Chapter 83: Cloudtop Academy’s Treasure
“Do you know what cement is?” Chen Bai’s voice was clearly a little excited.
Qi Zheng: “…”
He looked at the students. They had split into groups of several people, each with a pile of mud in front of them, enthusiastically stirring it with little shovels. As they stirred, one student in each group was recording something.
He was familiar with this scene. Every time the academy carried out experiments, they would split into experiment groups. During the experiment, any change, no matter what it was, had to be recorded.
It was just…
It was clearly just a pile of mud. What was there to research?
How was this any different from ignorant children playing with mud by the roadside?
Chen Bai said, “Most of Great Qian’s roads are dirt and gravel roads, full of pits and bumps, and very difficult to maintain.”
“As for the streets paved with stone slabs in the city, quarrying the stone is difficult, and cutting the slabs is even more labor-intensive and costly. After spending so much, the roads still end up uneven.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
Could it be that even the streets of Shangjing were not considered flat enough?
It was truly hard to imagine what the flat roads Chen Bai spoke of would look like.
Chen Bai continued, “But with the cement before us, none of these problems will be problems anymore. Cement is low-cost, easy to transport, simple to make, and can be used in a very wide range of ways…”
Looking at Chen Bai speaking so confidently, Qi Zheng finally could not help asking, “This cement you speak of… could it be this mud?”
It was truly difficult to imagine. Did Chen Zixiu mean to use this mud to make roads, and let people and carriages travel over such muddy paths? Just imagining that scene was enough to know how strange it would be.
Chen Bai laughed as well. Indeed, when introducing something new, if he only explained it like this, it was too empty. If others were left to imagine it themselves, who knew what they would picture?
Chen Bai said, “Come with me. I’ll take you to see the finished product.”
These past few days, he had not only been leading the students in working out the cement formula; he had also had them make some experimental samples.
As a result, Gan Xin, who was playing with mud, stood up somewhat shyly and waved his hands hard. “Don’t look at mine, don’t look at mine. Mine just has the wrong ratio, that’s all. Once I adjust it again, I’ll definitely be able to make a good cement road…”
This made the other students burst into laughter.
“The road Gan Xin’s group built looks like meat gnawed by rats, full of pits and holes…”
Gan Xin kept trying to deny it. “I just didn’t get the water ratio right! Everything else was correct…”
Chen Bai led Qi Zheng only a short distance away, because the experiment site was right nearby.
There were many roads there. Each one was only about fifty meters long, and their quality varied.
“Your Highness, this one was built by me.”
Chen Bai did not even need to introduce them. A student had already pulled Qi Zheng over to show off.
“Please… please ignore the little holes on top. That was because the cement wasn’t mixed evenly…”
Each road had more or less some problems. Some had even cracked open, while others were so uneven and full of pits that they were almost unrecognizable…
But the sight of so many white roads still left Qi Zheng stunned for a long time.
Even the bad ones were better than the dirt roads on Great Qian’s official routes. “These were built with the mud from just now?”
The corner of Chen Bai’s mouth twitched, and he corrected him, “It’s cement.”
“Your Highness, please look at this one.” Chen Bai pointed at one of the roads.
This one should have been the most successful. Whether it was the ratio of the formula or the craftsmanship during construction, both were done well.
The flat cement road, aside from the edges being a little jagged, was as neat as a block of tofu everywhere else.
“Look at how level this is. Isn’t it even better than the stone-slab roads in Shangjing?”
More than better. It was practically one whole piece. No matter how flat a stone slab was, it was still shaped by human hands, and there would always be mistakes somewhere. On top of that, stone slabs had to be fitted together piece by piece, and there would inevitably be gaps where they joined. Sometimes when people walked on stone slabs, they could even feel them wobble.
Qi Zheng stepped onto it in surprise.
Chen Bai continued, “Before cement is mixed with water, it looks like sand and is very easy to transport. But once it is mixed with water, it can be shaped into whatever form you want, such as the road we’re seeing now. After it dries, it forms such hard blocks. Its load-bearing capacity is extremely strong. At the very least, it would be difficult for carriages running over it to damage it.”
Forget carriages—even heavier cars would have no problem at all. In that sense, cement roads in ancient times, if well maintained, would be far more durable than in modern times. No matter how busy ancient traffic was, it could not compare with the crowded traffic environment of the modern era.
