Chapter 401 Visit to the Iron Works
The tinkling sounds in the factory are endless. The workers have already started working as usual. From time to time, some people look at the gate, where Mr. Erkins is anxiously talking with his hands behind his back. Pacing back and forth.
When will the Earl bring us here?
While he was thinking wildly, a young man ran over panting, "It's coming, it's coming! Boss, they have already left the Lord's Mansion."
This is An employee who was assigned by Erkins to be followed on the island would come and notify him whenever there was any movement there.
"Okay!"
Erkins slapped his palm and shouted: "Come here! Come and greet me! The Earl is coming!"
Several senior managers in the factory were He quickly ran out at his shout and stood neatly in a row.
Then dust started to rise in the distance, and three carriages galloped towards here, escorted by a group of guard riders.
We arrived at the door in a blink of an eye. The door of the carriage in the middle opened, and out came Earl Grayman and two people whose clothing style was obviously not from the local area. They must be the big customers from Jiaowan.
A smile immediately appeared on Erkins' face, and he quickly ran to the carriage and said in a humble tone: "Your Majesty, distinguished guests, welcome to Erkins' iron foundry." His. As soon as he finished speaking, the factory stewards standing in a row bowed and saluted, as if they had rehearsed it many times.
Paul raised his hand and said, "Erkins, there is no need to say any polite words. Take us to see the place where you build ordnance in your yard."
"Yes, Lord Earl, please Come with me.”
Everyone followed Erkins into the factory and looked around accompanied by the constant sound of clanging sounds.
“This is where we forge our swords.”
"This is where we forge the spearhead."
......
Gaius and Queller have never been exposed to blacksmith work, so they are not aware of the work process in the workshop. Novelty.
But they must strictly control the quality of the final product.
"Mr. Erkins? Can you show us some finished products? And, we'd like to test them out."
Erkins immediately responded: "Of course no problem? Please follow me to the warehouse."
Everyone came to the warehouse, where rows of wooden boxes were lined up.
Gaius stepped forward and picked up a long sword. He carefully measured it and handed it to the family guard next to him. He asked in Horn Bay dialect: "What do you think?"
This guard has sharp eyes, a strong build, and several scars on his face. He looks ruthless at first glance.
He silently took the long sword, flicked the blade with his fingers, and then performed several thrusting and slashing moves.
"Not bad!"
The guard said this in Horn Bay dialect, and then handed it back to Gaius.
"Well, good." Gaius showed a satisfied expression and put the sword back to its place.
Anyway, it’s for the big soldiers, that’s enough.
Erkins turned around and quietly asked the Jiaowan translator behind him who had found him from the town overnight: "What are these two Jiaowan guys muttering about?"
"Well... the person in front asked how the sword was, and the person in the back said it was okay." The translator answered quietly and honestly.
What what? Erkins was very unhappy. Do you think Jiaowan guys have any discernment? The products produced in my factory are all top quality, even in the entire northwest region.
But he just cursed a few words in his mind, and still had a smiling expression on his face.
Paul didn’t mind much. The trade in Cape Bay was developed, and the people there had access to goods from all over the world, so their horizons were naturally very high.
The large-scale contact between Northwest Bay and the outside world has just begun. In the long years before, it has been sitting in a well and watching the sky, which is quite arrogant. As a craftsman, no one is willing to admit that his skills are inferior to others.
The guard in front of him could be accompanied by the eldest son of the family. He was probably an elite member of the Foster family. He had used countless good knives and swords. Being able to say "not bad" was already a great honor.
He asked: "Sir Foster, what do you think? Do the weapons produced by our northwest overseas meet your needs?"
Gaius nodded: "If it is all If it's of this quality, it's okay."
Erkins on the side immediately patted his chest and pledged: "The most expensive customer, please rest assured that Erkins's factory will never shoddy quality. We have always been cautious. Follow Lord Graiman’s church and strictly control quality.”
Gaius asked with interest: “Quality control?”
Strange words.
“Oh, it is the entire process from raw material control, production and processing, product manufacturing, finished product testing to finished product warehousing, and after-sales quality tracking and resolution, including complete quality control and management processes.”< br>
Paul explained to him this way.
Gaius thought thoughtfully: "If you can really be so rigorous, that would be great. The Corner Bay Alliance will never be stingy with money." "Please rest assured." Paul and Ergin Si responded in unison.
Gaius asked again: "Do you produce armor here?"
"You do, come with me personally."
The owner of the factory opened the way, and everyone came to the workshop where the armor was made.
I saw a huge forging hammer on a machine rising and falling, forging metal materials into rough plates, and then the craftsmen swung the hammers for fine processing.
Quiller asked curiously: "Interesting, how does such a big hammer move?"
Gaius replied proudly: "I might as well tell you that it is driven by the power of water flow."
"Like a waterwheel?"
"Oh... you can think so."< br>
Gaius has applied for a patent for the hydraulic forging hammer, and other workshops have to pay a fee if they want to use it. Even the Earl's machine shop is paying him.
Looking at Gaius's proud look, Paul complained silently: "Humph, I'm one step ahead. Wait until I get the rolling mill out..."
However, he was gratified that from the range finder of the previous surveying and mapping team to the current hydraulic forging hammer, the seeds of folk inventions and creations have begun to take root.
Gaius suddenly thought of something: "By the way, can you produce high-quality steel plate armor here?"
"Steel plate armor?" Erkins hesitated. After a while, he said: "We have such technology."
"How is the output?"
"Oh... you know, steel is not easy to obtain, so it is not our focus of production Object.”
Gaius was a little disappointed, "Okay."
But it was expected. Even if he was not familiar with martial arts, Gaius knew how precious a pair of plate armor was, and it could be a family heirloom. .
Paul, who was standing nearby, thought: "Steel? Now the supply of iron is no longer a problem. It seems that we should go further."
He silently made a plan.
Everyone visited Gaius's workshop for a whole morning before it ended. Paul invited the Foster brothers to have lunch at the Lord's Mansion, and then arranged for someone to send them back first, but he stayed .
"Erkins."
"Yes, Master Earl."
In the office, the factory boss stood respectfully next to Paul.
"As far as I know, your workshop seems to be receiving orders from the shipyard."
"Haha, yes, Lord Earl."
Driven by the profits from maritime trade and the deliberate guidance of the Government Affairs Council, "big construction" has begun along the coast of the Northwest Gulf, with large and small shipyards being established one after another.
Nowadays, ship construction is mainly based on wood, and the demand for wood has increased sharply. However, the wood needed to build a good ship needs to be prepared several years in advance. Some wood even needs to be dried for up to 6 years after shaping. for a long time.
The original shipbuilding industry in the Northwest Bay was not developed, and naturally there was not much wood reserves. The little reserves were quickly consumed.
In order to cope with this situation, shipyards, in addition to spending large sums of money to purchase timber from other places for emergencies, have also begun to pay attention to the reserve of timber.
As a result, the price of wood began to rise sharply, which led to the growth of the logging and wood processing industries, and a series of lumber mills were built.
But shipbuilding not only requires wood, but also requires a large number of metal components, so many iron manufacturing plants have been enriched.
In addition to wood and ironware, canvas is also in great demand.
Not only the three territories of Arda, Bailding, and Emden under Paul's control, but other territories have also gradually joined the supply chain.
Manufacturing is booming throughout the northwest.
“Remember, your factory must give priority to meeting our local needs. Don’t work for the people of Kok Wan first just because they give them more money.”
Paul felt it necessary to remind these fledgling capitalists.
"Yes, Lord Earl, I will definitely abide by your instructions."
Erkins responded in panic.
(End of this chapter)