Hongwu Survival Guide

Chapter 290 Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang
At the eastern foot of the Shogunate, different from the large open-air kilns around it, there is also a kiln with rising smoke day by day, but it is surrounded by walls.

It is the cement workshop.

On the eve of the new year, the fire kiln area that provides masonry materials for various constructions north of Xuanwu Lake is still busy with people coming and going.Just after noon, a convoy of six bullock carts came from the southwest. The carts were full of high-quality coal, which made some passers-by feel envious. A little more sigh and ridicule.

It took a whole month to spend a lot of time, but nothing was done.

Good coal.

There are many fire kilns around, most of which can only burn firewood.

The leader of the convoy was a middle-aged man in Tsing Yi. When the convoy stopped, he climbed off a green mule with the support of his subordinates and walked towards the gate of the workshop.

This is a subordinate employee of the Charcoal Bureau of the Ministry of Industry, named Zhuo Liu.

Zhuo Liu was also a candidate for this imperial examination. Because of his mediocre grades and his age reached 39 years old, he was assigned by the imperial court to enter the Ministry of Industry, which was constantly expanding its manpower, and became a low-ranking subordinate.Compared with some other scholars who were high-spirited and unwilling to give in, although Zhuo Liu was equally dissatisfied, he also tried to move around, but after he failed, he stayed.

Because it can be seen that this new dynasty... seems to be different.

In the future, the subordinate staff may also have their day.

For example, the Charcoal Bureau he was in was originally only the Charcoal Division under the General Zuosi. It was regulated from the bottom of the ninth rank and was only responsible for supplying charcoal to the royal family.

Now, after the confirmation of the Ministry of Industry, this department has also been promoted to the eighth grade, not only supplying charcoal to the royal family, but also responsible for the fuel required for many firings around Jinling.Zhuoliu also heard recently that the charcoal bureau...may be further improved.

At that time, with more titles, I might be able to enter the first-class rank.

In comparison, a fellow villager, Shen Quan, who also belonged to the eighth-rank ambassador of the newly established Cement Bureau of the Ministry of Industry, both of them are from Gaoyou, Huaidong, so Zhuo Liu was able to get this designated errand to deliver charcoal here Anyway, this time, I'm afraid I'm going to stumble.

Zhuo Liu could still recall Shen Quan's smug ambition when he was first appointed as the ambassador of the Cement Bureau.

At that time, a wine bureau was specially set up.

Zhuoliu also flattered the other party at the beginning, because he knew that this was something arranged by a certain young man Pingzhang, and if it was done well, the future would be bright, so he wondered if he could also transfer to Shen Quan's side, even if he was also a subordinate, maybe , the promotion can also be faster.

Thankfully I didn't.

It's been a month...nothing has been done, only some charcoal that was burned for nothing.If it were placed elsewhere, enough bricks and tiles to build a large house would have been burnt out.

The last time I came to deliver charcoal, seeing Shen Quan's helpless and distressed expression, Zhuo Liu comforted him on the surface, but in his heart... But some inappropriate gloating was unavoidable.

Master Pingzhang's errand.

How can it be so easy to do the things arranged by the experts outside the world?If you were allowed to do it casually, would he still be an expert in the world, and could he become a member of the royal family in just one year?
Notified, entered the door.

Zhuo Liu noticed the difference in the courtyard at a glance.

Compared with the scene seen a few days ago, at present, in this courtyard, whether it is roasting stone, or crushing and grinding in front of the stone roller or stone mill, each and every craftsman has a white face. Masks, look at the mouth of the kiln where the smoke is coming out, the craftsmen over there, and there are even more strange leather masks.

A craftsman who greeted Zhuoliu noticed his puzzled and surprised expression, and explained with a bit of flaunting: "This is sent by Mr. Pingzhang's order, and it's really good. Since wearing this, everyone is wearing it. There is nothing wrong with working in the dust, and my face is much warmer in this winter."

Lord Pingzhang?

However, Zhuoliu keenly grasped the key point, looked at the craftsman, and asked with some disbelief: "This... cement...is it done?"

"This...you don't dare to say it."

As the craftsman said, he subconsciously glanced at a row of houses on the east side of the yard.

Whether it will be successful... depends on it.

No way!

This was Zhuo Liu's thought.

But, since it didn't work out, couldn't it be... that young Pingzhang, shouldn't he punish the cement bureau for his work, why did he send these masks?

Just as he was thinking, several people came from a fire kiln on the west side, the leader was wearing a set of black casual clothes, wearing a mask, covered in dust, but Zhuo Liu recognized that the leader was Shen Quan.

Seeing Zhuo Liu, Shen Quan quickly took off the leather mask, stepped forward quickly, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Zhuo is bothering you again."

"Everything that is assigned is assigned." Zhuo Liu returned the gift, but he still couldn't hold back, and said, "This time, it's six carts of good coal, which has just been shipped from the riverside. The riverside... then The big ship also traveled upstream to Huangzhou Mansion in Huguang, and it traveled thousands of miles. I also heard that Lord Shangshu personally instructed that the Cement Bureau must be here, so I hurriedly sent it to Brother Shen."