In truth, there was no need for Chen Bai to say more. Qi Zheng had already felt the advantages of this road with his own feet.
“A good road built with good cement will have this kind of milky-white color—beautiful and generous.”
“Your Highness can imagine it. If every road in Great Qian were built into cement roads like this, what kind of scene would that be?”
Compared with the current roads full of pits and bumps, which required who knew how much repair money every year, the difference would certainly be heaven and earth.
Of course, it would require too much labor and mobilization. With Great Qian’s current finances and manpower, it was not very possible.
Still, imagining it did not cost money.
Qi Zheng’s eyes lit up. In his mind appeared white jade dragons crisscrossing in every direction. Then he immediately pointed out the key issue. “How much does this cement cost?”
Chen Bai laughed and moved a little closer to Qi Zheng, because this involved the formula and could not be revealed to others.
“As Your Highness has seen, the largest component of cement is fine sand. Great Qian has many rivers, and the river sand along those riverbanks actually meets the requirements. We only need to pay attention to reasonable extraction. The main cost would instead be transportation.”
“The other ingredients are comparatively more troublesome and need to be mined, such as…”
Chen Bai listed several chemical components, as well as which mineable materials contained those components.
Fortunately, Qi Zheng had attended Chen Bai’s chemistry lessons. Otherwise, he would have felt like he was listening to heavenly scripture.
“As long as large-scale mining can be formed, overall, although building a cement road will cost a little more than the old dirt-and-gravel roads, it is far, far cheaper than building stone-slab roads. Yet the quality of the road will improve by a thousand or ten thousand times…”
“I can give you a rough budget table later.”
Actually, even without the budget table, Qi Zheng could already estimate a rough price based on what Chen Bai had said. A gleam flashed through his eyes. He roughly understood why Chen Bai had been so excited when talking about cement just now. This was an extraordinary transformation. From now on, it might even change Great Qian’s road-building habits.
Roads were far too important to a nation.
Chen Bai continued, “Although cement is reasonably priced, with Great Qian’s current situation, it is not very possible to renovate roads everywhere, so I plan to use it in the construction of our new fief first.”
In any case, the fief needed new roads. This was the perfect chance to put it into use, killing several birds with one stone.
“Moreover, cement’s uses are not limited to this.”
“Great Qian’s buildings are mainly stone and wooden structures, but their ability to resist wind and moisture has always been insufficient. As a result, houses are badly corroded by wind, rain, and dampness. Newly built houses need constant repairs and renovations after only a few years.”
“We only need to slightly adjust the cement formula, and it can be used to fill gaps between stone and wood, achieving a certain degree of windproofing and moisture resistance…”
Of course, the main use was still road building. This was the road plan Chen Bai had prepared for the fief’s construction.
Qi Zheng suddenly said, “Why are you letting a group of students experiment with cement out in public? What if someone sees it?”
Did this Chen Zixiu even know how precious and valuable the thing they had made was?
Speaking of Chen Zixiu, he was certainly clever, but in some matters, he always lacked a little sense of guarding against others. He seemed rather careless.
Chen Bai froze. “If others see it, they still shouldn’t be able to make it without the specific formula. Some materials can’t be used directly even after being mined; they need to be processed a little…”
And the way the students recorded the ratios would probably be difficult for outsiders to understand unless they were from the academy.
Qi Zheng directly interrupted, “Even so, you cannot let others see it.”
Then he brought people over and surrounded the piles of mud tightly. The guards stood on high alert.
The students waved the shovels in their hands, their eyes blinking brightly. “…”
What was going on? Were so many people really needed to guard them while they played with mud?
Everyone else was even more baffled. Wasn’t this just a group of naughty children playing with mud? Why did this formation look as though something major had happened?
Qi Zheng said, “Isn’t there an empty plot of land behind the academy? I’ll have someone tidy it up a little. It should be usable. From now on, if the academy carries out research like this, do it on that plot. I’ll send people to protect it.”
Chen Bai nodded. The empty plot Qi Zheng was talking about should be the place where he had raised turtles before. Because no one managed it, few people went there.
Qi Zheng asked, “Isn’t Mo Qianji of the Mohist school working with you on building the fief? Why don’t I see him?”
Chen Bai smiled. “Ever since I gave him a planning diagram of the fief last time, aside from necessary things like eating, he basically hasn’t come out of his room for several days.”
