The shape of this wall was very much like a human ear. The northern part was the upper auricle, the southern part was the earlobe, the eastern part was the auricle, and the western part was the tragus.
In order to make it easier for outsiders to enter the city, a total of five city gates had to be built. The northern and southern parts each had one, while the eastern part of the city required three city gates. Among them, the city gate closest to the northern part would be transformed into a tunnel for trains to enter and leave the city normally.
The scale of the construction of these five city gates was not small. Currently, the two eastern city gates were being built. After all, whether it was the number of craftsmen or the amount of building materials, they were somewhat insufficient. They could only do it step by step.
The number of craftsmen responsible for building the walls was not many. Most of them were responsible for transporting and compacting the soil because building the walls only required two very thin walls. The amount of work was not very large, and the width of the soil between the two walls was as high as thirty feet. Although the soil was taken from nearby, the amount of soil required was too much. Therefore, more manpower was needed. In addition, compacting also required manpower. In order to build the city walls stronger, the building of the walls and the compacting of the soil had to be done simultaneously. This was the best way to achieve the best results.
In fact, if the materials were insufficient, the building of the walls could be replaced with soil. In the rural houses of the later generations, when building, many of them used yellow soil as a bonding agent. There was not much of a problem. It was just that the walls of the houses were prone to cracking.
However, for the quality of the city walls, Ang Lee still decided to use cement mortar. Moreover, if there was surplus cement in the future, a layer of cement mortar that was one finger thick would be smeared on the surface of the outer city walls. This would further increase the defensive power of the city walls. At the same time, the outer walls of the city walls would look clean and classy. It could also cover the small steps created by the retreat of each layer of bricks, further preventing enemies from climbing up the city walls.
"Assistant Minister Li, I'm afraid such a simple compaction is not enough! It's not sturdy enough. "
A subordinate looked at the city walls designed by Ang Lee and said.
In fact, many ancient city walls were made of soil. They were not brick city walls that were seen in TV series. There were not that many brick materials. Only important cities like the capital city could possibly cover the exterior with a layer of stone or brick.
Even the world-famous Great Wall was made of yellow mud in some areas. It was only in mountainous areas with stones that the Great Wall was made of stone.
And don't think that walls made of yellow soil are just tofu dregs. That would be a big mistake. In history, many walls made of yellow soil were very sturdy. For example, the capital city of the Hun Tribe, Tong Wan City, was made entirely of yellow soil.
However, the walls of this city were extremely sturdy and were not at all weaker than the walls made of stone. It was said that the Hun leader, in order to ensure the sturdiness of this city, had given extremely abnormal specifications when building the walls.
That was, between the construction party responsible for the construction and the inspection party responsible for the inspection, one of them had to be executed. The specific method was to let the inspection party stab the wall with an iron rod after the wall was built. If the iron rod was able to penetrate an inch into the wall, it meant that the construction craftsman had cut corners and would be executed. If the iron rod was able to penetrate less than an inch into the wall, it meant that the inspection party did not use enough strength and would be executed.
Under such a harsh system, the craftsmen responsible for the construction would do everything they could to make the wall extremely sturdy to ensure that the inspection party would not be able to penetrate an inch into the wall. The inspection party was also afraid of being executed. Therefore, they would use all their strength during the inspection and strive to penetrate an inch into the wall in order to save their own lives.
Both parties wanted to save their own lives, so it became a competition. In this way, they would think of ways to restrain each other and improve their skills step by step. In the end, the wall they built became extremely sturdy.
This kind of wall that used human lives to build was very inhumane. However, the sturdiness of Tong Wan City was also recognized by the world as sturdy. This sturdy wall was nothing more than a pile of mud.
Therefore, as long as one put their heart into it, a wall made of mud could also be very sturdy. However, it also required a lot of energy. Ang Lee had the craftsmen casually use their feet to press it down, so it was obviously impossible to create a sturdy wall. What Ang Lee relied on was only the two brick walls on the outside and did not care much about the internal soil structure.
