Hanhou

After the cement mixing was completed, the young and strong people used trailers to transport a large number of green bricks and piled them in front of the selected old circle.

The snowmelt is approaching, and the ground is no longer frozen like a rock.

Xiong Bo personally led people to lay the foundation, Hu Bo found a brick craftsman, and set up a cellar to burn bricks.The process is not as simple as making cement. Fortunately, the craftsmen are all skilled, driven by generous wages, and they work together to produce green bricks that satisfy Zhao Jia very quickly.

"This land used to be a sheepfold, but it was abandoned later. It was cleared out two days earlier, and it was ready to be built with bricks."

When Zhao Jia was talking to Wei Yue, the young men had already brought tools and started to build brick walls.

Building a brick wall is obviously much easier than building with rammed earth.Experienced craftsmen give demonstrations, and young adults study hard, and their subordinates become more and more proficient.With the efforts of everyone, a brick wall over 1.5 meters high and three meters long was erected at an astonishing speed.

Even if Zhao Jia had said it long ago, the craftsmen also made a point. Faced with this brick wall, including Uncle Xiong and Uncle Hu, everyone in the farm couldn't help showing surprise.

When the cavalry saw cement for the first time, they were even more surprised.

Wei Yue stepped forward and drew out his long sword, making it clear that he wanted to test the strength of the wall.

Zhao Jia quickly stopped him and said, "Third Young Master, it takes time for the cement to set."

"How long?" Wei Yue asked.

"Well, it probably won't be until tomorrow." Zhao Jia looked at the newly built brick wall, feeling a little uncertain.No matter how slowly you dry it, you can see it tomorrow, and it will harden anyway.

Compared with building walls with rammed earth, manpower is needed to compact the soil, which is undoubtedly several times faster.

Zhao Jia saw with his own eyes that it took several days to complete a section of earth wall that was five meters high, three meters wide, and less than ten meters long.In order to catch up with work, more than a dozen people were exhausted to death during the period.

Coincidentally, in the land of Fanbian County, as long as it involves the construction of city walls and fortresses, the death rate of Chengdan will reach an astonishing number.That's why there is a saying that it is best to prepare a coffin in advance for Chengdan who is going to serve his sentence in Bianjun.Unless you are lucky enough to meet an amnesty, if not, more than [-]% of them will not survive five years.

When the project volume is huge and the number of city dans is insufficient, the prefect of the border county will order the arrest of savages and bandits.Wildlings and bandits are hard to catch, and country rangers, scoundrels, and idlers are all caught up in hard labor.

The culprits who attacked the livestock farm before were sent to the official temple by the young officials. Except for two people who were executed, the rest were punished as Chengdan.After the "reform through labor" day after day, they no longer have the joy of surviving, and they all hope that their heads will be cut off together.Such a life of hard labor is really not for human beings.

"Tomorrow?" Wei Yue pondered for a moment, then said, "Aduo, what is the cost of cement?"

"It's not expensive." Zhao Jia summoned Zhao Xin and Zhao Ponu who were helping from the side, and ordered them to bring the raw materials for firing cement. "It's not hard to find materials, but it's more troublesome to set up a cellar. The only hard-to-find thing is gypsum .”

Zhao Xin and Zhao Ponu moved very quickly, they were respectively pulling a trailer, one was piled with unbroken limestone, and the other was crushed, blended and finely ground raw materials.

There were several children behind them, and together they were carrying a rattan basket, which contained clay used in making cement and firing bricks.

As for the plaster, Zhao Jia didn't have much in his hand, half of it was found with the help of a medical craftsman.To continue firing cement, Wei Yue's help is definitely needed.

"It's all here." Zhao Jia grabbed a piece of limestone and handed it to Wei Yue.He also called a craftsman and asked him to tell how to make raw materials and how to calcine clinker.

Seeing Wei Yue raising his eyebrows, Zhao Jia could roughly guess what he was thinking, put down the stone, clapped his hands, and said with a smile: "It is not difficult to make cement, and the cost is not high. It is very useful in Border County. Jia has no intention of cherishing it."

"I will report to Ah Weng, and I won't let Ah Duo suffer." Wei Yue sighed.

"Why did Shijun and the third son let Jia suffer? On the contrary, they can make money every time." Zhao Jia smiled, his eyes relaxed, and he made fun of Wei Yue.

Looking at Zhao Jia, Wei Yue slowly raised the corners of her mouth, and suddenly stretched out her hand to flick Zhao Jia.

"Aduo has such a temper, what should I say?"

While the two were talking, there was a sudden commotion in the distance.

Amidst the noise, Wei Qing and Ah Zhi came running, waving thin sticks, and A Gu and Ah Mai followed closely behind them, still holding on to the rope.The child shouted as he ran, and when he saw Gongsun Ao and Wei Juan in front of him, he immediately waved his arms and shouted: "Ao, stop them, stop them quickly!"

Following the sound, it turned out that several wild boar cubs were galloping in front of the child.The head is as big as two strong fists, the whole body is dark brown, with steel hairs standing on the back, the fangs have not yet grown, and it makes a threatening sound when running.

