In the misty spring rain, in February, at the foot of Anshan Mountain in the southeast of Mianzhou City, there were many chimneys, stretching for several miles, and factory buildings and high walls were everywhere. The sky above the factory area was filled with thick smoke, which was a spectacular sight.
There are several large iron gates with clear signs of "Mianzhou Iron Works" and "Mianzhou Cement Works". Vehicles loaded with wood, iron ore, coal, and other stone materials are constantly coming in and out, not far away. The riverside pier here is full of ships loaded with cargo, and sweaty coolies are unloading and loading. Along the embankment along the river are a row of red-brick sheds, where carbon washing and cement bagging are done.
Swords, guns, artillery, armor, shells, shells, etc. were continuously shipped out from here, reprinted by vehicles and ships, and distributed to Lizhou and Lizhou.
Cao Youwen came up from the concrete official road with his horse, and the Song army officers and soldiers on duty on the high wall all saluted Cao Youwen. Although this place is behind Mianzhou City, it is also a frontier fortress, so it is guarded by hundreds of soldiers and is also heavily guarded.
Cao Youwen nodded and glanced at the rows of low thatched huts at the foot of the mountain. Cao Youwen frowned, dismounted and strode over.
"General, why are you here?"
Seeing Cao Youwen coming in, the sergeants and craftsmen outside the cement kiln and lime kiln greeted him one after another.
"Everyone is okay."
Cao Youwen nodded. The newly built cement house was cold and damp, making him shiver involuntarily.
The house is too humid, especially here at the foot of the mountain and by the river, where the temperature is lower than in the city. It is easy to get sick.
“It’s hot around the kiln, everything is fine!”
The sergeants and craftsmen all nodded in agreement.
“Add a few more braziers to each house, and don’t worry about wasting charcoal!”
"Thank you, General!"
The craftsmen and sergeants were all excited. This new official of the imperial court was approachable and loved the people like a son. He was much more humble than those civil servants.
Since Cao Youwen took over the capital of Lizhou West Road, he eliminated the old, weak, sick and disabled, organized and trained new troops, and since the establishment of the Lizhou Arms Manufacturing Branch, a cement workshop has also been established, specifically for the repair of the city wall of Lizhou West Road, and Road construction.
Since the Song and Jin wars during the Jiading period, the defense of Shukou has been riddled with holes, and the various fortresses have been ravaged to pieces. The city walls and passes that were particularly damaged are all in ruins and need to be rebuilt, and reconstruction is inevitable.
Limestone and clay are ground into powder, and gypsum is added in the middle. After calcination, it is mixed with iron-making slag and then ground into fine particles. This can delay the hardening time of cement and make the hardening time longer, which is beneficial to control. After the craftsmen adjusted the formula several times, they created cement, which is the so-called soil cement. It was not difficult.
A large amount of gypsum and limestone are produced on Mianzhou Nuan Mountain. The waste residue from iron smelting can be mixed with burned clay and other materials to enhance the function of soil and cement. It can be said that it kills multiple birds with one stone.
"General Cao, let me take you to see the cement factory!"
Peng Daya, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry and the newly appointed magistrate of Lizhou, respectfully led the way.
He was selected by the imperial court and came to the Shukou border fortress together with the first batch of students who graduated from the Jinling Martial Arts Hall. Although he is the magistrate of Lizhou now, he still has to personally take care of the cement refining matter.
"Mr. Peng, thank you very much!"
When I came outside the cement field, I saw rows of work sheds with limestone and clay piled all over the floor. On more than a dozen huge millstones, water drives the stone grinders and crushes the lime.
On the huge field, dozens of sweaty men wielding shovels were filtering the clay to remove impurities. Iron smelting slag is being sent over in a steady stream by men.
The ground powder is mixed together according to the proportion to become the current soil cement.
"Xianggong Peng, you have been a great help in repairing the city and building official roads in Shukou!"
Cao Youwen said sincerely.
The border towns in the three passes and five states, such as Xihe Prefecture, Chengzhou, Fengzhou, including Mianzhou City, are all enlarged and elevated, which is very beneficial to defense.
As for the cement road, the 200-mile road from Mianzhou City to Hanzhong has been repaired, making it much more convenient to transport grain, meat and vegetables from the Hanzhong farms, greatly easing the logistical pressure.
"General, don't worry. I will do my duty well and not let the general down and live up to His Majesty's trust!"
Peng Daya said with a smile, without any complaints.
The emperor was young, energetic and ambitious, and wanted to reshape the defense of Shukou. Such a heavy burden was given to Cao Youwen and Yu Jie. As the chief official in charge of cement production, he had no shirking responsibility, so he naturally had to do his best and devote himself to it.
Cao Youwen nodded appreciatively.
Cement is an important asset of the country, and if it is put in charge of a practical official like Peng Daya, he feels at ease.
"Peng Xianggong, the Shukou border fortress and the east and west roads of Lizhou all need a lot of cement, but the current output is still too small. Please ask Peng Xianggong to think of some more ways."
The Mongolian army will move south at any time, and the emperor will arrive at Shukou at any time, so he cannot take it lightly.
"General Cao, there is no need to worry. Several other large kilns are under construction. By March and April, the output will increase, and the repairs of the city walls and official houses will not be delayed!"
Peng Daya still said with a smile.
Cement is simple and fast, and the houses and city walls built are much stronger. I believe it will become a trend in domestic construction in the Song Dynasty in the future.
I heard from the emperor that reinforced concrete will be the mainstream of housing construction in the future. As long as the scale of iron and steel smelting in the Song Dynasty expands and steel is continuously produced, reinforced cement will be a natural thing. By then, I am afraid that this kind of cement and reinforced steel houses will be all over the world. Song Dynasty.
