Chapter 558

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The study was quiet.

Soon, Xiao Ming had almost finished the drawings. At this moment, footsteps suddenly came from outside the study.

“Your Highness, this old servant is back.”

A smile touched Xiao Ming’s lips upon hearing this voice. The person was none other than Qian Dafu.

Xiao Ming’s sudden thought of Bessemer steelmaking this time was not a whim. The most important reason was that Qian Dafu had discovered a magnesite mine in the fief, and this ore was precisely the material needed for alkaline furnace lining.

In the contemporary year of 1856, the Englishman Bessemer invented the bottom-blown acid Bessemer steelmaking method. This method was the beginning of modern steelmaking and produced a large amount of cheap steel for Europe, further promoting the Industrial Revolution in Europe.

However, because this method could not remove sulfur and phosphorus, its development was limited. In 1879, the Thomas bottom-blown alkaline Bessemer steelmaking method appeared in Europe. This method used a Bessemer converter with an alkaline furnace lining to process high-phosphorus pig iron, further improving the quality of steel.

Having learned from previous experience, Xiao Ming transitioned from acidic furnace lining to alkaline furnace lining. Previously, he had not introduced the Bessemer steelmaking method due to material limitations, but now that magnesite ore had been found, the material for the furnace lining would not be an issue.

“Come in,” Xiao Ming said.

At this, the study door was pushed open, and Qian Dafu walked in, travel-worn. He was beaming, and reaching into his pocket, he took out a stone and said to Xiao Ming, “Your Highness, this is magnesite ore, isn’t it?”

Xiao Ming nodded. The ore in Qian Dafu’s hand was square, with a very smooth surface, somewhat resembling salt crystals, but Xiao Ming recognized it as magnesite ore at a glance.

“That’s right, this is magnesite.” Xiao Ming grinned. He said, “Your prospecting team is getting more and more experienced now. Your recent gains in Laizhou are quite good.”

Qian Dafu’s face was now somewhat dark, and he revealed a mouthful of white teeth as he smiled. He said, “Your Highness, this is also a matter of practice makes perfect. But Laizhou truly is a treasure trove. Not only this magnesite, but also quite a bit of gold and silver ore have been found. Now we’re just waiting to start mining.”

“The gold and silver mines will remain untouched for now. This magnesite must be exploited; at least some needs to be collected for use. Now that the world is in chaos, you can’t buy things with silver alone. Bartering is the right path.” Xiao Ming said contemplatively.

As Qian Dafu said, Laizhou was indeed a treasure trove. Not only did it have the largest gold reserves in the country, but its magnesite reserves were also the second largest. This discovery of magnesite was an unexpected find while searching for gold and silver mines.

“Yes, Your Highness, I will arrange this matter upon my return.” Qian Dafu said.

In the past three years, from being an old steward to a master of minerals, Qian Dafu had truly suffered a lot. It was precisely his hard work that helped Xiao Ming through the initial most difficult times.

And during this period, the prospecting team had also matured. After consideration, he decided not to let Qian Dafu personally run the mines anymore, as Qian Dafu was now over fifty years old.

After a moment of thought, he said, “Dafu, when you return this time, you don’t need to run around with the prospecting team anymore. I have established a Department of Minerals in Qingzhou. From now on, you will be in charge of the Department of Minerals and just manage the mines within the fief.”

“Your Highness, did I do something wrong?” Qian Dafu asked, looking very apprehensive.

Smiling wryly, Xiao Ming shook his head and said, “What are you thinking? It’s just that you are getting old now, and Mother Concubine has returned from Chang’an without anyone close to talk to. You have served Mother Concubine for over ten years, and having you there can also keep Mother Concubine company.”

At the mention of Concubine Zhen, Qian Dafu sighed. “This chaos in Chang’an has truly been hard on Her Highness. Since that’s the case, I will entrust the task of prospecting to my nephew. He has achieved success in his studies at Bowen Academy now, and it’s time for him to go out and gain some experience.”

Xiao Ming nodded. When he last inspected the mines, Xiao Ming had met Qian Dafu’s nephew. Now that Qian Dafu mentioned him, he agreed to the matter.

The master and servant spoke a few more words, then Xiao Ming took Qian Dafu to the backyard. Qian Dafu had been traveling outside all this time and had not yet seen Concubine Zhen.

“Your Highness!”

Seeing Concubine Zhen, Qian Dafu scurried over, then suddenly knelt before her, and tears welled up in his eyes as he began to cry.

Since his escape from death, only two people remained most important in Qian Dafu’s life: Concubine Zhen and his nephew.

Having served Concubine Zhen for over ten years, Concubine Zhen was both a master and a family member to Qian Dafu.

Concubine Zhen was just laughing with Fei Yue’er when a dark figure suddenly knelt before her, startling her to lean back. It wasn’t until she recognized him as Qian Dafu that she relaxed.

She first gave Xiao Ming a glare. “Ming’er, I asked Qian Dafu to come to Qingzhou to serve you. Why did you send him out to do such hard work as prospecting?”

When she arrived in Qingzhou, Concubine Zhen had asked Xiao Ming about Qian Dafu’s whereabouts and knew where Qian Dafu had gone. Seeing Qian Dafu in such a state now, she felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Xiao Ming was about to explain, but Qian Dafu interrupted him, saying, “Your Highness, His Highness trusts me. He isn’t at ease entrusting the prospecting work to anyone else.”

Concubine Zhen sighed, “You always have that temper, always such a good-natured person. It’s good that you’re back this time. When are you planning to go back?”

“His Highness said to let me stay in Qingzhou and not go out anymore,” Qian Dafu said.

Concubine Zhen nodded, looked at Xiao Ming and said, “Hmm, that’s more like it. From now on, you can keep me company and amuse me. I’ve been in Qingzhou for a while now and haven’t even left the royal residence. Another day, you can accompany me on a tour in and around Qingzhou City.”

“Your Highness, please leave that to me,” Qian Dafu said happily.

Xiao Ming breathed a sigh of relief at this. Concubine Zhen had been staying in the royal residence all this time, and her willingness to go out now proved that she was finally gradually overcoming her emotional distress.

After chatting a few more words with Concubine Zhen, Xiao Ming took the drawings and headed to the steel workshop. Qian Dafu’s return confirmed that the magnesite ore was real, and now he could freely set up a Bessemer steelmaking production line.

Once Bessemer steelmaking was put on the agenda, it meant that large quantities of cheap steel would become possible. However, the only drawback was the oxygen blowing technology in Bessemer steelmaking.

In fact, due to technical limitations, early Bessemer steelmaking blew air instead of oxygen. The true oxygen blowing technology only appeared in 1952.

As for industrial oxygen production, he had also researched it. Current Qingzhou simply could not overcome this technology; condensing air to over one hundred degrees below zero and then separating it was a high-tech endeavor.

Therefore, given this, he still decided to adopt the traditional air blowing method. After all, even during World War I, this method was still not outdated and was sufficient for his needs.