Chapter 131
Yesterday, the emperor scolded Chu Huan for being a spendthrift, but the next day in the court, he turned into a protective father. He stared at anyone who spoke to Chu Huan in a bad tone, making all the officials sweat.
Chu Huan proposed, "Dasheng spends a vast amount of money every year on embankment construction and disaster relief. Over half of these embankments are only repaired or renovated every two or three years. I propose building stronger, more durable reinforced concrete embankments that will easily last for decades."
When the concept of reinforced concrete dams was proposed, the first reaction of officials was not surprise at their extremely long service life, but unified questioning.
"What kind of dam is this?"
“Can it really last for decades?”
"How can the princess guarantee that this dam will be better than the existing one?"
“Wouldn’t this type of dam cost more?”
"Now that Dasheng is paving all its roads with cement, does the national treasury still have money left to build such an expensive dam?"
The officials were not deliberately targeting Chu Huan. Every proposal to spend money would face doubts as soon as it came out. Otherwise, how could the national treasury have so much money if people just said something to spend money?
So even if the emperor looked at them with a hint of displeasure in his eyes, the officials had no choice but to face the challenge.
Chu Huan had thought about what kind of situation she would face long before she put forward her opinion, so she was not panicked when being questioned.
"You already know about cement roads and their specific properties. Cement is actually part of concrete. Concrete can also be used for paving roads. It is more resistant to water seepage and has greater durability. Overall, concrete roads are better than cement roads."
"Then why not..." an official asked hastily. Before Chu Huan could answer, he realized the reason and quickly shut up, praying that Chu Huan didn't hear him.
However, Chu Huan had already heard it and replied, "Because concrete roads are more expensive, the national treasury doesn't have the money."
The phrase "there is no money in the treasury" really touched the sore spot of the emperor and his officials, and they frowned.
The country investigated and confiscated corrupt officials, seized the wealth accumulated by wealthy families over a century, received so much "friendly funding" from the Western Rong and Northern Di, and developed so many businesses, but in the end, the national treasury was still - out of money.
yes.
Concrete roads are better, but who can blame them for not having the money to build them?
All the officials sighed helplessly due to poverty: Why is Dasheng so poor?
Chu Hua pretended not to notice and continued, "A reinforced concrete dam requires an incalculable amount of steel and concrete. With the current output of steelmaking methods, it would be extremely difficult to provide the amount of steel needed for a dam."
Not to mention how many reinforced concrete dams need to be built throughout Dasheng.
Many officials thought to themselves: The national treasury will also be in great trouble.
Chu Hua: "I have several steelmaking methods here, but I'm not sure how much they can produce under the current conditions. So I'll have to try them out before I know which one to use."
"But no matter which steelmaking method is used, the amount required to build a reinforced concrete dam is too large. It is best to build a factory nearby to obtain the materials and save the time and cost of intermediate transportation."
"It might seem like building a reinforced concrete dam costs a lot of money, but if it's built well and without cutting corners, it can last for decades, saving you the need for repairs and disaster relief every two or three years. Simply put: in the long run, it saves money, a lot of money, a lot of money."
After repeating the word "save money" three times in a row, the emperor and his officials looked better.
If the reinforced concrete dam is really as good as Chu Huan said, even if it is a money-eating beast, the national treasury will sell everything it has to repair it!
Maybe they will have to tighten their belts and live a hard life in the next ten or twenty years, but in the long run, the people of Dasheng will no longer suffer from floods in the next few decades or hundreds of years because they have better embankments!
The emperor had already read a lot of the content in Chu Huan's letter yesterday. Seeing that the officials had not raised any doubts for the time being, he asked, "Zhao Ming, tell me what you think specifically."
Chu Huan then explained in detail what materials were needed to build the reinforced concrete dam, where to build it, and who to find to do it.
She has even chosen locations for the factory, and more than one.
They spoke for nearly half an hour, and during that time other officials asked questions and answered them, so Chu Huan was so thirsty from talking.
Chen Jiu silently went to pour tea and served her two cups of warm water in front of the entire court: "Princess, please."
"Thank you very much." Chu Hua didn't hesitate and drank two cups in one breath. "Do you have any questions?"
The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said, "Princess, we already know how good reinforced concrete dams are, but how much money is in the national treasury? You know the annual income and expenditure. It is indeed difficult to find money to build a dam."
All the officials nodded repeatedly.
Everyone was working for the betterment of Dasheng and its people. Chu Huan's plan was very complete, and it was obvious that it had been prepared for a long time, but they had no money! This was too fatal!
Chu Huan glanced around and found that everyone had the same attitude: "If I can solve the problem of money, can you all agree on the reinforced concrete dam?"
All the officials looked at each other in bewilderment. How could Princess Zhaoming be so confident? Could she really have another solution?
When they thought about how much work the entire court had done and how much money had been earned in order to pave the entire cement road, but still couldn't fill this hole, many people were immediately shocked. Would they have to work day and night again starting tomorrow?
Prince Furui was eager to try. He felt a little lonely because he was not included in the last round of court work.
