Jiang Jin waved her hand dismissively, Draw people from the construction team, and transfer some of our soldiers over as well. Clear the land as soon as possible.
As long as the land was cleared and the crops were planted, fertilizing and weeding wouldn't require as much manpower later on.
Mu Qing looked at Jiang Jin's plans, his face full of admiration, My Lord has thought of everything. If we really clear the land on both sides outside the new city, it will be more than ten thousand acres.
Yao Ji gasped, Will we be able to make it in time for the season?
Jiang Jin knew what she was doing, It's fine. We have a lot of hands. We will clear the wasteland and plant at the same time.
She looked at Mu Qing, Elder Mu, arrange it according to the crop seasons and see what we should plant first.
Mu Qing nodded, Alright, rest assured, I have it in mind.
Luo Qingci asked, Since there might be a drought, shouldn't we dig a few more wells in the city?
Jiang Jin nodded, We can, but we don't have enough manpower right now. Wait until the wasteland is cleared before you arrange for people to dig wells.
She pointed to another spot and said, Here, I plan to dig a large fish pond to store water and raise fish. We'll see where we can get some fish fry when the time comes.
Gefeng City did not lack water. Besides the wells dug inside the city, there was also the stream from Mount Gesi. The stream not only supplied the city's commoners with drinking water but also fed the moat.
Now that she had so much more arable land needing irrigation, the stream from Mount Gesi might not be enough, so storing water became a necessity.
If a drought really occurred, the water in this fish pond would somewhat alleviate the water shortage. It could also raise fish and supply water for livestock like horses, cattle, and sheep.
No one had any objections to this.
Jiang Jin then turned to Yun Ci and asked, Elder Yun, have you ever seen a bamboo forest near Gefeng?
Yun Ci shook his head, No. What does My Lord need bamboo for?
Jiang Jin sighed helplessly, We have cement now, so the city walls and watchtowers can be built with it. However, we haven't successfully tested steel rebars in the past few months, so we can only use bamboo reinforcements.
Under Jiang Jin's guidance, the weaponry workshop's iron-smelting technology had advanced by leaps and bounds. They could smelt steel and forge various weapons and daily necessities, yet they were stumped by a small steel rebar.
Fortunately, steel rebars were not irreplaceable. Bamboo reinforcements worked quite well, and it wasn't like she was building skyscrapers anyway.
She wasn't joking. In her world, during the early days of her country's founding, many buildings were made of bamboo-reinforced concrete, and people lived in them perfectly fine for decades.
There is one place, but it's a bit far, Yun Yu spoke up.
Jiang Jin's eyes lit up, Where?
Yun Yu pointed at the map and said, In the west, about thirty or forty miles from here.
Yun Ci frowned, How come I didn't know there was a bamboo forest there?
Yun Yu looked a bit embarrassed, I took Ah Ce there before. There are bamboo rats there, and they are delicious.
Yun Ci, ...
Jiang Jin smiled, Alright, arrange for people to go cut some bamboo and bring it back.
Jiang Jin sighed with emotion, We still don't have enough manpower.
Although the city's population had increased, with the two massive projects of farming and the city wall, even more people wouldn't be enough.
The military barracks inside the city also had to be built. With the increased population, she was planning to recruit soldiers again.
Dong Si comforted her, My Lord, do not worry. Many commoners are continuously arriving in Gefeng now.
Remembering something, he asked again, By the way, My Lord, the people you asked us to select earlier have all been chosen. Would you like to see them now?
Jiang Jin nodded, Yes.
She waved her hand at the crowd, Meeting dismissed.
After everyone left, the people selected by Dong Si and Feng Qingzhu quickly arrived.
This time, a total of fifty or sixty people were selected. They were all slaves Jiang Jin had bought previously. They had performed outstandingly in their daily tasks, were smart and loyal, and were among the group that had learned simplified characters relatively well.
Dong Si's thought process was simple, these were top-secret technologies, so of course, they had to be kept in their own hands.
It had to be said that Dong Si really had an eye for people. Jiang Jin was very satisfied with the people he selected and divided this group into three teams.
One team for papermaking, one team for glassmaking, and one team for soapmaking.
At the same time, the papermaking workshop, glass workshop, and soap workshop were officially established. Factory buildings were approved in the industrial zone, and corresponding facilities were built.
Over the next two days, Jiang Jin taught these three groups separately, with Dong Si and Feng Qingzhu present the entire time.
Especially Feng Qingzhu, these all belonged to the industrial zone, which she would manage in the future, so she naturally took it very seriously.
When it came to the glass team, since glassblowing required tools like hollow iron pipes, Jiang Jin called Sun Yishui over and had him make various tools.
One day, He Li came to seek an audience with Jiang Jin.
Jiang Jin smiled and congratulated him, I heard your shop has opened. Congratulations.
He Li looked modest, Thank you, My Lord. It's just a small shop.
He had been busy with the shop for the past few days. Only after the shop opened could he free himself up to travel for trade.
Did you come today because you have made up your mind about the merchant caravan? Jiang Jin looked at him and asked.
He Li nodded, I am willing to make this trip. I wonder what day My Lord wants me to depart?
Jiang Jin, Any day works for me, but the sooner, the better.
He Li pondered for a moment and said, How about the day after tomorrow? I will prepare tomorrow and set off the day after.
Jiang Jin thanked him solemnly, Thank you, Shopkeeper He, for your loyalty and righteousness.
I do not deserve your thanks, He Li quickly waved his hand.
He weighed his words and added, My Lord, I heard that you are short of hands for clearing the wasteland and farming outside the city. Our three families still have some servants. How about they go and help out?
Their three families had over seven hundred people in total. Excluding the guards and servants who would travel with him this time, as well as the essential servants needed at home, they could still spare two to three hundred people.
Right now, Gefeng was in dire need of manpower, and these were all strong laborers who could definitely help out.
Not to mention anything else, over 300 people swinging hoes to clear wasteland could open up quite a lot of land.
Jiang Jin glanced at him, this businessman really knew how to assess the situation. Then it would be impolite for me to decline. However, I cannot take advantage of you. I will pay their wages the same as the other workers.
He Li agreed. If he didn't take the money, it would be counted as a favor, and he didn't dare ask Jiang Jin for a favor.
He wasn't asking for anything, he was just showing his stance.
After He Li left, Jiang Jin thought for a moment and had someone call Chen Xi over.
You want me to travel and trade with Shopkeeper He? Chen Xi was somewhat surprised.
Jiang Jin shook her head, Of course not. I have my own considerations.
To be honest, putting a noble young master like Chen Xi in the construction team was a waste of his talents. It was just that Jiang Jin had no one else available before, and not just anyone could handle the scheduling of funds, materials, and personnel.
Over the past half a year, Gefeng had also cultivated many talents. Most specific projects now had dedicated people in charge, so Chen Xi could be freed from the construction team.
Jiang Jin continued, There are three purposes. First, I want to form our own merchant caravan. You will take our people to learn the experience of traveling merchants and accumulate connections at the same time.
Other people's connections could also become their own connections.
Chen Xi's eyes flickered, and he instantly understood her meaning.
Thinking of her words, he asked, You want to establish a merchant caravan? What are we selling?
Jiang Jin explained, We are not selling right now, of course. The industrial zone is already developing products. You will know when the time comes.
You should be very clear that without sufficient financial support, it will be difficult for us to develop agriculture and military strength on a large scale. These three aspects complement one another.
If she wanted this world, she had to build her own commercial empire.
Only with wealth and provisions could they support a larger population, amass more troops, and reclaim more cities and territories.
