Take the warehouse back to the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 47 Cement Kilns

Zhao Wen looked at the brick kiln built by Wang Liuqi and others, and kept nodding.

Although the brick kiln in front of me is not as good as the brick kilns of later generations, it is much better than those built by Zhou Laoliu and others.

Zhou Laoliu's brick kiln is almost like an unfinished semi-finished product, extremely rough.

"Haha, ginger is still hot." Zhao Wen laughed loudly, patting the wall of the brick kiln in front of him.

Wang Liuqi smiled honestly, looked at Zhou Laoliu whose face was flushed red, and said, "It's just relying on this skill to make a living, how can it not be covered?"

"Okay, don't be modest. Let me ask you, how many bricks can your brick kiln burn at one time?"

"My lord, it's not a problem to burn two thousand bricks at once."

Zhao Wen pinched his beardless chin, pondered for a while, and asked again: "Then let me ask you, how many bricks do you think will be needed to rebuild the entire city wall of Longmen Fort?"

Before Wang Liuqi could speak, Zhou Laoliu hurriedly interjected, "My lord, I know that. My father has repaired this Longmen Castle before, so I know it well."

Zhou Laoliu completely ignored Wang Liuqi's man-eating eyes, and then said: "This Longmen Fort is 50 feet high, [-] feet wide, and has a circumference of about [-] miles. Each brick is two feet long. It is one foot wide and half a foot high. That is to say, the entire section of the city wall needs more than [-] bricks to build."

"I didn't expect this guy to be quite talented in mathematics!" Zhao Wen thought to himself as he looked at Zhou Laoliu, who was spitting all over the place.

"Okay, you guys hurry up and get me another [-] brick kilns first. Hurry up and burn out the bricks for me first. If you don't have enough manpower, go to Zhao Daniu and tell me that I said it. Let him assign some people to you." Zhao Wen paused, then looked at Wang Liuqi, "Come with me."

Zhao Wen walked under a dead tree next to him, and looked at Wang Liuqi who was standing in front of him, hunched over.

"Besides this brick kiln, what else will you build?"

"Back to the adults, the villain can also build the iron-making blast furnace. When I was young, the villain once went to Datong with my father to build the iron-making blast furnace."

Zhao Wen's eyes lit up, and he looked at Wang Liuqi like a baby, "Really? Don't you want to lie to me?"

Wang Liuqi hurriedly said: "How dare a young man lie to an adult."

"Then besides these two kinds of stoves, will you build other stoves?" Zhao Wen looked at Wang Liuqi eagerly.

Wang Liuqi replied: "My lord, the young ones can only build these two kinds of stoves. The young ones have only learned how to build these two kinds of stoves. Others, they can't."

Zhao Wen looked at the straightforward and decisive Wang Liuqi, and suddenly had the urge to kick him to death.

You don't know how to cover other things, you were so arrogant just now.Do you see how angry you are with Zhou Laoliu?
"Then do you know how to read drawings?"

"will not!"

"Damn!" Zhao Wen cursed secretly, looking at Wang Liuqi helplessly.

It seems that you built this brick kiln based on experience. I thought you were a person with great ability.Unexpectedly, I was wrong.

"Okay, go and get Zhou Laoliu for me." Zhao Wen waved his hand helplessly.

Seeing Wang Liuqi's leaving back, Li Xiaoying asked, "What is Brother Zhao doing?"

"Oh, cement. I want to build a cement kiln, otherwise, I won't be able to rebuild this Longmen Fort after winter comes." Zhao Wenchang sighed.

After a few breaths, Zhou Laoliu bowed his body and stood in front of Zhao Wen.

"My lord, you are looking for me." Zhou Laoliu bowed his hands to Zhao Wengong with a flattering face.

Looking at Zhou Laoliu's appearance, Zhao Wen said bluntly, "Will you read the drawings?"

"My little one, I'm just not very proficient, but my father is proficient. Unfortunately, my father was killed by the Tartars." When Zhou Lao Liu mentioned his father, his face was full of sadness.

"Okay, don't make a sad face. I will avenge your father in the future. Since you can read the blueprints, I will ask you to build something called a cement kiln according to the blueprints. Can you build it?"

"Yes, as long as it's not too complicated, I can build it. It's just that there may be a little difference." Zhou Lao Liu scratched his head and said awkwardly.

