The next morning it was dawn.
After Jiang Sheng got up, he asked two guards to go to the mountain and find the soil suitable for making kangs as described in the book, as well as soft and tough reed straw, loess, etc.
The two guards were carrying things and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Doctor Mo, what do you want these things for?"
"Make something, and you'll understand when it comes out."
"Oh, I see."
After the three of them carried their things back to the tent, Jiang Sheng found tools for tamping the earth and started pounding the soil mixed with water.
After a while, he was exhausted and opened the curtain and shouted, "Come here, help me tamp the soil. Wait for my news on how far you need to go."
"Yes, Doctor Mo."
The sound of "bang, bang, bang" continued to ring out, and people in the surrounding tents could feel the ground shaking, and they were a little confused for a moment.
"What's going on? Is this another earthquake?"
Jiang Ling put down the document in his hand, stood up and went outside, shouting, "Cheng Xia, go check what's going on and where the vibration is."
Cheng Xia nodded and leaned over to sense it.
After determining the direction, people went straight there.
He lifted the curtain and looked at the man who was playing with mud with a dull expression: "Doctor Mo, why are you playing with mud so early in the morning instead of sleeping?"
Jiang Sheng looked up and saw Cheng Xia, then waved, "Guard Cheng, are you busy? If not, come over and help me smash it."
"You are a martial artist, so you must be very strong."
"...Uh, Doctor Mo might not be able to do that. Major General, let me take a look and see where the tremor is felt. I need to go back and report it."
Cheng Xia smiled and nodded, then turned and left.
Seeing this, Jiang Sheng clapped his hands, stood up and prepared to go find his second brother. His mountain-like body made him the most suitable person for this kind of rough work.
Jiang Ziang was originally practicing martial arts when he was dragged into the tent to do some work. The corners of his mouth twitched: "Doctor Mo, if you hadn't saved my life, I would never do this job."
"Alright, just keep working on it. When you're done, I'll make you one as your reward. This is the first one."
"Oh, no, I don't need mud for anything. I'm already this old and still playing in the mud. People will laugh at me."
Jiang Sheng's mouth twitched as he feebly explained, "It's not about playing with mud. Hey, there's no point telling you this. You'll understand once you make it."
I don’t know how much time passed, but Jiang Ling came after finishing her work.
Sitting aside and watching quietly, he asked curiously: "Doctor Mo, why are you smashing it like this? Can't you just mix it with mud?"
"No, that kind of stuff has no stickiness and can't be used. It will also crack easily and burn your butt when the fire comes. It's not a joke."
“…?”
Seeing him looking at her curiously, Jiang Sheng gave a brief explanation and then met her eyes that were filled with astonishment.
He said helplessly, "I was just reading a book and thought it would be a good time to give it a try since I have nothing to do in the cold winter."
"If it works, it will be a lifesaver for the people. The key is that it's cheap, so even poor people can afford it."
"If it doesn't work out, it's just a waste of time. I'm a free man now and I don't lack time."
Jiang Ling looked at the dark circles under his eyes and sighed, "How long have you not slept? Look at what has become of your eyes, and you still say you have plenty of time."
"I'll let Leng Feng come over and learn. He'll watch over you when you're done. You can go and rest then. What if you get exhausted by yourself?"
Jiang Sheng thought about it and agreed. If it really worked, he alone would not be able to promote it even if he worked himself to death. It would be better to let others learn it.
I raised my hand to touch my eyes, then looked in the bronze mirror. It seemed like... well, I didn't sleep well.
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Major General."
After a day of hard work, the soil was ready.
Jiang Sheng called a carpenter and asked him to start pasting the kang. However, he didn't know how to do it, so it would be better to find a professional to do it.
The carpenter built it as requested, and then, out of nowhere, he suggested, "Doctor Mo, I'd like to ask if we should leave a hole here to put a pot in."
“…Why put the pot?”
"Oh, that's right. You said you were going to burn firewood down there. If you want to burn firewood, then having an extra pot can save firewood. Once the kang is heated, the water in the pot will be ready too."
"If we don't use a pot, we'll have to use extra firewood to boil water. It's actually more convenient this way."
Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly: "Good idea, you should give it a try. If it really works, the reward will be generous."
"Of course, if it doesn't work, it's just a matter of wasting some time. Just try again."
Seeing that he was so easy to talk to, the carpenter breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, I understand."
After it was built and dried, Jiang Sheng started to get firewood to burn and dry the water in the soil, so that the kang would be solid and would not collapse when someone sat on it.
It's getting dark
"Light the firewood. Leave one person to sleep on the kang tonight, and the other one will watch and register how much firewood is needed to keep us warm for how long."
"Yes, Doctor Mo."
The next morning
Jiang Sheng was awakened by the shouting. He rubbed his face and stood up with an annoyed look on his face. Who was shouting?
He finally fell asleep, but was woken up before he could finish his sweet dream.
A man rushed in, looked at him with shining eyes, and said excitedly: "Doctor Mo, it's done, it's done!!"
Jiang Sheng was a little confused: "What happened?"
"Hey, stop pulling me, my shoes fell off..."
After being pulled into the kang room, he slowly came back to his senses. He went forward and touched the kang, which was still slightly warm, and his eyes slowly lit up.
"How many times did you burn firewood yesterday?"
One person excitedly said, "It was just once, that time when it burned before dark. I didn't expect it to be warm all night. In the morning, the hot water in the pot was just right for washing my face."
"Doctor Mo, if you make this kang, and many people use it, there won't be so many deaths this cold winter."
Jiang Sheng slowly grinned, his smile looking a little silly.
"Hey, it's done. I'll go tell... Major General that the first kang will be made for the Second General. All the people involved in making the kang will be transferred out and will be dedicated to making kangs from now on."
The two men nodded repeatedly. This is a skill, more promising than being a soldier, and there is no danger.
Jiang Sheng, wearing thin clothes, rushed to the main tent and grabbed Jiang Ling's arm, smiling: "Major General, the bed is ready!"
"Just one fire of wood keeps you warm all night long."
Jiang Ling was stunned: "Did it really work?"
It's just playing with mud, San'er is so awesome.
What does the completion of the kang mean? Fewer soldiers and civilians will die, which will be a real benefit to the great cause. The cold winter will not be so difficult to endure in the future.
Jiang Baichuan saw the two men rushing out, and his intuition told him that something big was going to happen. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go, veteran generals, and see what Doctor Mo has come up with."
The old generals said: "...Young people are still energetic and can't sit still at all."
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