Chapter 220: Unearthing The Master Craftsman
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Kuaiji Commandery was vast, encompassing most of present-day Zhejiang and all of Fujian, nearly the area of two provinces.
Ten days later, Gu Heng arrived at the official shipyard in Yuyao County. He spent some money to ask someone to go to the shipyard and inform the chief clerk, Fu Qu.
Not long after, a clerk in his early thirties emerged from the shipyard. Upon seeing Gu Heng, he sized him up and asked, “I am Fu Qu. Did you ask for me?”
Gu Heng smiled slightly, “I am an official from Yuzhang Commandery, and Song Kuan sent me to find you.”
Carrier pigeon messages couldn’t deliver Song Kuan’s note, so Gu Heng had to state his identity.
“What is it about?”
Gu Heng pointed to a nearby restaurant, saying, “It’s nothing troublesome. Let’s sit down and talk.”
The two sat down at the restaurant, and Gu Heng said with a smile, “Actually, I wanted to ask you to help me inquire about someone.”
“Inquire about whom?”
“A master blacksmith named Wang Chun.”
“A blacksmith? From the foundry?”
“Precisely!”
Fu Qu stated plainly, “The foundry at the shipyard has been abolished.”
Gu Heng was startled, “Why?”
“The shipyard no longer builds sea ships; they are all building inner river warships. Large iron parts are no longer needed, and ordinary iron parts can be bought cheaply from outside, so the foundry was disbanded last year.”
Gu Heng pondered for a moment, “Where did these artisans go?”
“I’m not sure, but I can help you inquire. How about this! We’ll meet here at noon tomorrow, and I’ll tell you the news I find out.”
“Thank you for the trouble!”
The next day at noon, Gu Heng arrived at the restaurant again. Soon, Fu Qu arrived in a hurry.
Fu Qu sat down, took out a note from his bosom, and handed it to Gu Heng, “The artisans from the forging workshop have all been sent home. This is Wang Chun’s address you asked for. You can try going there.”
Gu Heng took the note and glanced at it. The address was in Yinxian County; he had indeed returned home.
He couldn’t help but laugh, “Is Jiangdong this extravagant? So many excellent blacksmiths have been sent back.”
Fu Qu gave a wry smile, “Director Gu resides in Dantu County, so you should be very aware that the Jiangdong officialdom is clearly divided into factions and their struggles are intense.”
“I know, but what does that have to do with the artisans?”
“It’s all related. There are two main lineages of blacksmiths in Jiangdong: one is the Wu School, with Gan Jiang and Mo Ye as their founding masters, and the other is the Yue School, with Ou Yezi as its founding master. Originally, there wasn’t much conflict between the two factions, but it’s different within the officialdom. Currently, the official in charge of the Jiangdong Smelting Administration is from the Wu School, so they basically only use artisans from the Wu School. The Yue School artisans are basically not employed, and Yue School blacksmiths can only make a living among the common people.”
“I understand. Thank you for the information, Chief Clerk Fu.”
Gu Heng took out one of his name cards again, “Chief Clerk Fu, if you have any difficulties, you can come directly to me in Dantu County. If Chief Clerk Fu is willing to seek a position in Yuzhang Commandery, I can recommend you!”
Fu Qu was truly grateful. Inquiring about this news was just a small favor, and he didn’t expect the other party to be so considerate and willing to help him.
“Thank you, Director Gu. I still have things to attend to at the shipyard, so I’ll be going now!”
After Fu Qu left, Gu Heng returned to the inn, packed his belongings, immediately rented a carriage, and set off for Yinxian County with two attendants.
Yinxian County is today’s Ningbo. This place is also the origin of iron smelting technology, the hometown of Ou Yezi. A large number of blacksmiths who make a living from iron smelting reside here. Because there are many shipyards nearby that require iron parts, many blacksmiths have found their place to work.
The distance from Yuyao County to Yinxian County is not far. According to the address Fu Qu gave him, Gu Heng spotted a large shop outside the city, near the city gate, with a banner hanging from a bamboo pole, which read ‘Wang’s Iron Shop’.
