Chapter 216 When people are united, even mountains can be moved...
After years of floods and droughts, Wen County suffered many deaths and relocations, leaving remote villages desolate and deserted. Walls crumbled, houses collapsed, and the village was deserted. Every night, the desperate cries of crows would fill the air, turning the sleeping villages into ghostly wastelands.
When the first batch of laborers and workers supporting Wen County arrived, this desolate scene came to an end. The renovated dilapidated houses were re-inhabited, smoke rose from the desolate village, and the sounds of people at varying heights chased away the birds. Dark or brown figures were scattered along the barren roads that had not yet sprouted new greenery, startling the pheasants and wild birds hiding in the grass, causing them to flee in panic. Wild rabbits and mice peeked out from their burrows. Spring had arrived in Wen County a little earlier than expected.
Last year's peeled hemp stalks were transformed into stacks of shacks this spring. After a month of hard work, the people of Wen County built shacks in front of and behind their houses and in their mulberry and hemp fields for laborers and servants to live in. Inside the shacks, they laid out beds with door panels, sorghum mats, and thatch.
All the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods in the county town were relocated to the inner city. Those with relatives stayed with them, while those without relatives obeyed the government's arrangements and moved into the courtyards of strangers. All the vacant houses were used to house laborers.
"Magistrate Guo, arrange for all the women who come to work to live in the city. Five or six of them can sleep together in a large dormitory. They cannot be settled in the villages," Meng Qing instructed.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I have not forgotten your instructions and have been implementing this resettlement method." Magistrate Guo was also afraid of a scandal involving adultery with women; if a few more people died because of this, he would lose his official position.
"Zhang Sanfu, where is Zhang Sanfu?" A yamen runner rushed over. "How many empty rooms are there in Changhuai Lane? Another batch of laborers has arrived, including 135 women. Can Changhuai Lane accommodate them all?"
"Where is the head of Baiwei Township?" another yamen runner shouted in a hoarse voice.
"Here. Dad, wake up, it's our turn to pick up the people." A thin man gave the old man a push, and the old man, who was dozing off against the wall wearing a thick coat, was awakened. He got up and walked over, yawning, and said, "Officer, it's our turn to pick up the people? It's finally our turn. I've been waiting in the city for two days."
“Yes, another batch of laborers has arrived, more than 1,700 in total. Take them back.” The yamen runner was affected by him and also yawned. He complained, “It’s really a hardship. I’m so busy that I can’t get a full night’s sleep.”
"After a few more days of hard work, I reckon everyone will be here soon." The old man rubbed his face and followed the constable to get the people. When they left the city gate, they encountered a convoy of grain and meat entering the city, and the group quickly made way for them.
Du Li followed the grain convoy into the city. He spotted a red figure in the crowd and, upon closer inspection, saw that Du Laosan was also there. He jumped off the cart and quickly walked over.
Meng Qing was talking to Du Min when she caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to look, recognized the person, and smiled, "You're here too? Where are the two children?"
“They’re all at home. Wangchuan spends the day with his third aunt and the night with Wangzhou. We don’t need to worry about them,” Du Li replied. He looked at Du Min and noticed that his official robes and shoes were covered in yellow dust. He asked, “Has construction already started?”
Du Min nodded. "The construction started a long time ago, and more than 25,000 people have arrived one after another. Each person needs two catties of wheat and millet a day, which means that the daily grain consumption is nearly 1,800 shi, which is equivalent to 150 guan in cash. If you add meat and vegetables, the daily food cost will be at least 250 guan. We can't afford to feed them. Second brother, how many shi of grain has the Registrar of Households received?"
"We have 150,000 shi of wheat, 30,000 shi of millet, and over 41,800 guan of cash. Five warehouses are filled with pine needles and radishes," Du Li replied. "We have enough food for the first half of this year, and we still have more than we need."
Du Min calculated that the money he had raised, converted into grain, would be enough to feed the next year. With a two-year buffer, he could accumulate some funds and ask the imperial court for more, enough to support the water conservancy projects in Wen County until they were completed. Perhaps there would even be surplus funds to repair the waterways in the next county.
After figuring it out, Du Min felt a surge of energy, and the pressure on his shoulders suddenly eased.
"Lord Du, the grain and meat have been stored in the warehouse. I have already asked Magistrate Guo to sign off on it. Please sign off on it as well. If there are no problems, I will distribute the grain immediately." The warehouse manager brought over the account book.
Du Min took a look. This was the third time grain had been transported to Wen County. This time, it brought 3,000 shi of flour, 10 carts each of pine greens and radishes, 10 baskets of eggs, 4 pigs, and 2 vats of oil.
He signed his name and patiently instructed again: "No one is allowed to skimp on the weight of the food, and there must be plenty of oil and broth. Regardless of how much food a worker eats, make sure they are full."
Sikuro said "Hey," picked up the ledger, and walked away quickly.
"Second brother, you guard the grain transport and distribution line for me, and don't let the big rats get rich," Du Min said.
“Okay,” Du Li agreed.
As he finished speaking, it grew dark. Du Min mounted his horse and headed to the work site to check on the situation.
"Second sister-in-law, second brother, you should go back to the inn. Don't wait for me for dinner tonight; I'll eat there," Du Min instructed.
Meng Qing nodded.
With a shout of "Giddy up!", Du Min spurred his horse and rode away.
More than 25,000 laborers and workers were divided into three groups according to their location. Two groups were responsible for digging the nearly abandoned canals. The canals were dredged and the river was widened and deepened on both sides. The excavated soil was carried to the north bank of the Yellow River, where workers stationed on the north bank used the soil to reinforce the dikes.
