At the same time, construction requests from various places continued to pour in.

"Grand Commandant!" A clerk approached carrying a stack of bamboo slips. "These are proposals from various regions. Qi wants to build a market, Wei wants to repair city walls, Zhao wants to build granaries..."

"Great news!" the wicked husband exclaimed excitedly. "Have them all send over the blueprints, and we'll help them take a look. Perfect timing, we've made a new breakthrough on our end..."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud bang was heard from inside the city.

"What happened?"

"Reporting to the Grand Commandant," a craftsman ran up, "they're testing a new formula. Guess what? This time they added a special ingredient, and the strength has increased by another thirty percent!"

"Really?" The wicked husband was overjoyed. "Come on, take me to see!"

Upon arriving at the testing ground, they saw several samples laid out on the ground. The craftsmen hammered them with heavy hammers, but could only leave shallow marks.

"Grand Commandant, look," the craftsman said, pointing to the samples. "This is the standard formula, this is the improved version from last time, and this is the latest..."

The wicked man carefully compared the two formulas and was increasingly delighted: "Great! We'll use this formula to cast the main pillars of the Epang Palace!"

"But Grand Commandant, the cost of this recipe..."

"Who cares about the cost!" the wicked man waved his hand. "This is a monumental project that will benefit generations to come. How can we be so stingy about such a small amount of money?"

Everyone looked at each other, stunned by his charisma.

Thus, new technologies were continuously developed under the impetus of the wicked husband, and the construction of the Epang Palace was also proceeding intensively, with new progress every day.

That evening, the wicked man stood on the construction site, watching the afterglow of the setting sun spill onto the busy construction site, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Perhaps this is why China is known as the "infrastructure maniac" in later generations; the feeling of creating something from nothing is truly visually striking!

"Erhe!" he suddenly shouted.

The wicked man gazed at the buildings that were beginning to take shape and exclaimed, "This Grand Commandant cannot wait any longer! Let the whole world see this, and let future generations remember the grandeur of my Great Qin!"

After saying that, he began to focus intently on instructing the craftsmen. He looked as serious as a child playing with his favorite toy.

Zhang Erhe smiled, but felt quite emotional.

Who would have thought that this once-powerful Grand Commandant, who commanded armies on the battlefield, would now become a craftsman obsessed with architecture?

However, this is also good. Now that the world has been settled, it is time to rest and recuperate, which allows him to fully pursue his interests.

............

Daliang City, the former capital of the Wei Kingdom.

Ying Zheng's carriage stopped outside the city.

Looking at this important town from afar, there is no trace of the previous battles. The city walls have been newly repaired, the streets are clean, and the market is bustling with activity, showing a scene of recovery.

"It's recovered quite well here," Ying Zheng said to Meng Tian beside him.

“Yes,” Meng Tian replied, “Daliang has been a vital commercial center since ancient times. As long as the people can live and work in peace and contentment, it will naturally recover its vitality.”

As they were talking, local officials came out of the city to greet them. Leading the delegation was Feng Quji, the official in charge of the reconstruction of Daliang.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you!" The crowd knelt in obeisance.

"Get up," Ying Zheng said, getting out of the carriage. "Tell me, what have you been doing these past few days?"

"Your Majesty, please come and take a look," Feng Quji said, pointing to both sides of the city gate. "We first repaired the city defenses, then we tidied up the streets. Most importantly..."

He led Ying Zheng into the city: "Look at these shops, they've all been reorganized according to industry. Silk, grain, and ironware each have their own specialized markets. Merchants say it's much more convenient than before."

Ying Zheng nodded. Indeed, the shops on both sides of the street were orderly, and even the market did not appear chaotic.

"Your Majesty, please look this way," Feng Quji continued. "This is the newly built granary. Daliang has always been a vital waterway for grain transport, and we have specially expanded the storage capacity to hold 100,000 shi of grain..."

"Wait a minute," Ying Zheng interrupted him. "I would like to take a walk around the city first and see how the people are living."

“This…” Feng Quji hesitated.

"What's wrong? Is there something inconvenient?"

"No," Feng Quji quickly explained, "It's just that the streets are too noisy, and I was afraid of disturbing His Majesty..."

"It's alright," Ying Zheng said with a smile. "I just want to see the real situation."

With that, he led his entourage into the busiest fabric market. A dazzling array of fabrics were on display, and the shouts of vendors rose and fell. People haggled over prices or stood idly by, creating a vibrant scene of everyday life.

"Huh?" Ying Zheng stopped in front of a shop. "Is this cloth from Qi?"

"Indeed!" The shopkeeper hurriedly came forward to greet him. "Your Majesty, this is brand new goods that have just arrived from Linzi, and they are in very high demand!"

"Oh?" Ying Zheng became interested. "Tell me, are there any inconveniences in doing business?"

The shopkeeper immediately launched into a long explanation: "Your Majesty, the roads are unsafe right now, which means that less than one-tenth of these cloth shipments may have been delivered, and..."

"And what?"

"Not only are the costs high, but the shipping fees are even higher, more than tripling compared to before," the shop owner said cautiously. "Especially when crossing the Yellow River, there are several fees involved..."

"The bandit suppression has already begun, and we'll see results soon." Ying Zheng looked at Feng Quji. "As for transportation costs, that's simple. Order the simplification of ferry tolls to ensure merchants can travel smoothly!"

"promise!"

Continuing on, we arrived at the grain market. The autumn harvest had just ended, and the market was well-stocked with grain at stable prices.

Ying Zheng noticed that many grain merchants from other places also came here to purchase grain.

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