The blacksmith apprentices sharpened the blade of the ring-handled sword and wrapped linen around the handle. It took several apprentices more than an hour to sharpen the blade, and finally a ring-handled sword was completed.
The leading blacksmith presented the knife with both hands for Yuan Xi and others to see. Yuan Xi took the knife, chopped and stabbed it a few times, and felt the weight was quite handy. He nodded.
He handed the knife back to the blacksmith and said, "Begin."
The blacksmith hurriedly took the knife and handed it to several soldiers waiting on the side.
These people were selected by Tian Yu, and they were all proficient in knife skills. One of them picked up a knife and walked to the center of the yard behind the blacksmith shop.
There were wooden stakes, iron pillars, wooden boards, and even dummies covered in iron and leather armor in the yard.
The man raised the ring-handled sword and chopped and stabbed the wooden stakes and iron pillars ten times each. After the apprentice next to him finished, he stepped forward with an iron ruler to measure the marks of the chopping effect and the damage on the sword, and recorded it on the bamboo slips.
This is the test proposed by Yuan Xi. Whether all new steel forging methods are suitable or not will ultimately depend on the data results.
After completing more than a dozen tests, several soldiers took turns using the ring-handled swords to chop at the iron pillar with all their strength. After more than a hundred hits, the ring-handled swords finally couldn't withstand the pressure and broke into two pieces with a snap.
There was a hint of regret on the faces of the onlookers, but more of it was joy and surprise.
It is a pity that this ring-handled sword is undoubtedly a good sword. It is a pity that it is broken like this.
The good news is that this knife can withstand far more chops than an ordinary knife. Although it broke, by following this method, I can forge more good knives!
You know, not everyone on the battlefield can afford to use this kind of steel knife that has been forged hundreds of times.
For example, the weapons of Cao Cao's Qingzhou soldiers were of varying quality, and some even had bronze weapons. Cao Cao's generals once complained that some soldiers' weapons broke after they swung hard a few times.
Generally speaking, a blade that can be used to stab and chop dozens of times continuously with full force is considered a top-notch blade.
The durability of this ring-handled sword has been increased several times after applying the steel pouring and quenching methods that were ahead of its time!
This shows that even if a soldier swings his weapon with all his strength dozens of times on the battlefield until he is exhausted, there will be no problem with his weapon.
If he faces enemies that are several times his number, he will face the dangerous situation of his weapons breaking.
In a duel between fully armored heavy infantry, it will be the decisive key. Everyone is protected by armor, and whoever has the best weapon can decide the life or death of the opponent.
The blacksmiths could not hide the excitement on their faces and looked at Yuan Xi together.
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Well done."
"Once we have tested and improved all the quenching methods one by one and found the most suitable one, we can then apply it on a large scale."
"In the future, the lives and deaths of soldiers on the battlefield will all be due to your contributions."
"When this is over, you will all be rewarded handsomely, and your children will all be able to attend charity schools."
After hearing this, everyone couldn't hide their excitement and said in unison: "We are willing to serve you, sir!"
Yuan Xi was also in a good mood. The success of the steelmaking experiment would also promote the improvement of the ironmaking method. Steelmaking and ironmaking are inseparable.
From a military perspective, improvements in iron smelting can not only produce stronger and more durable iron armor plates, but also produce more wear-resistant axles and other means of transportation. It can also promote production activities. The most direct impact is that the manufacturing technology of iron farm tools will also be improved, thereby increasing agricultural production efficiency.
Stronger iron means more iron tools. For example, most digging tools nowadays are iron hoes, which are thick iron bars similar to spearheads. This is because the strength of iron is insufficient, so the only option is to increase its thickness.
Through gradual improvements and by adding some steel, an iron shovel could be manufactured, which was not only lighter and more efficient to use, but also saved iron.
This is the benefit of technological progress, which can promote social progress in all aspects. Yuan Xi believes that in the near future, Youzhou will be as prosperous as Jizhou.
When Yuan Xi was about to leave, an old blacksmith was kneeling at the door, holding high in his hands a brightly sharp ring-handled sword.
He said loudly: "Sir, this is the best sword that we have made using the new method."
"We are all friends of Old Man Qian who was killed by Xu Jie, so we pooled our money together to buy good iron and forge this knife to thank you, Lord Envoy!"
When Yuan Xi saw this, he took the knife with both hands.
He placed a wooden man standing beside him, held his breath, and chopped down with both hands. The knife flashed, and with a "swish", the wooden man's head flew out horizontally, like cutting tofu.
Yuan Xi put away his knife, helped the old blacksmith up, and said solemnly: "Thank you all for your kindness!"
"In the future, if there are people like Xu Jie who bully the people and commit crimes, I will use this knife to chop off their heads!"
Upon hearing this, all the blacksmiths knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "We dare to die for you, my Lord!"
Compared with the previous sentence of "serving with my life", this sentence of "serving with my death" has a bit more meaning of sincere submission!
On the way back, Yuan Xi thought that the accumulation of technology is a process of gradual development. The reason why he was able to successfully experiment with the steel pouring method was not because of how many improvements he made, but because the technical prerequisites for the steel pouring method had been met.
The next step of the steel pouring method only requires an opportunity, and Yuan Xi simply put this opportunity in front of everyone in advance.
