Chapter 96 Ashes
Chapter 96 Ashes
In the living room of the gray wooden house, Zhu Weite opened the linen bag placed aside, revealing the soil inside.
"Sir, this is the ashes you asked us to bring back."
Luo Ning squatted down, propped open the mouth of the sack, and carefully observed the dust inside.
He discovered that the soil was not really gray but grayish-white and that it existed in small clumps.
Luo Ning stretched out his thumb and index finger to pick up a small piece of soil, and with a little force, the soil broke into pieces. He twisted it carefully and found that the ash soil was in the form of fine powder with very small particles.
Luo Ning is not a geologist and has not learned the relevant knowledge, but he can still judge that the soil is very different.
"How much soil is there in Gray Earth Village?"
Zhu Weite replied: "Sir, I collected a lot of dirt when I went there. It seems that half of the mountain is covered with this kind of dirt. According to the people there, some people used to eat this kind of dirt to satisfy their hunger. But later, it was found that people who ate it would suffocate to death because their stomachs were so bloated that they could not defecate. So no one ate this thing anymore."
Guanyin soil?
Luo Ning naturally thought of this word.
But soon, it was replaced by another word, and his eyes suddenly lit up, "Is this... kaolin?"
"Wilson, go get me a bowl of water," Roning ordered hurriedly.
Wilson heard the urgency in the words and quickly ran into the kitchen to bring a bowl of water.
Luo Ning took out a handful of soil from the sack and placed it on the ground, then poured a little water on it and mixed it twice.
Soon, he discovered that the ash soil, which was originally not sticky at all, became sticky, and the fine texture of the soil became increasingly obvious.
"I'm afraid this is really kaolin!"
Roning was both surprised and delighted.
Kaolin is a non-metallic mineral. The higher the purity of the kaolin, the whiter and finer it is. It has good plasticity and fire resistance.
In Chinese history, it was the discovery and good use of kaolin that led to the creation of porcelain in the civilized world.
If I could make porcelain...
Luo Ning's mind became active.
In this world, most of the noble tableware and utensils are made of silver, such as silver wine glasses, silver tableware, etc. Some nobles also use glass or crystal products, but the latter two have not been promoted on a large scale.
As for porcelain, let alone it, it is most likely that it has never appeared.
Apart from anything else, the high temperature of 1200℃ required for firing ceramics is difficult for anyone to master. Otherwise, there would be no pig iron.
The bellows he made in Shanlin Town some time ago now seem to be suitable for smelting metals and firing ceramics.
Of course, the bellows are only auxiliary, and firing porcelain requires several other key steps.
For example, how to process kaolin to refine clay, how to throw, carve, glaze fire, etc., are all complex problems that need to be explored and solved.
Once these problems are solved, Shanlin Town will be able to produce porcelain.
Luo Ning felt a little sad when he thought about it. He didn't expect that he could get all three things: pig iron, silk, and porcelain in this land in the northern part of Wushan Territory.
This land really gave him enough surprises.
"Putting aside the difficulty of realization, as long as we have a firm grasp of these three things, especially porcelain, future development will not be a problem!"
With these basic materials, combined with the knowledge in Roning's mind, he already had a preliminary idea of how to develop in the future.
"Tomorrow morning, Jewett, we will set out for the Gray Earth Village."
This time, Roning's purpose was no longer just to meet his subjects but more to observe the scale of the gray soil vein.
"As for you, Wilson, things here have come to an end for the time being. Let two guards take you back to Shanlin Town to supervise those village heads and group leaders to master new farming techniques."
Luo Ning added: "In addition, we should let the serfs and tenant farmers observe and learn as soon as possible. If everyone has mastered these farming techniques, we can also send some people to the three new villages to teach the techniques."
The promotion method advocated by Luo Ning is to let some people master the technology first and then let these people lead more people who have not yet mastered it to master this technology.
"I understand, sir!"
Wilson remembered the lord's orders firmly. He felt that his burden was getting heavier, but correspondingly, his status was getting higher and higher.
At least there will be more and more village heads and group leaders under him.
"My lord, Commander Ridar has something else for me to give you."
Jewett said, picking up a second sack from a nearby chair, which was jingling.
"After we arrived at the Gray Earth Village, we took control of Slaine and Mam's women. The commander arranged for them to continue working for you in the Gray Earth Village like everyone else. In addition, this contains Slaine and Mam's wealth, and he asked me to pass it on to you."
"oh?"
Luo Ning took it with a smile and asked curiously, "How many are there?"
Wilson smiled and replied, "Sir, Rydar asked me to count the money. Mam's wealth is not much, only six gold, 12 silver, and 98 bronze. But Slaine's wealth is not small: 36 gold, 48 silver, and 539 bronze!"
"In addition, Slaine's warehouse also has five knight swords, a shield, and a set of chain mail."
"In addition, it is said that Huitu Village has reclaimed more than 2,300 acres of land, and there is also wheat in the warehouse after the autumn harvest. The exact amount has not yet been determined."
Roning was a little surprised. "Slain is a very generous leader."
As leaders of the same barbarian tribe, the savings of the slain Knight Willy were only equivalent to 8 gold coins, but the property of Chief Slain was equivalent to more than 40 gold coins.
Moreover, the number of reclaimed fields in Huitu Village far exceeds that of Qingzhu and Ziguo, making it the strongest in the three-party alliance.
I wonder how much money Horn and Jenny have in their savings?
It's a pity that they surrendered without any resistance, and Roning couldn't take their private property for himself.
But the Ziguo tribe is the weakest, so I guess the two of them probably don't have much savings.
Luo Ning quickly pulled his mind back to reality. It was not the behavior of a good leader to always be thinking about the property of his subordinates.
"Jewett, have Ridal tell the others that since this expedition was a perfect victory, all militiamen coming out of Shanlin Town will be rewarded with three copper coins each, guards will be rewarded with five copper coins each, and other professionals, including you, Wilson, will be rewarded with an extra week's salary, which will be paid out along with next month's salary."
As for the money, he took the lion's share, so he had to share some of it to make his men happy, not to mention that he had won the battle.
Those guards and militiamen didn't seem to contribute much, but they still played a significant role in arresting residents, controlling residents, and patrolling.
If one roughly calculated the reward Roning gave to the three armies, it would probably be only about five or six gold coins, which he had just distributed among the money he had received from Knight Willy.
Wilson and Jewett looked at each other and saw the joy in each other's eyes.
"My Lord, you are truly a lord who knows how to reward and punish!"
"Thank you for your gift, sir!"
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