After his hands were washed, Zhu Gaochi asked: "How long will it take for this cement road to solidify into stone?"

Although Zhu Zhanji knew something about cement, he didn't know much about large-area cement applications such as road construction, so he looked at Zhou Chen aside.

Although he had not arranged for Zhou Chen to test such things, based on his understanding, he estimated that Zhou Chen would definitely not miss these things.

Seeing Zhu Zhanji looking over, Zhou Chen paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Back to Your Highness, the craftsmen have experimented with cement. If cement is used on such a large scale, it can solidify in one day, but it is not strong.

, if it is crushed with heavy objects, it will be easily broken, but after two days, pedestrians will be able to pass through it without leaving any marks, and after three days, even some horses without horseshoes can step on it slowly."

"But if you want to achieve the best effect, you still need to wait for more than half a month. During this period, you need to protect the road surface regularly to prevent sudden temperature drops or exposure to the sun. After half a month, the cement surface will be as hard as stone. Even if it is hit with a heavy hammer,

It is also extremely difficult to destroy.”

Hearing Zhou Chen's explanation, Zhu Gaochi felt a little weird on his face. He had also seen this so-called cement just now.

It's just some sand and gravel, as well as fired cement, with so much water added to it. It would take dozens of days to dry, right?

But hearing Zhou Chen's idea that it could solidify in just one day always made him feel a bit unreliable. After all, even if the weather is bad, it would be extremely difficult to dry clothes in one day.

But he also knew that Zhou Chen would definitely not deceive him about this kind of thing. After all, this kind of thing would not be of any benefit to Zhou Chen.

At the same time, the results that can be verified in one or two days cannot be used to deceive him.

So the question arises, how did such a moist thing solidify in a day or two?

And if these are true, then what if this kind of thing is used to build an official road?

For example, building an official road from heaven to heaven!

The old man's decision to move the capital to Shuntian has been decided for a long time, but it has been delayed until now because the construction of Sunchon has not been completed.

In his heart, he actually did not support moving the capital, but his arms could not twist his thighs. To Zhu Di, his opposition was like a monk chanting sutras. Zhu Di probably couldn't listen to a word of it.

So the matter of moving the capital has become a foregone conclusion, but what if a cement road is built from Yingtian to Shuntian?

Isn't the biggest reason why the old man moved the capital to Sunchon just to consolidate his rule?

Sunchon is my hometown, and being in Sunchon is like being at home, and it is also very convenient if you want to go to the north.

But what if a cement road is built between two places?

The two places are only over two thousand miles apart. Although they were connected by official roads in the past, the weather was fine and it only took two or three days to get there quickly.

It is a problem when it rains and the road is difficult to travel. However, the cement road does not have this difficulty. Not only that, the cement road is even and smooth.

No matter what the weather is like, if you ride a fast horse, you will definitely be able to reach both places in less than two or three days.

Even if a large army passes, even if the infantry is estimated to arrive, it will only take six or seven days. If the cavalry is used, it may only take three or four days!

In this way, the two places must be closely connected. Whether the capital is Shuntian or Yingtian, it is an excellent thing.

The more Zhu Gaochi thought about it, the more he felt that it was feasible, and he had just given it up.

It was only four miles from Yifengmen to the dock. According to what Zhu Zhanji told him, it would take two days. In addition to paving the road in advance, it would only take five or six days at most.

In the fifth and sixth days, a four-mile road was built, which was still a seven-foot-wide cement road. Yingtian and Shuntian were only more than two thousand miles apart. Even if some places needed to be dug up to build bridges, he calculated that it would only take about a year at most.

This road can be built.

And if more craftsmen could be summoned, the road might be built faster.

At the same time, he also knew that the current court was not short of money, and the cost of cement was not high, so this matter was even more feasible.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but feel a little excited. Then he looked at Zhou Chen and asked directly:

"Let me ask you, is it feasible to build a cement road from Yingtian to Shuntian?"

"this………"

Zhou Chen was stunned when Zhu Gaochi asked him. He had also proposed to Zhu Zhanji about building official roads early in the morning.

