Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 144 July th
Looking at the new wall gradually rising, Han Ji spoke with emotion.

“This is the foundation of the new city of Lüsi, and also a shield for the future.” His voice remained clear amidst the noise.

Guo Jia and Xun Yu each had their own thoughts as they looked at the new wall, but neither of them revealed anything. Instead, they followed Han Ji to visit the workshops in various places.

They walked along the direction of the newly built city wall construction site, and when they approached the Hutuo River, they could smell a strong odor of coal dust and hear rhythmic pounding sounds.

"This is the honeycomb briquette workshop. Our lord is wise; he has researched a method to reduce the toxicity of coal."

Guo Jia and Xun Yu looked in the direction of the sound.

The huge coal and clay piles resembled two silent hills. The foreman in charge of mixing the ingredients held a specially made wooden bucket and measured the ingredients strictly according to the ratio of "six parts coal, three parts clay, and one part ash".

Coal dust filled the air, and even with simple burlap masks, the workers' mouths and noses were quickly stained black.

The men who were adding water and stirring shouted in unison as their huge wooden shovels churned in the slippery mud. Each press of the shovel produced a heavy "plop" sound, and sweat mixed with mud slid down their burly arms.

A large amount of coal, soil, and lime are mixed together to form a viscous wet material.

The pressing area is the core of the workshop, with hundreds of workers, half men and half women, lined up around dozens of long tables.

On each long table are several wooden molds. Workers quickly fill the molds with wet material, press and lift them with a pressure plate with raised cylinders, and the round honeycomb briquettes are demolded and stacked on straw mats or wooden racks to dry.

The entire area was filled with the sounds of slapping and shouts of "Third basket!" "Fifth module!" creating a peculiar, efficient rhythm.

Xun Yu's gaze fell on a thin figure.

Despite her young age, her technique was remarkably skillful, her movements fluid and graceful, a sight to behold.

Her nose was covered in coal dust, and her hair was wet with sweat and stuck to her cheeks, but her hands moved with extraordinary speed and precision. She filled the filling material, compacted it, lifted the mold, and stacked it in one go, her speed being significantly faster than the workers next to her.

The recorder beside her was still the same old soldier with a broken hand, his wrist bound with a wooden tablet, his right hand holding a pen, his sharp eyes scanning everyone's output and recording it promptly.

"Cui girl, you've surpassed it again!" the veteran shouted with a smile.

Liu Cui didn't even look up, her voice carrying a hint of stubbornness: "I'm rushing to hand in my work points to get medicine for my mother!"

"A severed hand for record-keeping?" Guo Jia asked Han Ji in a low voice.

"That's a veteran of the Armored Army. He injured his hand, and our lord arranged for him to work here as a record-keeper. He's literate, knows numbers, and is diligent," Han Ji explained.

Then he whispered to Xun and Guo, "This woman is very diligent. Her mother is ill and weak, and she relies entirely on her work points to support her. After the lord learned of this, he specially ordered the physician to treat her mother, and allowed her to use her work points to offset the medical expenses in installments."

The two sighed.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Guo Jia went up to a worker who was moving coal briquettes and asked, "Are these coal briquettes really any good?"

The worker put down his load and smiled憨厚ly: "It works well! It burns longer than firewood, has a stronger flame, and produces less smoke! The stoves sold at the county government's stove shop are also cheap. With these coal briquettes, the house will be warm in winter! You can also make your own; buying coal ash is cheap, it just takes a bit of effort!"

Guo Jia squatted down and gently stroked the mountain of black coal briquettes that were gradually hardening in the sunlight. He sighed and said, "This thing may seem crude, but it affects the stoves of thousands of households. With this, people suffer less from the cold and hunger of winter. How much does this workshop produce per day?"

Xun Yu also squatted down to look at the newly made coal briquettes, and could still feel their moisture when he touched them with his fingers.

Han Ji estimated: "Now there are more than 300 workers working in three shifts day and night. The lord has set standards for the craftsmanship process and assigned tasks accordingly."

If raw materials are plentiful, daily production of honeycomb briquettes can reach three thousand baskets, with each basket containing approximately thirty-three briquettes. This would not only supply the entire city but also have surplus to sell to neighboring villages and towns, exchanging them for money, food, and other supplies.

Guo Jia stood up, dusted off his hands, and his eyes shone: "Brilliant! Using work points to unite manpower and standards to improve efficiency, we can turn coarse coal into resources that benefit the people and enrich the county! Zhang Zhonglang's wisdom is unconventional, yet it gets straight to the heart of the matter. Wenruo, this is much more interesting than reading ten thousand volumes of dead books!"

Xun Yu withdrew his hand, not caring that his fingertips were stained with a little coal dust, and simply nodded slightly: "That's what traveling is all about."

Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the coal mine, they turned towards a workshop area built along the river.

All industries in Lüchi rely heavily on water conservancy, firstly because the water from the great river provides power, and secondly because water is readily available.

Even before getting close, one could feel the sweltering heat and hear the incessant clanging of metal.

This is the civilian blacksmith workshop of Lüqi.

Driven by the river water, the huge water-powered forging hammer emitted a dull and regular "boom" as it repeatedly forged the red-hot iron billet, sparks flying everywhere.

