Two thousand healthy soldiers were recruited, and Yang Peng asked them to report next month. This month, Yang Peng will seize the time to build soldiers' barracks. Yang Peng planned to allow eight soldiers to live in one room, so 250 houses would be built. Building so many houses in one month required a large number of construction workers. Yang Peng almost recruited all the masons and carpenters near Yingzhou and Cangzhou.
When he learned that the building Yang Peng wanted to build was a barracks for soldiers, Tao Youmao, the head mason, was very surprised and asked in amazement: "Master Guan, you actually want to build such a big barracks? How many soldiers will it accommodate?" Tao Youmao was a thin man. A middle-aged man with two long mustaches on his lips. When he spoke, his beard twitched and twitched, which was very funny.
Although the number of soldiers hired is not a secret, Yang Peng is not willing to let too many people know. At least when facing the Khitan army or bandits in the future, you can't let the enemy know your details clearly. After looking at Tao Youmao, Yang Peng said: "Don't ask any more questions, just organize the manpower to build it!" Tao Youmao agreed repeatedly, but then sighed: "The sergeants of the captain are more than the garrison of Cangzhou City. ! It’s chaos, it’s really chaos!” Yang Peng glared at Tao Youmao and cursed: “Don’t go out and talk nonsense. If you spread nonsense, I will definitely cut out your tongue!”
Hearing the official's scolding, the craftsman shrank his head and said with a smile: "Guan Ye, how can I say nonsense? I am really surprised. I was just talking to myself. I will never say anything outside!" After thinking about it, Tao Youmao said again: "Master, you are so courageous. You have raised so many soldiers. You will definitely achieve great success in war in the future! Become the general staff, no, be a general!"
Yang Peng had experienced a lot in the past few months. He felt that he could not survive without an official position in the Song Dynasty, but he was looking forward to becoming a high official. He smiled and replied: "Then I'll give you a good word!" Tao Youmao looked at Yang Peng's face showed that Yang Peng was not unhappy, so he asked again: "Why isn't the official's barracks built in the city? If the Khitans come in the future, won't they be safe?"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "This area to the north of Zhuangzi will be built into a city in the future. I want to build a city with a circumference of five thousand steps, with walls covered with bricks and four gates!" The craftsman was stunned and muttered. He murmured: "The official is so ambitious. The official wants to build a city as big as Cangzhou City!" Yang Peng nodded proudly and said: "That's it. In a few months you will I can see this new city!”
"As expected of the head of the Yang family! He built a county out of thin air!" Tao Youmao sighed, and suddenly became a little anxious. He rolled his eyes and knelt down in front of Yang Peng with a thud, prostrate on the ground. He said flatteringly: "My Lord, you have to give me some of the work of building the city wall and covering it with bricks. I have more than two hundred craftsmen under me who are waiting every day for the work to start and earn a living!"
Yang Peng said seriously: "It depends on the quality of the barracks you built. If the barracks are of good quality, I will give you the work of building the city wall!" Tao Youmao kowtowed on the ground and said: "Don't worry, sir, we will definitely be twelve Pay attention and make these barracks well!" Now that he was ready to start building the city wall and use cementitious materials on a large scale, Yang Peng was about to start making cement.
The bonded masonry of the Song Dynasty used Sanhe soil. It is recorded in a book: "For use in tombs and water storage tanks, divide the ash into river sand and the loess into the other two, mix them with glutinous rice and sheep peach and vine juice...it is called Sanhe soil." This kind of Sanhe soil requires glutinous rice, which is very expensive, directly leading to the high cost of ancient Chinese civil engineering projects. And compared to cement, the quality of this kind of Sanhe soil is far inferior.
When Yang Peng built a city wall to protect his life, of course he had to use the best materials. Yang Peng chose to produce Portland cement, which is the best early cement now and is simple to produce, strong and durable. The cost of Portland cement is much lower than that of Sanhe soil, but the effect is even better than Sanhe soil. Cement is not only used to build city walls. With the expansion of Yang Peng's career, the amount of civil engineering projects everywhere will definitely not be small in the future. This kind of cement will be used everywhere.
