At the end of the Tang Dynasty, it was a feudal town, but in Western Europe

The construction of the stone mill has been basically completed. We have built two stone mills on the banks of the Elbe River. One is slightly smaller for grinding wheat, and the other is slightly larger for grinding limestone and cement.

Chen Sicheng, you should take a good look at this blueprint during this time, and take someone to measure the nearby roads. The construction department will not move until the Sanhe cement is completed. "

After receiving the road map drawn by Feng Sen himself, Chen Chongyi pondered it carefully.

"The second is about the beer. I am personally responsible for this matter, or I will report it myself.

At present, we have gone through many comparison and control experiments, and respectively set the beer brewing according to ten kinds of proportions before fermentation and after fermentation, and tested in a cycle of seven days to determine the time.

At present, the test results of the first cycle have come out. The hops are added 5 minutes after the boiling before fermentation, and then the recipe with a feed-to-water ratio of [-]:[-] tastes relatively better. The next cycle is still two days away. I plan to determine the beer recipe within six cycles, but the finished product can start from the third cycle.

That is to say, in mid-July, the brewery can brew beer, and in mid-August, the first batch of hamburger beer can be officially produced. "

Feng Sen took out a few water bags from behind and threw them out: "Try all of you later, there are five recipes here, and you all rate them."

"Jie Shuai, if you talk about this, I won't be sleepy anymore." Fang Xinru, who had quick eyesight and quick hands, shot out in an instant and held a water bag firmly.

"Take the goods, drink less, at most two sips, others still want to drink." Feng Sen scolded with a smile.

"Third, about the issue of Ulster Bridge, Chen Sicheng, tell me."

"Here." Chen Chongyi stood up and cupped his hands humbly. "At present, the reconstruction of Ulster Bridge has been completed, with a total length of 20 meters. After inspection, it can already pass two full-loaded oxcarts and passers-by. It's just a small matter."

"This is not a trivial matter." Feng Sen laughed. "The rebuilt Ulster Bridge can mobilize manpower faster. If you want to send troops and mobilize, it is more than twice as fast as before. That's why I have appointed Chen Dalang as the construction department."

Everyone bowed their hands in congratulations.

"Fourth, it's about the production and sale of rattan armor. Tell me, Wang Sima."

"At present, we have built four hundred sets of rattan armor and rattan tokens. The nearby materials and the accumulated pine tar have basically been used up. Last time, the rattan armor and rattan tokens sold well." Wang Sima laughed. "I heard that Vidukind organized a rattan hatchet soldier. During the spear pushing stage, let the hatchet soldiers roll under the spear array, and then cut the enemy's legs and feet. It is quite fruitful. Will this batch of rattan armor continue to be sold to Widukind?"

Feng Sen thought about it for a while, then said slowly: "Don't sell it to him, ask someone to take this batch of rattan armor to Dannenberg and sell it to the rebels somewhere, they must be short of armor."

"Here!"

Chapter 93 Chinese cement

The drizzle fell on the tarpaulin cover of the Viking longship, making a crackling sound. The pier by the Elbe River was covered by fine drizzle, and the grayish-yellow clouds stirred the wind, and the drizzle blew obliquely onto people's faces. body.

The warship was undulating in the muddy river water. Bervshka was wearing a raincoat, and behind him stood two Viking sailors. They were all warriors on the same ship as Arvo's father. Bervshka had sneaked into Denmark several times. , calling them to Hamburg.

A dozen or so recruited Viking slaves and Saxon coats carried all kinds of goods on the wharf and dragon head warships, including exquisitely carved walrus ivory carvings, smooth and shiny mink fur, a box of whale oil, and a bag of amber , and several agates from India.

This time the total value of the goods carried exceeded [-] deniers, and Belvshka was going to take them and drive a long Viking ship to Britain for sale.

Belvshka once went to Britain for trade with Arvo's father, and he still has a little contact in Britain, so he is the best candidate for this operation.

Feng Sen and Arvo, who were wearing coir raincoats, faced Belvshka, their faces blurred by the rain and fog.