Beside them were dozens of forges of varying sizes, their flames roaring and illuminating the blacksmiths' bronze faces and bare torsos.

The air was filled with the stench of coke, iron, and sweat.

The craftsmen had a clear division of labor: some were responsible for watching the fire and controlling the temperature, some were responsible for hammering and forging, some were responsible for quenching and tempering, and others were responsible for grinding, sharpening, and assembling parts.

On the finished product shelves, hoes, sickles, shovels, axes and other farm tools are piled up like mountains, gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

The most eye-catching feature is the row of curved plowshares with smooth shapes and obvious curves.

"Master Li!" Han Ji called out to an old craftsman who was examining a piece of red-hot iron with pliers.

Master Li put down the ironwork upon hearing the sound, wiped his sweat, and walked over: "Chief Secretary Han! You've arrived!"

"Let me show my two friends our ironworks. How's the construction of this curved plow going?"

Master Li's face showed pride: "Reporting to Chief Secretary, as you and the lord instructed, the workshop is working at full speed to produce them."

Now, with the help of the water-powered sledgehammer, the wrought iron material comes quickly, and forging is much easier. Plus, the newly recruited apprentices are gradually getting the hang of it, so producing twenty plowshares a day is no problem! They've already been distributed in batches according to the needs reported by each township, and many have had part of the cost offset with work points.

Guo Jia picked up a half-finished curved plowshare with great interest. It was heavy in his hand and had a cleverly designed curved shape: "What is this for?"

Master Li looked over and laughed loudly, "For plowing, compared to ordinary plows, the curved plow designed by our lord can plow deeper and save more effort. This plow has been a great help in the spring planting season in Luqi, allowing us to plow 80,000 to 90,000 mu of land in one go!"

"Zhang Zhonglang is also skilled in crafts?" Guo Jia couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Han Ji laughed loudly: "Hahaha, if Fengxiao stays with the lord for a long time, he will know that there is no skill in this world that the lord cannot master. As long as the lord wants to, he can learn anything quickly and then surpass the teacher."

"Zhonglang is truly an extraordinary man," Xun Yu exclaimed sincerely.

Just as Xun Yu was sighing, hundreds of miles away, deep in the Lüliang Mountains, in a quiet camp shrouded in morning mist...

Zhao Yun brushed the soft cloth in his hand across the tip of the third feathered arrow one last time.

The pale blue light, filtering through the sparse canopy of trees in the morning, resembled the forked tongue of a venomous snake, silently exhaling a deadly chill.

The fine blood grooves on the arrowhead resembled meticulously carved lines of death; the mixed venom that had seeped within had long since dried and solidified, awaiting only the warmth of his blood to awaken it. He carefully inserted this arrow, like the previous two, into the specially made leather quiver on his back.

The quiver was pressed tightly against his back, and the position and angle of the three arrows of vengeance had been simulated countless times through meditation to ensure that they could be drawn as quickly as possible to deliver a fatal blow.

"Young Master." The scarred-faced Zhao Da knelt on one knee, his voice extremely low, like a whisper, yet it clearly reached Zhao Yun's ears.

"Jin Yang Gu Sanlang, urgent message from a flying eagle." He presented a small roll of parchment sealed with wax.

Zhao Yun took it, and with a slight squeeze of his fingertips, he broke the wax seal, unfolded the scroll, and found only a few lines of coded messages, but they contained the most crucial confirmation information.

At 9:00 AM, a sacrificial ceremony was held in front of the shrine.

Two beacon towers were lit, and fifty soldiers were led in.

Chen led the central army, consisting of one hundred armored men.

The carriage was drawn by a black canopy, and the rider wore a purple robe and a golden crown.

The information was extremely concise, yet it revealed the exact time Wang Ze arrived at the Earth Official Temple, the troop strength that the beacon fire disturbance could draw away, and the scale of the core guard.

The distinctive features of Wang Ze himself (black carriage canopy, purple sacrificial robe, and golden sage crown) were clearly marked. This was the final intelligence that the Gu family had repeatedly confirmed with their spies in Jinyang City at great risk.

Zhao Yun's gaze lingered on the four words "purple robes and golden crown" for a moment, and the ice in his eyes seemed to shatter, bursting forth with a deep-seated hatred.

The blood-stained mudflats of Baihe Valley, the dying roars of his comrades, seemed to echo in his ears once more. He slowly brought the scroll close to the dim charcoal brazier beside him, and the flames instantly engulfed it, turning it into a wisp of smoke without leaving a trace.

"Is everything clear?" Zhao Yun's voice was as cold as the frozen rocks on the peak of Lüliang Mountain as he glanced at the nine brothers who had gathered around him.

"Understood!" the nine responded in unison, their eyes filled with the same determination and hatred.

“According to Case A, let’s do the final deduction.” Zhao Yun stood up, drew his ring-pommel sword, and quickly traced the terrain around the Earth God Temple on the damp ground with the tip of the sword.

"Hawk!" The tip of the knife pointed at several high points on the eastern edge of the dense forest.

