Chapter 135 Really Good

When the carriage wheels rolled over the cement road, Lao Zhu already felt the difference from his previous trips.

In the past, when traveling, whether on the roads of Yingtian Prefecture or on the official roads outside the city, there would inevitably be various bumps and bruises.

Even if the streets have been swept in advance, the vehicle will still be bumpy due to various reasons, so Lao Zhu will almost never choose to ride in a car unless it is necessary, because it is really too uncomfortable to sit in it. He would rather ride a horse or a sedan chair than ride in a car.

But today, when he was sitting in the carriage and it drove onto the concrete road, Lao Zhu immediately had a completely different feeling.

The previous second, I felt that the carriage was still bumping up and down, but the next second all the bumps disappeared, and there was only the sound of the carriage wheels turning.

How could it be so stable? I felt the vehicle accelerating uncontrollably, but I couldn't hear the driver cracking his whip.

It was the first time for Lao Zhu to encounter such a situation where he could lead others to run so fast without whipping the horses.

It turns out that this cement road is much better than Zhu Chong said! Old Zhu couldn't help but lift the curtains and peek out. As a result, he saw the scenery outside the window passing by like a shuttle. The carriage had already started to run at full speed, and the coachman outside the carriage was trying his best to control the horse from speeding up.

This is what it means to walk on flat ground! A word suddenly came to Lao Zhu's mind, but on the surface, he remained calm and then looked at Tang He and Li Wenzhong in front of him.

"How is it? What do you think of this road?"

In fact, Li Wenzhong and Tang He had wanted to speak for a long time, but Zhu Yuanzhang had not opened his mouth, and they did not feel comfortable expressing their opinions. When they heard Zhu Yuanzhang ask the question, Tang He answered immediately.

"Your Majesty, I heard in the city that this road is extraordinary. When I first arrived, I ran a full circle. A journey that normally takes an hour can now be shortened by at least half an hour. This is much better than the roads built in Yingtian Prefecture!"

"Yes, yes!" Li Wenzhong echoed, "I've been wondering this for a while now. I just heard a few days ago that a road was being built outside the city, and I thought it would take a while to see the sight. Who would have thought it would be finished in just a few days, and in such good condition!"

"Hahaha..." When Zhu Yuanzhang heard Tang He and Li Wenzhong praising the cement road, he immediately smiled so much that his face was full of wrinkles like a chrysanthemum. This is what he called being proud of.

Zhu Chongxiu's path has been praised and admired by so many people, and as a father, he certainly feels proud!

"It was the second son who built it. He consulted the Crown Prince and mobilized 20,000 laborers. The road was completed in less than ten days. This brat is terrible at everything else, but he's a master at this!"

When Tang He and Li Wenzhong heard what Lao Zhu said, their eyes widened instantly.

Second brother? Prince Zhu Chong of Qin? Wasn't he working at the Baochao Tizhusi printing banknotes? Why was he here building roads?

And this is too outrageous. Twenty thousand laborers built more than thirty miles of road in less than ten days. This is too unbelievable!

Even the fastest project in the Ming Dynasty could not be completed as fast as his. Tang He and Li Wenzhong were both in disbelief.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was right in front of them, and he told them the truth with his own mouth, so they had no choice but to believe it.

Li Wenzhong was the one who thought things over. "Your Majesty, was it really His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin who led the repairs? That's a bit too fast!"

"If we can build such a long road in seven days, then wouldn't it be better if we add a few more people? By the time of next year's New Year in Ming Dynasty, there will be such good roads everywhere?"

Hearing Li Wenzhong's words, Old Zhu was slightly stunned. He had never thought about this problem, but according to Li Wenzhong's statement, it seemed to be correct.

More than thirty miles of land can be repaired in these seven days. If the number of people is increased tenfold or a hundredfold, doesn’t it mean that all the official roads of the Ming Dynasty can be replaced with this kind of cement road in one year?

According to this calculation, Zhu Chong’s previous statement about building a straight road to the grassland seems to be no problem at all!

But soon, Old Zhu rejected his own idea. "Maybe it is that easy, but Wenzhong, building this kind of road is not that easy. The road was paved with something called cement, which was made by the second brother."

"For just this little over thirty miles of land, the second brother spent five thousand strings of cash. If we want to exchange our entire Ming Dynasty for such land, we'll need that much money!"

Upon hearing what Zhu Yuanzhang said, Li Wenzhong immediately stopped trying. The fact that the Ming Dynasty had no money was a secret to others, but it was not a secret to their own family.

Tang He was Zhu Yuanzhang's childhood friend, and Li Wenzhong was his nephew, so they were not outsiders. They were also dukes, so they were not on guard against some secrets in the court.

"Your Majesty, what is cement? Was it really made by His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin?" Tang He tactfully changed the subject.

"Yeah!" Old Zhu nodded with a smile. "That kid, I guess he usually spends all his time on this weird technique, so today I came here just to see if what he made is as amazing as he said. The result really didn't disappoint me!"

Versailles, too Versailles! Tang He and Li Wenzhong could hear the pride in Old Zhu's words, and they immediately became curious.

They all knew what kind of character the King of Qin had before, but they never expected that after Zhu Chong returned from his exile in Yunnan, he would suddenly become so promising?

As they were talking, the carriage had already entered the territory of Changning and stopped soon after.

When Tang He opened the door curtain, he saw Zhu Chong and his men surveying the ground step by step, so he immediately asked his coachman to go up and inform Zhu Chong.

As soon as he heard that Old Zhu was coming, and that Duke Xin and Duke Cao were also coming, Zhu Chong hurried over to see the emperor.

"Second brother, I'm amazed that you were able to repair the road from Yingtian Prefecture to the coal mine in such a short time. You did a great job!" Lao Zhu rarely praised people like this. It was true that he was very satisfied with the cement road along the way.

"I thank Your Majesty for the praise." Zhu Chong said calmly, "This road was completed so quickly under Your Majesty's command, with the dedication of 20,000 laborers and the support of the local people. I only did what was necessary, and I dare not take credit for it!"

When Tang He and Li Wenzhong heard what Zhu Chong said, their faces changed. It is not something that ordinary people can do to not be proud of their achievements, especially in the case of Zhu Chong. This made them look at Zhu Chong with admiration.

Old Zhu nodded and said with a wave of his hand, "Well, that's right. You were able to mobilize so many laborers and cooperate with the local authorities to build this road. Your contribution is invaluable. The local laborers have all worked hard and made great contributions. When we return, we will ask the Ministry of Personnel to reward them according to their merits."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Zhu Chong hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

"It seems that last time you were at the Treasure Bank, you told me that building a straight road with cement would be very convenient and fast. I thought you were just bragging, but I didn't expect it to be true. This road is really good!"