Han Xiang

Chapter 84 Lu Zijing pulls out the weeping willow?
If things are abnormal, there must be a demon, Long Xiang suddenly stood up.

"Is he still in Kiln No. [-]? Take me there to have a look."

"That's what I mean, the horse is ready outside the mansion."

Tang Xi got up excitedly, pulled Long Xiang and walked out.

The two galloped their horses towards the west of the city. Under the scorching sun, heat waves danced in their eyes, the dust splashed by the horseshoes penetrated their noses, and the wind brought by the running blew away sweat.

Arriving in the west of the city where the brick kiln was made, Long Xiang's face was covered with sweat and dust, like a grayish-yellow mask.

"It's been a while since I've been here, the changes here are a bit big." Looking around, Long Xiang sighed.

Tang Xie nodded in agreement: "Yes, the soil transported into the city last year was piled up like several hills, and now it is almost flattened. Sure enough, there are more people and more power."

Long Xiang pinched his chin thoughtfully, and then said to himself: "Last year, there was still less soil. When all these bricks are burned out now, there will not be much work left for brick making and kiln firing. We have to give these new The refugees who come find something else to do."

"Find something else to do?"

Tang Xi was taken aback when he heard this, and then asked in puzzlement: "Why don't you continue to take soil to make bricks? I heard from Lao Feng a few days ago that the soil we transported into the city last year could only produce more than [-] green bricks from the kiln." , according to Yunqi's previous calculations, it takes [-] bricks to build a house, which is far from enough now."

Long Xiang explained with a smile: "The soil we took back then couldn't be used directly. It's not bad if we can get 20 yuan out of the kiln. If it doesn't work, we can use it to build a few large granaries. I think this year's rice crops are growing well. If we can keep the irrigation and dry fields, maybe There will be a good harvest."

"Yun Qi, don't worry, Hefei's current tax policy, and Shouchun's are like heaven and earth, they will do their best to serve the crops, who wouldn't want to work too much?

Many households, men, women, old and young are dispatched for watering and catching insects, so the soldiers of the South Gate are very busy every day. "

Although Tang Jue mentioned difficulties at the end, the relief in his words was undoubtedly revealed.

Although Long Xiang is not familiar with agricultural production, he fully understands and respects human nature.

If they exploited and squeezed like Yuan Shu and other princes, how could the common people really care for the crops?
Now Hefei has no "middlemen earning the difference", the people have a lot of food in their hands, and there is no corvee for the time being, so it can naturally mobilize the enthusiasm for production.

"I remember that young children don't have ID numbers, so how do the guards at the south gate identify fine works?" Long Xiang asked with great interest.

Tang Xie scratched his head and replied: "They are all taken by their parents, and their parents have numbers to guarantee them. Naturally, they cannot be meticulous work. Besides, the soldiers have been checking the numbers for a long time. Everyone has their own experience, and sometimes they can tell whether they are good people at a glance. "

Long Xiang asked: "What if the child is bought by Xizuo and sneaks out of the city to deliver news?"

"There are Master Cao's cavaliers outside the city. If they run out of the city carefully, they will be easily spotted." Tang Yu stroked his beard very proudly.

"Very good, just know how to be flexible."

Long Xiang nodded in satisfaction, then pointed to the front left and said, "Where is No. [-] kiln? Let's go and meet that 'fine work'."

"Okay, I'll lead the way."

There were originally three cave dwellings in the west of Hefei City, and the scale of the earthen kiln was not too large. It was originally a small kiln for firing pottery and other objects. One kiln could only hold seven or eight thousand bricks. It takes more than a month for the bricks to be stained and out of the kiln. This scale obviously cannot meet Longxiang's requirements.

In order to meet the needs of the construction of Hefei, and to find something for the common people to do during the slack season, Longxiang dug six new large-scale cave dwellings in the north of the original small kiln, which can fire nearly [-] green bricks at a time.

