Industry began in 1937

The construction of the Fengshui Mill did not proceed so quickly. In the Spring Festival of 1938, amidst the shadow of war and the busy work of rebuilding homes, it quietly arrived in Gouzi Village, deep in the Taihang Mountains.

This year's Spring Festival was one of the few in recent years that brought genuine, down-to-earth smiles to the faces of the villagers.

The public granary was piled with grain, cured meat, and a little bit of lard that had been exchanged for ironware.

The village took charge and slaughtered two fattened pigs.

Although it wasn't a feast, every household could get a few pounds of meat and steam a few pots of cornbread mixed with wheat flour. The children might also have a few hard candies, some of which were damp but still precious, that they had traded from outside the mountains.

For the mountain people who have experienced devastation, lost loved ones, and struggled with hunger, cold, and fear, being able to eat a few full meals in peace and watch the firelight illuminate the faces of their surviving family members is what makes a "prosperous year" possible.

On New Year's Eve, Chen Yuan and Wen Shizhou spent the night on the earthen kang (heated brick bed) at Third Uncle's house.

A few rare dishes were laid out on the kang table, along with a pot of warmed sweet potato wine.

The occasional, cautious sound of firecrackers could be heard from outside the window—the noise was made with homemade gunpowder and bamboo tubes, in order to dispel the bad luck of the old year and to avoid being too quiet and alerting the enemy.

The three men spoke in hushed tones by the dim light of an oil lamp, their conversation revolving around the current stability, next year's production, and the still grim situation down the mountain.

Wen Shizhou only stayed for one day.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he left Gouzi Village despite the cold wind.

As the Party branch secretary of the third district, he bears a heavy responsibility.

Behind the brief peace and tranquility of the New Year was the relentless blockade and harassment by the Japanese puppet regime, and the restless activity of defeated soldiers, bandits, and secret societies in the chaotic area.

He needed to take advantage of the holiday to visit other villages in the district, remind cadres and villagers to be vigilant, organize militia to strengthen patrols, guard against the enemy's possible use of the holiday to launch a surprise attack, and also pay attention to appeasing the people and consolidating the grassroots foundation of the newly established Xingtai Anti-Japanese Provisional Government.

"The greatest blessing would be if this year could pass peacefully," Third Master sighed to Chen Yuan after seeing Wen Shizhou off.

Chen Yuan nodded, but his gaze was already fixed on the mountain stream behind the village, which gleamed coldly in the winter sun, and the wind that howled across the mountain ridges, swirling up withered grass and snow.

After a brief period of warmth and respite, a more pressing reality emerges.

Energy is like a stone hanging over our heads; it must be removed as soon as possible.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, before the festive atmosphere in the village had completely dissipated, Chen Yuan returned to the inner room deep inside the mine.

Isolated from the noise and cold of the outside world, here there is only the coldness of the rock walls and eternal silence.

According to the platform's calculations, once this mill is built, its power generation will exceed the total power generation of 10 human-powered foot-operated generators.

The important thing is that it doesn't need to rest, and there's no difference between day and night.

It can continuously generate electricity, allowing the platform to accumulate more power.

With the development of the base area's arsenal, the production of gunpowder will definitely increase significantly in the future, which will lead to greater electricity consumption.

He might also think that collecting iron from the railway lines controlled by the Japanese is an unsustainable future, since you want to turn to developing iron mines and producing iron yourself.

At that time, the flint platform would be needed to produce the corresponding iron smelting equipment.

This requires even more electricity.

During this period without tasks, he needs to accumulate more electricity for the platform to ensure the power output of generators, wind turbines, and bearings.

Even before the festive atmosphere of the New Year had completely dissipated, Gouzi Village was already mobilized in a great deal of enthusiasm.

Under the organization of the village office, all able-bodied men, women, and children gathered at the bend in the stream behind the mountain, carrying picks, shovels, carrying poles, and ropes.

Chen Yuan is now both the commander and the chief engineer.

Based on the best plan provided by the "Flint" platform, he directed everyone to clear the bushes and rubble, and to begin repairing the riverbed and digging irrigation canals and tailrace channels using the most primitive tools.

Strong and durable steel rails were transported to serve as the framework for the future turbine's main shaft and key bridges.

Large pine and oak logs were also brought over for use.

Heavy bluestones were quarried from the cliff and moved little by little to the construction site using logs and manpower, in preparation for building a solid foundation and base.

The mountain winds were still cold in winter, but the construction site was bustling with activity.

The sounds of shouts, hammering, laughter, and children running and playing mingled together.

