Chapter 7125 Everyone is lacking

Chapter 7125 Everyone is lacking
When Zhuge Liang heard Chen Xi mention the steel shortage, he felt a headache coming on. After years of being stationed in Chang'an, he had discovered a ridiculous fact: despite the Han Dynasty's ever-increasing steel production, now reaching an astonishing 100,000 tons annually, the steel shortage was actually growing with the increase in annual production.

In other words, when steel production was low, the steel shortage was relatively small. But when steel production started to rise sharply, the demand for steel also rose. This is quite frustrating. Even though the output has reached 100,000 tons, a level that was once unimaginable, the shortage has reached about the same level. It's simply unbelievable.

In the past, when there was a shortage of steel demand, Li You's steel quota would usually be cut. This was because, in Chen Xi's words, a slight reduction in Wen Ru's steel quota wouldn't cause a major problem, but the others were related to people's livelihoods, and cutting them would create serious issues.

In short, after a long explanation, Chen Xi secretly cut off part of Li You's steel quota. However, this solution, which neither addresses the symptoms nor the root cause, became meaningless in the long run.

"I've always wanted to ask, how much steel do we really need in a year to be considered enough?" Liu Bei asked with some doubt. Every time he went to the smelting workshop to see the molten steel flowing out, he felt that the steel furnace was really amazing. Such a large steel furnace should be able to match the entire output of the Han Dynasty. But now that there are so many steel furnaces, why is the steel shortage getting bigger and bigger?

"How much would be truly enough?" Chen Xi looked up at the sky, his expression complicated. After a while, he said, "Lord Xuande, let's not even think about this question. There's no hope. The steel furnaces we're using now are definitely not usable. Only large-scale coal-steel complexes would be able to make a difference, and even hundreds of thousands or millions of tons wouldn't be enough."

According to Chen Xi's estimate, the Han Dynasty's current population size, plus the need to make up for past deficiencies, would require approximately 50 million tons of steel production per year. The question is, what level would 50 million tons of steel production represent? It would be comparable to a top industrial nation by World War II, and even a regional hegemon by the 21st century, given the Han Dynasty's current population size.

Is this something the third century could achieve? Are you kidding me? If the third century had reached this level, it would have swept across the world and become the world's superpower like it was nothing. The Roman Empire, under the siege of an annual steel production of 50 million tons, wouldn't even be considered a roadside giant.

"No, I see that with the increase in our steel production, the previous gaps are disappearing. Why would you say we shouldn't consider this?" Liu Bei, who was walking ahead, heard this and turned to look at Chen Xi with some confusion, not understanding why Chen Xi said this.

"Well, what Lord Xuande sees now is the disappearance of the steel gap, which is only the gap that was once recognized. Steel will naturally integrate into the needs of nature as the times develop. To put it simply, if you could use steel bars to build pillars instead of trees for support when building a house, would you choose steel bars or wood?" Chen Xi asked a very crucial question in a very calm manner.

In later generations, many people may choose to use those towering giant trees, but that's because solid wood has become a precious resource, and towering giant trees are very rare. Even if there is a need for style, class, or showing off, solid wood is used for decoration, not for building pillars. In later generations, it has basically developed to the point that even a two-story building has to use steel bars.

Of course, this is not a mistake, but rather to say that people have brains and know how to build the most sturdy structures, especially when it comes to owner-occupied houses, the houses must be built to be very sturdy.

"Of course we use steel bars. They're sturdy, to say the least!" Fa Zheng said matter-of-factly.

“Yes, that’s what everyone else thinks too,” Chen Xi said calmly. “Just this one line, guess how much steel reinforcement it would need? And that’s assuming the population doesn’t grow.”

Jia Xu and the others were somewhat speechless upon hearing this. If things really went this way, the Han Dynasty's current incredibly high annual steel production of 100,000 tons would take at least fifty years to be sufficient. Well, it might not even be enough.

"And then there are the roads and bridges. Right now, the roads don't seem to have this problem, but as you all know, that's because the carriages on the roads aren't very large. But what about the future? After the last time Xianhe changed the four-wheeled carriages and reinforced the chassis with steel, the carriages' load capacity directly reached the ton level. What about after that? What if we continue to improve it?" Chen Xi looked at the bluestone road in front of him. "Perhaps this kind of road can withstand the nourishment of the essence of heaven and earth, but the roads in the core area will definitely need to be paved with steel bars."

With the advent of electric motors, the Han family will inevitably develop trucks for hauling goods. They might even start with the idea that bigger is better, since one cannot place their hopes on the integrity of a family, because such families have no integrity.

"Moreover, in order to save money and effort, the dead weight of steel is less than that of wood. It goes without saying how people will choose then." Chen Xi said calmly. These things are the future development trend. "By the way, this doesn't even mention the very basic needs of people's livelihood. To be honest, people's livelihood is the main focus."

“For example, buckets, iron pots, shovels, these things are consumables.” Chen Xi said this with such a matter-of-fact tone. He always felt that the people had the right to pursue a better life, so when it was possible for them to live well, they should be allowed to live well.

