Taiheiki

Chapter 359 Side Effects of Cement
"If it weren't for our ancestors' protection, you would be a prisoner by now!" Cao Cao thought to himself, but then he heard his father reply, "Third brother, please accept my condolences. How is Aren's situation now? Where are those henchmen of the court?"

"It's right inside!" Cao Chi sighed. "It's all thanks to Cao Cao that those lackeys are still showing some respect. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'd already be in shackles by now!"

"What?! How could this be?" Cao Song exclaimed in surprise. "You hold a noble title, and they actually dared to—"

Cao Chi shook his head and said with a wry smile, "What's the use of all this? They are directly under the command of the Grand General's Mansion. Let alone a county marquis, even a member of the imperial clan is just a matter of an imperial edict. Alas, the times have changed. We should learn to adapt!"

Cao Chi led the group into the manor and into the back hall. A shrewd and capable military officer was already waiting there. He rose and said to Cao Cao, "I am Wang He, the Chief Pursuit Officer of Xuzhou, paying my respects to Young Master Cao!"

"I wouldn't dare!" Cao Cao, of course, dared not presume at this moment. He returned Wang He's greeting with a cupped hand and asked, "I have just arrived and am not yet aware of the details. May I ask what brings you here, sir?"

"Replying to your question, young master!" Wang He said, "I was dispatched by my superiors, firstly to return Cao Ren's body and deliver the funeral offerings; secondly, to investigate the details of this case. According to the letters we found in the bandits' lair, Cao Ren not only knew Wu Jing's true identity but also spoke disrespectfully to the General. In addition, he corresponded with the Cao family of Pei State and many local powerful clans. Therefore, Luoyang has ordered that this matter be thoroughly investigated."

"So that's how it is!" Cao Cao was secretly alarmed upon hearing this. Of the two things the other party had just mentioned, the first was merely a pretext. The key was the second, which first confirmed Cao Ren's crime of harboring and protecting criminals. This alone was enough to put Cao Chi's entire family in grave danger. According to Han Dynasty law, Wu Jing's involvement in the assassination attempt on the Grand General would certainly result in the extermination of his entire clan, and those who harbored and protected him would be punished equally. In other words, Cao Chi's entire family was already on the verge of death; once legal proceedings began, their entire clan would essentially be wiped out, the only question being the extent of the repercussions. Wang He hadn't yet imprisoned them all, perhaps out of consideration for Cao Cao's past relationship with Wei Cong, but his resolute attitude in investigating the case made Cao Cao secretly suspicious.

"Then may I ask, what will be done with my uncle's family?"

“Reporting to your Excellency!” Wang He replied, “I am only responsible for the pursuit and capture, but how to judge and punish them is beyond my authority, so—”

Cao Cao nodded, realizing that he would probably have to go to Luoyang to meet with Wei Cong.

The ensuing meeting was brief and rushed, and Cao Cao couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed by Wei Cong's current strength. From Wang He, he learned that each prefecture in Xuzhou had a pursuit commissioner, each commanding one hundred cavalry and two hundred infantry. While the number seemed small, they could conscript local troops when necessary, and their armor, weapons, and crossbows were extremely well-equipped and highly trained, capable of easily defeating an equal number of bandits or powerful clans' private armies. Most importantly, from Wang He's words, Cao Cao deduced that these pursuit commissioners could easily contact their counterparts in neighboring areas, as well as Luoyang, to obtain reinforcements. "I don't know when I found myself in such a vast net," Cao Cao thought bitterly. "Brother Mengde, you've certainly been busy these past few years!"

"Lord Wang, I have a request!" Cao Cao said solemnly.

"I wouldn't dare!" Wang He quickly replied with a fawning smile, "What can I do for you, young master?"

"Regarding this matter, I wish to go to Luoyang to meet with General Wei!" Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "If possible, could you please not imprison my uncle's family before I return?"

"This—" Wang He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "When will you depart, young master? When will you arrive in Luoyang?"

"We'll set off tomorrow. I'll travel day and night, and should be able to reach Luoyang within five days!"

“If that’s the case, I can give it a try. After all, this case is quite complicated, and it will take time to find out the truth,” Wang He said with a smile. “However, let me make this clear from the start: I can’t delay indefinitely. Once you arrive in Luoyang, you should meet with the General immediately and get his instructions. I can wait eight days, but no more than that!”

