applies to refractory materials today.

Qin Shi appreciated the other party's inquisitive attitude, and then unfolded another part of the silk scroll:

"Therefore, we need to find other materials and rebuild the blast furnace."

“Take deep clay, 30% quartz sand, and 10% animal hair and straw.”

"One and a half pieces of broken pottery. Half a piece of lime, a little bit of mineral salt... and asbestos."

The above materials must be mixed to form a preliminary refractory material.

Gao Ye still frowned deeply: "Asbestos?"

Qin Shi nodded: "Yes, I will have someone deliver it."

At present, the Qin state already has asbestos mining technology and even some applications, but its use is very limited. Therefore, in the early stages, Xianyang City may only be able to send a small amount.

If it is to be used on a large scale in the future, it will require specialized personnel to mine it.

However, asbestos mining is extremely harmful, and after she returns to the palace tonight, she will have to plead with Ji Heng to assign death row inmates to do this.

At this point, there's no need to tell the blacksmiths these details.

They were able to understand the blast furnace material ratios clearly because the entire Ironworks was under Ji Heng's control.

With his control, without orders, not a single word could be uttered in the entire ironworks.

"I'm showing you these blueprints so you can describe them to the craftsmen more accurately."

As a complete novice in materials science, it's impossible for her to oversee the construction of blast furnaces; she should know how to appoint the right people to the right positions.

Coming!

[The blast furnace material proportions are from the internet; if they are incorrect, please consider them as mere speculation.]

Asbestos already existed in the Qin Dynasty, but most people didn't know how to use it. I'll gradually explain this later (as a tribute from the Western Regions). Please be patient. However, asbestos mining can cause fibers to enter the lungs, which is extremely painful.

Qin Shi Huang's control was exceptionally strong, unmatched by any other emperor in later generations. His control over the entire country was so strong that even when Zhao Gao forged an edict ordering Fusu to commit suicide, Qin Shi Huang didn't even suspect a thing.