Killed with one stroke

  Zhangzhou has been captured, and the area under Ming Zheng's control in Fujian and Guangdong provinces is now connected. However, as it was approaching the end of the year and the weather was cold, the Zheng army, which had been fighting for years, went into winter quarters. According to Chen Xiangwu's plan, they would wait until the next spring when flowers bloom to march south and conquer Guangdong.

  Although there was a bluestone road between Anping Castle and Chengtian Prefecture, Taiwan was rainy, and the Kunshen Peninsula was on the coast with high salt content. As a result, the road was exposed to sun and rain, sea wind erosion, and human and vehicle traffic, making it somewhat bumpy. However, this transportation situation was already considered good in that era. Therefore, when Zheng Kezang led a group of workers to set up roadblocks in the middle of the road, divide it into sections, and pour substitute cement, the strange actions caused mud and water to overflow, leaving the Ming dynasty officials who frequently used the official roads bewildered and astonished.

  The lower-ranking officials of the various departments, including the Six Ministries and the Censorate, did not dare to directly rebuke Zheng Kezang's absurdity, but Yang Xian, a high-ranking official in charge of construction, bluntly spoke out. He had always been displeased with Zheng Kezang's disregard for the great way of the sage and his focus on building brick factories and making cement, so he came straight to him.

  "What is this young master doing? He's messing up a perfectly good road!"

  "Oh, it's Lord Yang." Zheng Kezang, who had put on a tattered outer garment as protection, still looked dusty and disheveled. He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, feeling that the pollution was too severe. His voice sounded strange due to his changing tone. "I'll lay out the flattest path for you, and even if we're pouring water on a speeding carriage later, it won't spill easily."

  "Is it just to avoid splashing water from the speeding carriage?" Yang Xian's tone was not harmonious. "Young Master! This is really too absurd, Young Master, look at your clothes, this is also... do you want to learn from Emperor Xizong, who was unlearned and indulged in lowly pursuits, ultimately destroying the foundation of his ancestors? Young Master, please stop immediately and go back to reading books, otherwise, I will risk my official position and remonstrate with the Emperor!"

  "Governor Yang, why be so severe!" At this time, Chen Yonghua also received the news and came out, just in time to hear Yang Xian's sentence. "Young master, Governor Yang is also for the future of our province," said Chen Yonghua, then with a thud, he knelt down in front of Zheng Kecang. "Please, young master, do not indulge in frivolous play, and consider the future of our province as important!"

  Seeing Chen Yonghua's attitude, Zheng Kecang also panicked and let the anxious workers rest first. He helped him up: "Mr. Chen, you are the pillar of my father, how can I bear to live?"

  As Chen Yonghua stood up, Zheng Kezang removed the handkerchief covering his face and slightly bowed to the two: "Mr. Chen and Lord Yang, I know that both of you are thinking for my sake, and I am very grateful, but you have misunderstood this matter. Cement is indeed very useful and not just a temporary whim of mine."

  "This kind of nonsense is still useful!" Yang Xian felt that Zheng Kezang was being overly argumentative, so his expression became even more unpleasant.

  Compared to Yang Xian's fiery temper, Chen Yonghua's attitude can be described as gentle: "Lord Yang, let's listen to what the young master has to say."

  "Last time, Lord Chen stopped him from reporting to the king about the young master's behavior. Now he wants to listen to the young master's nonsense explanation! Does this matter need an explanation? Everything is clear and obvious, it's just a mess!" Yang Xian was already angry, even Chen Yonghua's words were annoying. "Lord Chen, I have been with you under the king's command for many years. You weren't like this before. Could it be that now that you are in a high position and have great power, you have ulterior motives and want to take advantage of the king's absence to lure the young master into indulgence and laziness, so that you can monopolize power in the future?"

  Yang Xian's accusation was so severe that even Chen Yonghua was speechless. Seeing Chen Yonghua being embarrassed, Zheng Kezang suddenly burst out laughing: "Lord Yang, you have a sharp tongue! But what makes you say that Yu is talking nonsense? What makes you accuse Mr. Chen of preparing to become a powerful minister? Do you know what cement is? If not, then don't spout nonsense. Are you trying to use this to overthrow Mr. Chen and take the position of Dongning General Commander for yourself?"

  Zheng Kezang's accusation made Yang Xian blame Chen Yonghua even more severely, making Yang Xian snort with anger, but the more he tried to explain, the darker things became, so Yang Xian could only seethe with anger and not dare to speak up.

