Industry began in 1937

Chen Yuan's blacksmith shop opened, but business didn't seem to be good.

The mountainous areas are in a bit of a mess now. Although there are fewer defeated soldiers, the Red Spear Society has started recruiting people and distributing food, setting up checkpoints on some mountain passes and roads, and collecting security fees from traveling merchants.

He was thinking of going to exchange iron, but both Old Man Han and Mr. Wen disagreed with him going to other villages.

"It's too chaotic right now, let's talk about it later."

As the power of the flint platform continued to increase while the amount of iron decreased, Chen Yuan could only rest for two days.

But he really couldn't take a break.

When he had some free time, he looked at the original mine shaft and worried that it was not sturdy enough. He had the flint platform scan the structure of the mine shaft and began to reinforce it with stones and wood.

Feeling that the air in the mine was not circulating well, Chen Yuan had the platform make a sheet metal flue, and drilled a hole at an angle from the top of the mine.

Of course, Chen Yuan didn't dig this hole by himself; it was done by all the able-bodied men in the village.

This made the mine much more comfortable.

But after that glaring red triangular flag hung on the old locust tree in Gouzi Village for seven or eight days, the wind in the mountains seemed to have indeed quieted down a bit.

However, beneath this calm, the undercurrents are growing ever stronger.

After experiencing the fear of being looted by defeated soldiers and the shock of the Red Spear Society visiting their doorsteps, the villages had a simple idea that became clearer than ever before: they must have something tough to deal with!

The name "Chen the Blacksmith of Gouzi Village" was quietly spread amidst such undercurrents.

First, the villagers of Liujiataizi, who had been robbed, asked someone who had relatives in Gouzi Village to inquire about the situation.

Then, people from even more distant villages were also sent, cautiously, to inquire about the situation in Gouzi Village.

Most of the people who received us were Old Man Han or Zhao Dachui.

They dared not act on their own initiative, so they first consulted Wen Shizhou and Chen Yuan.

Wen Shizhou pondered for a moment and said, "This is a good thing. With each village armed, scattered soldiers won't dare to attack easily. We'll also have more neighbors who help each other. Brother Chen's skills can be of help, which is a good deed, and it can also be exchanged for some of the supplies we urgently need. However, we must be careful not to let the 'Red Spear Society' people keep an eye on us, thinking we're expanding our business in secret. More importantly," he looked at Chen Yuan, his tone serious, "Brother Chen's place... must never be known or approached by outsiders. That's our foundation; it must be absolutely secure."

Chen Yuan deeply agreed.

The "flint" in the mine is his lifeline and must never be exposed. "Mr. Wen is right. Blacksmithing requires quiet and a secret method. That way, all orders from other villages should be made in the village."

"Uncle Han, Brother Zhao, please keep an eye on things in the village, find out what they want, what they'll exchange it for, and set a price. Then tell me, and I'll go back and make it. Once it's done, I'll deliver it to the village, and they can come and pick it up. No one from outside the village is allowed to go to my place or inquire about it. This is our rule, and it's for everyone's long-term safety."

"The village should also get a share of the profits; we can't let the village work for nothing."

"No need," said Third Master.

"Those who help operate the blower shouldn't be let to work for free!" Chen Yuan insisted on paying them.

Only by tying interests together can this be sustainable; otherwise, why would the village continue to cover it up?

Even though they had fought together against the enemy.

"That works too." Old Han knew that Chen Yuan wasn't a stingy person, and this was the way to go in the long run.

Third Master stroked his beard and made the decision: "That's settled! Old Han, Big Hammer, you two take good care of this. That place of Chen's is our Gouzi Village's 'secret cellar.' We can't tell anyone who asks. Just say it's an old ancestral mine that collapsed years ago; it's considered unlucky, so it's sealed off!"

Therefore, the new process was established.

The village takes 10%.

Chen Yuan focused on building his business deep inside the mine, turning Gouzi Village into a "business hall" and "warehouse" for the outside world.

Old Han and Zhao Dachui cleared out an empty room next to the village ancestral hall, set up a few benches and a table, and displayed various ironware samples that Chen Yuan had brought out. This served as their "reception area."

Once the rules were established, business began.

The first batch was an order from Liujia Taizi: twenty spearheads and five broadswords, paid for with grain and scrap iron.

Chen Yuan returned to the mine and began to work.

He first further improved his "workshop" in a spacious area inside the mine entrance.

The stone stove and chopping board were all ready, and the blower, which was converted from a human-powered generator, was also in place.

What surprised him most was the high-quality coal seam that he discovered during the tunnel relocation, several meters thick and shiny black, which could be mined at will, ensuring that he would never have to worry about fuel again.

The main body of the "Flint" platform is hidden deep at the end of the side cave, disguised perfectly.

Although moving the tunnel consumed a lot of energy, and the platform reading returned to near the 0.1% warning line, the power has reached 8% thanks to continuous charging by the village's young and strong people over the past few days.

The safety and the coal mine itself made Chen Yuan feel it was all worthwhile.

He activated the platform and used the stockpiled iron materials to quickly form the spearheads and broadswords that Liu Jiataizi wanted, and then took them to the workshop at the cave entrance for final processing.

He lit the coal stove and sat on the "blower" seat to pedal.

As the pedals rose and fell, the belt drive engaged, the blower roared, and the furnace fire suddenly intensified. He needed this "performance" not only to give the equipment a handcrafted look, but also to silently convert the physical strength of pedaling into precious electrical energy, which was then injected into the platform.

