Rise of Rurik

The two huge hearths were emitting blue smoke, and upon closer inspection, more flames erupted, like two erupting volcanoes.

Rurik came quietly, without attracting anyone's attention.

But I saw shirtless men everywhere, many with scars on their bodies, and many with gray beards.

It was obviously a cold period, why did they dress so coolly?

Not only them, Rurik stood here, and even his entourage took off his coat to keep out the cold.

Because there are not only two earth blast furnaces here, but also a group of traditional small furnaces, which is the fiery core of the Roseburg industrial area.

He soon saw a familiar figure.

It's Kawhi!

A young man covered in tendons roared, and a group of men lined up with clay grinding tools.

Kawei personally held a regular iron rod. Seeing that there were a lot of people in line, he suddenly roared: "The slag is here!"

He punctured the slag channel at the bottom of the blast furnace, and the hot, viscous silicate material quickly flowed out. As fertilizer, they flowed to the side along the preset grooves that were saved by iron ore, and immediately someone took the snowmelt water and splashed it hard.

Suddenly, the pungent steam burst out...

The strong steam even hit Rurik's face, he squinted and held his breath, watching the steam gradually dissipate. He saw that the slag had turned into a large pile of cracked black matter. They were still steaming, and were soon beaten by the servants who handled the shovel and hammer. A mountain of slag that forms a hill.

Apparently even slag had a huge use, and Rurik guessed its role almost instantly—acting as filler stones for making raw concrete with cement. It is true that these silicate slags are mainly composed of silica, and even better, they do not contain sea salt, and are indeed good concrete fillers. In other words, if everything is inevitable in history, the cement industry of Soviet Rus in history is particularly good at using these metallurgical waste water slag, and now the Rus Duchy of sudden interest has a very limited scale. The cement industry uses water slag to make concrete. Material, it is a beautiful destiny.

After the initial treatment of the slag, Kawei shouted again: "The hot metal is coming! Brothers, get ready!"

Those who operate the rotary blowers, they are sweating all over. Each stove has three air inlets,

With three blowers, each blower has double operation.

They are blast furnaces, not the extreme size of blast furnaces that can accommodate a limited amount of molten ore inside, so the blower intake requirements are not extreme.

With the current technical level of the Rus, both blast furnaces can operate reasonably. Oxygen was poured into it with high intensity, and its bottom was filled with molten iron. As Kawei pierced the tap hole, the bright yellow pig iron quickly poured out and injected into the prepared mold with a flame.

Kawei has been able to control the iron output more accurately, and the people who wait for the mold are also quantitatively controlled.

When one mold is filled, it is pulled aside by the iron drill to wait for natural cooling, and as many as fifty molds are lined up to be filled.

What is this casting? Rurik reckons it is probably the most common iron axe. After all, all this casting is pig iron, and it is precisely because the carbon content in it is too high that Ross can melt the ore with such a simple technology. But as a hammer and axe, it is quite suitable for a tool that can be used in a variety of environments. Of course, it is not as good as the magical thing made of chrome iron. With the advantage of cost, he beat the fellow blacksmiths of the Gran people.

The fact is that the traditional iron tools of the Rus have already monopolized the Birka market by virtue of their cost-effectiveness advantage, which is equivalent to occupying the Swedish market during this period. It really made the new Swedish king Bjorn speechless and helpless. thing.

Rurik just watched them finish the casting of a furnace of iron, and even he thought that Kawei had made preparations, and he was stuck at the time of casting the iron to give himself a demonstration. Is it the so-called flattery?

Maybe just a coincidence.

Kawei did not notice Rurik, he and his people had been busy smelting metal for the past year, and looking at these two blast furnaces, of course, it was the norm for smelting molten iron, and occasionally smelting bronze was also done. Even using this furnace to smelt pure copper water and bronze is more efficient, but copper ore is not as good as iron ore Fuji.

"Good job! Brothers, let's make persistent efforts, put in the ore charcoal, and we'll continue!"

Kawei gave the order, and in a short while someone took the materials to the hot soil platform and poured them into the mouth of the cupola that burned people to ashes in almost a minute.

"They continue to smelt? It's amazing, our Ross is so great, it should be seen by people in my hometown." Yevlo said with emotion.

This remark reminded Rurik: "The hundred Suomi shooters haven't gone home yet. Maybe they shouldn't just be asked to cut wood. Sent here to work? In my opinion, they are too thin."

"Then let them carry the ore. My lord, I know what you think. You see, these two furnaces are monsters that eat ore. If Kawei and the others work so hard, the ore supply will definitely not work..."

