When the heavily armored army arrived at the shantytown, the wind howled, and the wild reeds shed their frost-like petals, as if a snow-like carpet of blossoms had fallen. Everyone was so startled that they knelt down in submission, like birds paying homage to a phoenix, to show their respect.
This scene gave Zheng Quchi a sense of time flowing back to the camp when he first met Yuwen Sheng.
An officer looked down at the group below and asked sternly, "Where is the person in charge of the city wall fortifications?"
Those who prostrate themselves in worship feel as if their hearts are being gripped by an invisible force.
The county magistrate should have stepped forward to answer, but under this overwhelming pressure, he shamefully cowered.
Since his name wasn't mentioned, he definitely wouldn't be the one to stick his neck out.
Forced into a corner, Yuan Sui and Yin from the Jixia Academy behind them exchanged a glance, seeing trepidation and nervousness in each other's eyes, before stepping forward with their hands on their sides.
Normally, they would have been invited by Fuxian County through a great deal of persuasion, and their status would have been so high that they would not have had to kneel before officials like ordinary people.
But who could maintain their composure in front of the great demon Yuwen Sheng? With just a glance from him, their knees buckled and they knelt down with a "plop".
My goodness, the moment their eyes met, they felt as if the River of Oblivion and the Underworld were beckoning to them.
Zheng Quchi swore she definitely heard the crisp "click" sound of her knee hitting the ground. She hissed, feeling a pain that was a mixture of sympathy and pain.
They're really ruthless to themselves.
"Yuan Sui (Yin Xiao) greets General Yu and General Yuwen."
Despite his bloodied and gruesome face, Yuwen Sheng spoke with the gentleness of a local official: "When will the section of the city wall from Guixu Ridge to Xiya Mountain be repaired?"
A voice came from beside them, low and hoarse. A gentle breeze blew, but it brought them no comfort. Every word felt like a deadly blade.
Thump thump thump... Whose heart is pounding so loudly that it's almost audible to those nearby?
Yuan unconsciously clenched his fist on the sand and gravel on the ground: "This... the foundation of the city wall has been severely damaged by the barbarians. Although the fire has been extinguished, it must be demolished, trenches dug, and rebuilt. This requires a re-examination of the previous construction plans..."
Yuwen Sheng said casually, "The original blueprints for the city wall were burned long ago. You should come up with a new design, including the quantities, materials, and time required for the project."
But Yuan Sui and Yin Xiao were dumbfounded by his casual attitude.
They thought Yuwen Sheng was a complete novice, so he had no idea of the difficulties he would face. Redesigning the city wall was something he could do with just a few words.
The two eagerly began to speak.
"No, General, you probably don't understand this. Building city walls requires careful selection of materials, and the terrain of Guisu Ridge is complex, unlike the flat plains. If we were to demolish and rebuild it all, it would take..."
"Difficult? How difficult could it be?" he asked.
The two hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's still difficult for us to determine the exact situation."
“Since you arrived in Fu County, it must have been at least a full month. In such a long time, you still can’t even accurately determine the situation on Guixu Ridge, is that right?” Yuwen Sheng’s eyes narrowed with a cold glint, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
The two were feeling guilty, but still tried to argue, "It will only take half a month. We have already arranged the construction plan, and once construction officially begins, we will be able to get a glimpse of its full appearance."
Listening to their excuses about the delay, Zheng Quchi knew that they must be novices in engineering projects.
They may have the skills and abilities, but only for small or auxiliary projects. They are completely ignorant about construction techniques, construction materials, prefabricated components, labor organization, construction sites, and off-site preparations.
For Yuwen Sheng, who is pressed for time and requires the project to be completed as soon as possible, it is feared that they will find it difficult to deliver a satisfactory "response" within the stipulated time.
Actually, she had noticed it before.
These two master stonemasons from Jixia Academy are nothing but mediocre.
The stonemasons were responsible for quarrying and shaping the stone, while the laborers worked with some of the more experienced stonemasons to carry out the construction. The process seemed orderly, but it was extremely slow.
Because of the high failure rate, especially since the difficulties in the construction had not been overcome, they chose to start construction blindly.
The previous collapse of the city wall was caused by their failure to properly assess the load-bearing capacity of the damaged wall beforehand, and their insistence on building a higher wall on the original foundation.
In addition, the mountain roads are difficult to travel, so how should the transportation of building materials be solved?
If the city wall continues to be built with stones, how can we prevent it from collapsing or loosening again without proper reinforcement?
These and other problems are pressing, yet they turn a blind eye to them, still resorting to the simplest traditional methods, crudely copying and pasting existing works, merely seeking to complete the superficial tasks.
However, none of these estimates can be realized now, even if they work to meet deadlines, it will be difficult now.
Because she had checked, according to the construction methods of decades ago, that kind of mud-like adhesive needed enough time to solidify, but now, given the circumstances, they had to use a stronger, more durable, and faster-drying material.
Just as she was lost in thought, Yuwen Sheng's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on the top of her head. He issued an ultimatum to Sui Yuan and Yin Xiao.
Yuwen Sheng chuckled softly, his voice like a ghostly whisper reaching their ears.
"Let's set a timeframe of half a month, starting from the area around Guixu Ridge and Pheasant Mountain. I hope to see you again next time, when we will have already achieved initial results."
The wind howled like a knife, and the biting air arrived unexpectedly, sending chills down one's spine.
Yuan Sui and Yin Xiao's hands and feet went numb, and he couldn't help but nod in agreement.
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