Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 636: City Building Problems
Finally, Liu He arrived at Fude County, the last county among the five cities of Yunhai County.

This city is located in the center of Yunhai County, and the other four cities are located around it.

According to the plan, Dinghe County, located on the bank of the Yellow River, will gradually build a series of large-scale water conservancy facilities in the future. It will serve as the origin of the Yellow River management and soil and water regulation, and it will naturally become a place of grain harvest.

The two cities of Yunzhan County and Anma County are mainly used for grazing. The grass and water are lush, and they are connected to Shangjun in the west and Shuofang County in the north. They are most suitable as the central area of ​​the official horse farm of the imperial court.

Dingrong County is closest to Shangjun, which means it is closest to the existing Han territory. Given the current inconvenience in transportation, it would be better for the county seat to be closer to the newly established Yunhai County.

Fude County is surrounded by the other four counties, and the most valuable thing is that after upgrading to the fourth-level system, Liu He exchanged it for a "Mineral General Record", which detailed the uses of various minerals, as well as the methods of exploration and excavation. In recent years, with the joint efforts of Qian Li, Shi Tao, Meng Jian and the business, a group of talents proficient in minerals have been cultivated. According to their survey, there are several mineral deposits near Fude County, including salt, iron, copper, etc. Although not large, they are enough to be mined for thirty or forty years.

With such a foundation, coupled with the support of the imperial court, this place will naturally become a place for commerce within a few years after its completion, and the court will then set up a new customs market here.

By then, with the help of business exchanges, Yunhai County's fertile soil, and the good weather and harvests guaranteed by water conservancy facilities, it will surely become prosperous soon.

Liu He took a walk outside Fude County. The city of Fude County was three times larger than Dingrong County, and the foundation of the city wall was thicker. The city wall would naturally be higher in the future. After all, being located in a busy border area, the defense would always have to be stronger than other cities.

"How come I haven't met Youruo after walking all this way? I really have bad luck."

He was thinking that since he had come here anyway, if he could talk to Xun Chen in person, he would be able to know more. However, Xun Chen must be traveling everywhere, so since the two of them would not meet, it would be fine.

"Well, counting the days, today is the third day since I left Luoyang, and it's time to go back and prepare for the trip to Suanzao. It takes two days to get back to Luoyang, and another three days to get to Suanzao, so we can't delay."

He looked at the sun which had just reached the center of the sky, took out some dry food, took a few bites, and then set off on his journey.

When returning to Bingzhou from Fude County, one naturally has to pass through Dingrong City again.

About two hours later, the sun was setting. Liu He stopped and looked into the distance. He could already see the city under construction on the flat grassland.

But in addition to this, he also saw that there seemed to be several people on horseback riding quickly ahead.

Liu He was a little curious, so he rode his horse to catch up.

When he got closer, he couldn't help but feel happy: "People, they just don't get nagging. I just complained a few words and this person appeared in front of me."

He shouted to the people in front of him: "You Ruo! Youruo!"

Those men stopped their horses, one of them looked back, and when he saw Liu He, he hurried over to meet him.

"I have seen ..."

He was about to dismount and salute when Liu He hurriedly dissuaded him.

"Well, since we are on the road, there is no need to be polite."

Xun Chen was also sweating profusely and looked at Liu He in surprise.

"Why is the general here? Aren't you in Luoyang?"

Liu He smiled and said, "Haha, I arrived at Yunhai County a few days ago and have visited all five cities. Today I was about to set off back to Luoyang to prepare to welcome the emperor back. I didn't expect to meet Youruo here."

Xun Chen looked as if he had suddenly realized something. "So that's how it is. It's getting late. I would like to invite you to Dingrong City for a chat. After dinner, we can leave for Bingzhou to rest."

Liu He thought about it and decided that this would be a good opportunity for him to learn more about the project.

"Well, okay, let's go."

As the group arrived outside Dingrong City, Xun Chen said, "The conditions here are simple and we cannot hold a banquet. We can only share these meals with the laborers and craftsmen. I hope the general will not mind."

Liu He waved his hand: "What's there to be disgusted about? I've been eating this a lot these past few days, haha."

"General, you are very open-minded. I underestimated you. Please, General."

"Hey, I'm traveling incognito, and there are many people here who are gossipy. You should just call me Brother Liu."

"How dare I accept this humble position?" Xun Chen was somewhat flattered.

