Mu Lingchen led his men to investigate the case, while Xuan Yuanzhan went to the outside of the government office.
The soldiers have already begun distributing food to the people.
Xuanyuan Zhan carefully observed the people queuing up and found that they were quite different from the refugees he had seen when he first arrived in the North.
When he first arrived in the north, all he saw upon entering Beian City were the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, and some women and children. It seemed that those who were still relatively healthy had fled elsewhere.
However, looking at it again today, I noticed that there were many healthy young men among the refugees queuing up. Perhaps it was because news of his suppression of bandits, his handling of Chen Chuan, and the distribution of food yesterday had spread, and those who had originally fled were gradually returning.
This must be one of the groups that escaped relatively close; they returned on the very first day.
However, the banditry in the north has now been eliminated, the disaster is under control, and the government is distributing food. It is believed that the northern people who fled there will gradually return.
It's good that you're back; the North is in dire need of manpower right now.
Xuanyuan Zhan turned back to the government office and wrote a notice, which he handed to Ye Yun: "Make several copies of this notice, and then post them in every city in the north. Make sure to announce it to the people with great fanfare."
"yes."
Ye Yun agreed, took the notice, and left.
Ye Yun found a few people to make dozens of copies of the notice written by Xuan Yuanzhan, and then led people to spread it in Bei'an City.
Ye Yun was clever; he simply posted a notice at the entrance of the government office.
The porridge and grain distribution took place right in front of the government office. People could see this notice while they were queuing up for the porridge.
When the people saw Ye Yun come out to post notices, they were very curious, and those who had eaten and drunk their fill gathered around.
"What kind of nonsense is this?!"
"Can you read? Read it to us."
"The higher-ups said that the prince has come up with a new idea: to dig a canal from Baichuan to our northern lands. He wants to recruit workers in our northern lands to dig the canal, and they will be able to eat two meals a day and be paid ten copper coins a day."
Upon hearing this, the people were instantly excited.
"Wow, this is amazing!"
"Not only do they provide two meals a day, but they also pay ten copper coins a day. This is a great job!"
"Yes, even if we don't get paid, we can still do this job for just these two meals!"
"Sir, where do we register if we want to work as workers dredging this riverbed?"
"Yes, where do we sign up? I want to be a river worker."
Ye Yun was surprised that people were already signing up before he even started making a big announcement. He immediately called over two literate soldiers to help people register.
"If you want to sign up, find these two people to register first. We'll let you know when you'll start work."
"Thank you, sir."
As soon as Ye Yun finished speaking, everyone rushed towards the two soldiers, afraid that if they were late in registering, such a good job would be taken by someone else.
Seeing everyone so enthusiastically signing up, Ye Yun was very pleased. He then took a few soldiers and went to spread the word with drums and gongs.
It was the same in almost every city; as soon as their notices were posted, the people would flock to sign up.
Ye Yun traveled to five cities in one go. When he returned, the register of soldiers in Bei'an City was already a thick stack.
Ye Yun took the roster and went to find Xuan Yuanzhan: "Your Highness, there are many people from the North who have signed up. I've only been promoting it for a short while, and so many people have already signed up in Beian alone."
Ye Yun handed over the roster.
Xuanyuan Zhan took the roster and glanced at it briefly, then said with delight, "Not bad, you trust it even more than I do."
In his mind, the people of the North were mostly refugees, and there shouldn't be many healthy young men available to dig the canals. Especially since when he first arrived in the North, he saw mostly the elderly, the infirm, women, and children; there were very few able-bodied young people.
However, it seems to be working quite well now, with many people willing to sign up. Although not all of these people may be suitable for dredging the river, it is true that there is hope.
And this is only in Beian City, and it's only the first day.
In a few days, when those young people who fled will return one after another, I believe even more people will be willing to sign up to become river workers.
He originally thought that the main force for digging the river channel would be the soldiers he brought. As for the bandits in the prison, they should also be released to dig the river channel. These bandits were numerous and strong men, so it was perfect to use them to dig the river channel. They would also be the main force for digging the river channel.
It now appears that the local people of the northern region can also be one of the main forces in digging the canals.
Xuanyuan Zhan looked at Ye Yun: "Send word to all places that those who sign up must be screened. As long as they are healthy men aged eighteen to fifty, those who meet the requirements should be brought to Baichuan City tomorrow. I will personally lead them to dig the river channel."
Hearing this, Ye Yun was somewhat worried: "Your Highness, you..."
The prince hasn't slept for two days. Is the prince really going to do such a tiring job as digging the riverbed himself?
"Go quickly." Xuan Yuanzhan gave him a reproachful look.
Ye Yun dared not speak, and immediately bowed and withdrew to send someone to deliver the message.
Because the river channel was to be dug the next day, Xuanyuan Zhan summoned several officials knowledgeable in water conservancy projects to draw up blueprints with them.
"Your Highness." When Ye Feng entered the room, Xuan Yuanzhan was having a lively discussion with the officials.
Xuanyuan Zhan looked up at Ye Feng and asked, "What is it?"
"Those things outside?" Ye Feng pointed to the things in the courtyard outside.
Although they have now occupied the government office, no one should dare to touch anything in this courtyard.
However, it's not good to just leave those things in the yard, especially since there are still a lot of gold and silver items there.
Xuanyuan Zhan had forgotten about those things. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's transport the rice and grain to Baichuan tomorrow for the river workers to eat."
"Yes," Ye Feng replied immediately.
The rice and grain in Prefect Chen Chuan's mansion and the rice and grain found in the bandit stronghold were quite a lot, enough for the workers to eat for a while.
"As for the other items, store them in the warehouse first. Once the items donated by the officials are collected, we can sell them elsewhere and exchange them all for rice and grain."
The most pressing need in the north right now is for rice and grain; gold and silver are of no use whatsoever in the face of such extreme food shortages.
If we switch everything to rice, the northern region can hold out for a little longer.
"Yes," Ye Feng replied again, then turned to leave.
But then Ye Feng couldn't help but say to Xuan Yuanzhan, "Your Highness, you haven't slept for two days. You absolutely must rest tonight."
He knew that the prince wanted to finish the business in the north as soon as possible so that he could return to be with the princess during childbirth.
But the prince's health is also very important. The food in the north is already poor, and with him not sleeping every day and traveling around so much, even the prince with the best health will not be able to take it.
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