Chapter 168 Infrastructure Mission: Rise of the Military? ^……
The situation inside and outside Beijing has already been turbulent and unpredictable.
However, the fleet in Liuzhou was still bustling with simple activity. Qi Chengming stood on the dock, watching the servants from the Prince's Mansion carry loads of luggage onto the ships, his heart filled with reluctance.
Nearly two months after recovering from his illness, he finally settled everything, and even if he didn't want to leave, he couldn't find a reason to delay.
The wheat and rice fields in the suburbs stretched as far as the eye could see. Even though Qi Chengming had come to the banks of the Liujiang River, he could still see large patches of bright color in the distance, which looked like an extra layer of oil paint on a painting against the backdrop of the mountains and water.
"If I can build the grain base in nearly three years, it will have been worth the trip..." Qi Chengming murmured, finally calming down the unease he felt before setting off.
"What?" Xiao Dezi looked up at the opportune moment, puzzled. It wasn't that his hearing was bad and he hadn't heard clearly; it was that His Highness sometimes used new words, and when he didn't know what those new words meant, he wouldn't understand the meaning of the content.
Xiao Chengzi disliked arguing with Xiao Dezi, so he usually wouldn't think too much about it at this time. Instead, he would suppress his doubts and simply guess at His Highness's meaning before replying. He sincerely flattered him:
"So many wastelands have been reclaimed in Liuzhou and Lingnan, and they are all planted with the three new grains. I don't know how many people have survived because of Your Highness. We no longer lack food."
"...If His Highness hadn't spent several days packing the luggage, keeping the people guessing when we would leave, and allowing them to gradually disperse, it would have been much more difficult for us to leave!"
Qi Chengming smiled, his mood indeed much better.
The Lingnan region has a harsh environment, but its land is extremely fertile and its climate is suitable, making it an important granary in his infrastructure plans. The rationing system was just the beginning for him to expand his territory to many southern states in one fell swoop; more importantly, he had the backing of grain and silver as his confidence.
In winter, Panzhou ran out of food, and in spring, Yulin Prefecture was flooded again. When He Dajia went to guard the dikes along the Guijiang River, if it weren't for the continuous supply of grain from Lingnan and Liuzhou, the two granaries, many people would have been displaced and starved to death.
As long as the matter doesn't escalate, even the officials consider it normal and won't take any further action; it's just a matter of routine.
Now, it's as if the prefects under his command have simply handed over the power of decision-making to Qi Chengming. It's no exaggeration to say that, thanks to the ticket system, the prefectures under Qi Chengming's control are essentially a self-sustaining mini-court. In case of disaster, resources from other prefectures can be mobilized to help, and resources can be allocated evenly among them in any other situation.
It's already early summer, and soon it will be time to pay taxes again.
In the summer, the main requisitions were for silver, silk, and grass for the army to chew on, while in the autumn, the main requisitions were for grain.
Besides farming, most people in Lingnan are poor and rely entirely on trade, which is unreliable. The prosperity of Liuzhou will gradually fade back to normal levels after Qi Chengming's departure. At that time, we'll likely have to depend on other prefectures with more prosperous textile industries for trade and taxes.
When autumn comes, it will be the turn of the other prefectures to rely on Liuzhou and Lingnan.
“When we first arrived, this shoreline was completely barren, without even a dock. We had to disembark and take a car a long way off.” Song Gugang walked over from a distance after giving a hurried account of a matter, and then sighed, “Now everything has changed dramatically.”
He could still vaguely remember how desolate and impoverished Liuzhou was when he first arrived. At that time, Song Gu was very angry and worried about the prince's health day and night.
When they came, they were down on their luck and there was nothing they could do, but this time it would be different. So Song Gu went to great lengths this time, making sure everything was in order and carefully arranging five large ships, all so that His Highness could hold his head high and have a smooth and comfortable journey.
They set off in a grand procession of over a thousand people; they had to make sure His Highness arrived safely.
Song Gu made a fierce decision in his heart.
"I have to thank Mr. Huang for this too," Qi Chengming said subconsciously, mentioning Huang Dong's name.
Realizing he had misspoke, he subtly glanced around and, seeing no one but his confidants present, felt a slight sense of relief.
If Huang Dong hadn't led several teams and been busy with infrastructure and design in Liuzhou all day, the changes here wouldn't have been so significant.
So Huang Dong was sent to Silver Island Prefecture, where he was at the forefront of land reclamation and infrastructure construction. Huang Dong himself was happy to do it, spending his days in the water and on the land. Unfortunately, Qi Chengming couldn't manage it himself and could only keep track of the progress through changes in the task list, and communicate with Huang Dong remotely via MP4.
However, this part was top secret, so Qi Chengming never mentioned Huang Dong's whereabouts. Even those who served him later were unaware that Huang Dong existed.
In a game, this would mean he secretly sent his strongest teammates to level up and train, while he remained in the open, and the other side operated covertly. Yet, he would receive a continuous stream of experience points for no apparent reason. As he completed each branch infrastructure task, he would also receive rewards for no apparent reason.
Awesome!
Qi Chengming had a sudden thought and pondered: Since his power development is also considered within the scope of infrastructure construction, why shouldn't his cousin be entitled to an infrastructure construction task?
Sometimes Qi Chengming felt that his system was immature at all; it wouldn't turn on unless he dialed it. The advantage, however, was that if he thought something was reasonable, the system would respond. For example, right now, as soon as he thought this, the infrastructure system page slowly refreshed with only a few items:
[Infrastructure Mission: Rise of the Military]
[Task Requirements:]
Own your own army (2/1 completed).