"Eight days is not enough!" Cao Cao exclaimed anxiously. "It will take me five days to get to Luoyang, and it will take the messenger at least several days to return."

"Don't worry, young master!" Wang He revealed a mysterious smile: "As long as you can reach Luoyang within five days and obtain the General's approval, I'm sure there won't be any problems here!"

"Very well!" Cao Cao nodded, walked to his father's side, and lowered his voice, saying, "Father, I need to go to Luoyang!"

"Going to Luoyang? For Aren's sake?" Cao Song asked. "Is it absolutely necessary?"

"Yes, harboring a wanted criminal who attempted to assassinate the General is a crime punishable by the extermination of his entire clan. Moreover, we don't even know what Ah Ren wrote in the letter. If we don't find a way to cut off the source, at least several thousand people will die!"

"Several thousand people died?" Cao Song shuddered. "So many?"

"I've already underestimated the situation!" Cao Cao said with a wry smile, "Who is Wei Cong now? Even the Emperor himself is probably no match for him. Where is the Yuan family of Runan now? If they really investigate, my family won't be able to escape responsibility either!"

"Alright, alright!" Cao Song stamped his foot. "Then when are you setting off?"

"We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning, the sooner the better!" "Okay, be careful on the road!" Cao Song sighed, "It's like being at home when disaster strikes out of nowhere! Who knew there would be such a scourge as Ah Ren! If only I had known—" He didn't know what else to say.

"Father, don't worry too much. Wei Cong is a man who cherishes the past. If I go and ask him, it shouldn't be a problem to protect the Cao family!" Cao Cao comforted him. "I've already spoken with that Wang the Pursuer. He won't imprison your family for eight days. Have your uncle send him some money and gifts; that will make things easier!"

"Don't worry about that!" Cao Song sighed. "Truly, life is unpredictable. Who would have thought that the person you saved back then would become a great general who rules the world! And you still have to beg him to save your life!"

Cao Cao wanted to explain that he hadn't saved Wei Cong, but then he changed his mind and decided against it. He hurriedly bid farewell to Cao Chi and rushed home to prepare for his journey to Luoyang.

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Luoyang, the General's Mansion.

"So, Uncle is planning to stay in Luoyang for a while!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"That's right!" Dou Wu laughed. "There's no way I can refuse, since Lu Zigan invited me and it's such an important matter of leaving a legacy for future generations!"

"Yes, Uncle is absolutely right!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Compiling classics and resolving disputes is indeed a great thing. I wonder who else Lu Zhi invited besides Uncle?"

“Cai Yong, Zheng Xuan, Ma Ridi, Guan Ning…” Dou Wu named seven or eight people, all of whom were famous Confucian scholars at the time. Wei Cong nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: “Lu Zhi must have quite a bit of influence to be able to invite these people!”

"It's not just about saving face; it's mainly about what he wants to do to leave a lasting mark on history!" Dou Wu laughed. "At my age, I don't care about anything else, except for my reputation after death. I think others feel the same way!"

“That’s true!” Wei Cong laughed. He had a lot of experience in this regard. “In that case, there’s nothing I can do. I can only send people to build a road that leads directly to Lu Zhi’s residence on Mount Goushi, and then repair the house so that you can teach and compile books in peace!”

"If that's the case, then that would be wonderful!" Dou Wu laughed. "To be honest, the new roads you built in Luoyang are truly amazing. The surfaces are as smooth as mirrors, and carriages can speed across them. It would be fantastic if they could be promoted nationwide!"

“This is probably not something that can be accomplished in one generation!” Wei Cong said with a wry smile. “Road construction requires cement, and the only cement-producing workshop around Luoyang is in Yinque. There are only three kilns in total, and the daily output is only one or two hundred shi (a unit of dry measure). This output is only enough to connect Luoyang with several waterway wharves in the surrounding area to achieve water-land combined transport. If we want to promote it to the whole country, it will not be something that can be accomplished overnight.”

"Could we build more workshops, not just around Luoyang, but in other places as well, to save on transportation trouble?" Dou Wu asked, "For example, in Fufeng, Guanzhong!"

Hearing the old man before him requesting projects for his hometown, Wei Cong couldn't help but have the illusion that he was in the National Development and Reform Commission before his time travel, facing local governments asking for projects. He gave a wry smile: "Uncle, have you ever thought that besides paving roads, cement can also be used to build city walls? It's not only strong, but also incredibly fast. It binds bricks and stones much better than glutinous rice and lime mortar, and it's a hundred times more convenient to use. If it were used all over the country, then before the roads were even properly built, powerful clans would all have fortified their strongholds, and then the imperial decrees would truly be confined to Luoyang!"

