Chapter two hundred and sixty-four rice waterwheel
"Water drainage" certainly doesn't save much labor.
Looking at the entire Shouchun, there is only one iron smelting workshop like this.
There are only a few dozen people who need "water drainage" in an iron smelting workshop. If it is useful in other aspects, it is an iron casting workshop... which is to make iron into iron tools. It also needs to melt the iron and then cast it into the required materials. shape.
It's just that the wind power required by the iron casting workshop is not as high as that of iron smelting, so it doesn't even need "water drainage".
Therefore, the labor that can be saved is only a few dozen people, which is of no great use at all.
But of course, Shen Bing did this because he hoped to improve the quality of the iron.
Another and more important thing is... He wants to use water power for more than just making "water drainage".
"Water drainage" is just an experiment.
He found that Shouchun was full of runoff river water, and there were many places where waterwheels could be used. Wouldn't it be a waste not to make good use of it?
Therefore, Shen Bing found Hu immediately after returning to the camp from the iron smelting workshop.
Shen Bing hadn't seen Hui and the others for a long time.
These craftsmen who joined the Black Armored Army with Shen Bing from artillery and now became the Shenwu Army have always been protected in the Shenwu Army.
There is no other reason. Shen Bing needs these craftsmen. If they were put into modern times, they would be talents.
If Shen Bing has any ideas or needs, only they can realize them.
Otherwise, it would be better to go to Wang Ben and tell him about these drawings and manufacturing methods. It would be better to let him lead the troops to fight a battle.
As soon as Hui entered the tent, he excitedly bowed his hands to Shen Bing and saluted:
"My subordinates have met the deputy general."
When Shen Bing saw Hui's crown, he praised:
"I haven't seen you for a few days. The village chief is now a 'doctor'. Congratulations."
Hui quickly replied:
"It's all thanks to the deputy general's wisdom, but we are receiving the salary for nothing."
Hui is right, these craftsmen do feel a bit like "receiving salary for nothing".
Because they did not have to fight on the front lines, even when the soldiers defending the city of Ruyin were so nervous, they, the craftsmen, were working with the witch doctors in the rear to take care of the wounded.
But when all the members of the Shenwu Army were promoted to the third level, they also followed suit. It can really be said that they "win by lying down".
On the other hand, the food of the Shenwu Army has been greatly improved since they were given the name by Yingzheng. Meat sauce is indispensable, and amaranth, eggs and fish are also common.
Because they were supplying thousands of Shenwu troops, it was not practical to eat pork as a meal, and the Qin army was not yet so well-supplied.
But there are many fishermen in Shouchun along the Huaihe River, and it is still possible for a group of people to eat a fish.
This made his originally dark and thin face look much rounder.
After Han Xuan said a few words, Shen Bing said to Hu:
"Captain, remember the waterwheel I made in Handan. I will make another thousand of them."
Hui couldn't help but widen his eyes:
"A thousand objects?"
"But Lieutenant General, there is no water shortage in the land of Huaihe River, so why do we need to build a water tanker?"
Shen Bing did not answer, but took a piece of drawing and said:
"You can just click on this picture to make it."
I took a look and saw that it was a very simple bracket.
Although he didn't understand the purpose of this bracket, seeing that Shen Bing didn't want to say more, he didn't dare to ask more. He agreed and left with the blueprint.
In fact, it's not that Shen Bing doesn't want to say more, but that he doesn't understand even after he talks.
They had never seen these things before and it was difficult to explain. It would be better to make them and understand them once they are used.
That evening, two waterwheels were made according to the drawings... These were just the samples Shen Bing requested.
Although this thing is very simple, making thousands of them in batches is no joke. If there are any shortcomings, it will be troublesome to modify it.
So to be on the safe side, Shen Bing made two bodies for experimentation first.
The thing is very simple, it is just a few logs protruding from the waterwheel. As the waterwheel rotates, the logs will drive the lever to hit the ground again and again like a see-saw.
Of course, there's a straight mallet on the other end of the lever.
The gunner, the gunner, and the rest of the group watched this thing hammering away with great interest, but they still didn't understand its use.
It wasn't until Shen Bing asked someone to bring a stone mortar and place it under the gavel that everyone suddenly realized:
"It turns out this thing is used to pound rice!"
"This method is great. This way you no longer need to pound rice."
"It's not that there is no need to pound the rice, but the rice can be pounded by the waterwheel!"
"No wonder the deputy general asked for a thousand weapons. I said too much. Now it seems that a thousand weapons are not enough. At least tens of thousands of them are needed!"
…
They are right, this thing is used to pound rice.
The rice pounding water truck is simpler than the "water drainage", but the problems it can solve are not small.
There was no electricity in this era, and it was not like in modern times where you can use a machine to "rumble" to separate the grain husks.
The ancients relied entirely on human power to pound rice.
Moreover, every household has to eat every day, two meals a day, so rice has to be pounded every day from morning to night.
Just pounding rice would tie most women to their homes without freedom.
There is an old saying that "men farm and women weave", which means that men work in the fields and women weave at home.
Of course, weaving is also a arduous and time-consuming labor. The clothes worn by the whole family are woven in this way inch by inch.
Rice pounding is even worse.
Moreover, weaving can be slowed down occasionally. If you have old clothes, you can make do with them and wear them again. When spring turns, it will not be so cold and the pressure will be doubled.
But the rice pounding could not even be slowed down. If the rice was not pounded for a day, the whole family would have nothing to eat.
So it’s not that women in this era don’t know how to do farm work, but because of the backward productivity of this era, women are already busy enough doing household chores and have no time or energy to do farm work.
So Shen Bing was thinking: If rice could be pounded by water, how much labor would be saved?
The smartest one was Cang, who went to get a bag of grains without waiting for Shen Bing's instructions, and then poured the grains into the stone mortar... and saw the wooden mallet pounding it in again and again.
Because the wooden mallet is much larger than the usual rice-pounding mallets used at home...women have less strength, and water power can easily carry the wooden mallet.
So in just one stick of incense, half a bag of rice was pounded out.
The carpenters couldn't help but cheer excitedly.
Hui couldn't help but sigh:
"We have suffered from pounding rice for the rest of our lives, but I didn't expect that after we have a waterwheel, pounding rice can be so easy."
"I admire the deputy general's talent."
Shen Bing smiled in response.
This thing can also be regarded as a big change.
The one I am most interested in is the farmer Xu Ying.
Although it is not just agriculture, because scholars, farmers, merchants, and even kings have to eat, although the nobles do not have to pound rice themselves.
But its impact is even greater than the invention of paper.
It is conceivable that after Xu Ying learned about this thing, he would immediately use his farmer's network to spread it to all parts of the Central Plains.
From now on, wherever there is water and rivers, you will probably see waterwheels.