Life has returned to stability, and the mild climate also makes life full of hope.
As usual, Russians do not feel that the climate is getting warmer on a macro scale. The land in the fjords remains barren and the climate remains cold. Oats and rye cannot be grown during the short frost-free period, and the situation this year is even worse.
It is already July in the limited onion fields in the fjord, and the growth of the onion seedlings is not ideal. There are no pure farmers in the Ross tribe. The so-called planting industry is a small industry that fishermen engage in in their spare time. Planting some cold-resistant onions just adds spice to life.
It is a foolish dream to expect to use the land in the fjord to grow a large number of onions.
No one pays much attention to the local planting industry. Who cares about the poor growth of onions?
No one is aware of the big hidden problems in farmland, including Rurik himself. He is still full of hope for this year's harvest season in order to purchase a large amount of food in the south.
He was looking forward to the end of August, looking forward to the merchants heading north with a large amount of supplies.
Of course Rurik also cares about his father very much.
Although winter ended too late this year, the Sorgon voyage that was supposed to be in spring was delayed by a whole month!
In the spring of last year, Sorgon had to deal with some things in Novgorod, as well as a large number of matters related to the construction of New Rossburg. Many things were delayed for too much time, which made Otto's The fleet's return is delayed.
It was already mid-July, and Rurik learned that there had been two ships from New Roseburg. They were messengers, and they all reported messages from Otto.
Rurik still didn’t know what his father was doing. He made his own judgment through the messages delivered by former messengers.
Obviously, Otto must have temporarily taken root in Novgorod or Novorosberg. I am afraid that this year the spring and autumn Sorgon will be put together.
Let dad handle the construction stuff!
Before he inherited the rule of Novorosberg and Novgorod, Rurik felt that he needed to implement something he had conceived for a long time.
A small shipment of ore from the northern mines was transported to Roseburg, and all the ore was moved to the home of the blacksmith Clavarson.
As an experienced old blacksmith, Clavarson saw the ore reflecting the dark luster and subconsciously recognized its wonder.
As Kawei showed his father the chrome steel ax he had made with his own hands, and used it to violently make deep dents in the steel sword blank that was supposed to be indestructible, Klavason Three views were refreshed again.
"This... what kind of magical weapon is this?! Even the steel sword has become a waste?!"
Kawei comforted his father, and his attitude was also the same Full of pride.
He pointed to a small pile of ore on the ground: "Dad, my ax is made of these northern ores. Rurik has been a great success, and I haveAfter teaching those people how to smelt and forge, Rurik even invented a machine that uses river water to forge with the power of river water..."
Kawei's words continued to wash over Krava. Sen's aging mind.
Klavasen has lived for a long time, and he feels that he is well-informed. Even when facing the magical Rurik, he still considers himself an elder. He became a little pedantic and stubborn, but the ax in his son’s hand was indeed extraordinary.
“So that’s it? I knew some fishermen had gotten their hands on some good axes, but I didn't expect this. However, those Kewen people are not trustworthy. "
"But they already know how to smelt. Kawei added.
This alone made Clavarson tempted: "Maybe you did this wrong. You shouldn't teach them our forging technology." "
"But that is Rurik's order, and we must fulfill his order. ”
“I know! But..." Clavason's eyes that began to darken couldn't help but tremble. He looked at the flames coming out of the half-man-high furnace and said quietly: "Maybe an era is over. We will eventually be Rurik's servants. We have become rich enough, and the future is no longer something I can consider. "
"Dad, what are you talking about? "
"Nothing...you are back. Well done back! "
Kawei still didn't understand. He subconsciously asked: "Where is Lilia? "
"She is in the inner room. "
"She won't come out to see me? ! "
Clavason smiled and complained: "You should go see her! Did you know? Her day is coming soon. ”
Kawei understood what his father meant in an instant, and couldn’t help but feel happy.
Then, under the watchful eyes of Klavason, his son slipped away after seeing this. He went into the inner room to visit his mother and his wife Lilia, who was lying quietly on the wooden bed with a pregnant belly.
