It's okay that Andre didn't mention it, but Mason was even more distressed when he mentioned it: "I've asked everywhere, and no one in Forge Township knows how to cast bells and cannons."

"What if they are hiding it?" Wen Tesla asked the senior not to let go: "With Mr. Boltan accompanying us, their attitude will be different."

Mason sighed and reluctantly agreed.

The group headed to Forge Township, leaving Carlos with a few workers to guard the blast furnace. No one was around to watch and supervise, and Carlos finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Forge Township is at the foot of Tiefeng Mountain, close to the St. George River, and very close to the blast furnace.

On the way, the old blacksmith Boltan chatted with several tribunes about iron smelting.

"The principle of iron smelting is actually very simple. Just put charcoal and iron ore together and light a fire." The old blacksmith Boltan sat back and became very excited when he mentioned iron smelting: "From the earliest time I know,

That’s what blacksmiths do.”

"The simpler it sounds," Winters said with emotion, "it may be harder to do."

"That's right." The old blacksmith held up his hands and laughed: "Similarly, if iron and charcoal are burned together, some people can make good sponge iron, some can make steel, and some can only make burnt black lumps that break into pieces when pinched.

.The difficulty of smelting iron lies not in the principle, but in the process - that is, the secret recipe, experience and process."

Immediately afterwards, the old blacksmith Boltan talked about the difference between the [Block Furnace] and Carlos's [Blast Furnace].

The reason why the block smelting furnace is called "block smelting furnace" is because it "smelts a large piece of iron at a time."

"Iron has no legs and cannot walk out of the furnace on its own." The old blacksmith tried to figure out: "So if you use a block to smelt the furnace, every time a furnace of iron is smelted, you have to dismantle the furnace wall, take out the iron and build it back again.

"

Mason suddenly became interested: "Can't you melt iron into water - like bronze and gold, and let it flow out on its own?"

If you can melt molten iron, you can cast a cannon. The senior's thinking is very direct.

"It can't be done. The furnace temperature of the block smelting furnace is not enough to melt the iron into molten iron. Iron is not gold or bronze, so it is extremely difficult to melt it. A forge used by ordinary blacksmiths like us can soften the iron a little.

It’s still far away from molten iron.”

"The iron was not melted during the iron-making process? How was the iron made?" Winters asked curiously.

"Uh... I actually don't know." The old blacksmith Boltan was a little embarrassed and replied with a wry smile: "Blacksmiths can smelt iron, but why can iron be produced by burning iron ore and charcoal together? No one knows. Why iron?

Will it become soft after being burned? No one knows. Why? Maybe it's because of magic."

Winters laughed heartily.

The old blacksmith Boltan advised Mason: "[Casting] is far more difficult than [forging]. Any blacksmith can forge it, but there are very few blacksmiths who know how to cast it. If you want to cast a cannon, it is best to use bronze."

"But where can I find copper?" Mason was a little disappointed.

"Pig ears can't be made into a silk wallet." The old blacksmith was helpless: "Without grass, there are no bricks."

Mason sighed heavily.

"It will all be there." Winters comforted the senior: "At worst, I can buy copper materials from outside."

"However." The old blacksmith Boltan's tone was hesitant: "There are rumors that the royal blacksmith in the north invented a method that can burn iron into water and cast it. Some people call that kind of iron cast iron. It's just a rumor, the specifics are

I don’t know how it is done. According to my guess, a very powerful smelting furnace should be used.”

"Really?" Mason was pleasantly surprised.

"I don't know whether it's true or not..."

Andre, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke in a dull voice: "I don't know if the furnace just now can be built, so don't think about something as invisible as cast iron. If you ask me, it's better to think about it as soon as possible.

What should I do..."

"We will study it when we go back." Winters said in a relaxed tone. He asked the old man for advice: "You should continue to tell us about the iron smelting furnace."

The old blacksmith Bohr answered honestly: "Actually, I don't know anything about blast furnaces, otherwise I would help you run it myself. Mr. Sawyer smelt iron in a strict and orderly manner. Even if he is not an expert, he has learned from an expert. When we first met

, I am only 10% sure about Mr. Sawyer, and now I am at least 50% sure."

The old blacksmith sighed: "Although Mr. Sawyer is still young, his skills are far better than mine. My whole life...hey, I have been working in vain."

"How could it be?" Winters smiled and shook his head: "In my opinion, Mr. Sawyer's furnace has been set up, but the problem is still behind."

"Let's talk about it, what exactly is a blast furnace?" Andre yawned: "That brick tower just now was a blast furnace? Doesn't it feel like nothing?"

The old blacksmith Boltan explained it to Andre again.

To put it simply, the block furnace is like a cup with an opening at the top for feeding materials. It needs to be dismantled once used and then put back together;

The blast furnace is a cup with a faucet. Material is fed in from the top and iron is tapped from the bottom. It can be smelted continuously.