March or April?
Cao Youwen frowned slightly and shook his head secretly.
I don’t know if the Tatar army will go south to invade the Song Dynasty? His brothers Cao Youwan and Yu Jie and other Song Dynasty soldiers also don't know how they are doing in Xixia?
"Peng Xianggong, I will send people to recruit civilians to build roads from the foot of the mountain, all the way to Mianzhou, and then to the three passes and five states. Only with good roads can cement be transported to various states and cities."
Only by repairing these remote mountain roads can the transportation of grain, grass and baggage be facilitated. This is also part of the construction of the defense of Shukou.
Separating from Peng Daya, they entered the iron smelting factory. The fire was dazzling and the coldness just now was gone. Cao You heard the sweat on his forehead and immediately broke out. Several craftsmen continued to use iron drills to take samples from the furnace to see if they reached the standard of high-quality steel. The huge iron furnace tilted slowly, and the fiery red molten steel flowed into each mold. The fire was dazzling.
This is the experience gained from the Daye Iron Works. Converter steelmaking can produce a furnace of steel in several hours, making it easier to produce a large amount of steel. It is more than ten times faster than open-hearth ironmaking in the past. Good steel can make better artillery and weapons, which are strong and durable and have fewer safety hazards. Compared with artillery made of wrought iron, the advantages are clear at a glance.
"Masashido! Why are you here?"
Seeing a familiar face, Cao Youwen shouted in surprise.
"Cao Youwen, General Cao, why did you come to the iron factory?"
Zhen Zhidao was also overjoyed and shook hands with Cao Youwen tightly, still using the greeting method of Jinling Lecture Hall.
"I am now the deputy director of the Mianzhou Iron Works. I am involved in iron smelting, steel making, and firearms casting. I went to the Daye Iron Works last autumn to observe and study, and I came back at the beginning of the year."
It was too noisy in front of the stove. Zhen Zhidao and Cao You heard it, and Zhen Zhidao's interest did not diminish.
"There are more than a dozen students from the Jiangwu Hall here, and thirty or forty graduates from the Jinling University Hall. You still know some of them. Why are you here? Is there going to be a war? What's going on with Lao Yu and Cao Er? Sample?"
"There is a Jin Kingdom between the Song Dynasty and Xixia, so the movements of Xixia and the Tatar army are not very clear."
Cao Youwen shook his head and changed the topic.
"Are you alone? That Wu Min..."
"We've already broken up!"
Zhenzhidao waved his hands, looking a little embarrassed.
To the south and to the north, there is a frontier fortress in the northwest and a border in the southeast. They have been separated for a long time and have not even been separated from each other.
"If we break up, we'll break up. Let's start over. My cousin is pretty good. She's sixteen years old this year. She's getting married and is going to enroll in Sichuan Normal University. Look around."
Cao Youwen said seriously.
He can still rest assured about Zhen Zhidao's character.
"Let's talk about it later. Are you free? Let's get together tonight. I'll be the host. I'll invite some juniors, and Liu Fanning will come over today. Let's have a good drink!"
"Liu Fanning?"
Cao Youwen was stunned for a moment, then understood a little bit. He shook his head regretfully, not forgetting his advice.
"Your Majesty may arrive at any time, and the Tatar army may invade. The military affairs are busy, so I'm afraid it won't work! Honestly, come to Mianzhou City when you have time, where will I wait for you!"
No need to ask, Zhen Zhidao and Liu Fanning, who had just been transferred to Lizhou West Road, walked together. The two were classmates in the first phase of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall. Liu Fangning had a good temperament and shared the same goals, making it a perfect match.
All in all, Tian Yi and Wei Sisi, Li Siyu and Zhang Zhongxia, Lizhou Frontier Fortress, already have three couples from the Jinling Martial Arts Hall.
"General, where are we going now? Are we going to Lizhou Camp?"
After leaving the iron factory and going up the official road, my subordinates asked.
"Go to Xihezhou!"
Lizhou Camp has military officers training and recruiting new troops, and it is located at the rear. Lizhou Arms Manufacturing Branch has Tian Yi and Zheng Tu in charge, and Lizhou Camp is defended by tens of thousands of soldiers. Production and safety are not a problem. .
In this case, it is better to go back to these important border towns and take a look at the city defenses of these dangerous places in preparation for the invasion of the Mongolian army.
"General, Lu Wende, the governor and commander of Xihe Prefecture, came to report that Jin people have been fleeing into the country in the past two days. They say that the Tatar army attacked Lintao Road and burned, killed and looted."
"Go back and tell Lu Wende to immediately fortify the walls and clear the country, and beware of the Tatar army invading!"
Cao You was shocked when he heard this, and issued the military order without changing his expression.
"You guys, go to Chengzhou, Fengzhou, and Tongqing Mansion immediately, pass on my military order, and ask them to immediately fortify the walls and clear the country. No delay, otherwise military law will be enforced!
Send an order to Jiang Wanzai, the commander of Lizhou East Road, that all the prefectures and counties must strengthen their walls and clear the fields, and return to the big city without any mistakes!
Send an order to the Lizhou Camp and ask them to send out rangers to prepare for the arrival of the Tatar army!
Report the military situation to the Sichuan Production and Construction Department and tell them that the Tatars have invaded the Jin Kingdom, and that the two roads in Lizhou are fortified and the fields are clear, and they are ready!
Send an order to the iron factory and cement factory to stop production immediately. All swords, guns and firearms should be transferred as soon as possible and sent to Lizhou Road! "
When Cao You heard that he had issued a military order, all the soldiers rode away one after another. Cao Youwen's gaze involuntarily glanced to the southeast.
Emperor, he should have already left, right?
The Mongol army wouldn't really invade the Song Dynasty, right?
