The military households and craftsmen of Shiguantun were afraid of the cold winter here, which also aroused their enthusiasm for building a road leading to the big pit of Shitan, carrying iron picks, sledgehammers, shovels, and big ropes, wheelbarrows and ox carts to go into battle; Even the small flags that did not hold the whistle were all sent out by Xiao Baihu.

And Xiao Ye was a little fluttery because of his sworn with Huang Changzu a few days ago, and Tian Xiuxiu's sudden self-recommendation pillow, if it weren't for Yang Tianshou's casual words, he really thought that people valued his character.

"If they want to be really good for you, why don't they remind you that winter is coming, how to heat up in Shiguantun, there is not so much firewood to be desirable here, why not bring in coal trading?"

"Obviously, they're waiting for you to beg the caravan to buy it before they can get a high price,"

Daigo's empowering words frightened Xiao Ye into a cold sweat; There is charcoal fire in his 100 households, which was given by Han Baocai, but those military households and craftsmen can't afford to burn the charcoal.

Ran around with a calm face, went around a few military households, and walked to Li Langzhong's place again, Xiao Ye's face was gloomy and could drip ink.

"Go, the two bags of charcoal in the hundred households, take them to Li Langzhong, and warm the wounded soldiers first," explained Xiao Liuzi, Xiao Ye went straight to the charcoal pit.

In this case, he did not dare to delay the matter of coal mining.

The straight-line distance between Tunzi and Shitan Pit is more than ten miles, but the rugged ground and two ravines as deep as four feet wide and one zhang wide made the construction of the road delay for seven days; If it weren't for the fact that the priest had brought in a large amount of stucco and stones, and just filled the two ravines, it would have been next year.

The craftsmen found that if they continued to pour the mold at a low temperature, the dry and hard stones would be quite unstrong, and they could break into small pieces with a kick, even if they were covered with a meadow and watered.

Fortunately, in the mould site, a large pile of ready-made stucco stones, after the Tianjia shop repaired the courtyard wall of the house, there is still a lot left that can be used to repair the road, and the spring mould field will also be moved westward, and the province will be transported again.

The big coal pit that was cleaned up, some craftsmen found that there were traces of excavation below, and it was dug for a short time, perhaps, here is the former Shiguan garrison craftsman, the found coal pit, did not take long, and was forced to give up.

On the eighth day, when an ox cart full of nearly 1,500 catties of charcoal appeared at the entrance of Tunzi, the children shrunk and watched the excitement on the side, and each shouted happily; Even the sergeants guarding the cantonment had smiling faces.

This winter, with coal heating, it can be regarded as better.

For a time, the old military households and old craftsmen, pointing out the young craftsmen, began to build the kang flue in each house, and by the way, the moisture in the stone house could be dried, and the flue was extended to the outhouse, and there was no shortage of hot water for washing the face in winter with the stove.

If the burning of charcoal does not ensure ventilation, then the disaster will be the family, and the masons have a lot of experience.

Of course, Xiao Baihu and Yang Tianshou's homes were the first to repair the ondol, and the kang of the Huang family's shop had to be paid; As for the Tianjia shop that had just been built, there was no need for Xiao Ye to signal, the Wang priest beckoned the craftsman and did it easily.

But the cunning Huang Deshan, seeing that Shiguantun had charcoal, quickly launched a small charcoal stove and brought in slightly more expensive charcoal, so that the sergeants who were willing to spend money could add a new household to their homes.

Xiao Ye's personal guard team, most of the personal guards were rescued from the original grassland, and the row of stone houses built next to the mill was their military quarters, and a spacious fire kang was also built, and the earthen stove flue in the corner of the house was also set aside.

In charge of managing the kang stove in the military dormitory, there were two old sergeants who cleaned up the rattan grass, and the others were still picking the vine grass fruits, picking them and scraping the skin, and sending them to Li Langzhong Clinic and Baihu respectively.