  Yang Xian's face turned pale, and Chen Yonghua also didn't dare to speak lightly. Zheng Kezang's eyes rolled around: "There are many people here, it's not a place for talking, so I'll take the liberty of speaking on behalf of others today. Let's go to Mr. Chen's study to talk."

  Yang Xian hummed and strode towards the yamen, while Chen Yonghua furrowed his brow, glanced at Zheng Kezang, shook his head, and was about to speak but stopped himself, then hastily followed after Yang.

  As the two men left, Zheng Kezang beckoned to the craftsmen who were peeking and shrinking their heads: "The piece that was just laid, shovel it away and re-lay it. The remaining ones will be done according to Yu's previous instructions, pay attention to flattening them."

  ??”

  When Zheng Kezang changed into casual clothes and came to Chen Yonghua's office, he saw the officials outside looking like startled rabbits surrounding the door. Zheng Kezang smiled and dispersed them, walked inside, and saw Chen Yonghua and Yang Xian sitting opposite each other in a huff, neither of them looking at the other, just staring at their noses, mouths, and hearts, seemingly competing to see who had better qigong skills.

  Seeing Zheng Kezang coming in, the two of them didn't move a muscle. However, they were seniors and also Zhu Jin's trusted officials, so Zheng Kezang didn't dare to be arrogant. First, he rushed towards Chen Yonghua and gave him a deep bow: "Mr. Chen, I'm afraid you had to suffer from Yang's arrogance earlier."

  Before Chen Yonghua could react, Zheng Kecang rushed to Yang Xian and bowed his head: "I know that Lord Yang is doing this for my own good, I was wrong to offend you earlier, please forgive me."

  It's normal for people to give in to those who are smiling and not make things difficult for them, let alone China has always had the custom of avoiding conflict with superiors. Although Zheng Kezang can't be considered a superior, he is after all Zhu Jin's intended future successor, so Yang Xian and Chen Yonghua really shouldn't make a big deal out of it.

  The two men's attitudes finally eased, and Zheng Kezang brought up the old topic again: "Earlier, I wanted to talk about cement, but Lord Yang was unwilling to listen. Now, I'll say it again. Cement can be said to be a military tool of national interest."

  ??”

  At first, Yang Xian and Chen Yonghua listened with skepticism. When they heard that cement mortar could replace red sugar syrup and glutinous rice juice as a bonding agent, the two simply nodded slightly. Then, when they heard that concrete mixed with cement could replace stone materials to build seawalls, river embankments, and bridges, the two turned pale. And when they heard that bamboo-reinforced concrete could even replace rammed earth for rapid construction of city walls and fortresses, Yang Xian's mouth was completely agape, while Chen Yonghua stood up straight from his chair.

  "Are all these things that the Grand Prince said true?" Chen Yonghua asked incredulously, confirming again and again, and even using a threatening tone. "Grand Prince, if it's just idle chatter, we'll only advise you at most. But if you're deliberately making a fuss to avoid being scolded by His Majesty, it won't be as simple as just submitting a memorial."

  "How dare I deceive you with cunning words?" Zheng Kezang said with a sharp tone, and immediately pointed to the outside with his hand. "The cement road is still being paved, if the adults don't believe it, they can see the results in a few days, if they still don't believe it, I can also let them demonstrate how to make concrete bricks right away."

  Because the Ministry of Works was Yang Xian's superior, he was the highest authority in Dongning in terms of construction. After listening to Zheng Kecang's guarantee, Chen Yonghua's gaze turned to him: "What does Lord Yang think?"

  "It's time," Yang Xian also stood up. "Just now, the young master said that he can make a large brick of concrete on the spot, and I want to see its wonderful place immediately."

  Chen Yonghua turned his head and glanced at Zheng Kecang, who nodded in understanding and clapped his hand. A follower flashed in from outside the door.

  Because Zheng Kezang deliberately created the eyeball effect, the mold was well-prepared in advance, a pair of mutually biteable concave and convex molds. Since the process of making the mold was saved, the next mixing did not need to take too long, only the condensation time needed several hours. But no matter how long it took, Chen Yonghua and Yang Xian had to stick to the scene --- although they were not worried that Zheng Kezang would cheat them, but also feared that the people below would be deceived by Zheng Kezang together --- At this time, it was winter, although Taiwan did not have the cold of the north, the normal temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius. Zheng Kezang persuaded Chen Yonghua to put the experiment site on the side of Chen Yonghua's office for fear of freezing the two pillars.

