The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 285 Cement Paving May Be Feasible

Ever since Tu Chengyu visited the brick factory and cement factory at the foot of Xishan Mountain, he has been coming here every few days.

One reason was that he wanted to use his knowledge from his previous life to help them improve some technical issues.

Secondly, he wanted to see if the main road from the foot of the Western Hills to the capital could be repaired.

Although this main road is the main route from the capital to the Western Hills, it is often neglected due to the large number of people using it and its disrepair. Many parts of it are full of potholes, making it difficult for heavy carriages to travel.

Tu Chengyu wanted to transport cement and bricks to the capital, but he had to use heavy horse-drawn carts, which made it even more inconvenient.

So he thought that while his men were still busy, he should also repair this road.

After several days of observation and research, the Ministry of Works was summoned to discuss the matter further.

The result of the discussion was that, as long as there were enough people, the road could be built quickly and could be completed while large quantities of bricks and cement were being transported.

Tu Chengyu was naturally pleased to hear this, but he felt that the suggestions given by the Ministry of Works were just minor modifications to the existing ones, which he estimated would barely be enough for Tu Chengyu to use this time.

Once Tu Chengyu's manor in the ancient alley is completed, this road will probably return to its current state, or even be in worse condition.

This was an outcome Tu Chengyu did not want to see. He thought that since so much manpower was spent on repairing the road, why not repair it once and for all? Even if it wasn't a permanent solution, it should at least last for a few years.

When Tu Chengyu shared his idea with the people in the Ministry of Works, they found a way to meet his request.

However, they also said that this method will take time, and it is estimated that it will not be completed before the end of this year.

Tu Chengyu was also thinking that the Ancient Alley Manor would be completed before the end of the year. If this road was not repaired before the end of the year, wouldn't it be too late?

Therefore, Tu Chengyu told them to think of another way to see if they could finish the road faster. He said that manpower was not a problem and they could have as many as they needed.

But Wang Yunling, who followed, said:

“Your Highness, this is not a problem of manpower, but a problem of road construction materials. If Your Highness wants this road to be sturdy, you need to use mortar, but mortar is not easy to make and not everyone can do it.”

Tu Chengyu really didn't know anything about this "three-in-one soil," but after hearing him say it like this, he felt it was very troublesome.

Tu Chengyu originally thought that if he could use mortar and cement to pave the road, he could save some cement and wouldn't have to expand the cement plant so much.

However, it now seems that it is impossible to do without cement.

So he said to Xiao Xuanzi, whom he had specially summoned:
"If we were to pave the road with cement, how many more kilns do you think we would need to build?"

Xiao Xuanzi thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, if we lay the paving all of it, at the current pace, it probably won't be completed in a month or two."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu frowned. It took so long to do it one or two at a time.

But for Tu Chengyu, time is of the essence.

Don't be fooled by the large number of disaster victims he has under his command, which is increasing every day.

But once the New Year is over, and these disaster victims manage to get through this in the capital, they will definitely leave the capital and go home to farm.

At that point, Tu Chengyu will have no one left to use, and he won't be able to shut down the several large ventures he's set up.

Therefore, he needs to hurry and finish most of the work before the end of the year, especially those that require a lot of manpower.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's worried expression, Xiao Xuanzi quickly said:

"Your Highness, I have a solution that can both repair the road and not delay the construction of the houses." "What solution?" Tu Chengyu quickly asked.

Xiao Xuanzi immediately replied, "Your Highness, after inspecting the road from Xishan to the capital these past few days, although it has deteriorated, most sections are still passable by carriage. I think we don't need to pave all the roads with cement now; we only need to repair the few impassable sections so that carriages can pass. This way, it won't delay Your Highness's construction of the manor, and when my kilns have been built to a considerable size and there is cement left over, we can repair the remaining sections of the road."

Tu Chengyu's eyes grew brighter as he listened to Xiao Xuanzi's words. He had been so anxious that he had gotten stuck on one point and hadn't thought about it at all.

Now, after being reminded by Xiao Xuanzi, I suddenly had a moment of profound realization.

He quickly said to Xiao Xuanzi:
"Oh dear, how come I didn't think of that? Your idea is excellent."

Then he said to the men from the Ministry of Works:

"What do you think of this solution?"

These people from the Ministry of Works had no idea what cement was, so they didn't know how to answer.

So Wang Yunling asked, "Your Highness, what is this cement you are talking about? Is it comparable to mortar and cement?"

Tu Chengyu then realized that he hadn't told them about the cement yet.

However, cement is not something that can be explained in just a few words. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"I can't explain this cement to you right now. You'll see when the road is under construction in a couple of days. In short, it's much better than mortar."

Hearing Tu Chengyu say this, the people from the Ministry of Works stopped talking.

Tu Chengyu then instructed him: "You've been looking at this road for a few days now, so you and Xiao Xuanzi should find out all the sections of this road that need repair. Once Xiao Xuanzi has enough cement and sand, you can get started. Don't delay any longer."

"It is Your Highness," the officials from the Ministry of Works replied in unison.

After everything was arranged, Wang Yunling spoke up again.

"Your Highness, the ground in the old alley has been leveled, the lakes of all sizes have been dug, and the areas where courtyards are to be built have been marked out. When will Your Highness return to take a look? If there is anything unsuitable, your officials and others will make adjustments."

After hearing this, Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and said:

"There's no time like the present. After returning to the city today, I'll go and take a look."

"Yes, Your Highness. Then this humble official will send someone back ahead to prepare."

"Okay, go and get ready."

While they were talking, Tu Chengyu and the others continued walking down.

Not long after walking, I saw someone coming towards me.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that this person was actually Tu Chengyu's bodyguard.

This person had just been sent back to the city by Tu Chengyu to ask Quan Wenwei about something, but he returned so quickly.

After the guard came over, Tu Chengyu casually asked:

"Has Quan Wenwei responded to the questions I asked him?"

"Yes, Your Highness." The guard paused for a moment before continuing, "Your Highness, Quan Wenwei has important matters to report."

(End of this chapter)