The petroleum has been secured, and the next step is to obtain refining equipment.
Leaving two regiments to guard the area, Fang Er, along with Zhang San and his regiment, returned to Shenyang City.
The next day, Fang Er returned to his mansion.
Zhao Gang and Bi Deng were summoned.
"How is the refining equipment coming along?"
"Reporting to the Duke, two sets have been made. Each furnace can refine two thousand jin of petroleum."
Zhao Gang replied respectfully.
Fang Er nodded slightly. "The oil mine is already yielding oil. Bi Deng, take these two sets of equipment and accompany Zhang San to the site. From now on, you will be the foreman of the refinery. Depart immediately."
"Yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"
Bi Deng quickly stood at attention and saluted, then turned and left with Zhang San.
With the oil secured, the next step was to establish refueling stations.
Fang Er took out a map, studying it while asking Zhao Gang. "Has the flight range of the helicopters been calculated?"
"Reporting to the Duke, with a full load, they can fly approximately eight hundred li."
"A six-hundred-liter fuel tank, and they can only fly eight hundred li. This is with a wooden fuselage. If we switch to a heavier aluminum alloy fuselage, they might not be able to fly that far."
Taking a ruler, he began measuring on the map, finally selecting five locations. They were: Beiping Commandery, Hejian Prefecture, Weizhou, Ban Zhu, and Shanzhou. Corresponding to modern-day Qinhuangdao, Cangzhou, Daming, northeast of Xingyang, and Sanmenxia, respectively.
"We'll start with these five locations, making it convenient to travel between Shenyang and Chang'an. Moreover, these five points are all along the Grand Canal, making oil transportation relatively easier."
"Next, we need the workshops to produce some oil storage tanks, each holding one thousand liters. Let's initially make twenty."
"Yes, Duke."
"Follow me."
He led Zhao Gang to the room next to where the machine tools were stored, which was also locked. Upon opening it, it contained Fang Er's welding machines and welding rods. He instructed Su Feng and Liu Wu to bring the equipment, and the group proceeded to the workshop shed.
After plugging in the welding machine, Fang Er distributed several pairs of dark glasses to everyone to wear and began a demonstration. Watching two pieces of steel being touched by a thin welding rod, and after a flash of fire, they were firmly joined together, Zhao Gang was amazed.
"Duke, this thing is too powerful! With this, making anything becomes much easier!"
"Wouldn't it be convenient? Fang Er could process two pieces of steel to be as smooth as a mirror; when fitted together, they become one. But they don't have that skill. When making containers with steel, there are often leaks. Not to mention, with this, the task of making oil storage tanks that Fang Er just requested is incredibly easy. Just bend the steel plates and then weld them!"
"This thing is good, but you must be careful when operating it. Never look directly at the sparks! Otherwise, the consequences are very serious. Blinding someone is not uncommon."
Fang Er said this with a particularly serious expression.
"Yes, Duke, I've noted it." Zhao Gang nodded.
After collecting the dark glasses from the others and handing them to Zhao Gang, Fang Er went to the ward. There were only two people in the ward. Ashina Bobi and one of his personal guards were playing chess, and it was Chinese chess. This surprised Fang Er; when did this barbarian learn to play chess?
"Oh, Leader Ashina, it seems you've recovered well."
engrossed in their game, they only realized someone had entered upon hearing Fang Er's voice. Ashina Bobi looked up, saw Fang Er, and quickly stood up, spreading his arms. "Hahaha, Duke, you're finally back."
"Get away, get away from me!" Fang Er stepped back in disgust. This guy had just been scratching his feet.
Ashina Bobi looked embarrassed, brought his hands to his nose and sniffed. "Hehe, it does have a bit of a smell." He then rubbed his hands again, and feeling it wasn't enough, he motioned to his personal guard. "Go fetch water."
Fang Er pulled over a chair and sat down, looking at the empty ward. "Where are the others?"
"Don't mention it, a bunch of lecherous scoundrels! They all ran off with Yelü Goudan!" Ashina Bobi was very displeased. "Yelü Goudan had three thousand pregnant women and five hundred palace maids as nurses. Ever since Balemenggan and the others recovered, they’ve been coming back less and less, spending all their time over there. Under the guise of 'learning nursing experience.' Go to hell! If you want to see beautiful women, just say so. A bunch of grown men learning how to attend to pregnant women, who are they kidding!"
Men, who isn't lustful? He, Ashina Bobi, was also lustful! However, Old Sun had given orders that he was not allowed to leave the Duke's mansion, which made him somewhat resentful.
Fang Er was stunned. "Damn it, they dare to set their sights on the palace maids? These guys really don't know how they're going to die!"
Ashina Bobi's personal guard brought over a basin of water. Fang Er casually said to the guard, "Go find the leaders of each部." The guard hesitated, glancing at Ashina Bobi, who was washing his hands, as if asking whether to obey Fang Er. Ashina Bobi glared at him. "What are you looking at? Hurry up!"
"This scoundrel, can't he distinguish between the king and the prince? Has no foresight!"
After the guard left, Fang Er inquired about the death row inmate. He learned that Old Sun had indeed kept his word. As soon as the death row inmate's injuries healed, he was promptly given another "knife" and became an unofficial eunuch.
Upon hearing that he was a rapist and murderer, Ashina Bobi almost killed him on the spot. However, considering that his kidney had been taken from him, he decided to spare his life. He arranged for the death row inmate to eat and live with his personal guard. Don't assume Ashina Bobi was soft-hearted; this guy was incredibly cunning. In his own words: "It's a waste to kill him. What if he's useful someday?" This statement left Fang Er speechless. This was essentially maximizing the death row inmate's utility!
Half an hour later, Ashina Bobi's personal guard had found the leaders of the other departments. Yelü Goudan was very excited. The moment he saw Fang Er, he eagerly shared his feelings. During this period, a small portion of the pregnant women he brought, who were far enough along, had begun to give birth. Under the care of Old Sun and the five hundred palace maids, everything went smoothly.
"Duke! You have no idea how amazing Physician Sun is! The day before yesterday, there was a difficult labor, almost resulting in the death of both mother and child. Physician Sun made a cut, and both mother and child were safe!"
Fang Er was stunned when he heard this. "What do you mean, 'made a cut and both mother and child were safe'?"
"Hahaha, Duke, you wouldn't know. The situation was critical at the time, and the attending palace maids were terrified. The baby's position was wrong, and it just wouldn't come out. Physician Sun, upon learning this, directly made an incision and opened the pregnant woman's abdomen, took out the child, and then sewed it up. Little Wang thought the woman wouldn't survive, but a few days later, she recovered!"
Yelü Goudan spoke of this with immense admiration for Sun Simiao. Such an incident, if it had happened in Tianying City, would have definitely resulted in the death of both mother and child. Fang Er was astonished. Had Old Sun generalized and figured out a cesarean section? Truly impressive, worthy of being a great national physician.