The estate has not been inhabited for a long time, with only a few old servants guarding it.

The guards came in and out, cleaning and repairing, and the dust was flying. Zhu Cha sat under the big tree, studying the system.

Several old servants were very happy. They never dreamed that one day, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi would personally come to this estate.

Your Highness, have a bowl of hot tea to warm up your body

An old servant carefully brought hot tea and gently placed it on the nearby stone table.

It's not yet the beginning of spring, and the weather hasn't warmed up.

Sitting on one's own turf, drinking hot tea, not to mention feeling so comfortable and at ease.

Isn't this more comfortable than being in the capital?

Thinking of the oppressive atmosphere in the court, Zhu Cha shook his head repeatedly, still feeling comfortable in his own place.

Zhu Zhan first researched the complete set of technical data and drawings for the expressway that he had obtained directly.

Although it is a highway, the highways built in this era are definitely different from those in later generations.

It doesn't need to be so spacious or have such high specifications.

However, the basic process and methods are basically the same.

Simply put, it means preparing materials, cleaning the base layer, placing rocks on the roadside, and spreading asphalt. Then sprinkle a layer of mineral material, compact it, and sprinkle a second layer of asphalt. Repeat this process three times, and basically it's formed.

Asphalt is not a rare commodity now.

As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, asphalt was used in the production of gunpowder.

The most famous eunuch of the Ming Dynasty, Wei Zhongxian, invented a form of torture by pouring asphalt onto the bodies of prisoners, striking them with small hammers, and finally, removing the shells alive.

However, if Zhu Zhan wants to build a highway on a large scale, the amount of asphalt required is very large!

The conventional method of obtaining asphalt naturally cannot meet Zhu Cha's needs. However, this can be easily solved by directly exchanging experience points from the system.

But before that, there are two difficult problems that need to be solved.

One is a place that covers people's ears and eyes, with a large amount of asphalt coming out. It always needs a source, so he plans to build a large workshop outside Qingzhou City.

Additionally, there are loyal and reliable workers.

He has many people under his command now, but they are all big headed soldiers.

Although he is currently under his own jurisdiction, his loyalty may not reach 100%. He is in the early stages of entrepreneurship and cannot tolerate any mistakes. If someone were to deliver a message to the capital at this time and dress him in shoes, it would definitely be enough for him to drink a pot.

After much consideration, he decided to consume experience points and directly exchange them for reliable personnel from the system.

At the forefront of the system are soldiers, who are divided into five types: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Simply put, metallic soldiers are suitable for charging into battle and are the main force in combat.

Soldiers with wood and soil properties are skilled at laying bridges, repairing roads, building fortifications, and crafting siege weapons, among others.

Soldiers with water attributes are equivalent to the navy. However, Zhu Cha has not yet had the time to build the Great Ming Navy and embark on the Age of Discovery.

Soldiers with fire attributes are skilled in using special high flame and high explosive weapons and equipment such as gunpowder and fuel.

These guys will become the main force for handling some of their confidential locations in the future.

These soldiers exchanged from the system have a loyalty rate of 100%. Moreover, the experience points consumed are relatively low, only 10 experience points can be exchanged for one soldier, which is not too cost-effective.

Of course, in the initial stage, they will not be provided with any weapons or equipment, mainly as a reliable labor force.

Besides them, we also need some leaders. Then we need to exchange craftsmen in the system, craftsmen are much more precious than ordinary soldiers.

100 experience points are required to exchange for a craftsman, but a craftsman is equivalent to an engineer and has technical expertise that cannot be surpassed by ordinary soldiers. Even with more experience points, Zhu Zhan can accept it.

The issues of location and personnel have been resolved, but now there is another troublesome matter, which is the issue of meals.

People can be exchanged from the system, but once exchanged, they also need to eat.

In the system, these people who are exchanged are mainly responsible for their own important locations for production, guarding, transportation, and other tasks. The specific construction work still requires recruiting a large number of farmers. This is quite simple. As a feudal lord and on their own land, recruiting farmers is just a matter of one sentence!

The most troublesome issue is the problem of food. He came to the fiefdom empty handed, and although he had some financial resources, building a highway was a major project on such a large land, and it would take a considerable amount of time. With so many laborers, he had to eat every day. How could this be solved?

You should know that the issue of food is a very headache for the entire Ming Dynasty.

Nowadays, the entire Ming Dynasty, with two meals a day, has not solved the basic problem of food and clothing. Every year, the number of people who starve to death due to insufficient food is the most common cause of death in the current Ming Dynasty!

In the early stage, although he could spend two taels of silver to purchase food, it was ultimately not a long-term solution.

Now, he doesn't have much money on hand. Most of the profits generated from the fiefdom before he became a vassal were taken over by his cheap father, who bullied him for not growing up.

My mother's consort will certainly send someone to deliver some silver, but I don't think it will be too much. It's natural for me to live a prosperous life in the local area, but if I use it for such a huge project, it would be like stuffing my teeth.

Zhu Zhan touched his chin and thought to himself, the most urgent task is to earn money first.

Regardless of the dynasty, status, or wealth, it is always a good thing.

PS： Thank you to Yanzu for the flowers, reviews, and tickets^_^

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