For the blacksmith, life did not return to peace. Klavason was forging iron. As for looking forward to their own big news,
Klavason and Kawei began to smelt the ores shipped from the north. It turned out that they only used small furnaces to smelt chromite into sponge. Iron, it is really a very laborious task. The reason is naturally that the small stove cannot maximize the heat of charcoal.
What should I do?
Kawei started to use it. Make a large stove next to their home, just like he did at Elon Orava Fort. The blacksmith apprentices who were still children, under the command of the young blacksmith Kamni, began to build a new stove using the clay mined in the area. .
Clavason has been paying attention to his son's actions and witnessed him directing the construction of a new stove.
This stove is unusual. It is made of a large number of lumps of clay. It was piled up by more than a dozen children into a giant thing as tall as two stikas!
In a sense, its appearance resembles a blast furnace, but it is still an enlarged version of the traditional furnace.
Because of the successful experience of smelting in Ironburg, Kawei talked with Rurik, and he realized a very basic principle. That is, as long as the temperature is high enough, iron ore can turn into molten iron. As long as there is molten iron, it can be cast directly like molten bronze.
However, it is not easy to completely melt the ore?
Kawei can’t expect that much, but if he wants to smelt chromite, he really needs a larger furnace.
In order to build the nearly two-meter-high stove, the children spent two days just piling clay. A layer of local iron ore was laid inside the furnace for heat insulation and reinforcement, which the children used for a day.
The space inside the furnace is actually very large, and it is enough for Kamni to stand in it alone. In fact, it was Kamne who completed the work of laying the iron ore inside the stack.
Outside the furnace, Kawei built two steps with stones. It was he who pulled Kamne out of the furnace, and then poked his head to check the internal structure.
"Yes, this way chromite can also be smelted into sponge iron, and those ordinary ores will become easier to smelt."
"Is this enough?" He was dirty Kamne asked weakly.
"That's enough. You and your brothers have a good rest. The rest of the work of solidifying the furnace is all my business!"
What's next is really just Kawei. thing? In fact, he still needs the help of his father Klavason.
The son had already led his apprentices to build a huge stove. The father and son began to work together to fill the interior with charcoal and pile a large number of charcoal blocks around the outside of the stove.
The Klavassen family had already stored a large amount of silver coins. They used money to attack and soon prompted a group of Ross craftsmen to burn a large amount of charcoal.
The charcoal was ignited, and within the next forty-eight hours, a scorching bonfire never went out!
The fire burned for two days and two nights, and the entire towering furnace underwent a qualitative change.
Clay is what makes pottery, and now the main material of this stove is clay. When the flames naturally extinguished, the hot embers cooled down, and what was left was the stove that was reduced to black coals.
Its entire body has been turned into black pottery, and even the sand and gravel that holds the stove have been burned into glaze.
About the Klavasen family, which took more than ten days to build a large furnace. When it was completed, Rurik became the most distinguished visitor among the many.
It is already late July, and August is just a few days away from the Julian calendar.
This afternoon is an ordinary day. A large number of fishing boats are working in the sea. The nearby forests are only used by people cutting trees and mowing grass. As usual, the deer herders spend a lot of time grazing and taking care of the newborn babies. deer.
People are always busy, and life is dull and peaceful.
Underneath the calm lies the heat.Lie, everyone is looking forward to the arrival of August and the return of those businessmen.
Rurik was attracted by the new masterpiece of the Klavasen family.
According to his own plan, he should try to implement the plan to build a blast furnace after returning to his hometown, because many household matters were delayed until the end of July.
Nowadays, Rurik no longer has to worry too much about the children's military training and cultural education. When he learned that Klavasen's masterpiece was finally completed, Rurik simply instinctively thought that they were doing it spontaneously. of attempts to make a blast furnace.
Rurik brought his followers Kanuf, Fisk, and even the reliable mercenary captain Yevro to the door of the blacksmith's house with great interest.
The bonfire that had been burning all night was completely extinguished, and a tall pure black cylindrical stove like a chimney suddenly appeared in front of Rurik.
Kavi, who was still checking the stove, soon saw Rurik's visit.
