Ancient natural disasters: The whole family traveled through time and was almost wiped out

Chapter 202

Because it was in the surrounding county town, County Magistrate Zhang selected a few people to go directly to the homes of the headmen or village chiefs of the villages where they needed to participate in the military service. Unfortunately, the village chief of Liulin Village died in the cold wave.

Wang Yayi acted urgently and immediately asked his eldest son to temporarily serve as the village chief, summon able-bodied men to serve labor service, and record the data. This was mainly to prevent people from evading labor - there were obviously enough able-bodied men in a family, but for various reasons, they were only willing to send one, or conceal the fact and not report it. At this time, the role of the head of the village and the head of the village became extremely important.

If a family really has only one able-bodied man, then this special situation requires special handling.

Corvée labor was compulsory and the treatment was very harsh. In order to complete the tasks assigned by their superiors, the yamen runners either beat or scolded the people doing the labor.

However, the Da Sheng Dynasty had been imposing corvée labor every year for hundreds of years, and the common people had become accustomed to it and did not even have the thought of resisting. When they heard that this time they would not only receive clothes but also food, although they did not quite believe it, they still quickly packed their bags and followed the large army to the county.

Their families watched them walking away, feeling sad - although they were going to cut wood and chop firewood, none of that firewood would end up in their stoves.

But there is no firewood at home!

The county government conscripted two able-bodied men at this time. They were going to watch them freeze to death! !

The masters of the prominent families in the county, although not here yet, were tactful enough to send three or four strong servants over. Jiang Yipei naturally would not argue with them over these matters because it was not worth it and he did not have the time.

It was around 1pm, and it was too late to eat, so Jiang Yipei asked Jiang Yida to distribute the dry food.

Each person was given two steamed buns - these were not ordinary steamed buns, but compressed biscuit-like buns, and one was enough for a whole day.

The villagers are fine, but the county people’s food reserves are actually not as much as the farmers’. It’s OK if they have fields in their village, but if not, they have to buy food and daily necessities, and the shops are not far away, so they won’t buy a lot at one time.

The reason they still had food after a few months was that they got wind of the fact that County Magistrate Chen was rushing to harvest grain before the disaster and bought up a batch of grain. But later on, grain became increasingly difficult to buy, and even at a high price they could not buy much, so their food reserves were extremely limited.

In addition, with the abnormal weather, not only was it snowing, but the temperature kept dropping. They all knew that God was going to be upset! So even if it was just two steamed buns, they would not despise them and would immediately put them in their arms.

It’s the same rule as the clinic; cotton coats and trousers are given to them temporarily for their use and do not belong to them. Once they stop going up the mountain to cut wood, the coats and trousers must be returned.

When everyone heard the news, all sorts of thoughts were on their mind, but no one said it out loud.

After all, most people’s homes are short of firewood, which is why they are so active - going up the mountain with so many people is definitely much safer than going up the mountain alone!

The mountains are still very dangerous today. There are spiritual animals that are much more sensitive than humans in predicting danger. Although some dead animals are enough to feed them, it does not mean that they will not attack humans.

Therefore, Jiang Yipei specially appointed Liu Hai and his team as the team leader to protect the safety of the lumberjacks as much as possible.

Those who were conscripted to cut down trees were all men, young and strong men who were capable of doing heavy work. If they were really unlucky and encountered wild beasts or any other problems, they had certain abilities to deal with the danger.

Jiang Xiubai and Jiang Xiumian were also sent up the mountain. They took Jiang the butcher with them to burn charcoal - charcoal is an indispensable item in winter, and transporting charcoal down the mountain is much simpler and more efficient than transporting wood.

The two men walked on the small path into the mountains. In a short while, their hair turned white. The snow under their feet made a crackling sound, and from time to time there were sounds of branches being stepped on. Their faces were cold because the masks were damp and frozen at an alarming speed due to the breath exhaled from their mouths.

But I didn't dare take it off, because the whistling wind would hurt me even more, even more painful than being slapped in the face.

The two of them were dressed like dumplings, with three layers of clothes inside and three layers outside, and they put on one piece of self-heating thermal underwear and vests after another. It was still a bit unbearable for them, let alone the laborers who only wore new cotton coats and trousers?

But they don't look very cold, do they?

The figure carrying the saw looks heroic from behind.

What a great physique!