The old blacksmith used a vulgar but vivid metaphor: "A blast furnace is like a person who keeps drinking water at the top and peeing at the bottom. A block smelting furnace drinks a large glass of water at a time and urinates once a day. Of course it cannot compare.

Keep drinking and peeing."

Andre laughed so hard that the car trembled.

"How about re-building the road after the autumn plowing is over?" Winters thought thoughtfully: "Build it according to the standards of the Legion Road and build it into a hard-surface solid road."

The old blacksmith Boltan was physically handicapped and could only ride in a carriage. Winters wanted to ask more advisors for advice, so he also rode in a carriage, and he also took Andre and Mason along with him.

The carriage was not small, but it was very crowded with three officers in it. Winters and Andre pressed their knees and felt extremely uncomfortable.

Moreover, the road condition between Gevaudan and Forge Township was very poor, and the road was very bumpy, which awakened Winters' obsession with road construction.

"Road construction in winter?" Mason asked subconsciously.

"I just have time in winter leisure."

"I'm afraid there aren't enough manpower."

"Let's take it step by step. For the time being, we will only build the road from Jevaudan to Forge Township. We will slowly build the rest of the road when we have time." Winters held his forehead: "Big and small things are so complicated that they are as messy as a ball of thread. Let's

Just do it one by one."

"That's about right." Mason nodded, suddenly realizing something was wrong: "Who will fix it?"

Mason looked at Winters, who silently looked out the window;

Mason looked at Andre again, and Andre also looked out the window silently.

"Why is the Artillery Section called the Artillery Section?" Mason said with a complicated expression, "I think it should be called the Miscellaneous Arms Section!"

"Senior, you might as well think about it." Winters flattered him seriously: "From top to bottom in the army, except for you, who else has this ability?"

"That's right." Andre said equally righteously: "The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility."

"Okay, stop flattering me. I'll take care of this matter." Mason sighed: "But I have a request."

"You can just say it." Winters sat upright with a straight face. After all, seniors rarely take the initiative to make requests.

"Find some copper material. I don't believe that I can't find a hundred kilograms of copper material by searching Tiefeng County." Mason also looked out the window: "If you can't make a big one, let's make a small one first. If you don't fire two cannons, your craftsmanship

It will be abandoned again.”

…

When Winters took the carriage to the Forge Country, the students at the Gévaudin School of Accountancy were taking their first class.

There was no pen and paper, so each student brought a shallow square plate with fine sand sprinkled on it, and used a wooden stick to draw on the fine sand;

There are no textbooks - Madame Montagne is still writing them;

There are no professional teachers, and the lecturers are the most senior bookkeepers hired from Priskin Firm.

There is no dedicated venue, so the meeting hall of the city hall is temporarily used as a classroom.

According to Mrs. Montagne's arrangement, neither arithmetic nor reading and writing were taught in the first class, but the logic of "double-entry accounting" was taught.

"Teacher" couldn't let go of his voice, and spoke stumblingly: "...the double-entry accounting method is actually very simple. There is one column on the left, one column on the right, one column records expenses, and one column records income..."

This senior bookkeeper is over 50 years old, but this is his first time teaching directly into the eyes of dozens of people, so he is inevitably nervous.

The assembly hall is a two-story building. The first floor is a place for citizens to debate and discuss matters, and the second floor is for spectators to sit.

Anna was sitting on the second floor of the assembly hall at the moment, listening with her chin propped up.

She actually didn't have deep feelings for Wolf Town, Gevaudan and Tiefeng County, nor did she have any deep feelings for the accounting school. It was for that person that she worked tirelessly and busy.

But now, there is a strange feeling lingering in her thoughts...Proud? Proud? Proud? It seems to be none of them, and it seems to be a little bit.

Anna couldn't think clearly, which made her a little distressed and more confused.

But it is indeed very interesting. It is probably the first time in the history of Tiefeng County and even the new land that a woman opened a school and recruited men to take classes - even though she was hiding behind Winters.

"...In the double-entry accounting method, each transaction will be regarded as income at the same time, and the expenditure will be recorded in two account books. Each account book is the basis for the audit of other account books, and they are linked... Double-entry accounting method

Not for convenience, but to restrain people's greed. Never have evil thoughts, remember! That is the devil whispering to you..."

Anna listened with careful eyes.

"This teacher is not very qualified and needs to be replaced." Anna thought to herself: "We should not find the most senior bookkeeper, but the one with the loudest voice."

Anna put on her hat again and was about to leave the meeting hall. An inadvertent glance at the seats of students downstairs made her almost scream out in surprise.

She saw Scarlett wearing men's clothes and trousers, her hair cut as short as a man's, her face dirty, sitting in the corner of the "classroom" listening to lessons.

Although Scarlett looks like a childish boy on the outside, Anna is certain that the boy is Scarlett Mitchell.

Anna felt dizzy. She knew that little Ms. Mitchell was very courageous, but she didn't expect it to be so courageous.
To be continued...