Chapter 1113: The Perpetual Motion Machine for Building Houses [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
The area centered on Shangnan County was once under the jurisdiction of Gu Ren, and the people within its borders were all loyal to him. After Shen Tang took over these areas, out of respect for Gu Ren, he treated Gu Ren's former subordinates with courtesy and exempted the common people within the area from taxes for a year. All the more stringent policies were implemented here only after careful consideration.
As a result, the common people had a very good impression of Shen Tang.
He was indeed a benevolent ruler on par with the late Lord Gu.
Over time, this idea began to take root in people's hearts.
In particular, everyone was deeply grateful for this great battle.
Before Shen Tang, warlord wars were all about looting and killing, with neither side caring about the circumstances. Ordinary people caught in the crossfire were simply considered unlucky and expected to die. Those who survived by sheer luck mostly couldn't endure it and had no choice but to sell themselves into slavery—even slavery was better than death. These high-ranking, aloof officials and nobles wouldn't care about their worthless lives; in fact, they'd much rather commoners sold themselves. If commoners didn't sell their land and bodies, where would the powerful families and warlords find so many tenant farmers?
We can't rely on birth.
The old tenant farmers alone could not have produced so many people.
In chaotic times, everyone tacitly accepts this unwritten rule.
Shen Tang's troops, however, offered a different answer in this battle. Not only did they not abandon the city's civilians, but they also diverted their already limited garrison troops to guide the civilians to retreat elsewhere. After the battle, they not only opened the government granaries but also squeezed out funds from their own pockets to provide the affected civilians with clean food and water to sustain their lives. Just when the city's civilians thought this was good enough, they were surprised to find even better.
Every day, you can see a group of muscular and robust soldiers cleaning up the ruins. These soldiers are both men and women, and each of them can carry things several times their own weight around.
"These soldiers are really helping us?" The speaker was the most literate scholar in the neighborhood, and also the most intelligent one. "Bandits are like combs, soldiers are like fine brushes! Aren't they just taking all the valuables before they rob us?"
Although Shangnan County has been relatively peaceful since the time of Gu Ren, who doesn't have one or two distant relatives? These distant relatives have personally experienced the massacres and calamities of war, and know what a terrifying hell on earth it was! Just hearing the descriptions is enough to give you nightmares!
For a time, those who heard it felt a deep sense of sorrow.
Some people are barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes.
"I'm worthless anyway, if these bandits dare to steal my things, I'll fight them to the death!" Many others shared this thought. However, events unfolded in a way that surprised them. The soldiers did indeed collect some valuable items from the ruins, but they didn't keep them. Instead, they checked the accounts, confirmed the owners were indeed the residents, and then allowed them to take their belongings.
Finally, he didn't forget to remind everyone not to flaunt their wealth.
Not all soldiers are friendly.
Human nature is complex, and no group can consist entirely of obedient and disciplined soldiers. When oversight is lax, some people may succumb to the temptation of personal gain. Therefore, the authorities posted notices throughout the city, announcing that if any citizen discovers their property has been misappropriated, regardless of who the misappropriator is, the government will punish them severely!
Ordinary people who report such incidents will be rewarded.
But what if it's a false accusation?
Then you'll be punished for making a false accusation!
As a result of these measures, the anticipated chaos did not occur. Even when it did, it was dealt with as a typical case, preventing unscrupulous individuals from profiting from the disaster. After the initial two days of chaos, the common people focused on rebuilding their homes.
This day was just like any other ordinary day.
Until someone nearby heard the noise.
Suddenly, a sense of unease and panic filled the air.
Many people exclaimed in fear, "Someone has broken in—"
"What? The enemy has attacked?"
The panicked cries were mixed with the piercing sobs of several children.
The crowd hastily tossed aside their heavy objects, grabbed their only farming tools for self-defense, and picked up their children who had been playing nearby. Some women even wrapped their children in coarse cloth, tied them to their backs, and set off to flee with the crowd. Someone in the crowd lost their footing and fell heavily. The rough, sharp stones scraped their palms, leaving bruises, and the sharp pain spread throughout their bodies from the wounds.
With their lives at stake, these people didn't have time to check their injuries. They hurriedly got up and limped to catch up with the crowd.
He was running too slowly, and then he tripped and fell during the shoving.
The commotion of the crowd attracted the attention of nearby soldiers.
What are you doing?
Several soldiers rushed to try and maintain order, but the crowd was already in chaos and no one was listening to what they were saying. Left with no other option, the martial artists could only gather their inner energy and unleash their power to suppress the crowd. The method was brutal, but highly effective; the crowd indeed quieted down.
Only after the soldiers stepped forward and inquired did they learn why the riot had occurred.
"What enemy has attacked?"
"It's completely baseless."
