Yun Chengxuan immediately felt that his food had lost its appeal. He looked up and asked, "Really? Auntie, then let's go together when the time comes."
Jiang Jin shook her head. "I've been busy lately. How about this: I'll see who is free to accompany you tomorrow."
Since there were fierce beasts in the nearby mountains, it meant that few people ventured deep into them, which meant there could be plenty of wild game inside.
This was all meat. If they could catch them alive and raise them, it would provide a long-term supply of meat.
The fierce beasts in the mountains were extremely dangerous to others, but for a guy like Yun Chengxuan, who treated fighting tigers like child's play, it was absolutely no problem.
Her only concern was that he might get lost after entering the mountains, so she had to send someone to go with him.
Yun Chengxuan nodded continuously. "Okay, I'll listen to you, Auntie."
On the other side, Sun Acao and Lichun each drove a handcart carrying food to the burial site.
The aroma of food immediately wafted through the air.
The people digging the pits were already starving, but under the supervision of Chen Xi and the soldiers, they didn't dare slack off, forcing themselves to keep digging.
Now, smelling the aroma of food, they only felt even hungrier. Their stomachs cramped continuously, their mouths involuntarily watered, and they stole glances at the handcarts with expectant eyes.
Chen Xi didn't hesitate and shouted to them, "Everyone stop, let's eat lunch first."
Joy appeared on everyone's faces. They all put down their tools, ignoring the mud on their bodies, and gathered around the handcarts with their eating utensils.
Chen Xi shouted, "Line up! There is enough for everyone, no need to fight."
Although everyone was very hungry, seeing the three tall, burly, armed soldiers next to Chen Xi, they all obediently lined up.
Only then did Sun Acao open the lid of the large wooden bucket on the handcart, revealing the steamed buns inside.
Everyone's breath hitched—it was actually steamed buns!
They couldn't even remember how long it had been since they last had solid food. Everyone's breathing became rapid.
Sun Acao handed two steamed buns to the man at the front of the line.
The man grabbed the steamed buns and stuffed them into his mouth, regardless of whether they were hot or not. His ravenous eating was a heartbreaking sight.
Lichun opened the lid of the large clay pot in front of her and called out, "There is also porridge here."
The man's chewing paused, his throat inexplicably tightening. Was lunch actually this good? He hurriedly trotted over.
Lichun scooped a large ladle of thick, well-cooked coarse grain porridge into his chipped clay bowl.
The man was so excited he didn't know what to say. He hadn't had such thick porridge in a long time. At this moment, he was incredibly thankful for his decision to come dig pits.
Everyone was treated equally; regardless of gender, each received two steamed buns and a large ladle of porridge.
Many people ate the porridge but only ate one steamed bun, or just tore off a small piece to taste, planning to take the rest home for their families.
After finishing lunch, everyone's motivation was visibly far beyond what it had been in the morning. They swung their hoes with flying speed.
Especially when throwing the corpses into the pits, whether it was because they had the strength from being full or harboring hatred toward the Quzhao people, they threw them very casually and ruthlessly.
In any case, Chen Xi, standing on the side, occasionally heard the cracking sounds of bones breaking from the corpses.
Some people secretly checked his expression, afraid that their rough actions would cause his displeasure.
Seeing that his expression didn't change, everyone's actions in throwing the corpses became even more unrestrained.
Just as Jiang Jin finished lunch on her end, Yao Ji returned excitedly. "My Lady, about six or seven miles to the north, there is a rocky mountain. I went to take a look, and the rocks there should be mineable."
Jiang Jin was very pleased. "Great, then we'll start this afternoon. Have those prisoners go do it."
She had to squeeze some labor out of those prisoners while they were still running on the food they ate yesterday. After that, they would have to eat her grain, though she didn't plan on feeding them very well.
Yao Ji nodded in agreement, "Understood."
"By the way, I asked the people of Gefeng County, and they said there is clay and limestone about fifteen miles to the east. I had someone take the brick and tile artisans to see it, and they said the clay is suitable," Yao Ji added.
Jiang Jin's eyes lit up. She had to produce bricks and tiles; all later construction would require them.
In this era, fired bricks and tiles already existed, but the technology was not particularly mature. Therefore, city walls were basically rammed earth structures, and houses were also made of rammed earth or wood.
This construction method was too slow, so she needed to produce bricks. When the time came, whether building houses or walls, the speed would be much faster, and they would be sturdy and durable.
Half an hour later, Jiang Jin, Dong Si, and Yun Chengxuan rode out on horses, taking the brick and tile artisans with them toward the place Yao Ji mentioned.
This was a not-too-high hillside. The entire slope, along with the flat land below, was covered with trees and weeds, but the soil exposed in several excavated spots was all red clay.
Jiang Jin asked, "Is this entire area clay?"
The few artisans following behind her were somewhat reserved. Finally, the slightly older Xia Zhong spoke up, "Yes, we have dug around the area."
Jiang Jin asked again, "Can this kind of clay be used to make large bricks?"
"Yes, it can. Is My Lady planning to build a brick kiln here?"
Jiang Jin confirmed, "Yes, build large brick kilns. You all take a look and see where it would be most suitable to build. The location should ideally be more concealed near the mountain side. By the way, where is the limestone mountain?"
Xia Zhong pointed further into the mountain. "We need to go a bit further in. Shall I take you to see?"
Jiang Jin waved her hand. "No need, I can go myself."
After saying this, she led Dong Si and Yun Chengxuan into the mountain.
Xia Zhong and the others began to survey the surroundings for a suitable geographical location to build the kilns.
Jiang Jin's trio followed the trail into the mountain. Passing through a large forest, the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing towering, continuous limestone mountains.
The mountain faces were also dotted with patches of green vegetation.
Yun Chengxuan was curious. "Why is this mountain so white? Is it all stone?"
A heavy weight lifted from Jiang Jin's heart. "This is a limestone mountain. It's incredibly useful."
Limestone was not only a raw material for various constructions but also the main ingredient for making cement.
Fortunately, limestone was a relatively common type of ore, so it wasn't hard to find.
The group walked around for a bit before leaving.
Jiang Jin thought of a question: "Do you know what this place is called?"
Dong Si shook his head. "Places like this usually don't have a name. My Lady can give it one."
Jiang Jin thought about it and agreed. After a moment of pondering, she said, "Then let's call it the Red Forest."
Dong Si looked at the lush green forest on the hillside. "Excellent, My Lady is truly talented."
In the end, Jiang Jin decided to set the kiln location in the dense forest inside the hillside.
The Red Forest was quite a distance from Gefeng. She would rarely be able to look after things here, so she could only try to build the kiln factory in a hidden place. Plus, since this was already a remote mountain area, the chances of it being discovered were low.
It wasn't too far from a water source either; there was a small river less than two miles away. When the time came, they could just dig a canal to divert the water over.
Jiang Jin said, "The amount of bricks we need is massive. Build as many kilns as you can. It doesn't matter what kind, tunnel kilns or Hoffman kilns are both fine."
Xia Zhong and the others hastily complied, "Understood."
"Draw up the structural plans for the brick kilns and show them to me as soon as possible," Jiang Jin instructed, looking at them.
She had never seen what a brick kiln factory looked like in this era. Since it concerned future building materials, she certainly couldn't let them do as they pleased.
Once things were settled, Jiang Jin had Dong Si stay behind to handle the follow-up and see if they needed anything.
She was just about to leave with Yun Chengxuan when she caught sight of the dense forest in the distance, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
