[BL] The First Ministry of The Poor Family in Another World

678 - 680

Chapter 678 Division

Not long after the new city was put into construction, good news came that the construction of the Grand Canal led by Liang Zhendao was completed.

The construction of the Grand Canal was completed earlier than expected, thanks to Han Zhengtai's support.

In the past, this kind of large-scale construction projects required the common people to perform hard labor. Not only did they not receive any wages, but they also had to bring their own dry food.

Under this kind of oppression, the work efficiency of laborers is naturally not high.

However, the labor Han Zhengtai employed in the construction of the Grand Canal was employed.

The hired laborers are all displaced people who were hit by the severe drought in the north. When everyone was able to find a job during the disaster, they not only had food but also received wages. Naturally, they were more motivated to work than to do servitude.

In addition, the construction of the Grand Canal this time was made of cement.

Cement is a sharp weapon for infrastructure.

In the past, the most common way to build facilities like canal embankments was to use sand and yellow mud to pile them up.

The cost of this construction method is relatively low, but at the same time, its defects are also obvious.

The most obvious flaw is that it is not stable enough, and it will disperse after a few times of flooding.

To stabilize the yellow mud and sandy soil, glutinous rice must be mixed into it.

Glutinous rice is a natural adhesive, but glutinous rice is expensive, and the more glutinous rice is mixed in, the higher the construction cost will be.

It is barely possible to build small projects, but it is impossible for the imperial court to afford large-scale projects.

However, for the construction of the Grand Canal this time, Han Zhengtai provided cement to Liang Zhendao.

This kind of cement is slightly different from the cement used for road paving. Some iron is added to this cement, which will greatly increase its hardness after solidification.

Han Zhengtai has seen the experiment, even if he bombed with explosives, he could barely produce a little debris.

As long as the ground is thicker, it will be able to completely stop the flood.

The production cost of cement is very low. The raw materials for production are all mineral resources in the hands of Han Zhengtai. The locations of these resources are all acquired by Han Zhengtai at a very low price, which is equivalent to zero cost.

It's just that Han Zhengtai didn't have much labor in his hands at the beginning, so he couldn't increase the production of cement.

Later, when Han Zhengtai hired more people, the production of cement increased, and the amount of cement that could be supplied to Liang Zhendao also increased.

There is enough cement, the workers are united, and Liang Zhendao, the chief engineer, is responsible for his duties. It is difficult for the canal construction project to be completed ahead of schedule.

The completion of the Grand Canal ahead of schedule made Han Zhengtai very happy.

Once the Grand Canal is opened, the transportation between the south and the north will be completely opened up, and the transportation of resources will be more convenient.