Hand over the jade seal first [Infrastructure]

When Liu Cainiang was worried, Xiao Zirong was drawing a map. He drew a map from the vicinity of the station to the tributaries of the Yangtze River, in order to plan the canals well.

As if Xiao Zirong didn't hear Liu Cainiang's words, he continued to plan seriously. As long as the canal doesn't meet the mountain, just dig it in a straight line.

However, when the line representing the canal was drawn around the garrison, Xiao Zirong suddenly said, "Say, how about we dig another moat?"

Although not necessarily used, the moat was indeed a very important defensive measure in ancient times.

After hearing this, Liu Cainiang lost her temper. She said helplessly, "City Lord, sir, we have problems digging water canals now, so why dig a moat?"

What's more, where is the city?

Now because of the hot weather, people don’t live in those two collective dormitories very much. Many people just move out and build a house with bamboo, barely counting as a house.

This is also something that can’t be helped. Anyway, even if the sky is covered with the ground in this season, there won’t be any major problems, as long as you pay attention to other places’ qi entering the body and getting sick.

After hearing this, Xiao Zirong still drew a circle around the city on the map, which looked like a moat, and then put the charcoal pencil aside and said: "It doesn't matter if there are few people. If there are few people and few people, you or Lu Liu will lead the people." Go to the county town and help me buy something."

Liu Cainiang's eyes lit up when she heard it. She was curious how their city lord could use twenty people to dig a canal for a distance of ten miles.

Xiao Zirong wrote down the things he was going to use, thought for a while and said: "By the way, buy some more pens, ink, paper and inkstone. Oh, if the paper is expensive, you don't have to buy it. Buy some of the other two kinds. Charcoal pens are not very convenient. Let Bai Yan record the money later, and I will make it up later."

The most important thing is that charcoal pencils are not very easy to make, and it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It is better to buy some.

Liu Cainiang pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Oh, this city belongs to you, why are you so ignorant?"

Xiao Zirong insisted: "Just ask Bai Yan to record it, anyway, sooner or later it will be repaid."

Knowing his temper, Liu Cainiang didn't say much. She took a look at the things and asked wonderingly, "Saltpeter, sulfur? The Dragon Boat Festival is over, so why do you need tung oil?"

Xiao Zirong smiled and said: "It's not for the Dragon Boat Festival, you'll know when you buy it, by the way, buy more saltpeter."

Liu Cainiang glanced at him suspiciously, not understanding what these things had to do with digging canals, so she turned her head to discuss with Lu Liu, planning to see which of the two of them would go there.

In fact, in terms of safety, it is best for Lu Liu to go, but Lu Liu is too silent, and it is too difficult for her to communicate with outsiders.

Therefore, Liu Cainiang decided to go there in person, and didn't plan to bring the little ladies she bought before, because she was worried that their tongues were not strict, and what if one or two wanted to run away?

Xiao Zirong was soft-hearted and might let them go, but Liu Cainiang felt that since they bought the people, they should belong to them, not to mention that the families of these little ladies were poor and sold their sons and daughters. It is better to eat and clothe warmly, and not force them to work hard, than to go back.

Liu Cainiang also came back quickly this time, after all, she has already been there once, not to mention how familiar the journey is, at least she doesn’t understand anything like the last time, she bought back everything Xiao Zirong wanted, only the brushes and inkstones were not bought. Very good, not many.

Liu Cainiang looked at Xiao Zirong apologetically and said, "City Master, pens and inks are too expensive, so I decided not to buy too many."

Xiao Zirong immediately said: "It doesn't matter, we can make a little later by ourselves, the main reason is that these two things take too long, otherwise you won't be allowed to buy them."

He didn't intend to let Liu Cainiang buy too many things. Pens, inks, papers and inkstones are very expensive. On the one hand, the materials needed are precious, and the process time is relatively long. It is more because the ruling class needs to use this to control the number of scholars.

There are only so many positions in the imperial court, and everyone thinks about future generations and does not want others to rob their children and grandchildren of their jobs.

Even if their descendants are as stupid as pigs, many people don't want smart poor people to replace them.

Of course, this ruling class is more accurate to say that it is a powerful family, and the royal family is not included. Anyway, their descendants always live better than others. For the sake of his own power, the emperor will try his best to choose poor people, in order to restrict Aristocrats, in fact, the current state of Qi already has this sign.

Otherwise, if you push forward decades or 100 years, even if Xiao Xuexing is the adopted son of the emperor, it is impossible to become the governor of a state at the age of 25.

But these have nothing to do with Xiao Zirong, Xiao Zirong is now getting a bamboo tube for him, and he is going to use the bamboo tube to hold black powder.

When he was in the bandit village before, he could let the robbers help to prepare it. Of course, the robbers could not fully trust him at that time, but now he is the only one who knows the formula. Let's do it.

Xiao Zirong directly found a place that was relatively humid and not prone to fireworks to make black powder.

