Chapter 169 Help

"Okay! Pour water!" Su Laoer shouted.

Everyone picked up the wooden buckets and poured them onto the scalding rocks.

"Puff!" A burst of water mist rose from the rocks.

Bucket after bucket, empty buckets were lined up on bamboo tubes not far away, and buckets filled with water were passed over one after another.

Surrounding the rocks, we moved in several directions simultaneously.

"Crack!" The rock made a sound and cracks appeared.

"Hurry! Speed ​​up!" Su Laoer was constantly observing the changes in the rocks, estimating the time and intensity of the rock collapse.

He was sweating with fear. Among the people present, he was the only one from the Ministry of Works. He had participated in the construction of roads and repairs of city walls in the capital, but he was just a small manager and had never actually carried out any specific projects.

He was forced to do something he was not prepared for. Several officials in the county and state governments had not seen as much as he did.

The method of burning with fire and then cooling with water to cause rocks to collapse was used by our ancient ancestors and was a common technical means of opening mountains and building roads in ancient times.

If it was a project commissioned by the court, he would not be so nervous. It is normal for casualties to occur in a project.

But these people are neighbors from the same village, and they came here voluntarily to build the road.

He didn't dare to be careless, for fear that his negligence would cause casualties and he would not be able to face the villagers.

Two large rocks have been blasted open using this method, and Su Laoer has gradually gained some experience.

"Quick! Water!" The message was passed from one person to another, and the people who were receiving the water were in a panic.

The water flow through the bamboo pipe is so limited that dozens or even hundreds of buckets are filled up in advance and kept ready, and the empty buckets are passed over after they are emptied.

There are more and more empty buckets and fewer and fewer buckets full of water.

Just as the water was about to run out, Su Laoer suddenly shouted, "Scatter!"

Everyone quickly put down their buckets and ran towards the pre-selected shelter.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The rocks made loud noises, like frying beans, the broken gravel flew everywhere, and large rocks rolled to the lower place.

It took a while to stop.

"Pah!" Someone raised his head, spat out the gravel in his mouth, and shook off the dust on his body. "This method works!"

Everyone got up and found that the rocks in front of them were gone, replaced by a pile of rubble.

The big rocks were chiseled into small stones and piled up on the roadside.

Some people used chisels to chisel the mountain wall while it was still hot, trying to carve as much as they could, at least as wide as a road.

These stones are reluctant to be thrown away. After the road surface is compacted, stones are used to pave the road, and then soil is filled and compacted. This kind of road is used.

Drainage ditches also need to be dug on the roadside, otherwise rainwater will wash away the road surface, and the road will become bumpy and uneven when vehicles pass by.

"At this rate, with more manpower, we may be able to complete the road construction in just a few months!" Yang Dalang said excitedly.

After the road was built, ox carts could come in, making the transfer of goods much easier and greatly shortening the time.

It looks a bit more roundabout than before, a few miles longer, but ox carts and horse carts can enter.

People can still take the small roads, while vehicles can take the main roads.

Su Bucheng smiled. Apart from the forty people who built the school building, where would they get the manpower?

Moreover, the further you go out of the mountains, the farther you are from home. You will spend a lot of time on the road every day. If you go any further, you may have to consider sleeping outdoors.

"Let's blow up a few more rocks and start building the road." Su Laoer said decisively.

Su Bucheng looked at his brother and thought this was a good idea.

Blast a few more and there will be about seven or eight miles of road. Then widen it, tamp it, fill it with stones, and tamp it again. It will be ready by the New Year.

There are still two-thirds left, and we can work on it during the slack season, and it will be completed in about a year.

"Mr. Su!" Ah Hei came with a few Li people.

"Ahei, why are you here?" Su Bucheng asked.

"We were burning lime on Qingshi Mountain when we heard a loud noise from rocks. We came to see what happened?" Ah Hei asked with concern.

"We are blasting rocks!" Su Bucheng smiled.

"Blast rocks?" Ah Hei's eyes widened.

"Yes! Look, this pile is the one that exploded just now!" Su Bucheng pointed to the empty ground.

When the people looked, they saw that many of the gravel piled on the roadside had signs of being burned.

"How did you blow it up?" Ah Hei pulled Su Bucheng and asked excitedly, "We'll build the road too!"

When Huanggou Village talked about building a road, they couldn’t imagine how to remove these huge rocks. No matter how they took a detour, there was always a part that could not be avoided.

It would take forever to carve those huge rocks!

But the one in Huanggou Village actually exploded, it was amazing!

"It's simple. Burn the rocks with fire, then pour water on them, and the rocks will naturally collapse. But you have to control the timing and degree, otherwise you will be blown up by the rocks." Su Bucheng introduced.

"Is it that simple?" Ah Hei exclaimed, the Han people are so smart!

"Yes! Put up the water pipes in advance to ensure timely water supply. Otherwise, running far to fetch water will not be very effective."

"Village Master Su, we have people from Jinfeng Village coming to help you build the road. While we are building the road, can you also help us?" Ah Hei suggested.

The sugar factory in Jinfengzhai is located in the county town. Only a few people went there, and most of them stayed at home to cook vermicelli and make sugarcane brown sugar.

The mountain road is rugged and difficult to walk on. It is impossible to carry the sugarcane to the county town to boil it. It is easier to boil it into brown sugar in the village and take it out.

But the difficult road is always a fatal flaw, and the honey and tea oil behind are heavy and difficult to pick.

The only way is to build a road.

"Huh! You don't burn lime anymore?" Su Bucheng was stunned. He was just worrying about manpower, and now it's delivered now?

"We have almost enough lime, and we happen to be free. I'll help you take a break this year and help us take a break next year!" Ah Hei said.

The lime was carried back, and some people were left at home to deep plow the paddy fields and cover them with rotten soil to retain water, while the rest were used to build roads.

"Brother, if Ah Hei and the others can help, the speed can be greatly increased. Move the two ends towards the middle, tighten the ropes, and work harder. Maybe most of it can be repaired by the spring!" said Su Lao Er.

As expected of the Ministry of Works, he is good at overall planning, making full use of time and space, and shortening project time.

"This is a good idea!" Su Bucheng was originally hesitant, but immediately nodded in agreement after hearing this.

So a few people discussed and Ah Hei went back to arrange manpower and prepare necessary tools, etc. Two days later, Su Laoer went to give instructions, and Ah Hei and his team started construction from the other end.

First, blast away all the boulders that need to be blasted along the entire road to create the outline of the road, and then level and compact it.

The two parties agreed not to pay each other wages and to bring their own dry food. After the construction of Huanggou Village was completed, Jinfengzhai would be built during the slack season next year.

After everything was discussed, Ah Hei took his men back to the village.

Su Bucheng and his team also cleared the stones, put the buckets and tools away, and went home for dinner.

The two brothers walked slowly behind, calculating the materials and working hours as they walked.

"Second brother, fortunately you have worked in the Ministry of Industry, otherwise I won't be able to support this business." Su Bucheng patted his brother's shoulder.

My second brother is quiet but very talented.

"Brother, you're joking. I'm also learning on the job. I get very nervous every time I blast rocks!" Su Laoer smiled shyly, just like when he was young.

"Help!" A faint voice came out.

"Brother, it seems like someone is shouting for help!" Su Lao Er looked at his brother.

Su Bucheng listened attentively, but heard nothing. "Where?"

"Help!" the voice came again.

"In the ravine!" Su Laoer pointed to the side of the road.