Chapter 67: It Will Be Useful Soon

Tietou likes hearing Wen Gu say this sentence the most.

He likes going to Zhao Zhai very much; the food there is just too good!

By going over every few days to improve his diet, the weight he lost on the road while fleeing north has now grown back, and he looks much sturdier now.

After entering Zhao Zhai, Tietou is honest and well-behaved, not looking around randomly; this is something Wen Gu had cautioned him about, and anyway, he has no interest in other things—once he finishes the tasks Wen Gu entrusted to him, he can go eat good food!

There is meat at every meal!

Before coming, Wen Gu had Chang Shun come to Zhao Zhai to ask his uncle if he had any free time today, and the reply given was to let Wen Gu come by all means.

So Wen Gu came directly.

The one leading the way for Wen Gu is the Great Steward here; ordinary attendants cannot go to where his uncle is.

His uncle is not indoors today; when Wen Gu walked over, his uncle was sitting in a wheelchair, controlling the wheelchair forward himself.

This wheelchair was made based on the blueprints Wen Gu provided, and the Zhao Family craftsmen made detailed adjustments according to the master's physique and needs.

The corridor is spacious and flat, and his uncle wears leather gloves, so controlling the wheelchair is not strenuous.

Although it is very effortless to have servants push it, this Head of the Family Zhao prefers the feeling of being in control himself.

At this moment, others are still standing bowed beside the wheelchair, as if they are discussing matters.

Wen Gu paused his steps and did not continue to approach.

Seeing this, Head of the Family Zhao smiled and waved, signaling for Wen Gu to come over, and also had someone bring a brazier over for Wen Gu to warm himself.

Only then did Wen Gu walk over, with Tietou following behind carrying things.

Head of the Family Zhao saw the object Tietou was carrying at a glance, then looked at Wen Gu, and more smiles appeared on his face.

"What rare item have you brought over again?"

He had heard his wife say that Wen Gu was preparing gifts for them; could this be Wen Gu's gift?

Sure enough, Wen Gu came over and first gave a refined bow, full of apology: "Preparing this gift took quite a long time; I hope Uncle does not blame me."

Head of the Family Zhao laughed heartily: "Enough, we are all our own people, there is no need for this."

He had a chair and stool brought over and gave Wen Gu a hand warmer to warm his hands. He looked frail and weak, appearing even less sturdy than himself.

"Come, tell me what this is," Head of the Family Zhao said.

Wen Gu sat down and said: "When I was on a Study Tour, I saw a similar object called a Honeycomb Coal Stove. Thinking of it now, I felt it might be of some use."

He watched the wind direction and told Tietou to place the coal stove downwind, using a Fire Hook to move the lid on top aside so that his uncle and the people beside him could see it more clearly.

The cylindrical coal product inside with small holes is indeed as its name suggests, and it is not difficult to understand.

Wen Gu gestured to demonstrate how to operate it, and then had Tietou open the round opening at the bottom of the stove.

"This round opening here for clearing ash can also have ventilation holes left when the lid is covered; by adjusting the size of the holes, one can control the stove fire..."

The usage is clear at a glance; Wen Gu did not say much, and after a brief introduction, he added: "I made a rough comparison; it saves much more than loose coal and can also be moved flexibly."

Coal is something to be used long-term, not a matter of a moment. The volume is large, so even if it only saves ten to twenty percent, it is a massive number.

Head of the Family Zhao listened attentively, and a bit more seriousness appeared in his eyes.

Coal mining is not easy, so if it can be saved, it is indeed a good thing.

And compared to these, he values the portability even more!

This is even more beneficial to the mobility of the army under the current situation!

The Evil Plague is spreading, accompanied by various epidemics; the army needs to use hot food and hot water when out in the field, and due to seasonal or geographical factors, it is sometimes difficult to find firewood, so they previously brought loose coal along.

By comparison, this current type is definitely more convenient.

"Come, bring it over for me to see."

Head of the Family Zhao personally handled it to lift it and feel the weight.

He only has inconvenient legs and feet, but his constitution is not weak; he had truly been on the battlefield before, and he still maintains his training now.

Wen Gu said: "If you want it to be even lighter, you can remove the decorations on top, and the outer Iron sheet can also be thinner."

He laid out the Fire Tongs and Fire Hook: "It is just that such Iron implements are considered expensive goods nowadays."

Head of the Family Zhao did not mind. Those who can afford to use coal can also afford to buy a pair of Fire Tongs.

Truly poor families cannot even afford firewood, let alone coal.

Head of the Family Zhao put down the coal stove, looked at the black Honeycomb Coal blocks placed to the side, and asked:

"If this Honeycomb Coal is broken, can it be shaped again?"

"It can; it is very convenient, just press it again using a mold."

Wen Gu had Tietou bring over the mold for pressing the blocks.

One knows how to use this kind of tool just by looking at it.

