Heaven's Formula

"I understand the truth, but it seems that the recruiters on the bulletin board are all handymen, dock porters and sailors of the Machinery Engineering Bureau? Can this really deal with the problem of food shortage?" Fang Jiuzhang was puzzled.

"Of course, the best way to deal with the food shortage is to produce, keep producing, and produce to the maximum potential. As long as the output exceeds consumption, all the tricks of the Privy Council will be in vain."

"Okay, Master Xia is busy, don't keep asking questions." Fang Yu slapped Master Fang, "My lord, do you have any tasks for the Fang family when you come to us this time?"

"I mentioned a vision for the logistics department before, and now it's time to realize it." Xia Fan said bluntly, "I wonder if you two are interested in becoming the head of the department?"

This idea, born of the ability of the living dead, has been fully verified in Jinxia City.

A cold storage built two meters below the surface, with an area of ​​more than [-] square meters and surrounded by ice blocks, can maintain its cold storage capacity for a month.At the same time, as the area increases, its duration can be further improved.In other words, a living dead person only needs to maintain once a month to ensure the stable operation of multiple cold storages.

The same goes for transportation.

As long as a cargo ship completes the freezing of the cabin before departure, there is no need to send the living dead to accompany the ship, which makes large-scale fresh-keeping logistics possible.

Sealing off the enemy's backup, while greatly increasing Jinxia's food production capacity, filling the gap in Shenzhou with one city, and then transporting resources to places that need it, this is the responsibility that the country should undertake, and only efficient Only the state apparatus can do this!

Chapter 411 The So-Called New City

At [-]:[-] p.m. ([-]:[-]), the first flat ice boat loaded with frozen fish slowly left the port from the inland river wharf and headed towards Baihe City along the river.

Many people have witnessed the first voyage of this strange ship—compared to those common inland sailing ships, its side is even lower than the trestle, almost like an ice brick laid flat on the water, but its size is average The size of the boat is several times that of the boat, and its length has reached as much as nine feet. It is definitely the "ship king" in the inland river.

It also has no sails, and even if it goes up the river, it doesn't look like it's strenuous. In addition to the frozen fish piled up on the deck, there is also a Xuanwu Mechanism Beast and a dozen or so tightly wrapped soldiers. .Everyone knows that there has been a large-scale famine in various parts of Shenzhou, and this large ship is the disaster relief team that went to Baihe to support it. Therefore, when it set off, there were enthusiastic farewell sounds on the pier.

"I never thought before that it would take half a day to build a ship." In a corner by the pier, Mo Yun couldn't help but sigh.

Ning Wanjun, who came here in disguise with her, was puzzled, "Isn't the previous ice ship also produced by the Mechanical Engineering Bureau?"

"This new ship is simpler than the previous batch. It is so simple that the Machine Building Bureau only provided templates and astronomical components." Mo Yun shook his head, "In Xia Fan's words, it is to install a piece of wood on a board." Power source, just let it move.”

The fact is also the same. The ice ships used for naval warfare still have cabins and front hatches, while flat ice ships even omit the concept of cabins.This type of ship seems not suitable for the sea, but it is surprisingly easy to use in the inland river-there is no rough sea, and the ultra-low side makes it very easy to load and unload cargo. As if walking on flat ground, even people who have never been in the water will not feel any dizziness or discomfort standing on it.

In other words, this ship type is inherently suitable for transportation.

When Xia Fan came to the door and said that the first finished product would be built and put into actual operation before evening, Mo Yun was still deeply skeptical.After all, no matter how easy it is to make an ice ship hull, one day is always needed. In addition, it is a ship type that has never been seen before. It takes several trials to determine whether it is feasible. Officially enabled?

The result was still beyond her imagination.

With the assistance of Qianzhi and Qianyan, the launching test of the hull was completed in only half an hour, followed by the adjustment of the rudder and astronomical instrument in two hours. Not long after noon, the first flat ice ship was launched Sail requirements have been met.

