The Human Emperor (200-400)

C280: The Royal Court's Logistical Officer, Li Qingyou!

Zhang Shouzhi had immersed himself in the research of civil engineering for nearly his entire life. In the Bureau of Works, he was the official with the highest qualification, and everything related to the topic was well within his grasp.

And yet, Zhang Shouzhi had never heard of the term “cement” before.

"Hehe. Elder, all this while, you have been trying to research the ideal adhesive between bricks, right? This piece of paper I have here contains such a formula, and it might possibly provide some inspiration to you."

Saying so, Wang Chong passed the formula paper which he had prepared beforehand over.

This was the very first formula of cement in this world.

This wasn't the first time Wang Chong was taking something out of his original world, but every time he did so, he would still feel an indescribable sensation striking him.

The world he was currently in was fine, just that the logistics and transportation were extremely inefficient.

Just a normal journey between cities could easily take days or even months on end.

Even a figure like Zhangchou Jianqiong, despite moving at top speed, still took around twenty days to rush from Jiannan to the capital!

In this era, the fight between countries wasn't just a competition between their respective military might. To a certain degree, it was also a battle between the logistical efficiency of both sides.

Having served as the Grand Marshal of the Central Plains once, he couldn't be any more aware on this.

To put it in explicit terms, swift logistical movement of both men and supplies means that allied reinforcements could arrive earlier than the enemy.

On the scale of a battlefield, it could mean the difference between victory and loss. But on the scale of a country, it could mean the rise and fall of an empire.

But so far, no one except for Wang Chong had paid much heed to this crucial aspect.

In Wang Chong's plans, cement formed an extremely important link.

While it did come from the modern world, there was actually no complex technology involved behind it. The only reason why it wasn't in use was because no one had researched it to that extent yet.

The paper which Wang Chong gave Zhang Shouzhi was the most fundamental formula behind cement. As for how it should be modified and produced, that would depend on Zhang Shouzhi.

As Zhang Shouzhi took that paper, the room fell silent.

As the most knowledgeable official in the Bureau of Works back then, he didn't really think anything much could come from a young lad like Wang Chong. Amidst the dim light in the room, he casually pulled the paper closer to his face to look at it. However, with a quick glance through it, his face slowly warped in astonishment.

He had been spending his life researching an ideal adhesive for masonry, and he could swiftly tell that the formula which Wang Chong had just given him was exceptionally potent stuff. It was much stronger than the product from his last research.

In that instant, Zhang Shouzhi's world seemed to spin around him.

Beneath the dim light, Zhang Shouzhi stared at the formula in his hands for a very long time. and Wang Chong didn't interrupt him either.

"How is it?" Wang Chong asked a long time later.

Zhang Shouzhi didn't reply. Holding the formula in hand, a tight crease appeared on his forehead. He was still hesitant.