"I will trouble you for the trade to Britain." Feng Sen patted Belvshka on the shoulder and asked, "This time the journey is dangerous. If something happens, the cargo on the ship is secondary, and life is the most important thing." Most importantly, I need someone who knows Denmark well."

"Your lord, don't worry, I regret my life." Belvshka glanced at Arvo who was standing in a daze behind Feng Sen.

"That's good." Feng Sen nodded, and continued to explain, "The first goal is to find a suitable sea crossing route, so that we can go there later. The second is to find a suitable sales channel. It is best to get on line with dignitaries and Athelings (atheling, meaning prince in British Saxons). Finally, we need to investigate the situation. Don't investigate too deeply, just some local customs, people's deeds and so on."

"I will fulfill my mission." Putting his right hand on his left chest, Belvshka bowed to Feng Sen, and seeing that the sailors had already packed the goods, he boarded the ship in two or three steps.

He waved to Feng Sen and said, "Don't worry, my lord, I will come back with a boat full of wool, salt, gold and silver!"

Then, he shouted to Arvo: "His Royal Highness, I will be back."

"Okay, you have to come back with a fully loaded ship!" Arvo shouted according to the legends of the Danes and Norse.

Round shields were set up on both sides of the longship. With the vigorous rowing of the Viking sailors, the dragon head of the longship broke through the waves of the Elbe River and sailed down the river towards the Atlantic Ocean.

Feng Sen stood on the shore and looked at it for a while before saying to Arvo: "Let's go, I have to inspect the cement production today."

Not long after Byelvshka left, the rain stopped, only occasionally the wind would blow a drop of rain from a distance and land on Feng Sen's face.

Walking on the dirt road in the country, the horse's hoof stepped down, the mud splashed, and the raindrops were falling from the black and green leaves.

Feng Sen was riding on the horse, and he could clearly feel that Arvo behind him was in a low mood. His father must have disappeared after going out to sea. Belvshka said that it was Siegfried's murder.

Although Arvo is usually naive and doesn't want to think too much, it doesn't mean that she is a fool, she can also feel that Belvshka is kind to her.

"Don't worry." Feng Sen slowed down his horse, stood side by side with Arvo, and pulled her from the horse to his front. The two of them pressed tightly together, "Belvshka will come back, even if something happens to him, and I will always be by your side."

After a while, Feng Sen felt that Arvo's body in his arms was getting warm, and he turned pale with fright, and shouted, "Stop, we'll be inspecting the cement workshop later."

Putting Arvo back on his horse, Feng Sen accelerated the speed of the horse's hooves under her resentful eyes, and even rode towards the big mill in a bit of embarrassment.

When he came to the cement mill by the Elbe River, Feng Sen walked in quickly and began to inspect.

The mill is about two stories high, with an area of ​​about [-] square meters. In the imitated thatched shed, several large tanks are neatly placed, covered with straw mats and tarpaulins to protect against rain and moisture.

Feng Sen stepped forward, lifted a straw mat, and revealed the contents of the vat, which contained limestone, slaked lime, ashes from various coal-fired furnaces, and broken stone pottery shards.

The huge stone mill made a rumbling sound of friction, and was pushed hard by two old cows under the whipping of several craftsmen. The pottery fragments and gravel in the stone mill were quickly turned into baskets under the rubbing and squeezing of the millstone. powder.

Although the cement mill was built by the river, it didn't use water power. Feng Sen's current craftsmen's technical skills can't spare much for high-tech such as waterwheels.

But in the future, these mills will definitely be driven by waterwheels. It is a pity that there is such abundant water power as the Elbe River.

Beside the cement mill, there is also a small thatched shed, which is a stove for burning lime.

The most important thing in cement is limestone. Limestone is not a rare ore, and it is widely distributed. Generally speaking, limestone can be found within a hundred miles, especially in mountainous areas.

These limestones are usually buried two or three feet deep in the ground. After they are dug out, they must be observed and selected. Only those that have not been weathered can be used, and those that have been weathered are useless.

Limestone Feng Sen sent people to look for it for a long time. It exists on the east bank of the Elbe River, but due to road problems, the transportation efficiency is very low, and there is no suitable mining.