"Hey, what's the matter with being a leader or not? Just call me that. Otherwise, I will replace you with someone else to be the prefect of Yunhai County and send you back to Sili." If it were any other official, it would be the best thing to be able to return to the emperor and serve as a Beijing official. However, when Xun Chen heard it, it seemed like the most severe and terrifying threat in the world.

"No, no, if that's the case, you might as well kill me. Okay, please, Brother Liu."

"Haha, that's more like it. Please, brother."

Liu He and Xun Chen were eating when they suddenly remembered something: "Is the second son of Wang Qian, the Minister of Rites, the county lieutenant of this county?"

Xun Chen didn't know why he suddenly mentioned this person, and replied, "Not really. Previously, the general ordered all officials to recommend talents in the court. Among the preliminary list drawn up by the officials, there was this Wang Tong. The temporary vacant position is indeed the county lieutenant here. However, without the approval of the general and His Majesty, it naturally does not count. But Wang Taichang said that he has been studying and practicing martial arts in the family for many years and lacks experience, so he was sent here early to train. Young man, it is not bad to suffer a little."

Liu He understood and nodded: "I see. I don't think Wang Qian would do such a thing as to allow his son to bully others."

"What's wrong? Did you hear anything, brother?"

Xun Chen asked.

"I didn't hear it, I saw it. Never mind, let's not talk about it for now. By the way, does Wang Tong also live and eat with the laborers like us?"

Xun Chen smiled bitterly and said, "How is this possible? When he first arrived here, he was ambitious and wanted to do something big to surpass his brother Wang Can, who always had a very good reputation. However, he couldn't hold on on the first day. Now he has a special tent to stay in, and three meals a day are delivered by someone from Bingzhou. Alas, this guy came here and can't help at all. He can only cause trouble. However, he has not done anything wrong, so I can't do anything about it."

Liu He curled his lips and said, "If that's the case, then that's fine. But a few days ago, when I first came to Dingrong City, that guy took a fancy to my Baiyu Qianlizhui. When he failed to buy it, he actually tried to rob it. He really behaves like a playboy and his character is not very reliable. I need to pay more attention to him in the future."

Xun Chen's eyes widened, and he recovered after a while: "How could this guy be so bold? I thought he was just making some small moves here, so I turned a blind eye to it, but I didn't expect him to dare to do such a bold thing. If Wang Taichang knew about it, I'm afraid he would break his legs."

"Well, there's no need to tell Taichang about this. Young people are used to living a life of luxury and have never seen the outside world. I'm afraid there's nothing they can't buy since they were young, so it's not surprising that they're a little domineering. As long as he doesn't break the law or make a serious mistake, don't worry about him."

Xun Chen nodded and said, "Big...oh no, Brother Liu has a broad mind. I...I admire you."

Liu He took a sip of millet porridge, took a bite of coarse-grain cake, and smacked his lips. He was exhausted from running around these days, and these things now tasted different in his mouth.

"By the way, is the project progressing smoothly? There is still half a year before the New Year. I wonder if the five cities can be completed?"

When this matter was mentioned, Xun Chen's face instantly became serious.

"What's wrong? What's the difficulty?" Liu He asked.

"The other four cities are fine, but Dinghe City has a problem. This place is close to the Yellow River, and the soil around it is soft, with a lot of sand on the surface. If we keep digging, there will be hard soil and rock layers at a depth of about four feet. But we dug too deep, far exceeding the foundation depth required for the city wall, so we have to backfill it with rammed earth. The progress of the project will probably be delayed by at least three months, and it will cost an additional 200 million yuan."

"So many?" Liu He became a little anxious when he heard it.

But he knew nothing about architecture and couldn't think of a solution.

"Hmm...are there any other places around here that are suitable for building a city?"

Xun Chen shook his head: "This kind of terrain is found all over the area within a radius of dozens of miles."

Liu He frowned and thought for a while: "In this case, we can only dig. As for the method of speeding up the progress, I will issue a notice to recruit capable people after I welcome the emperor back."

Xun Chen nodded and said, "That's the only way."

The two were eating when a soldier hurried over.

"Tai Shou Xun, something has happened. Just now, another team of cars arrived, claiming to be craftsmen coming to build the city. Although they only brought one craftsman and a dozen laborers, they also brought a lot of tools, as well as some necessary materials and equipment..."

Xun Chen's eyes lit up: "Oh? That's thoughtful. Bring them here. Since I caught up with them, I will meet them in person today."

Unexpectedly, the soldier looked miserable: "But...but..."

As soon as Xun Chen saw his expression, he immediately guessed something.

"What's going on? Is that kid from the Wang family causing trouble again?"

(End of this chapter)