"You?" Rurik turned his head and glared at Yevlo with a smile: "You actually see that the supply of ore in the furnace is insufficient? You are much wiser than many people, and being a martial artist is a talent, you are me My favorite! I already know your idea, maybe it works, I give it my permission. Let's go! Let's see the Kawhi brothers."

Kawi was not too surprised by Rurik's visit, who had come quietly before.

When I asked Kawei, the answer was very good, but even if it was an inspection, it would be too uncomfortable to continue to stay in such a hell like the Flaming Mountain.

"Kawy, wipe your sweat off. We assemble in your parliamentary chamber. You! Metal smelter, you're a hero!"

Kawi was delighted to be praised, and it was this praise that he also knew that Rurik was going to issue a new major decree.

Make big money? Indeed, he and his friends worked together to run the now large-scale "blacksmith shop". All the blacksmith families made a fortune, and the helpers also made good profits.

But Kavey's brain has long been infected by the dream of the "Atom Theory". He no longer felt that he was only smelting iron and copper, but understanding and using the power of Thor, even...

Kawhi, who often stared at the plank Rurik directed to carve, was a rough version of the periodic table.

He stared at the gold marked with the Roman letter AU, eager to create it! Maybe that's too impractical, but he has become the first master metallurgist in Rus in the non-stop operation of blast furnaces and ordinary hearths.

This is what Rurik wants to see the most. This guy Kawei has clearly surpassed his father.

However, the metallurgy industry of Ross cannot be built on a few super craftsmen. The metallurgy industry needs a whole, and a group of people is required to do it full-time and expand production immediately.

Kawei changed into a fur coat, the smell of coke and rust still lingering on his body.

Kawei tried his best to suppress his excitement and asked casually, "If you don't mind, can you tell me what you want to tell me..."

"It doesn't matter." Rurik pointed at the stove, "I want to further expand the production capacity. Even if we don't rely on war and plunder, we will make a lot of money by selling ironware."

"That's a good thing! Aren't we doing this already? Maybe you don't think it's enough. But..."

"Yes! Many problems! Don't worry, I will make arrangements and I will try my best to solve the problem."

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"That's great."

The blacksmiths have built an industrial alliance a few years ago. In the beginning, it was just a series of "blacksmiths". Now they are an organization that advances and retreats together, relying on the contract with Rurik to carry out activities. Their production activities have always been endorsed by the Duke of Ross, and the development of the industry has always been smooth.

Between the needs of infrastructure construction within the Principality of Rus, an unprecedented huge domestic demand market is being formed. Where there is demand, there is a market, and where there is a market, there is profit.

All the blacksmith families spontaneously formed the leaders of the Rus industry, and even if they did not need Rurik's executive order and succumbed to the power of capital, they must start to develop.

The heavy industry of metal smelting is by no means simply melting ore into liquid and then processing it into appliances. It actually drives various supporting industries, directly or indirectly allowing a group of relatively unemployed people to invest in new production, thus sharing the industrial dividend. .

The state machinery of the Principality of Rus is working!

What Rurik saw is that many people are accumulating wealth around the heavy industry of the primary industry. Many people do not need to participate in wars and plunder, or even do fishing. Staying in their hometown and doing work related to metallurgy can share the benefits.

He has nothing to sigh with emotion. In the end, the metallurgical industry of heavy industry is the foundation of a country's rise.

No, the heads of all five blacksmith families gathered in their common court.

Not only them, but Kamne and Lilica are also here. It seems strange that the two of them appear among the white-bearded old men. It is precisely that they have now become a small but important pillar of Ross' industrial power.

If it is necessary to gather people engaged in light and heavy industries in Roseburg, and hundreds of craftsmen with a variety of craftsmanship, the "Ros Duma" hall of the Principality of Ross becomes extremely important.

The gathered old guys looked at each other happily, and when Rurik entered the room, a pair of eyes projected again.

Rurik also smiled, sitting cross-legged on the leather cushion at will, and instructing his entourage to stand guard at the door.

"It's quite warm in the room, maybe the fire in the fireplace is getting bigger," he said casually.

With a smile, Clavason continued to put in new charcoal blocks, claiming: "It's easy to make charcoal, and we're not short of charcoal here."

Thus, their negotiation began.

Everyone is very familiar with each other, and Rurik will undoubtedly make meaningless courtesies. First, a few polite greetings are in the main body of the picture book.

What he most wanted to know was how many people were engaged in metal smelting, and to be more specific, how many laborers were employed by these senior blacksmiths.