"In short, the steel shortage will only increase as our steel production surges, and it won't gradually decrease until we break through a certain threshold. But I've roughly calculated that threshold, and I think there's basically no hope," Chen Xi said calmly. "Hope what? At least we'll need to reach 30 million tons before we can start gradually filling the deficit. Is that something the current Han Dynasty can achieve?"
“Okay, I can understand to some extent, but this kind of thing can be curbed by administrative means first. For example, we can ask certain people and certain industries not to use it, and concentrate the steel in the areas where we need it. As for industries that lack steel, we’ve been doing it this way for thousands of years, so it’s fine.” Jia Xu said quite matter-of-factly. Chen Xi glanced at Jia Xu upon hearing this. Well, Jia Xu is indeed Jia Xu.

"Anyway, we absolutely refuse to use steel bars in houses now, not even in the construction of the imperial palace, because once the first one uses them, everyone else will follow suit." Chen Xi said helplessly. As he spoke, Chen Xi glanced at the crowd around him. If the imperial palace used them, this group of people would definitely use them, and if this group of people used them, others would definitely follow suit.

After all, there are no rules in the etiquette system regarding your use of steel bars. If this is followed, the gap will be huge. Even though steel is indeed quite expensive these days, there are still places that can afford to use steel bars and cement.

Incidentally, the technological revolution also seems to be a very effective means of resisting feudal etiquette, because many transgressions within the etiquette system will disintegrate with the technological revolution. So if we really stand from a historical perspective and occasionally think about why the feudal era suppressed technology, it is actually quite simple.

It's impossible for ordinary people to suddenly become like an emperor like me just because of technological innovation. What the hell would that do? What am I, the emperor, for?

So I feel helpless, extremely helpless.

"This gap is simply endless," Liu Bei said, shaking his head.

“Actually, these can be considered potential gaps. At the current stage, the main gaps are…” Chen Xi looked at Sun Qian, who was looking around as if he didn’t understand what Chen Xi was talking about, “Gongyou, say something. You can’t just stay silent. We’ve already talked about the steel gap. It would be too much if you didn’t say anything.”

Sun Qian was quite helpless. He didn't want to discuss this because he knew best how much of Li You's steel quota he had consumed in a year. Li You's steel quota was nothing compared to this. He could probably use up Li You's steel quota by building just one overpass, while Sun Qian could build more than one in a year!

"I need more steel cables and I-beams, that's all. Just bring more if you need more." Sun Qian said vaguely, and Chen Xi didn't press him for details.

"Gongyou, hurry up and finish the Southwest section. Then build two more for my hometown, and hang them on the three horizontal and five vertical lines, okay?" Fazheng heard Sun Qian's vague words and was too lazy to ask what was going on. He just habitually replied with this sentence. Sun Qian almost rolled his eyes. He had heard this sentence too many times recently, and sometimes he felt that all these people were cut from the same mold.

"When you're repairing it, repair my hometown too. I haven't done anything for my hometown all these years, so this is the last thing I'll do. I'll just have to admit I've embarrassed myself." Liu Yan's eyes darted around, and he grabbed Sun Qian's sleeve, saying this in front of Liu Bei. It's no use talking about this in private; Sun Qian is a master at playing dead. But saying it in front of Liu Bei might be effective. We're all brothers, so be more serious. Look, the Grand Commandant is watching.

"I can only say I'll do my best. I'm still working on the plan. Whether it will work or not, we'll have to let Junqing and the others test it. As you all know, this isn't just about building roads; we also need to consider logistics. Roads are just the foundation for poverty alleviation; logistics and transportation are the key to future development." Sun Qian naturally shifted the blame to Jian Yong.

Jian Yong felt the gazes of others and felt helpless. Although he wasn't exactly a nobody before, he was just so-so. Even though he had worked on things like oracle bone script, etymology, and dictionaries, he only had a high reputation in cultural circles, but overall he was just so-so. But ever since he took on the so-called logistics and transportation job, Jian Yong felt like he had become a hot commodity.

"Since everyone's here, let's count them together. My hometown, Xuzhou, also needs that horizontal line to pass through the core area." Mi Zhu looked around and saw that everyone's eyes were shining, so he stopped pretending. They needed it too, and they really needed it.

"My dear in-laws." Man Chong tugged at Sun Qian's sleeve, saying nothing more. Sun Qian was speechless, but could only stammer and not respond. This was really a calculation, and it hadn't been finalized yet. The way you guys were doing it made it impossible for me to say anything.

"Gongyou." Guan Yu opened his eyes slightly, but this time the light was not cold and sharp, but rather a question. However, Guan Yu did not say a word after that.

No matter how proud Guan Yu was, he still hoped that the people of his hometown could live a better life. As for the Three Horizontal and Five Vertical Lines, even though it hadn't been finalized yet, the news was already flying everywhere. So much so that even someone like Guan Yu, who didn't usually pay much attention, knew about it now. Normally, Guan Yu wouldn't have been so inclined to speak up, but now that the other guys had all spoken, of course Guan Yu had to follow suit.

