Chapter 115 A whole year has passed since I transmigrated...
Qi Chengming's conclusion after thinking for a long time was—
No way.
Qi Chengming lacked candidates for the positions of prefect and governor. His weakness was too obvious: he lacked high-ranking officials under his command.
In the original storyline, most of the talented individuals he could recruit were located around the capital, making it easier for the original male lead, the Seventh Prince, to encounter and win them over. He's already started trying to recruit the characters he could from other regions; Liuzhou, on the other hand, is a barren land.
The highest position Qi Chengming could hope for was county magistrate, and candidates for those positions could be recommended locally.
Shen Shuzhi had just purged a group of prominent local gentry and noble families in Yulin Prefecture like harvesting wheat. At a time when everything needed rebuilding, he would select capable and upright individuals from among them to recommend for official positions. Once Prince Qi Chengming's influence spread, he could then take advantage of the time difference—
Before the officials assigned by the government arrived, they tried to win over these county magistrates.
"Bang, bang." A knocking sound came from outside the door, announcing from Xiao Dezi, "Your Highness, Lord Huang has returned."
Qi Chengming looked up in confusion, watching Uncle Huang return excitedly after accepting the task: "—Did you forget something?"
Uncle Huang's face was beaming with joy, a joy that even his caution couldn't suppress. It was as if every wrinkle had smoothed out. He lowered his voice and reported:
"Your Highness, I did some calculations while walking along the road. If we send half of the veterans to guide the way to the seaside, we won't have enough manpower to harvest all the corn. Should we... involve outsiders as well? Should we conceal the corn yield?"
Uncle Huang had also learned some basic mathematics at the school on the estate. He's old and hadn't had much formal education, so learning was very difficult for him. Just now, he had already walked out of the main gate of the Prince's mansion, and it took him a while to realize that the matter was unworkable, so he had to turn back to report.
"Is the corn...ready for harvest?" Qi Chengming calculated the time and was momentarily stunned.
He was so focused on the Yang family's affairs that it was already midsummer in July.
The corn was stored in Liuzhou, where the climate is hot and humid, which greatly shortened the ripening time. The initial estimate for the ripening period was July to September, but now it's almost July and the corn is ready to be harvested.
"Judging from the looks of it, it should be a bumper harvest." Uncle Huang didn't give a definitive answer, after all, he had never seen such a high corn yield before, but his face was full of elation. Even without a reference point, the sight of this unfamiliar crop's "tree" laden with plump fruit, and a simple calculation of the yield, was enough to make one's heart race and one's dreams come true.
"The potatoes have grown to maturity this year," Uncle Huang said, sounding somewhat troubled. "I saw many people still planting potatoes in their fields on the way here. We need to ask the elders and officials to persuade them not to be greedy and plant them all at once."
“I’ve got it.” Qi Chengming said slowly, his smile never fading. “Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Huang. We’ll also keep a batch of exiled prisoners in Liuzhou in a while. It seems that the reclamation of wasteland will not be enough… The population of Liuzhou has increased too much this year.”
It was originally a large area of wasteland in Liuzhou, and nobody paid any attention to it.
Just one year later, the land was covered in green. After the population explosion following the rationing reform, even this area was starting to feel like it wasn't enough land. No problem, there were plenty of desolate wilderness areas in Liuzhou. Let the exiled prisoners clear the land like the exiled prisoners did last year, gradually pushing people into the mountains and forests, towards Lingnan.
The climate here is warm and humid, the land is fertile, and it's so remote that no one cares about it—it's perfect for cultivating thousands of acres of fertile land! If it were all planted with potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes… I can't even dream about it; it could definitely support an army.
Uncle Huang agreed and left.
Qi Chengming made a mental note of this, and decided to have Xiao Dezi act as his memorandum for better results: "Xiao Dezi, go to the county government and tell Mr. Qin that the corn and potatoes are almost ripe and it's time to do some work to encourage farmers. Also, this year's grain seeds should be enough to distribute to the whole of Liuzhou."
