Volume 2: The Capital, I’m Back Chapter 74: The Birth of Cement
After many days, Pingxiang Earl Chen Huai finally showed up.
The Ming Dynasty has always been very cautious about conferring titles. In this list of rewards, there are only three people who were promoted to higher titles. They are Zhang Fu, Duke of Yingguo, who was promoted to Prince, Li Zhen, Earl of Xiangcheng, who was promoted to Marquis of Xiangcheng, and Fan Zhong, Commander of the Imperial Guards, who was promoted to Earl of Zhongwu.
Zhang Fu was the deputy commander of this army expedition, and became the commander-in-chief after the emperor went deep into the northern desert. He fought to the death with Oirat Yesen, and everyone was convinced of the title of Prince.
It is worth mentioning that those who refused to obey were all imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice!
Li Zhen and Fan Zhong followed the emperor all the way from Mobei, so it was natural for them to be promoted to higher titles.
As for other nobles, such as Chen Ying, commander of the Shenjiying, they did not receive this honor.
Chen Huai's name did not appear on the promotion list, and he only got the honorary title of Prince's Guardian.
However, his mind is not here now, but he is fully devoted to the infrastructure construction of the Ming Dynasty.
In his opinion, as long as he could complete the task assigned by the emperor on time, he would feel more satisfied than being conferred a title of marquis.
The emperor personally ordered that this thing was not only necessary for the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine, but also indispensable for the infrastructure of the entire Ming Dynasty in the future.
Finally, success!
At the moment of successful development, he finally understood the emperor's meaning.
Mix lime and clay in a ratio of three to one, then calcine it in a kiln at high temperature to create a seemingly ordinary gray powder that is actually harder than stone when it comes into contact with water!
Chen Huai immediately thought that it would be so convenient to use this thing to build houses, roads and bridges in the future!
In the past, not only were the stones and wood needed expensive, but transportation was also a big problem. There were no mountains in the plains, so if you needed stones, they had to be transported from the mountainous areas. Most of the tall trees were concentrated in Yunnan and Guizhou, and it was extremely costly to transport them from the deep mountains and forests.
Now, we only need limestone and clay to calcine cement. It is low-cost and easy to transport, and can greatly improve construction efficiency and quality.
When Zhu Qizhen saw Chen Huai appear in front of him holding a large stone pillar, his first reaction was a little confused.
"Pingxiang Bo, what are you doing?"
"Your Majesty , look!"
Chen Huai threw the big stone pillar to the ground , making a dull thud.
The big Han general not far away glanced over here sharply, and seeing that nothing was happening, he continued to stand guard.
Zhu Qizhen then realized something was wrong. He squatted down and studied it carefully, and suddenly he understood.
"Successful?"
Chen Huai laughed and said, "It's not difficult, actually. There is no problem with the ratio of raw materials. The key is that the temperature is difficult to control. Later, I found that Xishan produces coal, so I tried to use coal as fuel. The temperature is much higher than charcoal, and it worked in no time!"
Zhu Qizhen turned around and asked, "Huai En, go to the Ministry of Works and ask Lu Xiang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, to come see me immediately!"
The construction of the Martyrs' Shrine was presided over by Lu Xiang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. This man was of great ancestry. He had presided over the construction of the Forbidden City and was very good at stone carving. The two giant pillars in front of Chengtian Gate that we see today are his masterpieces.
Lu Xiang is seventy years old this year. Urged by Huai En, he almost jogged all the way to the Imperial Garden.
"The Emperor summoned me, why do we have to go to the Imperial Garden?"
"We don't know either, but it seems to be related to the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine."
"What is the relationship between building the Martyrs' Shrine and the Imperial Garden?"
"The Emperor is discussing the mud-making matter with Pingxiangbo!"
Lu Xiang's face was full of questions: "Mix mud?"
Huai En said embarrassedly: "This... our family doesn't understand."
By the time Lu Xiang arrived in front of Zhu Qizhen, he was already out of breath.
"Your old minister...pay your respects..."
