When Liu Yin first entered Chen Zhi's army, although he had a letter of recommendation from Huang Quan as a guarantee, Chen Zhi did not know Liu Yin's specific ability, and Liu Yin only said that he was good at handling clerical government affairs and had no experience in battle, so Chen Zhi's position to Liu Yin was just an adjutant responsible for handling logistics.

It was at this time that Liu Yin came into contact with cement produced in Qiqi County.

This thing, Liu Yin was amazed when he saw it, usually like powder, but after adding water and sediment, it can act as a binder to quickly condense stones, and it is extremely strong and cannot be destroyed easily.

Liu Yin just thought that cement was quite magical at first, but after asking people from the Ministry of Industry and learning the specific usage of these cements, Liu Yin didn't think much about it, but just used cement as an effective adhesive according to the instructions of the craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry.

According to the plan of the Ministry of War at that time, it was to use cement and stones to strengthen the defense of the camp at the Baochuan crossing, and Liu Yin happened to be the assistant in charge of logistics, so this matter was handed over to Liu Yin to be responsible.

Liu Yin's style of doing things belongs to the more careful type, since he is responsible for strengthening the defense of the camp, Liu Yin not only arranges soldiers to do things, but also often goes to the scene to supervise, check the construction of craftsmen and soldiers, and then Liu Yin found that this cement, it seems that it can not only be used as a binder.

This is mainly due to the fact that a craftsman's crime of "cutting corners" was exposed.

Although there are mountains and forests near the Bao Slope Crossing, these mountains are not all stone mountains, and the geological conditions are insufficient, so that soldiers and craftsmen must go to stone mountains twenty miles away to quarry.

This back and forth not only delayed time, but also limited by the quarrying method of the year, the number of stones that can be obtained is limited after all.

In these years, the quarrying basically used the principle of thermal expansion and cold contraction, first baking the rock with fire, and then pouring water to cool it rapidly, so that the stone cracked, you can pry the crack, and the stone is mined.

In this way, experienced craftsmen can get suitable stones, but those with a little less experience may only get a pile of broken stones, and it is difficult to obtain large stones that can be used.

This kind of efficiency is too low, and in addition to the fact that the Baochuan crossing is the front line, there are Cao army scouts every once in a while, and the craftsmen and soldiers who go out to quarry are also risking their lives.

At this time, there is a craftsman who thinks he is clever. Isn't that cement a binder, let's put the gravel together, can't we get a whole big stone block that can be used?!

The craftsman's inspiration and received a positive response from everyone Quarrying itself is a very tiring job, and now it is necessary to risk your life, it is better to use cement to glue the broken stone blocks, at least it is not dangerous.

As for whether it will be discovered by Shangguan, the craftsmen said that there is no need to worry about this problem.

As long as you apply a cement coating on the outside of the crushed stone, who can tell that it is not a stone in the first place?!

Then the group of craftsmen began to get busy.

At first, the larger stones were spliced together to make the cracks as inconspicuous as possible, but later, there were fewer and fewer larger stones, and there were more and more broken stones.

At this time, the craftsmen seem to have discovered a new routine, and they are about to do a lot of work when they are discovered by Liu Yin.

In fact, Liu Yin had already found out.

Those spliced stones, you can't see anything from a distance, but Liu Yin is careful, he will inspect the camp every day, and he looks very carefully, how can he not find those spliced stones.

It's just that Liu Yin also knows the current hardships of craftsmen, and it is indeed not easy to quarry, the kind of stones spliced together by two or three large stones, Liu Yin also turned a blind eye and let it go.

After all, this cement is a binder, and the difference between bonding the whole stone and bonding a smaller stone is really not that big.

But these craftsmen, who don't know the friendship of sympathy for the officials, have dared to mix small pebbles into cement recently, and use them to pass off as big boulders in such a grand manner. That's a bit excessive.

It's understandable that there are difficulties, but you can't do this with military facilities, otherwise everyone will lose their lives in the end.

Liu Yin had to deal with these excessive craftsmen and soldiers who "cut corners" on the spot.

However, in order to convince everyone, Liu Yin gathered all the craftsmen who committed the crime together, and wanted to smash the "stones" they made by "cutting corners" in front of them, so that these people would have nothing to say if they were punished.

Then Liu Yin couldn't smash these "stones".

Really, Liu Yin also wondered, how could the "stones" made by these small stones be the same as real stones, and they couldn't be smashed at all?!

Liu Yin thinks that it may be because he is a literati and does not have enough strength in his hands. Call the blacksmiths in the army and let them smash them.

These blacksmiths, who wield hammers every day, have great strength and should be able to smash them.

Don't say it, such a change is really effective.

A few blacksmiths went down with a few hammers, and indeed broke several "stones", but this was not really a smash.

Liu Yin was suddenly surprised.

Smashing and smashing are two different concepts entirely.

It is important to know that these "stones" are also to be glued together with other real stones, and if they are smashed and broken, they will leave the surrounding stones without support points, and eventually cause the walls to collapse and the enemy army to take advantage of the situation.