Jiang Xiubai was so envious - he was a weakling with no muscles or abdominal muscles. Although he was a little tall, he was really weak!

He reached out and touched his large abdominal muscles, and after a breath, Jiang Xiumian glanced at him and heard him ask, "Brother Mian, are you afraid?"

Going up the mountain in temperatures of minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, they had no idea what was waiting for them, and if they encountered a ferocious beast, it would be a life-and-death battle.

Animals are just like humans. If they don’t have to, who would want to go out in such a freezing cold weather? If they go out, it means that their family must be out of food. If they are out of food, they will starve to death!

When you see something edible, you have to fight for it!

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Jiang Xiumian, who was also very weak, hunched his neck like a little old man, with his hands in his pockets. The 1.80-meter-tall handsome guy shrunk into a 1.68-meter-tall dwarf.

Jiang Xiubai approached him and whispered mysteriously, "Did you bring that?"

"That? Which one?" Jiang Xiumian made a "tsk" sound. His brain was so cold that it seemed like it was frozen. Could he please not make him guess when he spoke?

Besides, could you please not talk to me like that? ! Two grown men, why are you biting each other's ears?

Jiang Xiubai also said "tsk!" "A gun!" Who else could it be!

"Yes, I did! But if you encounter a tiger or a brown bear, even if you give it two bullets that won't hurt it, it will still take you away before it dies."

Jiang Xiubai: “…”

Jiang Xiumian was not exaggerating.

The beasts really don't get this name for nothing, they have thick skin and flesh, and if they are not hit in a fatal position, they will definitely not die immediately. At most, the bullet will cause inflammation and infection in the body for a long time, and they may eventually die. If they have a strong physique, self-healing is not impossible.

Jiang Xiubai: "How good is your shooting skill? Headshot! I don't believe you can survive with a headshot!" How could anyone be that good?

Unexpectedly, Jiang Xiumian glanced at him and said, "Who said I'm good at shooting?"

"Huh? You, a gun maker, can't shoot a gun?" Why did Jiang Xiubai not believe it?

"Is it surprising?" Jiang Xiumian said calmly, "I can shoot, but I'm not accurate. There's no profession that requires a gunsmith to hit the target every time, right?"

Jiang Xiubai: “…” It shocked him for the rest of his life.

As they were talking, they had already reached the nearest mountain to the county town - Shangtangshan.

The mountain is less than 100 meters above sea level, but it is not small in area and is home to a large number of trees and a small amount of bamboo.

It was a mountain with abundant firewood and the lowest risk factor in Luoshui County that County Magistrate Zhang knew of - the lives of the people doing labor were also lives, and although it was normal for deaths during service, it was best to avoid it if possible!

The reason why Shangtang Mountain is called Shangtang Mountain is because it belongs to Shangtang Village, and it is only a few hundred meters away from Shangtang Village. Before this, many villagers from Shangtang Village had risked their lives to come here several times to collect firewood. It was obvious that there were traces of logging, but on a very small scale.

What should we do? They came to Shangtang Mountain to collect firewood. Will the adults blame them?

Many people were nervous, but then they thought - this was their Shangtang Village mountain, so what was wrong with them coming here to collect firewood?! What law had they violated? What was there to be afraid of?!

It's not that they can be blamed. Liu Hai and the others don't have the energy to care about such a small matter.

He stood in front of the team with his hands behind his back, intimidating without being angry: "Quiet, listen to me!"

The team, which had been a little agitated after hearing that they had arrived at their destination but didn't know what to do, immediately quieted down and looked at Liu Hai in fear.

"This is our first stop of service. You will be divided into three teams. Team one will be responsible for felling and carrying wood, Team two will be responsible for collecting firewood, and Team three will be responsible for burning charcoal. The person in charge of Team one is me, my name is Liu Hai, the person in charge of Team two is this guy, his name is Zhang Feng, and the person in charge of Team three is him, Master Mian.

Before going up the mountain, everyone received a wooden sign with their number on it. We had already told you your number at that time. One to three hundred is team one, three hundred and one to six hundred is team two, and six hundred and one to nine hundred is team three. Take your number sign and find the team leader to line up. The team leader will assign tasks for you. If you are illiterate and have forgotten your number, go and ask the team leader. Numbers are very important. Remember them all!"

