Tiger Owl

Chapter 220 Master Excavator
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Kuaiji Commandery covered a vast area, including most of present-day Zhejiang and all of Fujian, almost equivalent to the area of ​​two provinces.

Ten days later, Gu Heng arrived at the government-run shipyard in Yuyao County. He spent some money to have someone go to the shipyard to inform the registrar, Fu Qu.

Before long, a clerk in his thirties emerged from the shipyard. Upon seeing Gu Heng, he looked him up and down and asked, "I am Fu Qu. Did you come to see me?"

Gu Heng smiled slightly and said, "I am an official from Yuzhang County. Song Kuan sent me to find you."

Unable to deliver Song Kuan's note via carrier pigeon, Gu Heng had no choice but to reveal his identity.

"Is there a problem?"

Gu Heng pointed to a restaurant not far away and said, "It's nothing troublesome, let's sit down and talk."

The two sat down at the restaurant, and Gu Heng said with a smile, "Actually, I wanted to ask you to help me find out about someone."

"Who are you asking about?"

“A chief blacksmith named Wang Chun.”

"A blacksmith, from the foundry?"

"Exactly!"

Fu Qu said calmly, "The foundry at the shipyard has been shut down."

Gu Heng was taken aback. "Why?"

"The shipyard no longer builds ocean-going ships; it's all building inland river warships. Large iron parts are no longer needed, and ordinary iron parts can be bought outside at a cheaper price, so the foundry was disbanded last year."

Gu Heng pondered for a moment and then asked, "Where did these craftsmen go?"

"I don't know either, but I can try to find out for you. How about this: let's meet here tomorrow at noon, and I'll tell you what I find out."

"You've gone to so much trouble!"

The next day at noon, Gu Heng came to the restaurant again, and soon after, Fu Qu arrived in a hurry.

Fu Qu sat down, took out a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Gu Heng, "The craftsmen at the forge have all been dismissed and gone home. This is the address of Wang Chun's house that you asked for. Go and give it a try."

Gu Heng took the note and glanced at it. The address was Yin County, so he had indeed returned to his hometown.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Is Jiangdong so extravagant? So many excellent blacksmiths have been sent back."

Fu Qu gave a wry smile. "Chief Steward Gu has been stationed in Dantu County for a long time. You should be well aware that the officialdom in Jiangdong is divided into factions and the infighting among them is fierce."

"I know, but does this have anything to do with the craftsmen?"

"Of course there is a connection. There are two major lineages of blacksmiths in Jiangdong: the Wu School, which takes Gan Jiang and Mo Xie as its founders, and the Yue School, which takes Ou Yezi as its founder. Originally, there was no major conflict between the two schools, but it is different in the officialdom. The current officials in charge of the Jiangdong Smelting Bureau are from the Wu School, so the official craftsmen they use are basically all from the Wu School. They basically do not use the Yue School, and Yue School blacksmiths can only make a living among the common people."

"I understand. Thank you for the information, Registrar Fu."

Gu Heng then took out another of his calling cards. "If you, Chief Clerk Fu, have any difficulties, you can come to Dantu County to find me. If you, Chief Clerk Fu, are willing to seek a job in Yuzhang Prefecture, I can recommend you!"

Fu Qu was truly grateful. It was just a small favor for him to inquire about this information, but he didn't expect the other party to be so kind and willing to help him.

"Thank you, Steward Gu. I have other matters to attend to at the shipyard, so I'll be leaving now!"

After Fu Qu left, Gu Heng returned to the inn to pack his things, immediately rented a carriage, and headed to Yin County with two attendants.

Yin County is today's Ningbo. It is also the birthplace of iron smelting technology and the hometown of Ou Yezi. A large number of blacksmiths made a living by smelting iron lived here because many shipyards around the area needed iron parts, which gave many blacksmiths a place to use their skills.

The distance from Yuyao County to Yin County is not far. According to the address Fu Qu gave him, Gu Heng saw a large shop near the city gate outside the city. A flag was held up by a bamboo pole, which read "Wang's Iron Shop".

