Chapter 225:
Although rolling bearings are very expensive to use to make steel, the magic alchemy furnace can smelt metals at very high temperatures and is very convenient to use. Even though the cost of making steel is much higher than that of an earthen blast furnace, it is also suitable for research on metal materials. .
After the magic alchemy furnace was built, Richard immediately established the Metal Materials Research Institute.
He personally served as the director of the institute, made Butler an independent researcher, and hired two magic apprentices and several students who graduated from Henan primary schools to build the framework of the metal research institute.
Then the Metal Research Institute, in accordance with Richard's request, began to study various alloy processes.
There are iron ores in Harland territory, and some associated ores such as manganese, tin, chromium, and zinc can be found. You can also buy some copper ingots from the Duke of Jonathan.
There are enough materials to experiment with, and the first two classic alloys produced are copper-tin alloy and manganese-iron alloy.
Alloy technology has always existed in the Dawn Plane, but the use of magic alchemy furnaces to refine alloys not only has low output, but is also very expensive, and can only be used to cast some key parts, such as gears, bearings, etc.
Several of the great nobles of the Grant Kingdom have mastered copper-tin alloy, aluminum alloy and other alloy processes, and can produce some bronzes and aluminum products with superior performance.
Richard discovered very early that some of the Grant Kingdom's craftsmanship and technology were higher than those in the Middle Ages, and some were even inferior to those in the Middle Ages.
Because of the magical alchemy furnace, alloy technology in the Dawn Plane has developed rapidly, and many have reached the level of the seventeenth century.
The performance of the super magic alloy produced by the magic alchemist even exceeds that of the 21st century. The only disadvantage is that the output is too low and it is not universal.
Although the Harland territory has blast furnace ironmaking and crucible steelmaking technology, it has been producing low-end products. In the past few years, it was not able to produce various alloys, and it needed to purchase some gears and bearings from outside every year.
Now that there is a magic alchemy furnace that produces ferromanganese alloy, most metal parts can be produced by oneself, which will save more money.
In addition, Richard is also preparing to manufacture rolling bearings. Today, Harland's technological level is actually capable of manufacturing rolling bearings.
Cages, balls, and steel rings can be cast by melting molten steel and then polished manually. Although the manufacturing cost is higher, their use in some key parts can bring about high efficiency improvements.
After using rolling bearings, the efficiency of the vehicle will be greatly improved, and the manufacture of four-wheeled carriages can also be put on the agenda.
If you add rubber tires, a four-wheeled carriage can carry several tons of cargo.
A small number of four-wheeled carriages have appeared in Nolan, the capital of the Grant Kingdom. There are mature designs that can be copied. The difficulty of making four-wheeled carriages is also not high. However, most of the Harland territory is mountainous, which is more suitable for using two-wheeled carriages.
There is no patent act in the Grant Kingdom. Once the rolling bearing is successfully manufactured, it is not difficult to imitate the appearance. As long as you are willing to invest a certain amount of gold coins, you can successfully copy it.
The key difficulty is to create wear-resistant ferromanganese alloys and ferrochromium alloys. If you want to master the proportion of the alloy, you still need to smelt the metal many times and invest a lot of money.
At least in the first few years after rolling bearings were manufactured, Harland Territory should be able to make a lot of money.
The production of rolling bearings was a great impetus to the development of industry. In addition, the four-wheeled carriages can not only be sold in Black River Fort, but the caravans in the Harland territory can use the four-wheeled carriages to transport goods in the plains, and the transportation efficiency will be significantly improved.
Even if the sale of carriages could not bring high profits to the territory, Richard decided to promote the development of this industry.
This industry can bring thousands of gold coins to the territory a year, which is considered a success.
Because magic crystals are needed to provide energy, the cost of using a magic alchemy furnace is still very high.
Richard has always had an idea, hoping to set up a magic circle to absorb magic energy.
This kind of magic gathering array is not uncommon in the Dawn Plane, but the cost of setting it up is very high.
The magic tower built by the Tower of Death has a magic circle at the bottom that gathers magic power.
But if you want to arrange such a magic circle, you need to use the magic core of a legendary magic beast as the core.
Such a high threshold makes it difficult for magic gathering arrays to be popularized. Only large magic organizations have the strength to build a magic gathering array.
This kind of magic gathering array is also the core of the mage tower.
Through his mastery of magic knowledge, Richard has had many discussions with magicians such as Sophia and Wendy.
In most areas of the Dawn Plane, the magic energy particles in nature are very thin. It is very difficult to gather the free magic energy particles. It requires drawing a large number of magic runes, using a lot of magic materials, and investing. It would take at least several million gold coins to make it possible.
