Zhu Zhanji briefly talked to Zhu Gaochi about some problems encountered in the construction of cement roads.

After Zhu Gaochi finished listening, he pondered alone for a moment and nodded.

It's not that he doesn't understand the truth, he just likes to admit death sometimes, and he also knows that his son is right.

When Zhu Zhanji saw this, he didn't say anything further.

Many things are too much, and letting my stupid dad know the benefits of building cement roads is mainly so that my stupid dad will not stop him from building cement roads in the future, or even support him.

When talking about the difficult problem of cement road construction, it is to comfort the silly dad and tell him not to act too hastily.

While Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Gaochi were talking, the carriage used by the Ministry of Industry to test the cement road appeared again in everyone's sight.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji glanced at the sandalwood that had about a third left on the side, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

According to the Ministry of Industry's timing, one stick of incense lasts about half an hour, two-thirds of which is twenty minutes. The distance from Yifengmen to the Yangtze River Pier is four miles, and a round trip is eight miles.

Calculated in this way, the speed of this carriage during this distance is almost twelve kilometers per hour.

This is despite loading five hundred kilograms of stones and a driver weighing more than one hundred kilograms.

Although this speed may not seem fast, you must know that the common speed of horse-drawn carriages in this era was only about five to ten kilometers per hour.

Although the fastest speed can reach almost 20 kilometers per hour, it is obviously only a short-distance burst and cannot last long. After all, horses are not machines and always require physical exertion.

In this way, the speed of twelve kilometers per hour is naturally not slow.

"Prince, Your Highness, the test results from the Ministry of Industry have come out."

Zhou Chen came over holding a piece of paper with calculated results from the Ministry of Industry.

After taking a look at Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Gaochi, he said excitedly:

"According to the calculations of the Ministry of Industry, a carriage carrying a heavy load of about four stones on a cement road can travel at least thirty miles in one hour. Moreover, once the speed of the carriage on the cement road is increased, it is extremely labor-saving and can travel twelve kilometers a day.

In an hour, excluding rest and meal time, you can travel one hundred and fifty miles. If you encounter an emergency, you can do it even if you damage the horse at any cost, even if you travel two to three hundred miles in one day, you can barely do it.

arrive."

"Is this data accurate?"

After Zhu Gaochi heard Zhu Zhanji's words before, he had actually decided in his heart that no matter what the cost of the cement road, a cement road must be built from Tiantian to Shuntian.

After all, if you follow what Zhu Zhanji said, the cost of building cement roads in service areas and toll stations will definitely be earned back sooner or later.

In this way, even if some money was wasted initially, it would be stress-free for Ming Dynasty now.

Although Zhu Zhanji said these things casually now, Zhu Gaochi still admired his son's ability to make money.

Therefore, there is no doubt about the earning power of this cement road.

But when he heard Zhou Chen's words, he was slightly shocked.

In fact, the results given by Zhou Chen are indeed a bit shocking.

We must know that even if the carriages of this era traveled at full speed, they would only cover forty or fifty miles in a day.

Unless the carriage is not towed, horses can run more than a hundred miles a day.

But now this cement road is just a different road, and the speed of this carriage is actually increased by four or five times. Is there more to it?

If we instead transport money and grain from the south to the north, wouldn't it save several times the time and the losses along the way?

When Zhou Chen heard the question from Prince Zhu Gaochi, he immediately explained: "His Royal Highness, these are all speculated by the Ministry of Industry based on the test results. It is just a one-time test result, and there should be some discrepancies with the actual situation, but it should also be true."

The difference won’t be too big.”

"Then test it again!"

Before Zhu Gaochi could ask anything, Zhu Zhanji on the side spoke directly after hearing Zhou Chen's words.

After all, it is the first cement road, so it is very necessary to have accurate data.

Only the most rigorous results can be used as a reference.

It can more clearly reflect the advantages of cement roads and can also be used as a benchmark for latecomers to consider.

Zhu Zhanji thought for a moment and then told Zhou Chen:

"The result once may be an accident, so test it twice, three times, or four times, and pass it on to the Ministry of Industry to prepare several more carriages of the same style for testing. In addition, the same carriage also needs to be tested multiple times during the test.

The weights loaded each time also need to be adjusted a little, and the results are recorded separately. In the future, any tests, experiments, etc. must respect this example!"

"I accept the decree!"

Zhou Chen was slightly startled and immediately nodded in agreement.