But if it is only broken, it is equivalent to a crack in the wall, and although it is also dangerous, it will not immediately cause the wall to collapse.

To deal with these craftsmen and soldiers as a standard of smashing, although it is not impossible, it seems that it is a little insufficient to convince the public.

And in the end, what made Liu Yin completely change his position was that there was such a "stone", no matter how the blacksmiths smashed it, whether it was a stone or a hammer, it was smashed in all directions, but it just didn't break.

This strength has exceeded that of any normal stone, and normal stone cannot withstand the continuous beating of the craftsman's hammer.

Liu Yin was shocked, and immediately asked people to find out the craftsman who made this "stone" and asked how this was done?!

The craftsman looked confused, and after a long time, Liu Yin barely understood.

This isn't some kind of magical craftsman-inventor, he's just pure laziness.

Although others are also fooling around, at least they try to use more crushed stones, less cement and sand, but this craftsman, because he is too lazy to pick up stones, he uses more cement and yellow sand, and uses less stones, and sometimes in order to save trouble, he also adds a few bamboo poles to the "stones" to fill the number.

Originally, the person who was most afraid of being beheaded was this craftsman. But now, the "stones" he made out in a short pound are actually the hardest.

Liu Yin didn't know what to say.

You say punishment, the craftsman actually made a "stone" that is stronger than a stone, but you have to say that there is no punishment. A group of people even dare to cut corners at military industrial facilities, and if this is not punished, it is not a joke with the lives of soldiers.

In the end, Liu Yin decided that all the craftsmen involved in the "fraud" would be punished with 20 per person, but at the same time, he specially reported to Chen Dao, requesting that these craftsmen and soldiers be given an extra month's salary and military salary as encouragement.

Merit is merit, and transgression is excess.

Merit will be rewarded, and transgression will be punished.

But at this time, Chen Dao was not in the mood to take care of these "little things" for the time being, because of the detailed report, Cao Ren had already sent Guo Huai to lead the army to attack the Baochuan crossing, trying to recapture the Baochuan crossing, and re-block the passage for the Shu army to enter Guanzhong from the Baochuan Road.

What's even worse is that Guo Huai brought more than 30 catapults.

Chen Zhi was busy dealing with Guo Huai's attack, and for what Liu Yin said, he handed it over to Liu Yin to be responsible for with a wave of his hand.

As for Liu Yin, he didn't retreat because of this, he saw Chen Zhi frowning, thinking that this might be an opportunity for him to show his ability, so he boldly asked Chen Zhi.

That is to say, Chen is easy to talk to, this should be replaced by Wei Lao Pifu, an assistant in charge of logistics to ask his general about military affairs, and it is light to drive you out.

Chen Zhi is similar to Zhao Yun, with a calm and low-key personality, and there is no arrogance, as soon as he heard Liu Yin's question, and then thought of this person who was also recommended by Huang Quan, he said in his heart to give face, and roughly told about the current predicament.

Guo Huai led the army to attack, and there were not many soldiers he brought, but more than 10,000 people, compared with the troops in Chen Zhi's hands, they were still at a disadvantage.

The real trouble is that Guo Huai brought a siege weapon, the thunderbolt, or the kind of improved thunderbolt.

Guo Huai is a smart person, he can smash Zhang Xi with a thunderbolt in Ji County, and he was also smashed by Zhang Fei's heavy catapult in Shangtai, so he naturally knows the difference between the two catapults.

In addition, Cao Wei is also full of talents, and there are many people who are good at fortifications, although it may not be possible to completely copy Zhang Xi's counterweight catapult, but according to Guo Huai's description, it is easy to improve the thunderbolt.

Now, Guo Huai is running to smash Chen with an improved thunderbolt.

However, in three or five days, Chen Zhi received the news that the two camps had been lost, and now Chen Zhi is worried about how to defend, and even considered whether to retreat into the Bao Chute if he can't crack the opponent's thunderbolt, and continue to hold on to the narrow terrain of the Bao Chuge.

When Liu Yin heard this, he hurriedly dissuaded Chen Dao.

The road can be controlled by the Han, and the most critical factor is that the Han holds the slope crossing, once it retreats into the slope, it is equivalent to losing the initiative to use the slope to enter the pass.

So it must not be returned.

As for whether you can crack Guo Huai's thunderbolt. Liu Yin's mind instantly thought of the "slate" made by the lazy craftsman.

If the energy produces this "slate", and at the same time reinforces several camps in the rear with this "slate". Not to mention anything else, it is still easy to defend the several fortresses and camps behind.

After all, it's a "slate" that can't be broken even by a hammer hitting continuously.

The only problem now is that I don't know how much time Chen Zhi can give himself, and whether the casting of that "slate" is just time-consuming and laborious.

Regarding the latter, Liu Yin said that he was very confident.

Regarding the former, Chen Zhi said that he is also confident.

Since they are confident to do it directly.

(End of chapter)