"Even if there are enemies, my lord can slay them!"
"Who dares to be so foolish as to court death?"
It's impossible to seek death.
The ordinary people being suppressed felt a growing chill as they looked at the few soldiers surrounding them. Despite their extreme fear, they dared not confront them directly, lest these bandits, whose true nature had been revealed, take their lives. The soldiers, thinking they understood, gave a brief warning: "Just do what you're supposed to do, and stop spreading rumors!"
Everyone nodded and agreed.
Even after the soldiers left, the cloud of despair did not dissipate.
Until a child's innocent voice entered my ears.
The child, tied to her mother's back, had no idea what was happening. While the adults were celebrating their narrow escape, she was curiously looking around, her attention drawn to the houses that were gradually growing taller in the distance: "Mom, look, houses are growing in the field!"
Her mother, who was carrying her on her back, didn't react at all.
The child innocently patted his mother's shoulder again.
"Mom, houses have really grown out of the ground! Look!"
Despair grew even stronger among them.
They certainly knew what it meant for houses to grow out of the ground.
It was nothing more than a city wall to defend against enemy attacks.
It's said that a scholar with a refined mind and a warrior with unparalleled courage can raise a high wall with a wave of their hand. To a child, wouldn't that be like a house sprouting from the ground? Everyone was too scared to look in that direction, but some of the bolder ones glanced over. What they saw shocked them.
"Wow, a house has really grown!"
He hurriedly patted the people around him, exclaiming, "Look! Look!"
"Look everyone, it really is a house!"
"You're not kidding, what a luxurious house!"
One tells ten, ten tell a hundred.
Everyone noticed that houses had sprung up in the distance.
Although it was far away and not very clear, judging from the blurry outline, this house was more luxurious and grand than their old house. A row of snow-white walls and black tiles stood out neatly in the ruins.
Not only have young people never seen it, but even the elderly have never heard of it.
I rubbed my eyes so hard they almost popped out, but nothing changed.
"A house has grown, a house has really grown..."
At first, the houses grew slowly, one, two, or three rooms at a time, taking quite a while each time. Later, the growth rate increased, and the houses grew to ten or more rooms at a time. Stone bricks were quickly stacked on top of each other, and soon the roof beams were built and the roof tiles were laid.
"Is this...is this real?"
They had heard from the most knowledgeable scholar in the neighborhood that some kind of scholar could induce hallucinations with a wave of his hand, and what they were seeing might also be an illusion. Reason told them it was probably fake, but their minds were uncontrollably filled with delusions.
"Could these rooms be for us to live in?"
He dared to ask that because the house was built on their land.
An older woman nearby immediately spat, her spittle flying everywhere like water from a spray bottle: "Give us a place to stay? Don't you even know your place? Do you deserve to stay here?"
Even ordinary landlords and wealthy families don't have houses this beautiful.
They're nobody, they dare to dream?
"But those lands are..."
There was more than one person who shared the same thoughts.
Immediately, someone suggested, "Why don't we go up and take a look?"
"Yes, let's see if it's real or fake!"
A few of the bolder ones broke away from the crowd and headed towards the magical land where the guild leader's house was located. The others stood rooted to the spot, watching intently, their eyes wide open, lest these reckless fools suddenly die on the spot.
The scenario they feared did not occur.
The young people arrived safely.
The bravest one reached out and touched the white wall.
The cool, rough, and hard texture feels incredibly realistic.
It's true!
Others also gathered around and joined in the groping.
A few moments later, a dirty handprint was left on the white wall, standing out starkly against the white background. Immediately, someone realized something was wrong, but before they could warn the others, everyone was covered in sand, and something obscured the dark clouds overhead.
They turned their heads tremblingly, nearly scared out of their wits.
Those were terrifying, chilling snake eyes!
The enormous snake head was a whole size bigger than the house behind them!
What are you doing here?
An impatient male voice came from above the snake's head.
Everyone craned their necks, facing the sunlight, and could barely make out that the speaker was a tall, muscular man. He had a head full of braids, arms crossed, and stood proudly high in the air. He addressed the already paved stone path: "Everyone move over there, don't stand here in the way!"
The man exuded a terrifying aura.
The group practically scrambled and crawled onto the stone pavement.
Seeing this, the man showed a satisfied expression.
It made two sucking sounds, and the giant snake under its feet revealed a very human-like expression in its pupils, just like an ordinary person rolling their eyes when they are impatient, as it reluctantly swept away the larger stones on the ground.
The man and the snake were swallowed up by the rising dust.
The remaining people looked at each other, their expressions bewildered.
Can someone please explain what exactly happened?
They were frightened by the giant snake and dared not move.
