In order to speed up the reconstruction of Zhenshuobao, Xu Xingxia decided to establish the Zhenshuobao Urban Construction Division, referred to as the Urban Construction Division. The manager of the Urban Construction Division, of course, is Gao Zhengcheng. The Department of Urban Construction is under the jurisdiction of the Governing Council, which in turn is under the direct jurisdiction of Xu Xingxia. In order to improve work efficiency, Xu Xingxia asked the urban construction department to be directly responsible to him.

The initial construction fund obtained by the Urban Construction Division is a full 10,000 taels of silver. This amount of silver is a huge amount of money for an individual. However, for urban construction, it is a bit insufficient. The construction of cities requires money in all aspects, and silver simply disappears like flowing water. Therefore, it can only be preliminary funding. It is impossible to repair the entire Zhenshuo Fort to its original level, and it is estimated that there are no 350,000 taels.

Originally, when Weizhen Fort was repaired, new technologies such as pulley blocks were already available. This time to repair Weizhen Fort, naturally I also brought it over. Hundreds of pounds of stones, with the help of pulleys, can be easily lifted, greatly speeding up labor efficiency. However, it is not enough to have a pulley block, there must also be cement. At that time, the binder of building materials was generally lime. The adhesion ability of lime, as well as the degree of firmness, is simply not comparable to cement.

The Mongolian return cannon is said to be very powerful, dozens of catties of round stones fell, and the buildings were smashed into powder, in fact, they were all because they did not encounter cement. The city of Xiangyang in the Song Dynasty was mainly built of lime or wood. Buildings made of lime mixed with bricks, or lime mixed with stone, of course, could not withstand the attack of the return artillery.

However, if it is cement stone concrete, it is much stronger. The concrete that has been condensing for enough time will fall from dozens of catties of stones, and at most one mark will be smashed. If it is reinforced concrete, the return cannon is almost useless. Of course, the best defense is still offense, blindly beaten, and the turtle shell will always be broken one day.

The technical difficulty of firing cement is similar to that of firing glass, and it is basically a matter of mixing raw materials. As long as there is the right proportion of materials and enough temperature, the cement can be fired. There were originally five large porcelain kilns in Zhenshuo Fort, and Xu Xingxia let go of the cement manufacturing technology and let the craftsmen explore it themselves. Whoever fires the best quality cement will use whoever uses it as the building material.

The people around Xu Xingxia were attracted by the relevant technical information of cement, and they were all listening attentively. While he was talking, a loud voice suddenly came from outside: "Is there any living person inside Zhenshuo Fort?" If there is, say it! ”

The voice was a little immature, a little sharp, and it seemed to be a teenager who had not yet fully grown up. With the shouting of the voice, a young man on horseback appeared in Xu Xingxia's sight. His age may be about the same as Xu Xingxia, he is seventeen or eighteen years old, but his appearance is more fierce than Xu Xingxia. In the cold late autumn season, he actually wore only a single coat. However, around his neck, there is a red silk scarf, which is very unique.

The figure of the young man himself is not very tall, but the war horse under his crotch is very strong, and it seems to be even taller than Xu Xingxia's Dawan horse. Next to the horse's belly, there was also a long spear, equally thick, and the red silk behind the tip of the spear was constantly fluttering in the breeze, which was eye-catching. The red gun tassel and the red silk scarf reflect each other, giving people a very enthusiastic and vibrant feeling.

Seeing that there were so many people inside Zhenshuo Fort, and everyone's eyes fell on him, the young man knew that he was a little Meng Lang. His cheeks couldn't help but flush slightly, and he said a little embarrassed: "Oh, so many people? What are you doing here? ”

Xu Xingxia glanced him up and down, and said quietly, "Who are you?" ”

The young man raised his head and replied: "My name is Cao Bianjiao, and I am from Datong Mansion!" ”

Xu Xingxia frowned slightly, and said a little strangely: "What are you doing here?" ”

Cao Bianjiao's voice was very loud, immature and sharp, and he said loudly: "I'm here to find our family's relatives!" I have relatives in Zhenshuo Fort. A few days ago, our family received news that Zhenshuo Fort had been slaughtered by the Tartars, so they sent me to come and have a look. I ran on the road for eight days and eight nights, and finally arrived. ”

He further explained that he was a military household belonging to Yunchuan Wei in Datong Prefecture, and his father was the commander of Yunchuan Wei, and he was about to retire. His uncle, who was a staff general, served in Liaodong and occasionally went back to Datong Mansion. While talking, this Cao Bianjiao faintly has the pride of the general. Indeed, once his Lao Tzu retired, he would take up his post and become the commander of Yunchuan Wei. Purely in terms of official position, it is indeed one level higher than Xu Xingxia.