Obviously, Xia Fan had expected this situation long ago, and one day was even a conservative statement.

Mo Yun only realized this later.

Questions are such an ugly but effective thing, how did he come up with it?

Can the listener not only hear various sounds, but also see the actual scene?

There was a saying in the family of mechanism art that the more powerful the mechanism is, the more beautiful and moving it is, and she deeply believed it - the Xuanwu mechanism beast created by combining her life experience and knowledge is the most vivid example.

But this flat ice boat propelled by the astronomical instrument...is it also a kind of mechanical creation?For some reason, seeing its rough and crude shape, Mo Yun didn't want to admit that it was his own work.

"If it is built openly, how many ships of this kind can be built in a month?" The princess's question brought her back to her thoughts.

"That depends on whether the living dead have enough energy," Mo Yun calculated in his mind, "but at least thirty or forty ships are guaranteed."

"That is to say, as long as the inland river can cover the place, I can mobilize an army of machine beasts to go to the battlefield in a short time at any time. If it is limited to the territory of Shenzhou, it only takes one day?"

Mo Yun thought for a moment, "...you can think so."

"Now I understand somewhat what he meant by the brand new city." Beneath Ning Wanjun's calm tone, there was a hint of uncontrollable excitement hidden.

"Your Highness?"

Whether it is receiving news that night, mobilizing the whole city and sending out the first batch of aid the next day, or large-scale troop mobilization, reaching the entire territory of Shenzhou in one day, it is far beyond the imagination of the world, because from common sense From a practical point of view, these are impossible things to achieve.

However, Jinxia City can do it.

It is difficult for Ning Wanjun to accurately describe the difference between the two, but she can already vaguely feel that Jinxia and other cities in Qiguo are already in different eras.

"It is a brand new city that can do things that other cities can't match." She said word by word.

……

At noon on the third day, the first batch of ground relief troops sent by Jinxia appeared on the outskirts of Baihe City.

This time point was more than two hours earlier than the scheduled arrival time.

The soldiers didn't care about rest, so they set up camp in front of the east gate and lit a fire to cook porridge.This group of Jinxia people wearing uniforms and looking energetic immediately attracted the attention of the residents of Baihe City.

The news of Jinxia City distributing relief porridge quickly spread in the streets and alleys without any publicity from the affairs branch.

"Have you heard? Jinxia's relief team is really here!"

"How much food did they bring?"

"There seems to be a dozen cars."

"Is this enough? There are tens of thousands of people in our city. Even if they are all cooked into porridge, they won't last for half a month."

"Having said that, the fact that they have enough energy to save Baihe City now means that Jinxia herself is not short of food, right? Otherwise, how would they have the time to support us?"

"By the way, are there any conditions for receiving the porridge?"

"It doesn't seem to be. There is a limit of one bowl per person, and if you drink it, just stamp it on your hand."

"How about... let's try it too?"

"Honestly speaking, the porridge is quite unpalatable, thin and astringent... If it's not that there is nothing to eat, I suggest forgetting it."

Conversations like this can be heard everywhere in the city.

The Pelicans are no exception.

Pretending to be a homeless person, he leaned against the city wall and looked at the relief camp in the distance. At the same time, he had already confirmed one thing in his heart, that is, the Baihe Affairs Branch had a means of instant communication with Jinxia City.Any changes that happen here can be known immediately over there, otherwise there is no way to explain it, and after a day and a night, the relief troops have already approached the city.

Soldiers guarded the camp all around, and there were not many shelters in the outskirts. It was undoubtedly much more difficult to cause trouble here than in the city.

Things got complicated.

The pelican knew in his heart that panic was the root of the turmoil—famine could indeed create such panic, but it would take a certain amount of time to consume stored food, not as fast as floods and diseases.After all, the former is a process of gradual expansion. As long as he is given another month, he will definitely turn the wildfire in people's hearts into a city-burning flame. But now, this eruption process is suppressed by the relief food.

Today's food prices in various grain shops have not continued to rise, which is proof.

