“We’ve assigned people to guard every project,” Qiao Lian’er said.
Among them were soldiers, government officials, and young men performing corvée labor.
"There were guards, and they were doing their duty. However, the enemy launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night, choosing the third or fourth watch when defenses were most relaxed. They came and went quickly, destroying key locations as soon as they arrived and even killing the guards who were alerted."
Qiao Lian'er knew that no matter how much she heard, it was not as good as seeing it for herself.
She summoned Zhou Biejia and Chen Zhizhong, entrusting Zhou Biejia with the more critical matters and Chen Zhizhong with the more routine ones.
The Prefectural Governor is the head of all officials in a prefecture and has certain decision-making power over important political affairs. The Chief Administrator is equivalent to the Secretary-General and mainly handles daily affairs, which are relatively more trivial and have less weight.
Princess Zhenguo has been in Tianhe Prefecture for several months, fulfilling her promises step by step with great efficiency. Funds have been continuously raised, and projects have been built in various places. Tianhe Prefecture has also developed a new district, and the residents of the old city have been well resettled, presenting a new look.
For more complex cases, Princess Zhenguo would personally preside over the court hearings, greatly reducing the number of wrongful convictions.
She gained increasing love and trust from the people, and her subordinate officials became more and more convinced and respectful of her.
If those projects are effective and bring a good harvest to Tianhe Prefecture this year, ensuring that the people have surplus grain, then I believe that no one will be able to replace Princess Zhenguo in the hearts of all the people.
Qiao Lian'er did not tell her two subordinates what had happened on the project, so as not to cause them any trouble. They were just to handle the tasks she had assigned them.
She arrived at the site quickly. The more important the project, the more attention the other party paid to it, and the greater the extent of the sabotage.
This is the largest reservoir, which can be used for flood control and irrigation. There are countless farmlands nearby, so its importance is self-evident.
Now a breach has been blasted in the center of the dam, and all the water inside has been drained. Fortunately, it is not the rainy season, otherwise the flooded water would have submerged all the crops and caused great disaster.
The laborers gathered nearby, discussing the matter animatedly, each with a look of regret and resentment on their faces.
"It was blown up right after it was completed. What kind of bastard did this? Let's catch these people, take a piece of their bones, chop them up and feed them to the dogs."
"That's right. They've clearly been waiting for the right moment to strike as soon as the project is completed. They must have been watching from the shadows for a long time. I heard that apart from a small amount of government funding, all the funds for these projects we've built were funded by Princess Zhenguo's private funds. Princess Zhenguo also pays us wages, ensures that we don't overwork ourselves, and provides us with a balanced diet of meat and vegetables every meal. I wonder what Princess Zhenguo's reaction would be if she saw this."
"It's infuriating and heartbreaking. I wish I could drag those people out and use them to build a dam."
Amidst righteous indignation, Qiao Lian'er appeared. Looking at the huge hole that had been blown open, her face was calm and cold, as if she were enveloped in a layer of chilling air.
Everyone made way for her and fell silent, looking at the Princess with great empathy.
Qiao Lian'er examined the gap up close; the explosive residue still remained. She bent down, picked it up, and looked at it.
Behind her were several of her own people, all of whom were top-tier experts who had survived numerous trials. Each of them could take on dozens of ordinary martial artists. She named them according to the "fire" generation: Huo Ming, Huo Can, Huo Yu, and Huo Jue.
“This isn’t gunpowder from the Great Swamp.” Qiao Lian’er concluded.
Huo Ming said, "So it was done by people from other countries, or the people here bought gunpowder from abroad to confuse the issue."
"While the latter is possible, it is unnecessary because the gunpowder used in Daze Kingdom is of a standardized size and covers a very large and wide range. Even if gunpowder from Daze Kingdom were used, it would be impossible to detect it in a short period of time. It can be said that unless the person is caught, it will never be known who did it."
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