Chapter 293 Cement Storm
After the road in Fencheng was repaired, the large army began to go to Bincheng to repair it. As the roads were continuously repaired, merchants in the south also began to run to the north.
Some of the ministers in the court who had private business were happy, while others were sad.
Some people also wonder why the road construction in the north is so fast, and hundreds of miles can be built in just one month?
This is simply a fantasy.
"Lord Li, you've been in the North for a month. Why don't you tell everyone what you've seen?"
Lord Li, who was named, has been shocked this month.
Many of the decrees issued by the King of Liang in the northern border were very friendly to the people and were implemented very quickly.
But how should he say this? He couldn't say that the emperor was doing nothing.
"This month, I haven't been to as many places as Lord Wang. Lord Wang knows more than I do. Why don't you tell me?"
Everyone looked at Lord Wang. Lord Wang, who was named, glanced at Lord Li, his gray beard swelling with anger like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Lord Wang is just straightforward and not stupid. Asking him to praise Prince Liang would only upset the Emperor.
He evaded the main point and said, "Everyone is curious about why the King of Liang built the road so quickly. I do understand."
He stroked his beard and said, "There's a magical material in the North called cement. If you mix it with sand and gravel and spread it on the road, it will dry overnight in the summer. Even if you pour water on it the next day, it won't become muddy and remains very solid. It's quite magical."
The Minister of Works exclaimed, "Really?"
Lord Li nodded. "That's true. That's why the North needs to repair the roads before autumn arrives, just to make it easier to dry the crops."
The Minister of Works said, "The dikes in the south are overflowing now. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could use such strong materials to build dikes?"
One of the nobles said, "Prince Liang's palace possesses such a valuable treasure yet has not reported it to the court. Please order the Prince of Liang to hand over the cement to help alleviate the flood in the south."
Zhang Ge Lao thought this was inappropriate and stepped out to say, "It is not appropriate for the Emperor to hastily issue an order for cement."
Rong Yu asked sullenly, "What's wrong with that? The floods in the south are severe right now, and as the prince of the Great Yin Dynasty, he's only being asked to contribute some cement, not pay for it. Could it be that he's just the prince of the north, and the south has nothing to do with him?"
Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, Lord Zhang stopped talking.
But in her heart, she became increasingly disdainful of the emperor's actions.
The current emperor is increasingly dissatisfied with the Prince of Liang, and this will not be a good thing in the long run.
"Changxi drafted an edict, ordering the Prince of Liang to prepare for production by the end of the month..." Rongyu asked the Minister of Works, "How much cement is needed?"
The Minister of Works didn't know what cement was, but he thought the more the better. He calculated based on the amount of sand and gravel he'd used before, saying, "At least 10,000 kilograms is needed."
Rong Yu continued, "Prepare 20,000 kilograms of cement and send it to the capital before the end of the month. No delay is allowed, otherwise the King of Liang will bear the full responsibility for the dam construction."
When this decree was issued, most officials were hesitant.
It seems that the emperor can no longer wait to take action against Prince Liang.
Many smart people are already preparing to sell their shops in the northern border. If a war breaks out in the future, the King of Liang will not be in a legitimate position after all.
If I fail, I will lose a lot of money. I can make a lot of money by selling the shop while the North is doing well.
The decree soon reached the Prince of Liang's Mansion in Fencheng.
Xie Shuangbai and Rong Ye listened to the imperial edict together. After listening to it, Xie Shuangbai just wanted to curse.
What's going on in the emperor's mind?
Who came up with this awful idea? Are you jealous of the great road construction in the North?
Xie Shuangbai looked at Rong Ye, and seeing that his expression was relatively normal, he asked:
"Rongye, what are you going to do? We're only halfway through the road construction. Now is a critical moment. The amount of cement is already insufficient. If we allocate 20,000 kilograms, the road construction will have to be suspended."
Although Rong Ye didn't show it on his face, he was annoyed by Rong Yu's order.
He said, "I will first send people to the south to inquire about the actual situation. If the levee is indeed as serious as the imperial edict says, I cannot ignore the people in the south and will have to suspend road construction. But if the imperial edict is just an exaggeration..."
Xie Shuangbai knew that there was no better way at the moment.
"Just do as you say."
He couldn't help but complain: "The emperor is now completely disgusted with the North."
Rong Ye was not surprised. There had been quite a lot of commotion here recently. Ever since the capital sent people to supervise the work last time, he knew that this day would come sooner or later.
Rong Ye comforted him, "This day will come sooner or later, but don't worry, I have already made arrangements."
Xie Shuangbai didn't ask him what he had arranged. He instinctively avoided war.
Xie Shuangbai hoped that there would be no war, but if the emperor continued to target them like this, he would have no choice but to fight.
After all, no one likes the feeling of being stared at all times.
He just wanted to live a peaceful life with Rong Ye, but this crazy emperor was narrow-minded.
Since that’s the case, Xie Shuangbai doesn’t want to indulge him anymore. He believes Rong Ye will definitely do better than this petty-minded emperor!
Rong Ye asked, "How much cement do we have left?"
Xie Shuangbai: "There are still 10,000 dan left. If we hand them over, we will have to stop working."
"There's still half a month left until the end of the month. Let's start with the road construction. We'll make all the decisions once we get some information back. Lin Ping has also told him to speed up the cement production."
"Okay, I'll send someone to pass on the message later."
The next day, Rong Yi rode at full speed with his men to secretly go to the south for investigation.
He hurried on and finally got back after seven days.
Rong Yi: "Master, I have thoroughly investigated. The levees at Yuncheng and the border towns are indeed somewhat damaged, but it's not serious. Even if repairs are needed, it won't cost 20,000 dan. According to my calculations, 5,000 dan will be sufficient."
"Rongyi, you must escort 5,000 dan of cement to the capital before the end of the month."
Rong Ye instructed, "Tell them that cement is precious. If anyone dares to take cement and resell it privately, I will punish them severely if I find out."
Rong Yi: "Yes, Master."
Xie Shuangbai felt relieved when he saw that nothing was happening in the south. Although they were fighting with the emperor, he did not want the people to bear any responsibility for it.
After a day of rest, he went to the capital with 5,000 dan of cement.
The Minister of Works looked at the five carts of cement delivered, his face not looking very good, but he still said politely:
"Your Highness, have you received the imperial edict? The Emperor requested 20,000 dan, but now there are only 5,000. The difference in quantity is quite large."
Rong Yi explained calmly:
"Your Excellency may not know that these are also taken from the cement used in road construction.
Road construction in the North has stopped because all the cement has been sent to you, and the Emperor's order came down late, so it's not easy to get these."
"This cement is to be mixed with sand and gravel for use in building embankments. There will definitely be no problem with it.
"Your Excellency, the Minister of State, is adept at creating things. You should know whether what I say is true or not."
The Minister of Works must have known this; he simply wished there were more supplies, for greater security. But five thousand dan would do the trick.
"Okay, in that case, the Ministry of Works will accept these, but I will report the truth to the Emperor."
Rong Yi: "Sir, please report the truth."
The Minister of Works saw Rong Yi's attitude and thought that the Prince of Liang must have been prepared in advance, otherwise he would not be so unafraid of his memorial.
After delivering the cement, Rong Yi left with his men. He had to hurry back to the capital!
The Minister of Works frowned as he looked at Rong Yi's back.
I'm afraid there will be unrest in the court from now on!
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