"If it's not sturdy, will it?"
Ang Lee said with a smile.
His subordinate hurriedly said, "Assistant Minister Li, if the enemy launches an attack and excavates under the wall, as long as the outermost brick wall is destroyed, they can easily dig the inner wall. Although the wall is three feet thick, if it's not sturdy enough, they won't be able to dig for long!"
What his subordinate said was the truth. If the thickness of the wall was not sturdy enough, then the defensive power of the wall would be questionable. It was very likely that it would be broken by the wall-digging technique of the besiegers. The sturdier the wall, the more difficult it would be to dig through it and the longer it would take.
In a war, time could determine victory or defeat. If the wall could be dug through earlier, then the besiegers would have a great advantage. If it took a long time to dig through a part of the wall, then the defenders would have enough time to deploy troops to plug the gap.
Ang Lee naturally understood this. However, the population of this port could reach hundreds of thousands in the future, or even more. The defending troops would be very sufficient, and the military technology would be particularly advanced. In this way, no enemy would dare to attack this city. The construction of the wall was only for good public order and necessary defense. There was no need to pay special attention to defense. If the city was really suppressed by the enemy and could only rely on the wall for defense, then the Tang Empire might have already declined. Even if it could hold on for a while, it would eventually be lost. Attack was always the best defense. Defense was necessary, but it could only be in a subordinate position and should be ranked after the attack.
"Your concern is reasonable. However, the number of craftsmen we have now is limited, and the manpower is very insufficient. There is no need to strive for perfection in the wall. It's fine as long as it's not too bad. Do you think anyone will dare to attack the city of the Tang Empire? The biggest role of the wall is to build necessary defense and image projects, and also to stabilize public order. If such a big city doesn't have a wall, it will seem inappropriate."
Ang Lee spoke his mind.
His subordinate nodded and said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. Our Tang Empire is so powerful. No one will come to provoke us. The wall doesn't need to be too strong. It's fine as long as it's enough."
Ang Lee smiled and looked up. Hundreds of soldiers were escorting a large amount of wood over. The wood was somewhat irregular. At first glance, he could tell that it was construction waste after dismantling buildings.
"What are these things? Where did they come from?"
Ang Lee asked.
"Assistant Minister Li, these are the materials for building arrow towers! There are more than 30 villages around, and each village has several arrow towers. They were originally used to deal with the remnants of the pirates, but now that all the pirates have been annihilated, there is no use in keeping so many arrow towers. Therefore, before the soldiers of the villages evacuated, all these arrow towers were dismantled and transported back. Anyway, building materials are needed everywhere in the port. These materials can more or less alleviate the port's need for resources. "
His subordinate quickly replied.
Ang Lee nodded with satisfaction and said, "Well done. You know how to live. You know how to save money. Haha!"
Ang Lee hadn't given this order yet, but his subordinates had already carried it out. Moreover, they did it very correctly. This really didn't disappoint Ang Lee. These arrow towers lost all their functions after the pirates were annihilated. If they were not dismantled, it would be a waste of resources. After they were dismantled, these materials could still be used and could greatly alleviate the port's need for wood.
However, looking at these soldiers, Ang Lee suddenly felt that they should do something. After all, now that all the pirates had been annihilated, the army of more than 10,000 could be said to have no combat missions. The defense mission didn't need so many people. Rather than leaving these soldiers with nothing to do, it was better to let them join the ranks of the craftsmen. Of course, this was only temporary.
Working was much more tiring than standing guard. If these soldiers were asked to work as craftsmen for no reason, they would definitely be very unwilling. They might even cause some trouble. However, there was a saying that money could make the devil turn millstones. As long as these soldiers were given some extra allowance, they would be able to appease their discontented hearts and make them work willingly. Soldiers didn't earn much money. If they were given extra money, why wouldn't they do it? What reason would they have to refuse?