Beside the blacksmith's shop stood a towering tree, behind which flowed a babbling brook that merged into the moat. The location was convenient, and the environment was pleasant. An old man lay on a mat under the tree, squinting as he enjoyed the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Gu Heng had two of his men wait for him under a big tree. He walked into the blacksmith shop alone, where seven or eight strong men were hammering away.

At this moment, a burly man of about forty years old stepped forward and asked, "What kind of item would you like to make, sir?"

"Is this Wang Chun's blacksmith shop?"

"He is my father. Is there something you need from him, sir?"

"We're looking to collaborate with him on some large projects. Is he available?"

The burly man pointed to the old man lying under the big tree, "That's my father!"

"Oh--"

Gu Heng turned and left the blacksmith's shop; he came to the big tree, where the old man sat up with a smile, "Sir, were you looking for me?"

"If you are Wang Chun from the government-run shipyard forge, then you are the one I'm looking for!"

"It's me, please have a seat, sir!"

Gu Heng sat down and asked with a smile, "Has Master Wang already retired to enjoy his old age?"

“I’m only in my fifties, how can I be qualified to enjoy my retirement? I just don’t have any big projects worth my time, so I’ll let my son and apprentices handle the smaller ones.”

"Is casting large components difficult?" Gu Heng asked with a smile.

"It can be difficult, but it can also be easy. It depends on the customer's requirements. If the customer only requires ordinary civilian products, then you can melt the iron into molten iron, pour it into a mold, and forge it into shape. But if it is military products with extremely strict quality requirements, then it is very difficult. The iron must be pure and there cannot be any air bubbles or sand holes. More importantly, the hardness and toughness must be just between pig iron and wrought iron. If it is too much, it will be brittle; if it is too little, it will be soft. Small parts can be made by frying steel, but casting large parts is too difficult."

Gu Heng laughed and said, "If I were to fry all of them into high-quality steel, and then melt them down into molten iron to cast large items, wouldn't that result in high-quality large items?"

Wang Chun chuckled and said, “You can try it. I guarantee that after it is cast, it will have nothing to do with steel. It will be a completely different kind of iron.”

Gu Heng then took out his name card and handed it to him. Wang Chun could roughly recognize a few characters, and he was stunned. "General Manager of the Yuzhang Army Liaison Office in Jiangdong" was the old name card. The new name card should be called "General Manager of the Western Chu Army Liaison Office in Jiangdong".

After a long pause, Wang Chun said, "Is Steward Gu inviting me to Yuzhang County?"

Gu Heng nodded. "We lack craftsmen who can make large military equipment. If Master Wang is willing to go, he will be designated as a first-class craftsman, with a monthly salary of fifty strings of cash and a three-acre house. Is Master Wang interested?"

In an era when the average monthly income was only six hundred coins, a monthly income of fifty thousand coins was frightening, but for a master craftsman of Wang Chun's caliber, money was not the most important thing.

Gu Heng thought he would have to talk himself hoarse to convince the other party, but to his surprise, Wang Chun agreed immediately.

“I can go, but I want to bring my son and apprentices, more than thirty people in total, as well as my brother. He is a master mold maker, and the molds he makes will not cause trachoma. I will bring him along, along with their families, about a hundred people in total. As long as Steward Gu agrees to this condition, I can set off at any time.”

Gu Heng said happily, "The more talented people there are, the more I welcome them! No problem, I'll rent a large boat and go directly to Chaisang."

"Alright, let's pack up and we can set off in three days."

Gu Heng was a little puzzled and asked with a smile, "I don't understand why Master Wang agreed so readily."

Wang Chun said calmly, "Manager Gu can be interpreted as a form of revenge."

Gu Heng nodded. The master blacksmiths in the official workshops were not only not given important positions, but were also dismissed and sent home. They were all filled with resentment towards the Jiangdong regime.

Three days later, Gu Heng rented a large ship and set off directly from the harbor, carrying 120 people to the Yangtze River and then to Chaisang, where they began a new chapter in their lives.

(End of this chapter)