Siheyuan: I am different He Yuzhu

Minister Wu then asked He Yuzhu about some things about the Red Star Steel Mill. While the two were talking, the phone on Minister Wu's desk rang. Minister Wu picked up the phone and answered it. After a short conversation, Minister Wu hung up the phone. After hanging up the phone, Minister Wu took off his glasses and rubbed the flesh in the middle of his nose.

He Yuzhu saw that Minister Wu looked a little embarrassed, and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Minister Wu, why do you look embarrassed after answering the phone?"

"It's not a big deal. It's just the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge that caused the trouble." Minister Wu put on his glasses again and explained with a wry smile.

"What happened to the Yangtze River Bridge in Jiangning?" He Yuzhu continued to ask, his heart full of doubts and puzzlement. After all, he was not familiar with the city of Jiangning, let alone whether there was a Yangtze River Bridge there. However, in his memory, there were many Yangtze River Bridges in Jiangning City in the future. As for whether there was a cross-river bridge built now, he was really unsure, so he frowned, revealing a hint of confusion in his eyes: "I don't remember that there was a Yangtze River Bridge in Jiangning. It seems that there is only one Yangtze River Bridge built in Jiangcheng in China."

Hearing He Yuzhu's question, Minister Wu shook his head slightly, with a bitter smile on his face. He knew that He Yuzhu didn't know much about this aspect, so he patiently explained: "Xiao He, it's my fault that I didn't explain it clearly. After the construction of the Jiangcheng Yangtze River Bridge was completed, the court planned to build a cross-river bridge in Jiangning. The original idea was to use bridge steel imported from the bear, but then the situation changed. Last year, your factory successfully developed Q345 steel. This achievement completely solved the problem of steel supply, allowing the construction plan of the cross-river bridge to be implemented ahead of schedule."

He Yuzhu listened to Minister Wu's explanation and gradually understood the whole story. He nodded to show his understanding: "So that's how it is. Since the court has decided to build the Yangtze River Bridge in Jiangning City, it is a major project! However, our Ministry of Metallurgical Industry only needs to ensure the supply of steel, right? The construction of the bridge should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport. Why do you feel embarrassed? Is there a problem with the supply of steel needed to build the bridge?"

Minister Wu sighed, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "Alas! There is no problem with the supply of steel needed to build the bridge. We are capable of producing sufficient Q345 steel for the construction of the bridge. The problem now is that there is controversy over the clearance height of the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge. Comrades from the navy considered that Jiangning is in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and can finally pass 26-ton ships, so they suggested that the clearance height of the bridge be designed to be 5000m. Some experts said that the water depth of the Yangtze River is not that deep, as long as it can ensure the passage of 24-ton ships, so it is recommended to design the clearance height of the bridge to be 26m. Now the two suggestions are arguing endlessly. The phone call just now was to ask me to support one of the m options."

After listening to Minister Wu's words, He Yuzhu fell into deep thought. He could not help but recall the comments about the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge in later generations. The first one was that netizens made fun of the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge, which led to the name of all the cities and counties along the Yangtze River with Yangtze River Bridges as Jiang Bridges. The second one was that the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge had insufficient clearance from the water surface, which seriously restricted the development of Yangtze River shipping, and it was suggested to blow up the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge. After recalling all the information about the Jiangning Yangtze River Bridge, He Yuzhu asked, "So which side do you tend to support, Minister Wu?"

"I have no objection at all. I'm not a bridge expert. If you force me to choose a suggestion, I prefer the 24m clearance option." Minister Wu thought for a moment and replied, "If it were you, Xiao He, which side would you support?" After answering He Yuzhu's question, Minister Wu passed the ball to He Yuzhu.

"Minister Wu, let me tell you a story first." He Yuzhu did not answer Minister Wu's question directly, but said with a smile.

"What story?" Minister Wu asked with a look of great interest.

"You know that the gauge of steel rails in our country is 1435mm," He Yuzhu asked seriously.

"Yes, I know this." Minister Wu nodded and said.

"Then do you know why the track gauge of our country's railways is 1435mm?"

"I really don't understand why?"

"The first railway built by our country was the Tang-Xu Railway. When this railway was built, it was supervised by John Bull Engineers, so the railway gauge of John Bull was adopted. Do you know why the railway gauge of John Bull is 1435mm?"

"Why?" Minister Wu asked curiously.

"When the first John Bull railway was built, it was for transporting coal. There were no trains at that time, so carriages were pulled by horses on the rails. The manufacturer of the carriages was originally a horse-drawn carriage manufacturer, so they produced carriages on the rails according to the wheel gauge of the horse-drawn carriages without thinking. Firstly, they did not need to modify the original production equipment, and secondly, the workers were already very familiar with the 1435mm gauge of the horse-drawn carriages and could skillfully produce carriages on the rails. Therefore, the track gauge of John Bull's railway became 1435mm."

"Why is John Bull's carriage 1435mm? There is a very interesting story behind this. It turns out that a long time ago, the ancient Romans invaded John Bull and established their rule there. At that time, the ancient Roman army used a weapon called a chariot, and the width of these chariot wheels was exactly 1435mm. As the ancient Roman chariots galloped on John Bull, they left a lot of ruts on the road of John Bull. From then on, John Bull produced carriages based on the width of the ancient Roman chariot wheels, otherwise they would not be able to get stuck in the ruts. In this way, this number was retained and became part of the John Bull railway standard later."

