Take the warehouse back to the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 48 Firing Refractory Bricks

Zhao Wen was wandering around the courtyard of the Garrison Mansion when he suddenly saw Wang Liuqi rushing in.

"My lord, are you looking for me?" Wang Liuqi bowed respectfully to Zhao Wen, and looked at Zhao Wen anxiously.

After Zhou Lao Liu was called away by the adults yesterday, his face was full of arrogance, and he put on a face in front of him all day long, so arrogant that he didn't even know his last name.

Today, the lord came to me, it seems that he has something to do with me, if I can do what the lord ordered well today, I will be appreciated by the lord.When the time comes, I'll see if that boy Zhou Laoliu dares to show his face in front of me.

Zhao Wen looked at Wang Liuqi and said in a deep voice, "Do you know about refractory bricks?"

"Firebricks? Bricks that can withstand fire?"

"Yeah, I just don't know if you can fire it?" Zhao Wen asked in a low voice.

Wang Liuqi thought for a while, and then said, "I used to burn bricks for ironmaking blast furnaces, but I don't know if the bricks for ironmaking blast furnaces can work?"

"Bricks on the iron furnace? Hey, I'm afraid this won't work." Zhao Wen shook his head.

The maximum temperature that the ancient ironmaking blast furnace could reach was only over 100 degrees, which is far from the 400 degrees required for firing cement.

"I was thinking, since you have been burning bricks for most of your life, then I was thinking, see if you can make refractory bricks." Zhao Wen said in a deep voice with his hands behind his back.

Wang Liuqi stroked the beard on his chin and said, "But the villain doesn't know what this refractory brick is, so he can't burn it at all."

Zhao Wen looked at Wang Liuqi's anxious face, and said with a smile, "What are you afraid of? If I let you make refractory bricks, then I must have the formula and firing method."

Refractory bricks are referred to as firebricks.Refractory materials made of refractory clay or other refractory raw materials.It is mainly pale yellow or brownish in color.It is mainly used for building smelting furnaces, porcelain kilns and glass kilns, etc.

In fact, in ancient times, there were also refractory bricks, but the production method of this kind of refractory bricks is a secret that few outsiders know.

Moreover, this high-quality refractory brick is basically only available in the south.After all, there are more ironmaking furnaces and porcelain kilns there.In the north, basically few people can burn high-quality refractory bricks.

The refractory bricks used in ironmaking furnaces in the north are far less than those in the south.This is why at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the quality of Sugang was the best at that time.

At the same time, although this high-quality refractory brick is a very good thing compared to this era, it is far from meeting Zhao Wen's requirements.These refractory bricks can basically only withstand a high temperature of more than 100 degrees, which is far from the more than 400 degrees required for cement kilns.

The refractory bricks fired by Zhao Wenrang and Wang Liuqi are a kind of refractory bricks called refractory clay bricks, which can withstand high temperatures of 1580°C-1770°C.

Among various refractory bricks, only refractory clay bricks are the most convenient to fire, and the required materials are also the simplest.

The main material of refractory clay bricks is refractory clay, and this refractory clay is what people often call kaolin, that is, Guanyin clay.

Kaolin is the most common material needed to make ceramics, but it is not an uncommon material.

According to the ability of this era, only refractory clay bricks can be fired.

Refractory clay bricks are easy to fire, and ordinary brick kilns can also be fired, and the materials are also very convenient, so Zhao Wen planned to ask Wang Liuqi to fire refractory clay bricks from the beginning.

"Do you know kaolin?" Zhao Wen looked at Wang Liuqi with a smile on his face.

Wang Liuqi answered, "I know, it's something made of ceramics. But does it have anything to do with this refractory brick?"

"What does it matter? Hehe, there is a lot to do here. Let me tell you, this refractory brick..."

Zhao Wen picked up a branch and squatted on the ground to write and draw. Wang Liuqi stood aside, looking at the strange characters on the ground with a blank face.

Zhao Wen wrote and painted on the ground, and even Li Xiaoying, a scholarly lady like Li Xiaoying, didn't know him.What's more, what about Wang Liuqi who doesn't know a single word?
Zhao Wen looked at the bewildered Wang Liuqi, sighed helplessly, and then introduced to Wang Liuqi in detail the firing method of refractory bricks in a simpler way.

An hour later, Zhao Wen swallowed a mouthful of saliva, moistened his extremely dry throat, then looked at Wang Liuqi, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you understand now?"

Wang Liuqi scratched his head, half understanding, and said: "Listen to what your lord said, the firing method of this refractory brick is similar to that of ordinary bricks, except that the soil used is different."

Zhao Wen slapped his thigh, coughed twice, cleared his throat, and said with a happy face: "It's not wasted effort, you're right. In general, the firing method is similar, only a few details and necessary The soil is different."

"Well, you go to build the brick kiln first, and I will go back and draw the detailed method of firing refractory bricks. At that time, you just need to follow the order I drew, and you will be right." Zhao Wen clapped his hands, Brushing off the dust from his hands, he waved at Wang Liuqi.