Ninety-nine percent of the conscripts were illiterate, and the remaining one percent could barely recognize their own names. Those who did not remember their numbers went to ask the team leader, and those who were not sure about their numbers also asked. It took the three team leaders some time to gather the team together.

The woodcutters set out immediately, but the captain of Team 3 walked and stopped on the top of the mountain, and his team members followed behind him and also walked and stopped.

The members of Team Three were still looking forward to charcoal burning. After all, charcoal, even the lowest grade, was very expensive.

Charcoal making is a family craft that is kept very closely guarded, and not everyone can make it.

When they heard that they were going to be taught how to make charcoal, they were almost overwhelmed by the surprise. How could it be possible? How could it be possible?

If they learn it, the family will have an extra way to make a living and extra income in the winter!

So they followed Jiang Xiumian eagerly.

"…Don't follow me. Spread out and look for a slightly flat place on the hilltop. A well-ventilated and dry place is best. Let me know when you find it."

Jiang Xiumian turned around and was startled to see a group of people behind him. Then he remembered his negligence. Researchers like him tend to have some social anxiety, which is reflected in their lack of talkativeness.

But he is a leader now, so he can’t keep silent: “There is a process for burning charcoal. We first select a location and dig a kiln hole, then cut trees and saw wood, load the kiln, burn the kiln, seal the kiln, and finally produce charcoal.”

Jiang Xiumian paced around while talking, and finally he saw a place. He nodded with satisfaction: "Well, this location is good, ventilated, with ridges and hills, and it is relatively flat. Dig the first kiln hole at this location. The whole kiln hole should be in the shape of a semicircle - uh... you may not have any idea just by saying it, where is the hoe? Give me a hoe!"

Jiang Xiumian took a hoe and drew a rough outline on the ground: "Now dig out all the sand, stone and soil in this circle. The earthen kiln should be about five and a half feet high and six feet wide. Leave three to four chimney holes and a fire-watching hole near the edges."

Just talk and don't practice fake grips.

This kind of craft can't be learned by just talking about it. Jiang Xiumian did all the digging himself for the first, second and third kiln holes. In addition to digging the soil, he also taught the team members step by step about where to leave the chimney hole and where to leave the fire observation hole. Fortunately, when they were digging the fourth one, a young man in his twenties named Yao Ju showed some talent, and then Jiang Xiumian began to focus on training him!

At this time, Liu Hai had someone send back a batch of firewood, all of which were as thick as a bowl. Jiang Xiubai immediately had the wood sawn into pieces about 30 centimeters long. Because the raw materials were of the right size, there was no need to split them.

Jiang Xiumian instructed Yao Ju: "Spread the wood flat on the bottom of the kiln, place it neatly, and leave some space to ensure ventilation."

"Yes!" Yao Ju immediately picked up the wood and placed it there while adjusting the amount of wood according to the size of the charcoal kiln.

"That's enough. No need to add more." Jiang Xiumian saw that it was almost done and stopped him, saying, "Light it up. The fire needs to be hollow. How well the charcoal in the kiln burns has a lot to do with the placement of your wood. Also, the temperature is equally important. Not all the wood in the kiln can be burned. When it burns to a certain degree, you need to seal the entrance of the charcoal kiln in time to reduce the amount of air entering, so that the wood can continue to be heated in an oxygen-deficient environment to complete the dry distillation process."

Hypoxia?

dry distillation?

Yao Ju didn't understand these two words.

But he did not ask, but just wrote it down silently. He also wrote down that "the wood cannot be completely burned", which should be the reason for keeping the fire eye.

But this burning reaches a certain degree, what degree?

He asked Jiang Xiumian, but Jiang Xiumian couldn't give him an accurate answer. God knows, he only had theoretical knowledge about this kind of charcoal kiln, but he had no practical experience at all. In the past, charcoal burning in the village and Yunling Mountain was on a small scale. Unlike now, the demand for carbon is huge. If it is still a small-scale operation like before, who knows how many people will die this winter!

He is under a lot of pressure.

However, ideals are full of hope, but reality is very skinny. They wanted to light a kiln, but the fire wouldn’t start…

Jiang Xiubai tried all the accelerants, small pieces of wood, etc., but none of them could light it. He had no choice but to call out to Jiang Xiumian: "Brother Mian, it won't light!"

The temperature was so low that it was extremely difficult to start a fire. The cold air put out the small flame before it even started.