"Take two men (two crossbowmen) and lie in ambush on the ancient locust and pine trees here. The best view is here, covering the entire open area in front of the temple and its flanks."

Primary target: Wang Ze's coachman! He must be killed instantly to create chaos!
Second target: Any guard leader attempting to flank the 'Iron Hand' group. Fire three arrows immediately, then immediately descend the tree and retreat along Line C!

"Iron Hand!" The knife tip moved towards the edge of the forest, where the bushes were densest, near the drop-off point.

"Take three men (three skilled melee fighters) and sneak here. When the 'hawk' crossbow fires and the coachman is killed, and the carriage is thrown into chaos, use your hand crossbows to shoot the nearest guards to Wang Ze!"

I don't seek to kill them all, but rather to create maximum chaos and draw Captain Chen's attention! After firing the crossbow, I discard the crossbow, draw my sword, and form the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Powers Formation to hold off the enemy for a moment and buy myself a breath!
Then they immediately dispersed and disappeared into the depths of the forest along Line B!

"Four men remaining!" Zhao Yun's blade suddenly pierced the point he had planned to attack.

"Follow me! 'Iron Hand' makes a move, that's the signal! Emerge from the forest, charge, grab your bow, nock your arrow—"

His movements were as swift as lightning, mimicking the instantaneous drawing of an arrow: "Three arrows in quick succession! Target: purple robes and golden crown! Life or death, retreat immediately after the arrows are fired! I will cover your retreat; you all retreat at full speed along the armor lines without looking back!"

His gaze was tangible, piercing everyone's eyes: "Remember this! The target is only Wang Ze! Any entanglement is suicide! Our lives were given by our lord, and bought with the lives of our brothers in Baihe Valley! Understand?!"

"Understood! Kill Wang Ze! Sacrifice the heroic souls! Die for our lord!" The nine men suppressed their growls, their voices low but carrying an unwavering will that seemed to shake the forest mist.

"Conserve your strength and build up your power. On the fifteenth of July, we will take Wang Ze's dog head in the western suburbs of Jinyang to offer as a sacrifice to the heroic souls of Baihe Valley!"

"promise!"

After the deduction was completed, no further words were spoken.

Everyone silently checked their equipment one last time.

The bowstring of the powerful bow was repeatedly tested for tension, the mechanism of the crossbow made a slight "click" to confirm its smooth operation, the short blade was given a final sharpening on the whetstone, and every buckle of the leather armor was tightened to its limit.

Zhao Da stuffed the prepared dried meat and hard naan bread into everyone's bags, and filled the water bags.

The only sounds left in the camp were heavy breathing, the faint rustling of equipment, and the whistling of the mountain wind through the gaps in the forest.

Zhao Yun sat down cross-legged again, placed his ring-pommel sword horizontally on his knees, and closed his eyes to concentrate.

He stopped thinking about plans, hatred, and even the rising city walls.

His mind sank into absolute silence, becoming one with the knife in his hand and the arrow on his back, leaving only one pure thought—to lock onto the figure in purple robes and a golden crown, and then release the three deadly arrows that embodied all his anger and skill!

"...Therefore, the weaving of this wicker basket also adopts standard sizes and weaving methods, which not only makes it durable, but also makes it more suitable for stacking and transportation to save space."

Han Ji pointed to the rattan baskets being woven in a corner of the woodworking workshop and explained to Guo Jia, who was listening with great interest, and Xun Yu, who seemed to be deep in thought.

The final stop was a comprehensive woodworking workshop.

Here, the heat and noise of the blacksmith's shop are gone, replaced by the fresh scent of wood and the delicate sounds of sawing, planing, chiseling, and shaving.

Huge logs were fixed to a support frame, and a large saw pulled by two people was used to break them down into planks.

Wood shavings flew like snowflakes as carpenters skillfully used various tools to process the wood into beams, columns, rafters, and boards.

Wood chips flew through the air.

Most striking is a dedicated area where large quantities of finished, uniformly sized wooden components are piled up: long, thick planks, connectors with grooves and tenons, and massive cylinders.

More than a dozen craftsmen are quickly assembling these components like building blocks according to the blueprints, forming huge frame structures, which are the bamboo-reinforced wooden formwork skeletons used for the concrete pouring of the new city wall!
“These frames can be repeatedly disassembled and reused, and their precise dimensions greatly speed up the construction of walls.” After explaining the standardized rattan weaving, Han Ji pointed to the components and explained, “Our lord calls them ‘standardized components’ and ‘prefabricated assembly’.”

In addition, there are areas in the workshop where wheels are made, oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages are built, and wooden molds for pressing honeycomb briquettes are made.

Everything seemed busy yet orderly, with everyone focused on their tasks, providing a continuous stream of "skeleton" and "container" for the construction of Luxi.

Xun Yu was even more shocked as he looked at the bustling yet well-organized scene before him.

From honeycomb briquettes for fuel to steel for forging tools, and wood and stone for building city defenses, Lüchi has formed a relatively complete workshop system that is self-sustaining and can support expansion.

Zhang Zhonglang's vision had long transcended governing a single county; he was laying a solid material foundation for a grander vision.

'Bingzhou!'

(End of this chapter)