A good cook cannot cook without rice. If the cast iron technology is not perfected in this world, then the invention of the steel pouring method would naturally be a joke.
Just like now, even if Yuan Xi moved all the encyclopedias from his previous life, he still couldn't invent the steam engine and explosives for a long time because the previous technology was not perfect.
For steam engines, the key bellows technology was lacking at the time, and this would not appear until the Tang Dynasty at the earliest.
Of course, if the bellows had been invented earlier, and then using existing technology, it would not be completely impossible to build something similar to a steam engine in a few years or even decades.
Because the technology required for the original steam engine was really not difficult.
British scientist Joseph Needham once put forward a famous conclusion: steam engine = water pump + bellows.
He wanted to use this formula to illustrate that without the technological achievements of ancient China, the steam engine, the heart of the modern Western revolution, would not have been invented.
Because from the key structure of the steam engine, the bellows solved the problem of double-acting valves, while the water row provided a conversion device between linear motion and circular motion. The combination of the two was the earliest steam engine.
The bellows was invented in the Tang or Song Dynasty, and then spread to the West, where it was widely used in Europe in the 18th century. However, water drains appeared in my country more than 2,000 years ago, as clearly recorded in the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Du Fu".
When Watt invented the steam engine, the iron and steel making technology he used was not even as good as the quality of steel produced in China at the same time.
From this perspective, my country's ancient advanced technology has laid the foundation for the invention of the steam engine.
But it is worth pondering that the Chinese, who were the first to invent the bellows and water pump, did not create the steam engine for nearly two thousand years.
Yuan Xi has been wondering what key factor is missing?
He thought a lot, and finally he came to an immature conclusion.
Confucianism, after its original purpose was distorted and it became a tool of control and almost a doctrine, went against its original intention.
It certainly formed a class social system that made society stable, ensured the operation of ancient Chinese society, and guaranteed life and production in times of peace and prosperity. But the downside was that it was used to suppress and eliminate different voices and ideas, which was quite repressive to technological innovation.
The reason why later generations abandoned Confucianism was not simply because some of its ideas were behind the times, but because it was easily exploited by people with ulterior motives and became something that harmed the interests of the working people.
But in every era, there are people with ulterior motives who want to pick it up again.
In the thousands of years of Chinese history, people have actually invented things similar to the steam engine several times, but they were either not taken seriously and not further improved and applied, or they were lost after the prototype appeared, just like the legendary wooden oxen and flowing horses. Did such a thing really exist? If so, does it have anything in common with the steam engine?
Just like the steam engine, although the prerequisite technology had already appeared, there was no progress in nearly 1,500 years. Just like the level of steelmaking in the West has not changed for more than a thousand years, it is incredible for people in later generations to look back on it.
That's why Yuan Xi wanted so badly to see: if he could push the wheel of history a little bit and take a different path from his predecessors, would the world become a better place?
After he returned home, the joy in his heart had not yet faded away, but he heard a piece of news that made him feel bad.
Guo Jia fell ill. Although Hua Tuo prescribed medicine for him, he wanted to talk to Yuan Xi about his condition.
When Yuan Xi hurriedly rushed to Guo Jia's room, the whole room was filled with the smell of medicine. Guo Jia had four concubines, two of whom were boiling medicine, and two were serving him by bringing him water and wiping his face.
Hua Tuo sat beside the bed and said something to Guo Jia.
Yuan Xi thought that Hua Tuo had just told Guo Jia about ways to stay in good health a few months ago, but Guo Jia bought two dancers before leaving. He was really courting death.
When Hua Tuo saw Yuan Xi coming in, he stood up and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."
Yuan Xi sighed, "Mr. Yuanhua has worked hard, how is Mr. Fengxiao's health?"
Hua Tuo said helplessly: "I have advised him many times to be more restrained, but he neither gives up sex nor alcohol. This is not the way to longevity."
Guo Jia stood up and muttered, "It's impossible to give up sex. At most, I can reduce it to twice a day."
"Let alone quitting drinking. Besides, it's cold in the north. How can we survive without drinking?"
After hearing this, Yuan Xi apologized, "It's my fault for bringing you to such a cold and bitter place."
Guo Jia felt a little embarrassed after hearing this and said, "Sir, it's too formal to say that. Life and death are determined by fate. I don't care about it anymore."
Hua Tuo sighed and said, "Your fellow countryman from Yingchuan, Cao Cao's strategist Xi Zhicai, passed away years ago."
"I think if you continue like this, it will take at least five years, at most ten years, and I'm afraid you won't be able to get over that hurdle."
Yuan Xi felt a little heavy when he heard Hua Tuo's serious words, but Guo Jia laughed and said, "Five years is a bit short, but ten years is not less."
Yuan Xi felt somewhat helpless, thinking that this was the path Guo Jia had chosen himself and he couldn't persuade him.
Guo Jia then sighed: "But I have only one regret."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi hurriedly said, "Sir, please speak."
Guo Jia said: "I see that Master Yuanhua has many disciples. I am afraid that someone will inherit his knowledge."
"I am alone and have no disciples. I wanted to take Sun Li as my disciple, but he is not very intelligent and doesn't like to use his brain, but only his hands. I am speechless."
"Now I am thinking that if I can find an apprentice to inherit what I have learned, I will have no regrets."