Qi Zheng froze. Mo Qianji was the legitimate heir of the Mohists. His attainments in architecture and mechanisms could be said to be extremely impressive.
What kind of planning diagram had Chen Zixiu given him to make Mo Qianji study it so obsessively that he forgot to eat and sleep?
Qi Zheng suddenly looked forward to seeing what his fief would be built into.
Chen Bai accompanied Qi Zheng into the academy.
In the elevator, Qi Zheng suddenly said, “Last time, I told you to come to the Crown Prince’s Residence every day to learn swordsmanship from me. Why didn’t you come? Look at your swordsmanship. It is a complete mess.”
Chen Bai straightened slightly without changing his expression, then said with a look of surprise, “Did Your Highness give me such an instruction? Perhaps I was careless at the time and did not hear it.”
Good heavens. He was still waiting to become a carefree second-generation wastrel. Why should he learn swordsmanship? Although ancient swordsmanship and modern swordsmanship were completely different in meaning—modern swordsmanship was for performance, while ancient swordsmanship, because there were only cold weapons, had pushed the use of cold weapons to the extreme. In other words, ancient swordsmanship was genuinely meant for fighting, and it was indeed very interesting.
Chen Bai was also quite interested, but from the look of Qi Zheng, he was preparing to supervise him in practicing swordsmanship every single day.
Besides, where was there a minister who had the crown prince personally teach him swordsmanship every day? Although he wanted to become a favored minister, if this honor spread out, it would probably become more than just being a favored minister. If someone exaggerated it a little, he might become some treacherous official who brought disaster to the nation and people, relying on favor to act arrogantly.
Qi Zheng’s status was different now. Chen Bai did not know whether Qi Zheng truly failed to realize this, or was pretending not to. Had he realized this point or not?
What Chen Bai needed right now was only for Qi Zheng to give him enough face on major occasions—for example, arranging a good seat for him and such, to show everyone how valued he was.
But if he rejected him directly, would Qi Zheng think he was too ungrateful?
Chen Bai was troubled too. He had never imagined that Qi Zheng, who used to frown the moment he saw him, would now take the initiative to teach him swordsmanship. Who knew which nerve had gone wrong?
Chen Bai thought for a moment and continued, “Besides, am I not focusing on building the fief for Your Highness? The responsibility is heavy, and I truly cannot spare the time.”
Qi Zheng replied, “Work and rest should be balanced.”
Chen Bai: “…”
That was something he often said himself.
Qi Zheng continued, “Besides, who is urging you to rush? Is someone blaming you for being slow in construction and trying to punish you?”
Chen Bai: “…”
Chen Bai could not bring himself to say the words, “Isn’t this inappropriate?”
In the end, he said tactfully, “I am merely worried that Your Highness has only just been appointed crown prince and is busy with affairs of state. How would you have time to teach someone with no talent like me swordsmanship? I can go back and find the instructor who trains the guards in our Court of Judicial Review and learn a few moves from him. It will be the same. Once I have practiced well, I can show Your Highness. The instructor of our Court of Judicial Review is also a well-known swordsman in Great Qian…”
Qi Zheng suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Bai, as though observing something. Chen Bai felt his hair stand on end under that gaze.
For some reason, Chen Bai could not help swallowing. What was going on? What was this deadly atmosphere?
Chen Bai displayed the ability called survival instinct to its fullest. His body jolted, and he hurriedly said, “Of course, Your Highness values me so highly. I am simply overwhelmed by favor. From now on, no matter how busy I am, I will go to Your Highness’s residence every day to learn swordsmanship. I guarantee I won’t miss a single day. I will learn the Eight-Directional Sword Style to perfection and absolutely will not embarrass Your Highness.”
He felt that if he did not say something like this, blood might be spilled on the spot in the next moment.
This Qi Zheng was getting stranger and stranger.
How should this feeling be described? It was like: I offered you kindness out of the goodness of my heart, and you actually dared to treat it like worthless trash? Then I’d rather throw it into the garbage than give it to you. Not only that, I’ll teach you a lesson for trampling on my goodwill.
Chen Bai blinked at Qi Zheng with utmost “sincerity.”
Only then did Qi Zheng withdraw his gaze. “Don’t forget again.”
Honestly. A mere instructor from the Court of Judicial Review, and Chen Zixiu dared compare him to Qi Zheng? In Chen Zixiu’s eyes, was Qi Zheng’s personal instruction not even better than some instructor?