The men were responsible for quarrying stones, sawing wood, and carrying heavy objects; the women and teenagers were responsible for clearing soil and rocks, transporting materials, boiling water, and cooking.

The huge stone millstone was being carved out on the other side by two old stonemasons from the village with their apprentices.

This is a pure craft passed down for thousands of years, which forms a unique contrast and fusion with the generator that Chen Yuan is about to introduce, which has a traditional appearance.

Chen Yuan walked through the busy crowd, pointing out the slope of the irrigation canal, calculating the depth of the foundation, discussing the mortise and tenon joints of the beams and rafters with the carpenter, and exploring the smoothness of the water trough with the stonemason.

In everyone's eyes, he is the knowledgeable and hardworking "Master Chen," who is building a "feng shui mill" that can bring convenience and hope to the whole village.

Only he himself knows that the direction of every canal, the depth of every foundation, and the position of every key beam are all paving the way and preparing the cradle for the true "heart of energy" in his heart.

……

After the New Year, spring gradually warms up.

The able-bodied young men of the village of Wushihou, along with some teenagers and women who helped with cooking and delivering water, worked methodically under the direction of Chen Yuan and the coordination of Third Uncle, Old Man Han, and others, like ants building a nest, steadily advancing the "Feng Shui Mill" project.

The slope of the irrigation canal had to be precise, ensuring that the water flow had enough force to drive the waterwheel, but not so fast that it would destroy the canal walls. He led his men to repeatedly measure the slope using the most primitive level pipes, directing everyone to repair it step by step with pickaxes and shovels.

The foundations of the waterwheel pit and mill must be exceptionally sturdy to withstand the weight and vibrations of the waterwheel turning, the millstone running, and even the generator that may be hidden in the future.

He demanded that the foundation be dug to a depth of one meter, compacted with crushed stone mixed with lime, and then laid with thick bluestone quarried from the mountains.

The steel rails are cleverly embedded in key load-bearing positions, serving as the "keel".

The enormous waterwheels and windmill blades require high-quality wood and exquisite woodworking skills.

He considered using iron, but then realized that there was no stainless steel available, and the iron would rust within a few years.

On the contrary, it is not as lightweight and easy to replace as wood.

Several veteran carpenters in the village, along with their apprentices, meticulously crafted each mortise and tenon joint using the sturdiest oak and jujube wood, following the detailed dimensions provided by Chen Yuan and drawn on an oilcloth.

Chen Yuan then took advantage of the blacksmith shop to produce sturdy iron hoops, long nails, and crucial bearing housing iron parts.

Everything is proceeding as planned.

The stone and wood frame of the mill was gradually erected, the tall waterwheel shaft was in place, and the windmill frame began to be built on the roof.

On the other side, stonemasons were polishing a huge stone millstone with clanging sounds.

On the construction site, the sounds of shouts, sawing, chiseling, and tamping blended together to create a hopeful symphony of labor.

One day, Wen Shizhou returned from inspecting work in other villages in the district and made a special trip to the construction site to check on the progress.

Chen Yuan took the opportunity to pull him aside.

"Secretary Wen, the main structure of the mill is almost complete. Next, we'll install the water turbine, windmill, and the internal transmission system," Chen Yuan said, pointing to the building that was already taking shape. "I reckon it won't be long before it's ready to use. All that's missing now is the electric lights."

"I've already reported this to the organization, so you don't need to worry about the lights," Wen Shizhou said.

After he reported this matter to the county committee, his superiors became very interested in the ability to generate electricity.

With electricity, many tasks can be carried out.

The Taihang Mountains have no shortage of streams with flowing water. If a hydroelectric power station can be built, more can be built, and then even more things can be done.

Therefore, the organization instructed him to fully support Chen Yuan, and that they need not worry about the electric lights, as the organization would find a way to obtain them from the Japanese-occupied areas.

Now Wen Shizhou needs to ask Chen Yuan if it's possible to continue producing generators.

"That's great! Thank you, Secretary Wen!" Chen Yuan smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

In the future, he will pull an electric wire from the mill into the mine; ostensibly it will be an electric light, but in reality, it will be an electric wire to charge the flint platform.

"What are you thanking me for? The organization asked me, 'Can you still produce this kind of generator?'"

"Yes, but you'll need enough iron, copper, raw lacquer, tung oil, and other materials."

"That's great. There's no problem with the materials. List them out, and the organization will find a way."

The collection of these materials was not difficult. He could already foresee that the base would have more power plants in the future, which would provide more energy and allow more machines to start running.