The next day everyone came to the factory next to the winery. The crucible was ready. Li Dan was very satisfied with it and ordered it to be cut.
Zhou Guisheng asked about the heat, and Li Dan told him that it was higher than burning porcelain, which shocked him.
Li Dan told him: "For example, the heat you use to make pottery is 800, and the heat you use to make porcelain is 1,200. What I want now is 1,400 or even 1,600!"
The fire was blazing in front of the kiln, making it so hot that no one could get close. The two donkeys were resting, and the other was walking happily with a blindfold on, forcing a lot of air into the furnace.
Everyone ran outside. Chen Sanwen didn't know what Li Dan was going to do. He was about to ask, but saw that he was touching his chin and thinking about it again, so he swallowed his words.
"Brother Ziru, does he know how to make coke?" Li Dan asked.
Chen Sanwen shook his head, and Wu Mao from behind said: "I know, I saw coking in the charcoal field in Guangdong, and it is said that it is better than charcoal!"
"Yes, but it needs to be simmered in a closed kiln for about two days to allow the coal to expel all the tar, asphalt and carbon gas inside. What's left is coke.
That thing is easier to use for making steel, the furnace temperature it can reach is higher, and the steel produced is purer. Li Dan pointed to the guard not far away: "Weapons in general are prone to curling and breaking. People think this is a normal phenomenon, but they don't know that it can actually be avoided."
There is Damascus steel in the west and Japanese steel in the east. Everyone knows that their weapons are good, but no one has thought about why they are good.
I think there are just a few reasons: the carbon contained in charcoal plays a key role, while the sulfur in pebbles can make steel brittle;
In addition, during the steelmaking process, the temperature of our furnace is unstable and the lack of air and insufficient combustion make it difficult to remove impurities in the steel;
Of course, later forging is also very important, but manual forging by craftsmen is too slow, too expensive and too laborious. "
"Sanlang has been thinking about steel these days. What are your thoughts?" Wu Mao asked.
“Brother Maocai, in the era of slash-and-burn farming, people used stones and sticks. Later, there were copper utensils, and then there was iron.
I think the future era will be the era of steel. Whoever masters the technology of large-scale, fast and low-cost steelmaking will be the business tycoon of the new era! "
"Oh?" Wu Mao laughed: "You don't want the inspector hat, are you going to be Tao Zhugong?"
Li Dan was about to answer the question when suddenly a worker under Zhou Guisheng ran out and shouted: "Sir, foreman Zhou said the fire is almost done! Do you want to withdraw the fire?"
"Slow down, don't remove it all at once!" Li Dan said and walked over: "Tell him to lower the fire to a lower level than pottery, and to lower it slowly." As he said this, he asked someone to bring over a crucible that was burned yesterday. .
When the fire temperature gradually dropped, he asked Zhou Guisheng to use an iron hook to poke the small hole at the bottom of the crucible in the furnace. The red liquid flowed along the small hole into the new crucible below.
Li Dan used an iron spoon to scoop out a spoonful and poured it into a crucible plate, pressing it down with the metal object held in his left hand. Then he turned it over with the pliers in his right hand and pressed it again with the object in his left hand. A disc with slightly convex sides on both sides emerged. formed.
He made a dozen of them in a row, then took a blower and blew them to cool them down. It took an entire night to cool down, but then I took it to Chen Salmon's room and kept it in the house, so that the two donkeys were not tired any further.
When Li Dan felt refreshed after a good sleep and went to look at his work, he was startled by Chen Salmon with dark circles under his eyes. "You, why did you stay up all night?" he asked.
"I can't sleep," Chen Sanwen said, "The things you make, Sanlang, can magnify things!"
"Yes!" Li Dan nodded.
"You know? You want to sell to people with bad eyesight, right? It seems I guessed it right?"
"Don't be too happy yet, this thing can be used as a 'magnifying glass'. However, I made it for another purpose. Is the grinder I asked you to make ready?" Li Dan asked.
"Oh, yes! It's not very clear yet, it needs to be polished!" Chen Salmon quickly called the workers and lifted the finished sander under the runner to replace the blower.
Now the little donkey has something to do again. As soon as it runs, it drives the grinding wheel on the mechanism to rotate at high speed, and the entire lens fixed on the base is being polished on one side.
