"Congratulations for Ping Liao!"
"Congratulations to the Holy Emperor!"
"Congratulations to the Ming Dynasty!"
The wine glasses clinked together, Chen Zilong and others drank it all in one gulp, and laughed heartily at each other.
Xu Fuyuan, Xia Yunyi, Chen Zilong, Wang Jizhong and others gathered together, feasted and drank, both to celebrate and to say farewell.
Chen Zilong had received an imperial appointment, temporarily appointed Liaodong Left Counselor and Superintendent of Agricultural Promotion. After the New Year, he would travel to Liaodong with Governor Wu Yongxian to coordinate the planning of spring plowing.
"Although Liaodong has become desolate due to war, if it is cultivated and colonized, it will be a fertile land with great potential." Chen Zilong was in a very good mood and was full of confidence.
Having never taken the imperial examination and still being young, he traveled to Beijing to study, but due to a chance encounter, within just a few years, he had already reached the rank of a fourth-rank official. With a vast world at his disposal, it was a perfect opportunity to achieve great things and realize his ambitions.
Everyone laughed and agreed. Xia Yunyi asked, "Brother Renzhong, have you been discussing Liaodong affairs with Governor Wu these past few days? Are you getting along well?"
Chen Zilong smiled and said, "All farming matters have been entrusted to me. This is both a sign of Master Wu's trust and a sign of your mentorship. From what Master Wu said, there are also instructions for the Emperor."
"Brother Renzhong has been personally appointed by the Emperor, so how could Governor Wu not trust him?" Xu Fuyuan said, "Besides, Lord Xu has such a good reputation, it's only natural that agriculture should be entrusted to Brother Renzhong."
Wang Jizhong said, "Agriculture is paramount to the recovery of Liaodong. If we can achieve self-sufficiency sooner rather than later, it will be a great achievement for Brother Chen."
Chen Zilong nodded repeatedly. He already had a plan for this, and with the advice of his teacher Xu Guangqi, he was quite confident.
"If Liaodong becomes self-sufficient, the imperial court will no longer have to transport food over long distances, saving a great deal of money," Xu Fuyuan said. "With Liaodong as our base, the army can sweep through the enemy territory and completely destroy the Jiannu."
Chen Zilong stroked his forehead gently and said, "We have new crops like rye, potatoes, and corn, and the army will help us cultivate them next spring. If there's no major disaster, we might not need to requisition grain from the court again after autumn. But to support tens of thousands of troops on the expedition to Haixi, I think we'll need another year's worth of farming reserves before we can do that."
"Regardless of the situation, Brother Renzhong has done his best and has undoubtedly made great contributions to the reconstruction of Liaodong." Xu Fuyuan raised his glass and said, "Congratulations, Brother Chen!"
"Thank you very much, brothers." Chen Zilong raised his glass with a smile on his face and drank another glass with everyone.
Everyone drank and ate, and chatted animatedly. Most of the topics were about Liaodong and the great victory in pacifying Liaodong.
There was no other way. The successful pacification of Liaodong was not only big news, but also inspiring. The most ferocious foreign enemy in more than a decade had been defeated, and peace could be enjoyed again. Everyone from top to bottom was filled with joy and happiness.
"It seems the Jianlu were defeated in an instant. It's exciting, but also surprising." Wang Jizhong put down his chopsticks and said, "Do you feel the same way?"
Chen Zilong nodded and said, "I've only been in Liaoxi for a little over a year, and I never expected Liaodong to be pacified so quickly. However, by then, the Jianlu were already showing signs of decline. Blockaded from all sides, food and supplies were extremely scarce."
"Speaking of food, supplies, and weapons and equipment, I believe they are the key to pacifying Liao," Xu Fuyuan said. "It is the combined efforts of the entire nation that have made our Ming army so powerful. Looking at the expenses listed in the newspapers, it's a whopping tens of millions."
"No matter how much it costs, it's worth it to complete the great cause of pacifying Liao." Xia Yunyi said, "The Jianlu suffered heavy casualties and fled north. This will definitely bring us another ten years of peace and stability."
"Ten years is the minimum." Chen Zilong said with a smile, "You are studying in the Academy, so you don't quite understand the situation. With hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and generals commanding, and fierce artillery, muskets, and cavalry, even if the Jianlu and the Northern Lu collude, it would be wishful thinking for them to invade."
"The artillery should crush the Jianlu and Northern Lu." Xu Fuyuan agreed and said, "The number is still increasing. I know that."
Wang Ji nodded emphatically and said, "I heard that the Liao people around the capital are preparing to return home. The court must also introduce policies to quickly restore the population of Liaodong and expand the cultivated land as much as possible."
Xia Yunyi pointed out the window and said with a smile, "That girl selling roasted sweet potatoes outside, and the one selling thirsty water in the summer, is from Liaodong. Didn't you hear her shouting when you came? She's not in the capital after the New Year."
Chen Zilong smiled and said, "I heard about it when I came here. I even took care of her business and gave her a few extra copper coins to help her with the money for her trip home."
"Brother Chen, maybe you'll run into her in Liaodong!" Xu Fuyuan joked, "Since she's one of the people under Brother Chen's rule, having one more family cultivating the land will also add to Brother Chen's merit."
"Besides farming, there's a lot of work to do!" Chen Zilong glanced at his friends and said, "For example, building roads and bridges, constructing houses, developing water conservancy projects, mining and manufacturing, and so on. Are you interested in going to Liaodong?"
Several people looked at each other, some of them were excited, but still a little hesitant.
"If..." Wang Jizhong stroked his chin and said regretfully, "If cement is successfully developed, it could be of great use in Liaodong."
Xu Fuyuan hummed and said, "Actually, it's not that far from success. Besides, even if I'm not completely satisfied, it's still much better than the materials we used before."
"Brother Shen, could you give me some pointers?" Xia Yunyi frowned slightly and said, "The letter has been delivered. He should have received it, right?"
China has a long history and has made brilliant achievements and important contributions to the creation of human civilization.
The development process of ancient building cementitious materials started from "white lime flour" and yellow mud, then developed into lime and "cement", and then developed into cementitious materials mixed with lime and organic matter.
Ancient Chinese building cementitious materials have their own glorious history. In the process of developing basically synchronously with ancient Western building cementitious materials, China's ancient building cementitious materials appear to be slightly superior due to the widespread use of cementitious materials combining lime and organic matter.
However, the development of ancient Chinese building cementitious materials stopped after reaching the stage of cementitious materials made of lime mixed with organic matter, and failed to take another step forward from this basis.
Ancient Western building cementitious materials continued to develop based on "Roman mortar", constantly improving towards the direction of modern cement, and eventually invented cement.
As the "food" of construction, cement was naturally included in the emperor's plan.
Moreover, the most basic cement, that is, hydraulic lime made from clay and limestone, has been successfully developed by the Academy of Sciences. Its performance exceeds that of "Roman mortar" and is only one step away from Portland cement.
The key point is that the emperor only knew the formula, but didn't know where to find natural marl, or the raw material called cement limestone.
Moreover, he did not know the exact firing temperature, so the quality of the products produced would be unstable and accidents would easily occur due to cement quality.
Therefore, the advent of cement took some time, and repeated experiments were needed to find out the temperature and optimal ratio.
The emperor also believed that hydraulic lime could be widely used. Its resistance to seawater erosion was particularly important, making it extremely useful in projects involving water, such as lighthouses.
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