West of Chang 'an, outside Guang Hua Gate.
There were still a lot of people digging ice from the river. Other than the original team organized by the government, there were also people who joined forces with other people.
The people who joined forces didn't provide ice for the ice sculpture exhibition. They specifically looked for rich people and chose the best place to get ice.
The price of good ice was naturally high. Some people were in charge of negotiating, while others organized the work.
Whoever did the best would get more money.
Sometimes, several groups of people would even fight for a good place.
Fortunately, there were people from the government watching. No one was injured or killed.
In addition to providing labor for the ice, there were also people who set up wooden shelves downstream of the river and canal outside the city and shook the coal balls with dustpans.
Since the nearby coal mining area started to collect money, coal face became a good thing.
They learned from the Li Family Zhuangzi's migrant workers and shook the coal balls out to sell to the people in the city who burned coal.
There was no washed coal in the coal mining area. It was all dry coal face. When it snowed, the top layer was frozen. They cut open the coal face and put it in an open box in a cart.
Then, they covered the flowers with a straw curtain and brought the cart back. They directly mixed the water by the river and rolled out coal balls.
Shaking the coal balls was also organized.
Some people called some people who didn't have animals or carts and used manpower to transport the coal from far away, including on their backs.
They went out in the morning and came back in the afternoon.
When they carried the coal, they occasionally stole some good coal. Naturally, the price was different.
Others pooled money and hired a cart to transport the coal back and forth.
When they had more money, they bought the cart and animals and found someone to shake the coal balls for them.
There were also conflicts over price and manpower.
Chang 'an City had started to be divided. Whichever square or the east, west, north, and south of a square belonged to the owner. No one else was allowed to sell it.
Pei Yaoqing stood next to the ice collection area and listened to the dozens of people talking. He shook his head helplessly.
"Sure enough, the disputes are endless. The poor found a job to make money, but the poor bullied the poor."
Pei Yaoqing remembered Li Yi's words. It was useless. He saved the people who were suffering, but turned around and made others suffer.
Some of the people in Pyong Kang Square were willing to be under unified management, while some of them even brought out the relatives of the Emperor and completely ignored him, the county magistrate.
However, the organization's activities still had to be organized to give the obedient people a chance to earn more money.
He believed that others would come closer under the temptation of benefits.
Pei Yaoqing pondered as he walked towards the south. There were people who shook briquettes there.
However, those even further downstream had come looking for him, wanting to fight and kill him.
The water used to shake the briquettes would form a layer of ice on the ground and continue to flow into the river.
The villagers living below could not do anything. They could not wash their clothes or drink their water.
Usually, in such a situation, they would not seek help from the authorities. They would just bring a large group of people and rush over.
"Are you alright now?" Pei Yaoqing asked the yamen runner beside him.
"They retreated to the back. They have to walk a few more steps to get water. They also dug a few shallow pits to mix the water with the coal."
The yamen runner introduced the situation of the Briquettes Gathering Ground.
The yamen ordered that the coal water was not allowed to enter the river, or else they would be arrested.
When Pei Yaoqing heard that, they arrived at their destination.
It was dirty. The first thing he felt was discomfort.
The ground was covered with black coal powder. Some of it was frozen, and some of it was even covered with dust when the wind blew.
Only a few people who were working wore their own masks. They learned from the Li Family Zhuangzi.
The rest had black faces, noses, and eyes. When they opened their mouths, black saliva would flow out from the gaps of their teeth. They would spit on the ground.
"Yes, it's not like that. Have you seen Li Yi's place? They look clean when they shake the briquettes?" Pei Yaoqing was not sure.
When he saw it that day, he only remembered that there was a lot of work. He could not remember the details of shaking the briquettes.
However, he was sure that it was not the same as what he saw now.
The yamen runner beside him followed him and tried to recall, but he could not remember. What was going on? How did Zhuangzi shake the briquettes?
"Send someone on a horse to take a look. We cannot let them continue like this. When spring comes and it rains, the river will turn black again."
