Early morning.

The gate of Luoguguan slowly opened, and the convoy that came overnight entered the city, moving forward along the deserted stone road, the wide carriage was full of cement, and the coachman did not care about driving the pack horses, with a large bread in one hand and water in the other, he ate in a big gulp, and walked all night, tired and hungry, and some could not bear it.

"Da! Da! Da! ”

The sound of horses' hooves on the bluestone slabs broke the silence of the pass, and countless people on both sides of the street opened their windows and poked their heads out, and some people shouted curiously: "What are you doing in the morning?" ”

"Builders of roads." Someone replied.

"Oh, that's a good feeling, it's hard!"

The carriage continued to move forward, came out of the pass, and headed straight in the direction of Heihe.

Niu Dali, the general guarding the pass, also hurriedly got up when he heard the report, and shouted to the guards waiting outside: "This road is really hard to repair, it came so early, how is the iron bar made?" ”

"Back to my lord, everyone was busy all night, building some, and I don't know if it's enough."

"No one is complaining?"

"No, who would complain if there is money to be made?"

Niu Dali was happy when he heard it, and said with a smile: "Also, Lord Qin is open and bright, and the silver is enough, no wonder those who pull the cart are willing to come over overnight, and it is estimated that they will make a lot of money." ”

The guard smiled: "No, the brothers heard that they were so envious that they couldn't put down their knives and go to pave the way." ”

Niu Dali came out wearing a good battle armor and scolded: "Don't be grinning, go and inform you, and immediately transport the built iron bars to the river, be quick, Lao Tzu will go directly to take a look, maybe the adults have already passed." ”

"Whoa!" The other party said yes and hurried away.

Niu Dali hurriedly left the house, several guards followed, and suddenly thought of something, Niu Dali looked at the person behind him and asked, "Is the purchase of iron materials arranged?" ”

"The message has been sent out, and it should be preparing for the departure at this time." The other party hurriedly said.

"No, you ride a horse to run, let them speed up, don't delay halfway, look at those convoys, from Yangxian overnight, no complaints, it can be seen that Lord Qin is urgent, we can't hold back, otherwise Lao Tzu will not have the face to see Lord Qin." Niu vigorously admonished, waited for the other party to leave with a promise, and continued to hurry.

Not long after, Niu Dali also hurried out of the pass, came to the Heihe River to see, the convoy was unloading, on the bank of the river, a shadow stood with his hands in his hands, his posture was upright, and he gave people an inexplicable sense of trust and security, so he hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Xiaguan has seen Lord Qin." ”

"General Niu is here." Qin Huaidao said with a smile.

"The next official is late, please forgive me."

"So you can see the outside, it's the official who is early, what about the iron bar?" Qin Huaidao asked with a smile.

"Back to my lord, some have been built, and the iron materials are also being transported, so I will strive to arrive today, and ensure that all of them are built early tomorrow morning." Niu Dali hurriedly said.

Qin Huaidao nodded and said no more.

After waiting for a while, the convoy of iron bars came over, and unloaded next to the big pit under the command of Qin Huaidao, tying the iron bar cage is a technical job, Qin Huaidao asked the guards to help hand over the iron bars, and went down to do it himself, Niu Dali was taken aback, and he also wanted to go down to help, Qin Huaidao refused: "The place is not big enough, and there are too many people to show it." ”

Niu Dali saw that the iron bar was not short, and it was indeed a drag down, but he didn't dare to be idle, drove the guards away, and handed the iron bar himself, Qin Huaidao didn't refuse, took the iron bar and put it down, spread it on the big pit stone, overhead some, one layer each horizontally and vertically, and then tied it tightly with a thin iron wire.

After that, it is placed vertically, the bottom is hooked, tied tightly, and four are fixed every one meter high, and they are also tightly tied to form a cuboid, and then it is divided diagonally from the middle part towards the river to form a triangle.

When everything was tied, the five hundred men from yesterday came again, and the planks were delivered.

Qin Huaidao instructed everyone to stir the mortar, fix it around the iron bar with a wooden plank, form a groove, pour it in and pour it after the mortar is stirred, a cement pier will be done, just wait for it to solidify, Qin Huaidao will take people to the other side of the river to continue to tie the iron cage.

There was a lot of strength in numbers, and at noon, another cement pier was also poured.

Niu Dali looked at the pier with some curiosity, and when Qin Huaidao rested, he couldn't help but ask: "Lord Qin, the lower official is dull, the one on this side doesn't look like a bridge, what do you do next?" ”

"Spread another layer on top, just connect the two sides of the strait, you can see it when you look back, don't talk nonsense, go and arrange it, ask someone to send food, and the cost will be settled back." Qin Huaidao urged, sat on the ground and rested, not caring about the image, and from time to time he cared about the surrender of the helpers around him.

