Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

As the wind rushed into the blast furnace, dazzling orange-red flames instantly burst forth from the furnace opening! A wave of heat swept over us, and we could feel the scorching heat even from three zhang away!

"It's done!"

Old Li rubbed his hands together excitedly, "This firepower... is amazing! It's several times stronger than before!"

Liu Ce wiped his sweat and laughed, "Burn! Burn it for two hours!"

The blast furnace continued to burn, and the temperature rose higher and higher. The furnace walls were heated until they were glowing red-hot, and standing next to it felt like being close to a furnace.

By evening, Liu Ce judged that the fire was almost cooked.

"Prepare to tap the iron!"

Old Li called over two strong blacksmiths, and the three of them gripped their iron hoes, aiming them at the mud blocking the iron outlet—

"One, two, three—smash!"

"Bang!"

The mud blockage was broken open.

"Splash—"

The molten iron, glowing red-hot, gushed out of the trough like a fiery dragon! Its dazzling light illuminated the entire workshop! The molten iron fell into the prepared clay molds, making a "sizzling" sound and emitting white smoke.

"Great iron! This is really good iron!"

Old Li stared at the molten iron, his voice trembling, "The molten iron we used to refine was dark red, but this stuff is a bright red, so it must have fewer impurities!"

Once the molten iron cools and solidifies, it becomes a dark, shiny block of wrought iron.

Old Li tapped it with a hammer.

"when--"

It was crisp and clear, with a lingering resonance.

"good!"

Liu Ce clapped his hands and said, "But this isn't over yet."

He directed the craftsmen to put wrought iron blocks into the steel-making furnace—another new furnace specifically for "frying steel."

Control the temperature and stir-fry repeatedly to reduce the carbon content of the molten iron to a suitable level.

This process was more difficult to control, and it failed several times.

If you overcook the iron, it will become brittle; if you undercook it, it will become too soft.

But none of the craftsmen gave up. The Marquis had said, "Failure is the mother of success." So they kept trying!

With theoretical guidance from Liu Ce and the experience of the craftsmen, they gradually figured out the tricks of the trade.

On the seventh day, the first piece of steel with uniform texture was produced.

After it cooled down, Old Li picked up the steel block and hammered it.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The steel block has excellent ductility and produces a crisp sound when forged. It is forged into the shape of a ring-pommel sword, quenched, and sharpened.

The gleaming steel knife is finished.

Old Li took a deep breath, picked up the new knife, and slashed at an old iron knife next to him—

"Snap!"

The old knife broke cleanly in two!

"My goodness!"

Old Li knelt on the ground, holding the new knife, his hands trembling. "My lord...my lord, you've received divine guidance! This knife...it cuts people like tofu! If farm tools were made of this steel, plowing would save half the effort!"

The craftsmen gathered around, marveling at the old knife broken in two.

Liu Ce laughed and said, "This is nothing."

He then demonstrated the crucible steelmaking method.

A special crucible is made of clay, with the inner wall coated with graphite. Coal is used as fuel, taking advantage of its high heat, while the crucible isolates the iron from the soot, preventing sulfur from damaging it.

After many attempts, on the tenth day, when the first batch of crucible steel ingots came out of the furnace, Liu Ce ordered people to forge a batch of new knives.

Comparison test with traditional hundred-refined steel knives.

The new knife is not only sharper, but also more durable.

Most importantly—the production time is greatly reduced! Steel that has been refined through hundreds of forgings is time-consuming and labor-intensive; the steel produced by the new method is high-quality steel right away!

Amazing! Absolutely amazing!

Old Li stroked his new knife, clearly delighted. "My lord," he exclaimed, "with this technology, the ironware of Youzhou will surely sweep across the world!"

"Because the crucible steelmaking method has low output, we will first use the frying steel method to make ordinary weapons, armor and farm tools."

Liu Ce announced, "The crucible steelmaking method is specifically designed to forge weapons and armor for elite soldiers."

He looked at the craftsmen and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, these techniques are top secrets of Youzhou. I hope you will not spread them."

"From now on, you will stay here and work. I will send someone to pick up your families. Food and lodging will be provided, and each person will receive ten coins a day—with bonuses for good performance."

The craftsmen were thrilled.

They provided food and lodging, and even brought their families along. They were paid ten coins a day—this treatment was far better than working for the government!

"Rest assured, my lord!"

Old Wang patted his chest and said, "We'll definitely keep our mouths shut!"

Old Li also said, "I'll be the first to object if anyone dares to spread this!"

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction.

He walked out of the workshop, looked at the setting sun, and felt a surge of pride in his heart.

With good steel, we can forge excellent weapons and armor.

With superior equipment, the army's combat effectiveness can be greatly enhanced.

……

As dawn broke, the workshops in the west of the city were already filled with the clanging and banging of metal.

The craftsmen followed the old routine: one person forged the entire knife from start to finish. From cutting the raw material and forging the iron to quenching and attaching the handle, each knife took most of the day. Old Li had just finished forging a ring-pommel knife, wiped his sweat, and looked at it with satisfaction—the blade was three feet two inches long, and the edge thickness… uh, it seemed to be thicker on one side and thinner on the other?

Xiao Zhang next to me was also forging a knife. His knife was only three feet long, and although the blade was even, the body was a bit curved.

The two knives were placed together, looking like brothers—one tall and fat, the other short and thin, completely unlike those produced in the same batch.

This was the scene that Liu Ce saw when he walked into the workshop with his hands behind his back.

He frowned, circled around, picked up Old Li's knife and weighed it in his hand, then picked up Little Zhang's knife and compared them, finally speaking up:

"Old Li, your blade is three feet two inches long, while Xiao Zhang's is only three feet. With such a large difference in the length of the blades, how are the soldiers supposed to train with them? Your blade is thick on one side and thin on the other; it's no wonder it'll bend after a couple of cuts!"

Old Li wiped his sweat, looking somewhat aggrieved, and said, "My lord, our knife-making relies entirely on experience. Everyone's technique is different; how can they all be exactly the same?"

The craftsmen nearby chimed in:

"Yes, my lord, swords come in different lengths, and people come in different heights; it's perfectly normal!"

"The blade thickness... will be smoothed out after a few uses!"

Liu Ce shook his head as he listened.

He knew that these craftsmen were all skilled, but their production methods were too backward.

Relying on experience and intuition is not only inefficient, but also results in inconsistent quality. If this were done in a modern factory, the quality inspectors would have scolded them to death long ago.

"Experience alone won't work!"

Liu Ce clapped his hands, gathering all the craftsmen together. "Today, we'll change our approach to 'assembly line division of labor' plus 'standardized production.' Simply put: each person will only do one task, and all tasks will be performed according to the same rules!"

The craftsmen looked at each other, completely bewildered: Assembly line? Standardization? What's that?

Liu Ce picked up a twig and drew a flowchart on the ground.

"To forge a ring-pommel sword, we'll divide it into six steps."

As he drew, he explained, "The first step is cutting the material. Cut the iron billet according to this template, ensuring the dimensions are accurate to the millimeter."

He drew a knife-shaped template on the ground: "From now on, use this for cutting materials. It's three feet one inch long, one inch two inches wide, and three-tenths of an inch thick—remember that, everyone use these dimensions!"

"The second step is forging. The iron billet is forged into the shape of a blade, and the thickness is determined according to the markings on this wooden ruler."

He had someone bring over a wooden ruler that had been prepared beforehand—with clear markings on it, indicating the exact inch and half-minute.