82 – Countries ahead of their time (1)
Upon returning to Blue Fort, I met Frost and began riding on horseback to receive his report.
“Major Frost, first of all, have you secured the site for the factory I mentioned and the cows to use to move the machinery?”
“With the cooperation of each district manager, we have secured enough land to build a factory. Also, the cows were purchased from nearby farms at a reasonable price.”
“Okay, so has there been any progress in salting herring? The concentration of the knife or salt water may come out soon.”
“A fisherman named Willem Senfeld has already told us that he has found the right knife and brine concentration. However, the prize money to be given is so large…”
500 gold coins is a huge sum of money even for baron or higher nobles, and no matter how favored I am, it is a matter that a major who has just received a knighthood cannot decide.
And honestly, there is no problem with the knife as long as it can increase the speed of trimming the herring, but in the case of the concentration of the brine, it must be of a concentration that can be stored for at least two months.
“How long do you say it takes to trim a herring with that knife?”
“He said that he trimmed 500 animals a day when he used other knives, but he said that he could handle about 1,000 with this knife. In addition, he said that there was no problem for about 5 days because he was pickled in salt water of the concentration he found.”
“If you still have that herring, keep it for another three weeks and feed it to a prisoner who has committed a serious crime. If that sinner eats pickled herring that is over a month old and stays fine, give him 500 gold coins.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Even though he replied, Frost had a slightly puzzled look on his face.
Apparently, he didn’t fight for me directly like he did, so it’s not convincing to receive a reward of 500 gold coins.
If Frost, the most successful of the bastard second lieutenants, reacted this way, there would be quite a few people who would be dissatisfied if this fact became known throughout the territory…
If you can be of any small help to me, it will be necessary to hold a publicity event where you can receive rewards…
Then I put my hand on Frost’s shoulder and asked.
“You seem to be dissatisfied. Be honest.”
At that, Frost waved his hand and said.
“No, how can I be dissatisfied with your will?”
Frost was 5 years older than me, but it’s probably because the only people I’ve dealt with so far are nobles over 40 years old and scheming…
The pure appearance of revealing awkward feelings in front of me looked cute.
So I said with a little laugh.
“Ha ha, no. You may be dissatisfied, because a lowly fisherman who did not fight bloody for the territory like you and I will be rewarded with a whopping 500 gold coins. It may be unfair, then I will ask you.”
“Tell me.”
“Let’s say I made a huge profit from the technology the author provided and provided half armor to all the soldiers in the Frost Battalion. And if the soldiers of your battalion did a great job because they did not die even when struck by swords and spears thanks to their armor… Can you really say that the fisherman had no merit?”
Frost listened to my words and said with a clear expression as if he understood.
“Even though I didn’t stand in the war, if the soldiers weren’t hurt thanks to the armor that the fisherman provided… I think I could have made some contribution.”
“Yes, and that fisherman’s skill, I think, will pay more than enough to provide armor for your battalion, I’m sure. With a little exaggeration, if that fisherman’s technique is as effective as I think… it will have a great effect enough to feed a baron. Then I will ask.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Then, as his lord, do you think I have an obligation to repay him adequately?”
Upon hearing that, Frost put on a blank expression and did not respond.
“If you think so, don’t be jealous. Instead, that serf, no matter what achievements he made, would not be granted a territory unless he went to war. Then why are you jealous when you are half a noble?”
“Yes, no matter how much money you have, you won’t be able to receive the greatest honor as a nobleman, the territory, but I was just jealous.”
“Yeah, oh… and do you think Chris Belladora is worth using?”
Upon hearing that, Frost replied with a serious expression.
“Besides being a woman, Belladora is a great bureaucrat. However, as a soldier, it is inappropriate.”
“That’s right.”
“And there were times when I had more contact than was necessary with the inspectors under the district chiefs.”
In order to show that even a commoner can rise in the world, he deliberately hired Chris, and he covets more than he is permitted…
However, I haven’t crossed the line yet, so I won’t punish you directly, but…
“Remove me as lieutenant, and give her the position of bailiff instead, to keep tabs on trifles within the city. She’s a pretty smart woman, so she’d be perfect for something like this.”
“all right. And soon, it looks like we will arrive at the steel mill that His Excellency has put so much effort into.”
At that, I replied with a smirk.
“I look forward to it. If this works properly, I really think I can put iron armor on all of your soldiers like I said.”
Upon hearing this, Frost laughed and said,
“No matter how you say it, I can’t believe it. How expensive and precious iron is…”
**
What occupied the most part of the book I published with a professor during my master’s course was not strategy and tactics, nor was it law.
This is because strategies and tactics are nothing more than winning a few wars, and the value of laws changes according to the social conditions and productive capacity of the time.
That is why the professor and I paid attention to inventions that could change the times.
And one of them was ‘sugar’, and the ‘herring knife and brine’ I suggested to make.
Also, we consider it the most important among them, and the results of our investigation with blood and sweat…
It was a steel mill I was looking at, built in a corner where I had to ride a horse for more than three hours from Blue Fort.