Appoint a reliable general for your army (completed).
Controlling the military is the guarantee for the development of all infrastructure forces. Let your army distinguish itself in the outside world, gain more merits, rise to the rank of fourth-grade official, and gain initial influence in the court... (Incomplete)
Qi Chengming: "..."
He subconsciously thought he was seeing things.
If I'm not mistaken, the task completion status is supposed to be "(2/1)"... How come it's already exceeded??
Qi Chengming thought of Wen Zhongnan… but only a few words had come from there, with little information about his recent activities. All in all, Qi Chengming only had two people around him with military power: besides his cousin, after thinking it over, only Wen Er could help him exceed his expectations.
Good heavens.
In other words... he actually has two armies at his disposal now?!
Qi Chengming was overjoyed and felt dizzy, as if a pie had fallen from the sky.
Although they were all stationed on the frontier and couldn't be mobilized at any time, what more could he ask for? He'd just stay put and guard the infrastructure system, watching his "teammates" explore new frontiers while he stayed back home to gain experience.
"You don't need to follow me anymore. I'm going inside to rest for a while," Qi Chengming instructed, before entering the cabin alone.
He couldn't wait to see what the reward would be this time.
"Yes." Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi stood guard at the door skillfully, and could also chat in hushed tones.
Song Gu didn't linger. As the Grand Steward, he was so busy that he barely had time to breathe. He considered it a rest to have a moment to chat. He gave a special reminder: "Be more vigilant lately. We can only relax once His Highness has arrived safely in the capital."
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi, understanding the gravity of the situation, readily agreed. They even left the old imperial physician next door, just in case.
"Your Highness is finally in a much better mood." Gan Tang, with her keen eye, brewed some tea and whispered to Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi with a smile.
A few days ago, His Highness looked sad and reluctant when he looked at the scenery, but just now he smiled with satisfaction. As expected of Eunuch Cheng, his words touched His Highness's heart.
"Sister Gantang, what happened?" Xiao Chengzi asked in confusion. Normally, Gantang wouldn't come over unless there was something wrong. But now that she was here, she just chatted with them without mentioning anything else.
Gan Tang hesitated, saying uncertainly, "It was two guards left behind by Cui who suddenly came to talk to me. They subtly hinted that His Highness's decision to send people to use cement to control floods in various states was not a good idea. They said that it might lead to impeachment in the capital, and the problem was quite serious. They told us to make plans as soon as possible."
Xiao Dezi frowned, suspiciously asking, "Isn't this just alarmist talk? It's been several months since His Highness sent people to control the floods, and Lord He didn't say anything when he returned, nor did His Highness react. Why are they saying this now? Are they about to return to the capital, trying to curry favor with us, and deliberately trying to scare us?"
Gan Tang was unsure. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance that something was true, she would report it. But the timing of the report was also crucial. His Highness had been in a bad mood lately, and had only recently cheered up for a while. If this suspicion was just a guard using a trivial matter to intimidate others, she hesitated to report it now.
"The key is that there's no definite answer." Xiao Chengzi scratched his arm, perplexed. "But what exactly is taboo about His Highness's flood control efforts?"
In other words, given the many unconventional things His Highness does, why did the flood control project suddenly become the focus?
"River engineering has always been a serious matter, hasn't it?" The more Xiao Dezi thought about it, the more his scalp tingled and a chill ran down his spine.
To be honest, Your Highness, as a prince, has been quietly taking over the Emperor's duties and participating in court affairs. It's better if this doesn't come to light; once it's exposed, the Emperor might think Your Highness has overstepped his bounds.
"What should we do?" Xiao Dezi belatedly realized the situation and became anxious. In his panic, he tried to reassure himself, "His Highness and Lord He couldn't have been unaware of these things. Gan Tang, you should report it later. His Highness will definitely have a way to deal with it."
Gan Tang reluctantly agreed.
That's all we can do.
...
Inside the room, Qi Chengming vaguely heard snippets of conversation outside and got a sense of what was going on, but he didn't intend to pay any attention to it for the time being. Instead, he racked his brains to examine the two new rewards he had received.
This time it's different.
The first item clearly states "[Pinhole Camera]". Holding it in your hand, the entire power storage module is only the size of a coin, and the camera is only the size of a pinhead. If it can be well hidden, it would be very difficult to detect if observed in the dark. In reality, it would require equipment assistance to detect.
Although Qi Chengming doesn't need it now, he feels it will definitely be useful when he returns to the palace.
He was at a complete disadvantage because he had no manpower in the palace.
The second item was even more outrageous: a giant, dish-shaped radar system! The entire setup, including an infrared scanning imager. This was a huge undertaking; figuring out how to relocate it would require careful consideration.
Qi Chengming was puzzled...
Was he going to attack the palace?!
In ancient times, even those who broke the heavenly laws wouldn't be able to withstand this kind of dimensional-reducing suppression. The question is, what use would it be to him?
Qi Chengming couldn't figure it out for the time being, feeling that this was not as useful as a pinhole camera, unless he really planned to force the emperor to resign in the future.
I could only shake my head and accept it for now.
Alright, time to go out and deal with what Gan Tang mentioned...
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The author's note: The fluctuating temperatures during this time of warm weather are really killing me... I'm begging and praying that I'll get sick as little as possible in March, and then I'll try to get perfect attendance.
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