Zhu Fan smiled: "That's right, don't look at the loess tamped, it's very strong." This is made of pure loess, which is mixed with lime, fine sand and wheat straw after screening, stirred evenly and rammed. Each layer is about three or four inches thick. And it's not just rammed earth. In the middle, a horizontal 'permanent pillar' and a vertical 'weaving wood' should be added. The last layer on top is made of loess, lime and glutinous rice juice, and the thickness is about one and a half feet. ”

Zhu Bai: "I don't understand, isn't the soil used for the city wall disappear as soon as it rains." And it will grow grass. ”

Zhu Zhang: "We also want to use green bricks, but green bricks are expensive, but let's calculate it, let alone use all green bricks to build on, even if the inner and outer sides are covered with a layer, at least 25 million green bricks are enough." So now we can only step up patrols to constantly uproot weeds and saplings on the walls, and repair the areas that have been washed away by the rain. ”

Zhu Bai nodded slightly: It is indeed too costly.

Besides, now Xi'an does not need to defend against foreign enemies for the time being, and this matter can be slowed down.

Zhu Fan pointed to the city wall and continued: "My father ordered the expansion and repair of the city wall on the basis of the Tang and Song dynasties in the third year of Hongwu, and successively ordered Geng Bingwen, Pu Ying and Feng Sheng to lead the army to supervise the construction, but it took another year or two after I came to be considered basically completed. Counting it, it took a full eight years before and after. ”

Zhu Bai felt more and more that using rammed earth to build was the best choice. The rammed earth has been repaired for eight years. If you use green bricks, I don't know if you can repair it in another eight years.

Zhu Fan and the others rode slowly along the city wall.

Zhu Fan said: "Nowadays, the city wall of Xi'an is a square with rules and regulations. The total length is about twenty-seven and a half miles. The north-south direction is slightly longer than the east-west direction. There is an enemy platform every thirty-six zhang, a total of ninety-eight; On each enemy platform, there is a garrison enemy tower, and a corner tower is built in each of the four corners of the city. There is a city gate due east, south, west, and north. His father named these four gates 'Changle', 'Yongning', 'Anding' and 'Anyuan', which also pinned his hopes on Xi'an. We're walking here at Andingmen. Outside each gate, there is a gate urn city, and there is a city tower and an arrow tower on the urn city. ”

Zhu Bai asked: "My father always told me that Xi'an Mansion is very big, how big is it?" ”

Zhu Fan was a little proud and replied: "Xi'an Mansion now governs thirty-one counties in six prefectures. ”

Zhu Bai smacked his tongue: "My good man, Fengyang only has six counties, nine states, and eighteen counties under the jurisdiction of the state. Ying Tianfu only led eight counties, and Xi'an Mansion was even bigger than Ying Tianfu and Fengyang Mansion. ”

You must know that Fengyang is Lao Zhu's lair, and Yingtian is the heart of Daming.

Zhu Fan sighed: "Don't look at the large area, in fact, there are few people." It's the Northwest after all. The main battlefield of the Song-Jin battle was here. Whoever could run ran ran. Those who couldn't run away later encountered a severe drought, and seven or eight out of ten people died of starvation. It is in response to the saying that 'after repeated military revolutions, the population is sparse and wide, and the Gaolai is full of wilderness'. ”

Zhu Bai pursed his lips: Indeed. The wars that came and went, the Northern Song Dynasty was non-stop here, and later the Song Dynasty moved south, and many people left. The Yuan Dynasty didn't care if anyone farmed at all, and a good "prosperous Chang'an" would wither like this.

Zhu said: "Before I came, there were fewer people. In the ninth year of Hongwu, my father ordered the people of Shanxi, Fen, Ping, Ze, and Lu to be moved to Hexi, and the land was cultivated and their homes were inherited. 'There are so many people in Xi'an Mansion today. ”

Zhu Bai smiled: "In this way, the people under the jurisdiction of the second brother actually moved from the third brother. ”

Zhu Fan also smiled: "I naturally can't compare to the third brother here." ”

Zhu Bai: "No, the third brother is the richest place in the north of our Ming Dynasty." ”

Thanks to Lao Zhu's blessing, he was forced to read the annual tax statements of all the government offices of the Ming Dynasty.

So it's clear about these things.

Zhu Bai suddenly realized that in fact, Lao Zhu didn't say anything in his mouth, but he still preferred Zhu Fan and Zhu Di a little bit in his heart, and he was a little jealous of Zhu Di.

Otherwise, he would not have sent Zhu Fan and Zhu Li to Xi'an and Shanxi, the best capitals in his mind, respectively.

Zhu Di was younger next year, but he was kicked to the remote city of Beiping.

Even if Zhu Di is reversed now, when he comes from Beiping to fight Yingtian, he must first pass the checkpoints of the two elder brothers, Zhu Li and Zhu Zhang.

In the future, Lao Zhu estimates that more people will be arranged to intercept Zhu Di.

Someone once said that Zhu Di is the most like Lao Zhu among all Lao Zhu's adult sons.

This is Zhu Di's luck and his misfortune.

Because Lao Zhu knows himself better than anyone else.

If you are more like him, you will not be willing to be subservient.

All Zhu Di needs is a reason and an opportunity.

Just like Lao Zhu's own reason back then, he was to starve to death, and the opportunity was that the whole world was anti-Yuan.

Zhu Fan said: "Therefore, when the twelfth brother looks at Xi'an City, he may be a little disappointed." After all, it is impossible to return to the grand occasion of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. ”

"That's nature," Zhu Bai said. ”

Not to mention that it has experienced the smashing and robbery of An Lushan before, even if it is the ravages of the Yuan Dynasty later, it is enough to destroy this prosperous and beautiful ancient city.

It's so distressing to think about.

This is also the reason why he hated the Hu and Mongols from the bottom of his heart.

They wander everywhere, they are born aggressors, and they will do nothing but destroy and destroy.

They are the failures and viruses of human civilization, so their numbers must be controlled so that they can only roam the steppes and the Gobi.

They call themselves wolves, but they don't know that wolves eat sheep that run slowly, and they don't destroy them.

They are more greedy and shameless than wolves.

Zhu Bai suddenly said: "Second brother, let's work together to destroy Wang Baobao." ”

Zhu Fan was shocked, and turned his head to meet Zhu Bai's firm eyes.

Does this kid know about me and Wang Baobao and my plan?

For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

Zhu Bai turned his head again and said, "Plan well, one day you will destroy these beasts." ”

He tried so hard to persuade Zhu Zhang, I don't know if he can listen to it?

Zhu Fan said: "Well, there will be a day. ”

A dense layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

My heart was also surrounded by a deep sense of shame.

The Ming soldiers died so many people and spent so much energy fighting against Wang Baobao.

My father told me to defend Xi'an against the Mongols.

What am I doing?

I'm sending him food so that he can get away with it!!

What is the difference between me and those cowardly Song Dynasty officials who will only spend money to eliminate disasters.

I am a, a coward, tarnishing my father's name.

Zhu Bai suddenly changed the topic again and asked Zhu Zhang: "Is there still a curfew at night in Xi'an now?" ”

Zhu Fan replied: "Yes." Now before Xi'an follows suit, it is divided into one hundred and eight squares, and there will be soldiers patrolling at night, and the people cannot go out at will, otherwise they will be heavily fined. The main reason was that the Mongols were afraid that the Mongols would infiltrate the people and enter the city to steal and rob. However, the curfew will be lifted on the 15th day of the first lunar month and the 15th day of August, and people can come out to play and watch the lanterns. ”