640 people who have made history

The group quietly looked at the sand table. Wanzhou was accessible by a canal from Dalong Prefecture, but it was much narrower than the Dalong Prefecture canal and was more like a slightly larger river!

It was no more than three zhang wide, but the water level was still acceptable, and it was more than six chi deep!

Everyone looked at the water's flow, their brows furrowed in confusion.

The water flowing from Wanzhou continues towards the border town, and has now shrunk into a narrow ditch.

It extends only slightly to the outskirts of Huangtu County, but it is still quite a distance from where we are now.

Even so, this ditch was reclaimed by a large number of people through corvée labor, resulting in many deaths and injuries!

Today, this man-made ditch, which extends from the direction of Wanzhou, can still bring some water flow during the season when water volume is abundant and rainfall is plentiful, but naturally it cannot during this season.

Those who reclaimed and repaired the land at that time were also thinking about increasing production and improving their own wealth!

The idea was good, but due to geographical limitations, the canal's overall water level was low most of the time, especially during dry seasons, making it difficult for water to reach this area, and the land still suffered from water shortages.

Naturally, there would be no way to increase production and tax revenue, so it's normal for it to be gradually abandoned!

Moreover, the ditches had been in disrepair for many years. When the Holy Emperor swept through this area, Huangtu County organized manpower to repair them, but in recent years they have become increasingly chaotic. The area has not yielded much profit, and fewer and fewer people are willing to repair them.

After all, the journey from Huangtu County to here requires traversing dense forests, a region rarely visited by humans. It would require government officials to clear the way and protect the area from wild beasts!

Old Weng couldn't help but look up, his eyes seemingly able to see through the window and into the endless mountains in the distance, and he couldn't help but sigh softly!

Indeed, the streams in those mountains flow year-round, containing abundant water resources.

However, the journey to these streams was extremely long and the terrain was rugged and rocky, which made it very difficult to dig ditches.

More importantly, the deep mountains are teeming with ferocious beasts, which are extremely dangerous. To open up ditches there would be a near-death experience.

Like any ordinary elderly farmer, Mr. Shi dressed simply and practically.

He wore a dark-colored coarse cloth robe with a wide cloth belt around his waist, and cloth shoes. His hair was cut short, just a buzz cut, and he was clean, neat, and not a single hair out of place!

His demeanor was calm and composed, just like that of a simple and unpretentious old farmer.

Old Shi stared intently at the sand table, his brows slightly relaxed, and said softly, "Old Weng, don't worry. In my opinion, the ditch should still be there, but we need to dig it deeper and wider."

As for the development of the city, in my opinion, it should expand towards Wanzhou. In this way, with the improvement of ditches and roads, the security issues around the ditches can be gradually alleviated.

Moreover, there must be many people living near the water in the surrounding area. Therefore, the ditches would naturally be unobstructed.

He nodded slightly and smiled, "In that case, I'm afraid the ditch will still need to be widened and deepened quite a bit, which will probably cost a lot!"

Moreover, winter is approaching, making land reclamation difficult; construction is expected to begin next spring.

Old Weng and the others nodded in agreement. They also had their own thoughts. The city was changing too fast, and the number of people surging in from all directions far exceeded their expectations.

For example, people began to migrate from Hongjia Village, a large village with nearly a thousand people deep in the mountains, abandoning their familiar villages.

Every year, they could obtain a lot of valuable medicinal herbs, animal hides, and other precious items from the familiar surroundings of the village, which was an important source of income for Hongjia Village.

Now the entire village has moved here.

Clearly, the more stable living environment here offers more development opportunities, especially with the increasing number of workshops in the city and the constant stream of merchants coming and going!

They all knew that the general direction had been set, and all that remained was money.

In the past, villagers could naturally be conscripted for corvée labor, bringing their own food and working until the ditch was completed.

But now, we need to spend money to hire people to repair and cultivate the land, so we naturally need to be careful with our money!

Old Shi smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with wisdom, and slowly said, "Once the ditch is dug, the next step is to widen the river channel and deepen the riverbed, which will naturally cost a lot!"

After these modifications, navigation should be no problem. Since the adults are bearing the cost of these repairs, charging a fee is only reasonable.

Old Weng and the others couldn't help but think quietly: the cost of shipping was much lower than that of horse-drawn carriages and manpower!

Once repaired, the waterway will have relatively low maintenance costs, making it even cheaper to transport food and other supplies from the border town!

Moreover, with waterways on both sides, some villagers have moved to more distant areas on both sides of the river, which makes it very convenient and advantageous for planting crops and irrigating them!

Old Man Weng nodded slightly and said softly, "In that case, charging a certain fee is only right. This way, the funding problem can be solved later. I think the magistrate will agree."

Jin Luo frowned and said softly, "If we widen it, the project will be quite extensive and very expensive! It's estimated to cost at least a million taels of silver."

A million taels—this was an expense Jin Luo had never imagined before!

Young people and strong men alike trembled upon hearing this, and suddenly felt their legs become unsteady.

His mind went blank, save for the thought of 'a million taels of silver,' 'a million taels, how much silver is that!'

For them, a million taels of silver is an astronomical figure, and once the decision is made to widen the river, it will probably cost even more!

Old Master Shi nodded slightly, a hint of shock in his heart. A million taels was a considerable expense for him.

Suddenly, everyone felt an unprecedented pressure and challenge.

He couldn't help but consider giving up the idea. A million taels of silver—you can spend it however you like, sir!

Old Weng stood there quietly, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead like a stream, wetting his weathered face and his temples that had long been whitened by the years.

His eyes were fixed on the sand table in front of him, as if trying to discern the course and actual appearance of the great ditch from that tiny model. His hands unconsciously went behind his back, his fingers trembling slightly, and his inner excitement and anticipation were beyond measure.

A sense of mission and accomplishment!

He said in a trembling voice, "Elder Shi, Jin Luo, and everyone else, why don't we work together to calculate the approximate cost? After we've done the calculation, I'll report this to Madam. What do you all think?"

Despite his soaked clothes, Old Man Weng was completely oblivious, his heart filled with anticipation for the construction of the large ditch and his eager hopes for its future.

The words "to be remembered in history!" slowly arose in my mind without me even realizing it, and then I became fervent!