Everyone saw that Qin Huaidao was very good at talking, although it was a little difficult to communicate because of the language, but inexplicably there was a sense of intimacy and trust, with a smile on his face.

Not long after, Niu Dali brought people to bring meat patties and haggis soup, which were all arranged in advance, and everyone was already hungry, and they were not polite, so they ate a lot.

After eating and drinking, everyone continued to lay iron bars under the guidance of Qin Huaidao.

The pier and the protruding triangular iron bar are protruding partially, forming a hook, which is the interface, and the tiled iron bar passes through the hook.

Connect them together, and then tie them tightly with wires, and the top and bottom can form a whole.

When all the iron bars are tiled in place, the following and both sides are also fixed with wooden boards to form a groove, and a row of iron bars is erected on both sides, one meter at a time, which can play a fixed role when making railings in the future, and then it is poured mortar pouring.

When it was dark, the bridge was finally poured.

Looking at the bridge across the two banks, everyone showed a look of joy and pride.

Niu Dali looked at this scene and sighed: "Master Qin is a great talent, he can build the bridge in one day, and the officials admire it very much, I heard that it turned out that this bluestone slab bridge took a month, I don't know how long this cement bridge can pass?" ”

"For as little as three days, arrange for people to keep an eye on it, no one is allowed to go up within three days, sprinkle water every hour, and you can't sprinkle hard."

"The subordinate obeys." Niu Dali hurriedly agreed, thought of something, and asked again with some embarrassment: "My lord, the first time Xia Guan saw this kind of bridge, he was really curious, this bridge ...... Can it be done? ”

"Are you worried about not being strong enough?" Qin Huaidao asked rhetorically, seeing Niu Dali smiling awkwardly, he was not angry, it was normal for new things to cause people to question, and explained: "You will know in three days, when the time comes, you can use a knife to slash, use a sledgehammer to try, collapse your ability." ”

"Really?"

Niu Dali said in surprise, seeing Qin Huaidao's determined face, he immediately believed a little, and immediately said: "Let's not talk about the bridge first, let's go, go to dinner, the lower official has already arranged it." ”

Qin Huaidao thought that Niu Dali was the guard here, and many things would need to be taken care of in the future, so he didn't shirk and followed him to a restaurant in the pass.

……

Early the next morning.

Qin Huaidao casually ate something and came to the bridge to check, did not let go of any details, did not see cracks, nor did he see the phenomenon of anti-sand, and he was sure that this bridge should be fine.

Not long after, five hundred people who helped build the bridge also arrived, and the leader stepped forward, saluted and asked in broken Tang language: "My lord, what do you need to do when the brothers are here?" ”

"Don't worry, wait a minute." Qin Huaidao said a word and looked at Niu Dali, who was coming.

Niu Dali trotted forward, looked embarrassed, and saluted: "My lord, the lower official is too late again." ”

"It's okay, how are the iron bars and planks you mentioned at dinner last night?"

"Xia Guan went back to stare at it all night, and everything was built."

"That's good, find a car, and bring those cements together to help the official transport it to Zhouzhi County, and the official needs to continue to build another bridge." Qin Huaidao advised, the required targets, iron bars and other materials were closer to Zhou Zhi County, but Zhou Zhi County had just taken office, and it was estimated that he had not yet figured out the situation in the jurisdiction, so he simply did not bother the two masters.

It was all agreed last night, and Niu Dali hurriedly said: "The carriage was arranged last night, so let's arrange the loading, and it will be able to set off in half an hour at most." ”

"If you have work, the official will take someone first, and you will arrange to keep up." Qin Huaidao said, taking five hundred people to repair the road to take the old bridge through the Heihe River, and go straight to the direction of Zhouzhi.

Some distance from Luoguguan to Zhouzhi, you need to pass through four post stations, a line arrived at Zhouzhi County at dusk, a large number of people suddenly appeared must cause concern, was stopped at the city gate, Qin Huaidao's entourage stepped forward to show his identity, and the guards hurriedly entered the city to report.

Not long after, a middle-aged man came in a hurry with someone, wearing a six-grade civil official uniform, and saluted respectfully: "The new Zhou Zhi County Commander Liu Renliang has seen Lord Qin. ”

"Liu Renliang?"