Xiao Ye asked people to give Li Langzhong the peel of the fruit, which was cleaned and dried and ground into powder by Li Muchen, and after experimenting with medicine for the wound on the sergeant's hand, he found that it was very useful for abscesses, and according to Li Langzhong's words, it was effective to pull out pus.

This kind of anti-inflammatory effect is a medicine powder with excellent anti-inflammatory effect, and it has become one of the military drugs used by hundreds of households.

In eight days, the weather was crisp in autumn, and Xiao Ye also got ten fire guns from the stone mill, and the rest of the time was used to get paper; This is for Tian Xiuxiu, and he doesn't want to be ambiguous.

1,000 sheets each time, a total of 3,000 sheets, this kind of white flute paper that is three feet long and half a foot wide, Xiao Ye asked the guards to carefully put it into a wooden box and put it away at home.

The road leading to the coal pit has been repaired, and the output of the four large trucks of nearly 6,000 catties per day is pitiful, but it is enough for the amount of Shiguantun, that is, in the stove room of the military house, there is also a big stove, and there is no need to find hay and firewood all over the world to cook.

The coal military households can take it as they go, just take it at the storage point behind the land temple, of course, the old man Lu has to be registered, which one uses too much, and the secretary Wang has to ask.

In the shop, you have to spend money to buy it, just enough to paste the grain and rice of the stove house of the military house and the guards.

"Uncle Wang, it's spring, at the mill, enclose a large courtyard, and enclose the military house, if there are wooden planks, it would be nice to build a second floor on the fort wall," Xiao Ye and Wang Dali walked on the training ground, pointing to Shiguantun.

"If the Tartar Brigade forcibly attacks the tun, this section of the slope of the training ground is a place they must pass through, and it will cost them to build a wall," Xiao Ye wrinkled his brows, "If a nearby stone fort is built, the mountains can echo each other,"

Water has no normality, soldiers are impermanent, winter is coming, Xiao Ye has a premonition that next spring, at the latest by the end of spring, the Tartars will not be dry, then Shiguan is their must pass.

"Let's try it, the weather is too cold, the plaster is soft and unusable, first build a shed, and build a stove," replied Wang Dali cautiously, "after the beginning of winter, the excavation of stone is also slow, and there is still a shortage of manpower in the coal pit."

"In the future, the sergeants and military households who violate the ban will all go to the coal pit to dig the coal, and the time will go according to the rules of detention, and it is too cheap for them to blow the cold wind," Xiao Ye said without hesitation, "Today, two carts of charcoal will pull down the mill,"

"Yes," said the two men, as they spoke, had already walked outside the mill, and saw the sergeants, bare-chested, pouring the fine grinding stone particles into the stone grinding eyes; Three sturdy oxen pull the crossbar in an unhurried circle.

At the notch of the grinding disc, the ash powder that kept flowing down was collected by the sergeant in a straw bag and placed in the warehouse next door.

Since Xiao Ye was tired of two war horses and scrapped one, Wang Dali has refused to let the war horses into the mill anymore.

At this time, the stone mill, the lower part of the stone platform, the thick pier pier has been more than two feet high, plus the upper part of the upper part slowly thickens and becomes taller, and it is not easy for the three bullocks to pull.

"Lord Baihu, why do you think this stone mill looks taller," Wang Dali looked at the stone mill suspiciously, and asked puzzledly, not only him, but even the military households were puzzled.

"Perhaps, it's the Persian ingredients of the plaster that make the stone mill bigger, and the official doesn't know it," Xiao Ye said vaguely, he didn't know about the changes in the stone mill like everyone else, but he was used to it.

"Oh, what I'm talking about, the Persians really don't understand," since it is a problem in the outer lands, then Wang Dali will not think about it, and he will have a mouth to brag about when he goes back.

