Chapter 58

Wen Yi has become accustomed to having someone following her, and no longer feels as uncomfortable as she did at the beginning. She has a full understanding of her own strength and the dangers in the surrounding environment.

It should be said that walking outside at this time would be more or less dangerous. Even Yao Wenjun and Nan Xun would bring some people with them, and the rotation arrangements during breaks were extremely careful.

This time, she was wearing specially crafted leather armor. It lacked the inner armor made of wire or metal rings, which provided strong defense, but was much lighter overall. The average person wouldn't be able to handle clothing weighing tens or even dozens of kilograms. Of course, she also carried a dagger at her waist, newly crafted in the Pingyi workshop. It was extremely sharp, requiring extreme caution when wielding it.

As evening approached, the originally calm atmosphere became a little agitated when people carrying porridge came over. Many people cast their eyes on the steaming buckets, and some were unable to move.

The staff saw that the areas planned for cleaning today had been almost cleared, and some even exceeded expectations. Just then the bell rang, indicating it was time for a break, so they ordered everyone to stop and have some food.

"That's all for today. Put down everything you have on hand." The voice was not loud, but the words were clearly enunciated.

Hearing the sound of work, everyone quickened their pace and moved the things on hand out, completing today's work. Then they wiped themselves lightly with the cloth towels tied to their bodies, lined up to the side to wash their hands, and finally took their own bowls and started to line up there.

The transportation cost of porcelain and pottery was extremely high, so Wen Yi naturally couldn't bring these things this time. Fortunately, this place wasn't originally poor, and most families still had bowls and plates, but whether they were damaged or simply made of wood was uncertain.

But it doesn’t matter. As long as there is enough time, what they bring is enough to change these things.

Wen Yi sighed and stood aside watching.

The food here is not allowed to be taken away, in order to provide those who are doing heavy labor with physical strength and prevent injuries due to physical weakness. Of course, there are also light jobs for those who are not in good health, but the food is not as good as here.

Those with limited labor capacity or children were provided with separate arrangements, and were given daily food. Those with special talents could also recommend themselves, and after verification, they could secure better positions.

At first, some people were hesitant, but when they saw that the lives of the craftsmen who signed up first had improved visibly, and even bought a lot of new things, those who were originally wary joined in, greatly speeding up the pace of construction here.

After all, a city originally had various craftsmen, who built the city and were responsible for the maintenance or innovation of various things. However, in the current environment, they were mostly treated as "objects" and property.

The people queuing in front of the food were relatively orderly, but familiar people always stood in a group, which looked a bit messy, but overall it was still within a controllable range.

Those who fought for food or did not follow the rules have been taken away. Everyone now knows that everyone gets about the same amount of food regardless of morning or evening. It is also safer to eat here. There is no need to hide in the temporary houses to prevent being robbed by guys in the dark.

Wen Yi stood aside and watched. Although most people had grown accustomed to the order, there were still some new arrivals who tried to snatch things, but they were quickly overpowered and taken away by the soldiers. Those who were affected and had their porridge spilled were taken aside, registered, and given food again.

There is already a set of regulations for this, and we just need to make slight adjustments based on actual conditions.

"Hey, that guy is the one who used to show off in the city, right?" The person who had received food and was standing not far away looked at the guy who was taken away. Although he was so thin that he was unrecognizable, his eyebrows and eyes looked very familiar.

"Isn't that Qi Wu or Wu Qi?" The people around him had already recognized him. "I heard he's been hiding for a few days. He must have come out because he's extremely hungry and doesn't want to eat the same thing as the rest of us."

"Tsk, it's already this late, and you still think you are someone." The man who spoke first lowered his head and drank the remaining half of the thick porridge. A warm and satisfying feeling came from his abdomen, making him feel very good.

"Who says it's not? I think it's a really good catch." Another middle-aged woman nearby also chimed in, "That's how it should be."

Qi Wu was originally a relative of the city gate guard. He often acted arrogantly, but he was also a sensible person. He would go out of his way to flatter those he couldn't afford to offend. Therefore, even though he had done many evil things over the years, no one could control him.

Many families suffered at his hands and had to make all kinds of apologies until he calmed down. Otherwise, they would be harassed when entering or leaving the city, and their lives might even be in danger.

Now seeing this man being taken away by the newly arrived soldiers, although they were a little worried that they would also be in danger, in the end, the joy overwhelmed the worry. Many people even hoped that those people would be captured by these soldiers, which would also give them some relief.

They thought their voices were not loud, but in the quiet square, they could be heard very far. Wen Yi just smiled when he heard these words, turned around and left with his soldiers.

*

The contents of the previous interrogation had been discussed with Nanxun and others. After roughly figuring out the scope of their garrison, Nanxun prepared to take some soldiers with him.

It's not impossible that the enemy deliberately sent people here and leaked the information through the mouths of these prisoners, but we still have to go and take a look, at least to tell those people that they already know where this garrison is and stop sending people from here. Otherwise, we have to patrol outside all the time, and the soldiers on duty are nervous all day long.

