Under the leadership of the Lu Tribe's patriarch, Ang Lee and the others soon arrived at the main city of the Lu Tribe. This small city was built with stones and looked quite unique. Its scale was comparable to that of the Jiang Tribe's stone city. The population inside was about a thousand people. The reason why the Lu Tribe was weaker than the Jiang Tribe was that it had too few branches. There were only three small branches, each with less than 500 people. But the Jiang Tribe had six big branches and a total of seven small tribes. Naturally, the Lu Tribe was more powerful than the Jiang Tribe.
Because the main city was the core of the Lu Tribe, all the talents of the tribe were gathered here. All the blacksmiths of the tribe were in the main city. In the remaining three villages, there was no blacksmith shop. If the iron tools in these villages were damaged, they had to be repaired in the main city.
Although it was said that there were three blacksmith shops, in fact, they were just three small workshops. All the blacksmiths added up to a dozen people, which was even less than the Jiang Tribe. The blacksmiths they usually made were some relatively simple tools.
The Lu Tribe's patriarch took Ang Lee to the biggest blacksmith shop. There were five people working here. They seemed to be making hammers. Because the requirements for hammers were not high, they could also make them. It was not a big problem to use them normally. If it was broken, they could just take it back to repair it. After all, the hammers made by themselves were cheaper. As long as they were not cutting open a mountain, it was not a big problem to use them.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is the best blacksmith shop in our Lu Tribe. It's a little shabby place. Assistant Minister Li, please don't laugh at us."
The Lu Tribe's patriarch said.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "It's okay. It's not bad. The Jiang Tribe's blacksmith shop is also the same. It seems that this area is similar. It's not good to have three or five blacksmiths. If we don't have enough scale, we won't be able to make high-quality iron tools. It's also not good for cost control. "
Any industry must pursue the effect of scale. Only when the scale is formed, the cost can be controlled to the greatest extent and the resources can be better saved. Without the effect of scale, everything is impossible.
"Assistant Minister Li, please guide us."
The Patriarch of the Lu Clan was very happy. If Ang Lee was willing to guide them, they would be more than happy.
Ang Lee didn't hide anything. He personally instructed the blacksmiths about some of the heat treatment processes and asked them to practice well and not slack off.
The heat treatment process that was passed on to the Lu Clan was the same as the one that was passed on to the Jiang Clan. There wasn't the slightest difference. Letting the two clans master the same forging process was fair and reasonable. Otherwise, there would be suspicion of favoring one clan, which would make one clan feel uncomfortable.
The reason why these heat treatment processes were passed on to the various clans in the detention area was to improve their skills so that they could make high-quality iron tools, thus lowering the price of iron products and promoting people to use these iron tools on a larger scale. Thus, productivity would be greatly improved and the development of the western detention area would be promoted. Finally, the development of Dongnu Province would be led to the development of the whole area.
In addition, roads would be built here in the future, and road construction required a lot of resources. After teaching these tribes the most basic heat treatment process, as long as they were proficient in it, they could make all kinds of iron tools needed for road construction as long as they were given the blueprints. For example, iron products such as steel bars could be undertaken by the local tribes. As long as the imperial court paid for them, they wouldn't have any objections.
Of course, Ang Lee wouldn't pass on the forging technology to others for no reason. Since he did so, he must have considered it very clearly. He considered the problem from the perspective of the whole situation and fully considered the interests of the Tang Empire. Disseminating these basic technologies would be of great benefit to the overall development of the Tang Empire.
With Ang Lee's guidance, the blacksmiths of the Lu Clan really made high-quality iron hammers. The quality was basically no different from those purchased from Central Sichuan, which made the local blacksmiths very excited. The patriarch of the Lu Clan was naturally grateful. He must invite Ang Lee to his house and have a good meal to thank Ang Lee for his gift.
Ang Lee didn't care about eating and drinking, but since it was the patriarch of the Lu Clan who invited him, Ang Lee didn't refuse. Moreover, only when they were familiar with each other, the matter of matchmaking between them and the Jiang Clan would be easier to discuss. If he said it directly, it would seem too cold.
The patriarch of the Lu Clan was very hospitable and took out all the good things from the bottom of the box, which made Ang Lee quite satisfied.
