"We've tested it before. About three parts of lime and one part of clay have the best effect."
Zhao Jingdian respectfully said:
"But even so, I'm afraid it's just the pot calling the kettle black."
Wang Chong nodded. Zhao Jingdian's research had shown some results. It was already quite impressive that they had been able to find the optimal ratio of lime to clay. In fact, Wang Chong felt that the correct formula should be like this.
However, this was obviously far from enough. What Wang Chong needed was a cement road that could carry more than a dozen people and weigh thousands of pounds. This level of "mud" in front of him was obviously not enough.
Moreover, just as Zhao Jingdian had said, cement of this level really could only be called 'mud'. It was clear that something else needed to be added.
"Jing Dian, did you get the thing I mentioned before?"
Wang Chong stood up and asked.
"Young Master, are you talking about the Silk Ore? A few days ago, according to Young Master's instructions, we sent people to the mountains of the Northwest Silk Road to dig up the ore that Young Master mentioned. However, whether or not it is the lu ore that Young Master spoke of will still require Young Master's confirmation. Men, bring those ores over. "
Zhao Jingdian waved his hand, and several guards quickly brought in a basket of ore.
Looking at the reddish-brown ore in the basket, Wang Chong snickered inwardly. Of course, there was no such thing as' lu ore 'in this world. It was just' aluminum ore '. However, in the world of martial arts, only iron ore would be valued.
As for "aluminum", of course, there was no such thing.
"This should be it."
Wang Chong looked at the ores in the basket and nodded. Aluminum ore itself was not reddish-brown, but there were some iron ore impurities in it, so it appeared this color, but it was still different from real iron ore.
This was actually easier to recognize.
In the era of the Tang dynasty, there was no concept of 'aluminum'. Just like Zhao Jingdian, he mistook 'aluminum' for 'strand', and he was completely confused. This made things easier for Wang Chong. At least in this era, no one could compete with him in aluminum ore.
As for why Wang Chong had Zhao Jingdian search for aluminum ore, it was very simple. In Wang Chong's memories, adding aluminum ore powder to cement could greatly increase the hardness and viscosity of cement.
If the "cement" made of limestone and clay was the most basic version, then the "cement" made with aluminum ore powder was definitely the more advanced version, and it was infinitely close to the complete version of "cement".
Bang!
Wang Chong lightly clapped his hand and sent out a gust of Gang Qi. Under the influence of an invisible force, the aluminum ore in the basket was immediately crushed into fine powder and leaked out from the gaps in the basket.
"Young master?!"
Wang Chong's move caught everyone by surprise, and even Zhao Jingdian was perplexed.
"Jing Dian, call a few masons over and mix it according to the ratio of lime and clay you mentioned. After that, add in the aluminum ore powder. Right, pay attention to the amount of water you add. The more water you add, the worse the performance. Study the optimal amount of water. "
Wang Chong dusted off the aluminum ore powder and stood up.
Now that he thought about it, Wang Chong realized that he had overlooked something. Besides the lime and clay, there was also the amount of water that should be added. These things could also affect the performance of the cement.
Most obviously, even the best cement would immediately vanish if thrown into the sea, so how could it have any viscosity?
Zhao Jingdian had clearly overlooked this as well when ordering the masons to mix the cement.
"Yes, Young Master."
A hint of confusion appeared in Zhao Jingdian's eyes, but he still quickly nodded. He would unconditionally obey Wang Chong's orders.
The masons in the mine quickly began to work.
Wang Chong called over a few more baskets of aluminum ore and crushed them into powder. He personally supervised the masons as they divided them into piles and mixed them according to the amount of water and aluminum ore powder.
The mixing and mixing didn't take long. Forty to fifty piles of new "mud" were quickly mixed in the mine according to different proportions. However, the most crucial part was the next "hardening" process.
This would take a long time, and he could only wait. There was nothing else he could do.
Wang Chong was clearly very patient, standing in the mine and waiting, showing no signs of impatience. This cement that could change the fate of the empire was no less important to Wang Chong than to the City of Steel, perhaps even more so.
An hour later …
"Young Master, it's done!"
A chief mason stood in front of Wang Chong and respectfully said.
"Mm."
Wang Chong nodded and gestured to a foreman. He walked over and grabbed the first pile of hardened "mud". Then, he immediately turned his head around with excitement on his face.
"Incredible! Young Master, good news! With the addition of the cement powder, the cement has become several times harder!"
The foreman's entire body trembled in excitement.