However, Zhu Zhanji requested that Yingtian be built first, so he kept this matter in his mind.

When Zhu Gaochi mentioned this, Zhou Chen couldn't help but feel moved in his heart, and then glanced at Zhu Zhanji subconsciously.

After all, he didn't dare to make the decision on this matter. Zhu Zhanji had temporarily suppressed the matter before, and now even if the prince in front of him asked, he still needed Zhu Zhanji's consent.

"My father asked you, what do you think of me?"

When Zhu Zhanji saw Zhou Chen looking at him, he rolled his eyes and said.

My stupid father asked, is it possible that he can still keep Zhou Chen silent?

What's more, building roads is a matter of course sooner or later. If my stupid father takes the initiative to bring it up, he will naturally get more support by then!

But he didn't expect that the first thing his stupid father would think of was to build a cement road from Yingtian to Shuntian.

The two capitals may be said to be far apart, but they are not far apart. They may be said to be close, but they are definitely not close.

If a concrete road is really built, it will become a highway connecting the two places in this era.

Whether it is for Shuntian or for Correspondence, it is actually a very valuable thing.

But the only problem is that Zhu Zhanji actually hopes that the construction company will train more craftsmen who are more familiar with cement and road construction before they can build these roads.

Firstly, the technology of experienced craftsmen will be more reliable, and secondly, more craftsmen also mean more efficient speed.

After all, increasing the distance of cement roads means facing more problems.

Not only the choice of route, but also the construction technology of cement bridges and even tunnel excavation technology.

These are not simply using cement to build a short cement road from Yifengmen to the Yangtze River Wharf.

Of course, this matter is not impossible. After all, this nation has grown up facing various problems and difficulties since ancient times.

When Zhou Chen saw Zhu Zhanji nodding, he felt relieved, and then immediately raised his hands to Zhu Gaochi and said:

"Back to Your Highness the Crown Prince, I have thought about this in private. In theory, it is feasible to build a cement road from Tian to Shuntian. However, the problem now is that cement is different from previous road construction.

Method, although this material is stronger than soil, masonry, and stone slabs, it also takes more time to solidify."

"Moreover, Yingtian to Shuntian also needs to cross many rivers. There is no precedent for building bridges with cement here at the Ministry of Industry, so the problem is still huge."

“If it can be done, it will be done!”

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but nodded when he heard this.

He is not afraid of difficulties. After all, the imperial court supports so many people, and his son promoted Zhou Chen in an unusual way. Isn't it just to solve the difficulties of his family, Lao Zhu?

If these people can't solve the problem, then why keep these people?

It's better to send them all away.

And since cement can build roads, building bridges is naturally not a problem.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaochi became impatient, asked some questions about cement, and then went back home, preparing to find someone to discuss the construction of the cement road from Yingtian to Shuntian.

Fortunately, Zhou Chen didn't know Zhu Gaochi's thoughts. If he had known, he would have asked Zhu Zhanji to arrange for him to return to Huangzhuang.

Although he also wanted to use cement to build roads everywhere, he actually knew in his heart that there were some things that Zhu Zhanji, the great grandson, was definitely the one who saw the most clearly.

Just like building a road with cement, this thing seems simple, but in fact, he organized no less than hundreds of craftsmen, and under Zhu Zhanji's prompts, they studied cement day and night for almost more than a month.

Then they mapped out the short four-mile cement road from Yifengmen to Yangtze River Wharf.

Just this, he almost scratched his scalp.

After all, as Zhu Zhanji said, today's craftsmen are very experienced in many aspects.

But cement, a new thing, has just appeared after all. If you want to use cement skillfully, it is absolutely impossible without some craftsmen who have thoroughly studied cement.

And things like building bridges with cement are not just theoretically possible or feasible.

Although many things are easy to think about, they are definitely not so easy to do.

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Three updates, totaling more than 14,700 words. The author worked hard today, and the screen of his mobile phone is almost broken. I can only continue tomorrow. Finally, I have to thank the leader of Tianzui Taoist for his support.
Chapter completed!