The craftsman battalion was essentially expanded again. Previously, there were only two craftsmen battalions. One was specialized in making carts and did not do miscellaneous things. The other was responsible for doing miscellaneous work in the army and could be called the miscellaneous work department.

Now, because of Guan Yu's 800 soldiers, each person needs a set of carrying equipment. Although this set of so-called carrying equipment is just a big basket and a big bag, but even though it is so simple, there are as many as 800 pieces.

After finishing it, I estimate that it may not be enough in one year.

Therefore, sufficient manpower must be mobilized to do it with all their strength.

So, two more were temporarily added to make it a portable tool.

The first department is responsible for weaving tree branches and baskets. It is called the weaving department? The basket department? Neither sounds good, so it can be called the bamboo crafts department.

The other department is the women responsible for sewing rainproof bags, which can be called the embroidery department.

Carrying equipment is the first object in the military that requires the cooperation of multiple parts and the assembly of finished products.

Small assembly factory, started.

Guan Yu's tribe only has 800 people, which is not much. In any large-scale war in the past and present, the number of 800 is very small.

But it was such a shame, even if each of these eight hundred people was given only one basket, the logistical pressure would be overwhelming.

Taking the current speed as an example, the army can collect less than ten baskets per day on average.

Assuming that there are ten baskets every day, it will take eighty days to collect them for 800 people. It has been more than two months. It is estimated that the yellow turbans have been finished and the baskets have not yet been prepared.

As for rainproof bags, the output is even lower.

Now, only one is produced in Japan. This is the current speed when the old tents have not been dismantled and there are still some raw materials.

Ten baskets can be made in a day, but the carrying tool requires multiple workpieces to assemble. With ten baskets and only one rainproof bag, only one carrying tool can be made.

Only one piece of carrying equipment was produced in one day. At this rate, it would take 800 days, more than two years, to equip Guan Yu's troops with 800 carrying equipment.

You can imagine how slow it is.

Therefore, after Li Mengxi realized this problem, he deliberately created two new parts.

When the raw materials and people are gathered, the variables can explode in no time.

Li Mengxi finished his work. He looked around and saw that the army was busy and quiet, and he didn't know what to do.

He jumped a few times tiredly, kicked his feet, and twisted his neck.

Liu Bei looked at Li Mengxi with a faint smile, "Are you done?" he asked, "Come on, Xi'er, I'll teach you how to make sweets."

Li Mengxi was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that he couldn't buy sweets. Liu Bei said that the army could do it on its own.

Li Mengxi then went to make sweetmeats with Liu Bei.

Find some wheat and bowls, soak them in water, and find out if they are infested with insects or shriveled, they will not germinate, so pick them out and throw them away.

Then, take the linen cloth, lay it out first, sprinkle a little water on the linen cloth, then put a layer of wheat flat on the linen cloth, then sprinkle a lot of water, then put the wheat on top, cover it with another layer of linen cloth, and then sprinkle some water on it.

.

"Okay." Liu Bei put down the water ladle, "Wait three to five days for the wheat to sprout and then you can make candy."

Li Mengxi lifted the linen cloth and looked at it again and again.

Is this enough?

Scratching your head.

If you think about it carefully, sugar syrup is also maltose, the two are the same thing.

Maltose, why is it called maltose? Wheat is germinated, and then the sugar is extracted from the germinated wheat, hence the name.

Since Liu Bei said he could make candy, he would definitely succeed. Li Mengxi had no doubt at all.

But, just how much sugar can be produced with just this little bit.

When the maltose is made, it is not eaten as a snack, but as a meal for the wounded. The amount required is very large, and the daily consumption is about half a catty. It is impossible to eat less.

"How much sugar can be produced from such a small amount of wheat?" Li Mengxi asked.

"I guess it's less than half a bowl." Liu Bei smiled at Li Mengxi.

Even half a bowl is not enough.

It only takes two or three days to produce less than half a bowl of maltose. On average, less than a spoonful is produced in a day. This is not good, it is too little.

Maltose is of great use, let alone the wounded man who was unconscious and could only be fed with sugar water.

When doing suture experiments earlier, I found that patients with broken intestines cannot eat food because their intestines are broken, but their stomachs can still function normally. If they eat food, food residues will continue to creep into the intestinal wounds.

anywhere, causing infection.

Therefore, people with intestinal injuries cannot even eat liquid food, but can only eat maltose and water.

After the sugar water passes through the stomach and intestines, it is very clean. Even if it comes into contact with wounds, it will not cause any serious problems.

Moreover, maltose is said to be very easy to absorb. I have almost forgotten the chemistry. It is said that whether maltose is a monosaccharide or a polysaccharide, it can be directly absorbed by the human body without any decomposition.