Limestone and clay are required to bake Portland cement. After firing, a small amount of gypsum is added as a retarder. Limestone and clay are extremely cheap and easy to obtain. Yang Peng found a miner in Cangzhou and ordered 100,000 kilograms of limestone and 30,000 kilograms of clay for only a few dozen taels of silver. Gypsum was also mined in the Song Dynasty and was used as a medicinal material. It was not very expensive. Yang Peng found a big pharmacy in Cangzhou City, bargained for a thousand kilograms of gypsum at the price of three cents per kilogram.
Cement production pays attention to two grinding and one burning. Before calcining, the limestone and clay must be ground into powder, and then calcined at a high temperature of 1,300 degrees in a vertical kiln. After calcining, the cement obtained must be ground into powder again. Yang Peng built several factories outside the south gate of Hope Village and built walls around them to use them as factories for producing Portland cement. There are thirty large stone mills in the factory, pulled by donkeys, specially used to grind materials and finished products. Li Zhi also used three taels of silver a month to hire four lime craftsmen who made quicklime, and asked them to set up vertical pits in the factory to bake cement. Yang Peng piled up the previous cement kiln and built a new one. Yang Peng felt that the previous cement kiln was still not good enough.
Yang Peng directed the craftsmen to grind the materials into powder, mix the limestone in a ratio of three to one, and send it to the vertical kiln for calcination. The vertical kiln gradually heats up, and after calcining at the highest temperature for three hours, the fire is turned off to obtain clinker in the shape of large and small stones. Yang Peng asked the limemakers to pour the clinker onto a stone and grind it into powder, and then added some gypsum as a retarder.
The four limemakers operated according to Yang Peng's requirements and obtained the first batch of test products. Yang Peng took it and tried it: add water to cement powder to make a paste, and apply it on the brick to bond another brick. After the cement dried, Li Zhi grabbed one brick and lifted the two bricks up. The second brick sticks to the first brick at first, but after a slight shake, the second brick falls off. The first batch of cement experiments failed and failed.
Yang Peng was a little annoyed. He thought for a while and checked the Portland cement formula in his memory again. After confirming that it was correct, Yang Peng felt that the temperature of the vertical cellar might not be enough. Yang Peng walked up to the vertical cellar that was two people high, looked back and forth, turned to the most experienced craftsman and said: "Boss Liang, the temperature is not enough now, can the temperature of your cellar be increased?" Yang Peng As an industrial designer, Peng knew the formula of Portland cement, but he had no research on the vertical cellar of burnt lime, so he could only rely on the craftsmen of this era. After saying this, Li Zhi looked at Boss Liang a little nervously.
Boss Liang replied respectfully: "My lord, we can still improve, but the vertical cellar needs to be renovated." Yang Peng was happy, patted Boss Liang on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Then renovate it quickly! Hurry up. Time!" Those lime craftsmen are also experienced at controlling vertical cellars. It took them three days to modify the vertical cellar and raise the temperature.
Yang Peng tried two more bricks. This time, no matter how Yang Peng shook them, the second brick stuck firmly to the first brick. Yang Peng used a knife to cut the joint between two bricks, and found that the hardened cement was as hard as stone. When the steel knife was cut hard, sparks flew out, leaving only a small hole in the cement. This kind of strength is enough to make a city wall.
Several craftsmen were all surprised when they saw the effect of cement. The most powerful adhesive they have ever seen is Sanhe soil. Where have they ever seen an adhesive as hard as cement? The four craftsmen stared at the two bricks stuck together for a long time, knocking and smashing them, but they couldn't separate the two bricks. Finally, Boss Feng shook his head and walked up to Yang Peng and said: "The official's methods are too powerful. This cement is used to build the city wall and it is impregnable!"