However, on the Rosengarten Mountain in the southwest of the Elbe River, there are a lot of limestones that are easy to mine, and the Rosengarten Mountain is close to the Elbe River. Going back to Hamburg is much faster than going overland.

The limestone on Mount Rosengarten is mainly cyan, which is of the best quality, while the slightly inferior yellow-white limestone is relatively rare.

Ninety percent of the Ruhr coal and one percent of the charcoal were placed in the lime furnace.

Looking inward through the raging fire, briquettes and limestone are alternately piled up at intervals, and the bottom of the stove is the flame caused by coke and firewood.

Two Viking slaves held the wooden bellows with both hands, and the fan blades turned, rolling up more blazing flames.

During the calcination process, it is necessary to observe the heat at any time. When the limestone will naturally become brittle, its part in the air will slowly weather into powder, which is the quicklime needed by Feng Sen.

Strictly speaking, the cement used by Feng Sen cannot be regarded as cement in the modern sense, because its essence is three-component clay.

Feng Sen's three-composite clay formula is to grind brick fragments, clay fragments and slag ash into powder, mix these powders, and mix crushed stone powder and quicklime in a ratio of four to one to obtain simple three-composite cement.

This kind of cement needs to be mixed on site, and it takes about two months to reach the standard strength. Its performance is not much better than Roman cement, and even more modern cement is incomparable, but it is enough for paving roads.

"This kind of cement, let's call it Siris cement!"

Chapter 94 Refugees from Lüne

Ever since Bervshka left with a few shipments, everything seemed to have been fast-forwarded, and the entire month of July flew through the fingers.

Widukind's rebels are still confronting Charlemagne's army, but Magdeburg has already been captured by Dessau's rebels, and the total strength of the rebels is close to [-].

At the same time, the Frisian inspector and the Earl of the Frisian palace, Vollard, organized an army of [-] troops, and finally withstood the sudden attack of the Frisian rebels.

From the Weser River to the Elbe River, the two sides of the river are already full of wars, and even the Norse and Viking caravans are much less, and the border trade, which was barely prosperous before, has come to a standstill.

During this period, a small group of Saxon rebels tried to enter the village, but most of them were only a few dozen people, and they didn't even need to send out the army. Feng Sen dispatched an inspection department to deal with them, and some even had hundreds of local bannermen. Take the villagers and do it yourself.

In Saxony, where wars are raging everywhere, Feng Sen's Hamburg has become a paradise.

Tibes and his family mixed among the refugees and walked in the forest with difficulty. They hadn't eaten for five days, and they drank water when they were hungry. If they were really hungry, they ate acorns.

But Tibes knew that it was absolutely impossible to continue like this. In the team of more than 100 people, at least [-]% of them died of constipation because they ate too many acorns and couldn't poop.

Thinking of this, Tibes turned his head almost in despair. Behind him, his eldest daughter was walking silently with her younger son on her back, while the thin and thin wife rubbed her son's swollen belly with tears in her eyes.

Yes, Tibes’ youngest son, Bernnus, was very hungry last night. While the Tibes family was sleeping, he ate a stomach full of acorns. When he got up this morning, he was crying with his hands on his stomach. .

When will such a day end?

Tibes looked desperately at the huge mosquitoes flying by, and the road in the dense forest had almost no end in sight.

Tibes and his party were all Saxon tribesmen from Lüne, and the reason they fled was because the army and soldiers slaughtered and extorted over and over again.

Don't think that the Saxon rebels are of the same race as them and they won't rob them. It is too difficult for Qiu Wucheng's army to exist. These Saxon rebels are more ruthless than the Franks in robbing their own people.

Forced to do nothing, Tibes took his family and the whole village to the north, trying to find a place where they could settle down, but unfortunately, one of the two hunters who were familiar with this area was infected with malaria and died. One was killed by a poisonous snake on a tree at night.

So, they could only wander around like headless flies in the dense forest of Rosengarten Mountain and along the Elbe River, until they ran out of food and failed to find the "pure land" that the hunters called.

Suddenly, there was a sound of restlessness, startling Tibes who was struggling in despair.