"It's still the same sentence, anything related to this official, including this stone mill, must not be passed on, this is a military order," Xiao Ye looked at Wang Dali seriously, "Explain to the sergeants, in the shops on the mountain, you must be cautious when speaking,"

"Understand, rest assured," Xiao Ye looked solemn with his own appearance, which made Wang Dali's heart fiery, and he quickly patted his chest and promised.

In the afternoon, the last two carts of charcoal were pulled into the mill, and the exhausted sergeants returned to their homes covered in darkness; According to the rules of the hundred households, they can take a hot bath in the military house, and no one else should think about it.

The drinking water on the mountain was once chaotic, you used too much and I used less, and the dispute even went to a hundred households; Let Xiao Ye be angry, and order every household every day, regardless of size, he is no exception, he can only fetch two buckets of water, two buckets add up to sixty catties of pure water, as long as it is not wasted, it is enough to use.

Save a little, and you can wipe your body every day. If you want to do laundry, then you have to go to Old Man Lu and buy water for two pennies for a bucket of water.

As for those who have violated the taboo, now it's good, no matter the sergeant or the soldier, there is charcoal waiting for them in the stone pit, digging for ten days, and any military order can be remembered clearly.

This year, the grain harvest in the gravel fort was good, and with the charcoal, Xiao Ye finally put his mind down and could train his troops well.

In the early hours of the morning, Xiao Ye came to the mill with his personal guards, and the torches were held high, illuminating the shady blue-gray stone mill.

Today's weather was good, Xiao Ye did not arrange to pull the cattle, commanded a few sturdy guards, and carried a bag of straw bags full of charcoal on the wooden frame; Along the wide-mouth iron sheet feed trough, the charcoal was poured in.

As soon as the grinding eye was filled with coal, the lower disc of the stone mill began to rotate silently, but the fine powder flowed out very little, only a few wisps of faint black fine powder were squeezed out in the grinding disc.

"Continue," Xiao Ye, who was standing aside, waved his big hand, and the sergeants poured bags of charcoal into the grinding eyes like flowing water, raising bursts of smoke and dust; Two truckloads of 3,000 catties of coal, less than an hour's work, there is a pile of empty bags left.

The sergeants went out with their bags, and Xiao Ye stood beside the stone mill, looking at the stone mill that was still spinning rapidly, with a look of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

The small pattern at the grinding disc lit up, and a vivid and familiar object crossed in front of him, and what surprised Xiao Ye was that in the pattern at this moment, those objects were not only marked with names on the side, but also had small italics underneath.

"Repeating crossbow," with a smaller word appended below, "Iron,"

"Protective clothing," with the same square italics, "iron,"

"Single-pass telescope," with the note "Iron, quartz sand,"

The words on the back of the name of each object, Xiao Ye's eyes widened and he looked at it carefully, and finally confirmed that it was the necessary raw material for this kind of item; In other words, in the future, he will no longer have to bump around blindfolded.

The ninth pattern turned around, and what appeared in front of me was the tenth pattern, "Silk cotton coat," and the raw material was only two words, "Coal,"

The twelfth pattern also appeared one after another, "shotgun," and the notes were more raw materials, "sulfur, saltpeter, wood, lead, iron, charcoal, cowhide, copper," and Xiao Ye muttered to himself, how could the gun be involved with the coal.

Without waiting for the pattern of the shotgun to turn around, he quickly pressed the button, Xiao Ye snapped softly in his ears, and at the stone platform at the bottom of the stone mill, a long box slipped out; In the box, two guns with longer barrels and shorter wooden handles appeared in front of them.

Four cowhide boxes filled with projectiles are also impressive.

Quietly took out the fire gun projectile, and Xiao Ye, who was about to leave, saw that the button on the grinding plate, the faint blue light on it, was still shining, and he was immediately excited.

The pattern was still changing at intervals of two breaths, and he quickly pressed the button and took out two fluffy silk cotton coats, black silk cotton coats, and wore them on his body, although the hem was only up to the knees, his body was much warmer.

