Chapter 737 Black Lake
The next morning, in the top floor office of the Hanyang City Government Building, when Niu Wei came to Luo Chong again, this guy knelt down in front of Luo Chong on the spot, crying and listing his crimes.
"Niu Wei is ashamed of the leader. He acted too hastily, exposed his true colors, and ruined the leader's plan. The leader is so kind and righteous that he not only did not abandon me, but also redeemed me with a huge sum of money. Niu Wei is grateful and will swear to be loyal to my master until death. I beg the leader to punish me."
Luo Chong had a blank expression on his face, thinking about whether to find someone to cast an Oscar statuette for this guy. He acted too well, and his words were more pleasant than the last, but he blocked all his words and put the hat of being kind and righteous on his head. If he punished him again, it would make him look unkind and unjust.
This guy has a very bad heart.
"You still know that you are guilty?" Luo Chong suddenly stood up from behind the desk, walked slowly around the desk, and held the hilt of the sword at his waist with his left hand.
This posture immediately scared Niu Wei. Shit, is this Han leader going to chop him off with his own hands? !
He was so scared that he immediately slumped his head to the ground, his head pressed tightly to the floor, his butt raised high, and kept shouting that he was guilty, hoping that the leader would punish him.
Luo Chong did not let him get up, but glanced at him with disdain and continued to ask.
"How much of the Han tribe's affairs have you told that Commander Xin?"
Niu Wei's heart suddenly sank. Sure enough, he was going to settle accounts with him, but he was unwilling to die just like that, so he tried his best to whitewash himself.
"To reply to the leader, I really didn't say anything. I told them those things that are obvious, such as windmills, water wheels, plows, and lighthouses. They had heard about these from the diplomatic corps. I just mentioned the life and taxation system of the Han people. But these things are also in the Han etiquette book given to them. It's not that I said too much.
Besides, before I left the Han tribe, the leader didn't regard me as a subordinate. I have never seen those confidential things. Even if I want to say something, I really have nothing to say."
Niu Wei lay on the ground with grievance, his eyes fixed on Luo Chong's shadow on the ground. He was really afraid that Luo Chong would suddenly draw his sword and chop him. If he died like this, why did he go to so much trouble to come out? It would be better to continue to be locked up.
"Oh? So, you think that this leader has wronged you?" Luo Chong suddenly walked in front of him and stopped, staring at his attractive back of the head and asked.
"I dare not. I dare not question the leader."
Niu Wei's heart tightened immediately. This was really the leader looking for trouble. No matter how he answered, he would find fault. He was now desperate and could only hope that Luo Chong would redeem him with the price of two large ships, not to bring him to his side to chop him for fun.
"It's good that you know you are guilty. Get up. Now I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself
and make meritorious service." Luo Chong frightened him and turned back to sit behind his desk.
It was impossible to kill him. After all, it was exchanged for the trading rights of two ships, and the Han tribe was expanding too fast, and he really needed people.
"Thank you for sparing my life, thank you for giving me a chance to redeem myself."
Niu Wei kowtowed several times while speaking, and then stood up with a shameless face and a flattering look.
Luo Chong glanced at him, took out a small map from the bookshelf next to him, and spread it on the table.
"Look, mark out any deficiencies on this map. If you dare to miss any, you can just go back to Zhudao."
Niu Wei was shocked and kept saying he dared not to. Then he carefully stepped forward to look at the map. When he saw what was drawn on it, he was surprised again.
This turned out to be a complete map of Zhudao. The general geographical features, mountains and rivers, farmlands and villages, population distribution, mineral distribution, coastal hydrological conditions, and even seasonal differences were all marked on it. It was simply too detailed.
Of course, this was his evaluation of the outsiders of the Han tribe. A group of non-natives could actually investigate the situation of Zhudao like this, which was enough to prove their terribleness. However, for him, a native native, there were still many things that could be supplemented.
