Using an axe to chop down trees was a slow and exhausting process. Each swing of the axe took effort, and cutting through thick trunks required patience. Removing the branches bit by bit only made the task even more time-consuming.
Jason Liu watched as more and more workers gathered around to observe. He didn't send them away—after all, these gasoline-powered saws would soon be used by them as well. Seeing them in action early on would help them familiarize themselves with how they worked.
Next, Jason handed out the gasoline saws to the soldiers. He instructed them to find a partner, choose a tree, and begin cutting it down together. The soldiers, excited by the new tool, took the saws with determination. They started by selecting relatively thin trees, worried that they might not handle the machine properly on their first try.
Buzzzzzz—
The saws roared to life, their sharp chains spinning rapidly. Soon, the sound of cutting filled the air as 30 gasoline saws worked at once, slicing through the surrounding trees. Branches and smaller twigs were effortlessly cut away.
A single soldier wielding a gasoline saw could bring down a 20 cm thick tree in just five minutes. From felling the tree to stripping its branches and cutting it into logs, the entire process was quick and efficient.
By comparison, it took a team of five or six workers at least an hour to chop down a tree with axes. Not only was it slow, but it was also physically exhausting. With the gasoline saw, the process became significantly faster and required much less effort.
However, gasoline saws came with their own risks. The biggest danger was the high-speed rotating chain. A moment of carelessness could result in severe injury—or even permanent disability.
Because of this, Jason constantly reminded the soldiers to be cautious. Safety was his top priority. He repeatedly instructed them to stay focused and handle the saws carefully. He also made sure they understood how to use the black safety baffle on the saw, which could be engaged as a brake if needed.
"If anything happens, use this to stop the chain immediately," Jason warned them. "Don't take risks. If you get hurt, you'll regret it."
As the soldiers continued working, their initial nervousness faded. They became more comfortable using the saws, and their confidence grew. The workers, seeing how efficient the gasoline saws were, stopped using their axes entirely. Instead, they followed behind the saw teams, helping to transport the cut logs, branches, and leaves onto the steel freight wagons Jason had provided.
These wagons, each pulled by two horses, carried the lumber out of the forest and stacked it in a designated area at the logging site.
Even though only 30 soldiers were operating the gasoline saws, they were already outperforming the previous team of 600 axe-wielding workers. The speed and efficiency were undeniable.
Jason personally supervised the soldiers, ensuring they handled the saws properly. He remained concerned that some of them, eager to prove their skill, might rush and hurt themselves. However, his presence, along with officers like McCann, Bud, Jon, and Marbu, kept them disciplined.
"Steady hands," McCann reminded a soldier. "Speed isn't everything—safety comes first."
The soldiers took the advice to heart. They focused on cutting carefully rather than quickly. None of them wanted to embarrass themselves by making a reckless mistake in front of their commanding officers and fellow workers.
By the time the sun began to set at 5:00 p.m., the 30 soldiers had been working for over three hours. Fatigue was beginning to set in, but the results were astonishing.
More than 1,800 trees had been cut down.
On average, each soldier felled nearly 20 trees per hour. And this was only their first day using the gasoline saws. Once they became more skilled, Jason estimated that they could cut down 50 trees per hour per person.
With such a high output, the transport team—comprised of thousands of workers and 200 freight wagons—had their hands full. They worked tirelessly to load and move the cut logs.
Transporting the logs alone would have been straightforward. Each pine log, measuring between 6 to 9 meters in length and around 30 cm in diameter, weighed between 330 to 500 kg. A steel freight wagon, pulled by two horses, could carry four logs at a time.
Since there were more than 1,800 logs, the wagons needed to make over two trips each to move them all.
However, it wasn't just logs that needed to be transported. Small branches and twigs, which would be used for roofing and firewood, also had to be collected and hauled away. These scattered branches slowed down the process significantly, requiring more effort to gather and load onto the wagons.
Despite the additional work, Jason wasn't too concerned. Once the logging farm was fully established, the process would be much smoother. In the future, the transport team would only need to focus on moving cut logs, leaving excess branches on the ground unless needed for specific purposes.
That evening, Jason remained at the logging site, sharing dinner with Jon, Bud, McCann, Marbu, dicken, Kent, Chris, and Rubin. As they ate, they discussed the day's work and the future of the logging operation.
"The recruits are getting better at handling the saws," Jon noted. "They just need more time to refine their technique."
"True," McCann agreed. "Once they're fully trained, productivity will skyrocket."
Jason, listening to their discussion, mentally calculated the potential output of the logging farm.
If a single worker using a gasoline saw could cut down 30 trees per hour, and they worked six hours a day, then each worker would be cutting down nearly 180 trees per day.
Multiply that by 30 soldiers, and they could clear over 5,000 trees daily at full efficiency.
This operation was just getting started, and already, Jason could see the massive impact it would have on the surrounding economy and resources.
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