Here, even if the old Kravason suddenly aged badly, he is too senior and has the greatest right to speak.

"We employ two hundred workers of all kinds, and they provide all kinds of labor for the operation of our furnaces of various colors. Besides, there are at least twenty potters who supply us with moulds, and many more who make charcoal. We are not in an employment relationship with them, they sell moulds and charcoal, and our families give them money. The supply of moulds and charcoal has been very stable and has never been a problem until now. If there is a problem, it is the problem you can understand best. The supply of ore is not stable…”

Rurik was all ears, Clavasson said, his mind analyzing.

Indeed, although clay molds are disposable, they can be thrown away after the metal has been cast. The damaged mold is then crushed into powder for re-qualification, and it can be formed after new firing. Clay mines here in Roseburg are not uncommon. In addition, the molds can be reused. The craftsmen who make the molds can indeed make money every day. Lots of molds.

As for the only fuel charcoal, the woods near Roseburg are still luxuriant, although those tall oaks and pine trees have been cut down into boats a long time ago, and other trees have been cut down to make charcoal, no one feels sorry. Even, people are happy to see the nearby forest disappear, so that the people of Roseburg can successfully ask for land for production and living from nature.

"Problem with ore supply? Let me guess, you are seriously lacking in labor!" Rurik's words were decisive, and he expected this to be the crux of the constraints on future development.

Old Clavason probed, all the other old guys probed.

"Exactly. My lord! As for the number of men and women mining, our brothers have not calculated carefully. There are even women carrying rattan baskets and carrying tools to dig rocks in the mountains. We don't care if the miners are men. It's a woman, as long as they bring the ore, we will pay the same labor fee. Even so, the supply of iron ore is not enough, so your dozens of small blacksmiths will go to the mountains in five days on average... Collective mining,” Kravason described.

"Is that so? I really don't know. Do you really need a lot of ore?" Rurik asked almost knowingly.

Kavey held his chest and grabbed the white: "Of course we need ore in particular. You said that we can make a fortune selling Ross irons, and it is true. For the prosperity of our Ross, I have to take responsibility. I will desperately ask for it. The brothers stopped production. You know, the wind and snow were cold and snowy a few days ago, and the flame of the blast furnace never went out. I dare say that only when the blast furnace collapses naturally at the end of its lifespan will the long-burning fire really go out.”

Kawei’s speech was very encouraging, and Rurik felt comfortable listening to it. After thinking about Kawei’s description a little bit, it was also very scientific. After all, even if it is an earth blast furnace, the work of burning fine charcoal blocks with the help of a blower will heat the furnace and pay for it. The cost is also high. Smart people will keep it smelting the ore, keeping it hot all the time, to avoid spending a lot of time and materials on the stove.

Since dozens of blacksmith apprentices were going to dig by themselves, of course Rurik knew if their digging operation had turned into a group digging for four or five days, and he immediately asked Kamne who was present.

"Sir." The young man's attitude was very compliment: "It's true, we have been mining frequently, and finally we can ensure that the furnace is always out of iron. It is my honor to serve Ross, and I am willing to do it no matter how tired I am."

Rurik let out a loud voice: "You boy, your words are full of flattery. It's okay, your boy is much stronger than the boys in your hometown. Work hard, I'll find you a woman next year, and find you more in the future. Woman, give me a horde of skilled blacksmiths."

Hearing that, Kamne immediately blushed, and the others laughed, and the laughter became more and more outrageous.

Old Clavason slapped his chest and smiled: "This kid will indeed be of age next year, and according to tradition, it is time to get married. My lord, you have more than ten wives and concubines. From my point of view, you value this kid so much, our brothers also feel stuck. This child Muni is trustworthy. It’s not enough to find him one woman, at least three or four.”

"Okay, I'll write it down first." After that, Rurik stretched out his foot and kicked the shy Kamne, shouting: "Brother, do it well, I have more important things to give you. Woolen cloth."

After some inquiries about substantive issues, Rurik learned about the exact production capacity of iron and bronze wares in the corner of Roseburg. In fact, its number is not too many, but compared with other feudal kingdoms in Europe, the power with higher production capacity than Roseburg, I am afraid that only the Eastern Roman Empire is left.

Of course, this is not only because the furnaces of Rosberg have been producing iron frequently, but the biggest advantage is that the Duchy of Roth is now guarding the best quality iron ore veins in Europe, with iron oxide and even magnetite content exceeding 70% or even 80% The ore is indeed the only one, and what is even more crazy is that it is guarding the only chromite ore. Elronborg in the north is still producing magical stainless steel.