Chapter 1043 Steel and Coal
As the saying goes, if you have food in your hands, you are not panicked. The completion and production of this reflector also makes Liu Peng feel un panicked. With the massive steel with extremely low cost, Haibei Town can already enter the industrial revolution.
After all, reflector furnaces can be said to be the foundation of modern industry. They can not only provide a large amount of high-quality cast iron and low-carbon steel and use it to create a massive number of new cannons, but can also be used for refining other minerals. It can be said that reflectors finally have a foundation of modern industry afterwards.
In fact, Liu Peng was completely skeptical about Liu Yirong's statement that he had made the steam train run for ten years. He felt that it was very amazing to have a steam engine in just ten years, not to mention ten years, but twenty or even thirty years. It was an extremely perfect thing for him to see steam trains and steam boats in his lifetime.
But when Liu Yirong really created this new reflector, Liu Peng felt that it might not be possible to get the steam train to run in ten years, but the time he saw the steam engine might be greatly reduced.
After all, although the national strength of this time and space is extremely mysterious, Liu Peng feels that it is not just four indicators, coal, steel, grain and gunpowder. The output of these four determines the true national strength of a country, and steel output has a direct promotion effect on coal, grain and gunpowder.
The investment of this reflector furnace and a series of products of the same type will give Haibei Town a qualitative leap in national strength. It can completely leverage considerable national strength to fully develop steam engines, and it can also allow Liu Peng to make a little trouble in some things. After all, with the reflector furnace in his hand, the wheel of history stands on Liu Peng's side. One or two setbacks are nothing.
It is precisely this point that although Yao Yulan's request was a bit out of place, Liu Peng still dared to agree. Of course, only Yao Yulan in her harem dared to make such a domineering request.
Yao Yulan didn't expect Liu Peng to agree so quickly, and she originally wanted to be the legendary female patrol position. Unexpectedly, Liu Peng handed over half of Jiangnan to him. This was the first time she was full of interest in this so-called "reflector".
Of course, she was more concerned about the issue of Jiangnan. Who told every girl and young woman that there was a Jiangnan dream in her heart. She immediately said: "This is what Brother Liu Peng said. You have to choose the candidates who guard Laizhou as soon as possible, but it is fortunate to work with me to work together, otherwise you will be passive..."
"Okay! I'll think about it."
But when Liu Peng said this, Shi Qinming outside shouted anxiously: "Mr. Governor, something big happened in Yanzhou!"
Something big happened so that Shi Qinming actually disturbed his personal time with Sister Yao!
But soon Liu Peng knew that the reason why Shi Qinming dared to disturb his time with Yao Changgong was entirely because this incident also had a deep relationship with Sister Yao. He told Liu Peng and Yao Yulan: "Yao Xiaofei of Yanxi Detachment was assassinated and seriously injured during the patrol. Now Ding Gong is still pursuing the murderer!"
Yao Xiaofei was promoted by Yao Yulan, so when she heard Yao Xiaofei assassination, she became anxious: "This matter must be investigated to the end. I think they are Xiang Zhuang Wujian this time, aiming at Pei Gong and Liu Peng's brother, this is for you!"
Now it is not far from the time of the rebellion in Haibei Town. Yao Xiaofei's assassination at this time is naturally a very sensitive matter, and Liu Peng could also feel the infinite murderous intent hidden behind this incident. But he said confidently: "What's there to be afraid of? With a furnace of molten steel from Longkou Steel Factory this time, I don't believe they can make any tricks!"
For Haibei Town, the production of the first reflector furnace can be said to have brought about an industrial revolution that is nearly the true meaning. If the emergence of vulcanized rubber greatly changed the transportation problems between Shandong and Liaodong, then since Haibei Town now has a limited amount of rubber available, and all of them are imported from South America, and the price is expensive. It has to wait until the second year of Chongzhen to start the true meaning of "domestic rubber". Now it is just a revolution in the local sense, so the production of the reflector furnace has brought about a total revolution that has turned upside down.
Haibei Town has never had so many high-quality steel. Whether it is military or civilian, it has always been difficult for the quality and quantity of steel to meet the demand in the past. Now mass-produced cast iron and low-carbon steel seem to be enough to meet any demand, and the decline in costs is even more gratifying. Several supervisors can't stop watching the profits in it...