Zhuo Liu's words seemed to be expressing his importance, but in fact, there was also a hint of sarcasm.

The Ministry of Industry attaches so much importance to the Cement Bureau, so you will give it what you want. You, the ambassador of the Cement Bureau, have spent a lot of trouble for a month, but you haven't produced anything... Can't you justify it?

Shen Quan is also a scholar, of course he also heard the ridicule in Zhuo Liu's words, but subconsciously shook his head: "Ashamed, ashamed."

Beside Shen Quan, an illiterate but understanding craftsman saw that his superior was being ridiculed by his fellow countrymen. He hesitated a little, but took the initiative to say: "My lord, the ones in the house... I'm afraid they have already been done, how about... let's take a look now." Effectiveness."

done?
Effectiveness?

Seeing Shen Quan's ashamed and downtrodden appearance, Zhuo Liu felt a bit more schadenfreude in his mind, but at the moment, he heard this again... What's the situation here?
Shen Quan hesitated.

Looking at it now, if it doesn't work out, I'm afraid I'll be embarrassed again in front of Brother Zhuo, who is both from the same town and the same age.

However, the people around me have already mentioned it. If you don’t read it, you’re afraid you’ll be laughed at or even suspected. After all, you still signal to a row of warehouses in the east: “Brother Zhuo, since that’s the case, let’s take a look together. Brother Zhuo, don't laugh at me."

Zhuoliu also came back to his senses, and quickly showed a smile: "It seems that I will meet something good in the next few days, so I need to congratulate Brother Shen first."

The two walked towards the east room together. Facing Zhuoliu's doubts, Shen Quan took the initiative to explain: "Speaking of it, it was the day before yesterday. Lord Pingzhang suddenly called me over and asked about the cement firing. There was no time in the next month. Seeing the success, I am very ashamed, my lord...you are generous, you don't blame the slightest, and you ask...you are worthy of being an expert in the world, you can find the joint in it, this joint..."

When it came to the concrete firing of cement, Shen Quan subconsciously stopped, and of course he would not mention that the formula process given by someone was wrong, but then he said vaguely: "... this joint... oh, it's all about being dull. …So I started to try again when I came back, the next day… On that day, Brother Zhuo knew about the penicillin?”

Zhuo Liu was listening attentively, but he didn't expect Shen Quan to turn to the matter of penicillin, but he also nodded: "How can I not know, I went to Houhu University yesterday, unfortunately there are too many people, so I couldn't get a free clinic. Instead, I bought a few catties of high-quality honey and came back."

"That free clinic is a great act of kindness. I'll let my family members go...to join in the fun," Shen Quan turned a corner in time, without saying that he asked his family members to donate money, and returned to the present moment. In front of the door, one side said: "On that day, I felt that I had achieved something, but I was not sure, so I tried it quietly first, and reported it to Mr. Pingzhang after thinking that it would be successful."

Having said that, Shen Quan took the key from his waist, unlocked the brass lock, and pushed open the door.

Zhuoliu looked at it immediately.

There is no furniture in the room. On the empty ground, there are only six sets of molds, similar to the kind of wooden molds used for foundry casting.

At the moment, every wooden formwork seems to be covered with bricks and stones.

When Zhuoliu was in a daze for a while, Shen Quan had already walked over, squatted down, touched the nearest piece with his hand, and nodded slightly: "It seems...it's done."

While speaking, Shen Quan was full of anxiety in his heart.

Before, some craftsmen suggested that it could be put into the furnace or added to the fire for drying. After seeing the boy Pingzhang that day, Shen Quan accepted the proposals of the craftsmen very humbly, but he did not agree at that time.

Roasting with fire is cheating.

So I waited patiently for two or three days.

Now the question is...it's dried, but, how firm is it?

Is it really as hard as a rock?
Zhuoliu followed and looked carefully. The six sets of half-foot-high and one-foot-square molds looked different from a closer look. There were pure dry gray stone-like substances, some mixed with crushed stones, and some molds made of a few pieces. The bricks are glued together.What's more, if you look more carefully, the color shades are also different, probably not the ashes from the same furnace.

Zhuo left his consciousness and reached out to touch the purer one.

Started cold and hard.

If you want to pick it, you also need to check the hardness. After thinking about it, there is still no action.

In case it gets broken...

After such a brief moment of silence, it was still the craftsman who spoke just now, and said to Shen Quan: "My lord, have you untied the mold?"

Shen Quan finally hesitated, but nodded: "Let's go."

Whether it is successful or not, there must be a result.

With Shen Quan's permission, several craftsmen stepped forward to operate, and Shen Quan also wanted to help, but because of the worry in his heart, he decided to back away after thinking about it.