Under today's conditions, maltose is a life-saving medicine, so it is necessary to store polysaccharides.

Making maltose should be fun and fun.

Li Mengxi thought that he was busy with many things and had no time to make maltose every day.

Leave it to military doctor Tian Bu to do it? It won't work either.

Tian Bu's wounded soldiers camp had more than 100 and almost 200 wounded soldiers to take care of. In addition, the method of distilling strong liquor was also given to Tian Bu, and the distiller was also given to Tian Bu.

On weekdays, all the work of distilling spirits from water and wine is done by Tian Bu Gan, so Li Mengxi does not have to distract himself from staring at the distiller all day long.

Tian Bu is busy enough, so he can make maltose for others.

Making maltose does not require many manpower and space.

From Liu Bei's simple process of making maltose, Li Mengxi roughly understood that maltose can be made just after the wheat has just sprouted.

Therefore, to make a large amount of maltose, you need at least one car. The car is filled with pots. In the pot, sprinkle some wheat thinly, sprinkle some water, cover it with thick linen cloth, sprinkle some water on the linen cloth, and wait for it to germinate.

That’s it.

Pallets are still needed. As long as something is produced, pallets must be used. Li Mengxi is helpless.

Cars are in short supply everywhere, and the output is extremely low. As for wooden basins, there is no shortage.

Regarding the yield of maltose, Li Mengxi speculated based on his own knowledge that one pound of wheat cannot produce more than one pound of maltose.

The reason is that, as I learned in biology class, when seeds germinate, they will consume a lot of nutrients stored in the seeds. This nutrient is the starch in wheat.

In biology, what proportion does large amount refer to? Is it fifty percent? Is it seventy-five percent?

No matter how much, in the process of making maltose, a large amount of wheat substances are consumed, and only 50% or even 25% of the nutrients are converted into maltose.

In other words, if we calculate the yield of maltose based on the knowledge learned in the biology class, then one pound of wheat will produce at most a quarter of a pound of maltose.

Regardless of other uses, what is urgent now is that the poor wounded soldier who is unconscious with a severe head injury must rely solely on maltose to survive.

Compared with the energy of maltose and carbohydrate food, I don’t know which one has higher energy.

Assume that both are the same.

Then, an adult needs to eat at least two kilograms of food a day to maintain the body's needs, and the comatose wounded soldier needs two kilograms of maltose every day.

According to the calculation that the sugar production ratio of wheat is at most a quarter, eight pounds of wheat must be used to make maltose every day to keep up with demand.

Eight pounds of wheat are placed in pots by spreading them flat and thinly. You still have to use three or four pots.

Comparing the size of the pots and the space on the cart, one cart can hold up to thirteen or four pots.

In other words, even if one truck is freed up and work is started at full capacity, the production capacity of one truck can only supply the maltose needs of three injured soldiers.

Isn't it uncommon for a person to be disemboweled during a war?

After the battle, dozens of people had their intestines stabbed.

It would take more than a dozen cars to make maltose.

If there are not enough cars, where can we afford the luxury of a dozen of them just for making sweets?

Making maltose requires very little manpower and consumes not much resources. The only thing that is in short supply is production space, that is, pallets. There are not so many pallets to wet the wheat and wait for it to germinate.

When this difficult problem suddenly appeared, Li Mengxi's thoughts began to change.

(We have to make drawers.) Li Mengxi thought to himself.

Just make a wooden shelf like a drawer, with grids one by one. The wooden boards in each grid can be pulled out, put wheat on it, sprinkle with water, and then put it back in.

When the wheat is almost done sprouting, pull out the wooden board and start making sugar.

A wooden shelf does not need to be as large or high as the size of a pallet truck. It can have three floors, which is three times the space utilization. One car is equal to three cars.

Furthermore, depending on the actual situation, more than five or six levels can be done.

One car is equivalent to five, six or even more cars, which perfectly solves the problem of vehicle occupation for maltose production.

You have to go to the carpenter camp and find Lu Li to make a special vehicle, called a drawer truck.

Luli is busy in Jiangying camp.

Li Mengxi told Lu Li that as long as Lu Li could manage the craftsman's business well, he didn't need to do the carpentry work.

Lu Li has a beautiful nature and is eager to help others. He always goes out to help others depending on who is busy.

Li Mengxi came, took Lu Li aside, and told Lu Li a strange vehicle structure.

I told him several times, but Lu Li didn't understand.

There was no other way, so Li Mengxi had no choice but to take a stick and draw a simple diagram on the ground. Only then did Lu Li roughly understand it.

It's just a shelf, the size of a cart board, and the height of a cart. There are several layers of wooden boards in the middle. There is no room to put the candy. It can't be carried on the back, nor can it be carried. It can only be put on the cart and pulled around, but there are not enough carts.
Chapter completed!