The masons in the mine also became excited at these words, and they began to gather around. During this period of time, they had been surrounding this "mud" every day, but basically all of their experiments had failed.
But now that they heard that the cement had become much harder, how could they not be excited?
"Young Master, this is good stuff! With this cement, it'll be much easier to cultivate in the future. "
The experienced foreman grabbed a handful of hardened 'mud' and placed it in front of Wang Chong, his face brimming with hope. At this moment, he immediately realized the enormous use of this material in construction.
But to his surprise, Wang Chong's brow creased. They might be satisfied with this kind of cement, but for Wang Chong, it was far from what he wanted.
When the foreman grabbed a handful of cement from the pile, it meant that the experiment had failed. Although the hardness of this cement had been greatly improved, it was still far from the cement that Wang Chong wanted.
If it could be grabbed with both hands, how could it withstand the force of a carriage that weighed thousands of kilograms?
"Try the next pile!"
Wang Chong's words interrupted the excited crowd.
Then the second pile, the third pile, the fourth pile … As the amount of aluminum ore powder increased, the hardness of the cement also increased. After the fifth pile, it could no longer be pulled with both hands.
In the mine, the crowd was excited at first, but as they watched the cement get harder and harder, and its performance became better and better, they became speechless.
A while ago, they had all been wondering what use this meaningless cement would have, but now, none of them could say anything. The scene that Wang Chong had displayed before them was an unimaginable miracle to these masons who had spent their entire lives working with bricks and wood.
No one had expected that the Young Marquis of the Great Tang, other than his ability to strategize on the battlefield and his astonishing mastery of the art of war, would also possess such inconceivable abilities in construction. Lime and clay were both extremely ordinary objects, but in the hands of the Young Marquis, they were no less than stones.
Amongst all the ingredients, the only special one was probably the 'Lu Ore' that the Marquis had obtained from who knows where.
Slowly, all the masons began to feel a deep reverence for the youth next to them. Unlike Wang Chong's military arts, Wang Chong had conquered them in their field of expertise.
"Young Master, try it. This pile of cement is the hardest and can withstand around eight hundred jin of force! Other than martial artists, ordinary people should find it very difficult to destroy! "
With a resounding voice, a muscular and fully-armored guard strode over and stopped in front of Wang Chong.
"Buzz!"
The surrounding crowd gasped in shock at the guard's words. Although they had made it themselves, even these masons found it hard to believe that it could withstand eight hundred jin.
This was no longer something that could be described as' mud '.
Because no mud could reach this level of hardness. This was similar to stone. In that instant, everyone in the mine turned to look at Wang Chong. Even Zhao Jingdian's eyes widened.
He had been in the mine for a very long time, but he had never imagined that Wang Chong would be able to raise the hardness of this meaningless' mud 'to this level.
"Eight hundred jin is about right!"
Wang Chong smiled and nodded in satisfaction.
Eight hundred jin meant that a muscular man would be incapable of doing the slightest damage to this' mud '. This was already close to the requirement that Wang Chong had for' cement '.
Although this hardness was still far from the several thousand jin that Wang Chong wanted, roads had never been paved with pure 'cement'.
"With cement, river sand, gravel, and some steel bars, this road can completely withstand several thousand jin of force without being damaged!"
Wang Chong looked at the nearby pile of cement, a faint smile on his lips.
Now that he had made the true 'cement' formula, he could officially begin his plans. He would open up mountains and mines on a large scale, purchase large quantities of lime and clay, excavate large quantities of aluminum ore, scour for large quantities of river sand, gravel, and order the various sword-smithing clans, sword shops, and sword smiths to forge large quantities of steel bars …
With these things, he would truly be able to construct a massive, developed, and convenient transportation system in this world. Although the future Tang dynasty would be vast, it would be able to quickly respond to the changes on the borders.
This was a major event that would change the course of the Central Plains for the next several thousand years!
"Buzz!"
As this thought flitted through his mind, Wang Chong's mind began to rumble, and a familiar voice resounded in his ear.
"Congratulations to user for unlocking the mission 'Empire's Fury'!"
"The crisscrossing roads are like the veins of the earth, rushing over the land. But the swollen structure, the vast expanse of the land, have troubled this massive and ancient empire, causing it to slumber like a lion. But one day, when the lion awakens, it will unleash a heaven-shaking fury that will pierce through everything. … Congratulations to user for developing 'cement' and unlocking the first step of the Empire's Fury, the Fury of the Road. "
"Cement is a weapon that can change the fate of the empire! User is specially rewarded with 1000 points of Destiny Energy. "
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