Qin Mo was not in charge of the Academy because he had more important things to do.
There were dozens of mud kilns ten miles south of Chang 'an City. They were originally owned by a merchant surnamed Wang, but now his surname was Qin.
Ever since he decided to renovate the toilets in the Tang Empire, Qin Mo had started to manufacture cement. He had paid for the clay kiln in the southern part of the city.
Originally, these clay kilns were engaged in the production of bricks, tiles, and porcelain.
After Qin Mo took over the project, he kept one for the production of porcelain and the rest for the cement experiments.
The main raw materials of cement, lime, stone, and clay were crushed, mixed, ground, and then fed into the kiln to be incinerated into clinkers, and then the clinkers were added with appropriate amount of plaster to be ground.
The cement raw material (fine powder ground from limestone, yellow soil, and iron ore in a certain proportion) was incinerated in an industrial kiln at 1350-1450 degrees to form cement grog. Then, a certain proportion of plaster and mixed materials (slag, fly ash, etc.) were added for grinding. In the end, the fine powder was cement!
First of all, there was no thermometer in the Great Tang, so it was difficult to grasp the temperature. Craftsmen had to figure it out themselves. Secondly, he also knew the specific ratio of the raw materials. He also needed to go through many experiments to confirm the best ratio.
After a period of testing, the craftsmen finally produced qualified cement, so they sent someone to inform Qin Mo.
Qin Mo rushed over with Xue Rengui and the guards.
"Uncle, this is the cement that was burned. We followed your instructions and made it into a hard block with sand, pebbles, and water.”
The person in charge of the tiles was a forty-year-old man named Zhao Shan. He was a decent person and was good at burning porcelain.
There were more than a hundred craftsmen in the kiln, and they were all gathered at one side.
Qin Mo frowned."Didn't you guys wear masks?”
He saw that many of the craftsmen did not wear masks. Burning cement would produce a lot of dust. If they did not take protective measures and inhaled the dust into their lungs, they would develop pneumoniosis over time.
This disease would not be cured in the future, let alone the Great Tang, whose medical methods were far behind the future.
He was not the kind of person who would disregard the lives of others for the sake of achieving his goal.
"Uncle, everyone brought it with them when they were working, but they took it off when they were done.”Zhao Shan hurriedly explained that the new boss is all good, although he is noble, but he is easy-going, giving money is generous, but there are some strange rules, such as wearing masks, craftsmen are not used to, but not wearing money, craftsmen are not used to, but wearing.
Hearing this, Qin Mo nodded in satisfaction."That's good! Dust would float in the air from the cement, which was not good for waste. If they acted too much, people would die.”
Then, his gaze turned to the head-sized cement block.
There were also many small pieces scattered around. Clearly, they were the results of Zhao Shan and the others 'experiments.
"How hard is this cement?”Qin Mo asked.
"The hardness of this cement is comparable to iron and stone. Several young men smashed it with hammers for a long time before a piece broke.”Zhao Shan said happily.
Qin Mo's boss was generous with his money, three times more than his previous boss. Not only could he feed his family, but he also had the money to buy some cloth for his wife and children.
After half a month without any results, everyone was worried for their boss. Many people said that they felt guilty for receiving so much money.
Now that they had finally produced the so-called qualified cement, everyone was finally relieved.
"Give me a hammer to try.”Qin Mo did not suspect that these honest men were lying to him, but he would only feel at ease after personally testing them.
He took the hammer from the craftsman and smashed it on the hard cement block. White spots appeared on it, but the hard block did not crack. Only some powder fell.
"Old Xue, come and try." Qin Mo passed the hammer to Xue Rengui.
Xue Rengui picked up the hammer and smashed it at the hard block. Although Old Xue was born with great strength, he could only smash out a small piece of cement from the hard block.
The hardness was sufficient, but he didn't know how fast it would dry.
"How long will it take for this cement to dry? Is there a record?" The quickness of the cement was very important.
Zhao Shan said,"The formula and drying of the cement are all recorded. I waited for six hours before it dried.”
He gave the record to Qin Mo, who felt that it was necessary to promote Arabic numbers among the craftsmen.
Four hours meant eight hours. This speed was not bad. Qin Mo nodded in satisfaction."You guys did well. I'll increase your salary by half a month."”
"Thank you, Uncle!"
The craftsmen were overjoyed.
Honest Zhao said,"If this cement is used to build houses, it will be very beneficial. I wonder if the owner will sell it to others?”
He was a craftsman, so he naturally knew the use of cement.
Qin Mo shook his head."We can't sell it to the public for the time being. The cement formula can't be leaked.”
Honest Zhao said in trepidation,"Don't worry, Boss. We're not ungrateful people.”
Qin Mo nodded and said,"This matter concerns the foundation of the country, so we can't be careless. Later, I will ask His Majesty for merit and promote you all.”
The cement was of great use to the military. It was naturally not difficult to use this to ask Li Er for merit and promote the craftsman.
When the craftsmen heard this, they all cried tears of joy and were deeply grateful to Qin Mo."We will repay your kindness in our next life.”
It must be known that craftsmen were considered lowly in the Great Tang. Not only the craftsmen themselves, but even their children had to bear the lowly status. They could not transcend and were looked down upon.
Once he made a promise, the craftsmen would definitely work for him wholeheartedly. The ancients were most particular about repaying kindness. Ungrateful people would be despised.
Xue Rengui looked at Qin Mo with admiration. He was really awesome to be able to help the craftsman raise his name. He was full of confidence in his future.
"How's the squatting pan?”Qin Mo asked again.
The Great Tang already had ceramic manufacturing technology. Even if it was not as advanced as modern technology, it was enough to meet his requirements.
Zhao Shan brought Qin Mo to see the squatting toilet, and Qin Mo was very satisfied.
"How much cement is there now?" Qin Mo asked.
Zhao Shan said,"We have 300 catties of cement now.”
"It's enough. Put it all in a bag and bring the squatting pan back to Chang 'an.”
The main purpose was to carry out hygiene activities. As for the military use, it was just a side effect.
However, it was necessary to ask Li Er for help.
300 catties of cement could only be loaded into a carriage before it was pulled back. Of course, sand and pebbles were also needed.
"Uncle, this cement is very useful for building city walls or fortresses. Even if these craftsmen are loyal, it will inevitably attract the attention of others.”Xue Rengui saw the use of cement in the military, so he reminded him.
"That makes sense. Later, arrange people to guard this mud kiln.”Qin Mocong was extremely kind, but this way, there would not be enough guards.
He could ask Old Qin for a talent later.
Before he left, Qin Mo thought of something."Do you have any children of the right age to study? You can send it to my academy, where there are great scholars teaching. I won't charge you, and I'll provide you with food and accommodation.”
The craftsmen were even more grateful to Qin Mo and shouted,"I'm willing to die for you."”
In the final list, there were exactly 20 children of the craftsmen's age. Qin Mo told them that he would bring these children to Chang 'an when school started.
Qin Mo was in a good mood after the success of the cement production and the recruitment of 20 students.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。