"Oops, grab them, don't let them get away!"

Seeing that the wild boar cub was running faster and faster and was about to pass Gongsun Ao, the children shouted anxiously.

Gongsun Ao grinned, calmly, picked up the wooden shovel in his hand, and when the piglet ran in front of him, he slapped his head away.With just the right amount of strength, the piglet flew a certain distance and fell right at the feet of the children.

Probably because the skin was thick and the flesh was thick, and there was snow on the ground, the wild boar cub was not injured at all, and it was about to run again as soon as it got up.

"I still want to run!"

Wei Qing and the others rushed forward and tied the wild boar cubs tightly with ropes.Ah Gu was careless and almost got his finger bitten.In a fit of anger, he tied the wild boar cubs into rice dumplings, wrapping his mouth around twice.

There were eight wild boar cubs that ran out, and the children couldn't catch them, so they all rushed up, and Gongsun Ao was a little flustered by himself.

Hearing the sound, Zhao Puonu and Zhao Xin came to help, and with their joint efforts, one was still caught.They threw the wild boar cub to Wei Qing, and they rushed forward together, but they missed the target and almost hit their heads.

At this moment, Wei Juan, who was standing quietly on the side, suddenly picked up a stone, threw it casually, and precisely hit the wild boar cub on the head.Taking advantage of the wild boar being thrown into a daze, Wei Juan quickly stepped forward, bent down and grabbed the wild boar's hind legs, and easily lifted it upside down.The action is crisp and neat, without sloppy.

The wild boar cub screamed angrily, kicked wildly with its front legs, and even wanted to turn around and bite Wei Juan.

The girl's eyes sharpened, she touched her waist with one hand, pulled out the dagger that Gongsun Ao gave her, and was about to stab the wild boar cub.

"Sister Juan, wait a minute!"

The children were startled, and rushed to stop Wei Juan.

"You can't kill it, the gentleman said you have to raise it!"

Then Wei Juan stopped, put the knife back in its sheath, handed the wild boar cub to Wei Qing, and said: "The wild boar has a fierce temperament, and even small pigs can hurt people. Remember to tie it tightly with hemp rope, and then tie it together with a long rope. Be careful, don't get hurt."

The girl has a soft voice and a gentle smile, and she is completely different from the ruthlessness when holding a knife.

"promise."

The children nodded, grabbed the wild boar cubs, tied them with ropes one by one, and prepared to send them back to the pen.

Witnessing the whole process, Zhao Puonu poked Gongsun Ao with his elbow and winked for a while.

"Ao, you married a silk girl, you are afraid that your husband will lose his strength."

Snapped!

Without waiting for Gongsun Ao to say anything, Zhao Xin gave Zhao Ponu the back of the head first, and thought it was easy, he patted more.

Zhao Ponu rubbed his head and said angrily, "Ashin, why did you hit me on the head again?"

"What does it matter to you that Ah Ao marries a wife? Don't hold back your words!"

Xin Zhao's expression was serious, his tone unquestionable.Unconvinced, Zhao Ponu opened his mouth to refute, but was stared at twice by the other party, finally closed his mouth, and began to reflect in his heart.

Gongsun Ao waved his hand with a smile, patted Zhao Ponu on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "I know that Ponu has no malice, and it's fine. Just don't let Juan hear what you say, because you know Juan's temper."

Thinking of Wei Juan's temperament, Zhao Puonu shuddered and nodded quickly, expressing that he would not talk nonsense again.

When Gongsun Ao turned to leave, Zhao Xin hooked Zhao Ponu's shoulders, and said in a deep voice: "Ponu, we are getting older every year, and we should be more careful in what we say and do. Ao has a good temper, unlike you. Care about, if you meet a narrow-minded person, you will definitely have a rift."

Zhao Puonu listened carefully, his unconvinced expression gradually disappeared.

"Ashin, I understand what you said. I just think that we and Ao killed the Xiongnu together and made an oath together, so there is no need to be so estranged."

"It's not about birth, but it's like what Langjun said, think about it before you speak and do things." Seeing that Zhao Ponu didn't understand, Zhao Xin felt a little itchy, and felt that the other party's big head was worth patting, "Thanks to Langjun , we don’t need to be savages anymore. Mr. Lang also helped us get good citizenship, do you know what this means?”

"What?" Zhao Puonu looked at Xin Zhao.

"Fu Ji joins the army in the future, we can be soldiers, we can kill the Xiongnu with our ability, and get military exploits!" Xin Zhao said word by word, "We can even be awarded a title!"

Zhao Puonu opened his mouth wide, obviously not thinking so far ahead.

"We were rescued by the lord, and we were given the surname by the lord, and grew up in the Zhao family farm. You have also read the book, and you should understand what this means. If you still act recklessly like this, and your words are not deep, you will not guarantee that you will cause trouble for the lord in the future." " Xin Zhao insisted, "One day, I won't knock you on the head."