Obviously everyone is waiting to see what Jinxia City can do.

And this kind of wait-and-see is undoubtedly quite unfavorable to the Privy Council.

Those grain shops... Maybe they can't stay.

Chapter 412 The Jedi's Counterattack

"My lord, the brothers are all here." Someone beside me suddenly whispered.

The pelican first carefully observed the surroundings, and after making sure that there were no wild cats or other animals following him, he was a little relieved.Now as long as he closes his eyes, the weird scene of those wild cats marching in line will always appear in his mind.

According to the agreement, there were only five people who rushed here to gather—compared to them who were gearing up for a big career when they first arrived in Baihe City, everyone now has an indescribably heavy face.

"Are you the only ones left?" The hard-hearted Pelican also felt a bit of pity. These subordinates followed him for a long time, ranging from three or four years to over ten years. Lost more than half.

"Yes, all the strongholds in the city were wiped out, and we escaped by just going out." The man who spoke replied, "My lord, is there... a traitor in the team?"

"That's right, someone must have revealed everyone's whereabouts, and Jinxia's counterattack came so quickly!" The others said angrily.

"Not necessarily." Pelican shook his head, "Our opponent is an alchemist. If there is an enemy who is good at knives, it is not surprising that we can't keep the secret. If there is a brother who confesses, can we meet again using secret words? It has long been accepted The family caught it all."

The five of them couldn't help falling into silence.

After a while, someone asked, "My lord, what should we do next? The funds have been confiscated by the other party. Shall we wait for the Privy Council to issue new silver before we act?"

"I don't know how long it will take until the people over there contact us. The rumors of the food disaster have finally spread. We must not let this fire go out!" Pelican said firmly, "The grain shop is the next target, especially those The storefronts that are out of business—if you can destroy them all, you will surely make the fire of panic burn even more!"

"There are a large number of servants guarding the grain store now. With our small number of people, I'm afraid we can't rush in?" The subordinates expressed doubts.

"Indeed. So I prepared this in advance."

Pelican put down the suitcase at hand and opened the lid.

I saw four bamboo tube-shaped things inside, each about the thickness of an arm, the main body was made of wood, and a metal rod was inserted into the head.

"Master Tanshou, what is this?" Everyone asked in surprise.

"Zhentianlei, a new gadget made by the Ministry of Industry." Pelican picked up one of the "bamboo tubes" and briefly introduced, "Just pull out the pull ring on the copper rod, and then press the copper rod into the tube, it will It can send out shocking explosions, and can burn everything within the affected area, so a mere grain store is no longer a problem!"

"You never mentioned it to us before... there is such a sharp thing!"

"If I mentioned it, can it still stay?" Pelican snorted coldly, "Because it is a new gadget, it can play an unexpected role at this time."

He took a deep breath, stared at the crowd and said, "Listen well, I know that the entire Baihe City is likely to be under the surveillance of the enemy. This is a good opportunity to serve the imperial court! I have recorded everything that happened here in detail and handed it over to the messenger, so you don’t have to worry about your achievements being buried.”

Of course, there is another reason for this—if you withdraw from the operation area without receiving instructions, it will definitely be a stain on the spy career if it is passed on to the adults in charge. to the result.

One of his subordinates hesitated, "Sir, we are not greedy for life and fear of death, but... is it really useful?"

"What do you mean?" Pelican frowned.

"On the way here, I heard a new piece of news, which was spread by people from the Affairs Bureau." The man paused, "Not only Jinxia City sent a rescue convoy, but a cargo ship full of food is also heading towards Baihe City are coming, and are expected to arrive this afternoon. And... this is just the beginning of the assistance."

"The beginning of assistance—what does it mean?"

"If I understand correctly, they will send at least one ship every day to deliver food until the food shortage is over."

These words made the scene become silent.

"How is it possible?" Pelican stared after a while and said, "Jinxia City is not a land of grain production, so how can there be so much grain for others to eat!? Even if it wants to protect Baihe City, what about Anshen City? Fuming County ? It’s impossible to keep everyone!”