After making cement, Yang Peng was very happy and said loudly: "The four of you have made cement. You have merit. Each of you will be awarded five taels of silver." Five taels of silver is enough for a family of three to spend two or three months. . The four craftsmen were used to living a hard life. They were very grateful to get three taels of silver from working at Yang Peng's place for a month. At this time, Yang Peng offered another silver reward, which immediately made the four craftsmen beam with joy.
"Where did we make it? They were all made according to the instructions of the adults!" "Your Majesty, you are so generous. Thank you, Your Majesty!" "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yang Peng smiled and listened to the craftsmen's thanks, and then said: "But you can The formula of this cement cannot be leaked! Once someone leaks the secret, military law will be dealt with!" The four craftsmen quickly answered: "I know!" "We know it!"
After experimentally making cement, Yang Peng began mass production. He hired twelve more plasterers and erected three new vertical cellars under the guidance of Mr. Liang. All four vertical kilns soon began mass production of cement. One vertical kiln can produce three furnaces of cement per day, with each furnace producing 200 kilograms. Four vertical kilns can produce 2,400 kilograms of cement per day.
This cement is enough to supply the civil engineering works of Hope Village. Any extra can be sold on the market. After the cement was produced, the masons in Hope Village got the new cementitious material as soon as possible. Yang Peng gave the finished cement to the masons who were building the barracks to replace the Sanhe soil.
However, these masons who are accustomed to using Sanhe soil are not very accepting of Yang Peng's cement. Tao Youmao, the head mason, looked at the cement sent by Yang Peng, blew his mustache with some disdain, and said to the craftsmen around him: "The management team is joking with us! I have been doing this all my life. Masons, I have never heard of anything better than Sanhe soil! The only thing I have heard of is that wealthy officials and gentry in the south added brown sugar to Sanhe soil when building houses. The effect was slightly better than Sanhe soil, but the cost was high. .The 'cement' sent by the team leader looks very cheap at first glance. How can it be compared with Sanhe soil?"
Hearing Tao Youmao's complaints, the masons nearby also discussed: "Yes, there is glutinous rice in Sanhe soil. How can other materials be more useful than Sanhe soil?" "Isn't it possible that the team leader was blinded by lard and wanted to cut corners?" Can you save some money?" "It's really possible. Is the team leader running out of money?" For a while, the masons were all talking about Yang Peng's view of money. Yang Peng challenged the worldview of these masons, and these masons damaged Yang Peng from beginning to end. They were unwilling to believe that cement was better than Sanhe soil.
A middle-aged mason walked up to Tao Youmao and said worriedly: "Mr. Potter, a few days ago you said that the management team had money and wanted to use us to build the city wall. Now the management team has even resorted to cutting corners to build a barracks. I'm afraid we don't have the money to build the city wall!" Shaking his head, the middle-aged mason continued: "We have been working so hard on building this barracks these days and using so much materials, just because we want to take over the job of building the city wall and covering it with bricks. Now look Come on, it’s all fantasy!”
After hearing the discussion of his men, Tao Youmao pondered for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's try the effect of this cement first, and then we'll see if it's useless!" After hearing Tao Youmao's words, the middle-aged mason said loudly: "What are you trying, Tao Carpenter, this cement is so dark that it doesn’t work at first glance!" Tao Youmao blew his beard and said loudly: "I said try it, so I will try it. Let’s talk after you try it!"
After hearing Tao Youmao's words, everyone stopped complaining and began to try out the dark cement. According to the boy who delivered the cement, the masons mixed cement and sand in a ratio of one to five, then poured well water on top of the cement and sand mixture, and used shovels to shovel it little by little to mix it evenly.
The black powdery cement turned into a sticky paste when stirred. Seeing this scene, the onlookers were all amazed. "It's become the same thing as cement!" "That's interesting!" "Don't tell me, although it's definitely not as good as Sanhe soil, it might actually be a little sticky!"
