Jin Bing left that afternoon. Their attempt was not realized in the end. Chen Qing only agreed to half of the list proposed by Jin Bing. Wanyan and Lisa's mother and daughter were released, but his wife and son were not let go.
The same goes for several captains of ten thousand, only half of them were let go.
After two days of recovery, the eighty-five new women quickly integrated into their new life like everyone else.
Although coal has solved the fuel problem, a new problem has arisen. They lack igniting materials. Coal cannot be ignited directly with fire. Wood must be used to ignite the fire. But what Ganquan Fort lacks most is wood.
.
For two days in a row, Chen Qing stayed in the big tent fussing about something. Hu Yanyun couldn't bear it any longer, so he took several generals to check.
Several generals were stunned. They saw that the tent was in a mess, with black coal stains everywhere. Several soldiers were covered in black, including their commander-in-chief, who was also covered in coal stains.
"Du Tong, what are you doing?" Yang Zaixing asked with a look of astonishment on his face.
"I'm working on an improved coal-fired method that can solve the problem of ignition."
Chen Qing pointed to a pile of finished products next to him and said, "That's it!"
Everyone walked into the big tent and took a closer look. They saw dozens of cylindrical coal cakes stacked on small wooden carts. Each coal pillar had five holes on it.
"Du Tong, what is this?"
Chen Qing came over and smiled at everyone: "This is called honeycomb briquettes, and the pile of egg-like ones next to it is called briquettes. We have too much pulverized coal, so we can just use it."
"Can this be ignited without firewood?" Hu Yanyun bent down and looked at it for a long time, somewhat disbelieving.
"The tunnels are all covered with sulfur powder! Use a fire cloth strip, light it and put it in, and the briquettes will be ignited quickly. Put a piece of briquettes at night and cover it with a lid. It will still be burning when you wake up in the morning, so there is no need to relight the stove.
.”
When everyone heard that there was sulfur powder in it, their eyes lit up. This was a good idea. Of course, it would be better to use gunpowder, but it was too wasteful. There was a sulfur mine in the north of Ganquan Fort, so it was best to use sulfur powder.
"The raw materials are very simple, 60% coal powder, 30% yellow mud and 10% lime, then pour water, mix them thoroughly and mix them together. Finally, dry them in the sun. Remember, use ordinary yellow mud.
Mud, you can’t use fire-resistant fire mud. In fact, it’s better to use mud from the bottom of the river. It’s frozen now, and we’ll wait until the weather warms up.”
Chen Qing said to Hu Yanyun again: "I will give you the specific production method later, and then my soldiers can provide guidance, and we can start large-scale production."
"But...there is no mold for making briquettes!" Hu Yanyun pointed to the iron mold for making briquettes next to him.
"I arranged for the blacksmith to build it two days ago, it should be ready.
"I understand, I will make arrangements today and start production tomorrow."
Chen Qing pulled Hu Yanyun aside again and whispered: "Let those women participate, and then find unmarried generals above the head to help them do it together. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hu Yanyun suddenly realized, "Do you want them all to stay and start a family?"
Chen Qing nodded, Hu Yanyun hesitated, and said with some embarrassment: "Beizhi is already quite old, and he hasn't started a family yet. Beizhi also likes one of them."
"Who?" Chen Qing asked anxiously.
"My name is Bian Chunshui. I think she can give me a son."
Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Then you go to please her and help her. If she is willing, I will get married for you!"
Hu Yanyun suddenly thought of his brother Hu Yanlei. Hu Yanlei was also thirty-three years old. He hesitated and said, "But there are still ten thousand brothers who have not arrived!"
"Don't worry, aren't there still hundreds of people who haven't been sent? Besides, this can't be determined once or twice. It will take at least a few months to do this kind of collective work several times, and go to plow the land and collect water together.
Let them get in touch slowly and develop feelings slowly."
"I understand my humble position, let's start by making briquettes!"
In fact, Chen Qing had another idea: to transform these women into working women, he would start by kneading briquettes.
...........
In Zitong County, Longqing Prefecture, Chen Qing's 13,000 troops gathered here. There were also 2,000 troops brought by Huyan Tong. There were originally 3,000 troops, but one thousand of them did not want to go to the northwest. Huyan Tongbian
Led two thousand people by boat to Chengdu.
Coincidentally, he happened to be on the same journey as Chen Qing's wife Lu Xiu and others, and dozens of large ships rushed to Chengdu.
The two thousand troops rested in Chengdu for only two days, and then set off for Zitong County to join the armies of Yang Yuanqing and Zheng Ping.
There are not only more than 10,000 troops, but also thousands of family members accompanying the troops, as well as a large amount of food and supplies and a large amount of property. Transporting them to Ganquan Fort is a huge project in itself.