After eating and drinking, Ang Lee began to analyze the future situation for the Lu Clan and pointed out that the Tang Empire was going to build a road nearby. Although it might not directly pass through the Lu Clan's territory, it was not far from the Lu Clan. The Lu Clan only needed to build a road to connect to this road. After the road was opened, the development of the Lu Clan would inevitably reach a higher level.
After analyzing the world's general trend, Ang Lee began to matchmake the Lu Clan and the Jiang Clan to resolve their hatred and work together. After all, the coal of the Lu Clan was needed by the Jiang Clan, and the pig iron of the Jiang Clan was also needed by the Lu Clan. The pig iron that the Lu Clan bought from Central Sichuan was undoubtedly very expensive. If they could use their own coal to exchange for the pig iron of the Jiang Clan, it was undoubtedly the best thing. It was a very good win-win situation.
In Ang Lee's view, there was no reason to refuse a win-win situation. Since it was a good thing for everyone, why should he refuse? It was unreasonable to refuse.
The patriarch of the Lu Clan had long been troubled by the confrontation between the two clans. He had long wanted to make peace with the Jiang Clan, but because of his face, he was worried that if he took the initiative to make peace with the Jiang Clan, it would hurt his clansmen's face and make his prestige decline. Once his prestige declined, he might not be able to keep his position as the patriarch, and even bring shame to the whole Lu Clan.
Now that Ang Lee was willing to come and mediate, it was the best thing. With Ang Lee's mediation, many problems could be easily solved, and the clansmen of the Lu Clan would not feel that they had lost face. After all, they did not take the initiative to make peace with the Jiang Clan. They could think that it was the Jiang Clan who asked Ang Lee to mediate. It was their opponent who gave in first, which would greatly improve their tribal self-esteem.
After deliberately hesitating for a moment, the patriarch of the Lu Clan pretended to be difficult and agreed to Ang Lee's request. They were willing to exchange their coking coal for the pig iron of the Jiang Clan, and said that they would live in peace in the future, and no one would make trouble for the other.
Ang Lee was very satisfied that he easily persuaded the patriarch of the Lu Clan. As long as the patriarch of the Lu Clan agreed to cooperate with the Jiang Clan, everything would be easy. The patriarch of the Lu Clan would naturally be responsible for the ideological work of the clansmen. He believed that as long as there were benefits, they would not raise too many opinions.
Now that the framework of the cooperation had been set, the next thing to talk about was the price. The patriarch of the Lu Clan thought that exchanging coal for pig iron was a win-win situation, but how much coal to exchange for pig iron needed to be carefully considered. Although there were huge coal reserves in their territory, and they were very easy to mine, they did not want to suffer losses. If they could not get a reasonable price, they would not consider it. They could make a little concession, but only a little, and not too much. The extent of the concession must be within a controllable range, and it must make them feel comfortable.
"Assistant Minister Li, I think that the price can be based on the price difference in Central Sichuan. How much coal can be exchanged for one jin of pig iron in Central Sichuan? Let's use this price here. Do you think it is reasonable?"
The patriarch of the Lu Clan did not dare to ask for a sky-high price. After all, the Jiang Clan could make do with charcoal, but their pig iron had to be bought in Central Sichuan. Therefore, their bargaining chip was still too low. The Lu Clan did not have the right to set the price, and it was too difficult to get a fair and reasonable price.
Ang Lee naturally understood that this was a reasonable win-win situation, but because the Jiang Clan had the advantage, he had to give more consideration to the Jiang Clan in terms of price. Although the price proposed by the patriarch of the Lu Clan was reasonable, it was still not realistic in the current situation. If the Jiang Clan could not be given a more favorable price, they would not agree.
"Patriarch, you are right. I think this is indeed a reasonable price. Unfortunately, the Lu Clan does not have the advantage. The Jiang Clan can temporarily replace coal with charcoal, but the Lu Clan can't replace pig iron with stone. Therefore, the reasonable price that the patriarch said is not reasonable for the Jiang Clan. They certainly won't be willing to exchange with this price. The patriarch should also understand. "
Ang Lee said.
The patriarch of the Lu Clan naturally understood. He looked at Ang Lee and asked, "Assistant Minister Li, what kind of price do you think the Jiang Clan will accept?"
