Chapter 119: Great Rewards

"Okay, let's go with this ratio. Old Liu, you've done a great job. All the craftsmen involved will get an extra thirty coins each today!"

After Zhu Chong confirmed it again and again, he generously gave out rewards. The craftsmen immediately cheered and some even shouted "Long live Zhu Chong". This scared Zhu Chong because almost at the same time as the craftsmen cheered, a shrill voice sounded behind him.

"The Emperor has arrived, and the officials of the Treasury and Banknote Administration are here to welcome him!"

Damn it! Zhu Chong couldn't help but pray in his heart, praying that Old Zhu hadn't heard the craftsmen shouting "Long live!"

Seeing Old Zhu approaching, Zhu Chong and his subordinates from the Baochao Tizhusi fell to their knees.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty!"

"Okay, everyone get up." Old Zhu put his hands behind his back, a playful smile on his face, and slowly paced in front of the lime kiln of the Baochao Tizhu Division. Finally, his eyes fell on the cement pier.

"Is this what I've been working on recently?" Old Zhu said straight to the point. "Tell me, what is this?"

"This, this is called cement." Zhu Chong thought about it and couldn't think of any other name, so he just said the real name.

"Cement? Mud made from water. Your name is really ordinary, but it is also very vivid." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, picked up the hammer thrown on the ground and swung it hard.

Judging from the feel, the hammer is fine, weighing at least 30 kilograms. This is the tool used by the blacksmiths in the Baochao Tizhusi to make a living, and it is not fake.

Then Lao Zhu swung the hammer hard, and the hammer hit the concrete pier with a dull thud. As a result, the recoil force almost made Lao Zhu drop the hammer.

"Your Majesty!" Mao Xiang was frightened and tried to step forward but was stopped by Zhu Yuanzhang with a wave of his hand.

Old Zhu threw away the hammer in his hand and looked carefully at the cement pier he had just hit, his eyes full of excitement.

Mao Xiang did not lie to him. Zhu Chong really made a rare object that could not be damaged even by a heavy hammer. If this thing could be mass-produced and used as a building material for the walls of the northern border cities, the court would not have to allocate money every year to repair the walls.

"Second brother, tell me, how is this thing made? Show us how." Old Zhu didn't hesitate and made a direct request to Zhu Chong.

"Old Liu, why don't you demonstrate to the emperor quickly?" Zhu Chong naturally would not do it himself. He greeted Old Liu, then presented the raw materials that had not been mixed together and those that had been mixed together to Old Zhu, and then introduced them one by one.

"Your Majesty, this is lime, this is coal slag, this is ordinary sand and gravel, this is..."

"You see, the craftsmen are using these materials right now. They're mixing them together, adding water and mixing them evenly. Then, they're waiting for them to solidify, and they'll create the cement slab you just built."

Old Zhu is a pragmatist. While watching Old Liu making cement and listening to Zhu Chong introduce cement materials and production processes, he quickly understood the composition and origin of cement.

But Lao Zhu still couldn't believe it. How could these things, which looked like flour and dust when pinched in the hand, become such a solid lump of mud when mixed with water?

"Mao Xiang, call up one of your men who is good at martial arts." Old Zhu turned around and gave orders to Mao Xiang.

Upon hearing this, Mao Xiang immediately understood Zhu's intention and went forward himself.

The entire Jinyiwei was led by him. Although Mao Xiang is old, compared with the Jinyiwei in front of him, his strength is undoubtedly the best.

"Oh, you're itching to do it, then you do it." Seeing Mao Xiang taking the initiative to step forward, Lao Zhu smiled and used his foot to signal Mao Xiang to pick up the big hammer on the ground.

Seeing that Old Zhu was still trying to test it, everyone stepped aside. However, Zhu Chong raised his hand to stop them and said, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. How about waiting for this craftsman to make the cement mold and heat it to solidify before letting the commander test it?"

After hearing what Zhu Chong said, Zhu's eyes suddenly lit up, and Mao Xiang also stopped.

To be honest, Lao Zhu doesn't believe it, mainly because he is pragmatic and doesn't want the current situation to be just an isolated case.

However, Zhu Chong's proposal was to conduct a test immediately and supervise the test himself. The person conducting the test was the Jinyiwei commander whom he trusted the most. How could Zhu not be at ease?

"Okay!" Old Zhu waved his hand. After Zhu Chong thanked him, he waved to Old Liu, and Old Liu immediately worked harder.

Doing things in front of the emperor is a great opportunity to show off your reputation, so you can't make any mistakes.

Otherwise, not only would he lose face, but also the entire family behind him, not to mention Zhu Chong's face!

An hour later, the new cement block, which had been heated, solidified and then cooled, was placed in front of Mao Xiang.

The crowd dispersed, and Zhu Chong and Lao Zhu stood at the front of the crowd, watching Mao Xiang roll up his sleeves and walk towards the concrete pier with a big hammer in his hand. Everyone's eyes were flashing with tension and excitement.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

As Mao Xiang hammered down on the concrete pier one after another, the sound was like a series of blows hitting everyone's heart, especially Lao Zhu's.

When Lao Zhu saw that the new cement pier was intact except for the loud noise from being hit by the hammer and a layer of broken sand on the surface, his eyes almost popped out.

Seeing that Old Zhu looked naive, Zhu Chong wanted to take out his cell phone and record what happened.

The Ming Dynasty was still too backward at that time. A mere piece of cement shocked so many people. If it could invent cars and airplanes, wouldn't everyone be shocked?

Zhu Chong was indeed not worried that Mao Xiang could smash the hastily made cement piers. After all, the cement that Old Liu had mixed now was comparable to quasi-grade concrete.

In later generations, concrete was famous for its super strong pressure resistance. A kung fu master like Mao Xiang might be able to smash a hole in real gold and silver, but he might not be able to smash a hole in a concrete pier.

Because concrete has such strong compressive resistance, when the hammer hits it, the force generated will be dispersed and consumed inside the concrete, thus offsetting the effect of the hammer.

Someone like Mao Xiang who relies purely on brute force to hit the concrete pillar may not be able to hurt the concrete pillar at all even if he hits it to death.

Old Zhu watched Mao Xiang smash the concrete pier for no less than a hundred times, and seeing that the concrete pier was still intact, only then did he stop Mao Xiang, who was already sweating profusely.

After Mao Xiang stopped, Lao Zhu walked forward and carefully checked the cement pier. After confirming that it was intact, he turned and looked at Zhu Chong.

"Second brother, you've done another great deed this time. We'll definitely reward you handsomely!"

"Thank you for your grace!" Zhu Chong was immediately overjoyed. It was really not easy to hear Old Zhu say that he would reward him.

The truth is that during the time that Zhu Chong traveled through time, Old Zhu always found all kinds of faults with him, and felt that he was not his biological son. Now that he finally got this opportunity, he would not let Zhu Yuanzhang go easily!