The reason why Li Ke frowned was actually because the processing speed of these civilian workers was too slow.
There were more than 70 workers on site, but after two hours of processing, the stone produced was only more than 300 kilograms.
Obviously, this speed cannot keep up with Li Ke's needs.
At the very least, one must be able to process four to five hundred kilograms of stone per hour in order to be able to meet his own needs.
Moreover, the stone at this time has only undergone the first rough processing. After the stone is knocked into small stones, it must be crushed and screened.
Finally, the stone is processed until it is as fine as flour before it can be used.
But with the current progress, it may take years and months to process it to that level.
Li Ke turned to look at Su Xun aside and asked, "Mr. Su, can't we recruit more people? With this processing speed, our construction period will be greatly delayed!"
Su Xun also looked helpless and sighed: "Your Highness, to be honest, the money in our hands has already bottomed out, and we really can't afford to hire too many people."
Pointing to the working men, Su Xun said earnestly: "To be honest, many of these people came to help voluntarily without any consideration for remuneration."
Hearing this, Li Ke could only nod slightly, but he was still extremely anxious.
Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly slapped his forehead and said with a smile: "Yes, I have thought of a way to speed up the processing!"
"May I ask what solution your Highness has thought of?" Su Xun asked curiously.
Li Ke just smiled mysteriously, and suddenly asked: "Mr. Su, are the carpenters you were looking for a few days ago still there?"
Su Xun nodded: "Yes, most people are still building wind turbines."
Li Ke quickly said: "Okay, then go and call two people now. I have something important to give to them!"
Soon, two carpenters and more than a dozen civilians were brought to the ditch outside the city by Li Ke.
Li Ke then handed a piece of land to the two carpenters and told them the detailed production method.
Then a dozen people began to get busy.
About half a day later, a device that looked like a waterwheel and a seesaw stood up beside the canal.
"Your Highness, what is this?"
Su Xun looked at the strange device in front of him and asked curiously.
But Li Ke just smiled and ordered a farmer to remove the wooden bolt from the waterwheel, and then the waterwheel started to rotate.
As the waterwheel rotates, the gears on the waterwheel tilt a thick wooden beam high like a seesaw.
However, the gear actually only had half of the teeth. When the gear pressed the wooden beam to the highest point, the gear happened to rotate to the side without teeth. At this time, one end of the wooden beam fell heavily.
After the wooden beam fell to the ground, the gear happened to run to the side with teeth. As the teeth twisted, the wooden beam was tilted high again, and the cycle continued.
Looking at the device in front of him, Su Xun was still a little confused, obviously not understanding what this thing had to do with gravel.
Then he expressed his doubts to Li Ke, but Li Ke just smiled, pointed to the high-rising end of the wooden beam, and said: "Mr. Su, what do you think if I install a big beam here?" Is it possible for a hammer to smash those stones easily? Is it much more efficient than manual labor?"
After what Li Ke said, Su Xun suddenly realized and even looked shocked.
"It turns out...it turns out it's so wonderful, it's really wonderful!" At this time, Su Xun finally understood what Li Ke was doing, but the more he knew, the more he was shocked by Li Ke's unbridled imagination. .
That's right, what Li Ke ordered people to make was a simple hydraulic forging hammer.
The hydraulic forging hammer first appeared in Ouzhou. Its invention not only greatly saved manpower, but also indirectly promoted the development of iron products.
Especially weapons and armor. It was precisely because of the invention of the hydraulic forging hammer that Ouzhou's army had the possibility to equip plate armor on a large scale. This even indirectly affected the structure of Ouzhou at that time.
Obviously, Li Ke will also use this hydraulic forging hammer on a large scale in the future.
However, now he still only needs this hydraulic forging hammer to help him break stones.
Soon, a special hammer head was placed on one end of the hydraulic forging hammer. Even if this simple hydraulic forging hammer was completely completed, Li Ke quickly had people bring in the stones to test it.
Accompanied by crisp impact sounds, the huge stones were easily smashed by the water hammer. The efficiency was so high that Su Xun was stunned.
In a short while, the stone that originally took several people an hour to break was easily broken by the hydraulic forging hammer, and the breaking effect was much better than that of manual work.
This surprised Su Xun so much that he couldn't stop praising it.
With the addition of the hydraulic forging hammer, the efficiency of the gravel began to be greatly improved. Soon, the first batch of gray stone powder weighing a thousand kilograms was delivered to Li Ke.
After a brief inspection, Li Ke gradually showed a satisfied expression on his face.
Then, he ordered people to transport the limestone powder, along with some gypsum powder and iron ore powder, to the rotatable drum that Su Xun had customized before, and poured all the stone powder and other powders into it, and finally poured the iron drum into it. Fire it over a charcoal fire.
An hour later, the two iron buckets that were burned red on the charcoal fire were taken down. Then the lids of the iron buckets were opened by the civilians, and the gray stone powder that was still glowing with sparks and had been burnt into lumps was poured out.
Then Li Ke quickly asked people to cool down the powder, and finally sent the ash blocks to be broken and crushed.
After struggling for more than an hour, the first batch of finished products finally came out.
Li Ke kneaded the soft gray powder as soft as flour with his hands, and the joy on his face was beyond words.
He secretly thought to himself: After so many Zhou Zhangs were crippled, he finally made this cement!