Head of the Family Zhao looked at it, then looked at Wen Gu, waiting for Wen Gu's subsequent words.

He did not believe that Wen Gu only came here to say just this much.

Wen Gu had an expression of "as expected, Uncle understands me," smiled, and continued:

"The stove can be made into different models according to needs; if portability is required, make it smaller, and if there is no need to carry it, it can be made larger.

"The Honeycomb Coal produced has a unified specification, making counting more convenient. Uncle can send someone to calculate it; if it can truly save fuel, the amount saved when the volume is large will also be astonishing.

"However, if used indoors, one must still guard against coal gas poisoning; it is best to have a chimney, or add an exhaust pipe directly to the stove."

The larger the wealthy family, the more tightly sealed the rooms are in winter.

Head of the Family Zhao did not care about those wealthy families; those people themselves still mostly use Smokeless Charcoal.

He was also pondering the advantages Wen Gu mentioned.

Saving fuel, convenient for statistics, and strong mobility...

He was thinking about the suitable target group.

If it can be used, the first batch produced will definitely be given to the guarantee of their Zhao Clan's strength—the army!

Smaller stoves would be more suitable for small detachments to carry when going out.

Wen Gu took out another small stack of blueprints: "There are some other styles, I don't know if they are suitable, Uncle, take a look..."

"This is the kind with an added exhaust pipe; it can even provide heating in winter."

"There is also this larger type, which can be used for large banquets. It doesn't necessarily have to burn Honeycomb Coal; it can burn coal or firewood directly. But it is portable, equivalent to a large, movable stove. You can move it away when not in use, and you can also attach an exhaust pipe to it, which can provide heating..."

Being able to use it for large banquets means it can also be used in places with many Soldiers!

It is indeed what is needed right now!

"Good! Very good!"

The Head of the Family Zhao excitedly patted the armrests of his wheelchair.

The world has changed now; the number of people and Soldiers are both things that need to be valued.

Hot drinks and hot food—this is the simplest and most effective way to ward off evil.

Improving in this aspect, even if it is just a little bit, is worth it!

The Head of the Family Zhao checked the time and kept the Wen brothers for a meal, taking the opportunity to chat more about this Honeycomb Coal and coal stove, and to look at more details of the various blueprints.

Because the Uncle and Aunt each had their own affairs, they usually stayed in different Residences, and their mealtimes were not necessarily synchronized.

In the past when coming to Zhao Zhai, Wen Gu always ate at the Aunt's side; today he stayed here with the Uncle.

He still specifically sent someone over to the Aunt's side to let her know.

Beside the Head of the Family Zhao's dining table, several strategists silently exchanged information.

Their impression of the two Wen brothers was that one could really eat, and the other could really talk.

One was thick-headed and oblivious, while the other, seemingly polite and courteous, was actually bold and thick-skinned.

Neither of them knew what being reserved meant!

After the Wen brothers left, the Head of the Family Zhao sat in the study, looking at the blueprints.

After understanding them, one would discover that there was actually no high-level technology involved here.

Oh, there was some after all.

That recipe listed Honeycomb Coal of different qualities.

One could add combustion improvers, or wash the coal, or wash it and then add combustion improvers; it just depended on how one chose.

These could be made into several grades.

Different levels of generals could be provided with different grades of Honeycomb Coal.

The same went for the stoves; those made more exquisite and ornate could be provided to high-ranking generals as a benefit.

Nowadays, defensive fortifications are being built in the Outer City District, and the Iron casting workshops are almost running day and night.

As long as there is a prototype and they know how to build it, they can quickly produce the actual items.

If the efficiency were low, the Zhao Family could not have ranked among the six major powers of the North in just two years under such difficult survival conditions!

After deciding, the Head of the Family Zhao immediately ordered people to execute it.

If it could be successful, the ones made would certainly be shared with Wen Gu first.

Considering that Wen Gu did not have much Copper or Iron in his hands to make these stoves, and it was estimated that he had used it all up, the Head of the Family Zhao had people add some Copper blocks and Iron blocks when sending supplies.

The two Fangs managed by Wen Gu had blacksmiths; he could tinker with them however he liked.

However, these supplies were not delivered immediately, as Wen Gu himself was still staying at the Zhao Family.

After eating with the Uncle, he was called over by the Aunt to drink tea and chat.

At night, he went to the small courtyard left for them at the Zhao Family to spend the night.

He let Chang Shun go to Jingxing Fang to say that he was staying at the Zhao Family tonight, and that any affairs should be organized first, and they would talk when he returned.

Before falling asleep, Wen Gu was still thinking that his various coal stoves should be usable very soon, and there was no need to worry about coal either.

Given his current conditions, if he relied solely on those few people from the Yu family to make stoves, how long would it take? The craftsmanship might not even meet the requirements.

The Zhao Family's workshop was faster after all.

(End of chapter)