Next to the iron shop was a towering tree, behind which was a babbling small river that flowed into the moat, making it convenient for transportation and a pleasant environment.
An old man was lying on a mat under the big tree, squinting and enjoying the sunlight filtering through the leaves.
Gu Heng told his two subordinates to wait for him under the big tree and walked into the iron shop alone. Inside the shop, seven or eight robust men were busily forging iron with clanging sounds.
At this moment, a man in his forties approached and asked, “Customer, what item would you like made?”
“Is this Wang Chun’s iron shop?”
“He is my father. Is the customer looking for him for something?”
“I have some large items and would like to cooperate with him. Is he here?”
The man pointed to the old man lying under the big tree, “That’s my father!”
“Oh—”
Gu Heng turned and exited the iron shop and went to the big tree. The old man sat up with a smile, “Customer, are you looking for me?”
“If you are Wang Chun from the forging workshop of the official shipyard, then you are the one I’m looking for!”
“It’s me. Please have a seat!”
Gu Heng sat down and asked with a smile, “Is Master Wang retired?”
“I’m only a little over fifty, how can I be retired? It’s just that there are no large items worth my personal attention. The rest of the small and medium-sized items are handled by my son and apprentices.”
“Is casting large items difficult?” Gu Heng asked with a smile.
“It’s difficult in some ways, and simple in others. It depends on the customer’s requirements. If the customer only requires ordinary civilian goods, then it’s just a matter of melting the iron into molten metal, pouring it into a mold, and forging it into shape. But if it’s for military goods with extremely strict quality requirements, then it’s very difficult. The iron must be pure, without any bubbles or pinholes. More importantly, the hardness and toughness must be precisely between pig iron and wrought iron; a little more makes it brittle, a little less makes it soft. Small items can be achieved through the stir-frying method, but casting them into large items is very difficult.”
Gu Heng smiled, “If I stir-fry all of it into fine steel and then melt it into molten metal to cast large items, will that result in high-quality large items?”
Wang Chun chuckled heartily, “You can try it. I guarantee that after casting, it will have nothing to do with fine steel; it will be a completely different type of iron.”
Only then did Gu Heng take out his name card and hand it to him. Wang Chun, who was barely literate, was stunned. ‘Jiangdong Liaison Office Director of the Yuzhang Army’. This was an old name card; the new one should be ‘Jiangdong Liaison Office Director of the Western Chu Army’.
Wang Chun said after a long pause, “Director Gu, are you trying to invite me to Yuzhang Commandery?”
Gu Heng nodded, “We are lacking artisans who can make large military items. If Master Wang is willing to go, he will be designated as a first-class artisan, with a monthly salary of fifty guan and a three-mu residence. Is Master Wang interested?”
In an era where the average monthly income was only six hundred *qian*, a monthly income of fifty thousand *qian* was astounding. However, for a master craftsman like Wang Chun, money was not the most important factor.
Gu Heng thought he would have to talk extensively to convince the other party, but to his surprise, Wang Chun agreed immediately.
“I can go, but I want to bring my son and apprentices, over thirty people in total. And my brother, he’s a master mold maker; the molds he makes won’t produce pinholes. Bring him along too, as well as their families, about a hundred people in total. As long as Director Gu agrees to this condition, I can leave anytime.”
Gu Heng happily said, “The more talent, the more welcome! No problem, I’ll rent a large ship, and we’ll go directly by boat to Chaisang.”
“Alright, we’ll pack up and can depart in three days.”
Gu Heng was a little surprised and asked with a smile, “I don’t understand, why did Master Wang agree so readily?”
Wang Chun said plainly, “Director Gu can understand it as a form of revenge.”
Gu Heng nodded. The master craftsmen of the official residence’s forging workshop were not only not valued but also sent home. They were all filled with resentment towards the Jiangdong regime.
Three days later, Gu Heng rented a large sea ship and set sail directly from the harbor, carrying over one hundred and twenty people to the Yangtze River, heading for Chaisang, embarking on their new lives.
