Chapter 32: Liuzhou - Infrastructure Construction Missions Galore! ^^……
"Giddy up! Giddy up!"
The horse's hooves pounded through a puddle, the splashing muddy water barely touching the ground before a series of hooves swept across the muddy ground once more.
Qi Chengming, leading a group of about twenty people disguised as a merchant caravan, is rapidly heading towards Liuzhou City.
Although there were few people, His Highness's safety was of utmost importance. Commander Mao arranged for more than a dozen of his most daring, meticulous, brave, strong, hardworking, and obedient subordinates to follow along, all of whom rode horses and disguised themselves as guards.
Master Huang and Qi Chengming sat in the only carriage—not the comfortable one from before, which bore the royal insignia. Old Hua himself acted as the driver, discreetly sitting outside and driving. This was their disguise as a merchant patriarch, a young merchant, and a driver.
"I must learn to ride a horse when I have time in the future," Qi Chengming vowed bitterly.
He didn't know if the original owner of this body had learned riding and archery in the palace, but judging from his behavior of not going to the Imperial Study for a month and no one paying attention to him... it was hard to say. Now everyone was traveling incognito, traveling light on horseback, and even Mr. Huang, who could ride a horse, was now traveling in a carriage to accommodate him.
Qi Chengming didn't really like this feeling.
"Your Highness will have plenty of time in the future. I can teach you anything you want to learn," Master Huang comforted you.
He believed the Second Prince was his wise ruler and would remain loyal forever. In Huang Dong's view, after the Second Prince was enfeoffed, he would spend the rest of his life in Liuzhou, forbidden from entering or leaving his fiefdom without summons. Wouldn't he have time to do whatever he wanted?
Qi Chengming neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement.
If he hadn't read that novel about the struggle for the throne and known what would happen next, he wouldn't have felt any sense of crisis. He might have just transmigrated and lived a life of leisure, like a pig being raised, enjoying his life to the fullest.
The young man drew back the curtains, surveying the vast, barren fields on either side of the road. Large raindrops pelted down from the window. Their timing wasn't ideal; it was still raining in Liuzhou.
The roads in the suburbs were incredibly muddy, and even the official roads weren't much better. About a mile from the city gate of Liuzhou, Qi Chengming stopped the convoy and got out to walk around.
"Mr. Huang, have you noticed?" He specially changed into a set of cloth clothes from the craftsman's shop, and jumped off the carriage looking refreshed, holding up an oil-paper umbrella.
"This place... is all wasteland? And there are very few people." Huang Dong bent down and crawled out of the carriage, answering hesitantly. He was, after all, a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations and become a Juren. In recent years, he had been obsessed with architecture, but he could also see the state of people's lives.
Since entering Liuzhou Prefecture, the vast stretches of land along the way were overgrown with weeds and lay empty, uncultivated. The people's houses were simple, and the few people who were working were dressed in rags. It was barely clothed; one could only imagine that some people inside had no clothes to wear and were huddled up in their houses.
However, the little babies with bare bottoms could crawl on the ridges of the field and play in the mud. One or two of them looked like little skinny monkeys. When they saw the horse-drawn carriage passing by, they would turn their heads and stare at it with blank eyes.
He was completely listless.
“The Liujiang River is too far from here. Without water for irrigation, we can’t cultivate the land.” Qi Chengming’s cloth shoes were soon covered in mud, making walking quite heavy. He muttered to himself, realizing that this wasteland was not suitable for growing rice, and using it as a regular vegetable garden was not cost-effective; it was barren land.
Who would go to such great lengths to cultivate this land?
Having acquired one of the three great divine books, Qi Chengming studied diligently for many days and had a general idea of how to begin infrastructure construction. It mainly involved agriculture, transportation, and trade. He wanted to ensure the people had enough to eat and wear, that their lives weren't so harsh, and that they had some hope before considering anything else.
In agrarian societies, land is still the most important resource.
It's September now, and Qi Chengming knows that the main crop in Liuzhou is rice, which is harvested twice a year, followed by citrus trees and some vegetables. The late rice is almost ripe, and after harvesting in late October, they'll have to prepare for winter. In ancient times, it wasn't possible to continue planting many crops during the winter like it is today. The infrastructure system says that during the winter off-season, Liuzhou mostly grows mustard greens, wheat, sunflowers, and potatoes to stave off hunger.
Qi Chengming's online store sells high-yield potato seeds... It's a good time to choose a plot of land in early September to try planting them and harvest them in the spring. If we're lucky, next year we can start promoting the planting of a large number of grain seeds and crop them in rotation with rice.
The wasteland can only be cultivated during the off-season from autumn to spring, and the water problem will need to be solved next spring.
In addition, a royal palace was built.
Hmm... these four points should be the most important things right now, and they are the plan for the next six months!
Qi Chengming's plan gradually took shape. He didn't need a luxurious palace; renting a courtyard to live in for the time being and having Master Huang quickly build an ordinary residence would suffice. After he had made up his mind, the infrastructure system responded by issuing a new task, a series of prompts appearing:
[Infrastructure Project: A First Look at Liuzhou!]
Require:
Within five years, a prince's mansion will be built.
Step 1: Provide feasibility design drawings. (Incomplete)
Step two: Assemble infrastructure teams in batches and appoint leaders. (Incomplete)
You will receive a corresponding reward for completing each stage of the project.
Reward: 100 points / Toilet and sewage wiring diagram / ...
