The expedition team of more than 500 people carried more than 800 horses. A team of this size was gathering together to watch the five Ouchi guards digging a nest in the snow with their buttocks stuck out.
Gordon's eyes widened. He was a British engineer and had a natural interest in civil engineering, but he had never been exposed to cold zone combat training. He had no idea what these people were doing.
But when he heard that such snow nests were a compulsory subject for the Chinese special forces, he immediately put away all doubts and started recording and drawing with pencils.
At this moment, even Samuel Baker, a veteran explorer who was in weak health, became interested. He had the sled moved over, and he lay on it and quietly watched Guan Lu and the others working.
The snow on Mazong Mountain is now half a meter thick. This thickness is enough to cut into snow bricks. Each snow nest allows two team members to lie side by side, head to the northwest and steps to the southeast, and the snow nest The sub-section shows an inclination of thirty degrees.
After digging such a snow bed, you can then cover it with snow bricks, build them up piece by piece, and use loose snow to outline the gaps.
"When we were undergoing training, we heard the head of state say that snow is the best insulation material... We didn't believe it at first, but the actual effect is really amazing. The head of state did not lie to us..."
"The winter outside the pass is even colder than here. Once the white-haired wind blows, even wild wolves, blind bears, etc. will not dare to go out in the middle of the night..."
"But as long as you dig out a snow nest and light two candles in it, you can raise the temperature... I have measured it with a foreign thermometer, and even the temperature in the snow nest can reach above zero..."
Samuel Baker trembled and asked, "Above zero... wouldn't the temperature above zero melt the snow? Wouldn't the snow nest collapse?"
"No...the light of the candle is so small. As long as you don't burn the snow bricks and light them in the middle of the snow nest, the snow bricks will not melt at one or two degrees above zero..."
"Even this temperature will slightly melt the snow bricks, forming a thin ice shell on the surface of the snow bricks... This ice shell can better block the cold wind seeping in from outside..."
Gordon saw that the cover of the snow nest was gradually closing. He put down his pencil and asked, "I found that you dug out an inclination of about thirty degrees, and there is still an upward turn at the entrance... This is Why?"
"It's very simple! Because heat goes up..." Doro never thought in his life that he, a guard of the Qing Dynasty, could explain natural science to foreign devils.
At this moment, he would no longer complain about the boring science courses he took in Ryukyu. Those simple subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, geography, astronomy...the head of state named them science.
It was in this kind of class that Manchus like Doro and Guan Lu actually understood the attraction of the earth, the principle of upward hot air, and the principle of heat conduction. They were even able to explain why quilts can keep warm.
Imagine the confused first half of my life. Everyone in Sijiu City, including the emperor, believed that quilts could keep themselves warm.
Only after taking science class did Doro and the others understand that quilts do not generate heat on their own. The fundamental reason why people feel warm is that the cotton grid blocks the loss of human body heat.
It is very simple to dig a snow nest, but if you want to explain the truth clearly, you really need to have some foundation in natural science.
"Heat moves upward, so the snow nest must have an inclined angle, the entrance must be at the lowest point, and people huddle up high!"
"In this case, wouldn't a person's body temperature and even the temperature of a candle be all nestled in this snow nest? The cold air outside can't communicate with the warm air inside... Aren't we saved!"
Oops... Gordon slapped his forehead, "So that's it, I understand, this snow nest is indeed very scientific... Do you understand, everyone?"
"Group of two, quickly choose your position and dig a snow nest...the animals gather behind the leeward rock wall to stay warm!"
"It's half past three in the afternoon... We must ensure that everyone can get into the snow nest before dark... God bless me, I finally found a way to stay warm overnight that doesn't require a bonfire..."
The Gobi Desert in Mazong Mountain suddenly became busy. The expedition members chose a good location and started to get busy. Under the command of Duoluo and Guan Lu, simple and rough but absolutely life-saving snow nests were dug out.
There was not enough fuel to waste. Only patients in the entire expedition were eligible to drink some hot water. There was only one campfire to burn some life-saving boiling water. The rest of the people got into the snow nest to eat cold pancakes.
Guan Lu and Doluo carefully got into the snow nest, curled up and lit two butter candles, and the snow nest suddenly became brighter.
Bake the naan, which is as hard as a brick, on a candle. When it is slightly warm, break it off and put it in your mouth. You cannot bite it with your teeth. You can only hold the piece of naan in your mouth and wait for it to soften before chewing it. Swallow.
"Doro... Do you know what I want to eat right now? Lao Doufu... After eating ten bowls of Lao Doufu, I want the tenderest tofu..."
"I just opened it and drank it. I didn't even use my teeth to chew it... I can't eat anything hard anymore with my appetite!"
"Stop talking, I'm so greedy. There are also rotten meat noodles, door-nail sesame cakes, fried cakes, big fried dough sticks, oil tea... Wuwuwu... I miss home, I want to die..."
People's emotions have their limits. Even a big man will cry when his emotions reach the extreme. Anyway, there are only two people in the snow house, so it's not a shame not to say anything.
Holding the cold naan, the two of them wiped away their tears for a long time. After they released their emotions, they heard that the northwest wind outside was three times stronger than during the day.
The strong wind of level 7 or 8 was raging on Mazong Mountain, and the wind swept the snowflakes towards these snow nests. As the sun went down, the temperature at night became lower and lower.
Gordon hid in the snow nest to take care of Samuel Baker. When the wind picked up, he stretched out the mercury thermometer specially made by the expedition team. After letting it out from the entrance, he pulled it in ten minutes later and started recording the temperature.
He measured it every half hour, and found that in just two hours after dark, the temperature dropped from minus 16 degrees during the day to minus 30 degrees!
"God! This snow nest really works... The temperature inside is now minus two degrees Celsius, and we are not cold at all even though we are wrapped in furs..."
"What a miracle of the Chinese! How did they come up with such a method..."
Samuel Baker looked at Gordon recording in his notebook, mumbling, and continued, "Actually, these experiences are not new. The Eskimos in North America and the peoples in the Russian Far East all have such snow houses... "
"It's just that we didn't study it carefully before! But the Chinese took the lead..."