Li Dan changed the grinding wheel three times from coarse to fine. When needed, he pulled the handbrake to lift the grinding wheel and decouple it from the big wheel of the little donkey.
When he finished his work, seven shiny transparent lenses appeared on hand.
Li Dan and Chen Sanwen worked together to bring half a bamboo tube that had been made in advance and put a lens in front of it.
Take another half of a slightly thinner bamboo tube, place a smaller lens at the end and close it with the other half of glue.
Tie the two ends tightly with hemp rope, put it into a large bamboo tube, close the large bamboo tube with the other half, glue it, and tie it tightly. The two of them worked hard for an hour before finishing the work. Chen Sanwen asked: "What... is this?"
When Li Dan went out, he saw Wu Mao and waved him over. He first picked up this primitive "telescope", closed his left eye and then his right eye, looked at it for a long time, and then said with a smile: "It's okay, it can generally be used."
After speaking, he handed it to Wu Mao and pointed with his hand: "Brother Maocai, look toward the west mountain!"
Wu Mao took it over doubtfully, imitated his example and squinted his left eye, suddenly shouted, put it down and looked back at Li Dan with a look of disbelief on his face.
"What, what happened?" Chen Sanwen took over and imitated Li Dan's example, and then he shouted "Ah~ah~ah~", excitedly jumping his feet, pointing at the west mountain and speechless. Come.
"What did you do again?" Wu Mao asked.
"Telescope." Li Dan chuckled: "It was the first time I came to Nanshan to see the mountains from Laifeng Pavilion. I just thought it would be great to have a telescope, but I didn't expect it took seven days to make it!
In fact, it's not that complicated. I'll think about whether there are any steps that can be omitted or simplified. "
"Isn't this 'too complicated'?" Wu Mao couldn't laugh or cry: "Brother Xian, now that we have this, the sentry at Laifeng Pavilion will probably be able to see clearly who is in whose bed tonight. This is a good thing. , baby!"
"Ok, I know."
Seeing Li Danyun's calm look, Wu Mao really didn't know what to say.
But Li Dan didn't just play around these days, he still did a lot of serious things.
Guoshan Bao was secretly taken to Guangxin. The car could not go there, so a group of civilian husbands were sent to tie him on a stretcher, drink soju, and then take turns carrying him away.
Just in case, Zhao Jingzi and Heimu brought a group of elite swordsmen and shieldmen to escort them together with the army. The leader was Xie Baozi, who was spanked by Zhao Cheng last time for meat buns.
On this trip, they brought a letter to Shangrao for Sheng and Li, which explained in detail the reasons for making wine and the entire plan, as well as how Guangxin and Shangrao needed to cooperate, etc.
Shen Wu goes to Fengtou Bridge every two or three days to pick up new wine puree. From time to time, he takes a bowl to pick up some wine and taste it in the name of inspection.
At first, the rebels who were guarding the bridge watched from a distance. Later, when they became bolder, they gathered around and Shen Wu quietly gave each of them a taste.
These people had different attitudes toward Shen Wu after receiving the sweetness. In addition, everyone knew whose business it was, so they became more intimate with each other.
Even the third young marshal didn't want to fight, and the people below were happy to stay alive for a few more days, and no one wanted to expose the business between the two parties.
But they didn't know that every time Shen Wu appeared, Li Dan would watch from a distance from the top of Laifeng Pavilion. Later, it became more convenient with telescopes, and he could even count the number of defenders and see their clothes and weapons in their hands.
"Mom, this is really an artifact!" Sheng Huai'en held a telescope in his hand and said without looking back: "Li Sanlang, I know, I will never compete with you in the future, otherwise I will die without knowing how to do it. !”
Li Dan was also holding a telescope in his hand. After hearing this, he replied: "How can you say it is so exaggerated? I just do whatever I think of.
But having said that, the bamboo one is still a bit heavy. I have to let Ziroom change it, for example, try it with peach or paulownia wood. In fact, it would be best if the outer layer was made of copper, but we can't afford it now... "
His eyes suddenly left the telescope, and he turned his face and said: "Old Sheng, I think the heat is almost there. Shen Wu is already very familiar with the opponent. As long as Mr. Ding agrees to our plan, we can start implementing it. What do you think?"
