nycdaug Chapter 122 Stone Mill and Water Mill
Chapter 122 Stone Mill and Water Mill
Watching Mo Li's receding figure, Ying Wuyou's heart was filled with eager anticipation. She knew that once the curved plow was successfully developed, it would bring about a tremendous transformation in Qin's agricultural production, greatly increasing grain yields. This would not only mean that the people could live a more prosperous life, but would also lay a solid foundation for Qin's prosperity. How could Ying Wuyou not be overjoyed?
That night, Ying Wuyou slept soundly without dreaming. Gazing at the rising sun outside, she realized she hadn't been to the palace academy in a long time and wondered what they were teaching now. Although curious, Ying Wuyou had no intention of returning to the academy. She felt pressed for time; there were simply too many things to do, and she had no time to worry about her remaining studies.
The Qin Empire is rising at an astonishing pace, and in just one year, it will embark on the journey to reclaim the State of Wei. Despite the smooth progress, the unification of the six states will bring increasingly greater challenges. The most pressing issues are insufficient food supplies and a heavy tax burden; these thorny problems require swift resolution.
Speaking of grains, Ying Wuyou thought of wheat. Noodles were his favorite food, and the land of Qin was very suitable for growing wheat. However, since a flour mill had not yet been invented, processing wheat was quite cumbersome. Just as Ying Wuyou had experienced when making cold chicken noodles, it could only be done by pounding.
Therefore, developing stone mills became an urgent task, as only in this way could the proportion of wheat cultivation be significantly increased. After all, wheat yields more than other grains and is more filling. Moreover, wheat is rich in nutrients, providing more nutritional value for the Qin Dynasty's otherwise nutrient-poor diet. Furthermore, wheat can be made into various foods, making it far superior to other grains for both ordinary people and soldiers on the front lines.
Ying Wuyou decided to make two types of millstones. One was a stone mill, which required animals to pull it. First, he needed to select large, hard stones, then use a hammer and chisel to roughly shape them into a circle. A mill eye was cut in the center of the upper millstone to hold the grain. A raised mill navel was made in the center of the lower millstone, corresponding to the mill eye on the upper millstone. The contact surfaces of both the upper and lower millstones were engraved with fine teeth to grind the grain into powder.
To make the millstone smoother, its surface was polished with tools. Finally, the millstone was mounted on a wooden frame so that it could rotate freely.
Another type is the watermill. Watermills are more suitable for places where there is water flow. In these places, the power of the water flow can be used to drive the watermill, which is much more convenient than animals pulling a millstone.
A watermill typically consists of a waterwheel, a millstone, and a transmission mechanism. The waterwheel is installed in a river or canal; as water flows through it, the waterwheel rotates, driving the millstone through the transmission mechanism. The millstone's structure is similar to a stone mill, consisting of two stones: the upper stone is called the upper millstone, and the lower stone is called the lower millstone. The upper millstone has a feed inlet in its center for feeding grain, while the lower millstone has a discharge outlet for discharging the ground grain. The key to building a watermill lies in designing a well-designed waterwheel and transmission mechanism to ensure efficient operation.
Ying Wuyou sat at her desk, diligently drawing design diagrams for the water mill and stone mill. She meticulously outlined each line, striving to clearly depict the structure of these two tools. After completing the designs, she wrote down in detail the operating principles and applicable scenarios of the water mill and stone mill, so that Mo Li could better understand and implement the plan.
When everything was ready, Ying Wuyou summoned a guard, solemnly handed him the design drawings and related instructions, and instructed him, "You must personally deliver this to Mo Li, and there must be no mistakes." The guard nodded respectfully, accepted this important task, and turned to leave.
As Ying Wuyou watched the guard's retreating figure, a pang of guilt rose in her heart. She knew Mo Li was already incredibly busy; the matter of the curved plow was still unresolved, and she had only added to his troubles. However, she also understood that it was all for the sake of improving the villagers' living conditions. Although Mo Li might feel pressured, she believed he could overcome the difficulties and successfully realize the plan.
Ying Wuyou sighed softly, thinking, "Sigh, am I just causing him trouble? But we really don't have enough manpower..." She realized that the biggest problem she was facing was the shortage of manpower. If she wanted to speed up development, she had to find more workers.
Mo Li watched the person before him meticulously chopping away at a piece of wood, as if sculpting a unique work of art. Just then, a soft knock on the door interrupted Mo Li's thoughts. He put down the wood and got up to open the door. When the door opened, Mo Li saw an unfamiliar face standing in the doorway. The person was dressed in black and looked like a guard. Mo Li asked疑惑地问道, "Who are you looking for?"
The visitor respectfully replied, "Are you Mr. Mo Li Mo?"
Mo Li nodded and asked curiously, "That's me. What can I do for you?"
The guard took out several sheets of paper from his pocket and handed them to Mo Li, saying, "These are things the princess asked me to give you. Please accept them."
Mo Li took the paper from the guard, but instead of immediately reading its contents, she continued, "Does the princess have anything else to say?"
The guard shook his head and replied, "The princess has no further instructions."
Mo Li nodded, indicating that she understood. Then she said to the guard, "Okay, thank you. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
The guards bowed to Mo Li in farewell and turned to leave. Mo Li closed the door, returned to his room, sat down, and began to carefully read the contents of the paper.
There were several design drawings. Mo Li looked at them carefully. The drawings clearly indicated that one was for a stone mill and the other was for a water mill. Looking at the two drawings, Mo Li sighed deeply. He shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Princess, you're going to work me to death."
But Mo Li had a smile on his lips. He carefully put the blueprints away, then turned around and picked up the piece of wood to chop it. He was very happy. The princess had entrusted him with the curved plow, as well as the water mill and the stone mill. This was a sign of her trust in him. Although he was a little busy, he believed that he would be able to complete the tasks assigned to him by the princess.
Mo Li knew that these things were all meticulously designed by the princess; without these blueprints, she would never have been able to imagine such tools. Therefore, Mo Li decided to carefully preserve the blueprints for future use.
At the same time, Mo Li also felt a tremendous responsibility on his shoulders. He not only had to create these tools, but also ensure that their quality and performance met the princess's requirements. For Mo Li, this was undoubtedly a daunting task, but also a rare opportunity.
Thinking of this, Mo Li was filled with excitement. He felt as if he were in a vast world with endless possibilities. He secretly resolved to do his best and not let the princess down.