Several horsemen galloped out from the south gate, heading to Ge Feng and Shanguan County to deliver messages.
The people from Ge Feng arrived swiftly. This time, Qiu Liao led the group, accompanied by several bailiffs and clerks. By the time he reached Chunrong County, it was barely noon, and he immediately threw himself into the work.
Also arriving with him were Guo Li and Kang Sheng, who led the construction team. Only about five hundred advance troops had come for now.
In Ge Feng, the city wall was already built, and the county office was nearly finished. Most of the workers were free, making it timely to deploy them here.
Once everyone arrived, they divided tasks and busied themselves accordingly.
Qiu Liao was temporarily responsible for registering the population and reviewing the various records left in the county office.
The county magistrate's confession was also laid out on the table, cross-referenced with information found in the county archives.
Orders were issued one after another and executed quickly and efficiently. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Guo Li and Kang Sheng looked at the planning map of Chunrong County drawn by Jiang Jin. They would build houses according to the plan.
“Are you planning to start construction from the north gate, my lord?” Kang Sheng asked.
Jiang Jin nodded. “That’s right. Chunrong County is small with a sparse population. The north gate area has few households and is easier to clear out.”
Chunrong County was even smaller than Ge Feng, covering barely one square kilometer. The population hadn’t been tallied yet, but it should be slightly larger than Ge Feng’s initial numbers.
However, the living conditions here were similar to what Ge Feng had been—low clay huts, most with thatched roofs that would blow away in a breeze.
Shanguan County, due to its strategic location, saw frequent traffic and had a few shops within the city. Its overall buildings were also in better condition.
That was one reason Jiang Jin planned to build Chunrong County first.
Another reason was that the brick kiln and cement factory were closer, making transportation more convenient.
But the most important reason was that Shanguan County would inevitably become a target for the Qu Zhao people, possibly even besieged. In that case, transporting construction materials would become difficult.
Chunrong County was different—remote and not a strategic location. Normally, the Qu Zhao people wouldn’t bother with it for now.
So she decided to focus her forces on building up Chunrong County first.
Guo Li said, “Then let’s have the workers clear the area first, so we can store materials and start digging foundations.”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Speed is key. Try to finish building Chunrong County within twenty days.”
Guo Li and Kang Sheng exchanged a glance and promised, “Understood.”
They now had several thousand experienced construction workers, and they could hire more people within the city. Twenty days shouldn’t be a problem.
Jiang Jin was satisfied. “Try to transport the materials today and tomorrow. Pause the day after. The Qu Zhao army might arrive tomorrow or the day after, and it’s uncertain if they’ll choose to attack Chunrong County.”
Theoretically, the Qu Zhao army should focus on capturing the more important Shanguan County.
But who knew if they’d play by the rules? After all, they’d already done things like filling moats with dirt.
So she had to prepare for multiple scenarios. It was necessary to plan ahead.
The two men quickly agreed. After confirming there were no issues, they hurried to the area near the north gate to direct the workers in clearing it.
The few residents living there were quickly notified and moved to empty houses designated by the bailiffs.
The screams of Qu Zhao soldiers from the previous night still echoed in their ears, so the commoners dared not resist and obeyed silently.
By afternoon, more than a thousand construction workers from Ge Feng had arrived, and the people of Ge Feng were continuously transporting various building materials.
Soon, the residents of Chunrong County began to realize that the Jin Yang soldiers didn’t seem as brutal as the Qu Zhao people had claimed.
When their young men were called to dig pits and bury bodies, they received grain for it—real grain, given exactly as promised, with no delays.
This was a small, remote town. After the Qu Zhao people arrived, even the shops in town disappeared, and they had all become little more than slaves to the Qu Zhao.
They repaired and maintained the walls for the Qu Zhao, looked after horses, cut wood in the mountains, and transported supplies, surviving on coarse grains handed out at the Qu Zhao’s whim.
Wang Niu carried a small bag of grain into a narrow alley. Soon, he turned into a low hut and knocked on the door.
The old woman inside was startled by the noise and whispered, “Who is it?”
Wang Niu replied softly, “Mother, it’s me. Open the door.”
Her face lit up with joy. Leaning on a stick, she went to open the door. “How did it go? Are you alright?”
Wang Niu helped her sit down before turning to bolt the door. His mother’s eyesight was poor; she could barely see.
“I’m fine, Mother. I feel that the Jin Yang soldiers are good people. Today, they gave me two jin of coarse flour—a full two jin.” His voice was filled with excitement.
The old woman finally breathed a sigh of relief. When the bailiffs came that morning to register households, she sensed these people were different from those before. They didn’t act arrogantly toward the commoners but spoke kindly.
“Mother, they said they’re hiring workers. Tomorrow, I can go dig foundations. For a young man like me, it’s 180 copper coins a month,” Wang Niu said excitedly.
If he hadn’t fully trusted the Jin Yang army before, the moment he received the grain, he believed them.
The old woman was delighted but also worried. “We, we have no grain. I’m afraid we won’t live long enough to get paid.”
In the past, when they worked for the Qu Zhao people, they were paid day by day, with very little—never enough to eat, let alone to save any surplus.
When the Qu Zhao were in a bad mood, they wouldn’t give a single grain, and the people had no choice but to go hungry, hoping the next day’s work would earn them some food.
Wang Niu smiled. “The Jin Yang army said they’ll soon open a general store in town, selling grain, vegetables, salt, and oil.”
“And if you don’t have money but have signed up for work, you can draw some wages in advance and repay it from your pay later,” he added.
The old woman was stunned, her clouded eyes filled with disbelief. “What? You can get wages in advance?”
Wang Niu found it hard to believe too, but it was true.
“The Jin Yang army… they’re really different,” he murmured.
Silence fell in the room. Having lived so long in a broken and chaotic world, the mere touch of kindness from those in power felt unreal to them.
Remembering something, Wang Niu’s smile faded. “The Jin Yang army said that this city is now theirs, and the land we live on is all theirs. They’re going to rebuild houses and then rent them to us.”
The old woman was startled. “Then where will we live?”
Wang Niu explained, “Mother, don’t worry. The Jin Yang army said we’ll get compensation based on the size of our current house. We’ll receive a large sum of money.”
Though the old woman felt uneasy, she knew they were just common folk. All they could do was obey.
Besides, the Jin Yang army was already quite generous, offering compensation. If it were the Qu Zhao army taking your land, they wouldn’t give you a single coin—they’d just drive you out, and you’d be lucky not to be killed.
“Have they started building? Do we have to move out tomorrow?” she asked nervously.
She wasn’t too worried about where to live. People like them could find a corner anywhere in town to stay, and it wasn’t cold weather now.
It was just that her eyesight was poor. When she went out, she worried that someone might take their belongings from home. Although there was nothing of great value, still, the clay pot for cooking and the tattered bedding were all the possessions they had.