At the entrance, many artisans gathered around the workshop when they learned that they were inspecting the results of the cement made the day before yesterday, and even the peasants who came to deliver coal with Zhuo Liu crowded over curiously to watch the excitement.

It's really lively.

The so-called cement that has been spread in private can be turned into stone as long as it is mixed with water and dried.

It's amazing to think about it.

If there is such a thing, don't talk about all kinds of engineering, I'm afraid... the imperial court wants to build a mountain out of thin air, wouldn't it be possible?
Is this what humans can do?

inside the house.

Under the operation of the craftsmen, the hemp rope that bound the outer layer was quickly untied, and then one piece of wood was removed, but... things soon went a little bit unsmooth.

The outer wooden boards of two of the cement blocks were firmly glued to the cement block. The craftsman tried to use some brute force to break one of the wooden boards, but half of the wooden boards were firmly attached to the dark gray cement block. adhesion.

Seeing this, Shen Quan quickly stopped the craftsmen from continuing: "Stop, just, that's all."

As he spoke, he stepped forward again and squatted down to check.

As the steward of the workshop and the ambassador of the Cement Bureau, Shen Quan knew very well that the two pieces of cement that stuck to the board were fired in the same furnace. He could even clearly remember the details of the cement recipe and firing time of that furnace.

in front of...

Although a piece of wood was broken and the mold couldn't be removed, Shen Quan felt...but he was happy.

This is what cement should be like!
You must know that before the mud was poured into the six molds, they were all wiped with dry ash to prevent sticking. Shen Quan had been carefully observing the other several just now, and they were more or less not so easy to remove. This one , simply stuck together.

Turning his mind, Shen Quan tapped a piece of pure cement in front of him with his hand. It felt very hard, and thought about it: "Get a hammer..." After a pause, he added: "A sledgehammer!"

Immediately someone agreed.

Soon, a long-handled sledgehammer used in the workshop to beat stones was brought in.

Shen Quan took over the heavy hammer that was half a person tall, and wanted to do it himself. After thinking about it, he gave it to the craftsman who just reminded himself: "Hang Er, come here."

The burly craftsman named Hang Er couldn't understand Zhuo Liu's teasing of his lord just now, so he opened his mouth, but at the moment, he also hesitated and shook his head subconsciously: "My lord, why don't you come in person?"

"My strength is weak," Shen Quan ordered with a serious expression, "Come here, hit me hard."

It must be the easiest way to test whether the cement is ready or not.

Shen Quan's momentum changed, Hang Er obeyed subconsciously, and took the hammer.

The others took the initiative to back away.

Shen Quan said: "Small it, smash it open, it's all my own, it has nothing to do with you."

Holding the hammer in both hands, Hang Er glanced at his lord, then at Zhuo Liu, and then turned to a group of craftsmen who had already crowded the doorway. A piece of cement smashed away.

boom--

A muffled sound.

This is a piece of cement mixed with stones. When the heavy hammer falls, everyone is used to working and knows that Hang Er has no strength. However, there is no shattering scene in front of everyone's imagination. Neither, the piece of cement was just smashed into a shallow pit.

Shen Quan stared blankly at the cement block that had been smashed into a shallow hole, and heaved a long sigh of relief.

Become!

There were not only craftsmen around, but even Zhuoliu, who was expecting the cement block to be broken in a moment, could not wait to exclaim when he saw the scene in front of him.

It turned out to be a success!

This...is the rumored cement.

Sure enough, really, just like that stone.

The creation of this world is really miraculous.

Amazing.

For a moment, Shen Quan's voice sounded, interrupting everyone's admiration and feeling amazed, Hang Er, who was also a little dazed when the hammer fell, said: "Go on, smash."

So, aim for the second block, the second hammer.

boom--

This time it was a block of pure cement.

As the heavy hammer fell, the mud block cracked and became two halves.

Ugh……

A soft sigh.

broken?

Startled, Hang Er thought so, and looked at Shen Quan.

Shen Quan thought about it: "This cement may only be stronger with the addition of stones. It's just two halves. It's not bad. Continue!"

boom--

The third hammer.

This time it was a few pieces of green bricks glued together.

Also shattered.

However, everyone also found that the broken bricks were mainly green bricks, and the joints between the green bricks and the cement were firmly stuck together.

Shen Quan silently wrote down the details, and said again: "Continue."

boom--

boom--

boom--

The last three hammers fell one after another.

One of them was mixed with crushed stone again, and the other two were just stuck to the outer wooden mold and could not be removed.

Three pieces of cement, three blows, all intact.

The six hammers fell, Shen Quan looked at the situation in front of him, thinking about the torment of the past month, at the moment, he even wanted to cry.

It took a long time like this, until Zhuoliu, who found that his fellow countryman seemed to be in a daze, pushed him and called him a few times, Shen Quan came back to his senses.

Looking around, Shen Quan said excitedly: "Wait...wait, wait. My officer...go and announce the good news to Lord Pingzhang, good news!"

(End of this chapter)