Therefore, as Liu Peng guessed, Haibei Town's national strength has made a qualitative leap in just a few months. Even ordinary farmers have used steel farm tools and eliminated iron farm tools that have been used for thousands of years. As for other small details of life, there are also many. For example, Haibei Town's new cast iron pot is not only light and thin, but also cheap and easy to use, and it is simply impossible to find any opponent.
Due to the amazing success of the first reflector furnace, Haibei Town is now determined to build two or three more reflector furnaces, not only for iron and steelmaking, but also for refining lead and tin and other minerals.
But for Chen Daming, who is responsible for the industrial production of the entire Haibei Town, he has been very busy in ensuring the daily operation of this reflector over the past few months.
Reflector furnaces were indeed a great revolution in industrial technology. After the emergence of the reflector furnace, Haibei's industry not only went up one step, but went up several ladders. Even the status of charcoal as the main raw materials in Haibei's industry has dropped significantly. Now everyone is more concerned about the coke issue.
But the real problem is to feed a reflector and keep him from working. He must provide him with a huge amount of coal, coke and iron ore, and pig iron.
Before the start of the reflector, although everyone had some relevant predictions, the reflector designed and built by Liu Yirong was so successful. Chen Daming could be said to have tried his best to temporarily stop some small iron plants from working for materials, but he still could not feed the amazing appetite of this reflector.
In other words, the production capacity of the reflector furnace is too strong and the production cost is too low, so strong that Chen Daming can no longer understand. Sometimes it is because of the serious shortage of iron ore and pig iron, and sometimes it is because the amount of coal and coke transported from North Korea and Shandong is insufficient. In order to ensure the normal production of the reflector furnace, Chen Daming is now in a state of chaos.
Chen Daming knew that his position was hard-won. In fact, Liu Peng was arrested by the industrial production matters himself. Chen Daming was mainly a clerk, but he could get this important position. Liu Peng thought that he was the old man of Longkou and was loyal and reliable, otherwise he would be just an official in his life.
It is not just Chen Daming who is in a hurry. The entire industrial and economic sectors are in a hurry for this unexpected trouble. Although mass production of massive low-priced, high-quality low-carbon steel and cast iron is such a gratifying thing, ensuring the supply of materials makes them worry. Many times they have to leave the controlled area of Haibei Town for procurement.
Under such circumstances, the economic sector quickly proposed a further expansion plan. They felt that although building more reflectors in Shandong had great practical significance, the biggest problem now is to ensure the continuous production of Longkou, the reflector. Therefore, the Haibei Army's footsteps are not limited to the mountains.
Northern Zhili and Southern Zhili are the best goals. They even put forward the statement of "one inch of steel and one inch of blood", advocating that several super-large mines in Shandong that would drool when they heard it. Soon their ideas were transferred to factory owners and merchants, setting off a wave of actively seeking battles.
Coal! Iron! More coal and iron, this is what Haibei needs most now.
With the trial cutting of the first batch of domestic rubber, the enthusiasm of Haibei officials and civilians became popular again. Everyone knew that coal and iron could be within the jurisdiction of the Haibei Army, but the rubber planting could never be solved within the control of Haibei Town.
Even though Liu Peng had already determined the approximate time, what Liu Peng unexpectedly unexpected was that the progress of the imperial court's layoffs and posts was much faster and more intense than expected.
In history, it was not until May of the second year of Chongzhen that the Ming Dynasty officially issued the imperial edict to abolish the post office. However, not long after the first month of the second year of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty had taken stricter measures on the post office.
Of course, the savings are more. According to the information Liu Peng received from Beijing, he could save millions of taels of silver a year. For the Ming Dynasty, which had been in a financial bankruptcy crisis, this was undoubtedly a poison to quench thirst, but it seemed that short-term results could be achieved.
Then Yang Guangwen sent further clarification to Liu Peng that these severe measures have been gradually implemented. Whether in southern Zhili or northern Zhili, the Yidu system is now on the verge of collapse. In the past, after the central government was so burdened, local governments were often forced to take over and maintain it.
However, the local finances were already bankrupt and were unable to take over, so the administrative efficiency of the Ming Dynasty suffered a devastating blow. What was even more surprising was that the civil unrest in Shaanxi was ignited and even broke out because of this post office reform. Not only did the official army defeat several battles, but many postmen and even officials in the post office joined the tide of uprising.
Although ordinary Haibei officials and civilians did not think that this matter had any meaning, the highest level of Haibei Town felt that Liu Peng's judgment had once again obtained the correct result, so they immediately accelerated the action.
But for Sun Yuanhua, this is the worst situation.
Chapter completed!