The wind in February comes from the plateau, slightly cool but also dry. It was the dry season now, but the newly built white walls of the camp were wet, as if it had rained.
At this moment, a tanned young craftsman in his twenties was standing beside the white stone wall, studying it carefully. He pressed his big, calloused hands against the surface of the white wall, feeling the hardness and moisture of the wall. Then, he scratched the wall with his nails, leaving shallow marks.
If you look carefully, you can see that there are already a row of scratches of different shades on the long white wall. These traces seem to express some kind of natural mystery, and they are also like mysterious divine patterns, which are elusive.
"It's so strange...it changes every day!..."
The young craftsman frowned and looked at the scratches on the wall, as if he wanted to see the flowers. Next to him, there was a huge pottery jar filled with water from the nearby river, with a wooden ladle floating on the water. The young craftsman thought for a while, then scooped up some water and poured it on one side of the stone wall. He had a steady hand and tried to pour it evenly, so he poured it slowly.
In this moment, Koscach had already walked over with a bronze stick in his arms. He came to the white wall and looked at it for a moment, thoughtfully. Then he pulled out the stick, took a deep breath, and suddenly swung it out.
"boom!"
The copper stick hit the white wall hard and made a small crater. At this time, if you look carefully at the sunken surface of the pit, you will find that this neat white wall is not made of stone! But I don’t know what methods the craftsmen in the camp used to build such a fake white wall.
"Well...the depth of one knuckle is shallower than a few days ago..."
Koscach stretched out his finger and gestured for a moment before nodding. There was a slight smile on his face, but also the same doubts as the young craftsman.
"It's really strange..."
"God bless you! Boss, you are here!"
Seeing the person coming, the young craftsman lowered his head and bowed respectfully. The corners of Koskaqi's lips curled up, and he received a curtsey before smiling.
"God bless you! Tanniao, you have been here these days, taking care of this stone wall, but have you discovered anything?"
The young craftsman in front of him, named Tantiao, is one of Koscach's apprentices. It's just that he never liked his apprentices to call him master, but "boss" instead. This title, like the leader of a wolf pack or the leader of a flock of birds, can make him feel the other party's obedience. As a craftsman leader with a civilian background, what he likes most is the obedience of his subordinates.
"Boss, look at this side, look at this side again!"
Tanniao nodded, first pointed to the front side of the white wall that was watered, and then pointed to the side of the white wall that was not watered, and preached seriously.
"The watered side is harder than the unwatered side!"
"Um?"
Koskaci held the copper stick, stabilized his strength, and knocked on the front and then on the back. Then, he took out his finger and traced it, and sure enough, the mark on the front was lighter.
"It's weird!...It's getting harder every day, and the watered one is harder than the unwatered one...Isn't this thing different from what His Highness described? Could it be that this is some kind of divine revelation? cement?”
Koskaqi thought about His Highness' divine revelation, touched his chin, and looked at Tanniao.
"Tanniao, how long have we been building this wall?"
"Boss, let me do the math... I hurried back from the mountains over Colima on the bad day last year before the New Year came. People in their 50s and 60s brought back big and small bags, several Thousands of kilograms of volcanic ash. Then, everyone worked together to prepare freshly burned quicklime. Finally, they mixed these types of volcanic ash with quicklime, added stones, and built six or seven walls..."
Tanniao stretched out his finger and thought about it for a long time, finally coming up with a rough number.
"It's February now. Even if it's not two months...whatever, it must be a month and a half!"
"It's been a month and a half..."
Koskachi frowned, stretched out his stick, and knocked on the white wall again. He listened carefully, listened to the sound again, and whispered to himself.
"Tsk tsk. The hardness is probably like that of adobe bricks that have not been heated enough. Compared with stones, they are still brittle. Well, the inside is not firm enough, but it is better than a few days ago. It's really strange. His Highness said that it will be fine after five or six days. , as hard as a stone, integrated. It’s been two months and it’s still not fully healed!”