  After the middle of the month, the result finally came out. The surface of the concrete that had been dried and hardened was as hard as rock, and the stones that were stuck together fit tightly together, as if they had originally been one body. Seeing this result, Chen Yonghua immediately called for a large hammer, and with one blow, he smashed the not yet fully set concrete into pieces.

  "It's still inferior to the stone taken from the mountains." Yang Xian finally concluded. "But the labor for quarrying is saved, and it can be made on site, and the manpower and animal power for transportation are also saved. What's more frightening is that if dozens of them can be manufactured together, they will be as solid as a mountain body. The young master's words are not wrong, it's indeed a heavy equipment for the military!"

  Chen Yonghua and Yang Xian exchanged a few words, then lifted their heads. The two looked at Zheng Kecang with the same gaze as the wolf grandma looking at Little Red Riding Hood: "Young Master, this is a divine object of great importance. It cannot be lightly leaked out. If it leaks out, it may not be beneficial to our province. Please return the workshop and all craftsmen to the Ministry of Works."

  "Don't you two gentlemen think that's a bit too much?" This remark made Chen Yonghua and Yang Xian's faces slightly red. "Since that's the case, I won't stay any longer. It's so late, Mother will definitely scold me when I get back home. Alas, it's all because of you two gentlemen."

  Seeing Zheng Kezang turn around to leave, Yang Xian couldn't sit still: "The eldest young master will definitely inherit the throne in the future. As they say, 'the family is the country, and the country is the family.' It's better for the eldest young master to hand over this trivial matter to the Ministry of Works."

  "Alright!" Zheng Kezang turned around to face Yang Xian. "The Ministry of Works must have it, and I can hand it over, but I won't give it away for free." Seeing the displeasure in Chen Yonghua's eyes, Zheng Kezang smiled faintly. "Firstly, let the two gentlemen understand what I will be doing from now on before speaking, and do not make rash judgments." This sentence made the two men's faces flush with anger. "Secondly, I won't hand over my cement kiln, but I can give some of the craftsmen who participated in making cement to the Ministry of Works, however, the Ministry must offer a smelting workshop in exchange." Zheng Kezang didn't give Chen Yonghua and Yang Xian a chance to refuse, directly saying: "Thirdly, I spent 1,000 taels on the cement kiln, and the Ministry must reimburse me."

  As soon as he heard this, Yang Xian immediately said: "Let alone one thousand two hundred, the Ministry of Works cannot even produce it. Even if it were an official iron foundry, the Ministry of Works would only control two places, how could they possibly produce half?"

  "Can't even take out 1,000 taels of silver?!" Zheng Kezang shook his head. "Governor Yang is indeed good at joking, but what about the ironworks in Dongning?" Zheng Kezang furrowed his brow, as he had not expected that there were only two ironworks in Dongning. "Forget it, we can substitute the shipyard for the ironworks."

  "Big Master, this is a lion's mouth wide open." Yang Xian frowned and looked at Chen Yonghua. Although they had just quarreled, as colleagues in the same hall, he couldn't ignore him completely. Chen Yonghua, who had caught the hint, had to go up and help him out. "This way, the Ministry of Works will suffer a great loss. Can we change the conditions?"

  "I didn't hand over the cement kiln because we still have other kilns in use on our side, but I can promise that except for our own use, we will not sell cement to outsiders." Zheng Kezang explained. "As for how to make bamboo-reinforced concrete, I will also instruct the Ministry of Works separately, but if the Ministry of Works only wants to take advantage of us, this matter will be difficult to handle. Forget it, I'll take another step back, we don't want the money, but what about the shipyard?"

  As Zheng Kezang, who had just cut himself a big wound, swaggered towards the inner court, Yang Xian suddenly smiled and then turned serious: "Lord Chen, how did the young master know about making cement again? Did he read it from some book?"

  "What? The master asks me, and I ask who again?" Chen Yonghua sighed. "The young master does not love reading books, but loves miscellaneous learning, which is not a good thing."

  "This is unreasonable," Yang Xian, who had previously thought Zheng Kezang was stubborn, changed his tone. "If it were a prosperous era, then the young master not loving to read would indeed be unfitted to be a ruler, but now that war is raging on, how can the words of saints compare to practical matters?"