12dz Chapter 238 Whatever you say is wrong!
Chapter 238 Whatever you say is wrong!
In an era of low productivity, there is always a shortage of strong labor.
Ye Kun didn't want to kill them all, he wanted to separate these bandits and send them to labor camps or mines.
They don't ask for wages, just feed them. What great free workers they are.
Ma Zhao said: "Then cut off your thumb and send him to a hard labor camp."
If you cut off your thumb, you won't be able to hold a knife, shoot arrows, or draw a bowstring. Even the most powerful bandit will be at your mercy.
"If you cut off your thumb and send him to a hard labor camp, he won't be able to work much." Ye Kun shook his head and said:
"How about this? Cut off the thumbs of the bandit leaders and squad leaders and send them to my carpentry workshop to work on a manual saw. The others will have their faces tattooed and sent to mine."
In the woodworking workshop, there is a sawing machine operated by human feet, just like riding a bicycle.
Sending the bandit leaders to be trampled was also a sign of Ye Kun's mercy; at least he spared their lives.
Ma Zhao said sternly, "I have no objection, but Lord Ye will be responsible for the food and drink expenses of these people."
"My woodworking workshop can support these people, don't worry."
Ye Kun rolled his eyes and asked the officials and alchemists in the hall:
"Have you found out the distribution of mineral resources in Yizhou? Have you found the iron ore, coal mine, and sulfur mine that I want?"
The official in charge of mineral development came forward to report:
"There are black stones in the mountainous areas of southern Sichuan, which are the coal mines that Lord Ye mentioned. There are also some in Jiangzhou, but they are all buried under the mountains and are difficult to dig. The iron mines are in Qionglai Mountain, and there are several iron mines... There are saltpeter mines in the Han River. In the mountains of southern Sichuan, there are minerals that are suspected to be sulfur..."
Ye Kun nodded: "Most of Xichuan's minerals are in sedimentary rocks, which are indeed difficult to mine. But I'm in urgent need of coal and iron ore, so no matter how difficult it is, we must develop them in large quantities."
In fact, there is a huge iron ore in Panzhihua, but ancient technology could not refine it. It is said that the titanium content is too high, so it is called a dead ore.
Ma Zhao jumped out to object again: "Master Ye, we have enough iron tools in Yizhou. Why are you mobilizing so many troops to develop these? And what are the uses of those black stones?"
"Is it enough? Do you have an iron pot at home? Do ordinary people have kitchen knives, axes, shovels and plows at home? Do all our soldiers have swords and guns made of tempered steel? Do we have enough arrowheads in our arsenal?"
Ye Kun asked back.
Ma Zhao muttered, "According to what you said, even if we hollow out Qionglai Mountain, it still wouldn't be enough."
"If it's not enough, keep digging. I want to ensure the living needs of the people of Yizhou!"
Ye Kun waved his hand and said:
"My lords, you may not know what the black stone is used for. Let me tell you. This thing is used to smelt iron and burn pots. One pound of black stone, which is what I call coal, is equivalent to ten pounds of dry firewood. In addition, there is a large amount of kerosene in the coal, which can be used to light lamps and fight wars. As long as we have enough coal and iron mines, we can conquer the world!"
The Chengdu Plain is good in every way, and since the construction of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, God has been feeding it.
But there is a flaw in the plains - there is not enough fuel.
Because there are no mountains, there won’t be many trees, and you won’t have anywhere to chop wood!
The people of Chengdu Plain use crop straw and cow dung for cooking. The fallen leaves in autumn are all good things.
Therefore, it is necessary to develop coal mines.
Ma Zhao argued again: "Black stones are difficult to burn, and they also produce smoke and irritate the eyes. Who would use that to burn a pot and cook?"
"You are the best at making arguments."
Ye Kun rolled his eyes and ordered his men: "Go to Lao He's laboratory and bring me the coal stove so that you can see it. Oh, and bring kerosene and kerosene lamps."
When he was in Dongba County, Ye Kun stockpiled 100,000 kilograms of coal.
Part of it is made into coke, and part of it is made into charcoal balls for burning in stoves.
Because Lao He’s laboratory needs a furnace.
