Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 183 Busy
Deep within the Jin Yang Craftsmen's Camp, in that independent workshop, the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant.

A faint, latex-like smell, similar to that of raw potatoes, filled the air, mixed with a barely perceptible burnt smell.

Several light yellow, semi-transparent latex sheets were carefully laid on a bamboo curtain in a cool, well-ventilated place. They were of uniform texture and soft to the touch.

Zhang Xian picked up a piece of paper and repeatedly stretched, kneaded, and curled it in his hand, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"It's the same old problem: too flexible, not strong enough..." he muttered to himself, stretching the film to its limit. When he released it, the film bounced back, showing great flexibility.

However, in friction tests, this film still could not achieve the same wear resistance and high-temperature resistance as later tires.

If you rub it a few times with a whetstone, the flexible film will develop a noticeable notch.

"My lord, is this glue... not good enough?" Lu Da asked cautiously, looking at Zhang Xian's expression.

Old He and Sun Tao, who were standing nearby, watched nervously.

In the next two weeks, the three of them will continue to come here for further training after completing tasks such as selecting a location for the rubber plantation and training employees.

Now they have 20 to 30 kilograms of latex sheets, and they are able to produce qualified latex perfectly.

But judging from his lord's appearance, the glue still couldn't meet his needs.

Every day, different materials and adhesives are mixed together, and the pungent smell makes people who don't know the place wonder what's wrong with it.

Zhang Xian put down the film and turned his gaze to the mountain of black charcoal and several sealed pottery jars in the corner of the workshop.

Those were the sulfur powder and sulfur blocks that he had Lao He prepare, as well as a small amount of pine resin for fuel.

After recalling these past few days, and working backwards, he probably now knows what kind of rubber is needed to make it suitable for use as tires.

vulcanization.

Wear resistance, heat resistance, aging resistance... these key properties all require vulcanization to achieve.

"The flexibility is sufficient." Zhang Xian turned around.

"But it is not tough enough, not wear-resistant enough, and it easily becomes sticky when heated and brittle when cooled."

Even if such a thing were to wrap around a wheel, it wouldn't be able to move more than a hundred paces.

He picked up the film and brought it close to the basin of hot water warming on the stove next to him. The steam made the surface of the film slippery and sticky.

"Look, it's like this even with just a little heat."

He picked up another piece of film and folded it repeatedly in the same spot.

After a dozen or so strokes, fine, whitish cracks appeared at the crease.

"Its resilience is also not durable enough."

"Then... what should we do?" Old He asked anxiously.

Zhang Xian sighed, "Try! We can only use the most basic method, trying things one by one! We'll eventually figure it out!"

He picked up several pieces of latex that were similar in size.

One piece was left untreated and used as a control.

For the other piece, he had Sun Tao sprinkle a layer of sulfur powder evenly on the surface.

For the third piece, use a brush to apply a small amount of molten rosin, then sprinkle with sulfur powder.

For the fourth dose, he tried mixing a small piece of sulfur with a fragment of latex and kneading it together, attempting to ingest it orally.

"Old He, start the small stove! Use an earthenware pot to simmer it!" Zhang Xian said.

A small earthen charcoal stove was lit, and the charcoal glowed red-hot.

Sun Tao brought over several small earthenware jars with lids.

Zhang Xian placed the four processed latex sheets into four ceramic jars and sealed the lids tightly.

Then the earthenware pot was carefully placed into the charcoal fire, partially burying it to try to create a relatively uniform heating environment.

"Temperature is key...it can't be too high, and it can't be too low..." Zhang Xian kept a close eye on the charcoal fire, occasionally using iron tongs to adjust the position of the earthenware pot to prevent localized overheating.

He had no confidence and could only rely on his intuition to control things.

Time passed little by little.

The workshop was unusually quiet, with only the crackling of burning charcoal and the tense breathing of the people inside.

About half an hour later, Zhang Xian felt it was about time, so he used iron tongs to take out the four scalding hot pottery jars and placed them on the wet mud ground to cool them down.

"Open it and take a look."