But now is the opportunity. The main force of the Jin soldiers has returned to Youzhou. Fengxiang only has more than 10,000 Jin soldiers left, so he dare not act rashly for the time being. The 100,000 puppet Qi troops are mainly concentrated in the Jingzhao area of Guanzhong.
At this time, there is no risk of being intercepted and it is the best opportunity to go north. In a few months, spring will bloom and the puppet Qi army and Jin soldiers will become active, and then there will be danger.
Yang Yuanqing and Zheng Ping were discussing the plan to go north. Yang Yuanqing said: "I received news from Hu Yanlei that the Jin soldiers have completely withdrawn north. We can continue to enter Qinzhou from Beixianren Pass. I suggest that the personnel leave first. After all, people are the most important
Yes, and then food and supplies, what do you think?"
Zheng Ping has always liked to argue with Yang Yuanqing, but today he has no confidence. Not only is his wife and children here, but Chen Qing's wife is also here. Zheng Ping cannot afford to raise this argument.
"You are right, people are the most important thing. I suggest that the troops be divided into two groups. Hu Yantong and I will lead an army of 7,000 troops to protect our families and leave first. Brother Yang will lead an army of 5,000 troops to protect the food and supplies. What will happen next?"
Yang Yuanqing nodded, "That's it! I'll ask Zhou Kuan to see if I can get some more mules and carts."
Transportation was a big problem. They purchased from various places in Bashu and rented tens of thousands of mules and horses, and thousands of carts, but it was still not enough. There were 200,000 dan of grain alone and 100,000 dans of fodder. There was no huge army.
It is difficult for the transportation team to transport it away.
Zhou Kuan was a Hucao in Chen Qing's army who participated in the military affairs. He was sent to Bashu two years ago as a grain purchasing envoy, responsible for purchasing grain in Bashu.
He has stayed in Zitong County for a long time and knows many people. Everyone relies on him to find solutions.
Zhou Kuan smiled bitterly and said: "If you really want a big cart, mules and horses, there is nothing you can do. As long as you are willing to pay more, you will definitely be able to find them. You can get them as much as you want, but we can't find them now."
"Why?" Yang Yuanqing asked in confusion.
"Because once you add money, the people in front of you will stop working and have to add money. This will be endless. It's best to wait two days after the person in front of you has left, and I will come again. Just add money appropriately. You can't add too much."
Too high, these guys are always greedy."
Yang Yuanqing also felt that it made sense, so he nodded and agreed, "Okay! I'll let those who can leave follow the family members first. For the rest who can't leave, you can help me find the mules, horses and carts!"
.........
Lu Xiu has been extremely busy these two days. She didn't have to worry about anything before, but now it's different. She is the wife of coach Chen Qing, and she has a responsibility on her shoulders.
Accompanied by two young ladies, she visited the families of the soldiers. If any of their children had headaches and fever, she asked Zhou Kuan to contact the local doctor for treatment.
In the end, she simply paid a high price to hire several doctors to accompany her. Although there are military doctors in the army, military doctors are mainly good at treating injuries. For minor illnesses of children and women, civilian doctors are still needed. They interact with ordinary people every day and have enough experience.
In the room, Lu Xiu was persuading Li Qingzhao to stay.
Li Qingzhao originally said that she would go to Chengdu to live there for a long time, and the literati in Chengdu also tried to persuade her to stay, but no one knew what she was thinking, and she insisted on following Lu Xiu northward. Unexpectedly, she caught a cold in the past two days.
"Master will recuperate for two days. It's not too late to leave after your body recovers! There are various inconveniences on the road. What if the condition worsens?"
Li Qingzhao didn't want to stay and recuperate. She knew very well in her heart that as long as she was weak and agreed at this time, she might not have the chance to go north again. It was rare to meet Chen Qing and Lu Xiu, a kind-hearted couple. If she didn't seize the opportunity to follow
They will probably live alone for the rest of their lives.
After her husband passed away, she was left alone, wandering around and living in embarrassment. She really couldn't stand such a lonely life.
"What does it matter? It's not like I haven't experienced it. When I fled south from Jeju, I almost died from several serious illnesses on the way. I survived. Besides, I was also lying in a bullock cart on the way. Ah Lian and Ah
Sakura will also take care of me, Alian, right?"
Yu Lian nodded, "We will take care of Agu."
Li Qingzhao held Lu Xiu's hand and begged: "Xiu'er, I just want to go with you, don't leave me behind."
Lu Xiu had no choice but to smile and nodded, "Okay! Master, if you are not afraid of getting seriously ill, let's go together!"