Kerosene is a by-product of coking and is obtained through distillation.
Not long after, Lao He brought a few apprentices and pushed two stoves, kettles, pots and pans on a tricycle.
One is a furnace that burns charcoal, and the other is a furnace that burns clay charcoal balls.
The stove was moved into the lobby, and the room temperature immediately rose a lot.
Ye Kun stood up and said, "Look, everyone. Does this coal smoke when it burns?"
When the raw coal burned, it did produce smoke, just as Ma Zhao said, it irritated the eyes.
But the coal products displayed here have all been processed and are very clean.
Ma Zhao looked at the raging fire in the stove and was dumbfounded.
Lao He inserted an iron bar into the coke oven, and soon the iron bar turned red.
On the other side, on an ordinary stove, He Tiantian demonstrated her cooking skills to everyone.
There are also kerosene lamps, which are also on display.
Ye Kun smiled and said, "My lords, when winter comes, I will give each of you a small stove. You can warm yourself up by the fire at home. It will be very comfortable."
Honeycomb briquettes are easy to make, and Ye Kun can make them anytime as long as he has time.
There are only a few hundred officials in Chengdu, and each of them has a stove. It’s not difficult!
"It turns out that the black stone can be used in this way..." Ma Zhao admitted defeat in his heart, but refused to admit defeat:
"But Lord Ye, isn't it the same to use charcoal? How convenient is it to make charcoal?"
"First, charcoal is not durable. Second, the charcoal temperature is not high enough to make iron. Third, cutting down trees to make charcoal is no easier than digging coal."
Ye Kun patiently explained: "Coal mining is difficult at the beginning, but it will become easier and easier in the future. Cutting trees to make charcoal will only make you run farther and farther, and eventually you will have to go to the mountains to find trees."
Han Chun and others saw the magic of the furnace and supported Ye Kun.
Thus, the first professional mining team in Dading State was officially established.
Ye Kun dispatched two thousand soldiers, two thousand civilians and one thousand death row bandits, equipped with relevant officials and professional technicians with mining experience, to go to southern Sichuan to open a mine.
The iron mines in Qionglai Mountain also began to expand in scale.
There are also lime kilns, cement plants, and porcelain kiln factories, which are all being built at a rapid pace.
The first batch of cement was shipped from Dongba County.
Ye Kun built a biogas pool behind the yard of Lao He's laboratory. He ordered the soldiers to deliver 10,000 kilograms of fresh cow dung, added some water and quicklime, and it started producing gas the next day.
The biogas pressure gauge is made of hollowed-out bamboo wrapped in animal casings.
The ventilation tube is made in the same way, using thin bamboo and intestine casings, and copper pipes for the joints.
The biogas boiler is hand-made by a coppersmith.
When testing the biogas boiler, Ye Kun called officials at all levels to visit and discuss whether it was worth promoting.
This is a clean energy source that can make up for the problem of fuel shortage, and can also be used as fertilizer to increase food production.
Officials in Chengdu found the biogas stoves novel.
Ma Zhao pretended to understand again: "I understand, Lord Ye used the Qionglai Mountain's geothermal energy! The Qionglai Mountain's geothermal energy can be used to cook, I know!"
“You really do know.”
Ye Kun sighed: "Qionglai Mountain is 200 miles away from Chengdu. Should I dig a 200-mile-long tunnel to draw the earth's energy here?"
There is natural gas and salt wells in Qionglai Mountain.
When mining salt wells, people accidentally discovered that they could light a fire at the wellhead, and the flame would continue, which could be used for cooking.
During the Three Kingdoms period, after Zhuge Liang entered Chengdu, he transformed the salt wells, used natural gas to boil salt, unlocked the fire well salt-making method, saved fuel, and greatly increased production.
But the biogas in front of us is not the same as natural gas.
He Tiantian smiled and said, "Master Ma is wrong. This is a biogas tank designed by Master Ye. It uses animal manure to ferment and produce biogas. Master Ye said that this is a clean energy source. There is no residue or ash when burning it."
Ma Zhao was embarrassed and rolled his eyes at Ye Kun: "Whatever I say is wrong, so I won't say anything!"