Start with a red name

Chapter 164: Heaven and Earth Join Forces, Initial Discussion of the Project

Geng Xuan thought of a sentence.

When time comes, heaven and earth all work together.

Is this really a divine intervention?

Today, when he returned to the west, what happened in Liuyunfang and the two things that happened before him gave Geng Xuan a new feeling in his heart.

This change did not come from "God's will".

If this "God's will" really exists, then its other side is clearly two other words.

"public opinion".

Over the past one or two hundred years, the noble families and top forces in Yuanzhou, who were accustomed to stability and wealth and feared turmoil and chaos, chose to abandon their martial arts.

However, what they destroyed was Yuanzhou’s “martial arts”.

Not only did they not suffer any loss, but they also gained great benefits from it.

Like the Wuyou Palace, there are many noble families and top gangs that have gained wealth and prosperity for hundreds of years.

But will the cries and desires suppressed in the hearts of billions of people disappear because of this?

of course not.

However, it turned into an undercurrent hidden deep beneath the icy ice.

Because of their “darkness” and “hiddenness”, they are unable to interact with each other, connect into a force, and can only struggle in their own little world.

But once there is an opportunity that allows them to gather together and form a force, no matter what their original intention is, no matter what they think their reasons are.

The final result will make them quickly move towards this "trend".

Just like the law of physics that a magnet attracts scattered iron filings, it is unstoppable.

Not only can it not be stopped by external forces, but even the people involved cannot stop it either.

Not only are the people involved unstoppable, but even the initial "momentum" is equally unstoppable.

Under the support and influx of this endless stream of "iron filings", this initial "momentum" will be gradually engulfed, influenced, and even deviate from its original intention.

It becomes a huge "snowball" that grows bigger and bigger, but becomes more and more out of control, rushing towards the "death slope" that could bring destruction.

The process of this "snowball" constantly rolling down and getting bigger and bigger is "when the time comes, heaven and earth will work together."

If this "snowball" is finally smashed into pieces, it will turn into countless snow powder.

The "momentum" also dries up and dissipates in this process, and it is no longer possible to form a new "snowball" out of thin air. This is what is meant by "the hero is not free even when his life is gone."

What seems to be controlling all of this is a mysterious and unpredictable "God's will".

But from the beginning to the end, all that was involved was "public opinion."

It’s just that their numbers are too large and their powers are too diverse, so they even pull and harm each other, and hinder and entangle each other.

Its power is so huge that it seems to be able to accomplish everything, but in fact it is in a chaotic and disordered state where it can do nothing.

The ripples it creates are the waves in the sea of suffering.

It arises from all living beings, yet it submerges all living beings in it.

If the initial "momentum" is not firm and strong enough, and does not have a clear direction, it can easily be dissolved, diverted or even annihilated.

In the end, one is at a loss and unable to make up one's mind, becoming part of the sea of suffering and calamity.

The only way to cross this sea of suffering is to have the initial "momentum". He needs to hold up a torch, no, he himself must become the torch.

With great wisdom, great courage, great perseverance, great optimism and great compassion, no matter the bitter wind and rain, harsh weather and frost from the outside, or the doubts, tearing and conflicts from within, do not doubt, do not fear, do not waver, do not be negative and do not give up. Gather the chaotic and disordered hearts of trillions of people under one banner and lead them in the same direction. Only in this way can we unite as one, overwhelm the mountains and seas, change the world and create a new world.

In a trance, because of the actions of Feng Yu and others who bowed their heads, Geng Xuan had some unreasonable associations in his mind that had almost no connection with what was happening before his eyes.

Under the scorching gazes, Geng Xuan kept these thoughts deep in his heart.

He stepped forward and personally helped Feng Yu and the others up, and said with great joy:

"What are you talking about? The fact that the Grand Master can come to help me at this time is just the right time to help me out!"

Geng Xuan's reaction made Feng Yu feel relieved.

However, I was a little confused as to what Geng Xuan meant by "urgent matter".

Geng Xuan seemed to understand his doubts and introduced another person beside him to him, saying with a smile:

"Master, you are no stranger to Hong Quan, right? Actually, he used to be your subordinate.

Now in my Giant Bear Gang, besides me, he is the most capable fighter.

Of course I recognize Hong Quan's abilities.

However, insufficient cultivation is a fatal flaw, and it is difficult to improve much in a short period of time.

Now that I am about to have a clash with Wu Yi, your arrival will help me out of my most pressing need!"

The person Geng Xuan introduced to Feng Yu at this moment was naturally Hong Quan.

The moment he saw the former grand master and leader of the Baiyuanji's guards, who was also his former direct superior, appear and kneel down in front of Geng Xuan and ask to be accepted, Hong Quan's mood became extremely complicated.