If this problem can be solved earlier, everyone can concentrate on construction. After all, it is the spring plowing season. The other side does not need it, but they still need this year's harvest.

"Then, be careful." Wen Yi nodded.

"I see."

Nan Xun responded, and without going back to change his clothes, he walked out with the map he had drawn up temporarily. It seemed that he was going to put on armor and go out.

Given the distance, the round trip would take about half a day. However, considering the possibility of a confrontation or negotiation between the two sides, they might not be able to return until tomorrow. Therefore, they had to bring some supplies for camping in the wild. Several of the main staff members went to help with the preparations, leaving the office empty for a while, with only one person on duty.

Wen Yi simply didn't stay in the house anymore and prepared to go outside to build the city wall.

Passing by the old city gate, one could still see traces of hacking and destruction. There were also marks of various tools at the gate, and some water had accumulated inside, but it hadn't rained in the past few days, so it was unclear where the water had come from.

Compared to the hundred or so people in the square before, there were many times more people outside helping to build the city wall.

However, most people were just carrying things according to instructions. The details were still handled by the craftsmen or soldiers who worked under the direction of the others. They had already put on simple masks made of coarse cloth, and the indigenous people nearby were also given small squares of cloth cut out to prevent dust from spreading.

The base of the city wall toward the gate had been compacted, and the previously mined raw materials had been calcined and made into lime. Wen Yi and the others had also brought with them some forged iron bars before their trip. While not as hard as steel, they were certainly more durable than other materials and could be combined with bamboo to build a higher wall.

These things are also being fired in the newly built kiln nearby, and it looks like the work is in full swing.

For the nobility, artisans were valuable assets, holding the same status as textile workers or other machinery makers. However, in times of crisis, they didn't care about these things. They simply packed up their gold, silver, and silk and fled with ease. Therefore, those who remained behind were temporarily recruited to assist the apprentices from Pingyi. They were more easily able to learn the craft than others and required less explanation.

You can even learn some different experiences or knowledge, but the process can only be changed after multiple verifications and written documents.

Many people's eyes seemed to light up. The joy of learning something new made the surrounding difficulties seem much easier. If they could successfully improve, the workshop in Pingyi would reward them and their names would be included in the latest atlas.

Right now, someone is directing the burial of the bones of the city walls, and then starting to pour and tamp them down. Stones removed from the old city walls are piled underneath, which can save a lot of materials and enhance stability.

Originally, Nan Xun and others planned to continue using the name Fengqiyi, but after discussing with the new leaders, they decided to remove one word and change it to Fengyi. It sounds easier to pronounce and also lets people know that there is a change of leadership here.

The original Fengqi city wall was arc-shaped, and the overall shape around the river was an irregular ellipse. There were only entrances and exits similar to city walls where the river flowed, and the river bank was not maintained, so there was a risk of collapse.

This also needs to be dealt with, and the curved parts of the rivers in the city also need to be adjusted.

The new city wall of Fengyi was expanded in a circle, and the curved wall was straightened to present an octagonal shape. It is slightly wider near the north and slightly narrower near the southwest, so as to include the nearby land that is convenient for farming to the greatest extent.

"What's the situation now?"

The soldier following Wen Yi asked the manager not far away. The man was stunned for a moment, then saw the soldier's clothes and Wen Yi standing not far away, and figured something out. He quickly flipped through the booklet in his hand for a while and found the schedule.

"The current progress is slightly faster than expected. This section of the city wall should be completed three days ahead of schedule." In fact, according to the data, it will be earlier, but it may not be possible to maintain this speed in the future. The data reported is naturally a conservative estimate.

The soldier asked a few more questions that Wen Yi might be interested in, then turned back and whispered the content to Wen Yi.

"Well, the weather might not be very good in a few days, so we should hurry up." She squinted her eyes and looked at the clouds further south.

Rain is perfectly normal in spring. The air seems a bit thicker these past few days, probably due to a collision of different air masses. There should be some rain. Fengyi is also located in the northeast, close to the mountains, making it more prone to rain.

People who were born and raised in Fengyi naturally know more about these things. The manager then found a few people who have lived here for a long time. It is true that it is easy to have rain or fog near Fengyi at this time of year.

This meant that certain processes needed to be expedited to avoid delaying subsequent construction. While various farming tools were available, the fields still needed to be tended after the rain. For another thing, if weeds weren't removed promptly, they could easily take over the growing space for crops within two or three days.

Thinking of this, the manager's expression became much more serious. The previous managers had specifically emphasized the importance of spring plowing. This area had been severely damaged by disasters before, and now it mainly relied on the old grain in the warehouse for support. It couldn't just sit there and eat up all the food.

Since he chose to come here, he naturally wanted to make a career. Even if he couldn't reach the level of a few masters, he couldn't make any major mistakes.

"Understood. We will make certain adjustments based on the situation. Just rest assured, sir."