The cement firing cycle is about a week, and the output of the first blast furnace is only about one ton, which is far from meeting the requirements of the hole. So he built three more blast furnaces in one go, doubling the capacity of the first one.
With the newly built blast furnace put into operation, manpower suddenly became tense. The bandits' diet has included one meal of rice every day, but the high-intensity work still makes them overwhelmed.
Kong Fang accidentally remembered the wheelbarrow in his previous life, and he immediately hired a carpenter to make more than twenty of them. He also used the pulley principle to build several simple cranes to lift large stones; when feeding the blast furnace, he used bamboo baskets to load the materials, and then used the crane to lift them and pour them into the blast furnace.
Improved production tools, liberated productivity, greatly improved work efficiency, and temporarily alleviated the problem of labor shortage.
Kong Fang started his next plan.
Originally, he wanted to use the first batch of cement to repair Fangjiazhuang's city wall and harden the ground, but his father-in-law was the real head of the family. He was not at home, and Fang Shiqing did not dare to agree easily.
After all, this is a huge project that also involves issues such as Feng Shui, inheritance and so on.
So he set his sights on the road from Fangjiazhuang to Qinghe County. He widened it from a single lane to a two-lane road (of course the so-called cars are horse-drawn carriages), and then the cement hardened so that the road would no longer be muddy during the next rainy season.
He doesn't understand engineering, but he can still handle ordinary cement hardening. He did what he said, and asked Guan Yu to take the county's first team to carry out engineering surveys with him the next day.
The spirited young man is full of energy and has a flexible mind. Bringing them out is, firstly, to reduce his own workload, and secondly, to teach them some surveying and mapping knowledge, which may be useful on the battlefield in the future.
It took a day to measure the ten-mile road. Where to widen and where to build bridges... it was mapped and clearly visible.
What surprised him was that almost all of the land required to widen the road belonged to the Fang family. Since it is our own land, forced demolition will definitely not happen, and there will be no nail-biting households.
Of course, in order to give his father-in-law an explanation, he still made some appropriate compensation in the name of the county government. Road construction is hard physical work, but it is also a technical job.
Building roadbeds, building bridges, and repairing culverts all require skills.
There is no shortage of these craftsmen in Qinghe. The only difference is that they have never used cement. Kong Fang personally trained them. The craftsmen are all masters and they can get started quickly.
Cement is easy to mix, quick-drying, has strong viscosity, is convenient and practical, and is a hundred times better than mud.
Its advantages quickly spread through the craftsmen in the construction industry. During the construction days, people continued to visit and consult the construction site. Some of these people are businessmen and some are from wealthy families.
They saw the effect of cement with their own eyes and were immediately amazed. So they lowered themselves and asked the craftsmen in a low voice where the cement came from.
The craftsmen have been working hard all their lives, and they have never been so valued by a rich man. For a moment, they were a little dizzy, mistakenly thinking that the world was unified and everyone was equal.
The reason why they are craftsmen and the reason why they are landlords and rich merchants is just that the social division of labor is different, and there is no distinction between poor and humble.
They never expected that the employer in Guiwei County had squeezed out the last bit of value from them and made them free product salesmen and spokespersons.
The visitor hurried away after getting the answer he wanted.
They cannot go to the cement workshop, which is guarded by county soldiers and outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering.
So they all turned around and went to the Yamen.
From ancient times to the present, no one has ever been so eager to go to the Yamen as they are.
Their purpose is simple, that is, they also want to obtain cement, either to resell it or to use it at home.
Kong Fang received the visitors warmly, but he told them with great helplessness that his cement production could not yet meet the market demand, and he was unable to supply them for the time being.
Of course, he has been working hard to increase production, and sooner or later there will be drops of cement...
There is no need to hit the drum with a heavy hammer.
They immediately understood what Kong Fang meant. Especially the businessmen, who couldn't wait to place orders. Although the landlords and nobles were a little slow to react, they were rich and powerful, and the banknotes they sold could shrink the hands of the businessmen.
Kong Fang did not reject anyone who came. If you want cement, please pay a deposit first, and the order will be based on the deposit payment order, first come first served. He is not good at pen and ink. Although Fang Shiqing is also very interested, her hand likes to hold a sword more than a pen, so the accounting task falls into the hands of Hongpin CEO Fang Shiyi.
Kong Fang collected the money, Fang Shiyi kept the accounts, and Fang Shiqing supervised. Everyone cooperated happily. In a few days, the deposit actually collected 50,000 taels in silver notes, and the order was scheduled until the end of next year.
Putting the banknotes thickly on the table, the three Fang siblings felt like they were dreaming. They were born into wealthy families and never lacked money, but they had never seen anyone making money from others like this.
But those people still enjoy it.
"Brother-in-law, I really underestimated you. The so-called 'profiteer' is you, right?" Fang Shibo sat on a high chair, shaking his short legs.
In his eyes, those people were fools. They hurriedly took out money without even seeing the shadow of cement. Their money didn't come from the strong wind. They were so hasty that their brother-in-law must be too cunning and deceived them. .
There was a crisp "pop" sound, and he was slapped hard on the back of the head.
Alas, this naughty boy was beaten again based on his strength.
He was aggrieved. When attending county schools, teachers often taught children to be honest, not to lie and to tell the truth during class.
Why did he still get beaten when he told the truth? Is there a problem with the teaching, or is there a problem with the eldest sister?
Kong Fang shrugged, hoping that his brother-in-law's views would not be distorted by Fang Shiqing's.
Fang Shiqing locked the banknotes in the safe, and Kong Fang suggested going to Baihualou for dinner. He would treat him and Miss Fang would pay the bill.
Fang Shibo cheered, Fang Shiyi snickered, Fang Shiqing said nothing, glared at Kong Fang, then put his arm around Fang Shibo's shoulders and left first.
Baihualou is the most high-end restaurant in Qinghe County, and the Buddha jumping over the wall is a unique feature of Qinghe. Fang Shibo ordered this dish as soon as it was served, while Kong Fang ordered a steamed wild arowana.
Fang Shiqing and Fang Shiyi also ordered their favorite dishes, and Fang Shiqing also ordered a bottle of wine.
The family of four in Baihualou Peony Pavilion had a great time.
Kong Fang was very happy. He had finally succeeded in his career, his wife was beautiful, his sister-in-law was gentle, and his brother-in-law was a little bit naughty, but he was quite worthy of close friendship.
The first dish served by the waiter is steamed wild arowana.
Kong Fang was looking forward to it, but when the waiter opened the cover of the white porcelain plate, his expression suddenly changed.
