Datang: Huchi served as a bodyguard, but refused to enter the court as an official

"Li Qing, can you agree?"

Li Daliang said indifferently: "Since this is the case, then I will make this bet with Mr. Liu!"

Li Er waved Liu Zhenghui to stand up, and said: "Then I will be a notary, but Liu Qing is the pillar of the country, and it is a bit serious to let Liu Qing be dealt with."

He was thinking about what to use as a prize for the bet, when Li Daliang suddenly said: "Your Majesty's words are very true, I think that it's all just betting some money!"

"What Li Qing said is true, then you two will each give out a thousand guan silver!"

Liu Zhenghui was so angry that he didn't even think about it, and said: "The old minister paid ten thousand guan!"

Li Daliang was suddenly happy.

He really admired Liu Bai so much, he came up with such a good way to be a white wolf with nothing!

At that moment, he followed Liu Bai's instructions and faced the officials again.

"Colleagues, is there anyone willing to participate in this gamble?"

The ministers were laughing and watching the fun, but when they heard what Li Daliang said, many people were tempted.

Liu Zhenghui has seniority and a good reputation, and he is much more reliable than Li Daliang, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry who was born as a general.

"I'll pay a thousand guan, buy Master Liu and win!"

"The old man also wants to join in the fun!"

"Chen gave [-] guan to support brother Zhenghui!"

"Cement is nonsense, Zhao paid four thousand!"

In the blink of an eye, the bet was as high as [-]!

Gambling in the Tai Chi Hall can only be done by these ministers of the Zhenguan Dynasty.

They are all old men who once followed Li Er in rebellion.

People who come from three schools and nine streams, and even when they were young, some people were bandits and thieves, and it was not unheard of for them to fight in the Tai Chi Hall.

They were all old brothers who used to eat in the same ladle, and when they got excited, no one cared about their status.

Li Er also looked eager to try, but unfortunately he is a notary and not qualified to participate.

I could only shake my head and watch the crowd below.

Li Daliang was betting with a big slap in his hand, laughing wildly in his heart.

"Get rich! Get rich!"

These people are almost betting that Liu Zheng will win.

The bigger they gamble, the more they earn!

At this time, a very dissonant voice sounded.

"The veteran offers five thousand guan, buy Li Shangshu and win!"

Everyone looked sideways, only to realize that the person who spoke was actually Fang Xuanling!

Fang Xuanling smiled all over his face.

He had already guessed that the cement was made by Liu Bai.

When did Liu Bai suffer?

"I also offer five thousand guan, buy Li Shangshu and win!"

"Yu also"

"Weichen Daizhou"

All of a sudden, the group of six spoke one after another, and the stakes became higher one by one.

After the price was paid, they congratulated each other, as if they had earned a lot of money.

Li Daliang glanced at them dissatisfied.

They make money and enjoy themselves, so they join in the fun.

Liu Zhenghui didn't think so.

Except for Dai Zhou, these people are all bigwigs from the three provinces, with high positions and weights!

Could it be that they are supporting Li Daliang?

Thinking of this, Liu Zhenghui's face turned pale.

His qualifications are old, but no matter how old he is, can he still be older than Fang Xuanling?

It's a small thing to win money, but it's not worth offending these big bosses for it.

"Fang Xiang and your lords, why bother with this matter?"

He had no doubt that he could win, so he deliberately stopped them.

Fang Xuanling chuckled, and said: "Brother Zhenghui doesn't need to worry about it, even if I lose, if I can see Brother Zhenghui's ability, it will be more than worth it!"

As they said that, they all wrote down bets one after another, and forced them to Li Daliang who was full of reluctance.

Liu Zhenghui could only give up.

After a commotion, Li Daliang said loudly: "Within five days, Li will build a house with cement. At that time, please judge with your majesty and colleagues!"

Not to be outdone, Liu Zhenghui said, "Of course, the old man will also use huge stones and glutinous rice to build houses!"

The two clapped their palms together, and the bet was officially established.

Li Er looked at Li Daliang meaningfully, feeling like a bright mirror in his heart.

"Okay, I, the notary, will definitely be there!"

Chapter 127: Nephew Liu Xian, can the house built with this thing be really strong?

Two days later!

Jingyang County, at the foot of Saga Mountain!

Thanks to the day and night work of the craftsmen of the Liu family, a tall cement kiln rose from the ground.

The reason why it was built at the foot of the mountain is that it is convenient to obtain materials. Saga Mountain has a large amount of limestone.

Second, it is because of the environment.

It is not because the environment of Mount Saga is good, but because the impact of firing cement on the environment is too great.