Starting from the sound of restlessness, whispers and excited exchanges were passed back and forth among the refugee group, and Tibes also learned a big news from the familiar neighbors—they finally found human habitation.

This news made Tibes's knee seem to be equipped with a spring, and it was about to bounce up, but soon, a wave of worry turned into a boulder, pressing down the spring firmly, because they found that in the crowd, it seemed To the Franks and the Sires.

A refugee with good legs and feet has been walking at the forefront of the team. He found a small camp at the foot of Mount Rosengarten. Hundreds of slaves were moving stones in the camp and putting them on rafts for the boatmen to transport them away.

The most important thing is that there are quite a few soldiers in armor, and according to the sharp-eyed "scout" report, they all have black eyes and black hair. If you guessed right, it should be the one who defeated The tribe of Vidukind's rebels is said to be called Siris.

They are also lackeys of the Franks.

Although the village where Tibes was located was only a small remote village, there were still some people who participated in that battle, and the news brought by the merchants made the locals even more angry and fearful—the Franks killed Thousands of Saxon prisoners of war.

So, should you ask them for help?

The adult men among the refugees all gathered together, sat in a circle, and started a low-pitched discussion.

"Maybe we should keep going." An old man suggested.

"We've run out of food," retorted a middle-aged man who was blind in one eye.

"Are we going to ask them for help?" asked another elderly man.

"Aren't you afraid they'll chop off all of our heads?"

"Then let's send someone to try it out, what if they can lend a helping hand?"

"Who wants to go?"

Thinking of the horrific massacre in Weldon, everyone fell silent, but the silence didn't last long, and a voice broke the deathly silence.

"I can go." Tibes stood up suddenly, "but I have a request, you must swear before the gods, if I die, you will never be allowed to abandon my wife and daughter."

"agree!"

"I agree."

The refugees replied hastily.

Soon, the news that Tibes was going to negotiate with the Sires spread throughout the refugee group, and he took his son from his wife who had already cried dry, and he kissed his daughter's forehead again.

"Bernus is dying. I have learned a few words of Frankish from some dying old priests. I can pretend to be their believer and ask them to save Bernus." Tibes gritted his teeth. , Holding back tears, said to his wife.

"dad……"

Tibes hugged his comatose son and looked at his 16-year-old daughter. She was already very slim. If there hadn't been this damn war, she would probably have married into a wealthy family.

Damn the Franks!Damn Vidukind!

Tibes became ruthless, took one last look at his wife and daughter, and ran towards the camp without looking back.

"Who!"

Seeing a man emerge from the bushes, the guarding Frankish bannermen immediately jumped up and held up the long forks and spears in their hands.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm a believer of Heavenly Father!" Tibes immediately knelt down on the ground. He put his youngest son on the ground and raised his hands high. "My son is constipated after eating too many acorns. For Heavenly Father's sake, give me a hand and save him."

"Can you understand what he's saying?" asked a Frankish bannerman standing next to him.

"He spoke so fast that I didn't understand."

"Made, this dog Saxon Banner is a lazy guy. After the shift was handed over, he ran away in no time. They are all Viking slaves. Where can I find someone who can speak Saxon?"

Several Frankish bannermen were worrying, and Tibes saw their reactions, and shouted again in Frankish: "I, Heavenly Father, order you to save him!"

"Bold!" One of the Frankish flagmen raised his spear immediately, and the rest of the flagmen also looked unfriendly.

Seeing the changes in the expressions of the bannermen, Tibes realized that he had said the wrong thing, but he couldn't help it, he only knew these few Frankish words.

Just as Tibes was explaining anxiously and nonsense, a sound of horseshoes came from behind him, and the flagmen immediately stood up and looked at the galloping people.

"Damn, what's the matter?" Fang Xinru jumped off the saddle with a water bag full of beer in her mouth.

And the young soldiers behind him repeated Fang Xinru's words loudly to the Frankish bannermen.

"Going back to the team, they said that this is a Saxon who got out of the woods. He may be a spy of the Saxon rebellion. They are interrogating him."

"What kind of trial are they trying? I should come to the trial if they want to! Go and ask him, what's the situation?"