Chen Bai let out a breath of relief and secretly glanced at Qi Zheng’s expressionless face. Had he seen wrong just now?
Qi Zheng had been angry just now, right?
But why? He had already very clearly and modestly shown that teaching him swordsmanship would simply be a waste of time.
Chen Bai sighed. In the future, he would just have to be careful. He absolutely could not let anyone think he was currying favor and occupying the precious time of the dignified crown prince over some tiny little matter.
The elevator stopped. Chen Bai was preparing to take Qi Zheng to find Mo Qianji and look at his fief construction plan.
In the end, after they knocked on the door, Mo Qianji only hummed twice from inside the tightly shut room, then gave no further response.
Chen Bai shrugged. “As you can see, this is his current state.”
Chen Bai did not work in architecture, so the drawings he made were completely different from architectural construction drawings. What he drew was more like a rendering. For example, if it was a house, then it was simply a beautiful house, without any construction lines at all.
So after Mo Qianji received Chen Bai’s drawings, he was converting them into usable construction blueprints.
Only, unexpectedly, Mo Qianji had become completely obsessed, unable to stop.
Chen Bai could only think that perhaps a person with true craftsmanship was like this.
Chen Bai said, “Looks like Your Highness can only look at the planning map next time.”
He could not possibly draw another set right now.
Qi Zheng did not mind. Chen Bai had thought Qi Zheng had come this time to check the fief’s construction plan, but now it seemed that perhaps he had not. Who knew what Qi Zheng was thinking? He was a person who could not be guessed through and through.
Now that the students were all downstairs playing with mud, Chen Bai felt a little awkward accompanying Qi Zheng alone. “How about we play Chinese chess online?”
Chen Bai and Qi Zheng were playing Chinese chess upstairs.
Downstairs, a group of students was also playing chess with someone.
Earlier, Ruo Hong had looked thoughtfully at Chen Bai walking into the academy. “Young Master Bai of Shangjing? A person who had walked onto a dead end, yet in such a short time, as if by miracle, rose to become the number one young master of Shangjing. And I, of all people, happen to believe in miracles the least. Every miracle is merely something whose veil has yet to be lifted.”
“What an interesting person. And interesting people are often the finest chess pieces.”
Just as he was muttering, he felt something tug at the hem of his sleeve. Lowering his head, he saw a little head, the bowl-cut bangs on his forehead especially conspicuous.
“Chess piece? You know how to play chess too?”
“Why don’t we compete?”
Chen Xiaobu had been a little too proud lately. His eyes flashed brightly, turning in circles. He knew who this person was: Ruo Hong, the former crown prince of Yan, once known as the number one crown prince among the states. When he had been watching the excitement in Shangjing, he had seen this man once.
If he could beat this man at chess, then he, Chen Xiaobu, would be amazing. He would be able to brag to his classmates every day that he had defeated the number one crown prince of the states.
Ruo Hong looked at Chen Xiaobu’s sparkling eyes and was stunned for a moment. Then the corners of his mouth lifted. If he was not mistaken, this child… was actually setting a trap for him?
It was the first time he had encountered someone digging a pit for him so openly, right to his face. Quite interesting.
And this child should be Chen Zixiu’s younger brother. Truly, what one sought could be found without effort.
He glanced at the tall tower, seemingly thinking about something, then actually found a place and prepared to play chess with Chen Xiaobu.
Beside him, Lan Ruoyun frowned. The number one crown prince of the states had actually agreed to wager a game of chess with a naughty child?
For some reason, his first reaction was not surprise, but a frown. Ruo Hong could not possibly be such a bored person. But what deeper meaning could there be in this?
Chen Xiaobu smiled until his eyebrows curved like crescent moons. “How about we play gomoku? I only just learned it, and it’s super simple.”
This little fellow played gomoku with people every day because it could be played anytime, anywhere. How was he only just learning it?
Ruo Hong glanced at it and nodded with a smile. “Explain the rules to me first.”
And so, a strange wager began.
Only, Chen Xiaobu was shocked. He had never met someone who had only just learned the rules and could still beat him. But now he had.
Chen Xiaobu’s little brows furrowed. He had set a trap, but he still had not won.
Ruo Hong shook his head in amusement. Children these days were really…
Still, for such a young child to be this quick-witted was rather impressive.