The clay brought from outside the city last year, Longxiang originally planned to use the slack time to fire green bricks during the slack time between autumn and spring plowing in the next year. However, there was a constant influx of refugees into Hefei, so Longxiang had to release this project in advance.

The process of burning bricks is very simple, that is, taking soil and mud, taking off the bricks, drying the bricks, installing the kiln, firing the kiln, bleeding the bricks, and leaving the kiln. There are seven steps in total.

Among the seven steps, except kiln firing is technical work, the remaining six steps are all physical work. Other places are firing kilns in autumn and winter. The time has moved to summer, so each step of the seven-step brick-burning process has become difficult.

Either work hard, sweat profusely, or be smoky and sweat profusely, and the "careful master" in Tang Yu's mouth probably couldn't bear the hardship of physical work, so he took the initiative to go down to the kiln to "sauna".

When Long Xiang and Tang Yu walked to the underground space of the kiln, they could clearly feel heat waves coming from the direction of the kiln hole.

Facing the high temperature and heat wave, the two walked towards the kiln hole.

Long Xiang felt that he was approaching the sun, the sweat on his body quickly evaporated and dried up, and the dusty skin on his face instantly felt extremely uncomfortable.

Burning a kiln in summer is like living in a sauna room, it feels so sour and refreshing.

When Long Xiang and Tang Yu came to the kiln hole, the kiln maker who was sitting up immediately stood up and saluted.

The potter was short in stature, and his face was like black charcoal after being smoked. Long Xiang instinctively felt that it was not special, so he asked Tang Xi for confirmation.

"Is it him?"

"No, that man may be eight feet long."

Tang Yu shook his head first, and then asked the potter in a deep voice: "I came here half an hour ago, where did that tall man go just now? Was he taken away by Mr. Cao?"

The potter waved his hand and replied: "The temperature here is very high, no one can stay for long, we take turns every half an hour, the Lu strong man mentioned by the general should rest in the south hut at this time, and it will be his turn in an hour." he."

A strong man with a height of eight feet?Lu Zhishen's appearance instantly appeared in Long Xiang's mind.

Long Xiang only remembered Lu Su for the name of Lu in the Three Kingdoms, and thought that he would not be so lucky, right?The governor of Soochow Wu took the initiative to send it to your door?

Use the appearance of a flower monk to set Lu Su?Couldn't Lu Su pull out the weeping willow upside down?
Thinking about it, Long Xiang felt hot eyes, and thought that if Lu Su had Lu Zhishen's physique, he could really have a solo meeting with Guan Erye.

In the end, Long Xiang speculated that it was a passer-by with the surname of Lu. If it was really a secret work from outside, there is a high probability that he used a fake name.

With the advice of the potter, Tang Xi took Long Xiang and turned to the south.

On the south side of the kiln, there are several huts dug out by hand, which are used for the daily rest of the kiln craftsmen.

From closing the kiln to firing the kiln to opening the kiln, the kiln fire could not be extinguished for about ten days, and the kiln burners ate, drank and slept under the kiln.

Originally, a kiln only needed two kiln craftsmen, and the people above only needed enough firewood and daily food delivery.

Burning kilns in summer is prone to heatstroke and coma, so six or seven people are arranged for each kiln to add firewood in rotation.

There are five huts on the south side. Long Xiang and Tang Yu walked a few steps away from the center and found Cao Xing coming out of the one on the right.

"Long Sima, Tang Quhou" Cao Xing greeted with clasped fists.

Seeing Cao Xing's nervous expression, Long Xiang wondered if there was something wrong with that 'Hua Monk'?He jokingly asked: "Boss Cao, I heard that you are protecting the spy?"

"no."

Before Cao Xing finished speaking, a voice came from inside the room.

"Are you Long Sima?"

Long Xiang turned his head to look for the reputation, and saw a figure protruding from the hole without a door.

Long Xiang saw that the person came with his upper body tight and his lower body with his trouser legs rolled up.

The other party had a dark face, with well-defined features, and was eight feet long, but not as broad as Tang Yu.

(End of this chapter)