Du Min proposed to reuse the abandoned Qin Canal and excavate two tributaries of the Yellow River in the lower reaches. This would not only benefit agricultural irrigation but also alleviate the pressure on Wuzhi County, Wude County, and Hanoi County.
Upon arriving at the north bank of the Yellow River, the workers who were reinforcing the dike had already eaten dinner. Du Min dismounted and walked to the stove, asking, "What's for dinner tonight?"
"Lard, egg, and pine nut soup pancakes".
Du Min took a torch and shone it into the earthenware pot. A layer of oil floated on the surface of the soup, mixed with pale yellow egg flowers. "Give me a bowl."
"Is there any more rice? Another bowl, please." A burly man walked over and handed over a large earthenware bowl.
The cook first ladled a bowl for Du Min, and then ladled the rest for this big eater, who was known for his enormous appetite.
"Is the food alright?" Du Min asked.
The man laughed out loud at the mention of this topic. He had a big appetite, eating as much as two ordinary men, and even at home, he couldn't eat his fill every meal. When he arrived in Wen County and heard that the food was all-you-can-eat, he didn't believe it at first, but after working for five days, he had to accept it; it was indeed true that you could eat as much as you wanted.
“Yes, sir, I will work hard and do my job well to earn the wages and meals the government provides,” the man said loudly.
"This evening, dozens of cartloads of grain were delivered. There's plenty of food, so you can work here in peace." Du Min handed the torch to the cook and told the laborers, "Eat your fill and work a little longer. Go back to sleep when it gets late. Don't wander around outside. If you're still out after 9 PM, the patrol will catch you and deduct two days' wages."
After saying this, Du Min mounted his horse and went to the lower reaches of the Yellow River to check on the situation of the other two detachments.
In early March, the moonlight was dim, and the bonfires in the darkness were particularly striking. In the light and shadow of the burning bonfires, long shadows of people carrying loads passed by.
The night wind was filled with the earthy smell of soil and the bitter scent of broken grass stems and tree roots. The shovels sank into the soil, the shovel head cutting into the sand and gravel, the sharp, piercing sound becoming muffled as it passed through layers of soil, mingling with the muffled groans of laborers straining, rising and falling in waves.
The foreman, who was warming himself by the fire, caught the sound of horses' hooves. The men quickly rose and scattered. Then, a whistle sounded in the darkness.
"It's getting dark, so move slowly and be careful not to dig your feet."
"Keep your distance and don't huddle together."
The foreman's shouts rang out after the whistle fell.
As the sound of horses' hooves drew near, Du Min dismounted. A nearby overseer greeted him, "It's Lord Du! What brings you here so late?"
"How's the progress today?" Du Min asked.
"Within five li, the river channel has been widened from the original seven feet to twenty feet. In the next two days, the widened river channel can be dug to a depth of eight feet," the supervisor reported.
Du Min nodded. He picked up a torch and walked around the ramie field next to him. After inspecting the field, he said, "More than three thousand people have come today. Tomorrow, we will send another one thousand people over here. You and the other supervisors should coordinate the arrangements."
The supervisor should be.
After seeing it, Du Min went to another detachment ten miles away. After making the round, it was almost the end of the 7 PM. He rode back and returned home with the laborers.
Upon entering the city, Du Min encountered two groups of laborers outside the city gate. Magistrate Guo and his yamen runners were worrying about how to settle these people that night. Upon seeing Du Min, Magistrate Guo walked over and said, "Lord Du, these two groups of laborers are from Xiuwu County and Wude County respectively. They are carrying a message from the magistrates of the two counties: this is the last group of people. The two counties will not send any more laborers."
Du Min breathed a sigh of relief, "We have enough people."
Magistrate Guo nodded in agreement; this number was just right, any more and they really couldn't accommodate everyone.
By this time, all the laborers and servants from the four counties had arrived, totaling 26,300 people. Adding the 8,000 laborers from Wen County, the total number was over 34,000.
More than 34,000 laborers, equivalent to the entire population of Wen County, would emerge from their shacks and houses at dawn every day. Accompanied by the sound of whistles, they would carry shovels, shoulder poles, and drive cattle and donkeys to the banks of the Yellow River, causing the earth to tremble.
The fiery red sunrise pierced through the thin mist and shone on the loess land. Thousands of footsteps rose and fell, and yellow dust flew up. The dust reflected the light, like thousands of gleaming eyes.
"I smell meat! There's meat this morning!"
"Hurry up, hurry up, the people in front, walk faster."
The crowd started running.
The first person to arrive handed over a bowl and asked, "Is there meat this morning?"
"Yes, there's meat all day. The government gave us a whole pig last night, so we'll have pork offal soup with flatbread for all three meals today. It'll be very juicy," the cook replied. "Alright, next one."
The person who gets their rice can find a spot to squat down and slurp up the soup while sitting on the shovel handle.
Gradually, the queue thinned out, and a large group of people squatted on the ground. The steam from the soup dumplings mingled with the white breath of their exhaled breaths, creating a bustling and lively scene.
After breakfast, the laborers, having eaten their fill, would pick up shovels and carry loads to work. They would shovel up soil one shovelful at a time and carry baskets of soil ashore. The porters waiting on the shore would then pick up their baskets and leave with steady steps.
Baskets of soil were transported to the north bank of the Yellow River, where they were tamped down with flat logs and wooden hammers, transforming into a sturdy dike – a testament to the power of many hands.
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Author's Note: There will be another update at 12 o'clock.
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