[Infrastructure side task: Plant potatoes.]
[Infrastructure sub-task: Reclaim wasteland.]
[Infrastructure sub-task: Solve the water supply problem.]
...
Qi Chengming laughed.
Five more years to build the Prince's Mansion? If it takes more than a year, he'll lose!
However, the tasks in the infrastructure system always suited his taste, and the rewards were always very useful. His cheat system was truly considerate.
Let's continue.
Qi Chengming is now full of motivation and eager to try.
He drove on and on until he reached the entrance to Liuzhou city, where the crowds finally thickened. The mounted "guards" all dismounted, and the carriage slowly moved forward, following the flow of people into the city.
Qi Chengming carefully observed his surroundings. Most ordinary people wore patched clothes; those who could wear a complete set of old clothes were considered respectable. People around Qi Chengming, who came with a carriage and guards, gave him a few steps back in respect.
The sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the city of Liuzhou with a lively atmosphere.
"Fresh river fish—" "Stuffed tofu!" "Glutinous rice balls!" "Mustard greens!"
Qi Chengming looked around and saw rows of low, earthen houses, with rainwater cascading from the eaves. People walked along the streets nonchalantly, wearing raincoats or carrying lotus leaves, seemingly oblivious to the filth beneath their feet.
"...!!" Qi Chengming's face turned almost green.
Although he really wanted to continue his investigation, he was so huddled in the carriage that he absolutely refused to get off the ground!
Especially now that it's raining, the rainwater, mud, and filth are all mixed together... What kind of horror story is this?!
"Your Highness, let's find a place to stay first," Commander Mao said in a low voice, understanding that a prince of such high status would not be able to tolerate such a filthy place. Qi Chengming nodded, not daring to breathe through his nose at all, forcing himself to stare out the window without changing his expression.
Currently, the situation in Liuzhou city is much better. The bustling areas are still bustling, just not as wealthy as other areas.
Upon reaching the street where the government office was located, the ground was spotless, quiet and tidy, except for genuine mud. Qi Chengming let out a long sigh of relief.
"...He came back to life."
"Your Highness has worked hard." Master Huang couldn't help but chuckle. Only now did he realize that "the Second Prince is a prince who grew up in luxury and is of imperial blood." He was quite surprised by the boy's pained expression and childish look, as he couldn't bear the taste of food.
—His Highness ate and lived with them on the road, without any airs, and his kind and ordinary manner made people get used to it.
But now Master Huang suddenly realized:
What is he used to? It's unbelievable that a prince could do this. His Highness's reaction now is more normal!
After Commander Mao went to inquire about the news, he returned and reported: "That is the largest and safest inn in Liuzhou. The government office is on this street, and no one dares to cause trouble nearby."
"Commander Mao, have someone reserve two rooms first. We'll go to Yashi to rent a courtyard now." Qi Chengming was still thinking about the large convoy on the road. Although they were traveling slowly, they could still arrive in a couple of days. Renting a courtyard in advance was better than nothing.
"Yes." Commander Mao accepted the order, and the Imperial Guard who led the horse passed the gate of the government office. Two gatekeepers followed his gaze all the way to the carriage, their eyes sweeping over Qi Chengming's dirty clothes before they withdrew their disdainful looks, their focused attention returning to its usual laziness.
"See that?" Master Huang lowered his voice, his tone somewhat amused. "These kinds of yamen runners are hardly gatekeepers. News of Your Highness's impending arrival has probably spread by now, but they probably never imagined... that a prince of such high status would be so approachable and not mind the dirt, right?"
“There must have been someone watching us when we entered the city gate.” Qi Chengming was not surprised.
He pondered it.
Despite the numerous infrastructure plans he'd just outlined, to actually implement them, he first needed to appease these Liuzhou officials. He needed to act swiftly and decisively; after renting the property, he'd gather information on how to target their weaknesses and where to begin his attack.
Such thoughts flashed by in an instant. Qi Chengming recalled what had just happened, his cheeks flushed, and he smoothly corrected Master Huang: "...I didn't mean to be indifferent to dirt, did I?"
In their eyes, his reaction just now was probably quite delicate. But those filths, even if you beat him to death, he could never be as unashamed as the ancients!
"Your Highness, don't be too hard on yourself." Now it was Huang Dong's turn to comfort his young master in a mature and authoritative manner. Let alone His Highness, even ordinary officials, noble families, and even meritorious nobles would find such filth unbearable.
"Actually, this is the most urgent matter," Qi Chengming murmured, nodding firmly.
Turn all the filth into fertilizer! Don't leave it here to pollute the streets!!
An infrastructure project, in accordance with his wishes, popped up with remarkable speed and efficiency.
[Infrastructure task: Improve street appearance.]
Require:
Let's think of a good idea and take in Night Fragrance!
Submit a complete plan, including a diagram of the sewage pipeline relocation.
Rewards: 200 points, a five-pack of instant noodles, and a case of cola.
"Perfect!" Qi Chengming closed his eyes when he saw the infrastructure task, almost screaming with joy in his heart.
...My God, what did he see?
When he arrived in ancient times, he never expected to be able to eat instant noodles!
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Author's Note: Male protagonist: After diligently studying one of the three great divine books...
Half Moon: qwq I painstakingly studied three great books, and I actually had to read all five of them...
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Bonus chapter complete! Waaah, I've finally paid off my update debt, although I can see the next bonus chapter is coming soon... *tired smile*
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