Gefeng New City.
The foundation for the new city wall had been dug, and the wall itself was already built to a height of about one meter.
To build the city wall, many people from the construction crew inside Gefeng City were transferred to participate in the construction of the outer city.
Thick outer walls were clad with cement and bricks, while the middle remained a rammed earth structure, allowing for a very fast construction speed.
She would have preferred to use solid cement, but without modern facilities, cement production was ultimately limited.
However, even with just a brick and cement outer shell, the sturdiness was already far, far superior to the city walls of this era.
The various crops planted were lush and green, especially some vegetables with short growth cycles, which were already mature and ready to be harvested.
Mu Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead. My Lord, we have quite a large quantity of vegetables. If we harvest them all at once, we won't be able to finish eating them.
Currently, the commoners in the city mostly grew vegetables in their own courtyards. Those in single rooms without courtyards made wooden boxes to grow them indoors.
Therefore, most of the city's residents didn't really need to buy vegetables. The vegetables Jiang Jin planted were mainly to supply the soldiers.
Just sun-dry the excess. Dry the radishes into dried radish, which can be saved for travel or eaten in the winter, Jiang Jin said casually.
We can replant after the harvest. The land shouldn't be left empty, but the fertilizer needs to keep up.
Mu Qing nodded continuously. My Lord, we have been composting all along. By the way, it hasn't rained once since the new year. The weather is indeed abnormal. Should we consider digging a canal?
The large fish pond had just been dug not long ago and had already started storing water.
The commoners now used water from the city wells for food and daily use. The stream water from Mount Gesi only supplied the tens of thousands of mu of fields and the moat.
Yes, tens of thousands of mu. After the initial busy spring plowing, Mu Qing had people continue to reclaim wasteland outside the city, reclaiming more and more, and they were still at it...
Mu Qing seemed very obsessed with farming. Even though Jiang Jin didn't allocate many people to him later on, he still managed to spare quite a few to reclaim land.
Up to now, the total arable land area had reached ten thousand mu. The newly opened fields were planted with vegetables, sweet potatoes, soybeans, and so on.
Jiang Jin looked at the diminished stream and asked, Where do you want to divert water from?
As it hadn't rained for several months, the water at this source on Mount Gesi had also decreased. It used to be enough, but now it was somewhat stretched.
Mu Qing shook his head, looking a bit regretful. The Liu River to the southeast is the largest river in Liuxiang County. Unfortunately, our terrain is high. Digging a canal would be useless, as we can't divert the water here.
He looked at Jiang Jin. Does My Lord know if there are other rivers nearby?
The Liu River was the great river where the Quzhao people had tried to drown the Cairen captives. It was quite far from Gefeng, and its terrain was much lower than Gefeng's.
Speaking of which, the sand and gravel used to make the concrete for the city walls were dug from the Liu River.
After pondering, Jiang Jin said, There is another river to the northwest of the Gesi Mountain Range. If we add this river, it should be enough for us even in a drought.
Her tone grew heavy as she spoke. If the drought continues, even though the Liu River is large, I'm afraid its water level will drop significantly. The farmlands that rely on the Liu River for cultivation will likely...
And that was the better scenario. With the Liu River for irrigation, they had something. Those farmlands without large rivers would likely suffer severe yield reductions, perhaps even total crop failure.
A worried expression also appeared on Mu Qing's face. If it really becomes a drought, I fear the water sources in the Gesi Mountain Range will also dry up.
Jiang Jin shook her head. I went up the mountain and checked the river to the northwest of Mount Gesi before. Its source should be groundwater.
Based on what she saw, the volume of that groundwater was likely quite substantial.
Furthermore, the temperature in the dense mountain forest was relatively low, and the tree roots and soil could retain water. Even in a drought, the situation would be better there than in other places.
This is also the reason why, during droughts, when large rivers in many regions dry up, the mountain springs still have water.
Mu Qing's eyes lit up, but his expression turned somewhat ashamed. I am ashamed. I've been in Gefeng for over half a year, and I haven't walked around or familiarized myself with the nearby environment.
Jiang Jin waved her hand. The situation is chaotic. I wouldn't feel at ease letting you go out anyway.
At Mu Qing's age, even if he were asked to climb a mountain, he wouldn't be able to.
Just as the two were talking, they saw a soldier rushing over to report, My Lord, beyond the pass, people from the Quzhao tribe have arrived.
Jiang Jin was taken aback, but quickly understood what he meant, growing excited. How many?
In previous years, around May, the grasslands beyond the Gefeng Pass were lush and fertile. The Quzhao tribe would drive their flocks of sheep and herds of horses here to settle for a month or two.
Therefore, since late April, Jiang Jin had people patrolling around the pass, scouting for when the Quzhao tribe's sheep and horses would arrive.
However, having not seen the nomads of the Quzhao tribe for a while, Jiang Jin thought that because she had occupied Gefeng, the Quzhao people wouldn't come this year.
She didn't expect the turnaround to come so quickly. Without waiting for the soldier to answer, Jiang Jin turned to Mu Qing and said, I'll go first. You can plant more soybeans and sweet potatoes in the newly opened fields.
Sweet potatoes prefer warm, sunny environments, so they were planted relatively late, but the seedlings had been cultivated long ago.
Mu Qing hurriedly agreed, My Lord, go attend to your business.
Jiang Jin nodded and left quickly with the soldier.
The soldier reported as they walked, his voice filled with excitement. They don't look like nomads. They should be Quzhao soldiers, about a few hundred of them. There are about two to three thousand sheep and over a thousand horses.
Jiang Jin paused her steps. Quzhao soldiers?
She quickly figured out the key to the situation. These must be supplies the Quzhao soldiers had traded with the nomads, and they were in the middle of transporting them out.
She looked at the soldier. How deep did you go?
The soldier was a little nervous, lowering his head as if he had made a mistake. We went seventy or eighty miles deep.
Jiang Jin had given them a range of movement within fifty miles, but after keeping watch for over a month without seeing any trace of the nomads, they decided to go deeper to take a look.
Jiang Jin didn't know what to say. These soldiers were truly bold, not even afraid of being wiped out by the Quzhao people. Don't let it happen again.
The soldier felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. Understood.
The flat hillside grassland stretched as far as the eye could see, its vibrant greenery very pleasing to the eye.
Large flocks of sheep and herds of horses advanced leisurely, occasionally taking a bite of grass before continuing onward under the urging of the Quzhao soldiers.
Gefeng has been occupied by the Jinyang Army. We have to make a huge detour and travel a lot further, a Quzhao soldier, Scarface, grumbled while riding his horse.
The soldier riding beside him, Hooknose, agreed, Isn't that the truth. The nomads don't even dare to go to the grasslands outside Gefeng Pass this year. That pasture is so fertile. What a pity.
Scarface sneered, What's there to pity? Once we take Ze'a County, it will be the time of Gefeng's destruction.