High up on the sloping ground was the entrance to the blast furnace where coal and crushed iron ore could be put in, and the bottom of the blast furnace reached the floor about six meters from there.
Next, near the floor, there was a passage through which molten iron flowed.
A bellows constantly blowing air through a small hole in the passage.
At the end of the passage about 5 meters long, when a certain amount of molten iron accumulated, it was moved to another container and then water was sprayed to cool the iron.
Frost, seeing the scene, looked at me and asked in a stunned voice.
“No, Your Excellency… Is this the ironworks Your Excellency was talking about? Before I met your Excellency, I came here for the first time after suddenly receiving guidance… Why is it so big? Is it really iron pouring out of this gigantic building?”
“Yes. We crush the ore from the iron mines in Windheim upstream, and send it down the river to burn it like firewood. Then, when it starts working, the iron will pour ceaselessly, as you said.”
According to the calculations with the loyal artisans of Kreutel and the slaves in Hamburg, a free city with good skills, but too much debt, were enslaved…
Every day, even though it is soft iron close to pig iron, it can produce close to several tens of tons of usable iron.
If this is supplied to various blacksmith guilds, it will be possible to literally equip all soldiers with half armor.
“Then, Your Excellency, don’t you worry about leaking technology… If the technology leaks out, wouldn’t the enemy country try to make the same thing?”
“As expected, you look like a soldier, but you don’t have to worry about that. Let’s go right away. Oh, and could you lend me all your armor?”
Frost was taken aback by my stupid remark, but he soon lent me his armor and helped me put it on.
And we pretended to go through the back gate of the steel mill.
Then a loud noise was heard from the watchtower above.
“Stop there! someone! Raise your hands right now and get down!! By order of His Excellency Ciel von Kreuttel, anyone who trespasses here may be killed.”
“I am that Ciel von Kreuttel!!”
Hearing that, one of the soldiers from the watchtower came down, aimed a crossbow, and said:
“Then show me the plaque to prove that you are Count Ciel von Kreuttel! If there is no proof plaque, even His Excellency himself cannot pass!”
And I pretended not to have brought the proof plaque and shouted loudly.
“I have to carry something like that!! If I were a noble, would I bow down?”
At the same time, a loud bell rang so that all the watchtowers could hear it, and the guards guarding the steel mill began to come down very quickly, carrying armor, crossbows, and swords.
At the same time, they pointed their crossbows at my feet and fired.
Seeing this, Frost stepped out in front of them with a voice of astonishment and said while showing the sentence engraved on his sword.
“I am Major Miles Frost! And this is the real Sir Ciel von Kreuttel! Are you really sane to shoot arrows despite this?”
Upon hearing that, the guard who shot the arrow knelt down and apologized.
“Sorry, Sir. However, since His Excellency has sternly ordered us to…”
Then I patted the guard on the shoulder, stood him up, and asked.
“What is your name?”
“This is Max! I am from Hamburg.”
“Okay, Max. Well done, it would be a problem if they shot like that without my orders. This is obviously something I ordered, so I’ll give you a reward. I’ll bring meat and alcohol the day after tomorrow, so eat as much as you want.”
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Max replied with his eyes shining.
“Yes, thank you. dismissal!”
And I whispered to Frost next to me.
“Today, the work hasn’t started in earnest yet, so if it’s after the work has started… anyone who tries to enter will be shot and killed. So don’t worry about your technology being stolen.”
**
Then I took Frost and the supervisor up to the management tower overlooking the steel mill.
Then, some time passed, and the trumpet sounded that all preparations on the site had been completed.
“Supervisor, give the order to start work.”
The overseer listened to me, struck the bell twice, and then shouted down.
“Start work! Everyone, move as you have been instructed!!”
As soon as the words were finished, the staff below began to move in an orderly manner.
Soon after, heat began to rise from the bottom of the furnace and we felt the heat even as we were relatively far away from the workspace.
I felt like I was dying to feel the scorching heat even from a distance.
So I asked the supervisor next to me.
“Supervisor, how much heat do you think we need to heat in the future?”
“For the iron to melt… I’ve been heating it for several months, so I think it will be finished in about 3 hours.”
“Right…”
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Me, Frost, and the supervisor waited for about three hours.
Then, finally, the entrance to the air intake passage from the blast furnace was opened, and soon after, wrought iron close to pig iron was discharged.
Even from a distance, the iron was extremely red-hot, and the supervisor grinned at it and said,
“Success. Although it will take some time to get it to stop and get it running again… The iron dross left in the furnace melts when you fire it up again, and you can make a pipe through which molten iron flows in no time! So great success! dismissal.”
“Now, when we start pulling iron in earnest, we will give 10 gold coins to each senior manager, 5 gold coins to a junior manager, and 3 gold coins to each employee. to do our best.”
And I tried to suppress my laughter in front of them, and then hurriedly rode away from them.
Then there was a loud cheer.
“Take a taste of the foundational business of the industrial revolution that was hundreds of years ahead of its time! You evil Romanians!! When I invade your territory, I will put on half armor and charge even the lowliest soldiers!!”