Chapter 1024: Chapter 1022: Unease Caused by the Uncontrollable

Early in February, the Ministry of Rites had already dispatched people to the iron smelting workshop in Huaiyuan County to prepare for the emperor’s inspection. Today is the day of the emperor’s tour, and throughout Huaiyuan County, on every road the emperor might traverse, yellow soil has been laid and water sprinkled, a display of utmost solemnity.

The emperor has just appeared on the official road outside Huaiyuan County, where officials are already standing outside the city gate to greet him.

Several ministers and some civil officials, having set off earlier, have successfully arrived in Huaiyuan County ahead of schedule. At this moment, they are panting heavily, standing together with Huaiyuan County officials, awaiting the emperor’s entrance into the smeltery workshop.

The guest hall of the workshop has been newly arranged, and all items inside have been replaced. The rooms on both sides of the guest hall have also been vacated for visiting officials from the capital to rest.

Aside from the Spring and Autumn Hunt, the emperor has never traveled this far. Although the journey did not take long, nonstop traveling proved somewhat tiring.

After accepting the local officials’ homage and inquiring briefly into county affairs, due to his interest in new smelting technology, the emperor takes only a short rest before proceeding, surrounded by officials, to the work area of the smeltery workshop to observe the machine-blown smelting process.

The emperor had previously visited the Imperial Workshops Bureau and seen its small-scale smelting operations. However, he has never seen a real iron-smelting furnace. Especially the industrial era’s unique roar created by the rapid movements of the blast furnace and the steam engine, which shocked everyone.

For this era, such a scene and noise are indeed overwhelming. Despite explanations from the workshop manager, the spectacle exceeds the perceptual range many officials could accept.

Officials from the Ministry of Works and managers of the smeltery workshop were aware of the dangers involved in smelting and dared not let the emperor and prominent ministers come too close. Yet, even from a distance, many officials were stunned.

The rapidly reciprocating machinery and the loud noises from the blast furnace unmistakably demonstrated a force beyond human control, inspiring fear in all who witnessed it.

The emperor had previously requisitioned the steam engine model from the Mechanical Workshop, which mentally prepared him. Though surprised by the actual steam engine and blast furnace’s impact, he managed to remain composed.

On the other hand, many ministers were left in shock and began to exchange worried glances, nervously discussing among themselves what kind of driving force could result in such immense power? The emergence of something so uncontrollable made them feel deeply uneasy.

The emperor’s time is precious, and his status unique; naturally, he wouldn’t spend all his time waiting for iron ore to smelt.

The workshop manager, following the predefined procedure, led everyone to view the manually blown iron-smelting furnace, explaining the working principles of the old-style iron-smelting furnace to the emperor and the officials.

Before them stood the furnace of traditional smelting methods, the massive bellows and the craftsmen pulling it shirtless, their strong muscles taut and visible, evoked a sense of stability.

Faced with such a scene, the previously frightened officials finally found comfort in their hearts. Such a method of labor is what ought to exist in the world.

Having viewed both smelting methods, it was nearly noon. The emperor, still full of interest, took a short break before directing the next itinerary arrangement.

This time the arrangement was set in the forging room.

Several craftsmen responsible for forging demonstrated to the emperor and officials the iron materials produced under two different smelting methods, showcasing their hardness, brittleness, toughness, and ductility under varying annealing conditions.

All these properties demonstrated that machine-blown smelting was superior to manual-blown smelting. Moreover, the level of superiority was far beyond what could be compared.

This demonstration result effectively underscored the point that in terms of smelting techniques, the machine-blown method held an absolute advantage.

However, despite the facts, not all officials could be convinced to accept the new smelting technology.

Leaving the forging room, the more than thirty accompanying officials displayed various expressions, reflecting their differing feelings.

This tour left the emperor extremely satisfied.

Unlike the sentiments of many ministers, the emperor felt no particular fear towards the driving force beyond traditional perception, instead feeling a sense of having the world under control.

The subsequent performance tests of iron materials produced by the two smelting methods further confirmed the emperor’s belief in the vital role industrialization and craftsmen play.

At this moment, within the emperor’s heart, developing industry and raising the status of craftsmen has become an irreversible course.

The whole tour process ended as the early Shen hour commenced, with everyone quite hungry, not only feeling empty in their stomachs but also some officials bearing an inexplicable fear of the future.

The time was getting late, and Huaiyuan County’s magistrate and officials had already prepared simple meals according to the emperor’s prior instructions, so each person received their portion quickly.

Perhaps everyone was quite famished, as a bowl of rather rich stew paired with steaming silver rolls and a serving of rice soup surprisingly provided a rare sense of deliciousness to these officials used to luxurious delicacies.

Having eaten, with their bellies full, many still found that the unspoken dread and discomfort in their hearts not only failed to dissipate but fermented even further.

This was a workshop where craftsmen came and went, and although officials from the capital had come ahead to prepare, conditions remained limited. All the ministers ate this belated lunch at rows of long tables.

After the meal, the menial workers from Huaiyuan County’s Yamen came to clear the dishes, allowing officials to quietly converse about the day’s observations during the rest period.

A majority of the officials felt disquieted by the matter.

Some of the emperor’s confidants and officials familiar with construction works, like those from the Imperial Workshops Bureau and the Ministry of Works, mostly supported the promotion of new smelting methods, but their agreement seemed optional and not necessarily imperative.

Those traveling with Jinrong, Jiang Yifan, Cheng Dahui, and others were, of course, fully supportive yet refrained from engaging in any discussion.

For a moment, the low whispers about banning that unsettling contraption, the blast furnace, gained absolute dominance.

Once the rest period was nearly over, it was already late Shen hour. The attendants of the officials from the capital began to tidy up carts and horses, preparing for their return.

The emperor still planned to ride back, and at this time, stood at the forefront of the officials, holding his horse.

During the inspection of the smeltery workshop earlier, the emperor did not show much emotion, and now his expression was even more serene. However, his gaze towards the crowd possessed a certain depth.

“I know, what we saw today was unprecedented, and each of you, my beloved ministers, surely has your thoughts. This matter will naturally be discussed in court tomorrow morning. Before the court debates yield a result, I wish for no rumors regarding this excursion to leak externally.”

The emperor’s words were uttered with full energy, and all the officials heard them clearly. The tone of the emperor instilled a shiver in their hearts, regardless of any previous opinions they held towards the new smelting method, they all became restrained upon hearing the emperor’s admonition.

Looking next at Li Mian, who followed tightly behind the emperor, his oft-expressionless and wooden face seemed to carry a bit more severity at this time.

The Imperial Guard Camp under Li Mian’s command could be said to penetrate into every corner. If the Imperial Guard Camp focused on a particular matter, then everything related to it would be under their watchful eyes.

Under such circumstances, no one dared to privately discuss the potential consequences stirred up by this event.

The following day, there were noticeably more officials participating in the morning court session, not only the usual fourth-grade and above officials but also the main entourage members who visited Huaiyuan County the previous day to inspect the smeltery workshop.