After he finished the first one and plugged it with a bamboo plug, he suddenly remembered the word "fireworks and firecrackers". Originally, the name "firecrackers" was derived from the fact that people throw bamboo tubes into the fire during Chinese New Year. here.

But now the one in Xiao Zirong's hand is a real firecracker, extremely hardcore.

However, although he was very clear about the proportion of black powder, Xiao Zirong was still not very clear about the power of this thing, so he directly used different amounts in the bamboo tube.

As for the bombing of the robbers before, to be honest, the amount of black powder that time was actually too much. Xiao Zirong was afraid that the bastards would not be killed, so basically he could do as much as he could. At that time, I wished I could tie those black gunpowder to the robbers and ignite them one by one.

After the firecrackers... oh, the black powder was almost done, Xiao Zirong suddenly remembered a very important thing - he didn't make a fuse.

When he was in the bandit village before, because time was tight and he was afraid of revealing his secrets, he didn't put a fuse on the black powder at all, mainly because he didn't need to guarantee the safety of people at that time, so he just needed to let the black powder encounter an open flame.

Now he needs to ensure everyone's safety, so the lead wire is still needed, not only it needs to be longer.

Generally, the lead wires are made of cotton thread soaked in oil. Now they have tung oil here, and it should be barely enough to make up for it. As far as the material is concerned... there is only hemp thread.

But hemp thread is more precious to them, it is impossible for Xiao Zirong to use that thing.

In the end, Zhai Xi found the wild hemp hibiscus. This kind of hemp is relatively woody and not suitable for making clothes. It is more suitable for making shoes and the like, and can also be twisted into hemp rope.

And this kind of hemp is widely distributed in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is easy to find.

Xiao Zirong made hemp rope out of hemp hibiscus and soaked it in tung oil, then took out one and ignited it and tried it, and found that it was quite easy to use, then made a longer fuse and ignited it for a test, and found that it was completely ok Instead of the lead wire, the only disadvantage is that after the combustion is relatively slow, the lead wires of about one meter are stuffed directly on the black powder cartridge one by one.

If it wasn't for worrying that the lead wire would be too long to easily ignite the nearby plants, and Xiao Zirong felt a little distressed because the lead wire required a little too much tung oil, otherwise he would have liked to get a two-meter lead wire directly to ensure everyone's safety.

Even so, Xiao Zirong was still a little worried when he took people to the test.

The bamboo tubes they chose are all thin bamboo tubes, and the overall size is not large. According to the results of Xiao Zirong's research in the literature, the weight is not very large. As long as they are five meters away, nothing will happen, but the literature is the literature. , Reality is reality, Xiao Zirong's heart is always in suspense until he is sure.

For this reason, he rejected Lu Liu's request and prepared to light the fire himself, but in the end he was held down by Liu Cainiang and Lu Liu together. Lu Liu looked at him silently with those bright black eyes without saying a word, and Standing in front of him at all times is to protect and prevent him.

As for Liu Cainiang, it was even simpler, she said directly: "You might as well run as fast as Ah Jin, let Ah Jin go."

Xiao Zirong was very speechless, but what Liu Cainiang said was also true, the little lady named Ah Jin was thin and small, and she ran very lightly.

It's not that she runs fast, and she is so talented that she has wheels on her feet, but as long as she runs faster than other people in the station, that's enough.

Xiao Zirong had no choice but to succumb to the reality of being suppressed by the joint, and then urged Ajin to run faster, or he might get injured.

Ah Jin, who had never seen the power of black powder, obviously couldn't imagine why she would be injured if she lit a fire. In fact, not only her, but even others couldn't imagine the power contained in this small bamboo tube.

Liu Cainiang had witnessed the explosion scene of black powder, but she did not associate the small green bamboo tube with those very dangerous wine barrels. After all, she did not know that gunpowder could change the content and container at will.

Xiao Zirong buried a gunpowder bamboo tube at the selected location, pulled the lead wire out a little bit, then handed A Jin a small torch, and then led the people to withdraw all the way to a range of 20 meters.

And Ah Jin's speed is not slow, at least she can run over before the fuse burns out.

Ajin stood there with a relaxed face waiting for Xiao Zirong's signal. Xiao Zirong waved at her, indicating that she could light the fire, and Ajin immediately lit the fuse, then turned around and ran to a safe place.

Xiao Zirong had to admit that it was the right choice to let Ah Jin light the fire, at least he didn't seem to be able to run so fast.

It's not his problem, but the body he inherited is really weak.

After running over, Ah Jin stared at the lead wire out of breath, not only her, but also Lu Liu and Liu Cainiang were staring at it seriously, wondering what power that little bamboo tube could have.

In fact, at this time, Liu Cainiang had already felt something, because she noticed that Xiao Zirong's operation was very similar to before.

Sure enough, the sound of the explosion after the fuse was burned was deafening, and in addition to the sound, the mud and stones that were blown up and splashed around stimulated the senses of the people present.