After saying this, Zhou Chen turned around and went down to give orders again. It was not difficult to find a few carriages, and in a short time, five similar carriages were prepared.

The five carriages are exactly the same, with a same-style flag on them. They must have been temporarily collected from nearby merchants who were transporting goods.

The style, size, and even the horses pulling the carriages are almost the same.

After the five carriages were ready, they lined up directly in a row this time according to the previous process.

The cement road, which is more than 20 meters wide, is obviously more than enough for five horse-drawn carriages side by side, and there are even many gaps.

After the people from the Ministry of Industry quickly conducted a round of inspections on the cement road, Zhou Chen immediately ordered:

"Start testing!"

As the order was given, the drivers driving the carriages on the five carriages raised their whips almost simultaneously.

As the sound of driving horses sounded, the five carriages began to move forward together.

There is not much difference between the five carriages. Even the horses pulling the carriages are of the same order. Except for the slight difference caused by the asynchronous operation of the driver, the five carriages are almost in no particular order.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaochi on the side couldn't help but look at Zhu Zhanji, shook his head and said: "Son, these carriages are all the same. I'm afraid there won't be any difference in the test results. Should we change to some different carriages?"

Come and test.”

"Old monk, what do you think?"

When Zhu Zhanji heard what Silly Dad said, he smiled, then looked at Yao Guangxiao, who had been standing aside as if he was thinking about something, and asked.

Yao Guangxiao obviously didn't expect that Zhu Zhanji would ask him. He was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then immediately said:

"The old monk thinks it's very good. If there is no difference between the carriages, it proves that the results of this test are more accurate."

When Zhu Zhanji heard Yao Guangxiao's words, he couldn't help but laugh. The old monk understood it clearly.

But what he said was unclear.

Seeing that Zhu Gaochi on the side was still a little confused, Zhu Zhanji explained in a low voice: "Only the carriages are the same. After measurement, even if there are special circumstances, there will be more carriages as a basis. In this way, we can control it well."

, it will not be impossible to compare and differentiate just because the carriages are different.”

Zhu Gaochi was not stupid. After hearing Zhu Zhanji's explanation, he just thought about it for a moment and understood. He smiled a little embarrassedly on his face and said:

"That's it, I've got something wrong."

"Actually, what you think is fine. Using different carriages to measure it can also test the impact of the cement road on different carriages."

When Zhu Zhanji heard what Silly Dad said, he smiled and said:

"However, this is more time-consuming, and it is more troublesome to collect different carriages in a short time. This matter can be left to Zhou Chen, who can test it later."

As time passed slowly while the few people were talking, it was almost another twenty minutes. When two-thirds of the sandalwood was burned again, the first carriage appeared in everyone's sight again.

Following the first carriage, the second carriage appeared again almost in no particular order.

The Ministry of Industry quickly tested the results again, and Zhou Chen came over immediately with the things.

"how?"

Zhu Gaochi was more concerned about the condition of the cement road, so he couldn't wait to ask first.

Zhou Chen immediately bowed and said: "Back to Your Highness, the results of this test are no different from the previous ones. The fastest carriage can travel more than thirty miles in an hour, and the slowest carriage can travel twenty-five miles."

Miles and more."

"good!"

Hearing Zhou Chen's affirmative answer, Zhu Gaochi showed a happy smile on his face, looked at Zhu Zhanji with satisfaction and said:

"Zhanji, now that the test results of the cement road have come out, the construction of the cement road in Yingtian should be stepped up immediately. The problems of some cement bridges must be solved as soon as possible."

"Yes, Dad!"

Zhu Zhanji smiled and nodded.

I know this is because Silly Dad wants to implement the construction of the cement road from Yingtian to Shuntian as soon as possible.

He said to Zhou Chen: "Zhou Chen, I'll leave this matter to you. The Ministry of Industry can also immediately start building other cement roads in Yingtian and select a bridge for surveying and mapping."

When Zhou Chen heard this, he immediately nodded and said, "I accept the order!"

"Um."

Zhu Zhanji nodded and said with a smile: "As for the cement road in front of you, I will personally ask the emperor for your credit when the time comes. Although you don't have to think about promotion, after all, you have just become the Ministry of Industry.

Zuo Shilang, if you are promoted to Minister, that old man Huang Fu will have to make trouble for me, but some gifts are still okay."

When Zhou Chen heard Zhu Zhanji's words, he also smiled and said respectfully: "I thank His Highness Taisun for your kindness!"
To be continued...