Lu Yi's refusal did not surprise Li Yanzhao very much. He just felt a pity, because Lu Yi's physical condition and coordination were very good. But he didn't have any training. It's enough to be called "talented".

However, at this time, looking at the timid teenager in front of him. Li Yanzhao didn't have any thoughts of blame. He was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and like most ordinary people, he just wanted to live a few days of peace, and he could not grasp the ambition in his heart and the mood of recruiting him to join the army.

Lu Yi still wringed the corners of his clothes with his hands, standing there timidly, not daring to raise his head, and his eyes kept staring at his toes.

When Hu Gongcao saw this scene, he turned to Li Yanzhao with a sad face and said: "Captain Li Bairen, look, this ......"

Li Yanzhao sighed and waved his hand to Lu Yiyi: "Go, if you have the idea of joining the army in the future, you might as well come to the camp to find me." ”

Seeing the young man run away like a frightened rabbit, Li Yanzhao turned his head to look at Hu Gongcao, but said, "Gongcao, gather the craftsmen and redistribute everyone's work." ”

When Hu Gongcao heard this, he nodded yes, and immediately summoned all the craftsmen in the workshop to the courtyard.

He divided the craftsmen into carpenters, blacksmiths, and leathermen. The three groups of craftsmen were then arranged separately.

Hu Gongcao has obviously understood the essence of Li Yanzhao. For example, among carpenters, the division of timber and the repair occupy more man-hours, so most of the carpenters are arranged to carry out the two tasks of dividing the timber and repairing, and the rest of the people are responsible for the work that takes up less man-hours such as assembling, sanding, and painting.

The same is true for the cobbler's office. Just the blacksmith's side. Hu Gongcao thought about it, but there was no good way. I had to find Li Yanzhao and ask questions.

Blacksmiths make stirrups by forging them. Although this method is simple and easy to implement, it does not require any conditions, but it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the yield is not high.

Li Yanzhao thought of using the casting method. In this way, the production process is simplified and man-hours are shortened. It is undoubtedly possible to manufacture stirrups in large quantities.

However, a large amount of refractory insulation materials and coal required for the casting method are difficult to find on the site to which Liangzhou belongs today.

However, the production of stirrups has become a key factor restricting the production of new harnesses in Guangwu County.

Li Yanzhao asked Hu Gongcao about refractory bricks and coal resources. He also proposed his own casting method.

As soon as he said this, Hu Gongcao realized that this idea was definitely a shocking plan that could increase the production of stirrups several times.

Hu Gongcao looked at Xin Taishou on the side in confusion, and said in a trembling voice: "Fu Jun, if you can really find these two things as Li Bairen said, then the output of horse harness in the workshop can no longer be the same as the present!" ”

Although Taishou didn't know the details, but among the craftsman workshops in the county, which one he hadn't seen or inspected? Is there anyone in the workshop who hasn't talked to this approachable Taishou and told him about some craftsmanship?

As a result, although Taishou does not understand the details, he has at least a general understanding of various craft techniques. At this time, I was not surprised to hear what Li Yanzhao said.

"The refractory clay mentioned by Li Bairen is probably not difficult to find, so it is better for the county government to send more people to collect clay samples from all over the county, and then burn it into bricks after returning, and then conduct experiments to find out the clay suitable for making refractory bricks. It's just the black combustible stone that Li Bairen said...... Xin is really unheard of. ”

Li Yanzhao felt that it was too unheard of, and it was not strange at all. According to his understanding, coal resources are mostly distributed in Guanzhong, Central Plains, Taihang Mountain, Youyou, Hebei (now Hebei) two prefectures. Even further north beyond the Great Wall, the grasslands occupied by the Xianbei people at this time also had a large amount of coal reserves.

However, what about the coal reserves in the Liangzhou border...... Compared to the above, these places are mosquito legs. However, Li Yanzhao felt that this coal was used to smelt steel and cast stirrups in this workshop in Guangwu County, and it may be possible to make weapons on a large scale in the future, but it was absolutely more than enough.

In his previous life, Li Yanzhao's ancestors were mining workers, so he also knew a little about the distribution of coal. After thinking about it carefully, he said to Taishou: "Fujun, when it comes to this coal, you might as well send someone who knows it among the craftsmen to look for it in the mountains near Guzang." ”

When Tai Shou heard this, he also nodded and agreed: "Tomorrow, I will instruct the scribe in the county government to visit the old blacksmith in the county town, and I will go to find it in a few days." ”

Xin Taishou crossed the border to look for minerals, and it was naturally inevitable that all parties would take care of each other and say hello. However, this matter is not something that Li Yanzhao, a small leader of 100, can worry about. At the moment, he only thought that if he could find coal, the productivity of the iron-smelting industry in Guangwu County would be able to rise to an unknown number of steps.

At that time, Mo said that other counties competed with it for profit, and competed to make new harnesses with stirrups. Guangwu will throw out the workshops of the rest of the county government in terms of quality and output, how many orders of magnitude do they fight?

After being optimistic for a while, Li Yanzhao thought of something again, got up and went to the ground on the side, picked up a branch, and returned to Taishou and Hu Gongcao, called Hu Gongcao, but drew it on the ground with a branch.

