Chapter 292 The True Value of Steel

"No wonder Xiang Yu's attack couldn't penetrate the heavy armor of my Great Snow Dragon Cavalry!"

"Heng'er, you have already mastered this metal skill. It seems that my Great Snow Dragon Riders are the best in the world for a reason!"

"The strength of this steel bar is indeed extraordinary."

The First Emperor sighed again, but Ying Heng continued to ask:
"Father, is this just a very important matter?"

"You think your Grandmaster Qi can cut it off easily."

"If I make the steel bar ten times thicker, or tie several bars together, can you still cut it?"

The Emperor's face darkened and he frowned, saying, "It's definitely impossible to cut it off that way!"

He then asked, “But what’s the point?”

Ying Heng smiled and said, "Father, this indestructible metal material has a wide range of uses!"

"I'll just give you a simple example. Do you think that a Grand Master is invincible when facing ordinary soldiers?"

"They can kill as many as they want. Even if they run out of energy, they can still find a chance to escape?"

Everyone nodded after hearing this.

Ying Heng continued, "Imagine that if everyone wore this heavy armor, even a great master would have to use up a lot of his true energy to penetrate one person."

"In a situation like that, especially on a battlefield, can a Grandmaster still maintain his invincibility against ordinary soldiers?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression suddenly changed!

The Thirteenth Young Master's remarks overturned their old idea that a martial arts grandmaster could only be challenged by a strong person of the same level.

If even ordinary soldiers can threaten the Grand Master, then what is the point of decades of hard training?
Before they could think deeply, Ying Heng continued:

“The use of steel is not limited to soldiers’ armor. It will penetrate into weapons, tools, buildings, and even national development and daily life. It is everywhere because it is indestructible and extremely durable.”

Everyone present here is extremely intelligent. Since they have realized the toughness of steel, their thinking has been sparking.

After being enlightened by the Thirteenth Young Master, they instantly realized the value of steel.

If cement is the cornerstone of construction, steel is undoubtedly one of the key industries for national prosperity!

Liu Bowen had a particularly deep understanding of this. As early as the Ming Dynasty, he had seen steel knives and other products.

But in the Ming Dynasty, it now seems that the third young master's steelmaking technology is better.

The only concern is the supply of raw materials.

Qin Shi Huang knew this very well, and asked anxiously, "Heng'er, what is needed to make steel? How much does our Great Qin have in reserve? Is it expensive?"

Seeing the Emperor's concern, Ying Heng smiled and said:

"Father, the basis of steelmaking is iron ore, supplemented by auxiliary materials such as carbon powder."

"The reserves of iron ore depend on how much is within the territory of our Great Qin."

"As it stands now, our Daqin iron ore can still support infrastructure construction for several years."

"However, more steel is better, and there is no need to worry about excess."

"If that's not enough, I heard that the northern grasslands, Siberia, and even the Roman Empire, and even the areas southwest of Rome, are rich in iron ore, gold and other rare minerals!"

After hearing this, Qin Shi Huang responded immediately: "Heng'er, no need to say more, quickly hand over the Snow Dragon Cavalry to me, and I will lead the army to capture it immediately."

Ying Heng: “…”

"Father, don't be anxious. Let's focus on the existing resources of our Great Qin first."

"It is not appropriate to start a war lightly before the flood has subsided."

"During this period, I am willing to help you practice and strive to help you reach a higher level of cultivation."

"At the same time, you can also learn how to govern a country from me, which will be of great benefit to your cultivation." "If one day I don't want to be an emperor, this Qin Dynasty will still belong to you."

Emperor Qin Shihuang:"……"

You said you don’t want to be the emperor anymore and give it back to me. Is that human language?
Other ministers lowered their heads and closed their ears. They dared not respond or listen. They were extremely shocked.

After the joke, there was a moment of silence.

Ying Heng glanced at the ministers present with a determined gaze, his voice steady and powerful.

"Gentlemen, our country must now go all out and concentrate all its productive forces on casting steel and laying cement. Do you have any objection to this?"

The ministers shook their heads, their expressions firm: "No objection! Sir, if you had mentioned the power of steel and cement earlier, we would have taken action long ago!"

"Let's start!"

"Mobilize every inch of land and every bit of strength in Daqin!"

"Except for the people who have to take care of the farmland, the rest of us will join in the infrastructure construction!"

"Within a month, we will build strong walls on both sides of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River to completely control the flood!"

Under such circumstances, the core ministers of the Qin Dynasty were full of fighting spirit and determined to create new glory with iron and stone!

In Jiangling County of Nanjun, Chen Ping has been worried during this period.

In the first half of the year, he heard that Xiang Yu, an old Chu noble, had risen up against Qin and wanted to join his army.

Born under the shadow of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, his impoverished life made him vow to overthrow the tyranny, make great achievements, and hope to be granted a title and appointed as a prime minister one day.

However, continuous rain made the mountain roads difficult to travel.

On his way to Xiang Yu, Chen Ping heard the news that Xiang Yu had been defeated.

Trapped in Jiangling County, Nanjun, he was shocked when he saw the notice posted on the wall.

The tyrannical rule of Qin Dynasty has not yet come to an end?

Without a pass and with all his money and food supplies gone, Chen Ping had no choice but to survive in a dilapidated little village by the river.

Although he had no legal identity, he was tall and handsome, and could read and write, so the village leader Old Wang accepted him out of sympathy.

Old Wang's daughter unfortunately lost her husband five times. Chen Ping, a strong and knowledgeable man, seems to be able to bring a glimmer of hope to the family and perhaps leave a bloodline for Old Wang.

In this way, a peculiar combination was formed in this small village.

Chen Ping did not engage in farming, but volunteered to teach the children in the village to read.

Although the villagers were poor, they were willing to support him.

On the one hand, most of the able-bodied men in the village joined the army or were conscripted for labor, and Chen Ping's joining was undoubtedly a supplement to the force.

On the other hand, Chen Ping was literate and eloquent. He helped educate children and resolve neighborhood disputes on a daily basis, and was deeply trusted by the villagers.

Therefore, Chen Ping's prestige in the village grew day by day.

During the months he and Old Wang's daughter had been flirting with each other, and as he was young and strong, the two of them were like husband and wife, even though they had not yet been formally married.

What made all the villagers even more delighted was that two months ago, the thirteenth prince of Daqin sent people to deliver new varieties of grain seeds and distributed them door to door.

Their village, which is close to the river, benefited from the abundant water resources and was distributed rice seeds.

It is said that the yield of this kind of rice can reach one thousand to two thousand kilograms per mu, and the rice can be cooked into rice or porridge, which can double the food intake.

It not only fills people's stomachs, but is also rich in nutrients. Adults can feel energetic after eating it, and children can grow healthily after eating it!

As the news came out, the Jiangbian Village, which had suffered from hunger for a long time, was instantly in an uproar!

Regardless of gender, age or status, as long as they were able to move, they all began to reclaim wasteland, build canals to divert water and plant rice.

(End of this chapter)