I feel a little emotional about the strangeness of the circumstances and the huge changes that have occurred in these days.

At the same time, there is also a mixture of complex and contradictory emotions such as loss and relief.

The disappointment naturally came from Hong Quan realizing that his title of "the best fighter in the Giant Bear Gang after the leader" was about to be lost.

Not to mention that he would definitely not be able to keep this position, Hong Quan was very skeptical. After the next "expansion" of the Giant Bear Gang, whether he could rank among the top ten based on his own cultivation and strength was a matter worth discussing.

The decline in strength will inevitably lead to a downward shift in status and gradual marginalization.

Just like how he replaced Luo Qing, Teng Yu and others and briefly became the "most popular person" in front of the gang leader.

But this time, he was the one who was replaced.

And he felt relaxed for the same reason.

Only by following your gang leader closely for a period of time can you feel firsthand how terrifying his ability to torment is and how crazy his hidden thoughts are.

As the best expert in the gang besides the leader, only he himself knows how much pressure he feels.

Not to mention the distant future, there is the upcoming clash with the Wu family of Anleji.

While he was certain that his leader would win, Hong Quan was not completely confident about his own future.

He even felt that he might be killed in this clash with the Wu family, just like the six gang members who died in Wanpingji.

Now, Master Feng and others appeared and stood in front of him.

The worry hidden deep in my heart was mostly dissipated.

……

Feng Yu, Fang Jintang, Qi Mingcheng and others surrounded Geng Xuan and walked towards the camp.

At the entrance of the camp, Geng Xuan saw a group of men and women whose clothing and temperament were very different from those of the people in the neighborhood.

The whole process of Feng Yu and others coming to him and being accepted by him was obviously seen by them.

Among them were Zhao Xinglang and several others who had met him in the hall of Wanping Pavilion.

These people were gathering at the entrance of the camp.

Those who had seen him and seen him kill people at will and turn them into a pool of blood were relatively well-behaved.

Those who have never seen him look at him with a sense of inquiry, curiosity, and scrutiny.

However, perhaps because Zhao Xinglang and others had given them advance warning, their performance was very subtle and restrained compared to the Xu family member who was turned into a pool of blood by him.

When passing by this group of people, Geng Xuan glanced at them all, and finally looked at Zhao Xinglang and asked:

"These people should have just arrived not long ago, right?"

Zhao Xinglang nodded and said:

"We just arrived. Everyone heard about this rare thing happening here and wanted to come and take a look."

As he said this, he wanted to introduce some of these people to Geng Xuan.

Geng Xuan just nodded and led Feng Yu, Fang Jintang and others into the camp.

His behavior obviously made some people feel humiliated.

A girl in her early twenties with cute baby fat on her cheeks was standing next to Zhao Xinglang. She pouted and snorted in dissatisfaction.

"Hmph, what are you so proud of!"

Zhao Xinglang immediately turned his head and pleaded:

“Ancestor, what did I say before I came here?

If you can't keep your mouth shut, I'll have no choice but to send you back!"

The girl's eyebrows raised, as if she was about to have a fit.

However, before he spoke again, he seemed to remember something and forced himself to hold it back.

He simply snorted, stamped his feet, turned around and headed towards the area of the camp that was specifically set aside for them.

Zhao Xinglang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this.

……

On the way to the central tent, Liang Wenying introduced the situation of the camp.

"We arrived at the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the evening today."

"More than 92,000 people were stationed in five camps according to their respective neighborhoods.

We can keep in touch with each other while maintaining some distance between us.”

"Other problems are fine, the biggest problem now is water use."

“The land around here is desolate, and there is no water in the land.”

“An old craftsman who is good at finding water and digging looked around and only found a few possible water outlets.

Even if all the water was drained, it would still not be able to meet the needs of nearly 100,000 people."

"Tomorrow we plan to expand our exploration range a little further out, and try to find more water points where we can dig wells nearby."

“Fortunately, this place is not too far from Santongji. It is close to Chiwu Mountain and has many mountain springs and underground rivers.

We arrange a large number of carriages and horses to transport water every day, which can barely meet the demand, but it is a bit too time-consuming. "

At this moment, Chang Sidao next to him said:

"Boss, can we move a little further west and set up camp near those water sources?"

Geng Xuan nodded and said:
“Of course, I will now assign you a temporary place to stay.

It’s just a suggestion, not something you have to follow.”

Chang Sidao showed surprise on his face, as if he had not expected that Geng Xuan would be so easy to talk to.

But it was obvious that his reaction was a little too early.

Geng Xuan then said:

“However, before you decide to continue moving westward and station near a water source, you should learn more about the current situation around Chiwu Mountain.

Being close to water sources is naturally a good thing as it makes your life more convenient.

But this also means that you are closer to Santongji, and now the conflict between Santongji and Anleji is gradually becoming more intense.

