Chapter 97

In addition to the news about the sweet potatoes, An Zhongzhi also told Lin Bei that the land leveling was in its final stages and should be completed today. After the land was leveled, the road could be built.

Building a road is a major project in any era, and the Three Kingdoms period was no exception. This road would be particularly difficult to construct.

The straight-line distance from the school to Xishan Township is about thirty miles, with twenty-five miles of that distance through the forest. Opening up a flat road in the forest would be quite challenging. Additionally, An Zhongzhi wanted to ask Lin Bei what kind of road it should be.

The most famous roads in ancient times were the official roads, which were built with government funding primarily to serve the court. Although common people could use them, they had to yield to officials, or they would be scolded or even beaten and thrown into jail. The rules were very strict.

What were the official roads like? In Lin Bei's memory, they were compacted dirt roads, at least in this era. They were relatively solid and did not easily turn into mud even when it rained, ensuring good quality.

When An Zhongzhi asked Lin Bei what kind of road to build, Lin Bei didn't hesitate and replied, "At least a stone-paved road."

Upon hearing this, An Zhongzhi felt a bitter taste in his heart because building a stone-paved road was not easy.

How were roads built in ancient times? They were built entirely by human labor. Generally, they were dirt roads, with laborers carrying soil and compacting the ground inch by inch using hoes or wooden sticks. The concept of a roadbed also existed, and building the roadbed alone was very time-consuming. Constructing an official road usually required the entire county's effort, and many laborers died from exhaustion.

For a stone-paved road, stone slabs had to be laid on the roadbed. The slabs couldn't be laid randomly; they had to be of similar size and thickness. Stones are much heavier than soil, and slate is not found everywhere. Stone masons had to quarry the stones first and then carry them back, adding a lot of extra work.

Because of this, stone-paved roads were not widespread in ancient times. Perhaps the main roads in county towns were stone-paved, or the areas around important cities like Luoyang had stone roads, but most places had dirt roads. Now, Lin Bei wanted An Zhongzhi to lead the laborers to build a stone-paved road, and An Zhongzhi felt a twinge of pain. He boldly mentioned the difficulty of building a stone-paved road to Lin Bei, hoping to dissuade him. He told Lin Bei that if they built a stone-paved road, it might not be completed even in a winter, but Lin Bei remained firm.

As a modern person, Lin Bei deeply understood the significant role of a good road. Rural dirt roads were fine on sunny days, but they turned into mud during the rain, making it difficult for vehicles to pass. The poorer the area, the worse the roads, creating a vicious cycle. Only with good roads could various supplies be quickly transported in and out.

Lin Bei did not intend for the road from the school to Xishan Township to be used only for students' commutes. In the future, this road would also be responsible for transporting the valuable wild resources of Fushan, whether it was animals from the future breeding grounds or the crops and herbs that would be grown. Fushan was vast, so maintaining a smooth road was crucial. A stone-paved road was necessary, and if conditions allowed, Lin Bei would even consider building an asphalt road or laying railway tracks.

Lin Bei's insistence left An Zhongzhi with no options. He gave a look to Bian Fuzi, hoping that Bian Ji could persuade Lin Bei, but Bian Ji pretended not to see. Finally, An Zhongzhi had no choice but to ask, "Sir, how wide should this stone-paved road be?"

An Zhongzhi was nervous, thinking that a width of ten feet would already be very challenging. A ten-foot-wide road would be enough for a carriage to pass. To his surprise, Lin Bei wrote a number: "Forty feet wide."

In ancient times, one zhang (丈) was 2.4 meters, so forty zhang was 9.6 meters, nearly ten meters, wide enough for three to four carriages to pass side by side. If the people of Xishan Township used elephant carts, three could pass. Lin Bei believed this width was appropriate.

An Zhongzhi's face was already numb. A forty-foot-wide stone-paved road? Even the capital Luoyang didn't have such wide roads. If it weren't for Lin Bei, An Zhongzhi would have thought the person was crazy.

"What's wrong?" Lin Bei asked, seeing that An Zhongzhi was silent.

There was a big problem. An Zhongzhi almost wanted to cry. "Sir, forty feet is really too wide. Even a year wouldn't be enough to build this road, let alone a winter."

Lin Bei thought for a moment and said, "First, level the ground, then lay the stone slabs. There are many stones in the mountains, so getting some stone slabs should be easy, right? Find some stone masons to cut the slabs and have people carry them back. It's a simple process, like an assembly line."

Lin Bei didn't think it was difficult. In modern times, a dozen people could build a road, although they used machinery. But there were many people in Xishan Township, and if more were needed, they could hire more laborers. Besides, An Zhongzhi had said that the people had little to do in winter. Building the road would provide them with wages and food, so they shouldn't refuse.

"Sir, there aren't enough people," An Zhongzhi said directly.

"Then find more people. Idle people from the village and the county can be called to build the road. Tell them they will have food and money, and they will come."

"Where will the money and food come from?"

Lin Bei looked at Zhen Ding. Zhen Ding thought, "Is Sir asking me to pay the laborers?" Although Zhen Ding admired Lin Bei, a few hundred gold coins were not enough to pay the laborers.

"Zhen Ding, didn't you say you would give me a generous reward for capturing the long-nosed beasts?"

Zhen Ding smiled bitterly. He had indeed said that. "Sir, what do you mean?"

"Right. These coins are of no use to me. Aren't the Zhen family grain merchants? Convert part of the money into food and give the rest to An Zhongzhi and Cui Lan to distribute as wages to the workers."

Money was of little use to Lin Bei now, unless it was gold, which he might keep. Copper coins held no interest for him. Besides, if he really wanted to collect, any item from this era would be an antique in modern times, far more valuable than gold. But was it useful now? No. He included Cui Lan not because he didn't trust An Zhongzhi, but because money could easily corrupt people. Two people could supervise each other, making the situation better.

Since the money belonged to Lin Bei, Zhen Ding had no right to interfere. Even if Lin Bei threw the money away, Zhen Ding wouldn't question it. He nodded and said, "As Sir wishes."

With Zhen Ding's agreement, Lin Bei asked An Zhongzhi, "Is there any other problem?"

An Zhongzhi sighed. "Sir is so generous. I have nothing to say. I will do my best to complete this task and not let Sir down."

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