Are you a little different?The brick kiln you built is like a kennel, how dare you say there is a little difference?
Having said that, Zhao Wen can only rely on Zhou Lao Liu now.

Because apart from him, it is estimated that none of these workers can understand the drawings.

"Well, tomorrow morning, I will give you a blueprint, and you must build it for me in the shortest possible time. If you build it well, you will be rewarded a lot." Zhao Wen slapped his thigh, his tone full of Tempted.

"As long as the adults can give me a blueprint, the little one will risk his life to build it for the adults." Zhou Laoliu narrowed his eyes, patted his chest, and shouted plausibly when he heard that he would be rewarded.

"Okay, what I want is your words. Now you go to help Wang Liuqi build a brick kiln. Tomorrow morning, you come to the Garrison Mansion to find me."

As soon as Zhao Wen finished speaking, he left with Li Xiaoying.

Zhao Wen took Li Xiaoying around Longmen Fort a few times, checked the situation on the construction site, and then returned to the garrison mansion.

Zhao Wen sat on the chair, took a sip of the tea Li Xiaoying made for him, leaned on the backrest, closed his eyes and got up.

"Now the brick kiln and cement kiln are done. As long as there is enough time, Longmen Fort can be rebuilt."

Zhao Wen's eyes were slightly closed, and he kept mumbling, with a hint of worry in his tone.

"Is this not good? Brother Zhao, what are you worried about?" Li Xiaoying stood beside Zhao Wen, looking at Zhao Wen with doubts.

Zhao Wen smiled wryly, opened his eyes, and said helplessly, "After the Dragon Gate Fort is built, there must be someone to guard it. Now including you, there are only a few people."

"Brother Zhao can recruit from these workers, I think someone will agree." Li Xiaoying comforted.

Zhao Wen stood up, looked out the door, and said slowly: "There are only a few people, and most of them are old and weak. Apart from these people, I guess there are only two hundred left. What can such a small number of people do? What’s more, there must be people who don’t want to be soldiers.”

"Oh, forget it, what am I thinking about. The castle hasn't been rebuilt yet, so what am I thinking about. Let's take a step at that time."

……

Early the next morning, Zhou Laoliu stood outside the gate of the defense mansion and waited early.

Zhao Wen took the blueprint drawn with charcoal and was about to go to Zhou Laoliu after fighting all night last night, but ran into him as soon as he went out.

It's also fortunate that Zhao Wen didn't return what he had learned to the teacher, otherwise, Zhao Wen would be enough to just have a cement kiln now.

Zhao Wen looked at Zhou Laoliu with surprise, and said, "Why are you here so early?"

"The little one didn't dare to let the adults wait, so he came early." Zhou Laoliu looked at Zhao Wen anxiously, for fear of causing Zhao Wen's dissatisfaction.

"Since you're all here, I'll save my time. This blueprint is what I want you to build. This thing is called a cement kiln, and it needs to be built with refractory bricks. You first use ordinary bricks to build a kiln." Come out, let me take a look first. If it works, use refractory bricks to cover it." Zhao Wen handed the blueprint in his hand to Zhou Laoliu, and said earnestly.

Zhou Laoliu took the blueprint, squinted his eyes and looked at it carefully.

This drawing Zhao Wen has tried his best to make it simpler. On it, there are many details that later generations of engineers can understand at a glance. Zhao Wen also listed it alone, and drew a more clear and clear big picture.

So, Zhou Lao Liu didn't have much trouble looking at the blueprints.

After a long while, Zhou Lao Liu raised his head and said excitedly, "Sir, I will definitely be able to build this thing called a cement kiln. Just wait for my good news."

Zhou Laoliu patted his chest, spit flying, and assured Zhao Wen.

"Okay, then go quickly. Oh, by the way, bring me Wang Liuqi at the same time, I have something to do with him."

Zhao Wen went to Wang Liuqi for nothing but the refractory bricks.

Although this Wang Liuqi felt a bit half-hearted, but after all, this person had burned bricks for half his life. It is estimated that it should be much easier to find him for the matter of refractory bricks.

Although this cement is good, it is not easy to fire.First of all, the firing of cement requires a temperature of at least [-].And the blue bricks of this era simply cannot withstand such a high temperature.

If there is no refractory brick, then everything is in vain.

(End of this chapter)