Pei Yaoqing did not want to think about it anymore. He sent someone to take a look and learn from them.
A yamen runner rode on a horse and went around the city. His speed was fast as he rode towards the east.
"The wind by the river today is not bad. Yes, set up the windmill and connect it with the baskets of coal powder. The moulds must be controlled well. Don't let them lie in the mud …"
Coincidentally, Li Yi was also watching how to shake the briquettes today. Previously, he wanted people to familiarize themselves with the rules and procedures.
Now, they began to use the tools. The briquettes were first to form the surface of the briquettes. Then, they were separated horizontally and vertically into a square.
The square was placed in a dustpan and the edges were ground off. The briquettes became briquettes.
The reason why they were not burned directly was because the briquettes could be stacked together to prevent wind from blowing through.
No matter how the briquettes were stacked, there would be gaps and it would be easy to burn.
The moulds used to be made from a horizontal wooden stick and a vertical wooden stick. People would press down hard and the briquettes would be split open.
Now, they changed to a metal grid. A rope was tied to a wooden frame. When the rope was pulled down, a small piece of briquettes would appear. It was fast and not tiring.
As long as there was wind by the river, the windmill with the sails would be installed. It was like a mill, stirring the briquettes.
There was no need for a dustpan to be used to shake the briquettes. A pile of briquettes would be poured in and the briquettes would be stepped on. The briquettes would roll around and the edges would be ground off.
The rest of the briquettes would be covered with grass curtains to prevent the briquettes from being blown away by the wind.
The bailiff who was riding a horse saw this and was conflicted. This was not what he wanted to see.
He wanted to see something more primitive. How would others learn this?
He dismounted from his horse and asked, "Li Dongzhu, how did they shake the briquettes? I mean the ashes. People outside the city shook the briquettes, but it was terrible. "
Li Yi slapped his forehead, "It's my fault. First, use the pebbles to flatten the ground. We don't need to do this in the winter. Next, lay down a layer of yellow soil. The briquettes can be operated on top of it. When the time comes, we can water it and clean it up."
"Can it still be burned? Briquettes with yellow soil. "The bailiff recalled and confirmed that the soil could not be burned.
"Five or four parts of coal and one part of yellow soil. It can be burned. Let me teach you how to make a beehive briquettes.
You can carry it and walk around. It weighs more than ten kilograms. You can put a small pot on top of it. The disadvantage is that it doesn't have a chimney.
Let them flatten the ground and then transport the yellow soil. We don't lack yellow soil here. "
Li Yi considered teaching others how to make beehive briquettes. It was easy to make a furnace.
Li Yi turned and left after he finished speaking. He went to look for the blacksmiths. He remembered a very useful tool. It was much faster to make beehive briquettes than to shake briquettes.
He only needed to press one briquettes and did not need to add any additional materials.
The bailiff stood there and muttered to himself a few times. He remembered it and rode back on his horse.
Before noon, the area where the briquettes were shaken began to be cleaned. The briquettes were piled to the side and a layer of yellow soil was pulled over. Another layer was placed on top of the yellow soil.
When they were cleaning up, they shoveled out the yellow soil as well. It was very clean.
Li Yi's Zhuangzi craftsmen had also finished making the items. The blacksmiths were in the process of forging.
In front of them was a bamboo tube with a diameter of three inches. There were a few holes at the back of the tube. The thin bamboo was sharpened and inserted firmly into the holes.
The hole in the middle was the largest. A bamboo pole that was two times thicker than the thin bamboo was riveted into the tube.
He took the pole to the place where the briquettes were mixed. He dipped the pole in water and pressed it against the pile of briquettes.
He moved it to the side and placed it on the ground. He picked it up and a beehive briquettes was ready. He just needed to dry it and let it dry.
"The disadvantage is that it is easy to break. The workshop is making iron. Take a look and see if it is useful." Li Yi passed the item to the worker beside him.
The worker imitated Li Yi's actions. He dipped it in water, inserted it, moved it, and lifted it up.
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