novelzi Chapter 51.1
Chapter 51.1
Feng Laogui couldn’t help but notice the large coil of rope that Qin Zheng’s people had brought.
He thought to himself that if they could get the rope across to the other side, the suspension bridge could be built, and there would be no need to measure the width of the cliff.
With his hands folded, he waited to see what Qin Zheng had in mind.
Soon, a group of people appeared on the opposite cliff.
Feng Laogui recognized one of them; it was someone from the East Village, who had been away for a long time, supposedly transporting goods to Wujun.
Why was he here now?
Lin Zhao was also surprised, “Big Brother Yang Yi?”
Qin Zheng replied, “To build the suspension bridge, we need their help on the other side of the cliff.”
Last night, she had told Chu Chengji to contact the Lu family and have them help with the construction today.
Yang Yi and the Lu family members on the other side clearly saw them too. Yang Yi blew a sharp whistle.
Lin Zhao responded with a whistle of his own and turned to Qin Zheng, “Big Brother Yang Yi said they will fully cooperate with us.”
Shouting across the cliffs might not be heard clearly, and if the soldiers at the base of the mountain noticed, they could attack from the other side, ruining everything.@@@@
These whistle signals were understood only by their people from Qiyun Village, making them perfect for conveying messages.
Feng Laogui also understood the whistle signals and knew that the supplies were on the other side of the mountain.
The problem was the wide gap between the cliffs. Unless they grew wings, there was no way to pull the main rope for the suspension bridge across such a distance.
This kind of distance required iron ropes to bear the huge tension.
Iron ropes are heavy, and even with a large military crossbow, it was uncertain if they could shoot a few hundred pounds of iron rope to the other side.
When he saw the people in the village pushing a large crossbow to the edge of the cliff, Feng Laogui couldn’t help but shake his head.
This young girl was still too inexperienced. He had thought of all these methods long ago.
Seeing Qin Zheng tying a rope with many knots to the crossbow bolt, Feng Laogui’s wrinkled face became stern.
He scolded, “Nonsense! How can such a rope bear the weight of transporting heavy goods? If the rope snaps, won’t everything fall into the cliff?”
His tone was unusually severe this time.
Lin Zhao, not knowing Qin Zheng’s plan, instinctively defended her, “Uncle Feng, the village has been drinking porridge for the past two days. If we don’t bring back the supplies soon, thousands of people will have to eat tree bark. How do we know it won’t work if we don’t try?”
Feng Laogui walked away angrily, “What do girls know? In every trade, there are rules. In our trade, we can’t knowingly build something unsafe and push it through, risking lives and goods. Who will take responsibility?”
He pointed to his chest, “You need a conscience!”
Despite being scolded harshly, Qin Zheng didn’t get angry.
She knew that in modern construction, substandard work, especially on large projects like bridges and roads, could cause massive losses and fatalities.
Top engineering universities even gave graduates an “Engineer’s Ring” to remind them of their mission to prioritize safety and quality.
Qin Zheng was pleasantly surprised to see that even in this ancient world, an old foreman had such professional integrity.
She calmly said, “I mentioned this is just to measure the width between the cliffs. Master Feng, please continue watching.”
After tying the measuring rope, Qin Zheng also tied a rope to the crossbow bolt.
The crossbow bolt was more like a spear than an arrow.
Qin Zheng instructed the men to fix the bolt tied with two ropes onto the large crossbow.
It took the combined strength of ten Qiyun Village men to pull back the three large bows on the crossbow.
The men on the village side pulled the iron rope while those on the opposite side released it, steadily drawing the finely crafted iron rope across.
Feng Laogui’s eyes widened like saucers. As he quickly walked over, the wine gourd at his waist fell to the ground, but he didn’t even glance at it.
He stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly, to touch the iron rope that had been pulled over.
Hundreds of pounds of iron rope had really been pulled across from the opposite cliff, bit by bit!
This was something he had never dared to dream of before.
“We can... we can build the suspension bridge!” he stuttered in excitement. Looking at Qin Zheng, he exclaimed, “Young people are truly impressive! I wonder, Madam Strategist, who was your teacher?”
Qin Zheng, sweating inwardly, had to make something up. “My teacher has long since secluded himself and doesn’t allow me to mention his name.”
Feng Laogui didn’t doubt her words at all and nodded repeatedly. “Indeed, in these chaotic times, the outside soldiers don’t treat us like humans. They force us to build cities and defenses without caring if we can complete the work on time. If we fail, we’re beheaded. Many craftsmen have gone into hiding.”
Lin Zhao, assuming the old master Qin Zheng referred to was a family member avoiding exposure due to being wanted by the government, quickly changed the subject. “Uncle Feng, now that the iron rope is here, could you and your brothers handle securing the stakes?”
Feng Laogui readily agreed.
Qin Zheng, estimating the distance to the sandstone layer below, instructed, “The trench must be dug at least five feet deep into the rock layer.”
If they had modern concrete, this wouldn’t be an issue, but cement wasn’t easy to produce without the proper chemical components.
Qin Zheng planned to use an ancient version of concrete, which wouldn’t be as strong as modern concrete.
Thus, the stakes had to be driven deeper to ensure stability.
Though Feng Laogui had gained respect for Qin Zheng, his decades of experience made him hesitant. “I think three feet should be enough.”
Qin Zheng shook her head. “For ordinary rock, yes, but this is sandstone, which isn’t as solid. It needs to be deeper for safety.”
Experience is a culmination of knowledge passed down through generations. In this era, construction techniques were still rudimentary, relying heavily on ancestral wisdom.
It wasn’t until the industrial age that modern people had enough cases and experience to thoroughly understand different terrains and geological conditions.
Ancient people were no less intelligent than modern people; they just had less exposure to knowledge and fewer cumulative experiences, leading to limitations in their thinking.
After pondering Qin Zheng’s explanation, Feng Laogui nodded. “Alright, we’ll dig to five feet as you said.”
Qin Zheng then instructed Lin Zhao, “A-Zhao, inform the people on the other side. If the rock layer there is also sandstone, they need to dig at least five feet down before setting the stakes.”
“Got it!” Lin Zhao nodded and blew a series of whistle signals.
The opposite side quickly responded.
Turning to Qin Zheng, Lin Zhao said, “Sister Qin, Brother Yang Yi plans to use gunpowder to blast a pit.”
Feng Laogui nodded approvingly. “That would indeed be faster for securing the stakes. We could have the suspension bridge ready for transporting supplies by tonight.”
Qin Zheng frowned. “No, that would alert the soldiers at the foot of the mountain, and our efforts would be wasted. How long would it take to dig the rock layer manually?”
Feng Laogui replied, “The fastest would be by tomorrow night.”
Qin Zheng pondered for a moment and then discussed with Lin Zhao. “Tell your brother to set off some gunpowder bombs at the Yan Pit half an hour from now to distract the soldiers while we blast the rock here. Can it be done?”
“Absolutely! Trading a few bombs for food is a sure bet. If my brother disagrees, he’d be a fool!” Lin Zhao quickly sent someone to deliver the message to Lin Yao.
After two quarters of an hour, the messenger returned. “The chief has already ordered preparations at Yan Pit.”
Qin Zheng sighed in relief and had Lin Zhao use coded signals to inform the people on the opposite cliff.
She then joined Feng Laogui and the others in preparing the gunpowder for blasting the rock.
Previously, Feng Laogui had harbored a desire to compete with Qin Zheng, believing that a woman couldn’t handle such work.
But now, he was utterly impressed by her. When Qin Zheng occasionally didn’t understand the materials they used, he patiently explained everything.