Lingxiao Hall in the heavens and Shangyang Palace in the mortal world.
Shangyang Palace was not only the palace of Dongqing, but also the place where the rich and powerful gathered.
"Back then, Shangjing City and Shangyang Palace were so prosperous … Now there are only ruins … There seems to be people in the distance?"
Wei Ci lifted the curtain and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He looked at the ruins in front of him that were overgrown with weeds and vines. He was filled with emotion.
It was already midsummer. The scorching sun hung high above their heads, scorching their skin.
"No matter what, it is Shangjing, a treasured place where the rich and powerful gathered. When the earthquake happened suddenly, many houses collapsed and were buried in the ruins. Refugees gathered here, searching for money under the ruins to make a living … Therefore, scattered villages slowly formed around it … "
Zhang Ping was dressed in a brown sackcloth and his long hair was tied up with a cloth. If it was not for his scholarly aura, one might think he was an ordinary farmer. He took a bamboo hat from the carriage and gave it to Wei Ci to shade him from the sun. "Let's investigate first and then make a decision."
Shangjing City used to have a floating population of two to three hundred thousand, but now it had become ruins where no one could be seen.
In just over two years, wildly growing vines covered the ruins. Occasionally, a few rats could be seen shuttling around.
Wei Ci and Zhang Ping brought over ten thousand laborers. The remaining manpower was planned to be recruited locally, taking the opportunity to absorb refugees and reduce hidden dangers.
The two spent a few days walking around Shangjing City and the nearby mountains, familiarizing themselves with the surrounding terrain and replanning the layout of the city.
Wei Ci's memory was excellent and he had a photographic memory. In just a few days, he memorized the surrounding terrain and drew them on paper. After some discussion, the two compared the original layout of Shangjing City and made some improvements and adjustments to the layout of the state capital.
"I really wonder if there is anything in this world that you can't do …"
Zhang Ping came back from outside. His exposed cheeks and neck were scorched black and red by the scorching sun. His clothes were soaked in sweat, dry and wet, wet and dry again. After a busy day outside, Zhang Ping was so thirsty that his throat was about to emit smoke. When he returned, he gulped down a mouthful of water.
He saw a huge piece of bamboo paper on Wei Ci's table. On it, a plan of a city was drawn with fine charcoal.
As for why Wei Ci wanted to use the trimmed charcoal to draw, Zhang Ping did not ask since Wei Ci answered so quickly.
"There is a limit to one's strength, and the will of the heavens cannot be changed. Ci is just an ordinary person, there are still many things that I don't know how to do. "
Wei Ci smiled as he carefully rolled up the finished product and put it away. He took out another roll of paper from the side and slowly unrolled it.
Compared to the previous drawing that seemed to be drawn with a ruler, this drawing was much more casual.
"These are the villages, mountains, and forests near the old site of Shangjing City … The soil in these places is quite sticky and suitable for making green bricks. There are also villages gathered nearby, and they add up to a thousand people. We will recruit the people nearby and have them build a direct road to Shangjing. The amount of wood, stone, and sand needed to build the city is huge. We can't just use them in one place … "
The materials used to build the city weren't expensive, but the transportation costs were.
Wei Ci calculated carefully and decided to spend manpower to build the main road first. Once everything was ready, he would start building the city. As big as Shangjing was, the ruins of the entire city still had to be carefully cleared out. Those that could be reused would be reused to save costs, and those that could not be reused would be disposed of.
Zhang Ping casually waved his hand and said, "You can decide."
Wei Ci's expression froze, and he looked at Zhang Ping with some hidden bitterness.
People like Zhang Ping were described as pig-headed teammates.
Under the scorching sun, Zhang Ping and the others were sweating profusely. Their immediate superior, Jiang Pengji, was holding a watermelon and chatting with Cheng Cheng.
The watermelon production was limited, and most of it was supplied to meritorious subordinates. The rest was thrown to the guest house and sold to the customers.
With Jiang Pengji's support, the official restaurant, the guest house, had been opened all over Wanzhou. There was one in every county in the territory. With new dishes and management methods, it quickly gained a foothold in the local area. According to Jiang Pengji's instructions, the guest house took the medium to high-end route. The recipes of ordinary home-cooked dishes were released to the people for free, so that the guest house wouldn't clash with the restaurants opened by the people and steal their rice bowls.
The more guest houses opened, the more jobs they could provide, and the more disabled soldiers or the relatives of the deceased could be settled.
When had the people ever seen such a novel fruit as watermelon?
For a while, the business of the guest houses improved a lot, and the daily net profits were constantly rising.
Jiang Pengji ate the watermelon while looking at the accounts sent by the various guest houses.
"The guest house's business is good, but the profits aren't good."
Cheng Cheng's wife was in charge of the internal affairs. She didn't know much about the business, but she knew that the restaurant didn't make much money.
Jiang Pengji looked at the accounts and felt a little satisfied.
The managers of the guest houses were smart enough not to cheat on the accounts, so it didn't take her long to finish reading.
"How can a big city like Wanzhou rely on the guest house's business to maintain its expenses? It doesn't matter how much profit it makes. " Jiang Pengji smiled and said, "The guest house was established to give the disabled soldiers a place to go, and the orphans and parents of the deceased a place to rely on … It doesn't matter if it makes money or not, what's important is that it can reassure the people. When the soldiers see that their families are properly settled, they can also rest assured on the battlefield. If we don't settle them down properly, first, it will chill the hearts of the soldiers, and second, it will force these people from good citizens to become refugees … Mr. Cheng is more knowledgeable than me, so you should know what kind of situation it will be when there are more refugees … "
How many bandits were born as refugees?
What was the difference between refugees and refugees in ancient times?
Wherever there were more refugees, social security would be poor, and crimes would occur every few days.
Stealing and fighting were considered minor, but what was scary was breaking into houses to rob, kill, or kill women and children. Such cases were not uncommon.
Why was Wanzhou stable?
It wasn't because the number of refugees had decreased, but because more and more refugees had been granted amnesty and returned to their homes and fields.
Cheng Cheng listened to Jiang Pengji's words and thought for a while, then an idea flashed in his mind.
He said, "Is it possible that the governor built the provincial government for this reason?"
Cheng Cheng originally thought that Jiang Pengji spent money to build the provincial government for her own enjoyment, but later felt that it was unlikely.
Now that he heard her say this, Cheng Cheng suddenly understood.
Spending a huge amount of money to build the provincial government was secondary. The real purpose was to provide a large number of jobs and attract refugees to work there.
In the minds of many people, forced labor was free physical labor that could easily lead to death, so no one was willing to do it.
But Jiang Pengji had set a precedent by using paid labor to attract people to work there.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