"Retire, little one!" Wang Liuqi cupped his hands at Zhao Wengong respectfully, then stepped back and left.

Zhao Wen returned to the hall of the Garrison Mansion, picked up the teacup on the table, and drank it down in one gulp.

"Oh, this is exhausting me. It's so hard to tell these people something."

Zhao Wen sat on a chair with a look of lovelessness on his face.

Li Xiaoying stood beside Zhao Wen, and said softly: "What's wrong with Brother Zhao? What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, don't mention it. These people can't read a single word. Telling them something is like playing the piano to the cow. It's just too uncomfortable. I think, from now on, we must find someone who can count as a writer, otherwise, we must I can't be exhausted."

……

Early the next morning, Zhao Wen handed over the drawn drawings to Wang Liuqi, and took Li Xiaoying around the city by himself.

"Come on, one or two. Help me, one or two..."

Zhao Daniu was shirtless, standing on a broken wall, directing the migrant workers to lift a big stone on the ground.

"Daniu, how are you doing?" Zhao Wen saw Zhao Daniu's arm reflecting the light in the sun from afar.

Seeing Zhao Wen coming slowly, Zhao Daniu hurriedly jumped off the broken wall, and said to Zhao Wen with a happy face: "My lord, I am responsible for cleaning up the south side of the fort. The cleaning is about to be completed now, and it will take another two days. , we will be able to clean up this Fort South completely.”

"Haha, not bad, not bad, it seems that your speed is quite fast. How is Song Hu's cleaning up?" Zhao Wen patted Zhao Daniu's shoulder and praised with a happy face.

"They're almost done cleaning it up, and it's only been a few days." Zhao Daniu didn't look happy because of Zhao Wen's praise, but frowned and looked at Zhao Wen.

Looking at Zhao Daniu's expression, Zhao Wen asked in confusion, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"My lord, it looks like it will be cleaned up soon, but the bricks and tiles needed to build the city have not yet been found. Originally, many of these ruined houses and city walls could be uncovered, but before we came to Longmen Fort, many All the bricks were taken back by the people living nearby to build houses. Now, we don’t have enough bricks!” Zhao Daniu said anxiously with a worried expression on his face.

Zhao Wen smiled slightly and said, "It's not a big deal. I estimate that in another seven or eight days, the brick kiln outside the fort will start producing bricks. By then, no matter how many bricks there are, it won't be a problem."

"That's fine, that's fine."

"After this is cleaned up, you will lead these migrant workers to dig the loess outside the fort and build up the entire Longmen Fort for me, as high as you can."

Zhao Daniu didn't understand the significance of Zhao Wen's approach at all, but he didn't ask.After all, adults have their own reasons for doing things.

Seventy miles northwest of Longmen Castle, there is a small hill that is not too high.It is better to say that it is a small mound than a mountain.The terrain is also quite dangerous.

There is a stockade on the hill, called Langzhai, and there are nearly 300 bandits in it.

These bandits gather here, often doing the business of killing people, stealing goods, and robbing civilian women.

Especially every time the Tartars attacked Caogu, this group took advantage of this time to go down the mountain to create chaos, rob people, traffic people, rob money, rob food, and rob big households.Murder and arson, all kinds of evil.

In the past, the local garrison did not go to encircle and suppress. Unfortunately, the current military discipline is corrupt, the guards are uneven, and the generals are fatuous, so the encirclement and suppression many times has no obvious effect.

Moreover, this group of bandits only went down the mountain when the Tartars were hunting grass valleys, and the rest of the time was relatively safe.In addition, every time this group of bandits robbed money and food, they would always pay respect to the local Shangguan.

Therefore, for so many years, this group of bandits lived a stable life.This group of people has no other skills, but their noses are sensitive.

When Zhao Wen just started repairing Longmen Fort, he was followed by them.

At the beginning, this group of bandits didn't take Zhao Wen and others seriously.

After all, it is normal for a few poor Ming soldiers to lead a group of peasants to repair the city wall.

If you rob them, you really won't get any money, and you may even cause a commotion.

But as time went by, the bandits felt that Zhao Wen and the others were unusual.

According to their observation for such a long time, the peasants led by the Ming army were not conscripted corvees, but migrant workers hired by themselves.

When they first heard the news, they were all speechless.

Darling, how much does it cost to recruit so many migrant workers?This Ming army is really rich like his grandma.

For a moment, greedy light appeared in the eyes of all the bandits.

At the same time, they also had a question in their minds, that is, what exactly did the Ming army think, that they would spend money to hire migrant workers.

You know, in the Ming Dynasty, repairing the city wall was the corvee work of the common people.

Whenever the Ming army wanted to repair the city wall, it only needed to conscript corvee to repair the city wall.Where else do I need to spend money?
　Thank you for the reward of the bald rabbit, and thank you readers for your big recommendation tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)