Xu Xingxia's heart suddenly moved slightly, as if he remembered something, and said in a deep voice: "By the way, is your uncle's name Cao Wenzhao?" ”

Cao Bianjiao was a little surprised and said, "Huh? How do you know my uncle's name? Have you ever been to Liaodong? Or do you also have family members who serve in Liaodong? ”

Xu Xingxia shook his head and smiled silently. Of course, he had never been to Liaodong. However, the names of Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao are impressive. Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, uncle and nephew, were all fierce generals in the late Ming Dynasty, known as the big and small Cao generals. Cao Wenzhao finally died in the hands of the Shaanxi rebel army, and Cao Bianjiao preferred to die rather than surrender in the Battle of Songjin, and finally died in the hands of the Qing soldiers. In any way, these uncles and nephews are good men.

Cao Bianjiao looked around, then at Xu Xingxia, and asked suspiciously, "You are Xu Xingxia?" ”

Xu Xingxia nodded quietly and smiled, and said, "Yes, I am Xu Xingxia." ”

Cao Bianjiao's expression was a little strange, as if he wanted to say something, but he was embarrassed to say it. He does look like a child who rarely goes out, doesn't seem to have much experience in the rivers and lakes, and doesn't know how to deal with people. After a while, he couldn't help but speak: "They all said that Mo Yuegen was brought in by you. ”

Xu Xingxia said casually: "Do you believe it? ”

Cao Bianjiao shook his head with difficulty, and said with a somewhat stiff expression: "It shouldn't be, you killed a lot of Tartars, and it's not your fault." ”

Xu Xingxia said lightly: "There are also many people who don't want to kill Tartars." ”

Cao Bianjiao was slightly stunned, chewed for a while, and then sighed silently and nodded gently. The crows in the world are as black as this, Ningxia Town is like this, how good can Datong Town be? The four towns in the northwest and the three towns in Shanxi are actually in the same situation. Perhaps, Datong Town is even darker than Ningxia Town. The actual number of officers and soldiers in Ningxia Town is about 30,000 or 40,000. The actual number of officers and soldiers in Datong Town is as high as **00,000. When there are more people, it will naturally be more difficult to manage, more chaotic, and more forces will be involved.

Xu Xingxia said with a little regret: "When the Tartars attacked, Zhenshuo Fort was wiped out, and it is estimated that your relatives ......."

Regarding this matter, Cao Bianjiao was very open, and said loudly: "People can't be resurrected after death, but they won't die in vain!" I'll find a way to get revenge on them! ”

Every time he spoke, the red silk scarf tied around his neck would continue to flutter, and it felt like a wisp of red, spraying out from his neck, giving people a very hot taste, making his speech very passionate. In fact, almost all of them are at the forefront of the battle, and Cao Wenzhao is even more in Liaodong, directly facing the Houjin Tartars, and the battle is estimated to be inevitable. Their Cao family has never been afraid of battle.

In the past, there was a chief military officer Qiu Luan in Datong Mansion, who passively avoided war, killed good and risked merit, deceived superiors and subordinates, and disguised his deeds, which was despicable. Since then, the whole Datong Mansion has been working hard to change its image. Among the various military towns inside, the town that sent the most troops to Liaodong was Datong Town. It is said that the world will be in turmoil after that, and Datong Town will also produce many famous generals.

Xu Xingxia said casually: "Yes, young man, you have to be ambitious!" They won't die in vain! What do you think? Come and kill the Tartars with me? ”

Cao Bianjiao shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I'm going to Liaodong." ”

Cao Wenzhao served in Liaodong, and he has already done the position of a general, and the next step is the deputy chief soldier and the chief soldier, as a nephew, he has already told his uncle that he wants to go to Liaodong, of course, he will not change because of Xu Xingxia's invitation. Many people have already seen that the imperial court is constantly gathering troops and transporting grain and grass to Liaodong, and it must be going to do something against Dajin Kingdom.

Xu Xingxia had no choice but to smile regretfully. What I just said was actually just a casual remark. Cao Bianjiao was Cao Wenzhao's nephew, and he certainly preferred to fight with his uncle. For the time being, the situation in eastern Liaodong is still relatively stable. However, in the next two or three years, a lot will change. Liaodong, Salhu, will it really happen?

Cao Bianjiao brought some wine, incense, candles, paper money or something, and on the ruins, he paid tribute to his relatives, and then said goodbye and left. Before leaving, Cao Bianjiao suddenly said: "By the way, there is news that Helekin and Lin Dan Khan have ceased fighting. ”

Xu Xingxia frowned, and said slowly: "Is the news accurate?" ”

Cao Bianjiao said with a solemn expression: "The news can't be determined for the time being, and I also learned it from the merchants who came and went. It's best to be prepared, though. ”

Xu Xingxia arched his hand and said, "Thank you!" I'll be careful! ”

Cao Bianjiao nodded, turned the horse's head, and turned around. He rode his horse at a fast pace, and his figure gradually disappeared. The red silk scarf around his neck, which turned out to be a touch of red, went farther and farther away, and then gradually became a small dot, and finally disappeared completely.

"The Tartars are coming again!"

Xu Xingxia took a breath lightly and waved his hands vigorously.

(To be continued)