A three-and-a-half-year-old max-level ancestor, mistakenly bound to a system to be de

Chapter 90 Cement
Xia Ye led the officials to inspect the great river and the dam.

He remembered that the blueprints His Majesty had given him indicated that the dam would breach and cause a flood.

This suggests that the problem is not just excessive rainfall causing the river to rise, but also that the dam itself may have issues.

In fact, it is true.

Xia Ye himself was knowledgeable about water management and dam construction.

So upon inspection, the problem was quickly identified.

There are problems everywhere.

"The dam has such a serious problem, how come none of you can see it or report it?"

"If nothing happens, that's fine. But if there's too much rain and the river bursts its banks, do you want Cheng'an Prefecture to become a vast expanse of water, and for the people to suffer?" Xia Ye was furious and immediately reprimanded those officials who only collected salaries and did nothing.

Xia Ye was truly heartbroken.

Looking at the dam in front of him reminded him of his childhood.

His hometown, and his father...

From then on, Xia Ye's only hope for the rest of his life was that there would be no more floods in the world!

Can't those officials see the problem with that dam?
To be honest, they don't care at all.

They also felt that Xia Ye, the imperial envoy from the capital, was ignorant and indifferent.

Unexpectedly, this person is someone who cares and understands.

So they could only endure the insults, being scolded to the point that they didn't dare to lift their heads.

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Excellency is right to reprimand us. Please forgive us. Now that things have come to this, I wonder if Your Excellency has any solutions?"

"Yes, if you have any ideas, sir, we will do our best to help."

Only by providing full support can we ensure that Lord Xia won't have to impeach them before His Majesty after returning to the capital.

Xia Ye knew that it would be pointless to hold them accountable now.

Moreover, it happened too recently, so close to that once-in-a-century flood.

There is not much time left for them.

Therefore, we must take action now.

The sooner the better.

He needs manpower right now, so it's not appropriate to hold them accountable at this time.

So, Xia Ye began to explain in detail how to repair it, using the blueprints that Emperor Xuanhe had given him.

Upon hearing this, the officials realized...

Hey, that actually makes sense!

It seems that Lord Xia is truly capable.

Among these officials, some are not incompetent; some of them do know how to manage water resources and build dams.

Therefore, Niu discovered that what Xia Ye said was not only reasonable, but also incredibly insightful.

If this is completed, it will probably benefit people for decades or even centuries.

but……

"Lord Xia, your idea is indeed excellent."

"But this raises a question: where can we find something that is exceptionally strong and not easily eroded by rainwater to build the dam?"

"Yeah yeah."

Xia Ye looked at the person who had asked the question; it was a young official. The fact that he could see the answer meant he wasn't entirely incompetent.
Xia Ye felt somewhat comforted.

"That's right, we do need something that is both strong and resistant to water erosion over the years, and that something is called cement!"

"cement?"

"Cement, what is that?"

"Yes, I've never heard of it."

Xia Ye noticed that they didn't know about cement, which he found quite normal, because he only learned about this amazing substance when His Majesty gave him the blueprints and explained the function of cement.

At the time, I was amazed.

So, at this point, he also started talking to these officials about cement.

The officials marveled at the miraculous effects of the cement that Xia Ye described. However, after Xia Ye finished speaking, they asked, "Lord Xia, is it even possible to make this cement?"

“Of course,” Xia Ye said firmly.

The officials looked at each other in bewilderment: ...

In fact, although Xia Ye explained the wonderful uses of cement, they did not believe that such a magical thing existed.

Unexpectedly, Xia Ye actually said he could make it.

Xia Ye noticed the suspicion in their eyes and said, "You'll see in a moment."

Soon, Xia Ye had the materials for making cement prepared.

Then I simply stirred it.

All the people saw was that after it was stirred, it appeared to be some kind of gray substance.

Then they saw Xia Ye have people pave a short section of road with that gray cement.

Everyone:...

What is this for?
This stuff was sticky and gooey, and it stuck to a small section of the road.

What is the use?

“Tomorrow, once this cement dries, you will all know,” Xia Ye said.

Since Xia Ye had already said so, the other officials didn't ask any more questions.

Since there was nothing else to do, they all went home.

Only Xia Ye and the officials who remained were there watching.

The next day soon came.

Xia Ye was in the government office, just about to get up and head to the dam, when he heard a commotion outside.

When he went outside, he saw that all the officials from yesterday had gathered there, discussing the matter.

When Xia Ye came out, they all looked at him with excitement on their faces.

"Sir, the cement you made is truly amazing!"

Soon, Xia Ye led the officials to the same location as yesterday, the place where cement was laid yesterday.

Yesterday the cement was soft and sticky, but now it has become smooth and hard.

Even the color of the cement changed.

It was at least some dark gray, now it's light gray.

"Sir, look, this cement is truly amazing."

"It is very steadfast; even if you hit it with a stone or cut it with a knife, you won't be able to leave much of a mark."

"With it around, we are even less afraid of water erosion."

"Sir, this cement is perfectly suitable for building dams, and it can even be used to pave roads."

"If all the roads in Daqing were paved with cement like this, it would be so much more convenient. Horse-drawn carriages could travel smoothly on these cement roads, and their speed would increase many times over."

Xia Ye nodded in satisfaction. Indeed, he had already considered the idea of ​​paving roads with cement when he saw what cement looked like before.

Moreover, the cost of this cement is not high.

Using it for paving roads seems like a very feasible option.

However, this will have to wait until we return to the capital to consult His Majesty.

It is said that if you want to get rich, you need to build roads.

Xia Ye believed that if Daqing could be paved with cement roads, it would lead to rapid development in commerce and other areas.

However, I don't want to think about any of that right now.

The priority now is to quickly use this cement to build the dam.

"Gentlemen, what do you think about using this cement to build a dam?" Xia Ye nodded.

"Okay, okay, absolutely okay."

"I believe that using this cement to repair the dam, combined with the blueprints that you provided yesterday, is entirely feasible."

"If this dam is completed, it will definitely be very effective in preventing the river from breaching its banks."

(End of this chapter)