You guys better stay away now, the Wu family doesn't have time to deal with you.

But if you get too close, you have to consider whether the Wu family will vent their anger on you."

"Uh..." Chang Sidao, who had just shown some surprise on his face, froze there.

Peng Ke, the owner of Lingbaofang, trembled a little on his chubby face and said quickly, "This is good enough now."

Wu Ruohai next to him also nodded in agreement.

As they were talking, the group had already walked into the main tent.

Geng Xuan first said to Feng Yu: "Grand Master..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Feng Yu interrupted him:

"Boss, you can just call me by my name. I feel embarrassed when you call me Grand Master."

Geng Xuan nodded and said:

"Brother Feng, I will discuss your matters with you in detail after this matter is settled.

But please rest assured, I will never let you and the brothers who came with you suffer any injustice!"

Feng Yu nodded, cupped his hands and said, "I don't need to... Well, I'll leave now."

As he was about to leave the tent, Geng Xuan grabbed his hand.

Geng Xuan said:
“Brother Feng, there’s no need to be so formal. Although you haven’t officially joined the gang yet, I don’t treat you as outsiders either.

You can also listen to what I'm going to talk about next.

You have been in Baiyuanji for so many years, so you should be able to give me some advice."

Feng Yu was stunned for a moment, bowed, and then sat aside with Fang Jintang, Qi Mingcheng and others.

Geng Xuan sat down in the main seat as a matter of course, and opposite him were Liang Wenying, Chang Sidao, Peng Ke, Wu Ruohai, and other high-ranking officials of the Five Districts who sat cross-legged opposite Geng Xuan.

Geng Xuan's eyes swept over the people in the Five Quarters and said:

"I think that many of you are confused right now, and don't know why I placed you here."

No one replied, but the changes in many people's expressions undoubtedly showed that what Geng Xuan said was correct.

The soil under my feet is very good and the area is wide and flat enough, making it a good place to grow crops.

But there is such a severe water shortage that it is difficult to even meet the drinking needs of 100,000 people, let alone allow so many people to farm here.

If they don't farm, do they have to compete for food with the neighbors like Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong and others and become mountain dwellers?

This is naturally a path that makes them excited.

But just a little thought will tell you that this road is still blocked.

Not to mention that they have no ability to make a living from this, even if they have the ability, they will not get a share of this meal.

From the eighth section in the north to the fifth section in the east and then to the fourth section in the south, the Chiwu Mountain area, which stretches for one or two thousand miles, has already been populated by more than three hundred thousand mountain dwellers, and it has long been saturated.

A fragile balance has already been reached.

Not to mention cramming nearly 100,000 people into the crowd, even if they squeezed in another neighborhood with two or three thousand people, it would cause violent unrest in many surrounding neighborhoods and even in the market.

We can't just squeeze out one third of the existing mountain people to make room for them, right?

Although Geng Xuan had promised to provide a guarantee for their survival, they did not expect Geng Xuan to do so for them.

Geng Xuan said:
“You should have seen it when you came here. Not far from here, there is a dried-up ancient river channel.

As far as I know, this river has been dry for less than four hundred years.

Because the rainy season was too severe one summer, a landslide occurred in the upper reaches, blocking the river and changing the direction of the river. This caused the river to gradually dry up and become abandoned.

Originally, these two sides were also very prosperous, with fertile land, not inferior to the central area of Yueluyuan.

However, as the river dried up, the banks gradually became desolate.”

After listening to Geng Xuan's story, Liang Wenying, Chang Sidao and others realized something and all showed surprised looks on their faces.

Peng Ke blurted out and asked in a lost voice:
"Boss, you...you don't want to dredge the river again, do you?"

Geng Xuan smiled and nodded, "It seems that there is no need for me to say more, you have already thought of it."

Everyone else was still in a daze, speechless and shocked by Geng Xuan's generosity.

After meeting up with Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong and others, Mr. Chai, who was sitting with them at the moment, almost cried out in surprise.

He still remembered that when they were traveling east to Yueluyuan, they happened to rest beside the ancient river channel, and "Boss Su" asked him this question.

He said with certainty at the time that no one would be foolish enough to do such a thankless task.

Now, the "fool" has jumped out himself.

Fortunately, his years of life experience allowed him to bite his lips tightly, preventing himself from making any movement.

Only Peng Ke's face turned pale. He shook his head and murmured:

"It's over... it's over...

I thought that since you made such a suggestion, you must have already had a proper resettlement plan for us.

I didn't expect that your plan was this... You should have told me in advance!"

Although he didn't say it clearly, his reaction of "getting on a pirate ship by mistake" was fully demonstrated.

When the others heard Peng Ke's heartfelt words, their expressions changed slightly.