Sheng Huai'en put away the telescope, put his hand on the wall and said, "I'm still a little worried about the thousand people in Toad Pond. Do you believe in Sun She so much? He is a surrendered general, and it will only take a month for him to come here to fight with all his troops."
"My dear Shanda, although he is a demoted general, we have all seen his performance now. The No. 1 Squadron has changed the most and fastest under his hands. After that 'remembering the bitter and thinking of the sweet', the top and bottom looks completely new." , the exercises are also the neatest.
You see, when Toad Pond Camp is taken down, this team will be no different from the four battalions our group trained. Rather…. "
Li Dan hesitated to speak, but Sheng Huaien turned around without hearing what was going on: "Huh? What about the next words of my dear brother?"
"It's the winery that makes me a little worried."
"What?" Sheng Huai'en was surprised: "The people in this town are the ones who are the most dramatic. Is it the guy in Shen Wu?"
Li Dan quickly waved his hand: "I'm not saying there's something wrong with the fifth trial.
They usually send people out regularly to meet with insiders, or get inside information about the rebels from other channels and send it out through the wine courier.
But it's been five or six days, and I haven't conveyed any information, nor given a word or hint to the person who delivered the wine. I think it's not normal.
If something happens or is being monitored, you can send a signal to alert you, but there is no alert. Why do you think this is? Isn't it a bit strange? "
"Has the insider buried in the town been discovered?"
"The detective team hiding in the town reported that the insider's access was normal, and they were a little confused. They asked if they wanted to take the initiative to contact the insider. I was worried that the whereabouts of the lurking personnel would be exposed, so I haven't responded yet. "
After Li Dan finished speaking, he opened the telescope and looked towards the town again. Think about it:
"I'm a little worried that there's a mole here, making Hua Jibshou suspicious and wary, blocking information or tightening controls on the wine shop. That wouldn't be good!"
"The mole? Who do you suspect?"
"I don't have a target yet." Li Dan shook his head: "But this person should be in the Chinese Army. He should have the opportunity to contact or hear about our plan, have a general understanding of the reasons for brewing wine, and even have access to the detective team.
If this kind of information is leaked, it may cause alertness and take control measures against the winery. So I came here today to hear your opinion. "
"It is necessary to find the insider, but it is also important to contact the town to understand the situation!" Sheng Huai'en thought for a moment and said: "We still have to find a way to send someone in to meet with the insider to see what happened. Let's just guess here. I can’t figure out why.”
Li Dan agreed: "Okay, then I'll find a way."
The young monk Xingwu stood in front of the door of Baofeng Tower, holding a bamboo stick in his left hand and a pottery bowl with a chip on the edge in his right hand.
He swept around the street from under the fence and sighed slightly in his heart: Master, forgive me. Then he began to recite the "Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra" silently.
At this time, the sky is getting dark, the sunset behind the mountains in the west is fading away, and the blue-black night is slowly covering them up.
There are two or three businesses on the street that have blown out strings of bright red lanterns, marking the start of the most lively and joyful business of the day.
In the alleys behind the gates of these courtyards, prostitutes and secret doors shyly hang out their own lanterns, decorating the streets together, planning to take advantage of the gates not paying attention, and quietly bite off a piece of it. Come meat.
The woman's unrestrained and unscrupulous laughter came, Xingwu's ears twitched, and he muttered habitually silently, thinking to himself what if he couldn't control it?
Senior Brother Maocai and the inspector said it didn't matter, but what if there was an eventuality? It is not impossible for ten years of practice to be ruined in one day!
"Hey, where did this little monk come from? It's so disappointing, so hurry up and get rid of him!"
"Sister Mei, what does it do to you to stand there and recite your own scriptures? It doesn't diminish your merits at all."
"Hey, I already have such virtue, why do I need merit? Anyway, I will be cut in half when I go to the Palace of Hell!"
"Okay, you're all free, right? Why don't you just have fun being a little monk here if you don't do anything?"
"What mom said is that Sister Mei realized her mistake."