For example, the distribution of the family power of each elder
"I don't know what kind of information the leader wants?" Niu Wei secretly looked at Luo Chong and asked.
"The land, population distribution, affiliated forces, unique resources in various places, and transportation conditions are very important for future administrative divisions. They must be detailed and true. I think these should not be difficult for you, Elder Shang, right?" Luo Chong stared at his expression and asked.
"Of course there is no problem, but, Chief, Niu Wei has been imprisoned for half a year. I still remember the things before, but I don't know if there have been any changes in the past six months." Niu Wei thought about it and decided to say the ugly words in advance, so as not to come back and punish him because of this or that thing that doesn't match what he said.
"You don't have to worry about this, just mark down what you know, I will find someone to verify it one by one. In addition, mark out all the important strongholds, production and living facilities, and places suitable for fleet landing within three kilometers along the coast of Zhudao." Luo Chong arranged again.
"Yes, Chief, then I will do this now?"
Luo Chong glanced at this guy again, thought about it, and said.
"I will find someone to draw a new map and sand table with you. You must cooperate well at that time. In addition, you should organize the information you know into a written explanation and submit it. As for your current arrangement, you will be a county magistrate in the newly established Xuefu County under Ruyang County. You must familiarize yourself with the county's government affairs as soon as possible. While drawing the map, don't fall behind in government affairs. I've given you the opportunity. What you can do in the future depends on you."
Luo Chong thought for a while, and then told him the arrangement he had thought of long ago. What he lacked now was an official who could be of great use. Niu Wei couldn't go back to Zhudao anyway, so it would be better to observe him for a while to see if he had the talent to be an official.
It happened that Xuefu County was also a newly established county town, and it was still mainly based on schools. There were special principals to manage the affairs of the school. There were not many real ordinary people outside, that is, there were only a few hundred households. If this couldn't be managed well, Luo Chong would not be able to give him a larger territory to manage.
Upon hearing Luo Chong's arrangement, Niu Wei was immediately excited. Although he was only a small county magistrate now, it was not important. The important thing was that Luo Chong not only did not blame him, but also let him be an official. This might be an assessment. As long as he did well enough, it might not be impossible for him to become a county governor or a higher position in the future. He believed that he was not a fool.
After thanking Luo Chong for his kindness, Niu Wei was finally sent away. Luo Chong sat quietly at the guest seat beside him and drank tea, thinking about the future of the Han tribe.
On the same afternoon, at noon, Luo Chong had eaten iced noodles at home. Just as he was about to take a nap in the room with ice cubes, he heard the maid outside come to report that a letter had just arrived here.
Luo Chong hurriedly took the letter, and to his surprise, the letter was actually sent by You Ye. Did the temporary camp in the north have problems again?
However, after he quickly browsed the content, he realized that it was You Ye's routine report on recent work, but there was a sentence about exploration and discovery that was mentioned in passing, which attracted his attention.
"There is a black lake on the northwest ice field, which does not melt all day long, stinks to the sky, and people can stand on the lake."
Black lake? Doesn't melt all day long? Stinks to the sky? People can still stand on the lake?
"What is this?!" Luo Chong began to rack his brains to think about the natural wonders of the world that he knew in his previous life, but he couldn't think of anything similar for a while.
In the letter, Youye also added his own speculation after the description of the black lake. Many people in the exploration fleet suspected that it was a mineral.
This black lake is located on a meadow on a large plain. It is not connected to other water systems around it. It is a completely independent lake with an area of about 500 to 600 hectares, or 5 to 6 square kilometers.
The outer edge of the lake is all hard black solid. People can walk on it casually, even horse-drawn carriages can run on it. However, the closer you go to the center of this lake, the softer it becomes, gradually turning into a black viscous gelatinous liquid. The liquefied area in the center is about the size of three or four basketball courts. Compared with the area of the entire lake, it is just a very inconspicuous point.
In addition, these unsolidified black liquids continue to emit a disgusting stench, while the solid areas around them have no smell.
