Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 68
No matter what, it would be too embarrassing for the civil and military ministers of the entire dynasty to be questioned by such a slovenly country boy.

Seeing that all the civil servants were silent, and the generals who were close to Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong and others, Ji'an Marquis Lu Zhongheng stood up, pointed at Zhang Yifan and shouted: "You kid, don't be so arrogant. Do you think that's all you do? Can clay be worthy of the title of national treasure? How much of the world have you seen?"

This Lu Zhongheng was indeed a military commander with great military exploits. His achievements were recorded in both the north and south of the Ming Dynasty.However, he also had many problems, which Zhu Yuanzhang had dealt with.

Zhang Yifan scolded the civil servants, and he was worried that he had no opponent. When he saw a general coming to embarrass him, he went on without saying anything!
So, he turned to look at the general and sneered: "I haven't seen much of the world, so if it's something I don't understand, I won't talk nonsense. But if I want to say that cement is a national treasure, then it must be I have my reasons. As for you, you didn’t even remember your name, so you came to question, is this the reason why you have seen the world? "

"You..." When Lawrence Lu heard this, his face turned red with anger. He walked towards Zhang Yifan with his fists clenched and shouted with a ferocious face, "You are so arrogant, I will kill you!"

When Zhang Yifan saw him, he was not afraid at all. He held his head high and just watched him approach.

This is not to say that he is very courageous, but that he believes that without Zhu Yuanzhang's permission, who would dare to take action in the hall?Ignoring Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor, is impatient to live!
Seeing Lu Zhongheng approaching ferociously, but Zhang Yifan was not afraid at all, and then, careful people found that Lu Zhongheng's footsteps became smaller and smaller, and in the end, they even almost broke into small steps, like a girl!
If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, someone would probably have laughed.

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, causing Lu Zhongheng to stop immediately. However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak to him, but said to Zhang Yifan: "Your cement has a common name and has the same use as Sanhe soil, but it is much cheaper. Just Can it be regarded as a national treasure of the Ming Dynasty?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yifan ignored the general, turned to look at Zhu Yuanzhang, and immediately explained respectfully: "Your Majesty, please think about it, not to mention all the roads in the Ming Dynasty, but the official roads are all paved with this cement, so the roads will be smooth. It won’t be muddy on rainy days, and transportation is convenient, shortening the time for transporting supplies. For example, the transportation of grain and grass supplies can save money on the road, and local news can reach the capital faster, reducing delays on the road; the mobilization of troops is also faster. For convenience, it is easier for the court to grasp the situation on the border..."

This point, no one really thought of it before.But when he mentioned it, the people in the hall, not to mention Zhu Yuanzhang and the generals, most of the civil servants had experienced the war. It was immediately clear that he was right. Convenient roads would play a big role in the war. Influence.Even Lu Zhongheng, who wanted to beat Zhang Yifan, had to admit this in his heart.

While they were still thinking, they heard Zhang Yifan still saying: "In fact, how wide a dynasty's territory depends entirely on the court's control of the border. And cement can make transportation more convenient. In other words, as long as the Ming Dynasty With cement, we can expand our territory and control more places!"

Hearing his words, most of the people in the hall were involved in the founding of the Ming Dynasty and had a passion for opening up new territories.Therefore, their eyes lit up when they heard it.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang was a little more excited.

At this time, in the Ming Dynasty, due to the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, most areas in the north were sparsely populated, and there was a shortage of food and grass supplies for border defense.The main enemies of the Ming Dynasty, the remnants of the former Yuan Dynasty, fled into the northern grasslands and northwest deserts. If you want to conquer them, supplies need to be transported from the south.

In order to solve this problem, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the guard system and solved it through army garrisoning.But before it can be completely solved, we still have to rely on the south to transport grain and grass supplies, which consumes a lot of supplies along the way.

Zhu Yuanzhang even planned to make Tokyo (Kaifeng) or Chang'an one of the capitals, but he did not make any move due to lack of supplies.

The benefits Zhang Yifan just mentioned immediately hit one of the things that Zhu Yuanzhang cares about most now, cement, which he immediately paid attention to.

However, Zhang Yifan hadn't finished speaking yet and continued to introduce to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Also, once the cement construction is solidified, it will be very strong and will not be afraid of water impact. In this way, in addition to building roads, building water conservancy projects will also It has become very convenient. Especially in the south where there is a lot of rain, if cement is applied on a large scale, a lot of floods can be reduced and more crops can be irrigated, which will be of great benefit to the country and the people." Having said this, Zhang Yifan said He said with a little voice: "One of the prerequisites for using cement on such a large scale is that cement is not very expensive, so that the court has the ability to apply it on a large scale. In short, it is cheap and easy to use, which is very important for a country." , can this cement be called a national treasure?”

If Zhang Yifan’s introduction to cement before had a vague impression on those who had never seen cement before, now that he explains it in such detail, anyone who is not too stupid will know that this cement It’s so useful!

In fact, the reason why Li You was so eager to eat cement was because he realized the benefits of cement.

At this time, after Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he couldn't help but smile and said: "If this cement is really as you said, it can indeed be called a national treasure!"

He is definitely a pragmatic emperor, and this cement is very useful for both military and civilian purposes.You can even make associations and use it in more places. With such a good thing, it’s hard not to be happy.

At this time, Hu Weiyong heard that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to designate the cement as a national treasure, and he was unwilling.

I was slapped in the face just now and I am in a bad mood, so why should I just conclude this concrete coffin?Absolutely not!
So, I saw him reporting to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, this man is just talking eloquently and boasting, but he has never seen what the cement is like. It is too early to call it a national treasure!"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded and said: "What Hu Qing said makes sense!"

Although he had already inferred from other aspects, this cement must be good.But when it comes to important matters in the court, it is better to be cautious after all.Therefore, he is not in a hurry to draw conclusions.

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan glanced at King Yan.A look shot him over: Fourth brother, it’s your turn!

In this regard, Zhu Di did not refuse, and immediately stood up and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, I have seen the cement roads, canals and houses with my own eyes in Liujia Village, thirty miles outside the city. They are indeed good. But my son I suggest that my father go and have a look in person so that he can have a better idea."

With his endorsement, it is almost certain that cement is a good thing.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he thought for a moment, nodded immediately and said: "Whether this cement is really a national treasure, I naturally have to verify it myself. I have said that if it is really a national treasure, I will definitely reward you heavily!"

Zhang Yifan has been waiting for this sentence. He doesn't need any other rewards, he just needs to be quiet.

But before he could speak, Li Shanchang, who had been silent all the time, suddenly came out and said: "Your Majesty, no matter whether the cement presented by this son is a national treasure or not, he should not beat the drum to present it. If he is not punished, others will If you can imitate others, where will your Majesty's majesty lie?"

(End of this chapter)