Qin Huaidao was a little familiar when he heard this name, it seemed that he was quite famous in history, the specific situation was not clear, and it was not easy for people to leave a name in history, so he had a little more good feelings, and said with a smile: "Liu County is polite." ”

"Don't dare, there is an order from the Holy Authority, let the lower officials fully cooperate with the repair of the bridge, what is the use, just give orders." Liu Renliang arched his hand towards the north and said.

"Then there is a Laoliu County order to arrange some tents to be sent to the river, and then prepare three meals tomorrow to be delivered to the construction site, and the official will go back and arrange for someone to settle the payment."

"Matter, Lord Qin, please." Liu Renliang made a request.

Qin Huaidao led people into the city, and saw that the main road was a little narrow, but there were many shops built on both sides, and the cost of demolition and expansion was too high, so he stopped and asked: "Liu County Order, is there a wider road through the city in the city?" ”

"No, the main street in front of me is the largest, the roads in the city are narrow, the houses are crowded, and there are too many people, it is really a last resort, what does Lord Qin mean?" Liu Renliang asked rhetorically.

"The street is too narrow, a big car is barely passing, you need to pass the door, the car is difficult to pass, if there is a naughty child rushing out, there is no time to stop, there are potential safety hazards." Qin Huaidao looked at the main street and frowned slightly, he didn't come last time, he passed directly along the Heihe River through the forest, he didn't know the situation here, and now it seems that things are a little tricky.

Liu Renliang understood, thinking that there would be potential safety hazards in the future, and said with some embarrassment: "Lord Qin has the people in his heart, and the officials admire him, but in this way, how should this road be?" ”

The compensation for demolition is too large, and it is easy to cause disputes, even if it is repaired, there will also be potential safety hazards in the future, Qin Huaidao pondered for a moment, and took it

When people left the city, everyone hurriedly followed, their faces full of curiosity, but no one asked.

Coming back to the outside of the city, Qin Huaidao observed the terrain, the official road turned east after passing through the county seat of Zhou, the terrain on the periphery of the county is flat, there are some vegetable gardens, but the area is not large, and there are some fruits and vegetables, which should be private, Qin Huaidao moved in his heart, pointed in a direction and said: "From here to build a new road to the past, the fruits and vegetables in the vegetable garden along the way are coordinated by the order of Lao Liu County, and the compensation is as much as it should be, don't lose the people." ”

"Build a new road from here, and don't go into the city?" Liu Renliang was a little surprised.

"That's right, right here." Qin Huaidao is determined, obliquely inserting a road to the past, just like the hypotenuse of a right triangle, not to mention the short distance, but also to avoid the city, can save a lot of things, if you really go to the city, you must solve the problem of demolition, demolition means relocation and resettlement, etc., waste of money, not to mention, but also delay time.

Seeing that Qin Huaidao insisted, Liu Renliang didn't say anything more, and he could save a lot of things if he didn't go to the county government in the city, so he couldn't ask for it, so he immediately agreed and arranged for someone to contact the compensation matter.

Qin Huaidao took people over directly, through the vegetable garden, the grove returned to the official road, the visual distance was only about a thousand meters, the amount of work was not large, and he continued to move forward along the official road, and it didn't take long to come to the side of the Heihe River.

Last time I came here, Qin Huaidao observed here, and he was very familiar with the surrounding terrain, this section of the river is very wide, but the water is very shallow, and it is not big, and the big stones exposed on the riverbed can be seen at any time, and they can be used in situ.

The foundation on both sides of the original bridge is solid, but the bridge itself is a little old, and it looks like it will collapse in a few years, Qin Huaidao gave an order, and a group of people began to dismantle the bridge, a group of people dug big pits on both sides of the bank to prepare for the foundation, and most of them went to pick up stones in the riverbed.

Qin Huaidao observed, there is some distance between the two sides of the river, and a pier in the middle will be firmer, anyway, the water flow is small, just dig a pit directly, and there is no need to build a dam to stop the water.

Not long after, food and tents were sent from the county seat, and Liu Renliang found an empty invitation and said: "Lord Qin, it's getting dark, why don't you go into the city and let the lower officials fulfill the friendship of the landlord?" ”

"Forget about eating, road construction is like a battle, this official needs to be with everyone, next time, please also ask Liu County to coordinate the compensation as soon as possible, and the road repair army will arrive in three days at most."

Liu Renliang hurriedly agreed: "Lord Qin and the soldiers are happy together, the lower officials admire, the compensation and coordination matters will go back to ask, and give Lord Qin an explanation tomorrow. ”

As he spoke, a convoy of iron bars, planks and concrete floors came over, and Niu Dali personally escorted them with people.