Several people stepped forward and lifted the lid, and a burst of white smoke mixed with sulfur, burnt smell and strange glue smell suddenly shot out!
Fortunately, they were prepared, and the method of opening the lid was to use an iron rod to pry it open.

The first jar was left untreated; the latex sheets inside had melted into a mushy, yellowish mass, like melted, low-quality sugar, rendering it completely unusable.

The second container was sprinkled with sulfur powder. The edges of the film were charred and curled, and most of the area turned dark brown, but it was still sticky, and the sulfur powder on the surface clumped together and was distributed very unevenly.

The third container contained pine resin and sulfur powder, which was even worse! The melted pine resin mixed with sulfur latex to form a sticky, disgusting, dark brown charcoal that emitted a pungent odor.

The fourth container contained a mixture of sulfur fragments, latex pieces, and incompletely melted sulfur blocks stuck together, forming a hard, mottled, and strange lump with absolutely no elasticity.

This is undoubtedly a complete failure!
Looking at the mess in the jar, Lu Da and his two friends exchanged glances, their faces filled with frustration.

Zhang Xian's expression didn't change much. He knew that failure was the norm when facing things he didn't understand.

"The heat is too difficult to control! The clay pot is heated unevenly, so the contents either don't react or burn completely!" Old He looked at the few pieces of waste material with great distress.

“The sulfur powder just won’t stick and it’s not evenly distributed when you sprinkle it on…” Sun Tao added.

"It seems that directly heating and mixing is not a viable approach. Perhaps... we need to try a different method."

"What should we do, my lord?"

"Steam!"

Zhang Xian immediately set to work on modifying the tools.

He asked Lu Da to find an unused pottery steamer.

Remove the steamer basket from the top of the earthenware pot and place a layer of burning charcoal in the bottom earthenware pot.

Then carefully sprinkle a layer of sulfur fragments onto the charcoal fire.

Zhang Xian held his breath, his eyes sharp.

He quickly placed a piece of latex on a clean steamer rack, then swiftly placed the rack back on the steaming earthenware pot, tightly covering the gaps in the lid with a damp cloth to minimize smoke leakage.

"Let's try steaming it first." He stepped back a few paces, panting heavily, but his eyes remained fixed on the sealed ceramic steamer.

The pungent sulfur fumes, trapped inside the ceramic pot, continuously steamed the latex sheet.

Time ticked by, and everyone retreated far away, waiting anxiously. The smell of sulfur was still strong in the air.

After about half an hour of fumigation, Zhang Xian extinguished the flames with an iron rod from a distance of a few meters, and then lifted the lid.

A stronger, more intense smell, similar to boiled eggs, wafted out.

As the smoke dissipated, the latex sheets on the steamer could be seen to have changed from light yellow to dark brown, and their texture seemed to have become firmer.

After waiting a while, the smell dissipated considerably.

Zhang Xian then carefully used bamboo tongs to remove the dark brown film and set it aside to cool.

He waited until the temperature had completely dropped before picking up the film.

The feel is definitely different!
It is harder and more resilient than the previous raw rubber.

He pulled hard, and it was still very elastic, but the rebound speed seemed to be a little faster.

After being released, the deformation was reduced.

He tried folding it again, and the whitening at the creases seemed to lessen.

"Something's changed!" A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Xian's eyes.

"The color has deepened, the texture has become tougher, and the rebound seems to be faster! This approach is on the right track!"

Although the effect is not yet significant, this small change is like the first ray of dawn in the darkness!
"Old He, Old Lu, we need to find a way to make a vessel similar to a clay pottery steamer, but more compact, to ensure that sulfur escapes less during steaming!"

"Old Sun, go ask the leatherworkers for their secrets to fumigating leather with sulfur! See how they control the amount of smoke and the heat!" Zhang Xian recalled that in this era, those who frequently came into contact with sulfur were either Taoist priests, doctors, or leatherworkers.

The group bowed to each other.

A few quarters of an hour later, just as Zhang Xian and Lao He Lu Da were making preliminary decisions about the tools for fumigation, Sun Tao also brought back the experience from the leather workshop.

"My lord! I've found out!" Sun Tao said, slightly out of breath.

