Watching Chu Chen still stirring, the craftsmen felt that this guy had clearly gotten in through the back door to become the Yuanwailang of the Third Foundry.
He possessed no real skills, merely a privileged young master with connections, here to gain experience and pass the time.
Originally, they had hoped that if he truly had a method for improvement, one that could increase the output of qualified iron blocks or speed up the forging process.
Then, they could all complete the tasks assigned by the court earlier, happily receive their monthly wages at the end of the month, and even have some spare time for a side job.
But who would have thought it would turn out like this? Naturally, no one could accept it.
Seeing the fifty excited craftsmen, the Left and Right Gongcao were startled.
The Left Gongcao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a bitter smile, "Lord Chu, look at this. How about we just forget it? You rest, and we two will handle all matters in the workshop."
"That won't do."
Chu Chen shook his head, unconcerned by their opposition.
"You, alas, why don't you listen to advice?"
The Left Gongcao stomped his foot in frustration.
"It's done."
"Done? You've succeeded?"
"No, I'm saying the steel is done."
"Ah?"
Chu Chen ignored the Left Gongcao and the noisy craftsmen. After all, they couldn't cause any major trouble. If they dared to do anything, attacking an imperial official would cost them their heads.
He used another pair of fire tongs to pick up the evenly stirred molten iron and, through the pre-drilled hole, slowly poured it into the mold, which was secured by clasps.
A sizzling sound immediately ensued.
"That's it?"
The craftsmen, who had been in an uproar, were stunned.
"That's right, it's done."
Chu Chen nodded and smiled, "What you just saw was the 'stir-fried steel' method. It's very simple; you can learn it after watching it once."
"Using this method to refine, the resulting iron blocks are raw iron blocks. Then, by melting these raw iron blocks to a semi-hot state and hammering them vigorously more than a hundred times, you can obtain primary steel from raw iron."
"Primary steel?"
The craftsmen were bewildered, not knowing what steel was.
Although Yunyue Kingdom, or rather the Qingzhou Continent, had a long history, due to the inheritance of martial arts and cultivation, everyone practiced martial arts, and the martial spirit was prevalent.
Within the realm of martial arts, after overcoming the hurdle of brute force and learning techniques to become a martial apprentice, one could fight jackals with bare hands.
With a weapon in hand, one could contend with tigers and leopards, or at the very least, escape.
Those in the Ancient Martial realm could even tear apart tigers and leopards, making them incredibly fearsome to ordinary people and wild beasts.
Because of this, they were not as proficient in the art of weapon forging.
In the course of civilization, for most of the time, it was day after day, with very slow technological progress. Only martial arts saw constant innovation.
Therefore, for thousands of years, they still used ancient smelting methods, which were extremely inefficient.
If not for the fact that the craftsmen in the forging workshop all possessed the cultivation of martial apprentices, they would likely be unable to complete the court's tasks and forge numerous weapons and armor.
After the mold cooled, Chu Chen opened it, revealing the iron block within.
He held it in his hand and smiled, "Everyone, this is raw iron. You can all take a look."
The old blacksmith, not believing it, took it and felt it carefully. He then took out a hammer he carried with him and tapped it to listen to the sound.
A moment later, all the blacksmiths were astonished.
"This sound is even clearer and louder than the iron blocks forged previously!"
"No way? Did he really forge raw iron? What about this 'primary steel'?"
The craftsmen looked at each other. They were skilled in forging; they could tell the quality of iron by the sound of a hammer strike.
"Lord Chu, you wouldn't mind if I forged it to test its authenticity?"
The old blacksmith, unsure, boldly asked.
"Why not? Go ahead."
Chu Chen smiled confidently.
Seeing this, the craftsmen swarmed to the forging area in the workshop, placed the iron block, and brought out specialized hammers.
Then, he instructed his apprentice to add carbon and blow the bellows from the sides.
Soon, the raw iron turned red. Just as the old blacksmith was about to strike, Chu Chen suddenly thought of something and said, "Wait a moment."
"Hmm? Lord Chu, is there something else?"
Everyone was surprised, and the old blacksmith asked doubtfully.
He wondered in his heart if this thing looked good but couldn't withstand hammering.
"Once this raw iron block is heated until red, you cannot stop hammering once you start. You must hammer it continuously for a hundred times. It is only then that it is complete."
"After a hundred hammers, if the weight does not decrease, it is not wasted."
"Can you do it, master craftsman? Otherwise, let this official do it."
Chu Chen quickly explained, lest the man stop after a few strikes and waste the material.
"I see. Lord Chu, please rest assured, this old man still has some strength."
With that, he glanced at Chu Chen again. Seeing that Chu Chen said no more, he began to hammer with all his might.
Under the fierce heat, the flames blazed, and the sound of hammering continued.
The loud clanging sounds of the iron block striking the hammer echoed continuously.
Seeing that it would take some time to complete, Chu Chen waved to dismiss the Right Gongcao, leaving the rest to watch.
"Lord Chu, is there anything else?" the Right Gongcao shouted.
"Go find someone to get clay and wood. This official needs to make another mold!"
Chu Chen also shouted back.
The hammering sound was too loud, forcing them to speak loudly.
The Right Gongcao cupped his hands in acknowledgment, patted an apprentice on the shoulder, and took him away.
A moment later, he returned with the necessary materials.
Chu Chen quickly made a new mold, still using two wooden frames with bottoms, covered with thick clay.
Then, he found a standard waist sword that had already been forged and pressed it firmly into the clay to leave an impression. He then closed the two frames and fastened the clasps.
Just as the old craftsman finished hammering.
The old man, worthy of his years of forging experience, was bare-chested, swinging his hammer, evenly striking the iron block on all sides without omission.
He said a hundred strikes, and he kept hammering for a hundred strikes, even exceeding that number based on his experience.
"Lord Chu, I have fulfilled my duty."
The old craftsman wiped the sweat from his body and said casually.
"You have worked hard." Chu Chen nodded, not minding, and patted the old man's shoulder. He then called out, "Someone, put this into the furnace and melt it again!"
"Yes!"
The apprentice placed it in the furnace, added charcoal, and lit it.
When it melted into iron, without Chu Chen's instruction, they knew to pour it into the new mold.
After the mold cooled, the wooden frames were opened, and a rough waist sword took shape.
"It can even be made into weapons like this?"
The surrounding blacksmiths were greatly surprised. They could immediately see that this method would save a lot of effort, at least it wouldn't require the arduous hammering to shape it into a waist sword.
Chu Chen ordered someone to get whetstones and quickly polished the edges and corners. Then, he handed it over to the craftsmen for testing.
He then took it himself and clashed the cast iron waist sword in his left hand with the one in his right.
"Clang!"
After a sharp metallic screech, the waist sword made of raw iron in Chu Chen's left hand broke into two pieces as expected, while the waist sword made of raw iron in his right hand remained intact.
"Hiss!"
Seeing was believing. Now, all the officials and craftsmen had to believe that the method of refining by "simmering soup" was indeed superior!