In the Three Kingdoms period, the opening scene features the killing of Huang Gai, shocking Zhou Yu!

After seeing off Cao Cao, this great Buddha,

With the "military industry dedicated line" order finalized, Bingjingting is keeping busy.

The blast furnaces roared day and night.

Iron ore was continuously transported over under Cao Cao's instructions.

Steel production naturally increased steadily.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.

It was early spring.

After a few comfortable days, a spring rain began to fall in a light drizzle.

It directly covered the entire Taihang Mountains.

Rainwater dripped down the thatched eaves.

It smashed small craters into the ground.

For those literary figures, this is the poetic image of "a light drizzle on the street, as soft as butter".

But for Zhao Yu, who is currently involved in infrastructure construction,

This is what they come to cause trouble—the ground is covered in mud and you can't take a step.

I really can't take a step.

Apart from that 200-meter "asphalt demonstration road",

It gleamed black in the rain.

The problem is, he only has 200 meters.

If you take this road, even if it's just a step away, you'll be ruined.

The road was previously paved with slag.

Despite its good hydrophobicity, it was crushed by dozens of coal trucks running back and forth.

It's a bit better than muddy ground.

But, as the saying goes,

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Asphalt road or slag road, which one do you want to take?

Cao Jie has already provided the answer.

Wearing a newly made pink spring dress, and holding an oil-paper umbrella,

But he stood at the end of the asphalt road, refusing to take another step forward.

She looked down at her satin shoes embroidered with lovebirds.

Then I looked ahead at the slag heap, which was a little better than the mud.

Her little mouth was so pouty you could hang an oil bottle on it.

"My husband!"

Cao Jie turned around and shouted at Zhao Yu, who was squatting under the eaves watching the rain:

"I can't live like this anymore!"

"I want to go to the back mountain to see the peach blossoms!"

Aya said the flowers over there are all in bloom!

"But this road... is filthy!"

Zhao Yu held a cup of hot tea in his hands and shrank his neck.

"Just bear with it."

"Spring rain is as precious as oil."

"It'll be fine once the weather clears up and the mud dries."

"I don't!"

Cao Jie twirled the umbrella, flicking out a string of water droplets.

"You are the richest man in the Han Dynasty (in name only, since no one has ever actually done a statistic)! You are a master craftsman!"

"Can't even fix a road?"

"Where's the black oil? Spread some more!"

Is this something that can be laid out just like that?

"That's a byproduct of the coke oven. The content in one batch is very low. Although we've accumulated some over the past few days, how can we spread it out in this rain?"

"I don't care!"

"I want to walk a clean and honest path!"

"If you don't resolve this, don't even think about getting into bed tonight... oh no, don't even think about eating my stewed pork belly!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu immediately perked up.

This is not only about family harmony, but also about tonight's meal.

and……

Zhao Yu looked at the ore trucks moving in the rain in the distance.

Leaving the Ice Crystal Pavilion was too inefficient.

System Infrastructure Assessment:

Current pain points: muddy roads, transportation disruptions, and inadequate housing.

Existing resources: limestone (abundant throughout the mountains), clay (found everywhere), iron slag (piled up like mountains), and coal (abundant fuel).

Best solution: Cement

Zhao Yu slapped his thigh suddenly.

"Snapped!"

"yes!"

"Damaged system, why didn't you say so sooner?"

"This is a divine artifact!"

"If we don't have enough asphalt, we can burn stones!"

……

The day after the rain stopped.

The gravel pit on the back hill.

The air is fresh.

Ma Chao was not in a good mood.

As the newly appointed deputy governor.

Although Cao Cong approved the allowance, Zhao Yu wouldn't let him off the hook.

With such free labor available, when else would we not use it?

If you ask what to do without Ma Chao, well, then we can only let Lord Zhao take the field.

"Cousin Meng, hold on!"

"Waist and stance as one!"

"This is the 'Primordial Millstone Technique' tailor-made for you!"

Zhao Yu stood to the side, directing his three lackeys (Ding Yi, Ma Dai, and Jia Xu) while holding the blueprints.

It's just a millstone, except it's not filled with beans or millet.

Instead, it was crushed limestone and clay mixed together in a certain proportion.

"Crunch—crunch—"

The millstone spun rapidly under Ma Chao's pull.

Grayish-white powder fell down along the edge of the grinding disc.

Ma Chao pushed the object while his face darkened.

"Zhao Yu".

Are you trying to fool me?

"Forget about coal mining."

"What kind of training can you get from pushing a millstone?"

"Is it to train your endurance by pulling a millstone?"

"I'm not a donkey!"

"shallow!"

Zhao Yu looked at him with disappointment and frustration.

"How can you compare yourself to a donkey? What's a donkey anyway? Ten donkeys couldn't beat you."

"Besides, the powder made from this is a treasure."

"This is called raw material."

"Go to hell."

Ma Chao rolled his eyes.

He could only vent his anger on the millstone.

"Get out of here!"

……

Ground raw meal,

It was sent to a newly built rotary kiln next to the blast furnace.

It was a tilted iron barrel lined with firebricks.

"Add pulverized coal,"

"Burn it!"

Zhao Yu personally oversaw the process.

At high temperatures, limestone decomposes and undergoes complex chemical reactions with silicon and aluminum in the clay.

After several hours of calcination.

Rolled out from the back of the furnace,

No longer powder,

Instead, they were small, grayish-black particles.

Scientific name: Cooked fish.

"What is this?"

The old village headman picked up a completely cold lump and was about to throw it into his mouth.

Zhao Yu stopped him; this was not allowed.

"You can't eat this, it'll kill you."

"Alright, then, since you can't eat this, and you can't use it for blacksmithing, why waste so much coal burning this thing?"

"Don't rush."

"This is only a semi-finished product."

"Ameng! Keep grinding!"

"Take this pile of black lumps, add a little plaster, and grind it into powder!"

"It needs to be fine! The finer the better!"

Ma Chao looked at the pile of freshly cooked food.

He forcibly suppressed his inner dissatisfaction.

He was the supervisor, and I was the deputy; I had to obey his orders.

I'm not angry, I'm not angry.

……

At dusk.

The first batch of finished cement powder has been produced.

It was dusty and unremarkable.

It was stored in several large wooden barrels.

Zhao Yu had a wooden frame erected on the muddy ground in front of the Marquis's residence.

Then he began his performance.

"Everyone, watch carefully!"

"That's what you call turning dust into stone!"

Zhao Yu directed the villagers to add sand and slag to the cement powder, and then add water.

Stir.

The powder was originally meant to float in the wind.

It turned directly into mud.

"This is the treasure?"

Cao Jie came over, covering his nose.

"Husband, you've made my front door even dirtier!"

"When will this puddle of mud dry up?"

Pour this "muddy" mixture into the wooden frame and smooth it out with a wooden board.

"Don't rush."

"Let it sleep."

"Tomorrow morning, you'll know what a miracle is."

……

That night.

The village dogs barked a few times.

That puddle of grayish mud,

It quietly heats up, solidifies, and crystallizes.

early morning.

Zhao Yu rarely got up early.

He was holding a large iron hammer.