Any normal ruler can understand what food shortages are all about—if they can’t feed everyone, this investment is equivalent to pure waste. As long as the gap still exists, the part that is about to starve to death is bound to set off a crisis. Field turmoil.The correct approach at this time is to keep the stability of Jinxia City, not to let gaps appear in your own city!

The result of the uniform rain and dew is that turmoil will sweep the entire Shenzhou.

Unless - they really have enough food to feed the entire Shenzhou!

Of course the Pelicans wouldn't believe that.

Jinxia is Yancheng, and it is not a major producer of grain. Even its own grain consumption needs to be supplied by the surrounding Gaoshan counties. It is undoubtedly a dream to avoid this famine!

If it's all just a delay, maybe he should find a way to thwart the enemy's plan.

"So..." Pelican made a decision, "Let's split up. You go to blow up the grain store, and I'll destroy Jinxia's cargo ship."

"My lord, are you sure you want to do this? The defense around the cargo ship must be much tighter than the grain shop!"

"Yeah, maybe those alchemists who exterminated brothers will also appear near the pier."

"So I can only rest assured if I do this by myself." Pelican patted his shoulders, "What kind of life the family can live in the future depends on us."

……

Having said that, the Pelicans did not intend to hold Zhen Tianlei and die with the enemy.

If you can survive to enjoy the honor, it is naturally better than dying in a foreign place.

He has gone through such a dangerous situation no less than ten times, and every time he can complete the task and survive, naturally it is not due to ruthlessness, but careful planning and calculation.

Compared to White River City, which is full of wild cats, it is easier to succeed in dealing with cargo ships - if the latter is not a rumor spread by the affairs branch.

After all, as long as it is a ship, it must stop at the wharf to unload cargo, and the inland wharf has always been crowded with people, making it easier for him to get involved.In addition, there will be a delay from the triggering to the detonation of this thunderbolt, and there will still be about five breaths of space after throwing it out. At that time, the wide river channel will undoubtedly be his best escape route.

At about [-]:[-] in the afternoon, the rumored Jinxia grain ship appeared in the pelican's sight.

No one reminded him, and there was no distinctive flag flying on the ship, but as soon as he saw the outline of the cargo ship, he realized that it was coming from Jinxia.

Because he had never seen such a strange sailless ship.

Not only him, but all the people who noticed the ship were shocked, and there was an endless stream of discussions for a while.The ship made of ice, without sails and oars, and the black biped giant on board, no matter which point is enough to make people talk for a long time.

For the first time, Pelican realized that the opponent he faced, or the opponent faced by the Gyeonggi Privy Council, might be an enemy that cannot be understood by common sense.

"It's fish—the food they brought in is actually fish!" Someone exclaimed.

The pelican also saw that on the large and crude ice ship deck, there were several sea fish piled up like hills. They were mixed with ice slag, as fresh as if they had just been fished out of the sea.

Chapter 413 Three Information

Taking fish to relieve the disaster, Jinxia City's actions are so outrageous that it is unimaginable.

The output of this fish is much lower than that of rice and wheat. It needs to be fished out by fishermen one by one. The staple food to eat.

Jinxia used it to deal with food shortages?

When he heard the news that the relief porridge was thin and bitter, he thought there was someone who knew about disaster relief, but now Pelican couldn't figure out what Jinxia was up to.

The docking position of the ice ship has been cleared by the soldiers, and the black biped beast has taken on the responsibility of unloading the sea cargo. At the same time, the affairs sub-bureau seems to have arranged a storage point in the yard area of ​​the dock, and there are soldiers around to maintain order. , The chaotic situation of calling the handyman to carry the goods on the spot did not appear as Pelican expected.

In other words, few things fit into his plan.

First, the alchemists chased and suppressed them, and all the wild cats in the city became the enemy's eyeliner; now they are building ships out of ice, and they have no way of starting a fire. He did not expect that a task that should be inevitable would become so difficult and complicated.