"You don't have to be so polite, Huai En, please take a seat!"
Huai En brought two brocade stools over, and Chen Huai and Lu Xiang thanked him in unison.
"Lu Qing, did you get the revised drawings?"
Lu Xiang looked a little strange and said, "Please forgive me for being frank, but the drawings that Your Majesty has revised...I really don't understand them."
Zhu Qizhen asked: "What don't you understand?"
"Your Majesty, if you remove the bricks, stones and wood, isn't that like removing the bones of a person? How can a person stand without the support of bones?"
"Haven't I already specified that the main structure should be cast in place?"
Lu Xiang frowned and said, "This is even more unreasonable. The mud they poured... is nothing but adobe bricks after drying. It's fine if a farmer is building a few houses, but to build such a large ancestral hall, how... is this possible?"
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "Pingxiang Bo, come and demonstrate it to Lu Qing's family!"
Chen Huai nodded, immediately took out half a bag of cement and poured it on the ground.
"Wait a mininute!"
Chen Huai looked around, then found a few bricks and built a rectangular space.
Next, find a bucket of water and pour it directly on the cement, stir it with a shovel, and then fill it into the brick wall.
Lu Xiang was confused and asked, "Is this the end?"
"It's over!"
Chen Huai nodded and said, "Then we have to wait."
"Waiting for what?"
"Wait for it to solidify!"
Lu Xiang was still puzzled. He poked with his finger and asked again, "How long do you have to wait?"
"It will take at least half a day for it to completely solidify, but the effect will be visible within an hour."
"That's perfect!" Zhu Qizhen looked at the sky and said, "Lunch will be ready soon. The two ministers will have lunch with me."
Chen Huai was a warrior, and he had fought alongside the emperor in battles, so naturally he would not be polite when asked for a meal.
Lu Xiang wanted to refuse, but he was full of doubts about the cement, so he agreed.
After lunch, the emperor and his ministers returned to the imperial garden. Only half an hour had passed.
Lu Xiang walked up to it and took a look. It seemed no different from before. He poked it with his finger again and suddenly froze.
He was a little unbelievable and thought it was an illusion. He poked it again and sure enough, it was hard!
Chen Huai said: "Minister Lu, wait a little longer, it will be ready soon!"
However, Lu Xiang didn't have time to wait. He immediately pulled apart the bricks and took out the cement pillars inside.
At this point, the cement has solidified initially. Although it has not yet dried out, it has already demonstrated its powerful functions.
"What...what is this?"
Chen Huai was puzzled and said: "Didn't I tell you, this is cement!"
“Is this cement?”
Lu Xiang looked excited. He put down the cement block tremblingly, then picked up a brick and smashed it hard.
The brick broke into two pieces instantly, and a gap was created in the cement pier, and it was obvious that the inside was still wet.
"I told you it's not dry yet!" Chen Huai pointed at a stone pier nearby and said, "Hit that one, it's dry!"
Lu Xiang came to the stone pillar that Chen Huai was holding, looked at it carefully, and then picked up a brick and smashed it.
Snapped!
This time, the bricks were smashed to pieces, but the cement pier remained intact, without even a scratch on the surface.
"This is simply... a divine weapon!"
Lu Xiang bowed his head and said excitedly: "There is nothing wrong with the emperor's drawings. It is me who is superficial. The construction of the Martyrs' Shrine will be carried out according to the emperor's drawings!"
Zhu Qizhen nodded and said, "It's settled, but there is one thing: it must be completed before the end of the year. Otherwise, the weather will be too cold and the cement will not solidify, which will affect the quality of the project."
Lu Xiang thought for a moment, then said, "There has been little rain during this period, and the weather is dry. I guarantee that the project will be completed within three months!"
"Pingxiang Bo!" Zhu Qizhen turned around and said seriously, "The method of making cement is temporarily classified as highly confidential. Anyone who dares to leak it will be charged with treason!"
Chen Huai's heart trembled, and he quickly replied: "I obey your order!"
