Chapter 104
The craftsmen had left, and the inner residence of the county government office had become quiet. Lu Yuechuan stared at a cotton plant in the garden. The leaves of the plant had turned yellow, and it looked a little bleak in the autumn wind. A ball of white cotton stood on the branch, full in shape, soft and clean like a white cloud.
"Sir, is this cotton?" Lu Yuechuan didn't know what he felt at the moment. If it could really be cultivated in Qingquan County, not only would the people have a better winter, but Qingquan County's tax revenue would definitely improve.
"It's cotton. It can be used to make cotton clothes. After it's spun into cloth, it can also be used to make other clothes," Lin Shuge pinched the rhizome, "and the rhizome can also be used as medicine."
He sighed slightly, "It's just too little. I only got one this year. It was mixed in with the seeds that Dabu gave me. If I hadn't recognized it as cotton later, I might have gotten rid of it as a weed."
"Sir, don't be discouraged. Since cotton seeds have been discovered, it means there is a way to spread them to Dayan. Maybe next time the Western Region merchants will bring a large number of seeds, and then let the people in the county plant some. They can use them to keep warm and can also be used to weave cloth to exchange for money, just like the cashmere in Ganzhou. The cost is even lower than cashmere, but the output is much higher." Lu Yuechuan comforted.
"I hope Dabu can be found soon."
"Sir, the repair of fortifications you mentioned today..."
"Pingxiang is too close to the Qiang people. We can't always resist when they plunder. I want to build a city wall and a watchtower so that we can be prepared in time when the enemy attacks. If time is not so urgent, I would like to build a fort in Pingxiang." Lin Shuge led Lu Yuechuan into the house and poured him a glass of water.
A dock fort is a defensive fortification built by ancient people to defend against foreign enemies. It integrates production and planting, defense against enemies, storage of grain, and military training. It is generally used to prevent invasion by powerful enemies in the surrounding areas. People usually farm and practice riding and shooting in the dock fort. By the way, they can also observe the enemy situation from the corner tower. If someone attacks, people can shoot him from the upstairs, or go out to fight the enemy and then retreat to the dock fort after the fight.
Lu Yuechuan smiled and said, “Then the whole village will be included, forming a natural…” He then suddenly closed his mouth.
"Everything has its pros and cons. For now, the most important thing is to resist the Qiang people and survive. As for whether they can form a force, that is a matter for the future. We are just building some fortifications for now, and these are all in the hands of the Zhongxian government." Lin Shuge said, looking at Pingxiang.
"Yes, sir. During this period, Yang Yan will be responsible for training the villagers, and Chu Xu will be sent out to support them. I will be in charge of this matter for the time being." Lu Yuechuan said understandingly.
"That's great, but Xu Yu has to finish his manuscript quickly, otherwise he will come and get it himself." Lin Shuge said with a smile.
In Xu Yu’s last letter, he said that if he never saw the manuscript of the second volume, he would come to Qingquan County in person to ask for it from the two of them.
When Lu Yuechuan heard this, he wanted to run away. Lin Shuge said, "I have told you the plot. Writing is a piece of cake for the great talent Lu."
Lu Yuechuan walked away staggeringly, shaking his head.
…
Pingxiang.
Chen Kuan and Xiang Ligu led the craftsmen to measure the distance. Xiang Li Gu looked into the distance and said, "Build a wall here," he gestured with his hand, "and build a lookout tower at that corner."
Chen Kuan took a pen and paper and nodded as he took notes.
"Let's go and see how the northwest city wall is going." Xiangli Gu asked the remaining craftsmen to continue working, while he and Chen Kuan went to the northwest.
Construction in the northwest started earlier than here, and it is estimated that it has now taken shape.
"Lord Xiangli, I have recruited a lot of common people in the past few days, including a lot of strong women. They are all workers. I also recruited a group of women to cook lunch. I went to check a few days ago and the wall has been built." Chen Kuan said hurriedly.
Xiang Li Gu knew that he was being overly suspicious, and his dark face showed no expression. "Boss Chen, you are being overly suspicious. You and I should just do what we should do. County Magistrate Lin knows what is going on, and he won't make things difficult for us."
Chen Kuan nodded hesitantly and arrived at the destination with Xiangli Gu.
The western suburbs of Pingxiang were bustling with activity at this time. Workers were applying cement with a scraper in one hand and laying blue bricks on the cement with the other. Occasionally they would knock on the bricks with the scraper. An ink rope hung on a blue brick at their feet to prevent the wall from being uneven. The workers worked very quickly and built a three-foot-high wall in no time.
On one side, there are workers using carts to transport blue bricks and cement here. If the carts are not enough, you can see people carrying two baskets of cement directly over here. After they brought the bricks and cement, several women stacked the bricks one by one. These women were as strong as men. They mixed the cement, water, sand and gravel and piled them aside for the workers to use.
A woman came over carrying a wooden bucket, and a steward shouted, "Dinner is ready."
The workers, familiar with the route, spontaneously lined up in a long queue, waiting for today's lunch.
Xiang Ligu and Chen Kuanye lined up at the back with great interest. As soon as they stood there, a man in short brown clothes asked, "You look unfamiliar. Did you just get here?"
Xiangli Gu didn't say anything, but Chen Kuan nodded and started chatting with the man.
"Are you a bricklayer?" Chen Kuan asked casually.
The man smiled and said, "Yes, let me tell you a secret. You look delicate and tender, so you must be a scholar. There is also a student coming here to work these past two days. After all, the tuition fees need to supplement the family income. I talked to him, so I might as well talk to you too. This job really requires a skill. Bricklaying is easier than other jobs, and the wages are higher. You don't seem to be able to do heavy work," he pointed at Chen Kuan.