The material of the clothes rustled and there was no movement for a while. A burst of fragrance of powder hit his face, and Xingwu couldn't help but sneeze. I heard a woman's voice saying apologetically:
"I'm really sorry for disturbing the little master's chanting. Where did the master come from and where are he going? Why don't you go to the Lihua Zhai, a folk residence in the east, but stand in front of the door of my Baofeng Tower?"
"Amitabha!" Xingwu's head dropped to the ground like a big stone, he bowed slightly and said:
"The donor's voice was clear and clear. Although he was living in this mortal world, he was a person who had a destiny with the Buddha. The poor monk came all the way over the mountains and ridges. He saw and passed by many people, but there was only one like Sangu Song."
The woman seemed stunned for a moment, then laughed and said:
"The young monk is young and has a lot of eyes. You must have heard someone mention my name at this door for half a day, so you used it to knock my wooden fish, right?"
"How can a person who has become a monk do such a thing? Fortunately, the name of the third aunt was only informed by the woodcutter of Nanshan."
"You, you, you..." The other person was obviously caught off guard. The toes of his shoes under his skirt hesitated for a few steps, and then he slowly stepped forward and said:
"My little master is traveling hard. Although Baofeng Tower is a dirty place, I am still willing to serve a vegetarian meal. I wonder if my little master would like to move to my house and find a quiet place to eat?"
"Amitabha! Sangu sincerely worships the Buddha. How can I be dissatisfied as a disciple of the Buddhist family? Please lead the way, and the young monk will follow you."
Xingwu let out a loud sigh and thought: Things are going well, does this count as a success? But with the protection of the master, the disciple can really go in!
Following Sister Song, staring at the back edge of her flowing skirt, Xingwu couldn't express her breath and didn't look to the side.
Girls kept teasing and joking on the road, but he bit his lip and said nothing.
After walking around, I came out of the side door and found a separate courtyard. Someone came up to me and asked, "Third aunt, what is this...?"
"I am a little master who is walking to beg for alms. Go ahead and get some vegetarian food for me to treat the master to a meal.
I thought it was unclean there, so I brought him to our house. Don't let others disturb you if you have nothing to do. "
Song Sangu warned that the man was probably a turtle man. After hearing her words, he did not dare to neglect, and quickly saluted Xingwu with crossed hands, and then Nuonuo went to do his work.
Song Sangu led him into the side room, took out the matchmaker and started the fire. The oil lamp in the room flickered, allowing Xingwu to see clearly that there was a bed, a table and three or four embroidery pieces inside.
"It's a little slow, but it's clean." After speaking, Song Sangu asked him to take off the scriptures on his shoulders, and they sat across the table.
Song Sangu then asked softly: "Have you met Li Sanlang, young master?"
"Sanlang asked me to pay my regards to the donor." After saying this, Xingwu took out a letter from the sutra folder and handed it over: "Donor, please read it."
Song Sangu took it and when she looked at the oil lamp, she found it was a banknote worth ten liang and a letter. She first put the banknote in her sleeve, then opened the letter and read it.
The letter was written in both Chinese and English, so it was effortless to read. After reading it, she sighed and praised:
"Sanlang is very good at handwriting, but it's a pity." He burned the letter with his hand. After thinking for a long time, he spoke again:
"I know about this matter, and I will arrange for some capable people to investigate in detail tonight. The person you want to see will be met in this room, okay?"
"It all depends on the donor." Xingwu didn't say much.
Song Sangu stood up, and then the turtle man came back with a plate, which contained rice, two kinds of seasonal vegetables and a bowl of soup. Sangu smiled in front of him and said:
"Please let me have a meal and rest, little master. I'll go take care of things in front of you. If you have some free time, I'll bother you again."
After saying that, he asked Mr. Turtle to go out and gave him instructions before returning to the front. But instead of going anywhere else, he turned around and came to the Hongjin House.
"Hey, why didn't mom come to my room? What's the matter?" Hong Jin was painting, with a little maid waiting on her side. The painting was of a cloth-bag monk reciting poems.
There is already a verse written on it, "Six pure roots are the path, and retreat is actually forward." I have a red seal in my hand and haven't had time to press it yet.
"It just so happens that my mother asked me to draw this the day before yesterday. Now that I have handed in my homework, my mother can take it." Hong Jin said.
Some people died, but not completely...
