The production process of "granulated gunpowder" is still relatively complicated, only charcoal can be made by itself among the three raw materials, and saltpeter and sulfur need to be purchased through the Li family, which is undoubtedly another additional expense.

However, Li Xianzhong still had a lot of seized black powder in his hand, and Steward Li said that he had a way to use these gunpowder to replace some raw materials.

In line with the principle of saving what can be saved, Li Xianzhong still sent him two thousand catties of black powder, which was exchanged for the corresponding saltpeter and sulfur.

Ping Yuwei's daily target training and loading training are all ordinary black powder, as long as there is a shooting assessment will use "granular gunpowder".

The construction of Pingyu Fort is relatively smooth, the camp has basically outlined the framework, and various workshops have begun production.

Unfortunately, the prospectors only found some small coal and iron ore in the vicinity, and did not find large copper mines.

Li Xianzhong remembered that the Hongtoushan Copper Mine in Fushun was a large copper mine, and there were derived gold mines in addition to copper.

At this time, he had to accept this reality, it seems that the large iron and copper mines are indeed in the territory of Jianzhou.

Originally, he also wanted to use copper ore as a means of generating income, but it seems that this path will not work for the time being.

The main problem in Pingyu Fort is the lack of cattle, and although the black soil in the northeast is fertile, it is difficult to plow due to the low outdoor temperature.

In order not to delay the planting of spring wheat, a large amount of manpower had to be used to sow seeds, although everyone was full of energy, but the efficiency was not high.

According to Fan Wencheng's calculations, they can only recultivate the surrounding 50,000 mu of land at most without cattle.

According to the estimate of the wheat yield of about one stone per mu in the north of the Ming Dynasty, even if the wind and rain are smooth, it can only produce 50,000 stone of wheat, which is only enough for the people of Pingyubao to eat for 5 months, and it is difficult to achieve self-sufficiency.

You must know that this is still based on the premise that Zhou Yongchun, the governor of Liaodong, does not collect taxes on these lands.

Another problem is that as the temperature gradually rises, the snow begins to melt, making the roads muddy and making it difficult to transport coal and iron ore from the mines.

However, there is also good news, blacksmith shops and pottery kilns have begun to produce all kinds of daily necessities, at least the daily pots and pans can be solved.

In addition, the brick kiln can also produce bricks, and the damaged walls of Pingyu Fort can also be gradually repaired.

Fan Wencheng said: "My subordinates plan to produce more briquettes and pottery, and sell iron tools in the market in Tieling. ”

Selling briquettes is indeed a way, and there are no briquettes for sale in the market in eastern Liaodong.

Although Tieling is an acropolis, due to the existence of the Li family, the market in Tieling is still relatively prosperous, with a population of 70,000 or 80,000 people.

Although now with the decline of the Li family, Tieling City has lost its former glory, but it is still much stronger than the ordinary acropolis.

Li Xianzhong said: "Mr. Fan has a heart, and I have another suggestion for selling briquettes, that is, to sell them together with coal stoves." For example, if you buy a coal stove, you can send 5 catties of briquettes; Or buy 100 pounds of briquettes at a time and send them directly to a coal stove. But now that the temperature is starting to rise slowly, the time for briquettes to sell is running out. ”

Li Xianzhong's words made Fan Wencheng's eyes light up, and he was keenly aware that this method of bundling and selling could better open up sales.

So he said, "I'll let people make coal stoves!"

Li Xianzhong said: "You can send some samples of coal stoves and briquettes to Steward Li, so that he can sell them, as long as it is profitable, the Li family will definitely buy from Pingyu Fort." At present, we have limited energy and manpower, as long as we are responsible for production, we should sell it to those merchants. ”

Soon, some yellow ore near the brick kiln caught Li Xianzhong's attention.

He leaned down and grabbed a piece of mineral soil, which he had seen on a forum about the production of earth-based cement, which he felt was very similar to "marl".

A potter on the side said, "Is the young general interested in these mines?" ”

"These are the kinds of clay that we often dig up when we dig clay, and these are not suitable for calcining the briquettes, and some novices have no experience before they bring it back together."

The potter's words confirmed his conjecture even more.

In 1756, the British engineer J. Smitton discovered when studying the properties of some limes hardening in water: to obtain hydraulic lime, limestone containing clay must be used to fire;

The ideal composition of masonry mortar for underwater construction is hydraulic lime and volcanic ash. This important discovery laid a theoretical foundation for the research and development of modern cement.

In 1796, the Englishman J. Parker fired a kind of cement from marl, which has a brown appearance, much like a mixture of lime and volcanic ash in ancient Roman times, and named Roman cement.

Because it is made of natural marl as raw material and fired directly without ingredients, it is also known as natural cement. It has good hydraulic hardness and fast setting characteristics, and is especially suitable for projects in contact with water.

Marl is often accompanied by layers of clay, and if the mineral soil is really marl, then the original cement can be calcined.

In his previous life, Li Xianzhong was just a "keyboard warrior" after all, not a top student in science and engineering, and he couldn't produce modern cement.

However, it is still possible to use natural marl to make original cement similar to "Roman cement".

Sure enough, after a few attempts, he finally got some brown mixture.

These mixtures are mixed with water to form a puree that is easy to shape.

Li Xianzhong ordered these things to be paved into a ten-meter-long road, and instructed them not to step on the road until it dried.

Sure enough, a miracle happened the next day, and the road turned so solid that even a load-bearing cart running over it would not destroy it.

What's even more amazing is that even if you encounter water again, the road is still extremely hard.

Fan Wencheng soon realized the usefulness of this kind of thing, which he could use to build city walls, which would greatly increase the speed and strength of the construction.

So he said: "The young general is really amazing, he actually created such a magical thing, I don't know what to call this thing?" ”

Li Xianzhong said: "This kind of item is like mud, and it is hard when it encounters water, so let's call him cement." ”

Soon there was a workshop specializing in making cement, and the appearance of cement greatly changed the state of Pingyubao. He can quickly build walls, pave roads, and build Pingyu Fort into a solid place.

As workshops began to open and the demand for minerals increased, Fan Wencheng soon discovered that the manpower here was already running thin.

So he had to replan everyone's responsibilities with his subordinates.

In addition, at Li Xianzhong's suggestion, Fan Wencheng was grouped according to the project.

So that the composition of each production team is comparable. On this basis, they are assigned goals, and the group that completes the highest can be rewarded with extra meals or daily necessities.

The team that did not meet the set goal had to work overtime in the evening to complete the output.

Those "bastards" will also be very obvious because they are dragging down the progress of the whole group, and he will arrange for someone to take care of them so that these people can no longer mix.

The same is true for craftsmen, if the master does not take the apprentices well, then the output of their group will not go up.

Li Xianzhong also allocated a special amount of money to reward new discoveries in the production process, whether you improve the process, increase the output or optimize the attributes, or directly invent something new, will be rewarded according to the contribution.

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