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "If you are willing to use double the amount of coal, I think the Jiang Clan has no reason to refuse."
The reason why he proposed such a price was not only that the Lu Clan was under the control of the Jiang Clan, but also that the number of blacksmiths on both sides was not large. The consumption of pig iron would not be large. If the Lu Clan exchanged as much coal as they needed, the Jiang Clan would not have enough coal. In this way, they would need charcoal, which was not good. The Jiang Clan smelted pig iron on a large scale, so they needed a lot of coal. Therefore, if the Lu Clan paid more, it would be good for their future output.
"Double the price?"
The Patriarch of the Lu Tribe frowned. Obviously, he was a little uncomfortable. The price he proposed was fair, but the Lu Tribe had to pay twice the price. This naturally made them feel uncomfortable. After all, they had to pay twice the price, which was a little too high. The Patriarch of the Lu Tribe expected that the price would be increased by 50% at most, but he did not expect to pay twice the price. This was a little different from his expectation, which made him a little unhappy.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "I know that the price makes you feel a little disadvantaged, but you should take a long-term view. There is a lot of coking coal here. It is not a big deal to give more to the Jiang Clan. After all, the Jiang Clan has the advantage. If you don't give them enough benefits, they will not agree. You should know that the Jiang Clan has already started to smelt iron. They can smelt iron with charcoal. "
The patriarch of the Lu Clan thought about it carefully. What Ang Lee said was reasonable. The situation of the Lu Clan and the Jiang Clan was different. The Lu Clan relied on the Jiang Clan, but the Jiang Clan did not. The Jiang Clan could use charcoal to replace coal. The difference was not big. But if the Jiang Clan did not buy the Lu Clan's coal, it could only be buried in the ground.
This situation was unequal. It meant that the Jiang Clan had the upper hand, while the Lu Clan could only be trampled on. In the future, the Jiang Clan could punish the Lu Clan at any time and make them lose their income. The Lu Clan could do nothing about it. This was very helpless, but also very realistic.
In front of the Jiang Clan, who had the absolute advantage, the Lu Clan could only be bullied. This situation could not be reversed for a long time, unless the Lu Clan could find iron ore in their territory. Otherwise, they would always be under the control of the Jiang Clan.
"Well! So be it if I have to pay double the price! As long as the Jiang Clan does not embarrass us, we can accept this price. "
The patriarch of the Lu Clan said.
Hearing this, Ang Lee said with satisfaction, "That's great. Patriarch, don't worry. I will tell the Jiang Clan not to embarrass the Lu Clan. In the future, they will not stop your caravans and ask for tolls."
Since the Lu Clan had agreed to cooperate with the Jiang Clan, Ang Lee also had to give them some guarantees. At least, he had to let the Jiang Clan not embarrass the Lu Clan anymore. He had to let the two clans cooperate sincerely and develop the production here to the maximum extent. This would reduce the cost of road building here and save some money for the Tang dynasty.
Because it was late, Ang Lee rested in the Lu Clan. However, he sent some of his subordinates to the smelting workshop of the Jiang Clan with hundreds of kilograms of coal and gave the high-quality coke to the craftsmen of the Jiang Clan. He wanted them to see how great the advantages of using coal to smelt iron were and how important it was to cooperate with the Lu Clan.
As long as the craftsmen of the Jiang Clan saw the great benefits of coal, they would definitely realize the great benefits of cooperating with the Lu Clan and would be more willing to cooperate with the Lu Clan. These hundreds of kilograms of coking coal would greatly improve the Jiang Clan's view of the Lu Clan. They would realize that they also needed something from the Lu Clan. They were equal and mutually beneficial instead of asking for something unilaterally. This would be very beneficial to their cooperation and reduce the confrontation between them.
As they were eager to get rid of poverty, additionally, construction and smelting had just started. Therefore, Jiang Clan's Iron Smelting Workshop worked day and night. Many people were busy at every moment. In order to illuminate the workshop, at least dozens of torches were lit in the Iron Smelting Workshop in the evening, making the entire workshop as bright as daytime.
After getting hundreds of kilograms of high-quality coking coal, the craftsmen of the Jiang Clan immediately started to use it and made a record. They wanted to compare it with their own charcoal to see how big the difference was.
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