“Changshan actually needs something like this too,” Zhao Yun said shyly. It was clear that Zhao Yun had never asked anyone for a favor before, and he was a little unsure how to say such a thing.

"Gongyou, look, everyone's gathered around you. Give me a straight answer." Liu Bei said with a smile. He had also looked through Sun Qian's planning document before. Although it wasn't the complete version, he had seen the arrangements for his hometown. To be honest, if he hadn't seen it, Liu Bei would have followed suit. After all, such an opportunity was not to be missed. Nowadays, everyone agrees that if you want to get rich, you must first build roads.

To escape poverty, one must first build roads. This is why Liu Bei, despite knowing that Sun Qian has over ninety construction corps, and that this number will continue to grow, has no intention of dismantling Sun Qian's forces.

Because road construction really requires so many people, and road construction really brings great benefits.

Compared to the dangers posed by having hundreds of thousands of troops under one person's command, or millions of young and strong men under the management of a single mountain, the dangers posed by the lack of roads connecting the Central Plains were even greater. At least Liu Bei could handle the former, but after witnessing the latter once decades ago, he felt that the former was the better choice.

The former looks dangerous. Not to mention whether Sun Qian will rebel, even if he does, Liu Bei is at least confident that he can suppress him. But the latter is not just dangerous. There are highway robbers, inhuman creatures in the deep mountains and forests, impoverished people in various places who can't survive, and wildernesses that are inaccessible even if one wants to help the poor.

In short, given the choice between the two, Liu Bei, having lived through the previous era, naturally chose to let Sun Qian, a regime that would have exploded at the mere sight of a normal dynasty, continue to exist.

Anyway, it won't explode. Besides, even if there is a possibility of explosion, he and Chen Xi can defuse the bomb together, so the danger is not great.

Of course, in exchange, Sun Qian should hurry up and build roads for me, at least build roads for Liu Bei's hometown first. I'm your lord, do you even understand what a lord is!

Sun Qian was truly speechless at being surrounded by this group of people. "Damn it, how could you do this? Have some decency! Surrounding me in front of our lord is one thing, but I know you all want me to repair the roads in your hometowns. I know that too. I did consider this issue when I was making the plans. After all, if the 'three horizontal and five vertical' roads don't pass through your hometowns, it will send a political signal and cause people to have all sorts of wild thoughts."

Sun Qian hadn't realized this before, but Chen Xi specifically told him about it because this project was really important and might even be the foundation of the Han Dynasty's land transportation. Under such circumstances, if the hometowns of certain special figures weren't on this project, it was inevitable that some people would have wild ideas.

Although Sun Qian didn't quite understand, he could understand after Chen Xi pointed it out, so Sun Qian directly asked Chen Xi what level required special care.

Chen Xi's answer at the time was that Lu Su's hometown had to be located on the three horizontal and five vertical planning lines, which was the basic requirement. As for the rest, Chen Xi didn't say anything else.

With this foundation, Sun Qian knew how to make the arrangements.

Lu Su's presence meant that all of them were present. After all, Lu Su had been kicked hard by Chen Xi, and even though he was kicked out, a point of contact was left for him. Naturally, the others who weren't kicked out were still there. It was also at that time that Sun Qian fully understood Chen Xi's sense of propriety.

He also understood Chen Xi's helplessness towards Liu Ye and Lu Su. For Chen Xi, these two were sometimes truly beyond his control.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, you don't think I can make the decision on this, do you? I'm just a road construction contractor. This matter can only be decided by Lord Chen." After Liu Bei spoke, Sun Qian chuckled and then pointed to Chen Xi behind his hands and said, "If you want to ask about the plan, ask Lord Chen. Lord Chen is the one who really finalizes this. I'm just giving suggestions. I only have the right to make suggestions."

Chen Xi looked at Sun Qian speechlessly. "You only have the right to make suggestions? What a joke! You surveyed and planned the roads for the entire Han Dynasty. After that, you could build them however you wanted. Now you're using me as a scapegoat."

"Let's forget about that. I can testify that Master Chen didn't do any work related to the roads," Fa Zheng suddenly said, hitting Sun Qian's weak spot. "Of course, if you think he went home to work overtime, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Liu Bei laughed heartily upon hearing this. He knew that Sun Qian was trying to divert attention, but he still found it very interesting, as it was rare to see such a large group of people mobilized together.

"Alright, alright, enough joking around. We've considered everyone's hometowns, but some are indeed not on the main roads. However, I will build a road connecting them to the main roads when I pass by." Seeing Liu Bei's attitude, Sun Qian shook his head repeatedly, and after thinking for a moment, he gave a definite answer. "Of course, the actual three horizontal and five vertical planning map hasn't been released yet. We'll have to wait a bit longer because I haven't yet conducted on-site investigations of the terrain in some areas. This will also be presented at the Grand Court Assembly later."

“If this thing isn’t presented at the Grand Court Assembly, countless old men will block the door when you’re building it.” Jia Xu shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this, as he also needed this thing.

I specifically went to learn about the three horizontal and five vertical lines; well, not a big problem.