Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

When questioned, Zhou Zhen didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, smiled, and retorted, "Why can't I know things about myself?"

He put down the chalk and dusted off his hands.

"I'm not a god, I'm just an ordinary person like you. I just know a little more than you."

"None of you can be omniscient and omnipotent, so naturally neither can I."

"However..." He looked around at everyone, then changed the subject, his voice full of confidence, "Don't worry, everyone."

Although I don't know exactly what the furnace looks like, I know very well how it works.

I believe that with the wisdom of our skilled workers, we will definitely be able to build it.

"The factory manager is right. We've been forging iron for most of our lives, and all we've got is a broken furnace. I really don't believe in this nonsense." Master Zhang Tieniu slapped his thigh and stood up.

"Alright, in that case, let's get moving immediately. I plan to divide our forces into three groups and advance simultaneously."

Zhou Zhen began making final arrangements.

He pointed to several strong soldiers and workers.

"The first team, led by Squad Leader Wang, will immediately head into the mountains to cut down hardwoods such as jujube and walnut."

"Chop them into suitable sizes, then quickly dry them to reduce moisture; these are the raw materials we use to make charcoal."

Squad Leader Wang, whose name was called, nodded emphatically and immediately began calling out names.

He looked at several experienced charcoal burners.

"Second route, Master Li, you're an old hand at this."

You take a group of people to that open space and use our traditional kiln-firing method to burn the dried wood into high-quality charcoal.

After it is fired, it must be carefully ground into uniform granules using a stone mill.

It is crucial that the particles be uniform in size; the quality of the particles directly affects the final result.

"The third route, which is also the most technically critical, is directly under my responsibility."

"Master Han Shan, Master Zhang Tieniu, and all the key technical personnel, let's work together seamlessly," Zhou Zhen said methodically, his eyes shining.

"Our task is to design and build the kind of 'steam activation furnace' that I just mentioned as quickly as possible."

"If the furnace can't be erected, the activated carbon won't be produced."

He looked around the room and said, word by word, "Comrades, the principle is not complicated, but the difficulty lies in our poor conditions. We have to use the old methods and do every detail well."

Our arsenal may lack much else, but it has an indomitable spirit and a determination to fight to the death for our comrades on the front lines.

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose: "Does everyone have the confidence to win this battle against coal production?"

"have!"

"Damn it, those Japanese devils want to kill us? No way!"

A unified roar erupted from the crowd.

After the mobilization meeting, the entire Huangyadong Arsenal started operating with unprecedented efficiency, like a tightly wound machine.

In addition to maintaining the essential production lines for primers, smokeless powder, and bullets, Zhou Zhen allocated his best personnel to fully dedicate himself to the research and production of activated carbon.

The original production plan was disrupted, and the project to synthesize ammonium nitrate was temporarily suspended.

Zhou Zhen knew that although headquarters intelligence had not yet confirmed that the Japanese would definitely use poison gas in Shanxi, given the brutal nature of the Japanese army, such an inhumane weapon could be deployed to the battlefield at any time.

For the sake of the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, prevention is absolutely necessary.

Even if we don't use it this time, we must prepare for the next possible attack.

For the sake of our soldiers' lives, we must never fight an unprepared battle.

The next day, all three groups of people were in place.

The sounds of axes and saws cutting wood echoed through the mountains, smoke rose from kilns in the open spaces, and the blacksmith's shed was filled with the clanging and clattering of furnaces.

Zhang Tieniu and his apprentices surrounded several large gasoline drums and thick iron plates, gesturing as they demonstrated how to reinforce them, how to drill holes, and how to make a sealed furnace door.

Han Shan led a team to study the connection of steam pipelines and the manufacture of simple valves.

Zhou Zhen moved among them, constantly answering questions and adjusting design details.

Standing in the bustling factory area, watching the workers move quickly and orderly, Zhou Zhen's slight anxiety caused by the interruption of the synthetic ammonia project was quickly replaced by a stronger sense of urgency and responsibility.

Ammonium nitrate is important, but compared to the "slaughtering knife" that may be hanging over the heads of thousands of comrades and villagers right now, it seems less important.

Since we don't know when or where those Japanese soldiers will launch their attack, every minute and every second is extremely precious.

That day, Zhou Zhen was continuing to discuss with Master Hammer how to design the steam activation furnace.

"The stove we built uses high-temperature steam to fully contact the charcoal."

At high temperatures, the carbon in charcoal reacts with water vapor and is thus consumed.

Therefore, this furnace must be able to withstand temperatures of 700 to 800 degrees Celsius.

The steam must be able to pass through evenly, and the charcoal particles inside should be able to move around as much as possible, so that they are heated evenly and have sufficient contact with the steam.

Zhang Tieniu squatted down, his brows furrowed, and kept writing and drawing on the ground with charcoal: "Getting steam on is easy, just connect a pipe."

Heat resistance is also easy to address; use thick iron plates and rivet them securely.

He paused, then slammed the charcoal block heavily onto the ground.

"But this 'flipping'... this isn't a pot, we can't use a spatula to flip it, how can we get them to move evenly inside?"

"Putting aside the fact that the temperature is so high that people can't get close, even if people could get close, you can't actually open the lid and 'stir-fry' it!"

Zhou Zhen fell silent upon hearing this.

"At such a high temperature, the charcoal will definitely ignite instantly once it comes into contact with oxygen in the air, and the whole batch of charcoal will be ruined."

The two discussed it for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a suitable solution.

Meanwhile, Liu Qiusheng, the apprentice who had been eavesdropping, looked up and timidly interjected, "Wouldn't it be enough to just add a stirring rod on top of the furnace?"

"That's right!" Zhang Tieniu slapped his thigh, his face full of excitement.

The other person's words enlightened the two of them almost instantly.

"Great idea!" Zhou Zhenteng stood up excitedly.

"What's your name?" Zhou Zhen asked with a gentle smile, patting his shoulder.

When Liu Qiusheng saw the factory director calling him, he was so excited that he started to stutter.

"Factory manager, my name is... Liu Qiusheng."

Zhou Zhen then smiled and encouraged him, "Comrade Qiusheng, don't be nervous. Your suggestion is excellent and has solved our big problem."

I've decided to entrust this furnace to you and your master to make together. Do you have confidence?

"Yes!" Liu Qiusheng replied.

The three of them discussed the topic more and more deeply.

Zhang Tieniu raised a specific issue: "However, materials need to be added to the top, and if a stirring rod is added, it will definitely affect the airtightness."

Zhou Zhen thought for a moment and said, "That is indeed a problem, and the connecting rod at the top will definitely be inconvenient when adding raw materials."

Liu Qiusheng, who was standing to the side, scratched the back of his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Then we can just make another opening next to the jar to make a feeding port, so that they won't interfere with each other."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhen's face lit up with joy. He turned to look at Liu Qiusheng, his eyes full of approval.

He hadn't expected the young master in front of him to be so clever.

As expected, everyone has their own expertise. He is an expert in the chemical industry, but he is not so familiar with the field of equipment manufacturing.