The land beneath their buttocks will not only grow houses, but also stone-paved roads! Some of them had worked as laborers for a small landlord nearby. They remembered that the main hall of that landlord's house was just a neat mud floor, while the ancestral hall in the back was paved with tiles.
Now, a street is paved with smooth, neat paving stones.
The street is also very wide.
Three carriages can pass side by side.
The news of houses growing on the land quickly spread throughout the inner city of the administrative center. Commoners flocked to the scene, a dense crowd craning their necks to watch the spectacle. To avoid disrupting the flow of people, soldiers gradually pulled out ropes to keep the crowd at bay.
The crowd was chattering, all talking about the house.
Not only were ordinary people alarmed, but Fang Yan's aristocratic friends also rushed to see what was happening, only to be stunned at first glance. This scene was something even they, let alone ordinary people, had never heard of! They immediately set off to find Fang Yan, only to be told that he was not there. Just as they were about to regretfully take their leave, Fang Yan's personal guard noticed the floral monogram on his waist, beamed with joy, and enthusiastically tugged at his sleeve, telling him Fang Yan's current location.
He hesitated: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Wasn't Fang Yan said to be on an important mission?
The guard wore a mysterious smile, even a somewhat obsequious one: "Look at what you're saying, you're a close friend of the family."
Old friends always feel that the other person is holding back something.
Curiosity still drove him to go.
After circling around, he found the person on the city wall. He struggled to climb up, but before he could even stand properly, a stranger pulled him away, excitedly saying, "Make way, another one, another one!"
Fang Yan's old friend was completely confused.
What, another one?
Are you referring to yourself?
After being pulled along for a while, through the crowd, he saw Fang Yan, whom he was looking for, sitting cross-legged on the ground in a meditative posture, his face pale and looking weak as if his yang energy had been drained.
Not only Fang Yan, but more than twenty people were sitting on the ground.
He had met a few of them, but not most of them.
Judging from his attire, he should be a military clerk or similar person.
My old friend felt uneasy seeing this scene.
I couldn't help but secretly take half a step back.
"what happened……"
Why do they all look so lifeless and lacking in literary talent?
Before he could even ask the question, his dantian began to act up, his literary energy becoming uncontrollably active, threatening to burst out of his body. He hurriedly suppressed it, and Fang Yan's clear, cold voice reached his ears: "Don't resist it, follow its guidance."
My old friend joined the meditation group, looking completely bewildered.
He forcefully inserted himself between Fang Yan and another unfamiliar clerk.
The clerk had to shift his position and make room for him. His old friend, puzzled, asked, "What's going on?"
Fang Yan said, "Build houses and repair roads."
My old friend's forehead seemed to be covered in question marks.
He even lost his composure and growled, "What?"
Fang Yan closed his eyes in despair.
It's all because Ji Moqiu suddenly acted inhumanely, saying that calling out to each scholar individually was too inefficient and left a high percentage of residual literary energy. So, he went to the lord and slandered him, suggesting that he cast a formation, with scholars acting as the array's focal points. Any scholar entering the array's focal point would have their literary energy drained, guaranteed to be completely drained.
In order to achieve a perpetual motion effect, he suggested that everyone enter a state of cultivation, and he would guide the energy of heaven and earth to gather in the formation. The scholars would absorb the energy of heaven and earth to purify it, and the purified literary energy would then be drawn by the formation to power Chen Tang's incantations.
One inhale and one exhale, one in and one out.
Their literary talents became filters for the energy of heaven and earth.
Having known each other for years, I never knew that Ji Moqiu had this side to her!
Old friend: "...So, what does this have to do with me?"
He's not some beast of burden under Shen Youli's command.
Fang Yan's response, "Since you're here, make the best of it," nearly made him explode with rage. However, he also grasped the key point: "Are all those houses downstairs built like this?"
Fang Yan nodded: "Mm."
What should be done with the house?
Fang Yan guessed: "It's most likely based on a lottery system according to household registration."
Each household was assigned a serial number.
Drawing lots based on household registration is the fairest method.
Looking down at the buildings expanding outwards at a visible speed, the old friend's lips twitched: "This is going to be a big deal."
Who wouldn't want to live in a spacious new house?
He sighed, "Does Mr. Shen know that the problem is not scarcity but inequality?"
Everyone suffered from the ravages of war, so why should half of them live in spacious, comfortable houses while we have to live in low, dilapidated old houses? That's not fair! Unless we tear it down and rebuild!
|ω`)
I ordered a new mouse.
P.S.: There should be news about the second season of "Retreat the Emperor's" physical book soon. The publisher has contacted Xianggu to prepare a special autograph. They said the autograph requires a personal signature and a representative sentence from the text. Xianggu can only think of "May your military fortune prosper" and "May your literary fortune endure." Do you guys have any other suggestions? (Keep it as short as possible so Xianggu can write less.)
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