"Boss, don't be in a hurry. In the first few days, this wall was as brittle as mud, just like the other walls. At that time, I thought it had failed again. Who knew that if I took a look in a few days, it would actually turn out to be... It's like it's alive, it's getting harder, and now it even looks like some bricks... Several other walls have been knocked down, but right now, I'm just counting on this one!"
As Tanniao spoke, a smile appeared on his face and he looked at the master eagerly. Koscach suddenly raised his eyebrows, thought carefully for a while, and nodded.
"Okay! The volcanic ash sent by the Colima ministries last year is of no use at all, and I don't know where it was dug out at random. His Highness didn't explain clearly what kind of ash he wanted!... In the end, it's still Fortunately, you made a trip in person, packed big and small bags, and dug out several kinds of ashes. You were so busy that you didn’t even celebrate the New Year. If this thing comes to pass, no matter what others say, I will put your name at the front. !”
"Ah! Praise the Lord God, praise the master... No, praise the boss, praise the father!"
Upon hearing this promise, Tanniao quickly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed several times with "bang, bang" sounds. Then, he raised his head, his forehead was red and he was smiling brightly.
"Boss, I have never had a father since I was a child, and I have always regarded you as my father!... If I can become a master craftsman, I will definitely support you in your old age!"
"Ha, it's not like I don't have a son! Tanniao, as long as you can be worthy of me from now on!..."
Seeing this, Koscach grinned, feeling quite pleased with himself. He stretched out his hand, patted Tanniao's shoulder hard, and said with a smile.
"Do a good job, you are still young! I am a master craftsman in his twenties, thank you for following me!... If you can catch His Highness's eyes, you might still have a chance to go to Shenwei University and go to the Once!"
"Ah, Shenwei University? Where is that place?"
Hearing this, Tanniao was in a daze, with confusion on his dark face. He has been without a father since he was a child. His family is extremely poor and his mother has remarried. After becoming a craftsman's apprentice, he becomes a master in the kiln and has nothing to do with his family. As for this kind of university, I have never heard of it.
"Ha! That's where the weeds jump and grow into corn! If you're lucky, you might even get some cocoa..."
Koscach smiled and shook his head. He stretched out his hand and touched Tanniao's head with a solemn expression.
"This is a long way to go. The most important thing right now is to actually get out the cement that His Highness told you!... Let me ask you, if you saw the dust mixed in when building this wall again, would you be able to recognize it? "
"Boss, we can definitely do it!"
Tanniao nodded heavily and replied with a smile.
"It's gray and choking. It's as fine as sand and very hard, and it won't melt in water. To remember the ash, I licked it many times. The surface was like obsidian debris, which scratched my tongue... .I can remember that taste for the rest of my life!”
Hearing this, Koskaqi raised his brows and smiled with satisfaction. He was very satisfied with his apprentice's cruelty.
"When poor people come out and don't have this fierceness, how can they compete with others?..."
Thinking of this, Koskaqi felt a little worried again. His two sons were good at everything else, but he just lacked this spirit. When he looked at his apprentice Tanniao again, his eyes became softer and he reminded him sincerely.
"Tanniao, remember! Even if it takes a long time, as long as this wall can be as hard as bricks in the end, we can give His Highness a satisfactory explanation! And if Your Highness is satisfied, you will be prosperous!"
"Yes, boss, I listen to you! I will water this wall once in the morning and in the evening!"
Tanniao nodded repeatedly, and as he spoke, he picked up the water ladle and poured it on the other side of the wall.
"Huh? Your way of watering..."
Seeing this, Koskaci frowned again. His Highness made it clear that the cement will be ready in a few days and water will be added only in the first few days. If there is too much water, add ash; if there is too much ash, add more water; when it becomes hard, stop. But this charcoal bird made...