Li Yanzhao drew a simple mold, and then said to Hu Gongcao: "Li Moufang thought for a moment, this kind of casting method must make a mold, and the mold is half a stirrup-shaped system. Then make a mold, which can fit perfectly. ”

"In the future, if there is a condition to practice the casting method, you can make more molds. Then the molten iron is poured into the mold on one side. Allow it to cool and fix. After fixing, the molten iron is injected into the other half of the mold, and the molded half is overlapped. After it is cooled and set, the mold is broken, and a complete stirrup can be obtained. ”

Hu Gongcao patiently listened to Li Yanzhao's explanation, and then carefully looked at the mold pattern drawn by Li Yanzhao on the ground, and was surprised, and gave a thumbs up again and again: "Wonderful, wonderful." This law has been unheard of since Hu took over the construction of Guangwu County. It's wonderful! ”

Li Yanzhao knew very well in his heart that the reason why Hu Gongcao was unheard of was not that he, Li Yanzhao, was smarter than others. It is the land of Liangzhou, which did not have the conditions for the implementation of the casting method before, so Hu Gongcao has never heard of it. It is not so much that he has never heard of it, but that it is due to various objective conditions that make it unheard of.

Li Yanzhao did not dare to despise the wisdom of the working people, on the contrary, this wisdom made him feel awe from the bottom of his heart. Many changes in the productive forces in history have been accomplished by the wisdom of the working people.

He was deeply aware that this wisdom was the accelerator that pushed the wheel of history. Whether or not we can make good use of these internal factors from the bottom is the key to whether Liangzhou can prosper in the future.

Li Yanzhao humbled at Hu Gongcao, and then turned to Taishou and said: "Fujun, before finding refractory soil, coal and other things, and practicing the method of casting, I am afraid that in the workshop, there will be an imbalance in the proportion of various harness manufacturing. ”

"Saddle production may skyrocket, while stirrup production remains the same. As a result, there will inevitably be a surplus of carpenters and tanners. ”

Hearing Li Yanzhao's words, Taishou also nodded thoughtfully, and said, "A certain book also thought of this question. Why don't you have carpenters and cobblers make a batch of saddles and then transfer them elsewhere. Only one manpower remained, and the saddle was made. After he finds refractory clay and coal, and carries out the method of casting, he will gather craftsmen. ”

Li Yanzhao heard about Taishou's arrangement, but he bowed deeply: "The prince of the palace is wise." ”

Seeing that the sun was already turning west, Taishou instructed Hu Gongcao to distribute the box of copper coins they had brought to the craftsmen. Hu Gongcao did as he was told. The craftsmen, who had been working for a long day and were slightly tired, were gathered. I heard that Taishou and Li Bairen gave them a reward. Everyone's tiredness is swept away and excited.

All the craftsmen knelt on the ground with the copper coins in their hands, and thanked Taishou and Li Bairen again and again.

In this era, the status of craftsmen is also generally not high. These are people who have little respect from others before. Doing some work that they saw as nothing more than their own duties, they received the same attention and respect from the head of the county and the military attaché in the army, and it was also a place that moved them in addition to the warm copper coins in their hands.

Li Yanzhao hurriedly stepped forward and helped up a few kneeling craftsmen in the front row, to tell the truth, he, a person from later generations, is not very accustomed to the current practice of kneeling at every turn. However, this kind of fear of power is not something that he can change as a small person at this time.

"You don't have to say thank you!" Li Yanzhao helped up the craftsmen in the front row, and then said loudly in a voice that everyone could hear: "Whether it is the reward given today, or the respect for you, you are completely worthy of it!" I only hope that you will be serious in your work and diligent in creating in the future. Do a good job in your own hands, be worthy of the support of the county government and the people, and get a good income, worthy of the old and young in the family. What other regrets can there be in the world like this! ”

When those craftsmen heard Li Yanzhao's words, they all nodded their heads again and again. There was an elderly craftsman in the front row, who hugged Li Yanzhao and Taishou in the direction and said: "We will keep in mind the words of the hundred people, and we will work diligently in the future, in order to live up to the love of the prince and the hundred people!" ”

When Li Yanzhao heard this, he was also smiling, and praised the craftsmen again and again. Then, seeing that the sun had gone west and it was time for the craftsmen to get off work, they walked out of the courtyard of this workshop with the Taishou and several guards.

Everyone escorted the Taishou's car and turned back to the county government.

Back at the county mansion, Taishou couldn't help but say that Li Yanzhao had dinner with him. Taishou's dinner was simple, but a plate of tofu, a few kinds of greens, and corn and rice were eaten.

Seeing Xin Taishou's simple daily meal, Li Yanzhao was also quite emotional. The heads of such a county are so incorruptible, and under his own imagination, it is only a matter of time before Guangwu County becomes rich and strong.

After eating, Li Yanzhao looked at the wooden box full of copper coins, but he was in trouble. Where should this box be moved?

You can call Cao Jian and them, move them to the camp, and give rewards to his subordinate cavalry. However, this is not the same as last time. There was no war, and the armies did not serve the country. Li Yanzhao prefers to store the money and use it later.

Taishou also seemed to see Li Yanzhao's distress. But he laughed, and then patted Li Yanzhao on the shoulder, and said, "Are you distressed and don't know where to move?" A certain has ordered the county government to contribute to the establishment of a house for Jun. Why don't you move there? ”

"Huh?" When Li Yanzhao heard Taishou's words, his eyes were about to fall out.