"Zhao Ming, no matter how good the reinforced concrete dam is, we have never seen its effectiveness."
The implication is: If you want to convince all the officials, you still need one more trick.
Chu Huan: "Building a dam is too expensive and time-consuming, so I can't show you the finished product. I have ordered people to demolish a wall of the princess's mansion and build a reinforced concrete wall. You gentlemen can go and test it out after you leave the court."
Try? Try what?
The officials were astonished. Could Princess Zhaoming have told them to break down the wall? Could that be possible?
Just as everyone was whispering, the emperor at the top spoke: "Lin You."
Jinyiwei Commander Lin You stepped out and said, "I am here."
"Yesterday, I dispatched twenty Jinyiwei to the Princess's residence. They attacked the reinforced concrete wall with hammers, stones, and other tools. We discovered that this type of wall is very hard and resistant to impact, and is difficult to climb, making it very suitable for use as a city wall."
This was the purpose of Chu Huan's letter: to let the emperor send someone to testify for her in the court.
"If you gentlemen do not believe me, please do as you please after the court session."
She didn't say anything else. As for where the money for building the reinforced concrete dam would come from, which many people were concerned about?
The officials didn't give in, and neither would she.
After the court session, Chu Huan was stopped by many people and asked about some small details that were not convenient to mention in the court.
Chu Huan saw the worried looks on Li He and Li Chen's faces from the corner of her eye, and shook her head to indicate that they didn't need to worry.
Li He and his son Li Chen have built dams in the local area for many years and have made great contributions to preventing floods. They were promoted to Beijing officials last year and were the candidates she had just recommended in the court to build this reinforced concrete dam.
On this day, the princess's mansion welcomed many guests, including officials, servants and maids.
Those people did not enter the house, but just watched the reinforced concrete wall from outside, smashing it with all the large and small tools they brought with them.
There were so many people smashing the wall, and it took a long time, that the people who passed by or heard the noise thought there was something wrong with them. They ran to tell the guards of the princess's mansion that someone was smashing the wall and might have a problem with his brain.
The guards held back their laughter as they explained to the people what the princess had done, telling them: Those were materials that would be used on flood control dams in the future, and you could smash them if you wanted to.
People: ???
People:!!!
Ahhhh Princess Zhaoming finally took action on the flood control dam!
Happy event! Very happy event!
Who doesn’t have a few friends and family members who have been affected by floods?
The people of the capital city beat drums and gongs and ran around to spread the news, attracting wave after wave of people to watch and try.
This event lasted for a full half month. During this period, people kept coming to smash the wall. There were some results, but not much. Both the officials and the people were very happy to see it.
A solid wall? That would be great!
So when will the imperial court start building the reinforced concrete dam? They can’t wait!
Amidst the overwhelming praise and expectations, there are also some discordant voices.
The system was furious: [I knew it! I knew that after you proposed the reinforced concrete dam, there would definitely be fools asking why you didn't come up with it years ago! What do you mean by years ago? If you had built it years ago, it would have been built by now. The court wouldn't have lost so much money, the people wouldn't have been displaced, and the fertile fields wouldn't have been washed away...]
The system grew increasingly angry, its voice breaking into a chorus at the end: [With their "wise" little heads, why didn't they consider how much money Dasheng had in the past few years? The national treasury ran out of money just after it was started. Are they just going to leave it there and let it become an unfinished project?]
Coal, iron ore, limestone, and clay don't grow in the same place, and if concrete roads aren't built, how are we going to transport the raw materials? Isn't it okay if the transportation is very slow?
"A few years ago, you weren't even an official. Who would have listened to your opinions? A few years ago, Li He and his son, Li Chen, were still building traditional dams in the area, accumulating experience and experience."
If the Dasheng court had someone more skilled at building dams than them, the dams wouldn't collapse year after year. If they weren't given time to accumulate experience, who would build the reinforced concrete dams? How would they build them?
If someone else comes in, spends a ton of money, and the dam doesn't get built, is it because that person doesn't know how to build a dam yet insists on taking on the job? Or is it a problem with the reinforced concrete dam itself?
Seeing the system so excited, Chu Huan quickly stroked its fur a few times: [Okay, don't be angry, why are you arguing with them?]
"I just feel sorry for you." The system's baby voice twitched, as if it was crying out of anger. "Hasn't your contribution to Dasheng been enough? How could they think this of you?"
When everyone was talking, Shang Lu was also nearby. After hearing this, he held Chu Huan's hand. He also felt sorry for his wife.
"I'm fine." Chu Huan smiled and shook Shang Lu's hand.
I do all this just to make Dasheng and its people better. Whether they are grateful or resentful is beyond my control.
Life is only a few decades long. I just want to be true to my conscience, my country, and my people.
Shang Lu's eyes were filled with shock and laughter. He took Chu Huan's hand and kissed her gently: "I will always support you."
The system is not willing to lag behind: [Me too! ]
After today's report reached the emperor and officials, many people were shocked and sighed.
Why isn't Princess Zhaoming a prince? What a pity!
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