"The reason why the width of the wheels of the ancient Roman chariot is 1435mm is because the width of the buttocks of two horses is exactly 1435mm. It is said that when the ancient Romans were designing the chariot, they found that if the width of the two horses' buttocks was added together, it was exactly equal to 1435mm. So they decided to use this number as the standard size of the chariot to ensure that the chariot can adapt to various different horses." He Yuzhu continued.

"I didn't expect that a small railway track gauge could be traced back to more than 2000 years ago. Xiao He, what do you mean by this?" Minister Wu asked after expressing his feelings.

"By the same token, the Yangtze River Bridge in Jiangning City is the first Yangtze River Bridge in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. If the water surface clearance height designed for the construction of this bridge in Jiangning City is 24m, then in the future, when building Yangtze River bridges in other regions, the height of the Yangtze River Bridge in Jiangning City will also be referred to. If connected in this way, by then, the only ships that can pass through the entire lower reaches of the Yangtze River will be 5000 tons. The provinces along the Yangtze River have a large population, and shipping will certainly be very busy in the future. The transport capacity of a 5000-ton ship is definitely not as large as that of a ton-class ship. Therefore, I suggest that considering future development, it is better to adopt the 26m design plan. If allowed, it is better to add 0.5m and design it according to 26.5m, so that the reserved space will be larger." He Yuzhu said seriously.

"Xiao He, have you ever considered how much it would cost to increase the bridge's clearance height by 26.5m?" Minister Wu asked after thinking for a moment after listening to He Yuzhu's words.

Hearing Minister Wu's inquiry, He Yuzhu smiled and replied: "Minister Wu, don't worry! Although I am not in charge of project budgeting, I can still calculate this simple arithmetic problem. According to the original design plan, the budget was sufficient to use the steel imported from Russia. Now we can use domestic steel instead, so the funds originally used to purchase Russian steel can be transferred to increasing the height of the bridge tower. In this way, increasing the water clearance height of the bridge by 2.5 meters should not increase the cost too much. Besides, Minister Wu, building a bridge on the Yangtze River is a major national project. Since it is a major project, it is even more necessary to consider the long-term development in the future, and we cannot sacrifice future development space in order to save a little cost in the early stage!"

"Xiao He, your perspective on issues is indeed very unique and forward-looking! Your distinctive way of thinking is also an indispensable element in our country's construction process. After listening to your words, I have a clear direction on how to make a decision. Thank you very much, Xiao He!" Minister Wu said with emotion.

He Yuzhu smiled and responded: "You are too kind, Minister Wu. I feel extremely honored to receive such affirmation and praise from you. As a state cadre, I just try my best to think and express my opinions. If my ideas can provide some help to national construction, that would be my greatest wish."

Minister Wu earnestly exhorted: "I hope you can always maintain this positive attitude, continue to contribute to the country's construction, and make more outstanding contributions."

He Yuzhu answered with a firm look in his eyes and a sincere tone: "Thank you Minister Wu for your encouragement and trust. I will definitely go all out, study diligently and work hard, continue to improve my ability level, and strive to contribute more wisdom and strength to the cause of the motherland's construction."

After saying that, He Yuzhu glanced at the watch on his wrist and found that the time had unknowingly come to 11:17. "Minister Wu, it's almost noon. What do you want to eat for lunch? I'll go down to the kitchen and make it for you."

"Ah, it's noon so soon. I feel like you've only been here for a short time, Xiao He!" Minister Wu glanced at his watch and said, "As for what to eat for lunch, Xiao He, you can make the arrangements. Anyway, I like any Sichuan dish you cook."

"Then Minister Wu, I'll go to the kitchen to see what dishes are available, and then decide what to eat for lunch today." He Yuzhu said with a smile. After that, He Yuzhu walked out of Minister Wu's study and walked downstairs briskly.

When He Yuzhu walked downstairs to the living room, he saw Minister Wu's wife sitting quietly on the sofa in the living room, listening attentively to the program on the radio. Her face was filled with tranquility and satisfaction.

Minister Wu's wife looked up and saw He Yuzhu coming down from upstairs. She smiled and asked, "Xiao He, have you finished talking with Old Wu?" Her tone was kind and gentle, giving people a sense of family warmth.

He Yuzhu quickly replied, "Yes, ma'am, we have just finished our conversation. It is getting late now, and I want to go downstairs to see what dishes are in the kitchen so that I can prepare a delicious lunch for Minister Wu and you." His attitude was respectful and serious, showing his respect for Minister Wu's family.

Minister Wu's wife nodded slightly to show her understanding, and said enthusiastically: "Then go and have a look. Chef Zhang has already bought the dishes for lunch. There should be quite a few choices. Thank you for your hard work, Xiao He!"

He Yuzhu said gratefully: "Madam, you are so polite. It is my honor to cook for you and Minister Wu. I will go to the kitchen now and call you to eat when it is ready." He turned and walked towards the kitchen.