Li Yun solemnly said, "Your Majesty, this bridge is absolutely feasible. This bridge appears to be an iron chain bridge, but in reality, it applies the theory of arch bridges to the fullest."
"Ignorant child, what nonsense! This is clearly an iron chain bridge and a girder bridge randomly put together. How can it involve an arch bridge?" an assistant minister of the Ministry of Works angrily rebuked.
Li Yun smiled and said, "Everyone naturally can't see the traces of an arch bridge, but if this bridge is turned upside down …"
Li Yun didn't continue speaking. Instead, he raised the model and turned it upside down, turning it into a replica of an arch bridge. And this so-called Wei River Bridge was clearly just an arch bridge turned upside down.
Li Yun loudly said, "The sturdiness of an arch bridge has been tested for a thousand years. There is no doubt about this. My Xiangfu branch has been immersed in this for a thousand years. In terms of understanding of arch bridges, no one else can. The Wei River Bridge uses steel cables as the arch, and each cable hangs down to lift the bridge. The bridge appears incomparably heavy, but the strength is spread out on the cables. Applying the theory of arch bridges in reverse can be said to be a work of art. In this lowly one's view, this bridge is theoretically feasible."
The Xiangfu branch could be said to be unrivaled in the field of arch bridges. One was Li Chun's Zhaozhou Bridge, the other was Li Yun's Qu River Arch Bridge. One could say that they had personally verified this point.
"This is only theoretically feasible. Moreover, this means that the success or failure of this bridge is completely dependent on a small steel cable. No matter how you look at it, it's laughable!" the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works snorted. Instantly, many officials roared with laughter.
Li Yun's face immediately flushed red. He wanted to retort, but he didn't know where to begin.
"Assistant Minister Ling, the steel cable you speak of isn't a small one. It's a super strong steel cable made up of over a hundred strands of high strength steel wire. This steel cable is at least three feet wide." Moton stepped forward proudly, helping Li Yun out of his predicament.
Assistant Minister Ling couldn't help but sneer. "Merton is taking things for granted. One must know that the Wei River to the north of Chang 'an is more than one li wide. With such a length and the weight of the bridge, how can a mere steel cable bear it?"
He had never seen such a ridiculous thing in his entire life in the Ministry of Works, using steel cables to support the weight of the bridge.
Meton laughed and said, "Turning the impossible into the possible, this is the magic of the Mo Clan's Mo Technique. Furthermore, this Mo once saw the Mo Clan's sage encouraging the younger generation in 'Mozi's Secret Works'. This Mo hopes that everyone can give me some pointers."
"The Secret Works of Mozi." The nearby Li Yun's eyes couldn't help but light up. He'd heard of the legendary Secret Works of Mozi for a long time, and he'd never imagined that he'd be able to hear Meton personally recite it.
"It's difficult to cross the vast sea with a single bamboo pole. Everyone, paddle and sail the ship.
A small tree is weak and unable to withstand the wind and rain. A hundred miles of forest, side by side, can withstand the cold. "
Meton said in a loud and clear voice. After he finished speaking, the entire court fell silent. These words were simple and unpretentious, but the philosophy contained in them was easy to understand and extremely profound.
Li Yun's eyes couldn't help but light up. He was even more interested in the Mozi's Secret Works that Meton spoke of. These words were simple and clear, but they also contained the Mo Clan's philosophy.
Meton continued, "Han Feizi once said that although a single hand claps silently, it is difficult to clap without sound. However, during the military parade that year, tens of thousands of commoners clapped and their applause shook the heavens.
We all know that a single chopstick can be easily broken. Ten chopsticks can be tightly clasped together. Even if you use all your strength, you won't be able to damage it at all. Today, the Mo Clan's steel cables are the same. The Mo Clan's most popular machine is the Thousand Jin Arm. A single person's strength is enough to lift a thousand jin object. In addition to relying on the Mo Clan's Mo Technique, the steel cables made of thin steel wires are the greatest contribution.
However, the suspension cables that the Mo Clan designed to build the Wei River Bridge are three feet long. They're like tens of thousands of steel wires tightly clasped together. The force that they can withstand is ten times or even a hundred times greater. Furthermore, one suspension cable isn't enough, so the Mo Clan prepared four. Let alone the fact that the current carriage can only carry five thousand jin, even if it's increased by ten times, there won't be any problems. "
After Meton finished speaking, the Imperial Court fell silent.
"A single chopstick can be gently broken. Ten chopsticks can be tightly clasped together. These words truly contain great principles. "Li Shimin sighed emotionally.
Meton's theory seemed inconceivable, but it wasn't difficult to understand. A tree that was thick enough for a person to hug it would probably be impossible for an ordinary person to do anything even if they put in a great deal of effort. As for shaving it into chopstick-sized sticks, even a ten-year-old child would be able to easily break them. The suspension cables of the Wei River Bridge were based on this principle.
Li Yun was even more thoughtful. He had always thought that Mo Jiazi's achievements today were only due to the secret writings of Mo Jiazi. However, he was truly impressed that Mo Jiazi was able to find the secret technique of building a bridge from the inspirational words of a wise man of the Mo Clan.
"Moreover, the Wei River is only in the top twenty of all the rivers of the Tang dynasty. If we can't even conquer the Wei River, we won't be able to conquer the wider and more complicated Huai River, Yellow River, and even the Yangtze River. Now that all the brick roads in the world are unobstructed by rivers, it's imperative to build a bridge," Meton said proudly.
In an instant, Meton found the best basis for the construction of the Wei River Bridge technically and theoretically.
Many courtiers nodded. The Wei River Bridge opened up the northern passage of Chang 'an. Although it was important, it was still inferior to the bridges that spanned the Huai River, the Yellow River, and the Yangtze River. The Wei River Bridge built today was just the least difficult one. Only by building this bridge could it be possible to build longer and more complicated bridges in the future.
Just as Meton was about to convince everyone, a voice suddenly came out of the ranks and caused the Wei River Bridge to be in danger again.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue stepped out and said, "Not to mention whether this bridge is feasible or not, just the materials used make it difficult to achieve. Apart from underwater construction, most of the bridges above the water use steel. This way, how much steel and money will be used? I'm afraid even the imperial court will not be able to afford it."
Li Shimin paused and looked at Dai Zhou. Dai Zhou also smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, although the Crown Prince's reform of the relay station has saved the imperial court a sum of money, the Tang dynasty needs too much money now. I'm afraid we won't be able to take out enough money to build the Wei River Bridge."
Li Shimin frowned and turned to look at the Ministry of Works. "What about the Ministry of Works? Hasn't the Crown Prince already given enough money to the Ministry of Works? "
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, Zhang Liang, stepped out and said with a troubled expression, "Your Majesty, although the Crown Prince has given us a sum of money, the Ministry of Works has built many brick roads and repaired the Yellow River and Huai River during the corvee period. The Ministry of Works doesn't have much money now."
The Wei River Bridge was led by the Mo Family. The Mo Family Village provided the materials and the Mo Family Xiangfu was in charge of the construction. The Ministry of Works couldn't do anything and naturally didn't want to spend money or effort.
Li Yun and Tian Qiong's expressions changed. They hadn't thought that there would be so many people in the imperial court who didn't welcome the Mo Family. The construction of the Wei River Bridge was said to be beneficial to the country and the people, but it was full of difficulties.
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