Last year, he was worried that there were only enough grain seeds to supply Liuzhou City, leaving the remaining counties unattended. This year, the supply is enough for the entire prefecture, but his territory has already exploded to five prefectures, and will soon become six. Grain seeds are never enough; it's a bittersweet situation.
"Yes!" Xiao Dezi replied in a loud voice. He knew that His Highness was in a good mood today, so he went to deliver the message with his head held high and a smile on his face.
"Good things come in droves, let's open it now." Qi Chengming murmured, opening the infrastructure system without further hesitation.
It's time for his favorite part.
On the light blue page, several old task records remain in sequence:
[Infrastructure Task: Establish New Currency (Final Phase)] Completed. [Infrastructure Task: Build Three Seaships (Phase 1, 2, and 3)] Completed.
[Side Quest: Establishing a Militia (Phase 1, 2, and 3)] Completed. [Side Quest: A Bountiful Corn Harvest] Completed.
Most of the missions this time offer fixed rewards, so you don't need to rely on luck. Only the final stage of the sea voyage mission gives you a big lucky bag.
"Receive the reward."
The influence of the currency has spread to several states, reaching the limit of Qi Chengming's current control. Therefore, the third phase has finally been settled, and the reward given is a book on finance.
The ship is being built for the silver mine. Mr. Huang sent a message last month saying that they were training to set sail. Now everything is ready except for reaching the destination to search for the ore. Once they can set sail, the third phase will probably be considered complete.
Qi Chengming studied the large lucky bag for a long time, but couldn't figure out whether it was a blind box opened based on luck or a product with fixed contents.
Without thinking, he poked the bright red, festive lucky bag on the panel with his finger.
A burst of light erupted.
The words "[Portable Electronic Chart]" appeared on the panel.
Qi Chengming: "...!!"
A smile played on his lips, his heart surging with emotion.
The system really is his golden finger! He can guide the missions, and now it's almost certain that the mission rewards are what he wants most at every stage! He has always been worried about whether the fleet that has never been to sea can succeed. Using human lives to gain experience is an inevitable path when every new thing appears, but Qi Chengming is unwilling to see it.
Now the heartache is over.
Before the reward was even finished, Qi Chengming called Xiao Chengzi in and told him to find Abu and rush to Lingnan to deliver a secret box to Mr. Huang as quickly as possible.
"Tell him to use this thing with caution and to make sure it is not exposed." Qi Chengming said solemnly, blowing away the ink, taking out his jade seal—with the word "Worry-Free" written on it—and stamping it on the secret letter, then putting it together with some other unidentifiable object into a sealed box stuffed with straw.
Xiao Chengzi immediately locked the box, and with a stern face, handed it to Abu.
Throughout the entire process, Xiao Chengzi stared intently at Abu without blinking. To his satisfaction, Abu lived up to his honest and kind nature, never raising his head even once, as if he were deaf or dead.
Upon hearing the final instruction, Abu finally raised his face and replied firmly, "Yes!"
He carefully picked up the box and went outside.
Xiao Chengzi followed closely behind and continued to keep watch. Knowing the situation well, he didn't bother to ask His Highness what secret business he was conducting. Instead, he leaned against the door and began to doze off.
—Qi Chengming put an MP4 player and a user manual into the sealed box.
The electronic nautical chart contained complex node variations and ocean currents and monsoons, with a wealth of expanded knowledge points at each level, unlike other books that were suitable for copying onto flat paper. Qi Chengming pondered for a moment before decisively sending out the MP4.
The electronic nautical charts are stored in the system and can be downloaded and projected into an MP4 file.
Although Qi Chengming didn't know if the MP4 would still be able to connect to the system after being so far away, the fact that the offline download function for electronic nautical charts worked was enough.