"The management team leader is a little careless about cutting corners, and it's not all random." Tao Youmao was also full of surprise when he saw the changes in the cement. He asked people to use the cement as an adhesive to build a four-foot-high wall in the dug foundation hole. The masons were all veterans, and the cement was now almost as sticky as the Sanhe soil before it solidified. A few masons built the wall very quickly. In less than half an hour, a brick wall four feet long and four feet high was built. After the wall was built, everyone buried the foundation of the brick wall with soil and waited for the cement to dry.
When the sun set in the west and the cement gradually dried, everyone gathered back at Tao Youmao's place. When Tao Youmao saw that the guys were back, he said, "Okay, it's time to do it anyway! Let's try him!" Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up to see how Tao Youmao was going to try the cement. Tao Youmao pointed at the middle-aged mason and said, "Kick him a few times!"
The middle-aged mason said "Okay", then rolled up his sleeves and took three steps back. He yelled, lunged forward and kicked the wall. Seeing the middle-aged mason kicking so hard, everyone was afraid that the wall would fall down and hit them, so they all took a step back with grins on their lips.
"Ah!!" However, they did not see the brick wall fall, but they heard the middle-aged bricklayer scream, and then saw him jumping up with his feet in front of the motionless brick wall. "My feet! God damn Tao Youmao, you made me kick this wall to kill me! My feet were broken by kicking!" Everyone was shocked when they saw the appearance of the middle-aged mason, and they were all stunned. For a moment, he looked at the cement wall again.
This steward's cement is still of some use, it's not that inferior. At least this cement can withstand the impact of a small area, and it is not something that can make a hole every time. Tao Youmao looked at the middle-aged bricklayer with a pig-like voice, blew his moustache, then pointed at another young bricklayer and said, "Come here and bump against this wall!"
The fact that it is not damaged by kicking means that the cement is still very hard after it dries. However, when a person hits a person, it is a blunt force. Whether the cement can support it under the blunt force is another matter. The young mason rubbed his hands and stood in front of the wall. After taking a few steps, he slammed his shoulder into the cement brick wall. The masons who were watching saw this and stepped back. They all secretly thought that the broken wall should fall down now.
But to everyone's surprise, the young mason's arm hurt from the collision, but the cement brick wall remained as motionless as a pillar in the sky, without even shaking. Everyone was silent now. After a long time, a mason said: "Sister, your cement is as good as Sanhe soil!" Everyone stood there as if they had just woken up from a dream, looked at each other for a few times, and heard someone say again; " But the boy who delivered the cement just now said that this cement is much cheaper than Sanhe soil!"
Hearing this, all the masons felt ashamed. I have been using Sanhe clay for my whole life, but I didn’t know there was such a cheap and easy-to-use adhesive in the world. I dare you to think that my whole life as a mason has been in vain. How about asking the management team to sacrifice this cement?
Everyone was still unconvinced, so someone shouted: "If one person can't knock him down, two people will try to hit him together!" After hearing this, everyone agreed, and two people came out and walked towards the wall together. Hit it up. The two collided for the first time, and the brick wall did not waver. The second time they bumped into each other, the brick wall still didn't waver. When they bumped into each other for the third time, making themselves dizzy, the concrete brick wall still stood there, unmoving.
The surrounding masons fell into silence. What is this? This is probably stronger than Sanhe soil! Such cheap black cement, mixed with sand, is actually stronger and more reliable than the expensive Sanhe soil. Where did such a thing come from? It is really unheard of. With this thing, my decades of experience in making Sanhe soil are all in vain!
Even the mature and prudent Tao Youmao looked embarrassed at this time. It took a long time before someone said anything. "Master Guan Dui is indeed the head of the Yang family. He made salt before, and now he has made such a magical cement!" Everyone was silent for a long time before Tao Youmao walked out. He walked into the house and took out a kitchen knife, walked to the brick wall, and used the kitchen knife to cut into the dried cement in the cracks of the bricks.
He didn't believe it. Could it be that even a kitchen knife couldn't cut through the cement? But the next scene left him speechless: he only heard a "bang" sound, and the kitchen knife that hit the cement was violently shaken open, and a spark came out when it hit the cement. And with one slash of the knife, only a small hole was made in the dried cement between the bricks.
