nucmednet Chapter 58 Conversation
Chapter 58 Conversation
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Liu Ye feigned surprise and gratitude, and after the servant moved the covered teacup to the low table, he thanked him and sat down.
As soon as Liu Ye sat down, Sun Yuanhua asked impatiently, "Brother Liu, have you managed to refine this kind of pig iron?"
“This kind of pig iron is not easy to smelt. Not only do you have to select the best ore, but you also have to control the temperature. We have done all of that, but we are missing one thing.” Seeing that Sun Yuanhua had fallen into his trap, Liu Ye began to close the net and steered the conversation toward the purpose of his trip.
Sun Yuanhua vaguely guessed what was going on: "Brother Liu has traveled all the way from Guangdong to Dengzhou, surely for something like this?"
“Your insight is brilliant! This is precisely why I have come here. Usually, charcoal is used for iron smelting, but we use coal, and what we lack is coal.”
Sun Yuanhua was one of the few technically skilled officials in the Ming Dynasty and was no stranger to iron smelting. He was puzzled by what he heard: "Coal? As far as I know, many places in the north use coal to smelt iron, but the pig iron produced is not necessarily of high quality. On the contrary, Guangdong does not use coal to smelt iron, but the pig iron produced is better than that from the north, and the cannons cast from it are also more sophisticated."
Although Sun Yuanhua didn't understand the underlying principles, he revealed the key reason why cannons cast in the south were of higher quality than those in the north during the Ming and Qing dynasties: The north used coal directly as fuel for iron smelting, resulting in excessively high sulfur content in the pig iron. This made the pig iron very brittle, making cannons prone to bursting. The south, with its abundant forest resources, used charcoal for iron smelting, resulting in a much lower sulfur content than coal-fired pig iron, thus producing higher quality cannons. The government, unaware of this intricacies, only knew that cannons cast in Guangdong and other regions were superior to those in the north. From the late Ming dynasty until the Qing dynasty, cannons were cast in Guangdong and then transported to the capital and Liaodong.
Liu Ye was impressed by Sun Yuanhua's insightful remarks, which hit the nail on the head. It was truly rare for someone from ancient times to have such knowledge; he was indeed a rare technical official.
"You may not know this, sir. This extraordinary man said that by sealing the coal and heating it, the slag that is useless for iron smelting can be removed. Only in this way can the pig iron be hard but not brittle."
Liu Ye only had a superficial understanding of the principles of coking, and he wasn't afraid that telling Sun Yuanhua would reveal the technology. After all, he was a person from a later era who had received higher education, yet he still couldn't understand the principles of coking; he doubted that Sun Yuanhua would understand even a few words. Besides, even if he knew the principles of coking, what good would it do? Without knowing the required temperature for coking and without a suitable blast furnace, the craftsmen of this time, with their current skill level, would have no way of producing gray cast iron.
Sun Yuanhua was itching to get his hands on this extraordinary man and bring him to Dengzhou immediately to forge iron and cast cannons for him. He tentatively asked, "Brother Liu, you've gone to so much trouble; once the cannons are cast..."
Liu Ye patted his chest, striking a righteous pose: "Although I am just a merchant, I have also read the classics. If such a powerful weapon for the country is completed, it will naturally be given to the court to fight the Tartars."
Sun Yuanhua stroked his beard and nodded. "This young man is teachable. If he has any official rank, we must find a way to help him secure a future."
Liu Ye looked around, leaned closer to Sun Yuanhua, and whispered, "I don't trust anyone else. The governor has devoted himself wholeheartedly to training a new army for the court, and everyone in the world has seen it. Besides, all Christians in the world are one family, so this credit should naturally not be given to others..."
Although he claimed to serve the court without seeking fame or fortune, having risen to the rank of governor, how could he not aspire to a higher position? Sun Yuanhua was very pleased with these words and chuckled, "Brother, you are truly a remarkable person. You may speak frankly about what you need on this trip to Dengzhou. I will certainly do my utmost to assist you. In the three eastern prefectures, my word still carries weight."
"It's not just effective; in the entire three eastern prefectures of Shandong—Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Qingzhou—besides the Emperor's decree, you, sir, are the most powerful," Liu Ye thought to himself. His half-joking words successfully secured his favor with Sun Yuanhua, making his trip to Dengzhou essentially a success.
"That extraordinary man said that the coal needed for iron smelting is not available in Guangdong. In Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places, there is only one kind of inferior coal, which is not suitable for large-scale use. Shanxi produces the most coal and the best quality coal, but transportation is inconvenient. Only the coal in Shandong is of the same quality as that in Shanxi and can be transported back to Guangdong by waterway, which is more convenient than land route. Therefore, I came to Dengzhou this time for coal."
Sun Yuanhua exclaimed, "This extraordinary man not only knows how to smelt iron and cast cannons, but he also knows exactly where the coal is. Could he have gained supernatural insight? If I have the chance, I must meet him." He paused, cleared his throat, and said, "I wonder if Brother Liu can persuade that extraordinary man to come to Dengzhou to smelt iron and cast cannons? If he can cast those Hongyi cannons that are not easy to explode and present them to the court, I can petition the emperor to obtain official positions for the two of you."
Liu Ye quickly waved his hand: "I only want to contribute to the court's fight against the Tartars, not to seek an official position. I appreciate the governor's kindness. However, it is not possible to cast cannons in Dengzhou. It is not that we are unwilling, but that Dengzhou does not have good iron mines. Moreover, Guangdong has a mild climate, while Shandong has a dry climate. In comparison, Guangdong is more suitable for casting cannons."
This was half-truth and half-lies; the claim about the climate was pure nonsense. However, Sun Yuanhua knew that Guangdong's cannon-casting was always superior to that of the north, so he didn't suspect anything. He simply sighed, "It seems I'll never have the chance to meet that extraordinary person. But once the cannons are cast, Brother Liu, you must transport them to Dengzhou. Don't worry, you serve the court, and I certainly won't let you suffer any losses. How about I sell each cannon to you for two thousand taels of silver?"
Two thousand taels of silver was the current cost price for casting the Hongyi cannons. Even though Sun Yuanhua was the governor, he dared not raise the price, because the funds allocated by the court for purchasing firearms were limited.
"Whatever amount you say, sir, is fine. I don't want to make money off the court; I only want to break even." Liu Ye agreed, going along with his words.
Leaving aside whether Sun Yuanhua could save his life after the Dengzhou Rebellion—historically, after the Dengzhou Rebellion, under the framing of Wen Tiren and his cronies, Chongzhen settled scores after the fact, not only dismissing Sun Yuanhua from his post but also executing him on charges of being a rebel—even if history was distorted by my arrival and Sun Yuanhua did not lose his position or his life, it wouldn't matter if I sold him a few cannons. After all, the weight of the Hongyi cannons was only suitable for defending the city and posed no threat to me.
The meeting with Sun Yuanhua went exceptionally smoothly. To paraphrase a later saying, the two sides had in-depth discussions and exchanged opinions in a friendly atmosphere, reaching a consensus.
Sun Yuanhua was delighted to have gained a potential ally—if the cannon were successfully cast, it would not only add weight to the victory on the Liaodong battlefield, but also help him advance his career; if it failed, there would be no loss, so it was a worthwhile deal no matter how you looked at it. Liu Ye was excited to have Sun Yuanhua's support. As long as Sun Yuanhua didn't fall, not only would the coal mine be secured, but after the mutiny, he might also be able to absorb refugees in Dengzhou to replenish the army and labor force.