He raised his eyes and glanced at Xiang Li Gu again, "You look thick-skinned and tough, so you should be able to do any job."
Xiang Ligu, who was dark and thick-skinned, chuckled twice. Chen Kuan was trying to hold back his laughter and almost laughed out loud.
"Hey, you don't even want to hear the truth. Really, if you want to learn, I'm not shy about it. I can teach you, but you have to pay me a tribute. I have a big family to support."
"You'd better stop bragging. These days you've been showing off to everyone you meet, saying that you can earn more than 20 yuan a day doing bricklaying work, and that your son got a reward and made a lot of money from following Lord Yang. You're so flattered. But your family was not like this last year." A person nearby heard the man's words and exposed him.
"You are just jealous of me. Last year, everyone had to tighten their belts to make ends meet. This year, the government exempted taxes, and there is work to do in the county. You have also earned a lot, although your family does not earn as much as mine."
The two of them quarreled endlessly.
Xiang Li Gu was so annoyed by the noise that his head hurt. Fortunately, the line was in front of the two of them. After the meal was ready, the man said to them, "Think about it carefully. No more waiting after the deadline."
Xiangli Gu and Chen Kuan were holding their meals, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
But it's pretty good.
The two found a shady place to sit and eat, but they didn't expect a voice to ring out from the side, "Xiangli, Boss Chen, you two are involved in this."
The two of them stood up quickly, still holding the food in their hands, "Sir, why are you here?"
"Don't be in a hurry. Achuan and I are here to take a look. You just eat your food and be less polite outside." Lin Shuge said with a smile on his face.
Seeing that the people had already finished their meals, Lu Yuechuan ran to ask the woman serving the meals for two bowls and gave one to Lin Shuge, "Sir, you have been busy all morning, try the food here."
"Sir, how can I let you eat these?" Chen Kuan said hurriedly.
"This meal looks delicious. It has rice, vegetables and oil. Boss Chen is really kind." Lin Shuge pretended not to hear what he said and praised in a gentle voice.
"You haven't seen it. My lord, you used to eat millet porridge for the people during the busy farming season and noodles when the workshop was being built in Ganzhou. How could you dislike these?" Xiangli Gu said.
Chen Kuan understood that Lin Shuge went to check on the progress every time in order to see how the food provided to the workers and civilians was. He sighed in his heart and realized that if he followed Lord Lin, he had to be honest and kind, and not play tricks on the people and mistreat them.
A few people were chatting and eating when the manager noticed them and came over to ask if they needed some more food.
The manager saw that the workers had finished their meals, so he wanted to send someone to ask his master why he hadn't come yet. He had said he would come today, but the person he sent came back and said that his master had already arrived.
He could only look around, and was shocked to see several people sitting under a tree. Not only was there his own master, but also Magistrate Lin and Magistrate Lu.
He thought about it in his mind and realized that he seemed to have just cursed the person who was squeezing forward to get his meal. It was heard that County Magistrate Lin hated people who were harsh on the people the most. Could he be here to supervise?
Seeing the manager's nervous expression, Lin Shuge consoled him, "We have nothing to do here. Go and do your work. We won't care about us."
The steward secretly looked at Chen Kuan. Seeing that he was extremely frightened, Chen Kuan waved his hand soothingly and asked him to go down. The steward then ran away as if he had been pardoned.
"You're doing a good job as a manager, but you're a little timid." Lu Yuechuan said after his meal.
Chen Kuan could only smile and say nothing.
"Sir, if we speed up the progress here, it should be completed in a few days. By then, it will be able to form a long city wall. The watchtowers on both sides are also being built." Chen Kuan reported to Lin Shuge.
"Everyone has worked hard during this period. Once this matter is resolved, I will definitely reward everyone according to their merits." Lin Shuge said with a smile.
Chen Kuan said happily: "Thank you, sir."
As everyone was talking about this, a female voice was heard in the distance. Chen Kuan's face changed slightly, and he said a few words of resignation to Lin Shuge, then ran over in a hurry.
"What's going on?" Lu Yuechuan asked curiously.
"Oh, that's the eldest daughter of Boss Chen. She has been disobedient since she was young, but I think she is as capable as men." Xiangligu explained. He has been spending a lot of time with Chen Kuan recently, and he has also heard Chen Kuan talk about how he spoiled his daughter. She has been getting whatever she wants since she was young, and recently she even wanted to learn archery and fighting skills from him.
Chen Kuan hurried over and stopped his daughter who was eager to see Lin Shuge. "Arong, what are you doing here?"
"Father, please get out of the way. I want to see Lord Lin." Chen Yuanrong said anxiously, holding a whip in his hand.
"Arong, I have agreed to your request to learn how to wield swords and guns. What else do you want to do? You are my only daughter, and I am waiting for you to set up a family for me in the future." Chen Kuan's face turned red with anger.
"Father, I am not good at doing business. Killing enemies is the way I should go." Chen Yuanrong's bright eyes were full of seriousness.
"No, I won't agree to it, and your mother will definitely not agree to it. Do you have the heart to let her worry about you?"
"I have my own way to persuade you, mother. Please let me go see Magistrate Lin."
Chen Kuan thought for a while, thinking that all of County Magistrate Lin's subordinates were capable people, so it would be good to dampen Arong's enthusiasm, or even better to let her come back and do business with him.
"Okay, come with me. County Magistrate Lin and County Assistant Secretary Lu are both here. You can do whatever you want. But let me make it clear that if County Magistrate Lin disagrees with you going, you must come back and honestly manage the shop in the city."
"I understand, father." Chen Yuanrong's face was full of high spirits, and he didn't feel that he would be rejected at all.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