This cement is so strong, it's almost like stone! You know, even if it is triple soil with brown sugar added, it cannot withstand the chop of a sword! When everyone saw this scene, they were all convinced. For these masons who use Sanhe soil to build walls every day, this cement seems to let them see the magical means.
Tao Youmao threw the knife to the ground and sighed: "You bastard, I've been making Sanhe soil all my life, and it's completely white. This is the first time I've seen this thing! This thing is ten times better than Sanhe soil!" In mid-September , the soldiers' barracks were all repaired, and the beds and bedding were ready. On September 15th, two thousand soldiers from the Frontier Regiment reported to the Hope Village Barracks. Zhang Xiang divided the two thousand people into four battalions, each with 500 men; each battalion had four companies, each company with 125 men; each company had four platoons, each with 31 platoons. people.
In the military, the most important thing is military merit, ability and qualifications. Now that you have never fought in a battle and cannot show your military exploits and abilities, you can only focus on qualifications first. Now that two thousand new people have been recruited, Yang Peng's original more than seventy soldiers have become officers and been assigned to various platoons as platoon leaders. After these soldiers settled down in Hope Village, the first thing the platoon leader asked them to do was to take a bath with soap in the bathhouse to wash off the lice and dirt on their bodies. The second thing is to go to the canteen to have a hearty meal with meat and vegetables, and enjoy the excellent treatment of soldiers from the selected front camp. The third thing is to go to bed early and have a good sleep to prepare for the meeting the next morning.
At noon the next morning, the genius was bright, and the assembly horn for the forward selection camp had already sounded. The soldiers got up from their beds and gathered in the small square outside the south gate of Hope Village under the leadership of the platoon leader. Hope that there are already many civilians from military households standing outside the south gate of Hope Village watching the excitement. Next to the small earth platform in front of the soldiers, Yang Peng and Zhang Xiang were riding on horses wearing official robes, waiting for the assembled soldiers.
After all the soldiers were assembled, Yang Peng jumped off his horse and stepped onto the small earth platform. Yang Peng stood on the small earth platform and looked around, only to see a mass of black heads. Thinking that these people were his soldiers from now on and would charge into battle according to his orders, Yang Peng couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his heart.
Perhaps it is a blessing to have come to this era. Have you ever mastered such power? Yang Peng stood on the stage and shouted loudly: "Athletes, today is your first day at Hope Village. From today on, you are my Yang Peng's soldiers, and you will be my Yang Peng's soldiers!"
"You are all heroes. You have passed the strict physical examination and interview, and now you can get a monthly salary of three taels of silver just standing here. An army composed of heroes like you must be a strong army! Since it is a strong army , you must understand the meaning of forming an army!" After finally squeezing into Yang Peng's soldiers, Yang Peng's two thousand new soldiers were very obedient to the order. They stood below and listened to Yang Peng's words with open ears. No one made any noise. noisy.
Yang Peng said loudly: "We are a new army. We are a new army that is different from other armies of the Song Dynasty! We formed an army to defend our homeland! We fought to defend our homeland! Now, Hope Zhuang It is the home of the Frontier Selection Group, and the various factories and workshops we have here are the fruits of our home. If anyone covets them, you must repel the enemy!"
"Without our homes, without the factories and workshops here, our new army will become a tree without soil, and I will give you no monthly money!" "In the future, if bandits and Khitan dogs are cruel and destroy our homes , we will fight the bandits and move the capital! If the Khitan dogs enter the country and covet the land of the Song Dynasty and want to occupy our home, we will fight the Khitan dogs!" "Every drop of blood we shed in the future will be shed for our homeland." Yang Peng waved his fist and asked loudly: "Do you understand?" The two thousand soldiers below responded loudly:
"Understood!" "We understand!" Yang Peng waved his hand and said loudly: "The first thing the front camp did was to build a new city wall to protect Hope Village. Each platoon leader led the team to the designated location and started building wall!"
If you want to know what happens next, let’s look at the breakdown in the next chapter.