Chen Xiaobu pursed his little mouth. “Beating me isn’t anything special. If you have the ability, beat our academy’s computer.”
But as soon as he said this, Gan Xin, who had watched the whole process from the side, squeezed in. “Your Highness Ruo Hong of Yan, do you dare play a round of Chinese chess with me? I am Gan Thirteen of Shangjing.”
He immediately revealed Ruo Hong’s identity.
Ruo Hong was also somewhat surprised. So this was the little fellow who had caused the State of Ba to suffer heavy losses and made quite a name for himself. By now, portraits of Gan Thirteen had probably spread throughout the states, all to guard against him entering their borders to gather information.
Ruo Hong nodded thoughtfully. No matter how he looked at him, Gan Xin seemed merely like a delicate, scholarly child.
Gan Xin had already taken out the Chinese chess set and begun explaining the rules to Ruo Hong. “My Chinese chess is much more complicated than Chen Xiaobu’s gomoku, and much harder too. On the chessboard, the Chu River divides the two sides. Every match is equivalent to a great battle, no different from personally leading troops into war. Also, I’m not a little rascal like Chen Xiaobu. I have practiced Chinese chess for some time, so you’d better be careful…”
Gan Xin began introducing the pieces one by one and explaining their rules.
At first, Ruo Hong did not pay much attention. What “no different from a real battle”? He made it sound so mysterious. Was it not just playing chess?
But as he listened, even Ruo Hong looked at Gan Xin in surprise.
The branches of the army were actually clearly distinguished, and the movement rules of each piece contained the characteristics of that branch. This Chinese chess actually displayed military strategy in a strange form.
A single chess game—how was it any different from a war? It had actually moved the smoke of the battlefield directly onto paper. Although this Chinese chess might not be as flexible as a real battlefield, it was absolutely enough to inspire thoughts and ideas. It could even be called a treasure of the military school.
Yet they had so casually taken it out to play with others.
He suddenly understood a little why the Hundred Schools had gathered here all of a sudden. At least from this Chinese chess, one could see that Cloudtop Academy possessed something capable of attracting the military school.
After Gan Xin finished setting up the pieces and explaining the rules, he looked at Ruo Hong.
Ruo Hong nodded. “Begin.”
Gan Xin froze for a moment. An ordinary person would probably not even remember the rules after hearing them only once.
Gan Xin properly performed a salute first before beginning, because he felt he had taken great advantage. His chess skills had already been practiced for a long time.
But as they played, Gan Xin froze.
Quite a few other students had gathered around to watch the excitement. They knew how to play Chinese chess too; they just were not as good as Gan Xin.
In the end, Gan Xin was actually about to lose to Ruo Hong, who was playing Chinese chess for the first time.
After a while, Gan Xin said, “The number one crown prince of the states truly lives up to his reputation. Gan Xin has lost.”
Then he added, “It is not that Cloudtop Academy cannot defeat Your Highness. It is only that Gan Xin’s own skill is inferior.”
Since it was a wagered game of chess, even if it seemed somewhat casual, both sides were still carrying the halo of their identities.
Although they were young, they also represented the strength of Cloudtop Academy.
To lose in public to someone who had never learned this chess before was indeed somewhat embarrassing.
These students had actually begun to think of the academy’s reputation. They truly regarded themselves as part of the academy.
“If he played against our academy’s computer, probably no one could win.”
Ruo Hong’s eyes moved. Who was this “computer” person?
Before he could think carefully about it, two more students came forward holding a strange chessboard.
“Shang Jijiu, courtesy name Shang Zhizhou, of Cloudtop Academy, asks Your Highness Ruo Hong for instruction.”
Ruo Hong: “…”
Cloudtop Academy truly had some strange and interesting things. “And what chess is this?”
“Nineteen lines across, nineteen lines down. The vertical and horizontal lines intersect, encompassing heaven, earth, all phenomena, the world, and the universe. Countless changes are contained within. This is called Go.”
At some point, more and more people had gathered to watch the game. The black and white stones, the star-studded chessboard—who knew how many eyes lit up at the sight.
This match seemed simple, but one side was Cloudtop Academy, while the other was Ruo Hong, once the number one crown prince of the states. That made it different. That was why so many people had gathered to watch.
Chen Xiaobu was also a little dumbfounded. He had only casually drawn on the ground and played a game of gomoku with someone. How had it turned into this?
