Xu Di and Zheng Boyuan had discussed this issue before. They both believed that the road from Miaozhou to Lüzhou needed to be properly repaired. This was not only because it was inconvenient for people to travel, but more importantly, they could not rely solely on transporting grain from Wuzhou by boat from Jiangnan, then transferring to the Miao River, and finally traveling upstream to Lüzhou by land. It was a short distance, but the poor road conditions made it take two days to travel.

Xu Di overheard their conversation and said, "After a few days when the farming season is over, I'll break up the work and work with Boyuan to properly repair this road."

Having served in the palace for many years, Granny Lu possessed some political acumen. Considering the current situation between Great Liang and Great Yan, she asked with concern, "Di Ge'er, is Luzhou also in danger?"

Xu Di comforted her, "Granny, the Great Yan is ambitious and always thinking about invading. Wuzhou is in a stalemate because of Wei Lang and Lord Feng. I'm afraid the Great Yan will make a fuss about Luzhou and repair the road. It will make it much easier to transport troops and supplies. Not to mention transporting those things, wouldn't it be much easier for us to visit relatives?"

The last sentence made Granny Lu laugh. She nodded and said, "That's true, but I heard that section of the road is all mountains. It's not an easy task."

Xu Di said confidently, "I plan to try using explosives to see if I can blast a path through."

As someone from a family of infrastructure construction maniacs, Xu Di deeply lamented the backwardness of current technology, but his restless heart could not be suppressed. He secretly gathered people to research explosives and had already made some progress. This time, he would use the explosives he had developed to blast through mountains and rocks. Just thinking about how, after those hard rocks were blasted by explosives, a road through the mountains would appear before the world, Xu Di felt a little excited. This was probably the aftereffect of the fun that the infrastructure construction maniacs could enjoy in moving mountains and leveling seas, turning natural barriers into thoroughfares.

Granny Lu exclaimed in surprise, "Explosives? Are they the explosives loaded inside the firearms? I heard that everything in the firearms battalion is under the direct control of the Emperor, and no one can use it at will."

Xu Di said nonchalantly, "The gunpowder used by the firearms battalion is too weak. It can only deter the enemy on the battlefield. The road I'm going to build will pass through several mountains. It's a masterpiece of nature. I'm going to fight against nature and against God. So the materials I use must be the best."

Granny Lu looked at Xu Di in surprise. Xu Di put his arm around Granny Lu's shoulder and helped her sit down in a chair. He said, "Granny, you've watched me grow up since I was a child. When have you ever seen me do anything unreliable? From our Miaozhou to Luzhou, it takes half a day to go upstream along the Miao River. After disembarking, if the road is good, it takes another half a day to reach Luzhou. But because there are several mountains in between, we have to take a detour and climb mountains. I was thinking, why not open up a road through the mountains? That would save us some distance and make our journey more convenient?"

Granny Lu said worriedly, "But doing that would be so difficult."

Xu Di smiled and said, "It is precisely because it is difficult that I am willing to do it. I have always faced difficulties head-on. Once we have built the road, people in various places will be able to bring out the products they produce to sell or exchange for other things they can use for daily life. Wouldn't that make everyone's life better? This is what is meant by 'If you want to get rich, build roads first.'"

Granny Lu smiled and shook her head, saying, "You've always been a person with your own ideas since you were little."

But after Xu Di said that, Granny Lu felt a surge of excitement. To blast the mountain flat and create a road—what a massive undertaking that would be! Granny Lu suddenly felt a sense of anticipation. If the road were built, would other places follow the example of Miaozhou and Lüzhou? Then, with roads connecting all parts of Daliang, it would be incredibly convenient to go anywhere—how wonderful that would be!

Granny Lu had traveled to many places and naturally knew the benefits of improved roads. Upon hearing Xu Di's last sentence, she thought about many things and nodded, saying, "Indeed, if the roads are improved, it will really make people's lives better."

Lying in bed that night, Granny Lu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The scene that Xu Di had described to her during the day filled her with anticipation and excitement. If the road were easier to travel, would she be able to visit Xu Zhi in Luzhou more often?

Xu Zhi is not yet sixteen years old. Even though she is a precocious child, there are still many things she cannot plan ahead of.

Granny Lu had been thinking about Xu Zhi's consummation of the marriage. By December, Xu Zhi would be sixteen years old. Many girls of that age would already be mothers. Although Chen Zhaoci had told Granny Lu about the benefits of late marriage and late childbirth, Granny Lu was concerned about the relationship between Xu Zhi and Zheng Boyuan. She felt that since they had been married for several years, the lack of marital relations could easily lead to problems in their relationship.

Xu Di could tell from Lu Mama's expression that she wanted to go to Luzhou to see Xu Zhi, so he smiled and said, "Mama, don't worry, let's catch up on things here first, and I'll go to Luzhou with you."

Granny Lu quickly waved her hand and said, "How can this be? You are an official appointed by the imperial court. How can you leave here so easily?"

Xu Di said with a smile, "I always have to go and see what the condition of that mountain road is like. I also need to discuss with Boyuan how much manpower and materials are needed to repair this road."

After Zheng Boyuan returned from the garrison, he found several skilled road surveyors and led them from Luzhou City along the mountain road towards Miaohe.

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