"More than 10,000 soldiers in charge of defense is a little too much. If we take out 6,000 people to help the craftsmen, will the construction progress be faster?"
Ang Lee spoke of the feasibility.
"Assistant Minister Li, some of these soldiers have done craftsmen's work before, so they won't have a problem. However, we must give them more money, otherwise they will be dissatisfied."
The subordinate said.
Ang Lee smiled and nodded. "Is there a need to say that? How can this official not give them enough allowance? Hahaha! This matter is settled. You are in charge of the arrangements! "
"Yes, this subordinate understands."
One of the subordinates responded and turned around to prepare.
If it wasn't for the lack of craftsmen and the scale of the port's construction being too large, Ang Lee wouldn't have troubled these soldiers. It was a helpless choice. After all, he had plenty of money.
"All of you do well. If you do well, the processing fee will be paid."
Ang Lee loudly raised the morale of the craftsmen and had them work a little harder.
In truth, personally coming to inspect the craftsmen was also a form of supervision. As long as Ang Lee personally came, the subordinates in charge of the project would definitely accompany him. Thus, with a large group of officials watching from the side, the craftsmen wouldn't have the slightest chance to slack off. They had to work with passion, and the progress of the project would naturally be slightly faster.
In the evening, Ang Lee returned to his residence. After eating dinner, he asked his subordinates about the soldiers' opinions on the work.
"Replying to Assistant Minister Li, the soldiers are rather satisfied with the compensation. The majority of them have expressed their willingness to work. Transferring 6,000 soldiers from an army of more than 10,000 is no problem at all."
The subordinate happily replied.
Ang Lee was clearly very happy. He nodded and said, "Good, truly wonderful. You've handled this matter extremely well. Starting tomorrow, the soldiers can start working."
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li."
Thinking about the 6,000 soldiers joining the ranks of the craftsmen, Ang Lee's mood was exceptionally good. This meant that the project could be carried out even faster. This way, he would be more at ease when he left this place.
As the number of merchants gradually increased, the lighting of the port at night became better and better. In the core area of the city, it was almost always very bright. There was no need to worry about tripping over anything when walking at night.
After eating dinner, Ang Lee naturally went out for a walk. As he walked, he arrived at the place where the pirates were tied up. On the way, he met many soldiers who were talking about work. These fellows were quite happy when they talked about the additional compensation. This was especially true for the soldiers who had worked before. In any case, they had nothing to do, so what was wrong with earning more money? No one would refuse to give money away.
"Ah! Go to hell! Go to hell! "
Not far ahead, an enraged soldier rushed over and started punching and kicking a pirate without any reason. After he was done, he strolled away in satisfaction as if nothing had happened. There were even a few soldiers snickering behind him, but no one knew what they were laughing about.
Ang Lee walked over and looked at the soldiers who were laughing. He asked, "What are you laughing about? What are you so happy about? Tell this official."
"Assistant Minister Li."
The soldiers were shocked. How could they have imagined that Ang Lee would suddenly appear behind them?
"It's fine. This official is just passing by. Just say whatever you want to say. This official won't blame the soldiers who speak the truth."
Ang Lee's gossipy nature was greatly aroused as he asked.
The soldiers were still somewhat hesitant, as if this matter was not easy to talk about.
"Assistant Minister Li, please forgive us. We went to find Lil 'Miss to relax. One of our brothers went to that kind of place for the first time. In the end, in the blink of an eye, the union … was finished."
A soldier braced himself as he spoke.
When Ang Lee heard this, he immediately understood. He smiled and said, "So you're saying that the brothel girls made fun of the soldier who just left, making him feel that he had lost face, right?"
As someone who had been through this, how could Ang Lee not understand this matter? His mind was as clear as a mirror.
"Assistant Minister Li is right. That's exactly what happened. This brother is just too concerned about his face."
"It's also because the brothel girls don't know any better. How could they make fun of their patron? It's too outrageous. "
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