Moreover, the efficiency of the magic-gathering rune array is not very high, and it does not have very good prospects.
Even if the legendary magic core is used as the core and the problem of magic energy storage is solved, the energy absorbed by the magic tower every day is only enough to release a dozen mid-level magics, which is not as useful as two or three mid-level magicians.
The effect of this magic gathering array is actually not as good as training a few magicians. There is a very efficient magic gathering array in the magician's mental space.
In addition to the magic gathering array, if you want to enrich an area with magic energy, you need to find a magic well.
The magic well is a place where magic energy naturally gathers, which is equivalent to the spiritual veins in the world of immortality. The magic wells in the Dawn Plane are basically controlled by large forces.
There are two magic wells in the Eagle Mountains, but unfortunately they are both controlled by legendary professionals. Seizing the magic well from the legendary ogre and the legendary black dragon is obviously something that cannot be accomplished now relying on the strength of the Harland family.
In the Grant Kingdom, only Nolan has a magic well, and it is still controlled by the Grant Mage Association.
The magic released by the magic well may be strong or weak.
From the information in the records, Richard knew that the magic energy provided by the magic well was only equivalent to a 60-kilowatt diesel generator, which was approximately equivalent to 300,000 kilowatt-hours of electrical energy. A better magic well provides a huge amount of magic energy, equivalent to six billion kilowatt-hours of electrical energy.
Six billion kilowatt-hours of electricity consumption seems large. In fact, a small town with some industrial and mining enterprises consumes more than 6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.
There is only one magic well in the entire Dawn Continent that can provide magic energy equivalent to six billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, and it is the City of Thousand Towers, the capital of Markholm Magic Kingdom.
Even the magic well controlled by the Holy Radiance Empire does not have that much magic power.
For the Dawn Plane, mastering the magic well means mastering the most advanced productivity. All large magic organizations choose to be established near the magic well.
Richard had never seen a magic well and couldn't figure out the reason why the magic well was created.
If we figure out this problem, we can try to artificially create a magic well.
If the use of magic power benefits ordinary people, the Dawn Plane will develop into a developed magic civilization. For the Harland Mage Association, researching the magic well is still a lofty goal. Richard needed to do the things at hand first. By late September, the rolling bearing was finally manufactured successfully.
Using the manufactured rolling bearings, the carriage was much faster, especially on flat stone roads, and it was easy to pull several kilograms of cargo.
In addition, rolling bearings can also be used in many machines. With rolling bearings and alloy gears, the territory's industrial capabilities have also been improved.
Because he obtained the new territory, Richard sent a large number of exploration personnel to begin exploring the minerals in the new territory.
Soon there was a new harvest, and a new iron ore was discovered. This is an associated mine, which not only contains a large amount of iron elements, but also a lot of associated zinc and tungsten ores. Through spectral research, new rare elements were also discovered. Fill in the periodic table of elements written by Richard.
It is a pity that no super magic metal has been found in this vein for the time being. Although it is valuable, it is still not as important as Iron Mountain Castle to Harland's territory.
Beginning in mid-August, the demarcation of new territories was completed. Richard moved all the slaves rescued in this war to the new territory.
The development of a new territory was almost from scratch, with the main work being logging in the first year.
Large amounts of wood were transported through rivers to important castles such as Black River Castle, Sophia Castle, Vic Castle, and Malte Castle.
There are a large number of barracks in Graveson Castle that can accommodate people, which saves Richard a lot of money.
The key construction project in the territory this year is mainly the foundation excavation project of Flower Castle.
There are a lot of wild roses and roses near the bustling castle. Roses are useless, but roses can make perfume.
It's just that perfume needs to be marketed in big cities.
According to the current situation of Chenxi Defending, the market is controlled by others. Even if the perfume is manufactured, there may not be any profit. I am afraid that it can only earn a little hard-earned money, and most of the profits will be eaten by the nobles of the royal capital.
After all, this is not a world of free trade. Local protectionism is extremely serious. There is no overall market in the same kingdom. Commercial competition between kingdom nobles is often accompanied by violent conflicts.
Rockefeller hired soldiers to assassinate his business enemies, and Dupont asked his competitors and their families to fly on earthen planes. Barbaric capitalists like them would be considered civilized people who pay attention to food and appearance in the Dawn Continent.
Look at the Harland family and the Cisse family. Because of the competition in the liquor trade, they actually fought a cruel liquor war. Thousands of people died in the two viscount families, but both sides suffered in the end.