"The old cobbler said that the most difficult part of tanning leather is controlling the heat when using sulfur! If the heat is too high, the smoke will be too strong, and the leather will burn and become brittle. If the heat is too low, there won't be enough smoke, and the leather won't be cooked through! Their secret is to simmer it!"
Instead of burning sulfur with an open flame, the red-hot charcoal and sulfur blocks are put into a specially made earthen kiln with a flue, the lid is closed, and the sulfur fumes are allowed to slowly simmer the hide inside!

The leather needs to be turned over frequently to ensure even smoking! The smoking time also depends on the thickness of the leather, relying on the expert eye and experience of a master craftsman!

"Steam?" Zhang Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately thought of the situation where opening the lid to check during fumigation caused sulfur fumes to leak and the effect to be unstable.

He looked at the earthenware pot still emitting wisps of smoke.

"Yes! It needs to be sealed, kept at a constant temperature, and the sulfur fumes need to be fully absorbed and act evenly."

He immediately had a new idea: "Sun Tao, go find a few small, thick-walled earthenware jars with lids, the kind that are easy to seal."

Soon, several sturdy, lidded small earthenware jars were prepared.

Zhang Xian brought over a few pieces of raw rubber.

Instead of burning sulfur at the bottom, he placed a small piece of sulfur fragment separately from the raw rubber sheet at the bottom of the small earthenware jar.

Then, put the lid on and carefully seal the gaps in the jar opening with wet mud.

"Old He, this time we won't use an open flame to heat the pot directly. Put the sealed pot into the charcoal fire, and bury it with hot ash and red-hot charcoal! Make sure it's buried tightly so the heat can slowly penetrate and smolder the sulfur inside, letting the smoke slowly vaporize the film inside the pot!"

Zhang Xian gave detailed instructions.

Old He did as instructed.

Several sealed earthenware jars were buried in a uniform pile of charcoal ash, with only a small part of the lids showing.

This time, there was no pungent sulfurous smoke leaking out.

The air in the workshop seemed a bit fresher.

Time passed silently in the simmering and roasting process.

Zhang Xian estimated the time and, feeling it was about right, had someone carefully pull the scalding hot pottery jar out of the charcoal ash and place it on the damp ground to cool.

The May wind sweeps across the Fenhe Plain, carrying the moist scent of freshly turned soil.

Outside Jinyang City, the vast fields were bustling with noise, cattle mooing and horses neighing, as iron plows broke through the land that had been dormant all winter, turning up waves of dark brown mud.

"Quickly! Keep up with the mortar! The stone base must be level! The gaps must be tight!" Xu Mao's voice was still loud in the open field, drowning out the shouts of the ramming of the earth and the sound of the stones colliding.

This is the border between Qixian and Jingling. The old official road, which was originally potholed and narrow with deep ruts from cart tracks, is now being renovated.

Tens of thousands of displaced young men, under the command of officials and foremen, widened, raised and compacted this vital transportation route connecting the north and south of Bingzhou inch by inch.

The foundation of the road was completely dug up, and huge boulders were pried out and removed.

Instead, there was a hard layer of soil repeatedly compacted with huge stone rammers.

Then came the newly made rammed earth.

Using sieved fine yellow soil, crushed and calcined limestone powder, and coarse sand carefully selected and washed from the Fen River beach, water was added to a huge wooden trough and the mixture was repeatedly stirred and matured according to the ratio of three parts soil, two parts lime, and five parts sand personally determined by Zhang Xian.

The materials for making the three-component soil were transported in truckloads and dumped on both sides of the roadbed for local processing.

"Spread it evenly! Smooth it with a scraper!" Xu Mao stood beside the section of road where the mortar had just been laid, personally demonstrating.

The craftsmen held large wooden scrapers and spread the viscous mortar evenly and compacted it, striving for a smooth, mirror-like surface.

Sunlight shone on the newly formed gray-white pavement, reflecting a warm luster.

The air was filled with the distinctive, slightly astringent smell of lime.

"Xu Gongcao, this mortar is so much more convenient!" A foreman in charge of this section wiped his sweat, looking at the smooth and solid road surface under his feet, and exclaimed in amazement.