Mr. Huang's fleet of ships is Qi Chengming's most secretive asset. If it were discovered, it would be like puncturing Emperor Hongren's lungs, far more serious than the militia he was secretly training outside.
If that's the case...
Entrusting Mr. Huang with such a mysterious device as the MP4 player is perfectly reasonable; he is capable of placing such trust in him.
"Hoo..." Qi Chengming slowly exhaled and continued to look at the rewards.
All phases of the militia mission have been completed. It seems they successfully shed blood in the final phase in Yulin Prefecture, overcoming this hurdle and becoming seasoned veterans capable of fighting and killing. The system's reward is the "Militia Military Training Manual" and 500 points.
"Very good, the three great divine books have finally been collected." Qi Chengming murmured, not feeling surprised at all.
It is said that the three great books each have their own uses. As a very famous modern person, he also roughly knows how to train soldiers. Now that he has this specialized book, it is the icing on the cake, and he can further expand the number of soldiers.
The task of harvesting the last corn was assigned to a high-speed blender.
Qi Chengming: "?"
His family had never bought this thing in his previous life; he had only heard of it, and it intrigued him.
"Can it still be used even without electricity?" Qi Chengming was beginning to understand the system's thought process. The blender could turn corn into corn juice and corn paste, and the resulting food was very nutritious, which was suitable for someone like him who was currently at the peak of his health.
but……
Electricity!! The system has no outlets, no power!!!
Qi Chengming gritted his teeth, all the joy in his heart vanished.
"No... the system couldn't possibly be messing with me like this." He looked back, unwilling to give up.
The main infrastructure task, expanding the map of Yulin Prefecture, has a reward that is... a hand-cranked generator.
Thank goodness.
Qi Chengming slowly exhaled, slumped into the sofa chair, and for a moment, he curled up contentedly, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He had long found the hard wooden chair uncomfortable, so the palace maids sewed many cushions for him, making it look like a modern sofa, hence the name. Even if people said this behavior was extravagant and spoiled, a habit favored by women at the time, Qi Chengming would pretend not to hear. After all, he was famous as a prince for his extravagance and spoiled nature—wasn't this his specialty?
It's best to be comfortable yourself.
"July," Qi Chengming murmured after a moment of blankness.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already traveled through time for a whole year.
At this time last year, he was still anxiously and frantically studying in the palace, without any help from anyone. He dared not even think about feeling down, except for keeping himself extremely busy. The only people around him were Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi.
It's like a year-end summary.
Now, a whole year later, he is surrounded by a reliable group of trusted confidants, has actual control over an area five or six times larger than his territory, and commands over a million men. He has the care of his cousin's family and the concern of his maternal cousin's family; his relatives will not hold him back.
He never stopped learning, and in a year he had learned to play many guqin pieces, such as "Sunset Glow" and "Rising Tide" which he played well.
He was surrounded by fields of grain and hillsides of vegetable plots. The once desolate and impoverished Liuzhou had become prosperous and vibrant.
He never lost contact with the upper echelons of the capital. No matter what happened, he always had some useful people in the capital, ways to deal with changes, and officials in the court...
A satisfied and gratified smile appeared on Qi Chengming's face: "..."
"It seems like we've encountered many difficulties along the way. But it also feels like none of them were anything special," Qi Chengming murmured, savoring the memory. "We resolved them all with narrow escapes."
He thought he would be in a hellish mode after transmigrating into the book, but it turned out to be an easy mode.
"Thank you for the golden touch." Qi Chengming immediately put his hands together, sat up straight devoutly, and earnestly expressed his gratitude to the infrastructure system.
After much thought, he concluded that it was probably all due to the existence of this cheat-like ability. Otherwise, if he, an ordinary person, were truly thrown into such a cruel ancient world... he simply couldn't withstand it!
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Author's Note: My ministers (qwq): We also deserve credit! The new emperor is sobbing...
(This chapter's synopsis has been retrieved! Update complete!)
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