Chapter 91 Steel and Cement
Bad guys are always good at speaking, and good guys can never catch up with them in this respect.
"There's some bad news coming back from the front, and I feel it's necessary to tell you." Zhao Huan looked very sad.
"What? The Jin soldiers turned their horses around and came back to attack? That's a good thing! Damn them!" Sure enough, Niu Gao was still the same Niu Gao, and a few cultured words could not change his inner qualities.
“No!”
"Something happened to Tang Huai?" Yue Fei was still the smartest one. After thinking about it, the only person who was related to them at the front was Tang Huai.
"Yes!" Zhao Huan nodded. "The vanguard we sent out didn't find Tang Huai on the south bank of the Yellow River. A woman named Bai Sanniang heard about Tang Huai, saying that a Censor-in-Chief from Bianliang was going to Goryeo to seek cooperation. No one knows what they talked about, but Tang Huai happily followed her, leaving behind a message that he was going to find Dae Jang Geum."
"What is Dae Jang Geum?" Yue Fei and others were not familiar with some of the customs and habits of Goryeo.
Zhao Huan pondered for a moment, then said, "Dae Jang Geum is the most formidable female physician in Goryeo. It's said she has exceptional skin, as white as jade, shimmering with a captivating radiance. She's the most beautiful woman in Goryeo."
“…”
"Third brother is really useless..."
"Who is this Chief Censor? He actually found my third brother's weakness right away."
"Chief Censor, Qin Hui is a man of great eloquence. It's very likely that Tang Huai was fooled."
"The third brother's nature remains unchanged. He might just follow someone else's lead if they just tell him to."
"Second brother, don't laugh at the pig's blackness. You are not much different..."
"I've already sent people after him. Frankly speaking, I was planning to kill Qin Hui. But now, they've taken a hostage. Tang Huai is your brother, and I simply can't just ignore him."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."
"It's okay. Have you had a good rest these days after the Jin army retreated? I have an errand that I want to assign to you brothers. I wonder what you think." Zhao Huan was the emperor and of course he could make the arrangements directly, but considering the people's hearts and efficiency, Zhao Huan was willing to seek their opinions, which was similar to the face-to-face interview before giving employees a promotion or salary increase in later generations.
"If His Majesty has any orders, just give them and I will do my best to complete them."
"We still have to reach a consensus. Listen to me first. If you have any concerns, you can speak directly. Once you make a decision, you can't let me down. You have to grit your teeth and do a good job. Do you understand?"
"OK."
"Although the Jin troops have retreated, there's no guarantee they'll attack again. Military vigilance cannot be relaxed. I intend to have you lead your troops to garrison Shunde Prefecture (present-day Xingtai, Hebei, on the north bank of the Yellow River). You'll arrange for city defenses, train the troops, and strengthen coordination with the forces in Zhending and Zhongshan, ensuring you're always ready to deploy."
"Also, Shunde is rich in coal and steel resources. I will grant you the authority to start smelting iron. I will also send craftsmen to assist you in your work. You must make Shunde a solid defense line to the north of the capital in the shortest possible time."
"Training the troops and garrisoning them will be no problem. I am confident in this. However, I have no experience in ironmaking and equipment manufacturing. I am worried that I will not be able to do it well. Your Majesty, please make detailed arrangements."
"I'll just tell you briefly. When you get there, make the preparations as I say."
"Regarding Shunde, my plan is to build it into a major military town. I will stimulate commercial development through iron smelting, store large quantities of food and supplies nearby, and plan the surrounding population according to the military household system."
"I will first allocate you two hundred thousand taels of silver. On the one hand, it will be used to meet the needs of the soldiers, and on the other hand, we will recruit refugees through recruitment, sign employment contracts, and provide food, accommodation, and wages."
"You can start by giving them simple training, just like you would with the military. You don't need them to be able to fight on the battlefield, just enough to follow orders. If you provide them with adequate pay, there shouldn't be any difficulty in this regard."
"I will send specialized technicians to take care of the mining and iron smelting. You just need to cooperate with them and manage it well."
"In that case, I have no problem with that."
"Pack up and set off as soon as possible." Zhao Huan handed the resource map to Yue Fei: "Remember these places, there are coal mines and iron mines below. Go there and control them as soon as possible."
"yes!"
After Yue Fei and others left, Zhao Huan immediately summoned Doctor Sun.
Doctor Sun is a rare all-rounder, more useful than the Minister of Works.
The memorial from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau mentioned that ventilation and drainage problems in mines are the main issues restricting iron ore mining. What do you think about this?
How do I watch it? I watch it while lying down or sitting down.
"Your Majesty, this problem is not limited to the Song Dynasty. It has remained unsolved for four hundred years since the Tang Dynasty. I am powerless to do anything about it."
"With current technology, the underground mines we can mine are generally between 60 and 80 meters below the surface. At this level, air can barely circulate. Going deeper, in addition to the air quality issues, the support pressure will also increase dramatically. Whoever can solve this problem will surely go down in history."
"Hahaha." Zhao Huan laughed. "I have developed a new material. Its support capacity is more than ten times that of the current wood, and it is also easy to use."
"In addition, this material is waterproof and resistant to erosion by water and fire. By lighting coal at the bottom of the ventilation shaft, an updraft is created, which can greatly reduce the safety risks of pulling air circulation."
"Your Majesty's idea is not wrong. Do I have such materials?"
"Of course there is. I call this material cement."
"The ingredients for cement are also very simple: clay bricks, various pieces of pottery, various pieces of ceramic bowls and plates, various pieces of refractory materials such as pots and pans, and various waste residues from iron smelting furnaces. Grind these materials as finely as possible, and take 75% for later use. Take 20% quicklime and 5% plaster of Paris."
"Wash all the above materials, dry them on a kang, grind them into fine powder, and mix them together according to the proportions. This mixture is cement."
"Adding water to cement creates a slurry mixture, which quickly hardens at high temperatures. You can even add some steel to the mixture for support, which is highly efficient and strong, and much better than using wood for support."
"Does this really work? It sounds like it's just fine sand formed by crushing different materials. Does it have such a strong adhesive effect?"
"You'll know if you try it. Remember to control the proportions well."
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