He heated it until it was red-hot, then did a simple forging, then proceeded with a perfunctory quenching, and then sharpened it... everything he did felt so fake.

After completion, the finished product was tied with straw rope and sent back to the village at night to be handed over to Old Man Han.

On the third day, people from Liujia Taizi came to pick up the goods.

Seeing the gleaming, solidly crafted spearheads and broadswords, everyone was overjoyed. They paid the balance, thanked them profusely, and left.

With this successful example, the news spread even faster.

"Gouzi Village truly has skilled craftsmen who can forge weapons! Their weapons are top-notch, their rules are strict, they don't meet people in person, they only deliver goods within the village, but the quality is unparalleled!"

"I heard it's a family heirloom technique, honed deep in the mountains. No wonder it's so good!"

"It's a bit pricey, but it's worth it! These days, what's more valuable than having powerful weapons?"

Orders started to increase.

Wangjiayu wanted thirty spearheads, in exchange for salt and saltpeter.

Heishigou needs ten large knives, animal hides, grain, and a small jar of old copper coins.

Even villages separated by two mountain ridges sent people cautiously, carrying grain, to sneak over.

Payment methods were varied: grain, salt, cured meat, animal hides, and scrap iron and copper were the main options, but occasionally cinnabar, realgar, or even "antiques" with rust on them, which were found from who-knows-where, were used in exchange.

Chen Yuan accepted all comers, but through Old Han, he quietly increased his interest in acquiring copper materials, special minerals, and raw lacquer.

While food and iron are important, the future development of "flint" cannot be separated from these "special materials".

The villages not only needed weapons, but also agricultural tools and household ironware.

In the past, they all had to go to the blacksmith's shop at the foot of the mountain to buy things, but now that they have this place, it's much more convenient.

These products began to increase in number.

This made Chen Yuan even busier.

Even if he was just pretending, he gradually learned some blacksmithing techniques.

The energy of the flint platform slowly but steadily recovered, and the material inventory gradually increased.

All transactions were conducted in the village, and the location of the mine and its internal secrets were strictly kept confidential by the village.

As the amount of copper increased, many crystal stones were also found in the ditch.

After dark, Chen Yuan began preparing to upgrade the foot-operated generator again.

"Flint, reassess Option 2: upgrade the power generation core. Do current material reserves meet the minimum requirements?" Chen Yuan focused his attention on the communication platform.

The light curtain rotates, displaying that the iron content is sufficient.

Silica: It has been collected, screened and coarsely crushed from the surrounding mountains and gullies, and about 5 kilograms of relatively pure quartz sand/flint fragments have been stored, which is enough for use after purification.

Copper materials: Through transactions, various types of miscellaneous copper, copper coins, and copperware are collected. According to the platform's preliminary estimate, about 3.5 kilograms of high-purity copper can be obtained through electrolytic purification, with a slight surplus.

Raw lacquer: A small jar, weighing about 1.2 kilograms, was obtained from a traveling merchant in the south in exchange for a batch of fine farm tools. It was the natural material urgently needed for insulation treatment.

[Assessment complete: The core materials meet the minimum requirements for the optimized scheme of 'silicon steel core + high-purity copper winding'. Proceed?]

"Execute!" Chen Yuan replied without hesitation. The 1.7% energy consumption was within the current reserves' tolerance range, while the 30% theoretical efficiency improvement was too tempting for him and the entire base's production system.

This upgrade requires platform installation. The pedal generator needs to be returned to the platform.

Chen Yuan removed the belt and moved the generator to the platform's feed inlet.

Connect the generator to the feed inlet door and close the door.

This generator upgrade will take 8 hours.

Then a slight buzzing sound began to be heard from inside the platform.

This marks the start of a manufacturing force that transcends its time.

Silica and iron are purified and fused together to form a silicon-iron alloy under precise control. The alloy is then rolled into thin, paper-thin, yet strong and uniform strips of silicon steel. The surface undergoes a special oxidation process to form an insulating layer, and the strips are then stamped into specific shapes.

High-purity copper is drawn into extremely fine wires, soaked in raw lacquer, and then tightly wound into a brand-new enameled wire winding with a larger cross-sectional area and a higher number of turns.

The old cast iron core and ordinary copper wire were replaced, and a precision silicon steel laminated core was cleverly combined with brand-new windings. The air gap was adjusted to the optimal level, and the bearings were optimized for lubrication.

Since it would take so long, Chen Yuan simply went to sleep.

You can get a good rest tonight and keep working tomorrow.

When Chen Yuan woke up, he finally received a notification that the upgrade was complete.

But the human-powered generator, which still looks simple on the outside, has undergone a complete revolution in its core.

Chen Yuan eagerly sat back down and began pedaling with the same rhythm and force as before. At first, he didn't feel much difference, but soon, a feeling of "lightness" and "smoothness" came from his feet.

The flywheel acceleration response appears to be more sensitive, and the physical effort required to maintain a constant speed is significantly reduced.

More importantly, the energy injection rate reading of the "Flint" platform in my consciousness began to climb steadily at an unprecedented rate!

"It's a success! It really worked!" Chen Yuan was overjoyed.

He roughly estimated that, with the same amount of physical exertion, the current power generation efficiency is at least 20 percent higher than before!

This means that, given limited manpower, more energy can be injected into the platform per unit of time to drive more complex and energy-intensive manufacturing, or to shorten manufacturing time.

This valuable efficiency improvement is of extraordinary significance in the critical moment of war preparedness.

He didn't know what else he would need to produce in the future, but considering that if the war expanded, there would be places where iron tools would be absolutely essential.