Qin Huaidao introduced the two of them, Liu Renliang thought of something as soon as he saw the materials, and said with some embarrassment: "Lord Qin, some materials can also be done in Zhouzhi County, but there is General Lao Niu, if you still need it, please Lord Qin must hand it over to Zhouzhi County." ”

With a few polite words, Liu Renliang went back with the county officials and officials, and Niu Dali also returned with the convoy.

The tent has also been set up, the guards brought food, Qin Huaidao observed the river bank while eating, thinking about how to build the bridge, although it was simple, it could not be careless.

Not long after, a bonfire was burned on the riverbank, Qin Huaidao was worried that everyone would make a mess, so he simply asked everyone to start work overnight, digging pits, demolishing bridges, and picking up stones are not technical jobs, and there is no big problem with bonfire lighting.

In the middle of the night, the big pit was dug, the old bridge was demolished, and a lot of stones were picked up.

Qin Huaidao also breathed a sigh of relief, there is no patrol department to guard, in case there is a mess, it is really difficult to suppress it alone, it is good to be tired, rest assured!

Early the next morning, Qin Huaidao began to tie the iron cage, and he was idle, and he was also idle, so he was more at ease.

When the county town sent food, Qin Huaidao had already set up the piers on both sides of the river, and after eating, he continued to build the pier in the middle of the river, which was much deeper and much wider, and was paved with a layer of large stones to prevent it from sinking for a long time.

At noon, all the iron cages were tied, and everyone began to build the formwork, which did not need to be supported by the triangle, and the formwork was built faster and more convenient.

At dusk, the entire bridge was poured and the manual work began.

Liu Renliang brought people to bring food, looked at the completed bridge and was surprised, rushed up to observe, and praised it: "Lord Qin is talented, the lower officials admire, I didn't expect it to be repaired in one day, this speed is incredible, if you don't see it with your own eyes, it's unbelievable, I heard the saint say that this is called a cement bridge, and it is extremely strong?" ”

"Do you believe Liu County's order?" Qin Huaidao said with a smile, the bridge was repaired, and the mood was also very good.

Liu Renliang hurriedly said: "How dare Xia Guan not believe it, it's just unheard of, curious, the piers on both sides of the river look solid, there is a support in the middle, and it is also triangular, this structure can reduce the hydraulic impact when the water rises, ingenious, Xia Guan is looking forward to the moment of passage, I don't know how long it will take to use?" ”

"If it doesn't rain, you can pass for three days, please issue a notice in Liu County, no one is allowed to come and trample on it within three days, including the road built outside." Qin Huaidao admonished.

"Remember."

Qin Huaidao asked, "Can the compensation be coordinated?" ”

"It has been coordinated, and compensation can be made at market value.

”

After chatting a few words, Qin Huaidao signaled to the people who built the road to pick up stones on a large scale for later use, returned along the official road with a few followers, came to the edge of the grove to observe for a while, selected the route, and asked people to cut vines as ropes, and pull out two lines to the official road at the other end, with an interval of ten meters in between, fixed.

After it was done, Qin Huaidao pointed to the vine interval area and said: "Liu County Order, land acquisition in the area, vegetable gardens, fruits and vegetables, and trees on it, whoever owns it will be compensated, the county government will help make a list, and the official will arrange for the silver to be sent over in three days, and it will be distributed uniformly at that time, but is there a problem?" ”

"There is not much silver, the county government can pay it in advance, so as not to worry about the people, and give birth to right and wrong, what do you think?" Liu Renliang proposed.

"It's okay, there is a Laoliu County order." Qin Huaidao promised that he would not give money for the expropriation of land, in case someone took the opportunity to stir up trouble, it would be troublesome to give birth to right and wrong.

After chatting for a while, a team of cavalry came over, led by Yu Chi Baolin, stopped after approaching, handed over the war horse to the entourage, and hurried up, there are outsiders in the course of not brothers, Yu Chi Baolin saluted and said: "I have seen my lord, the stone has been paved to Luoguyi, everyone rushed to work overnight, and it will be paved here tomorrow, let's take a look, there is no problem, right?" ”

"It's just right, pave a new road from here, connect the other end of the official road, transfer people over, this section of the different official road, you need to clean up the ground quickly, dig one meter deep, and pave the stone to make the foundation." Qin Huaidao admonished.

Yu Chi Baolin looked at the city, then looked at the road, and asked curiously, "Don't you go into the city?" ”

"The city is cramped and inconvenient."

"Obey." Yu Chi Baolin didn't say more, and immediately called an entourage to give a few words, and the other party agreed, turned over on his horse, and hurriedly returned.

