An official of the Ministry of Industry took out a box the size of a square brick, put it in a copper basin, and then took out some gray powder from the bag, poured it into the wooden box, poured water on it, and stirred it. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

The officers moved very lightly to prevent the powder from flying, and after stirring evenly, the surface was scraped flat with a trowel.

Li Su said: "This is called cement, which is a new type of building material...... "He gave the relevant knowledge of cement to these top Datang old hats.

After he spoke for about ten minutes, the official of the Ministry of Industry picked up the wood mold, knocked it a few times, and took out the cement that had been preliminarily solidified inside, so that everyone could see the effect.

Next, he pointed to the cement brick on the ground and said, "This is the cement that is completely solidified." "Then, let a Ministry of Works official smash it with a hammer.

Where can Ma Xuanliang let others wield a hammer in front of the emperor. He hurriedly stepped forward to take the hammer and smashed it down according to Li Su's instructions.

"Tom", Ma Xuanliang hammered down, and the cement block was three inches thick, leaving a white spot on it.

Ma Xuanliang didn't expect that this thing was so hard, he used his internal strength, used his strength to eat, and smashed it down, only then did he smash the cement block out of the crack.

Without waiting for everyone to express their opinions, the general Li Jing became excited, he stroked the cement block with his hand, and said: "Good things, no worse than solid stones!" Your Majesty, if you use this thing to build a city, build a fortress, and deal with the iron cavalry on the grassland, it is a sharp weapon! ”

The general is worthy of being a military god, and he immediately thought of the military use of cement.

Although Huang Furui, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, already knew the existence of cement in advance, he still said excitedly: "Your Majesty, if you use this cement to build roads, you will no longer be afraid of rain and snow." It's also much easier to use it to build a house. ”

Gao Jingming, the head of the household, first considered the cost, and he asked, "What is the cost of this cement?" ”

Li Su said: "It's very cheap......" He calculated the account for everyone.

Gao Jingming also said excitedly: "Your Majesty, this is lower than the cost of quarrying stones from the mountains and transporting them to Chang'an, it's too cost-effective." ”

Li Shimin was also very excited, and a picture appeared in front of his eyes: Datang is full of wide and neat cement roads, cars and horses passing through, a prosperous scene.

The crown prince Li Chengqian said: "Father, the sons and sons have discussed with the king of Liang, and the ground in Chang'an City will be hardened with cement, and the city will never be as dirty as before, when it rains and snows." ”

General Li Jing said: "Your Majesty, the minister suggested building a road to the border pass, and it would be much more convenient for the imperial court to mobilize troops and transport grain and grass. ”

As soon as he heard that the road was going to be built, it must be paid, his face turned pale, and he immediately said: "I'm afraid this won't work, there is no money in the household department this year, you know, by the end of the year, you have to pay the national debt." ”

The crown prince Li Chengqian said: "Lord Gao, you don't have to worry about this matter, King Liang already has a countermeasure, and he will not pay for it." ”

When Gao Jingming heard that the Ministry of Users' money was not paid, his face immediately returned to his true color, and he said with a smile: "That dare is good, and the minister supports the construction of the road." ”

Li Ke, the king of Shu, was unhappy in his heart and said: "I'm afraid it's still inappropriate, building roads requires a lot of labor, which is not conducive to the stability of the imperial court." ”

Wei Zheng nodded and said, "Yes, it's the busy farming season, where do you recruit people?" ”

The crown prince Li Chengqian said with some excitement: "Father, King Liang has a way, not only does he not need to pay for his family, but he also does not need to be conscripted for labor, but he can also make money. King Liang, tell everyone about it. ”

Li Shimin, who had not spoken, looked at Li Su and said, "Is there such a good thing?" King Liang, do you have any specific thoughts, let's hear them? ”

"No, Father." Li Su responded.

Li Su walked to the front of the blackboard and wrote on it: "Raise the road with the road." ”

He said: "The minister's suggestion is that the Ministry of Industry should preside over the construction of a highway from Chang'an to Luoyang first. On the one hand, it solves the traffic problem of Chang'an connecting the mainland, and on the other hand, it cultivates talents and accumulates experience.

General Li is right, cement is a strategic material, and the production technology should not be announced to the public for the time being. The Ministry of Industry can send personnel to set up a cement plant in each major area along the highway. In addition to supplying road construction, the cement produced can also be sold to the outside world. This will raise some of the funds for the construction of the road.

If there is still a gap in funds, it is also possible to open up the joint-stock operation of the nobles and businessmen to participate in the construction of the highway, and after the completion of the highway, a reasonable price will be set and the vehicles will be charged, so that the participating operators can get benefits. The imperial court can also receive lasting benefits. ”

At this time, Li Shimin asked: "What does the shareholding system mean?" ”

Li Su spent half an hour to give the senior management of Datang a science popularization related to joint-stock management.

Gao Jingming said excitedly: "This is a good method, many large-scale projects in the future can use this method, and the Ministry will not pay for it." "As long as you don't let him pay, it's a good way.

General Li Jing also said: "In this case, after the completion of this highway, the roads leading to various roads and states can also be built." The movement of troops is much faster. ”

Li Ke asked: "Even if the problem of funds is solved, how can the problem of labor be solved?" For Li Su, Li Ke is now a conditioned reflex, as long as he puts it forward, Li Ke's first feeling is to oppose it.

Li Su ignored him and said to Li Shimin: "The family situation of the peasant households is not necessary, and some families have surplus labor. The opinion of the sons is that the method of recruiting workers should be adopted.

The imperial court set a reasonable remuneration and recruited laborers in the counties along the road, so that a considerable number of laborers could be recruited. In order to actively cooperate with the local government, one-tenth of the income of each worker is used as the income of the local government. ”

"Wait a minute, the minister is against it." Wei Zheng said: "Isn't this encouraging officials to collect money in disguise? This wind cannot last. ”

"Lord Wei, I think King Liang's opinion is pertinent. Aren't you unclear about the quality of the officials in the counties of the imperial court, and if there is no benefit at all, will they actively cooperate?

You just don't allow them to charge, and they'll do it the same way. Rather than that, it would be better to clearly define the fee standard, which would reduce a lot of trouble, and at the same time allow officials to get some benefits and get them to actively cooperate. ”

The eldest grandson Wuji is in charge of the Ministry of Officials, and he is clear about the virtue of the grassroots officials. When he heard Wei Zheng's opposition, he spoke out to persuade him.

Li Shimin nodded and said: "Eldest Sun Wuji's words are right, let's do this matter." ”

Li Su said: "After the construction of this highway, these laborers have become skilled workers, and the Ministry of Industry can increase some wages, recruit a group of outstanding talents, and send them to various places to guide the construction of the highway." ”

There is no opinion on this one.

Next, Li Su put forward an opinion, which caused a heated debate.