It can be predicted that when cement becomes an industry, the demand will inevitably increase countless times in a short period of time. If the cement kiln is built in Liujiazhuangzi, within a few days, the whole village will be full of smog.

If it weren't for the long distance, and he didn't want to waste time on the road, Liu Bai even wanted to build the cement kiln deep in the Qinling Mountains.

"Start the kiln!"

Following the craftsman's yell, dozens of tall and strong men lifted the ropes together.

Kaka-

The kiln mouth was opened bit by bit.

Li Daliang, who was standing not far away, was actually a little nervous.

He never doubted Liu Bai's words, since Liu Bai said that cement can be made, it can be made.

However, the money involved in this bet is really too much.

If he loses, I'm afraid Li Daliang will sell his property and repay his debts.

He swallowed nervously, his voice trembling a little.

"Nephew Liu Xian, is it really possible?"

Liu Bai casually handed a mask to Li Daliang, and said with a smile, "Uncle Li is just waiting!"

He also put on a mask himself. Seeing that Li Chengqian and Cheng Chumo were still laughing and joking, he immediately glared at them.

Burning cement is no joke. The dust floating in the air will have a serious impact on the human body.

If you inhale too much, you will get a disease called 'pneumoconiosis'.

This life can only be spent in bed.

Even if it can be cured with Li Shizhen, there will be serious sequelae.

Li Daliang covered his face with a scarf, and said in a low voice: "When the war was fought, my old Li was not so nervous."

After a stick of incense, the temperature in the kiln mouth dropped a lot.

The craftsmen took out loads of powder and put them on the ground.

"Is this cement?"

Li Daliang stepped forward to touch, but Liu Bai grabbed him.

It seems that the powder is nothing unusual, but in fact, the current temperature is still frighteningly high.

As soon as you put your hands in it, it's cooked right away.

After listening to Liu Bai's explanation, Li Daliang smiled coyly, and withdrew his hand back.

After waiting for a while, when the temperature of the powder dropped, several people gathered around again.

The powder is light brown in color, extremely fine in texture, and soft to the touch.

Li Daliang's heart beat a little.

"Nephew Liu Xian, can the house built with this thing be really strong?"

Liu Bai smiled, but did not answer Li Daliang's words.

Instead, he told the craftsmen to mix the light brown powder with sand and baskets of clay.

There are at least four or five methods of firing cement in later generations, but these methods all require the use of chemical raw materials.

Liu Bai used the easiest way to obtain materials and make them.

No chemical products are required, but the material is a little more complicated and requires a lot of clay.

The Guanzhong area is mostly loess, and there is very little clay, but it needs to be transported from the Jiangnan area.

But compared to 10,000+ consistent bets, these are not a problem.

Moreover, the cost is dozens of times lower than that of boulder clay!

In one day, the cement Liu Bai burned piled up into a hill.

As a barrier guarding the north side of Chang'an, Jingyang County has always had important strategic significance.

In the former Sui Dynasty, no less than a dozen arrow towers were built outside Jingyang County.

Not only can soldiers be stationed, but it can also be used as a watchtower.

It's a pity that during the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, those arrow towers had long been in ruins.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, wars have never stopped, and natural disasters are not uncommon. The money of the court needs to be spent on the blade, so the rebuilding of the arrow tower has been put on hold.

Therefore, the bet between Li Daliang and Liu Zhenghui was to build an arrow tower.

The next day, when Liu Bai and others arrived outside Jingyang County, the place was already overcrowded!

When Liu Bai and the others were firing cement, Liu Zhenghui had already led the craftsmen to start work.

Huge boulders were erected under the city wall, and next to them were large pots in which hot glutinous rice porridge was tumbling.

Li Chengqian, who didn't have time to eat in the morning, ran to the cauldron, "Quickly fill a bowl for Ben Gong!"

Liu Zhenghui didn't know where he got out of, and he said with a smile: "His Royal Highness, these glutinous rice are used to build arrow towers, so they must not be eaten!"

Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows, "Isn't this a waste of food?"

Liu Zhenghui hastily explained: "Your Highness the Crown Prince doesn't know something. Since ancient times, some people have used glutinous rice to build cities, as the saying goes."

Seeing that he was about to start a long speech again, Li Chengqian hurriedly stopped him.

"Okay, okay! I won't eat, can't it work?"

After finishing speaking, he ran back with a 'squeak'.

Liu Zhenghui finally breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Liu Bai and the others, snorted softly, put his hands behind his back, and walked back to the arrow tower he was going to build, and continued to direct the craftsmen to work.