Perhaps because they thought this thing might be a mineral, they tried to mine it a little. It was much easier to mine than they thought. This thing was not as hard as coal, but more like dried bacon, and even a little sticky.
Luo Chong opened the cloth bag containing their so-called "minerals" and immediately found several pieces of obsidian and several black stones of different sizes. They felt softer than stones when they pinched them, and they didn't smell like anything. There were bright flashes on some cut surfaces, but they were not as smooth as metal, but more like the flash of oil.
This idea gave him a lot of inspiration. He quickly asked the maid to bring a pair of chopsticks, and then held a small piece of black gravel and placed it on the candle flame to smoke. In just a moment, the black stone debris melted and stuck the two chopsticks together, and burned quickly, emitting a puff of black smoke and a strong special smell.
"Hmm, this smell is surprisingly familiar."
Luo Chong instantly remembered what this thing was. Isn't this the smell of boiling asphalt on the roof for waterproofing when he was a child?
This thing turned out to be asphalt.
He suddenly realized it. He
quickly asked the maid to open the window for ventilation, and threw the two chopsticks out.
Luo Chong came to the terrace on the top floor and breathed in the fresh air to think.
It turned out to be an asphalt lake! He had heard of this thing. There was more than one such thing on Earth in his previous life. The most famous one was Lake Peach in the Caribbean Sea. It was also a lake made entirely of asphalt, and it was also a very famous tourist attraction.
This thing is probably a natural product formed by underground oil gushing out of the surface at the crack of the plate, exposed to the sun and volatilized.
Asphalt, that is, the heavy oil substance left after the light substances in crude oil evaporate, has another alias, called asphalt.
Lake Peach is such a natural asphalt mine. It is said that nearly 100 million tons have been mined, and the lake level has not dropped so far. 90% of it has been exported to China for infrastructure paving.
Although many people have not heard of it, it is actually not far from people.
After figuring out what this thing is, Luo Chong immediately became excited. This is a natural asphalt mine of more than 500 hectares. There are so many things that can be done.
Although the Han tribe also uses asphalt now, it is a byproduct of coal coking and the output is very scarce. Apart from using it to waterproof the seams of sailboats, it is impossible to use it for anything else.
But now it is different. A natural asphalt mine with a huge output has appeared in front of the Han tribe. It is perfect for building bridges and paving roads. Except that it is a little far from the Han tribe, it has basically no other disadvantages.
Looking at the asphalt fragments in the small cloth bag, Luo Chong's mind appeared the scene of asphalt roads everywhere in the Han tribe. There are dark asphalt roads connecting the counties. Countless asphalt roads together build the light land transportation network of the Han tribe. As for heavy land transportation, it can be completely handed over to trains in the future.
At the current development speed of the Han tribe, Luo Chong thinks it is not difficult to make a train in his lifetime.
But this is all later. What he needs to decide now is whether to mine this asphalt lake? How to mine it? What to mine it for?
Mining definitely requires a lot of manpower and tools, transportation requires vehicles and ships, and professional knowledge is also needed for use. After all, asphalt alone cannot pave asphalt roads. A large amount of crushed stones is also needed, so a quarry must be built, as well as various asphalt paving equipment. Apart from other things, at least a mixer with built-in heating capacity is needed to facilitate the mixing and heating of stones and asphalt together, and then a road roller is also needed, which are all indispensable things.
There are also many things to do over there. The population can be mobilized from Youye's camp nearby. Tools and transportation, since Youye and his team can find that place, and there are plains around, it should be possible for vehicles to pass.
The most important thing is safety. If a county is set up there for a long time, will it attract the attack of cannibals? It would be great if a group of slaves could be captured alive to be used as asphalt mining slaves.
Luo Chong thought about it, but he couldn't figure it out after thinking for a long time. It was because of too little information. He decided to ignore it for the time being, but let Youye compile a detailed map and surrounding information for him, so that he could make a more appropriate mining plan.
(End of this chapter)
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