He jumped down the nearly one-meter-high stone steps, regardless of how dirty he was, and ran straight to Rurik, then pointed to his masterpiece with great interest: "Rurik, look ! I finally succeeded in recreating a big furnace in my hometown."
"I know you are doing these things"
Rurik didn't talk nonsense anymore. His professionalism rushed to the stove. He subconsciously stretched out his little hand to touch the stove, and then looked at his fingers. They were stained with carbon color.
"The stove is so dirty?! Why don't you wipe it?"
"Is it necessary?" Kawei asked strangely.
"Oh, maybe it's not necessary. Okay, this stove is very cold, have you never used it?"
"Of course! How can I use it if you don't come to visit? ? I also want your review!"
Although it was flattery, Rurik liked it very much.
Coincidentally, Clavarson, who was wearing a full-body cowhide coat, came over holding a large bundle of pure black charcoal strips.
"Hey! Rurik, you are finally here. Are you here to see my son's masterpiece?"
"Of course."
"Then Just wait and see! Soon, we will start smelting." Klavasen's very confident attitude fully shows that he is going to do something great.
Rurik did not care about the dirty hands. He touched the stove and wandered around the bottom of the stove, carefully inspecting the entire structure of the furnace.
At this moment, Klavasen, who was standing on the steps and throwing charcoal blocks into the stove, was also talking non-stop.
Rurik ignored Klavasen’s nonsense and kept his eyes on the lower end of the stove.
"Strange, this furnace looks like a blast furnace. But it is definitely not a blast furnace."
"There are only two openings through which the iron pipes of the leather bag blower can be poked, and the location is also biased. There is a large opening at the bottom? This is obviously the slag outlet. As for the tap hole, there really isn’t one. ”
"Ah, is it possible that Kawei still had to stand on the steps, risking his face being burned, and just use tongs to pull out the sponge iron."
"Sponge iron?! Such a big stove Can it only produce sponge iron? Can’t it produce molten iron?”
Rurik started to pay attention to Klavason’s ramblings after thinking about it randomly.
It turned out that Kawei told his father all his ideas. Faced with his son's extremely promising feat, Klavasen was not pleased. His daughter-in-law was due to give birth soon, and his son was building the largest stove in the family's history. Out of pride, Clavarson gave his son unprecedented assistance.
Rurik no longer wandered around, he listened to Klavasen’s words, and only then did he understand the blacksmith’s intention.
Things did not go beyond Rurik's expectations. Because they had never seen molten pig iron, they only got the concept of molten iron from themselves. As for how to create it, they only existed in ideas.
"Klavason, my Kamne, and your apprentices? Where are they?" Rurik suddenly asked.
"Oh, they are carrying rattan baskets up the mountain to dig for ore."
"Huh? You just let them go as a group of children? No adults watching?"
Clavason paused what he was doing: "They are armed, and besides, there are no wild beasts in this world, so you really don't have to worry about anything."
Not worried? When Rurik thought that those children were less than ten years old, they actually...
No! The year is 830. Those children have never been cowards, but have been forced to become men by the times from the very core.
Rurik came by chance. He was able to see the process of the new furnace being put into use, and also learned about the great work conceived by the Klavasen father and son.
Since the furnace is made larger, more sponge iron can be smelted. To smelt so much sponge iron, naturally a large amount of charcoal is needed.
A large amount of charcoal is consumed in exchange for a large amount of sponge iron. As long as the sponge iron is completed, the rest will be easy to handle.
For a long time, the Klavason family used a small furnace to smelt sponge iron. Later, the furnace finally broke down, and Kawei built a new furnace that was half a man tall. A year later, a giant furnace was built! Through linear thinking, Karavasin keenly realized that the latest stove is energy-producing sponge iron.
What is the biggest factor limiting your own ironware production capacity? The supply of ore may not be the worst thing, but the lack of preliminary smelting of a large amount of ore is the biggest constraint.
After all, it doesn’t take a high temperature to reheat sponge iron to the point where it can be forged. As long as a large amount of sponge iron is stored, the rest of the work will be easy.