"This—" Dou Wu's expression changed drastically. Having served as a general himself, he immediately understood what Wei Cong meant. The local powerful families of the Han Dynasty loved to build fortified strongholds. Once they had followers or clans, they would start building these things, ostensibly to defend against bandits. But the problem was that these fortifications, while effective against bandits, could also defend against government troops. Since government troops couldn't get in, the amount of taxes and labor required was naturally determined by the powerful families and the government.

Therefore, a major reason why Han Dynasty officials kept a close eye on local powerful families exploiting the poor was that building fortified villages was extremely labor-intensive; without a large surplus of labor, it was impossible to construct them. However, if cement were to appear, things would be different. Even a village with a few dozen households could save up some money, buy cement, and build a stone fortified village in a strategic location within a winter. Equipped with bows, crossbows, and spears, it would take several thousand men several months to conquer. If this were the case, wouldn't the Han Dynasty be filled with fortified villages, resembling medieval Europe? Would Wei Cong himself be unable to extend his authority beyond Henan Province from Luoyang?
"If that's the case, then this matter certainly needs to be handled with caution!" Dou Wu said with a wry smile, "Mengde, you've considered things very thoroughly!"

"Uncle, you flatter me!" Wei Cong smiled. "So I only plan to build one cement plant each in Luoyang and Panyu, mainly for paving roads and building ports and bridges. They can also be used for border beacon towers in the future. To be honest, I have quite a few things that resemble cement workshops, but I just don't dare to expand them. Things in this world are interconnected, and I'm afraid of causing unmanageable consequences!"

"Yes! Your caution is correct!" Dou Wu nodded. "However, this cement is ultimately a good thing. If it can connect the counties and prefectures across the country, given the current speed of four-wheeled carriages, the national strength of the Han Dynasty will be very different!"

Wei Cong nodded. Dou Wu, having served as a general, possessed a vision unlike that of ordinary people. Logistics was a crucial factor determining the upper limit of an empire's power. Even the Incas, a people still at a level of productivity based on the combination of stone and bronze, spared no expense in building roads and relay stations, and organizing messengers to improve the speed of information transmission after establishing their empires. After unifying China, Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Yang of Sui also undertook projects such as building the Qin Chidao (a type of ancient Chinese road) and the Grand Canal, respectively.

Therefore, after Wei Cong took control of Jiaozhou, he simultaneously improved navigation capabilities, building new ships, lighthouses, and observatories, and allocating funds to train astronomers to enhance navigation. He also excavated roads through the Five Ridges and repaired the Ling Canal, allowing his navy to directly access the Yangtze and Han Rivers. Upon entering Luoyang, he sought to build ports, promote maritime transport, construct cement plants, manufacture steel ball bearings, improve four-wheeled carriages, and build roads to reduce land transport costs. This is because the level of logistics determines a nation's potential. Even if Wei Cong developed gunpowder and firearms, capable of reaching Africa, the logistical capabilities of the Han Dynasty wouldn't have been sufficient to hold the territory. It was better to focus on improving navigation and land transport technologies; then, even with crossbowmen, stirrup-equipped heavy cavalry, and mounted archers, they could easily sweep through the region.

Seeing that Dou Wu was also somewhat tired, Wei Cong asked him to go and rest. He then continued processing the official documents sent from various regions. He now finally understood why later emperors established advisory bodies like the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat. The reason was simple: ancient China was somewhat overrated among classical empires. Take the Eastern Han Dynasty as an example: it had thirteen provinces, 105 commanderies and kingdoms, and 1180 county-level units. At its peak, its registered population was 53 million, and the actual population was likely even higher. If you look at other empires of the same period, their territories and populations were basically only a fraction of those of the Eastern Han Dynasty, or even an order of magnitude smaller.

The reason is simple: the state apparatus at that time could only maintain the rule of a population of that size due to its limited productivity. Without computers or database systems, the amount of information an individual could process was finite. Furthermore, the imperial system dictated that the power to decide major events could only be concentrated in one person. The solution to this enormous contradiction was the bureaucratic system. If those in power didn't want to exhaust themselves, they had to increasingly delegate power to the bureaucracy, allowing it to exercise power on their behalf.

(End of this chapter)