Qin Huaidao introduced Liu Renliang, and as soon as Liu Renliang heard the identity of Wei Chi Baolin, he hurriedly saluted.

Yu Chi Baolin felt that Qin Huaidao attached great importance to Liu Renliang, and he did not hold it up, returned the courtesy seriously, and said a few polite words.

Liu Renliang warmly invited the two of them into the city again, Qin Huaidao thought that the bridge had been repaired, there was nothing to do, and he would still need to deal with Liu Renliang in the future, so he agreed.

A wine banquet, the guests and the host are happy.

After the meal, Qin Huaidao refused the inn arranged by Liu Renliang, insisted on returning to the Heihe River with everyone, Yu Chi Baolin also followed, the two came to the bridge, looking at the wide new bridge, Yu Chi Baolin sighed: "I didn't expect the cement to be so magical, after this bridge is repaired, it will be unimpeded along the way." ”

"It's a smooth official road to Chang'an, but not only is the road on, but you also have to speed up, is there a problem?" Qin Huaidao also said casually.

Yu Chi Baolin said indifferently: "Isn't it just digging stones to pave the road?" No problem, everyone is full of energy, rushed to work overnight, the speed is very fast, no one has made trouble these days, don't worry, you have other things to do, just go busy, if you can't solve it, let people send a message to you. ”

"It's no problem to rush to work overnight, I'm tired and don't have the energy to make trouble, but I have to make sure that everyone is healthy, so that everyone can tell everyone that the salary will rise by another percent, in addition, add a meal at night, there will be no place to hunt when you get out of the Qinling Mountains, pick wild fruits, spend more money to sell meat, eat well, everyone will complain less and have more strength."

"Okay, remember." Yu Chi Baolin agreed.

Qin Huaidao thought for a moment, and felt that there was indeed no big problem, the bridge with the most technical difficulty had been repaired, and the remaining stones were paved, cement mortar was poured, and it was just paved, there was not much technical content, and he thought that someone in Chang'an City was targeting him in the dark, and he was even more concerned.

The night breeze is blowing, and the trees rustle.

Bursts of unknown insect chirping came, quiet and peaceful.

The moon also poked its head out of the clouds, sprinkling thousands of zhang of clear light, covering the surrounding wilderness with a layer of silver veil, Qin Huaidao silently looked around, calmed down, and admonished: "Brother Wei Chi, someone is secretly targeting me, I must go back, and I will leave it to you and Brother Cheng." ”

"Don't worry, there is a useful place to let people come and inform you at any time, and there is no lake."

Qin Huaidao nodded, didn't go into the topic, chatted a few words, and found a tent to sleep.

Early the next morning.

A burst of chirping birds woke Qin Huaidao up, got out of the tent, washed it casually in the river, and ate some food sent by Liu Renliang himself, a team of two hundred people hurried over, Qin Huaidao organized everyone to dig the road and fill in the stones to lay the foundation.

At noon, Qin Huaidao saw that everyone was doing a good job, and found Yu Chi Baolin and said: "Wei Chi, just repair it like this, you must ensure the width, use a hard stone as the base, the gap is pressed with gravel, and then pave a layer of gravel on top after paving, the same as the official road, and then build a cement road, Zhou Zhi to Chang'an needs to pass through Huxian, and some small towns, if the road is not wide enough, also detour, according to this method to build." ”

"Remember, this width seems to be wider than the concrete road." Yu Chi Baolin asked.

"That's right, it's wider, about a foot more on both sides in the future, it's convenient to strengthen the foundation, nothing else to go beforehand, except for Brother Cheng and Luo Zhang, no one can know about their whereabouts." Qin Huaidao admonished.

"Don't worry, be careful!" Yu Chi Baolin agreed.

Qin Huaidao nodded and found the white hoof

Quietly left, and went straight to the direction of Chang'an.

Rushing all the way, arriving at Huxian at dusk, after entering the city, I came to the door of an inn, and suddenly felt that someone was following, and looked back at the street, except for the shouting vendors, the people passing by, there was no abnormality.

"Does it feel wrong? It shouldn't be. Qin Huaidao has always believed in his instincts, and looked around vigilantly, although he was secretive when he came, no one should know his whereabouts so quickly, but what if?

"Will someone be staring at his whereabouts in Zhou Zhi and finding that he can't see the pigeon and send a message?"

"An old killer organization like Fengyulou has a lot of means, and it has to be guarded against."

"The enemy came prepared, rushed overnight to disrupt the opponent's deployment, or ......"

After some thought, Qin Huaidao, who was high and bold, decided to stay behind the meeting to see who it was.

The next moment, Qin Huaidao walked towards the inn without hesitation.