The Haaland family gave up the liquor market and lost its monopoly in the liquor industry. The Cisse family also made no profits and even made a powerful enemy.
The three-year peace contract between the two families will expire next year.
Now without the help of the Holland family, it is absolutely impossible for Richard to renew his contract.
Three years have almost passed, and the status of the Haaland family and the Cisse family have become very different.
The Cisse family did not side with the winner in last year's dispute over the throne. Their territory was cut in half and their title was reduced to a baron. Today, the strength of the Cisse family, although it still controls a population of hundreds of thousands, is only slightly stronger than that of the Baron family.
The Harland family stood on the side of the victors and developed extremely rapidly, adding more than 10,000 square kilometers of territory. Through food exchange for population, rescuing slaves captured by the orcs, etc., the population increased by more than 70,000. In addition to the recent additions There were more than 146,000 newborns born in two years by the end of the year.
Once the three-year peace contract ends, according to Richard's character, he will definitely take revenge on the Cisse family.
When the conflict breaks out between the two noble families, it will be a matter of life and death for the Cisse family.
By September this year, the Cisse family had sent people everywhere to spread the word, willing to apologize and admit defeat, hoping to resolve the conflict with the Haaland family.
The liquor trade can earn more than 10,000 gold coins every year, and it was once the most important income of the Harland territory after steel. Now being beaten to pieces by the Cisse family, Richard has already spread the word that without compensation of half a million gold coins, the Haaland family will not forget this hatred.
As the three-year peace contract is about to expire, the Harland and Cisse families are now divided into strong and weak families.
Even if the two families were separated by territory, it would be difficult to mobilize an army. The Harland family can also organize an elite team of professionals to attack members of the Cisse family and hunt down the senior officials of the Cisse territory.
In addition, they can also launch a full range of commercial attacks to seize all the markets of the Cisse family.
In addition, Richard can also have a small army disguised as bandits to attack the villages in the Cisse family's territory, burn the food, and rob the population.
In short, even if there is no direct territorial war, the Harland family has enough means to control the Cisse family and make this family gradually decline.
The competition between nobles is so cruel.
The only blame to blame is that the Cisse family failed in their political speculation and chose the wrong enemy.
Now that the Horan family has lost power, the Cisse family has lost the support of the nobles in the royal capital. It is no longer possible to continue to rely on the power of the royal capital to suppress the Harland family.
The relationship at the upper level cannot be channeled, and external forces cannot be relied upon.
Baron Boy of Cisse summoned the senior officials of the territory and said solemnly: "Now the Harland family has an army of more than 5,000 people, and there are also Warcraft cavalry under their command. Their connections in the royal capital and in northern Xinjiang are They are far ahead of us. The balance of strength between the two sides has changed greatly. Resolving the conflict with the Haaland family has become a fundamental issue for whether the Cisse family can survive? Can you all tell us how to resolve
this conflict? My opinion is that everyone should spend some funds, whether it is military expansion or compensation, the Cisse family must unite to get through this difficulty."
After hearing this, David Cisse immediately said angrily: "Who caused this? All in all, if you weren't behind it, would Luo Ning dare to bribe the Harland family?
Now he doesn't get much in the liquor market, but he has made a powerful enemy for the family. If this matter is not handled well, it will be impossible. The good Cisse family will make them wipe out.
Last year, there was civil strife in the kingdom. What did I say, don’t get involved. You just couldn’t listen to what I said. You must follow the Venus family like Charlemagne and Harden. The remnants mixed together and participated in the civil war in the kingdom. What happened? King Roger won. Because we participated in the rebellion, half of our territory was taken away. If the territory is still there, our strength is weaker than the Harland family. The situation will not be as unbalanced as it is now.
You are the patriarch of the Xisai family and the person directly responsible for the current tragic situation of the Xisai family. Don’t you need to be responsible? You still have the face to call everyone to a meeting and let us contribute money and efforts. , continue to let you sit on the throne and lead us?"
David is a fifth-level knight who is just in his forties. Although he is weaker than Baron Cisse, he is younger than Baron Cisse.
In the past few years, Boyi could certainly suppress Dawei by relying on his righteousness, and Dawei did not dare to disobey his orders. Even in order to avoid being targeted by his uncle, Dawei joined the Mad Lion Legion early and expressed that he had no intention of competing for the heir to the territory.
But in the past two years, Boy has made consecutive mistakes, which has led to the downgrade of the Cisse family and put the Cisse family in a very dangerous state.
Today's Baron Cisse, Boy Cisse, has lost his prestige in the family. What he said, members of the Cisse family like Dawe simply didn’t want to hear it.
(End of chapter)