A new kiln was built by the Dragon Head Canal while waiting for the limestone.
The kiln was not large, only for trial production.
Fang Er had no intention of setting this up at his doorstep.
Otherwise, he would be digging his own grave later. A grinding mill powered by an electric motor was set up next to the cement kiln.
The limestone was placed on the forging bed, first smashed into small pieces, then thrown onto the grinding mill to be ground into powder.
It was mixed with similarly crushed clay.
They were packed into bags according to different ratios, marked, and set aside for later use.
A total of twenty to thirty different proportions were prepared.
Then they were fired in the cement kiln.
Since it was only an experiment, the quantity fired each time was small.
Therefore, the process was fast.
A batch of finished product came out almost every hour.
Many pebbles and river sand were scooped out from the Dragon Head Canal.
Mixed with cement and water, they were made into ten-centimeter-thick cement slabs. The number corresponding to the ratio was written on a corner of each slab, and they were left to air dry.
It took seven days to make cement slabs for all the proportion plans.
These cement slabs were watered daily for curing.
Fang Er, holding an iron hammer, looked at the cement slabs in front of him.
He swung it down forcefully and smashed one.
Bang!
The cement slab was directly smashed into fragments.
He shook his head and moved to the next one.
Bang!
No good.
Bang!
No good.
Bang!
Still no good.
After smashing over a dozen slabs, they either turned to powder or broke into several pieces.
Thud!
A different sound made Fang Er excited.
This cement slab only cracked, it did not break.
This was hope.
Record the number!
Fang Er said to Zhao Gang, then moved to the next one.
Thud!
The same muffled sound.
Fang Er looked carefully and was overjoyed!
This cement slab only had a white indentation where the hammer hit!
Zhu Zi, come here! Smash it!
Fang Er called out to Zhu Zi, pointing at this cement slab.
This hammer weighed a good fifty to sixty catties!
It was made specifically to test the cement.
After repeated blows, not only were his arms sore, but his tiger's mouth could also barely withstand the recoil.
Zhu Zi took the hammer, and after Fang Er stepped back a few paces, he began to swing it.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Each hammer blow produced the same muffled sound.
The cement slab remained intact.
It wasn't until Zhu Zi had swung the hammer forty times that the cement slab finally cracked.
Fang Er walked over and looked at the fractured surface of the cement slab; there was still evidence of powdering.
After all the other cement slabs had been tested,
Only the proportion numbered twenty-two was usable.
Based on this ratio, another batch should be produced!
Half a day later, several hundred catties of cement numbered twenty-two were fired.
Mixing cement, sand, and gravel in different proportions, recording the numbers, and seeing how to best utilize the cement's performance.
Striving to double its performance!
After leaving the instructions, Fang Er did not rest.
He still remembered what Ma Tongyuan and Song Zimin had mentioned.
The craftsmen who were not needed for cement production were brought by him to the workshop.
Movable type printing!
This also needed to be put on the agenda.
He didn't need to look up any information for this; he could completely figure it out himself.
Using small crucibles to test and adjust the ratios, Fang Er found the optimal alloy formula.
In the formula, he used steel, lead, and tin.
Once the formula was finalized, it was time to mass-produce the blanks.
One-centimeter alloy ingots were cast into shape by the craftsmen.
Ma Tongyuan was called over, and characters were written on the alloy ingots with ink, which were, of course, reversed.
As each one was written, it was handed to Fang Er, who directly used the lathe to make the alloy ingots into printing stamps.
As it was just a trial run, after carving a few,
He began to mix the ink and test printing.
Ordinary ink wouldn't do, as it wouldn't adhere to the printing ink.
Therefore, oil-based ink had to be mixed on the spot.
He tried adding various substances to the ink.
Finally, he determined that pine resin could be used.
After mixing the ink and brushing it onto the printing mold, Ma Tongyuan excitedly picked up the mold and stamped it on the paper.
The mold was lifted.
A beautiful character 'Fang' appeared clearly on the paper.
It worked!
The rest was easy, and Fang Er immediately became a hands-off manager.
Zhao Gang was now very proficient with the lathe, so the task of carving characters was directly assigned to him.
With the help of the lathe, the engraving of the character molds proceeded quickly.
For every three characters Ma Tongyuan wrote, a character mold was carved on the lathe.
Of course, there were inevitably some that were ruined.
They were directly discarded and sent back to the furnace.
Fang Er leisurely returned to the cement kiln.
Zhu Zi had already started smashing the cement slabs with the large hammer.
Eighty!
Eighty!
Eighty!
Eighty!
Huh!
When did Zhu Zi become Huang Da Chui?
Stop!
Fang Er's voice suddenly sounded from the side.
Zhu Zi was startled.
Young master, shouting like that might cause you to strain your back!
Continue, continue.
Fang Er waved his hand and moved aside!
He almost burst out laughing.
It was too damn similar!
After a while, Zhu Zi came over with the big hammer, speaking excitedly.
Young master, we've got it!
Fang Er had a dark look on his face.
Got what!
You got it!
We've got a stone slab that can withstand eighty hammer blows!
Seeing Fang Er's expression, Zhu Zi quickly explained.
Uh, okay, we've got the stone slab.
Fang Er went over and looked; it was a cement slab numbered nine.
No cracks, no fissures, good! A fine piece of raw material!
Pfft!
Cement slab!
Although a pit had been smashed in the middle.
Let's use this proportion!
Ma Shan, take ten people and directly build a cement kiln over by where we quarry the limestone. I'll go find some laborers.
Zhu Zi, arrange for some men to guard them, so no unwelcome guests cause trouble.
After giving the orders, Fang Er returned to Fang Family Village himself.
He mounted the warhorse that had followed him on his northern campaign and galloped towards Chang'an City.
At the Ministry of Revenue, Fang Xuanling was very surprised to learn that Fang Er wanted to see him.
Duke Fang, I've come to bring you money.
Fang Er said with a smile.
Oh? You've gotten another thirty thousand guan so quickly?
Fang Xuanling was pleasantly surprised. At the beginning of the year, everyone was asking him for money, and it was driving him mad.
How long has it been?
No, no, Duke Fang misunderstands. I've come this time to buy some prisoners of war for mining.
Fang Xuanling was disappointed.
I took off my pants, and you tell me it's a ten-year sentence?
How many do you want?
Two thousand.
Fang Er held up two fingers.
Too few! Three thousand!
Fang Xuanling generously increased the number to three thousand.
Fang Er was a bit speechless.
I don't have money!
How many days has Zui Xian Lou been open after the New Year? Where can I get so much money?
How about an IOU? I'll deliver the money within a month at most.
IOU? Five thousand!
Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and added more to Fang Er's request.
Uh!
Fang Er was bewildered.
How poor must this old Fang be?