Chapter 091 Material Upgrade Plan

　　 After Hongze completed the handover of the captives and supplies at the gate of the village, he didn't even remove the armor on his body, so he sprinted towards the chemical laboratory without stopping. He happened to ran into Xilin Yan who was about to rush to the city wall construction site.

　　 Xi Ling Yan looked at Hong Ze, who was wearing a **** armor, nodded towards Hong Ze with a constant expression, and said: "General Hong has worked hard."

　　 "Miss Yan, Hongji-sama can be in the laboratory?"

　　 Facing Xi Ling Yan, Hong Ze's attitude was much better than when he faced Teng Yuan before. Yan is the person close to Hong Ji. After living in the Xiao clan for nearly 20 years, Hong Ze still understands the truth about being a human being.

　　 Hong Ze, with a rough face, had a rare smile on his face.

　　 "The master should be at the blacksmith workshop now."

　　Yan brows curled up slightly, and he thought for a while.

　　 "Oh? Really! Thank you Miss Guoyan!"

　　 Hong Ze heard that the moment Hong Ji was on the blacksmith's workshop, his eyes suddenly lit up, and then he hurriedly thanked Xiling Yan and moved towards the blacksmith's workshop.

　　Blacksmith Workshop

　　The blacksmiths in the cottage succeeded in manufacturing the steam engine according to the drawings they gave, which made Hongji realize that the indigenous craftsmen of this era are still worthy of use.

　　Although the steam engine in the cottage still has many flaws, Hong Ji knew that it was not due to the fault of the blacksmiths, but only limited by the manufacturing materials.

　　The blacksmith's steelmaking process in this era is still very backward. Inferior materials cause the service life of the steam engine to be not very long, and failures occur frequently, which greatly affects the current construction efficiency in the cottage.

　　 In order to solve these problems, but also for the future development of the base, teaching blacksmiths to produce high-quality steel has become Hong Ji’s top priority.

　　 "I need you to make these things as quickly as possible according to the drawings, is there a problem?"

　　 Hongji's beautiful eyes stared coldly at the four senior blacksmiths, and she asked the other four people in doubt.

"My master, forgive me for my ignorance. The so-called blast furnace and converter depicted on your drawings were completely unheard of and never seen before. Although the old man does not know exactly what the blast furnace and the converter are for, but the two blast furnaces and converters are used. The basic components are not more complicated than the steam engine. We can make it, but..."

　　Speaking of the senior old blacksmith's words, his face was obviously embarrassed.

　　 "It's just that if the blast furnace and converter are manufactured in accordance with your drawings of the master, even if the existing iron ore reserves in the cottage are exhausted, it will not be enough to complete one of them!"

　　Iron ore is a very important strategic material, and the control of iron ore by the princes is extremely strict. It is impossible for ordinary people to get iron ore.

　　 is that there is a stock of iron ore in the copycat here, or it is because the Xiao family backed the copycat in the past. But now that the cottage has changed hands, Xiao's support naturally no longer exists. Moreover, even the Xiao clan continues to support the cottage in secret. However, the iron ore required to manufacture blast furnaces and converters is not a small amount. Even the Xiao family did not dare to mobilize a large amount of iron ore in such a prestigious manner.

　　 "From now on, I will start to manufacture blast furnaces and iron ore. I don't need you to worry about it, I will solve it."

　　 Hongji confessed coldly.

　　 Senior blacksmiths: "Yes!"

The blast furnace is the necessary equipment for ironmaking, and the converter can make steel. Iron is the basic raw material for steelmaking. Hong Ji is dissatisfied with the low efficiency of the small-scale local ironmaking method by the blacksmiths, so he is eager to build the blast furnace for Increase the iron output of the Shanzhai.

　　 The iron ore problem that senior blacksmiths are most worried about is not a problem for Hong Ji. Hong Ji, who is equipped with a metal detection radar, has clearly detected the mineral resources in the Red Mountain region around the cottage.

　　 Just at the foot of a mountain 20 miles north of the cottage, there is a small iron ore.

　　 Although the reserves of this small iron ore are not high, they are enough for the early construction of the cottage.

　　……

When Hong Ze came to the blacksmith workshop, Hong Ji just confessed that the master blacksmiths had done their best to build the blast furnace. Now there are some stocks of iron ore in the cottage. Hong Ji ordered them to smelt these stocks of iron ore into iron ingots. .

　　 Hong Ji turned her head and saw Hong Ze, who was full of blood in her armor but excited, walking towards her.

　　 Hong Ji's mouth couldn't help but a small smile appeared. There is no need to guess at all, Hong Ze's looting this time has returned with a full load.

"Call, call, call, Liaoshirushen big-headed, I mobilize people had laid an ambush in the valley of the return air, and she waited for the caravan."

　　 Mentioned this ambush and plunder, Hong Ze couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

　　 The terrain of the Red Mountain is complex, with various peaks and valleys crisscrossing, like a huge maze. In order to avoid the looting of the Red Mountain bandits, the caravans passing through the Red Mountain Region will not take the same route every time.

　　 The caravan wanted to fight a guerrilla war with the Hongshan bandits, but unfortunately they met Hongji. Through the life detection radar, Hong Ji can easily grasp the caravans entering his detection radius, and quickly calculate their route of travel, and then send Hong Ze to lead troops to ambush in advance.

　　 This is the third time that the caravan has been successfully set ambush and robbed. Hong Ji’s targets are often large and medium-sized caravans. The small caravan of more than a dozen people now looks down on Hong Ji.

　　 "Successful? This time is the caravan carrying food again?"

　　 Hong Ji’s mouth is slightly tilted ~lightnovelpub.net~ A brush of beautiful phoenix eyes sparkles with extremely seductive brilliance. Such a beautiful Hong Ji, even if Hong Ze who is not good at femininity, can't help but dazzle when she meets it.

　　 "Well, you're done!" Hong Ze gritted his teeth secretly and forcibly eliminated some extra thoughts in his mind.

　　 "Recently, the number of caravans carrying grain in the Red Mountain Region has obviously increased.

　　 Hong Ji frowned slightly thinking.

"Well, that's right. Lu Guo and the two armies of Zhongshan State confronted each other at the border. Lu Guohou levied grain and grass all over the country, which caused Lu's domestic grain prices to rise. When the grain merchants of other countries saw the profit, they rushed to Lu Guo to resell grain ."

　　 Hong Ze hurriedly explained.

　　 In this era, aristocratic families constitute the main body of ruling power. Although Lu Guo was controlled by the Lu family, in fact the major families within it still held a lot of power.

　　 A vassal country like Lu Guo is more like a certain group company in the future world. Lu Guohou is the largest shareholder and chairman of Lu Guo, and other families are small shareholders and directors.

　　 Lu Guohou needs to be responsible for the interests of all shareholders of the entire group.

　　 In the war preparation stage, hoarding grain and waiting until the price of grain is sold at the highest point in order to harvest the wealth of the people at the bottom has become the practice of every major family.

　　Although the actions of the major families have exhausted the power of the people at the bottom, Lu Guohou had to turn a blind eye to this in order to get the support of the major families.

　　 "If the people at the bottom suffer more, they will suffer more. They are just a group of insignificant untouchables! If they die, they will die. Once the captives acquired by Zhongshan State are captured, they can immediately make up for their domestic losses."

　　 I have to say that the most brutal robbers of this era are not people like Hong Ji, but the major families.