After descending from Chuitai Mountain, Chu Fan headed straight for Zhonghua City, one of the three Acropolis cities, where the papermaking workshop was planned to be built. This place was once a temporary place for the disaster victims from Hedong Jiuzhou.

Chu Fan came to the vicinity of Zhonghua City and looked at the wooden houses and some thatched huts left on the open space. Chu Fan felt very emotional.

In just a few months, the land outside Kaifeng City has undergone several dramatic changes. Refugees who once struggled to even afford basic food and clothing have now moved into new, small buildings within the Acropolis and enjoy the convenience of coal-fired heating.

After the victims moved into the Acropolis, the temporary houses they had built for emergency response were preserved because they were located in a prime location close to the water source.

In addition, the surrounding toilets and other infrastructure are quite well-built, which makes establishing a papermaking workshop in such an area the most suitable choice.

Many Xiongnu and prisoners of war from the Qian Kingdom were moved to tears when they saw with their own eyes the comfortable accommodations prepared for them by the Wei Kingdom. Even in their own countries, simple wooden houses and thatched huts were an unattainable luxury for many people.

However, after becoming prisoners of war, the State of Wei not only did not abuse them but provided them with shelter. This kindness and care was simply unbelievable to them.

The moment they became prisoners of war, they had already prepared themselves mentally, thinking that they might become slaves, and even worried deep down that the State of Wei would execute them all.

During the first few days after these prisoners were escorted to Kaifeng, the city guards were responsible for teaching them the most basic common sense. However, due to the Xiongnu's natural laxity and lack of discipline, it was not until some Xiongnu prisoners were severely punished for not following the rules that they gradually became obedient.

Now the Xiongnu no longer urinated and defecated in public, but would go to the toilet to solve their personal hygiene problems. Of course, the soldiers of the Qian Kingdom did not need to worry about this, because after seeing the severe punishments that the Xiongnu received for not following the rules, they consciously abided by the rules.

When Chu Fan arrived, officials from the Ministry of Works were directing the captives to dig. Despite the freezing cold and snowy weather outside, the Xiongnu showed great enthusiasm and drive, seemingly driven by their passion for the work.

Since ancient times, the Xiongnu people have been renowned for their sturdy physique and tolerance to severe cold. Living on the vast grasslands and facing a harsh natural environment, they have long been accustomed to surviving the cold winters.

After the Xiongnu began working here, they discovered that working here not only ensured they had enough to eat, but also that their diet contained the necessary salt, which was unimaginable on their own steppes, where they often had difficulty filling their stomachs due to food shortages in the winter.

Mu Yunfeng, the great general of Wei, told them that their hard work here was actually a way of atonement to make up for the killing and destruction they had committed on Wei territory.

The generals also revealed the emperor's will, which clearly stated that as long as the Huns could work here for ten consecutive years, they would be free to return to their homeland. This was undoubtedly a huge temptation for the Huns, and they were grateful for it.

The Xiongnu people deeply realized that this kind of life was much safer and more stable than the endless wars and plundering on the grasslands. Some of them even began to think that if their future jobs were as safe and secure as this, they would be willing to serve the Wei State, even risking their lives for it.

At the same time, the people of Qian State were relatively weak, not as strong as the Xiongnu. They seemed unable to cope with physical labor and lacked endurance.

Chu Fan witnessed all of this and knew the importance of these free laborers to the country and himself. So, he instructed Eunuch Li beside him:

"Tell the general currently in charge of the Kaifeng City Defense Force to provide coal to these Xiongnu and Gan people at night to help them survive the cold winter. After all, these are valuable labor resources, and we cannot let their lives be threatened."

Eunuch Li replied respectfully, "I have already kept it in mind."

Just as Chu Fan continued to observe the situation on the scene carefully, Mu Yundian, the current commander of the Kaifeng City Guard, immediately put aside his work and rushed to the scene when he heard the news that His Majesty the Emperor was visiting the paper mill construction site.

Mu Yundian arrived before Chu Fan, knelt respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, Mu Yundian."

After Mu Yundian knelt down, the accompanying officials also knelt down one after another. The people of Gan State and some Huns already knew that the person standing in front of them was the Emperor of Wei State.

Eunuch Li, Qiuya and others immediately took precautions to prepare for possible riots by the Huns and the Gan people.

Originally, some of the Gan people and the Xiongnu people also intended to attack Chu Fan, but they were stopped in time by their companions.

If they launched a riot at this time, not only would they not be able to cause any harm to the Wei emperor, but it would also destroy their current relatively stable life and the freedom they might gain in the future. Moreover, there were many armed Wei soldiers around them, keeping a tight watch. They had no chance of winning at all.

Therefore, although some Huns and Gan people had some dissatisfaction and anger deep in their hearts, they ultimately chose to restrain themselves.

Chu Fan did not notice these things, but Eunuch Li beside Chu Fan noticed these subtle reactions. Eunuch Li knew in his heart that since the hot-tempered Huns did not launch an attack on His Majesty under such circumstances, these Huns were considered to have temporarily surrendered.

Although their loyalty is not high now, as long as a period of time, these people are destined to be influenced by Your Majesty, and then under Your Majesty's leadership, they will become Your Majesty's most powerful spearhead in attacking the Xiongnu. They will become the sharpest weapons in Your Majesty's hands and make great contributions to Your Majesty's expansion of territory.

Chu Fan immediately helped Mu Yundian up without any unnecessary movements and said, "General Mu, there's no need to be so polite. I just came here to see how the paper mill is progressing."

Mu Yundian replied, "Everything went very smoothly. Apart from the initial lack of cooperation from the Xiongnu, nothing went wrong."

Chu Fan said to Mu Yundian, "Your Ministry of War must cooperate well with the Ministry of Works to get this done."

Mu Yundian patted his chest and replied, "I will definitely fulfill your mission. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Chu Fan nodded in satisfaction after hearing Mu Yundian's words. He then continued walking, observing the Xiongnu people working. Mu Yundian led the troops from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works, following behind Chu Fan.