"This is so much better than rammed earth! It's not afraid of rain or being run over by carts! If this road is built, the oxcarts in Bingzhou might be able to run as fast as cavalry!"

Xu Mao's dark face also showed pride: "The magistrate said that this road is the main thoroughfare of Bingzhou!"
After that, we must head north to bring back the cattle, sheep and horses of Qiangyin, and then connect with the timber and iron from the Taihang Mountains to the south, the Xihe River to the west, and Jizhou to the east!
Only after it was repaired could Bingzhou truly come alive!

He pointed to the uniform wooden sheds being built in the distance: "See? A post station every thirty or forty li! In the future, messengers will change horses, merchants will rest, and official documents will be delivered, all relying on this road and these post stations!"

"Everyone, perk up! The magistrate has allocated plenty of grain and meat; we can't let him down!"

"Oh!"

The shouts grew louder, and the rhythm of ramming the earth became more powerful.

A brand-new, wide road paved with gray-white rammed earth is extending forward across Bingzhou at a visible speed, completely connecting the five counties of Qixian, Jingling, Zhongdu, Wuxian, and Jiexiu.

Northwest of Lüqi County lies the vast Jiaqi Army camp.

The deafening shouts of battle and the rhythmic footsteps echoed like rolling thunder, ceaselessly day and night.

On the drill ground, the newly recruited 5,000 refugee soldiers are undergoing a transformative training.

They were no longer emaciated; with ample food supplies, their bodies were becoming stronger at an astonishing rate.

But the timidity and confusion in his eyes had not completely faded.

"Raise your gun!"

"prick!"

"receive!"

Zhao Yun, who had been recalled to the capital, stood on the command platform with his hand on his sword, his voice booming like a bell.

His gaze was sharp as he scanned the array of spears standing tall below, like a forest.

Thousands of newly forged iron-tipped wooden spears thrust forward in unison at the command, then retracted, gleaming with a cold light. Although their movements were slightly stiff, their nascent sharpness was not to be underestimated.

"Archery battalion! Fire! Fire!"

On the other side of the training ground, Zhao Gou and Zhang Liao were also training new recruits.

Hundreds of newly made composite bows and crossbows were drawn simultaneously, the vibrating bowstrings creating a deep, thunderous sound.

The dense arrows, with a sharp whooshing sound, pierced the grass target a hundred paces away, making a dull thud.

"Cavalry! Raid infantry! Charge!"

Outside the camp, in the open field, the sound of hooves thundered.

More than a thousand newly recruited cavalrymen lay prone on their horses, holding the reins and squeezing their legs, charging towards the pre-set straw man targets in a loose yet swift flanking formation, kicking up clouds of dust.

The saber slashed, and grass clippings flew everywhere.

These new riders were still somewhat inexperienced, and their charging formation was far less disciplined than that of the veterans, but they were beginning to resemble an arrowhead.

Literacy classes were also being held concurrently in the barracks area.

Young people drawn from the county officials served as instructors, writing simple characters and arithmetic symbols on huge wooden boards.

The new recruits sat cross-legged on the ground, their expressions focused, even somewhat pained, as they recited and gestured along.

The rustling of writing and the deep recitation created a strange resonance with the shouts of battle on the training ground.

"Soldiers eat rations, but they must also understand principles!" The military commander in charge of training new recruits patrolled the ranks, holding a leather whip.

"The magistrate said that the armored troops should not be reckless brutes who only know how to wield swords! They should know military orders, manage provisions, and understand tactics! The more words you learn today, the more you will have to survive and make a name for yourself on the battlefield tomorrow!"

In another corner of the camp, there was a bustling military workshop.

The blacksmith's fork roared with fire, and the clanging sound was incessant.

Newly forged longswords, spearheads, and arrowheads were piled up like a small mountain.

The leatherworkers processed the cowhides and horsehides that were continuously transported from Qiangyin, making saddles, armor, and bowstrings.

The carpenters were busy making long spear shafts, crossbow bodies, and transport carts.

(End of this chapter)