"Boss, don't worry! I've been trying for more than a month, and I have to keep adding water! This wall is like a living thing, always absorbing water, and it will become hard after absorbing it. There may be some water inside. Monster, otherwise how could soft mud turn into hard stone!"
Tantiao grinned brightly and confidently. He has touched this wall thousands of times, and it seems to be alive and changing every day. If there really is a spirit hiding inside, it'd better be a woman...
Koscach stretched out his hand and touched both sides of the wall again. He was puzzled. It was indeed hard when water was added. After a while, he waved his hand.
"Okay! You make up your own mind, and it's your credit if you succeed. If you can't, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"
"Thank you, boss!"
A loud voice echoed in the camp, surrounding the white wall, with a bit of joy. The master and the apprentice touched the stones and crossed the river with their eyes closed, but they really took a step that could change the kingdom and even the world!
If Shulot was here, saw this white wall, and studied it carefully for a while, he would probably have a clear understanding. This was exactly the cement he wanted, not the Portland cement that first appeared in later generations, but the Roman cement that had appeared for more than a thousand years!
Portland cement, also known as ordinary Portland cement, is the most common cement in rural areas in later generations, and it is also the least difficult to bake. The general manufacturing process is to grind limestone and clay together into raw meal, and then calcine the raw meal until it is partially or completely melted, which is called clinker. Finally, iron powder or iron slag is added to the clinker and ground into cement.
When making cement, all other steps can be solved manually. Only the firing process requires a high temperature of more than 1,500 degrees and consumes a lot of fuel! A high temperature of 1500 degrees is easy to reach in later generations, but it is difficult in this era. If you include the cost of charcoal and manpower consumed, multiplied by the huge demand, it is completely unbearable for the current kingdom!
The main component of Portland cement is calcium silicate. When it reacts with water, it produces calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and calcium hydroxide. What really determines the hardness of cement is hydrated calcium silicate. Well, to put it simply and irresponsibly, the more calcium silicate hydrate is produced, the harder and stronger the cement will be when it sets.
The hardening process of Roman cement also involves the formation of hydrated calcium silicate. Its manufacturing process does not require burning, it is a mixture of quicklime + volcanic ash + water at normal temperature. The main component of volcanic ash here is silicon oxide erupted by volcanic activity. In other words, silicon oxide + calcium hydroxide + water will eventually produce hydrated calcium silicate.
It's just that this reaction process is much gentler and slower, and it also requires constant consumption of water. But the final strength, the resulting hydrated calcium silicate gel, tends to be higher than that of Portland cement. That is to say, the further it goes, the higher its strength will be, and it is not afraid of blisters or humid environments, and is naturally suitable for the climate of Central America!
Of course, real Roman cement actually contains corrosion-resistant tobermulite (aluminosilicate). It reacted for a long time, continuously providing strength and keeping Roman buildings strong for thousands of years. The appearance of this ingredient is related to special volcanic ash.
There is probably no such component in the volcanic ash in the Colima volcanic area. Strictly speaking, the cement made with it cannot be said to be "Roman cement", but can only be regarded as "pozzolan cement".
"Cement...is really a divine creation! If you add two kinds of ash together, add water, and mix in sand and gravel, it can slowly turn into a hard and massive boulder..."
Koskachi narrowed his eyes and looked at the low wall in front of him. Suddenly, he seemed to see a majestic temple standing in front of him, built by his own hands!
"...If this is the case, then from now on, there will no longer be any need for expensive corn mortar when building huge temples, building noble manors, building brick barns, or even building roads under your feet... Lots of huge boulders!..."
"...If this were the case, it would be much easier to build buildings! And what kind of changes would this bring to the Kingdom in the Lake?..."
Koscach looked ahead and thought for a long time. He didn't answer, because he had never done it before, so he couldn't imagine it. He just grinned and turned towards his cabin. He wanted to take out his treasured tequila, drink it with the salt from the seaside, and drink it till he was drunk!
"Haha, the Lord God bless you! God bless His Highness... and also bless us!"
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