Zhao Ponu stared at Zhao Xin, and said in a deep voice: "I know, I will pay attention to it in the future."

Seeing that he really understood and was not prevaricating, Xin Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the wood on the ground, and motioned for Zhao Puonu to help.

Seeing the young man and the child catching wild boar cubs, Wei Yue looked at Zhao Jia in surprise.

"Hodor wants to raise wild pigs?"

"There is such a plan." Zhao Jia did not deny it.

In winter, the livestock farm provided forage to feed and provide shelter, so that the gazelle flock remained nearby, and the population once increased.Yellow goats are fat and strong, and the frontier people who are short of food can hunt them, which relieves the urgent needs of many people.

It is true that there are villains like elder brother Atao who are greedy and have evil thoughts in their hearts, but more people know how to be grateful. Every time they hunt yellow sheep, they will send a leg of lamb or a whole sheepskin.

Not long ago, a hunter found a herd of wild boars while chasing gazelle. He immediately gave up his previous goal and gathered more than a dozen young men into the woods to start a hunt.

Under the leadership of two old hunters, the siege was fruitful. In the end, three big wild boars and more than 20 small wild boars were harvested, and many edible roots were unearthed. People at that time called squatting owls and taro heads, similar to what later generations called of taro.

The big wild boar was slaughtered and divided. Except for a small amount of unedible offal, the rest was not wasted, and even the bones were broken to make soup.Half of the little wild boar was killed, and the rest was sent to the livestock farm. It was said that the piglets were tender and delicious, and they added vegetables to Zhao Jia.

Seeing the wild boar cubs bumping around in the cage, Zhao Jia's mind flashed a series of delicacies: roast suckling pig, braised pork, braised pork, tamales... almost drooling on the spot.

The border residents did not have the habit of raising pigs. Firstly, it was troublesome to raise them. In terms of conditions, it was more convenient to raise sheep; After "processing", the pork was not tasty.

No one raised it before, so Zhao Jia ignored it.Now that the conditions are met, it can be raised.

Pig feed is not difficult to prepare, just leave it to Mrs. Sun.

Pork is not tasty, and it can be solved with a knife.

Wild boars are ferocious, so that's fine.With cement, a new type of pigsty will be built, surrounded on all sides, and you will never run out if you hit it with your head flat.Furthermore, like a gelding, at least the temperament of the boar can be changed after this knife.

"With just one knife, pig meat can be delicious."

Zhao Jia gestured with his hands and explained clearly in a few words.Wei Yue looked at Zhao Jia with a slightly strange look.Wei Wu, who was traveling with him, retreated unconsciously and swallowed subconsciously.

"Hodor is really smart."

"The third son praises you."

"..."

For the first time, Wei Yue was speechless in front of Zhao Jia.

Putting aside the wild boar issue, Wei Yue brought up the main purpose of this trip and asked how Zhao Jia and Liu Rong met.Zhao Jia had intended to mention it to Wei Yue, and immediately invited him into the wooden house, had hot soup delivered to him, and pretended to have a long conversation.

After listening to Zhao Jia's narration, Wei Yue picked up the wooden bowl and looked thoughtful.

"Opening up wasteland and grazing?"

"Of course."

Zhao Jia drank the hot soup, picked up the tongs, poked into the hearth to stir twice.At the same time, it was said that Liu Rong wanted to give silk and copper coins as gifts, but he confiscated them all.

"Ado did the right thing." Wei Yue looked at Zhao Jia and said earnestly, "The king of Linjiang was convicted of occupying the palace of the Taizong Temple and was taken away from the kingdom. The emperor originally intended to keep him in Chang'an, but he was neglected. Please leave the clan and guard the border with ordinary people. The emperor approved his request, and decreed that all of them should be the prefects of Yanmen."

These words contained multiple meanings, Zhao Jia thought about it carefully, and his expression gradually changed.

"Except for a few loyal servants of the Linjiang Prince's Mansion, all the cavaliers who followed him were given by Changle Palace." Wei Yue put down the wooden bowl and said in a deep voice, "A few carts of silk and copper coins are also given along with him."

In other words, even though Liu Rong is in the border county, Chang'an still controls his every move?

Zhao Jia looked at Wei Yue with a solemn expression.

"Aduo, the matter of the Tian family is extraordinary." Wei Yue took the tongs from Zhao Jia's hand, put them aside, and then grabbed his wrist, "But there is no need to worry too much, after all, the king of Linjiang is already a commoner. , and is charged with the crime of occupying the land of the Taizong Temple, in a few years, the prince will be older, and things will eventually be different."

Zhao Jia nodded.

At this moment, he finally understood why Liu Rong in history committed suicide.

However, history has changed. Not only did Liu Rong not die, but he also devoted himself to the construction of nearby counties, wanting to concentrate on farming and grazing.As long as there are no accidents, the second half of the former Linjiang King's life should be smooth, at least there will be no major disturbances.

As for the reason for the change, Zhao Jia is still at a loss.But judging from the current development, it should be positive.That being the case, there is no need to get to the bottom of it, just let nature take its course.