Wang Wu looked at the silent Jiang Ping and spoke the last words of the day: "At the beginning, Lord Lin and the chief said that you were more calm and careful than me, so they let you take over. Otherwise, based on the test results at that time, how could I be inferior to you? But now it seems that calmness is very important, but you are too calm. So calm that a mere Cambodian official, knowing our business, dared to manipulate us so much. Losing a few gifts is a small matter, and I believe the chief is not a stingy person, but if we fail to complete the task, how will you explain it to the chief?"
Jiang Ping glanced at Wang Wu, put his pipe bag on the sole of his shoe, and said, "Gather everyone from Group 2. I heard that the prefect is drinking in Changchun Tower today. Let's go and pay him a visit. By the way, let the people from Group 1 prepare. They will be busy tomorrow." After that, he walked into the house without looking back.
Changchunlou, well, just hearing the name, you know it's a good place. The prefect had a great time there and was very satisfied with Jiang Ping's visit. When he saw Jiang Ping, he said he would return the two valuable gifts Jiang Ping had given him, as long as Jiang Ping took the knife from his neck away.
"According to the prefect's experience, if all the slaves were mobilized, how long would it take to repair this road?"
"Half a year, it only takes half a year. Mengyang has tens of thousands of slaves. If they work at full capacity, half a year will be enough. After all, the road isn't that long. We just need to build it into the Liang Kingdom and connect it to the original Chen Dynasty official road."
"The official roads of the Chen Dynasty have been in disrepair for a long time and need repairs, but there seems to be a shortage of manpower."
"This officer... This officer is willing to share the burden with the shopkeeper. When repairing the road, casualties are normal. If we work at full capacity, at most 8,000 slaves will remain out of 10,000. When the time comes, I will report to the court that only 5,000 are left. The remaining 3,000 will be used to help repair the official road, as long as the Liang Kingdom has no objection. They will not have to return them later."
Jiang Ping pressed the knife down, and a tiny blood mark appeared on the prefect's neck.
"I heard that those tools have been made into weapons by adults. How can we build roads without them?"
"The slave camp already had tools. These slaves were originally farming in Mengyang. They already had the tools, so there was no need to prepare more. Your humble servant...your humble servant was blinded by greed and will definitely not dare to do it again. Please spare my life, shopkeeper."
"What are you talking about, sir? You are the father and mother of the people. How can you let a commoner spare his life? But this farm near Mengyang can use tens of thousands of slaves?"
"Well, I don't know either. You know, boss, I haven't left the city since I took office. The place I visit most often is Changchun Tower. I don't even know where the farm outside the city is. I really don't know."
"Oh? Your Excellency is busy with government affairs, so it's understandable that he doesn't know. Then who knows?"
"Tongzhi Ruan Shiping is in charge of all these matters. He must know about it." The prefect pointed at the man in brocade robe kneeling in the corner.
"Greetings, Lord Ruan. I didn't expect that Lord Ruan could still be dressed intact in such hot and humid weather and in such a place. I really admire you." Jiang Ping glanced at Ruan Shiping and found that he was kneeling with a bunch of other drinking companions. He gestured to take him out alone and make him kneel next to the prefect. In order to show his importance to him, he specially asked the man in black to put a knife on his neck.
"To answer the shopkeeper, this... this is the new way of playing in Changchunlou. You only wear a loose outer coat and nothing underneath. This way it looks like you are doing serious work, but it also makes it easier to get things done..." Ruan Shiping was sweating profusely. He didn't know how many times he cursed the prefect in his heart. He thought that he, Ruan Shiping, was always respectful to the prefect and did the things he was asked to do very well. He was just waiting for the prefect to be transferred so that he could work for the position of prefect. Who knew that this greedy fool could cause such a big disaster.
"Hey~~~ Lord Ruan is quite playful. Okay, Lord Ruan, let me ask you, is what the prefect said true?"
"To answer the shopkeeper, it is indeed true. However, if we work hard, this section of road can be repaired in three months. We previously reported it to the higher authorities for six months in order to increase the cost. The prefect may not know this."
"Use all your strength? How much strength? How many slaves will die?"
"No matter the cost, we'll use anyone to fill the gap. Set a daily workload, and if it's not completed, we'll whip a hundred or eighty slaves, and kill some of them to scare them. Well, overall, maybe two or three thousand will die. But don't worry, these slaves won't resist. They've been slaves for generations, literally generations, and they're used to it."
"What about those 10,000 people who came to farm? They can't really be here to farm, right?"
"This is an official document from above. The prefect didn't read it and handed it over to me. It instructs the prefect to build fortifications on the hills on both sides of the city entrance to prepare for the upcoming battle. There were originally less than 3,000 slaves in the city, and the rest were sent by the higher-ups to work on the construction."
"Okay, Master Ruan, I have another question. If I give you six months, can you complete the project without killing any slaves?"
"Boss, once this road is built into the old forest, the miasma, snakes, insects, rats and ants will kill a lot of people. It's really impossible to not kill anyone. But if we have half a year, without rushing the work, and prepare some mosquito repellent and epidemic prevention herbs, and enough food, we can avoid a lot of deaths. I think we'll still lose about three to five hundred people."
Jiang Ping exchanged glances with Wang Wu, who was masked (given his skin color, it didn't really make much difference whether he was masked or not), and said, "Lord Ruan is so knowledgeable about government affairs, and I admire you deeply. Now, let me ask one last question. If the prefect disappears, how long will it take for a new one to be sent down? Before a new one is sent down, are you, the Associate Prefect, the most senior one?"
Upon hearing this, the prefect kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face, and begged for his life, saying he was willing to give all his property and seventeen concubines to Jiang Ping as an apology. However, a man in black gagged him with an embroidered shoe. (The owner of the embroidered shoe trembled in fear.)
"To answer the shopkeeper, when an official goes missing, the circumstances must be investigated. If the prefect of this city has disappeared, the court will most likely ask me, the deputy prefect, to investigate first. If nothing is found, they will then send a senior official to conduct a thorough investigation. If there is a will, it is not impossible for this to drag on for a year or two. However, the prefect is still an important official, and he cannot disappear without a clear explanation. I suggest that it would be better for him to contract a serious illness and die."
"Well, Lord Ruan is really nice." Jiang Ping looked around the entire private room. Well, there was the prefect, the associate prefect, a few retainers from the prefect's household who came to accompany him for drinks, a few women from Changchun Tower, well, and a few of the prefect's guards who had been hacked to death some time ago.
"In Changchun Tower, except for Lord Ruan, all the men should be beheaded, and the women should be tied up and taken away. We will send them back when the time comes. The leader said that the village is short of women."
Jiang Ping finished speaking and started walking out, only to find that the prefect's head had somehow rolled to the door before him. Seeing that pale, fat face filled with fear, Jiang Ping couldn't help but feel a little sick. He added, "Let's set fire to it and burn them all. And that old procuress, kill her too. Damn it, she's not a good person."
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