May 1st. Steelmaking Workshop.
"Ignite!" The man in the vest calmly gave the order, looking at the five graphite crucibles lined up inside the smelting furnace.
The smelting furnace had only been built and dried for a few days, yet the man in the vest could not wait to carry out the first steelmaking operation in the workshop. At this stage, the regenerator, pipes, chimney, blowers, and other facilities shown on the blueprints were still nowhere to be seen. Several immigrant laborers pushed and pulled the makeshift bellows, driven by a carpenter, forcing air into the furnace through the feed inlet, while others stood ready to take over.
Five No. 50 crucibles were placed inside the furnace. The raw materials consisted of scrap iron, scrap steel, and lime, heated by burning anthracite, also known as white coal. As the coal burned, the furnace temperature gradually increased, and the flame color slowly changed from dark red to orange red.
"The flame turning orange red means the furnace temperature is approaching one thousand degrees Celsius," the man in the vest explained to the group behind him. Even Pierre, the Swiss blacksmith, listened with a mix of understanding and surprise, staring at the furnace in astonishment.
Since the regenerator had not yet been built or put into use, the heating and melting process was relatively slow. After about an hour, a large portion of the scrap iron and steel in the crucibles had melted. The molten iron began to boil, and wisps of blue flame occasionally rose from the surface. This was the combustion of carbon monoxide produced during the reaction.
"Open the furnace door," Ma Jia said after a while.
Two transmigrators stepped forward and opened the refractory brick furnace door. A wave of intense, scorching heat rushed out. Ma Jia took a long ladle and skimmed off the slag floating on the surface of the molten iron.
"The main components of this slag are calcium phosphate and calcium sulfide," Ma Jia said, pointing to the slag thrown into the water. "They are produced when phosphorus and sulfur in the molten iron react with lime. If these elements are not removed, they will seriously affect the quality of the iron and make it brittle."
He then picked up a long steel rod and stirred each crucible vigorously. After finishing, he ordered the furnace door to be closed.
"Stirring accelerates the decarburization reaction," he continued. "It allows the carbon in the molten iron to combine with oxygen more easily, forming carbon monoxide that burns away."
With some time to spare, Ma Jia explained the differences between pig iron, wrought iron, and steel, as well as the precautions required during steelmaking. After completing the on site instruction, he estimated that more than two hours had passed since ignition. He peered through the observation hole, opened the furnace door again, removed the slag, and examined it carefully.
"It is ready," he said. "Take the crucibles out one by one. Be careful."
Soon, ten transmigrators worked in pairs to carefully remove the graphite crucibles using crucible tongs. They poured the molten steel into pre made molds. Immediately afterward, a layer of lime was spread over the surface of the molten steel, followed by a layer of charcoal to prevent oxidation.
Each crucible produced forty three kilograms of steel, so five crucibles yielded more than two hundred kilograms. With this high quality, high carbon steel, many previous difficulties could now be solved. The production of forging hammers, drill bits, gears, knives, and even armor, all of which required large amounts of high quality steel, suddenly became possible.
When Peng Zhicheng and Wang Qinian heard that Ma Jia had successfully produced steel, they rushed over with a gunsmith and a cannon founder from Switzerland, along with a translator named Gao Mo. The foreigners stared in amazement at the crucibles and then at the cooled steel ingots beside them. At that time, Europe had not yet developed the technology to produce molten steel, and graphite crucible steelmaking would not appear for more than a century.
"Can this steel be used to cast cannons?" Peng Zhicheng asked. Gao Mo immediately translated the question into French.
"In theory, yes," replied the gunsmith François, still captivated by the miracle of molten steel. "Steel can withstand greater chamber pressure than cast iron, allowing cannons to be lighter while maintaining the same power."
"What kind of cannons do we need right now?" Ma Jia asked. "The carbon content of this batch is difficult to measure, but I estimate it is above one percent. Its ductility is not as good as copper, but the cost is lower. How much steel is needed to cast one cannon?"
"That depends on the weight," Wang Qinian replied. "Small caliber, short barreled field guns are manageable. Heavy siege guns, fortress guns, and naval guns can range from one ton to several tons. That estimate is based on cast iron and bronze cannons. I do not know about steel ones."
"Then let us try," Ma Jia said. "Cast a few and test them. That will give us a clearer idea. However, the steel I have produced will not be enough for you to work with."
"There is no other choice," Wang Qinian chuckled. "We have the sea but no defenses. At the very least, we need eight to ten coastal fortress guns. Otherwise, a few gunboats could shell our docks, and we would be helpless."
"What about field guns?" Ma Jia asked.
"That is easier," Peng Zhicheng replied with a laugh. "Given our current army size, a few four pounder cannons will suffice. Of course, if you can build more fortress cannons, I would not object."
"Do you even have enough gunners?" Ma Jia laughed. "With only a few dozen men, how many cannons can you operate? By the way, what kind of cannons did you buy from Kuyt this time?"
"Four four pounder field guns, four eight pounder field guns, and two twenty four pounder naval guns, all made of bronze," Peng Zhicheng answered. "We can train reserve gunners during rest periods so we are not caught unprepared."
"What kind of cannons can these people cast?" Ma Jia asked.
"I have asked before," Peng Zhicheng replied. "They have only cast small cannons, such as three pounders, four pounders, and six pounders. Those capable of casting large cannons are highly skilled and well paid. They would not come to the New World to take risks. Still, the people I hired are professionals and are paid a monthly salary."
"Let us put cannons aside for now," Ma Jia said. "What about the guns? What exactly are the fifty muskets we bought? Are they matchlock guns?"
"They are supposedly the latest Suhl matchlock guns," Peng Zhicheng sighed. "I tested them several times. Aside from slightly greater power, their accuracy and rate of fire are far inferior to our hunting crossbows. The range is similar, but crossbows can fire continuously. For us, these guns are better than nothing."
"Matchlock guns?" Ma Jia asked doubtfully. "I thought flintlock guns were already mainstream."
"Matchlock guns are still widely used in Europe," Peng Zhicheng explained. "Flintlock guns exist, but they are not yet common. At this stage, flintlocks are not much better than bows. Both matchlock and flintlock guns are cheap, require little training, and do not consume much physical strength. That is something bows cannot compete with."
"What we lack most right now is manpower," Ma Jia said. "They can field large numbers of soldiers, but we cannot. Every one of us is valuable. I may not know much about firearms, but I know that breech loading rifled guns are the future."
"Do not look at me," Peng Zhicheng said with a wry smile. "I do not know much about seventeenth century firearms either. These gunsmiths have only made matchlock guns, and their work may not even match the batch we bought."
"Then train them," Wang Qinian said through clenched teeth. "Let them take apprentices. Even if the matchlock guns are poor, we must make our own. We must also cast large caliber cannons. Even if the success rate is low, we can remelt any that crack or explode."
While the three committee members argued intensely over steel and firearms, a group of newly recruited guards examined several field guns nearby. Using the newly compiled artillery firing manual, they repeatedly practiced cleaning the barrel, loading the propellant, loading ammunition, aiming, and firing in order to quickly master artillery operation.
They also had to learn how to use matchlock muskets. They were not expected to perform complex formations or executions. Peng Zhicheng only required that they know how to fire a gun, when to fire it, and how to take cover during an enemy attack. Many of the Swiss immigrants were former mercenaries with solid military skills and could be mobilized if necessary. With generous rewards, these veterans would be more than willing to fight for the transmigrators.