In April, Yang Fan sat in the shadow of the Pingding Mountain, and his right hand was two baskets of freshly baked food, one basket of quicklime and the other basket of gray powder. He took a small bucket, put some water on it, scooped a scoop of quicklime, stirred it into the water, and immediately felt the bucket start to heat up.

"Qi Dabai, have you done it?"

Qi Dabai held a big Luo noodle and shouted like a steamed bun seller: "It's baked, it's baked." Hurriedly ran to Yang Fan and put down Na Luo Mian.

Yang Fan took a wooden spoon and knocked it over piece by piece.

"How's that, sir?" Qi Dabai asked excitedly. Both hands wiped and wiped on the clothes, and they seemed to be nervous.

Several pieces were knocked, and they were all broken into powder. "That's not right." Yang Fan threw away the wooden spoon and held his chin and thought for a long time. Even the formula of cement was not as easy to use as he imagined, which gave him a headache.

"My lord, can't any of this?" Qi Dabai had some embarrassment on his face, he was responsible for this kiln, and he naturally felt uncomfortable if he didn't burn it well.

"Dabai, I don't blame you, it's my problem." Yang Fan glanced at Qi Dabai's appearance, thinking that his words had affected him, so he comforted.

"My lord, what exactly do you want to burn?"

Yang Fan got up and said: "The burned ones are as hard as porcelain, and after they are ground, they are stirred with water, and after they are dry, they can be hardened again." Okay, there must be something wrong with the ratio of clay and lime, let's stop here today, notify everyone, call it a day! ”

On the way back, Yang Fan was a little depressed, riding Xiao Hei, thinking about what he was doing when he studied history, learning some architecture, chemical engineering or something, and it is estimated that he will not be so worried now. The specific raw materials used in cement are still in the countryside when I was a child, and the master of a cement factory told him.

The current hundreds of migrant workers don't need Yang Fan to watch at all, they all follow him enthusiastically. Of course, Yang Fan didn't treat them badly, and even the food was the same as that of ordinary officers and soldiers, which made those migrant workers full of gratitude to Yang Fan in addition to their full stomachs. They could feel Yang Fan's equal gaze at them, and the nicknames that had already blurted out.

Qi Dabai is one of them, he has always been under the hands of those small officials who can't raise his head, and finally, there is a day when he can engage in his own industry so enthusiastically, and that is contentment. Everyone was talking about today's achievements, so much so that they didn't see that one person quietly left the team......

Today's Linghe City has a little appearance. The city wall was poured into more than two people, Yang Fan entered the city, found Zu Dashou, and told him about the next arrangements. The most important thing now is grain and grass, so in addition to the rear materials, you must have your own plan to tuntian, after all, if Dalinghe City can be defended, you have to look at it from a long-term perspective.

After listening to Yang Fan's thoughts, Zu Dashou felt that it was very good, so he asked where Tuntian was more suitable. Yang Fan said: "I have been in the Thirteen Peaks in the past few days, and I have also opened up a few more suitable mountain fields, and when the city wall is repaired, I will use the Thirteen Peaks as a supply point, which can keep the supplies of Linghe City continuous." ”

Zu Dashou said: "Although the mountain field is hidden, rice and wheat are not suitable for always in that place, and it is even more inappropriate to grow some fine vegetables." ”

"Now that there is a famine, is it possible that the imperial court still mainly uses rice and wheat as its main crops?" Yang Fan was surprised, in his opinion, in this era of great famine, planting corn and potatoes is the king. The yield per mu is high and drought tolerant.

"Or else? If you don't grow rice and wheat, what do you eat? Zu Dashou was even more surprised, this rice and wheat are already the highest yield crops.

"Haven't you heard of corn or potatoes?" Yang Fan asked, "Under his influence, these two crops from the Americas were introduced to China in the 16th century, why haven't they been popularized until now?" ”

Zu Dashou shook his head and said, "I've eaten corn on the cob, but I haven't eaten the potatoes you said." ”

Yang Fan said: "The yield of wheat and rice per mu is only a few hundred catties, but this potato is a few thousand catties. ”

"How many thousand pounds?" Zu Dashou was taken aback, although the yield of this corn per mu is hundreds of catties higher than that of rice and wheat, but it can't stand the taste, and he has eaten rice and noodles for thousands of years, and he has no taste when he eats that thing. But now it is different, Shaanxi and Guanzhong are full of droughts, no harvest, no corn, and even more difficult to raise.

Yang Fan thought of someone and hurriedly said, "I'll write a letter to Lord Xu Guangqi, Ancestor, you send it back quickly." This is an issue related to people's livelihood. ”

Zu Dashou nodded, and knew that this matter could not be neglected, and said, "Wait for me to ask Zu Zerun, this kid, to send him back personally." Yang Fan nodded, returned to the camp tent and hurriedly wrote a letter. In order to prevent the potato from really not being introduced to China, Yang Fan added the English word "potato" at the end of the letter to ensure that Matteo Ricci and others could understand it.

However, after thinking about it, most of Matteo Ricci's missionaries were from the Netherlands and Italy, and I didn't know if English was in circulation at that time, but I couldn't care so much about it, so after writing the letter, I handed it to Zu Runze, who had been waiting outside the tent.

"Yangzi, is that potato thing delicious?" Zu Runze is about the same age as Yang Fan, since he heard about Yang Fan's plan that night, he has been following Yang Fan all day long, and the deputy general is not the right general, so he went to Yang Fan's squad to be a hundred households, and he did a good job.

"Delicious!"

"Is it delicious to have white flour steamed buns?" Zu Zerun began to drool without ambition.

Yang Fan slapped the letter directly on his chest and said, "It's so delicious!" These words can only deceive Zu Runze, an idiot with well-developed limbs and a simple mind.

"Yangzi, go back and tell me how to eat it. I'll go first, or the uncle will beat me again. Zu Runze got on his horse and went straight out of the city. Yang Fan shook his head, thinking of the ten-year drought in Guanzhong and Shaanxi, locust plagues and plagues one after another, this drought was beyond his reach, and he couldn't even take the drought and flood disasters now, let alone the end.

Yang Fan shook his head and ripped off the dried clothes from the tent.

"Hiss......"

Yang Fan, who had just walked into the tent, retreated again, squatted in the place where the clothes were originally dried, and picked up a piece of paper that had just fallen to the ground.

"Where are the lights?" Yang Fan raised his eyebrows, "What kind of bird?" He was holding the piece of paper and a yellow triangle, and he wondered, who gave this thing? Suddenly thinking of that wayward chick, a wicked smile crossed the corner of her mouth, and when she turned around to camp in the tent, she murmured: "I also said that I am not a marriage proposal, and I am not ashamed of my little girl's skin." ”