The two shotguns, what impressed Xiao Ye the most was not the long barrel, but the warhead on the projectile, which was no longer round, but a pointed warhead; handed over the gun to Xiao Liuzi to try it out in the coal pit, and Xiao Ye took the silk cotton coat and returned to the hundred households.

After breakfast, Xiao Ye took out two black coats, although the appearance was a little strange, but there was a gap in the middle, with a long white zippered clothes, which was quite light and warm to wear; handed one to her sister, which made Han Juan hug her eldest brother very happily, and she was tired of dying.

In the other case, Han Juan took it next door and went to find her sister-in-law, which made Zuo Shi rub her hands enviously, "Big brother, do I have it?" ”

"Yes, if you have a bullseye with two guns and a hundred steps, you will be rewarded, go down and inform the little flags," waving his hand to drive away his younger brother, Xiao Ye sat on the chair, and then thought about Tian Xiuxiu's affairs, he couldn't help but be a little unwilling.

Ticket paper, silk cotton coat, maybe the Tian family will not make things difficult for themselves like the eldest brother, then the source of various minerals in the future will be guaranteed.

In particular, the wonderful use of charcoal can make the stone mill turn more than once, so in the future; But thinking about the yield of the coal pit, he began to shake his head again.

In the afternoon, Xiao Liuzi came back from the charcoal pit with five personal guards, and the followers came back with a charcoal cart; On the black charcoal cart, there were three wild boars of different sizes, and there were six hares.

Suddenly, there was a sensation in Shiguan Tunli, men, women and children came from everywhere, like a market, talking loudly around the charcoal cart, everyone had heard of wild boars before, but they had not seen much, this one, it was an eye-opener.

The hare was sent to the stove room of the military house, and the wild boar was detained by Wang Dali, and at the sound of an order, the sergeants went up with their swords and distributed the wild boar to each family; Although the portion is not much, it can also make each family eat a meaty meal.

Huang Deshan didn't expect that his shop also shared three catties of wild boar, and he smiled happily and gave it over again and again, and everyone was happy to try it.

In the small courtyard of the hundred households, Xiao Liuzi held a fire hammer with a long pipe handle, and reported his test gun to the hundred households with enthusiasm, "Baihu, it's really amazing, five hundred steps, five hundred steps, the wild boar is still five hundred steps away, that is, the size of an eight-petal helmet, a gun past, it is directly a blood hole, if my eyes are sharper, five hundred and fifty steps, I can also put down a person,"

Xiao Liuzi's marksmanship, Xiao Ye was silent when he saw it, the sergeant in the entire Shiguan Tun currently said that he was the second and had no first thing; However, Xiao Ye still thought about it very carefully, "How much did the projectile use?" ”

"Three wild boars, six rabbits, a total of fifteen projectiles," Xiao Liuzi opened the cowhide magazine on his waist, swept his eyes casually, and replied loudly, hugging the fire gun in his arms tighter.

"Can the round-headed projectile be used?" Xiao Ye, who had Shi Tan as a guarantee, had already made a decision in his heart, and asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, one shot, that is, the distance is only two hundred steps, the same as the Shiguan Fire Gun," Xiao Liuzi's Shiguan Fire Gun has been given to the other guards, and he has made up his mind and will not let go.

"Starting tomorrow, the five small flags will start to test the fire gun shooting, except for your kind of shotgun, two guns and a hundred steps bull's-eye, and a silk cotton coat," Xiao Ye said with a smile, "This kind of coat, but it was shipped from Persia, fifteen taels of silver a piece, you go and tell the others,"

"It turns out that it's a Persian shotgun, no wonder it's so powerful," he muttered, Xiao Liuzi nodded and walked out, not knowing if he heard Baihu's last words.

In the evening, when Xiao Ye was eating fragrant rabbit meat, wheat rice, and drinking ale wine and chatting with his younger siblings and Uncle Kun, Shiguantun, the homes of various sergeants, and the military houses of the guards were all discussing the matter of silk cotton coats.