This is clearly an accusation that Geng Xuan did not do his job properly.

Geng Xuan did not feel unhappy after hearing this. Instead, he asked curiously:
"How do you know it's over?"

Peng Ke looked at Geng Xuan, a smile uglier than crying appeared on his face, and he muttered again:

"You should have told us about such a big plan in advance."

Perhaps he realized that it was useless to complain any further at this moment.

Peng Ke shook his head and said in a low voice:
"Boss, you may not know yet, but our Lingbaofang was moved from here to Yueluyuan...

At that time, many neighborhoods moved eastward from here to Yueluyuan. Although they said they moved eastward, they were actually fleeing.

At that time, there was already chaos and war, and the land was never peaceful. The people in Yueluyuan treated us as vagrants and took precautions against us...

Our Lingbaofang was actually formed by the remaining people from the eight villages who fled east to Yueluyuan at that time.

The notes did not record the process in detail, but just thinking about it you can imagine how dire the situation was at that time.

Before deciding to abandon their foundation here and flee eastward to Yueluyuan to seek survival, all the neighborhoods had already tried every possible means.

After all, if you can continue to stay here, who would want to be a stray dog? !
The most important issue for all the residents is whether the silted river can be dredged again.

This is also the most despairing thing! ”

Having said that, Peng Ke shook his head again and sighed.

"Why? Is it impossible to dredge the river again?" Geng Xuan asked.

Peng Ke shook his head and said:

“Of course it can be cleared, but the workload required is not something that can be done by one family alone.

Let alone one neighborhood, even if there were ten neighborhoods, even if they didn't eat or drink for a whole year and devoted all their efforts to this, it would be impossible to complete it!" Geng Xuan nodded and said, "The workload is very large?"

“Well, almost all the neighborhoods have sent people to the site for a thorough inspection, and have also had the most experienced masters perform detailed calculations.

According to the most conservative estimate, 35 million skilled workers are needed!
The more common view is that 50 to 60 million skilled workers are needed.

The most exaggerated one directly said that it would take at least 100 million yuan to dredge the river again.”

This is a commonly used method used by Lifang to assess the specific engineering quantities of a project.

For example, how many workers are needed to build a section of canal;
How many great workers are needed to dig a fish pond;
How many workers are needed to build a house?
……

A "big worker" is the amount of work that an adult man in the neighborhood can complete in a day's work.

However, this statistical method is very inaccurate and has a very large error.

However, it can help people assess the size and difficulty of a project in the simplest and most intuitive way.

And whether it can be completed with the manpower of our own workshop and how long it will take to complete.

Moreover, even if there is an error, it usually does not exceed ten percent.

Those experienced masters can even control the error to less than one percent.

A project that requires tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of workers to complete is certainly not something that a single household can dream of.

Clearing blocked rivers mainly involves digging and transporting earth.

Based on Geng Xuan's understanding of the physical fitness of ordinary residents, a skilled worker is basically equivalent to digging and transporting 1.5 to 2 cubic meters of earth.

This may seem like a very small amount, but if measured in weight, it is three to four tons.

And this is basically the limit of what ordinary people can endure in a day.

From this perspective, 35 million skilled workers are basically equivalent to 50 to 70 million cubic meters of earthwork.

The labor cost of over 100 million is equivalent to 100 to 200 million cubic meters of earthwork.

After calculating the approximate amount of work based on his own understanding, Geng Xuan no longer felt heavy in his heart, but rather felt much more relaxed.

After seeing Peng Ke's performance just now, he thought that there were some difficulties in this matter that he had not discovered but was completely unable to overcome.

Geng Xuan was curious about something else.

He looked at Peng Ke, who looked dejected, and asked:

“You said that the people who assessed the workload were the most experienced masters in each workshop, but why are the differences in the assessment results given by each workshop so huge?

The biggest disparity is at least three times!

Since we are all masters, we shouldn't make such mistakes, right?"

Peng Ke shook his head and explained.

Only then did Geng Xuan realize that the different project quantities did not come from evaluation errors, but from differences in construction plans.

That would require at least 35 million workers just to dredge the river and get this river, which is as important as your blood, flowing again.

As for the rest, don’t worry about it.

Those larger projects more or less include the inspection of hidden dangers in the landslide area and post-disaster handling.

The evaluator of the plan, which required more than 100 million tons of engineering work, felt that the workload was too outrageous, and he eventually gave up on making more detailed calculations.

This plan aims to solve the problem of this section of the river once and for all.

It not only involves clearing blocked rivers, but also building riverbanks, repairing and renovating the landslide-prone mountain, adding slope protection, and lowering the slope and adding steps in areas with steep slopes and the risk of another landslide...

By doing this, the problem is solved once and for all, but the workload will increase rapidly.

In the end, even the evaluator himself felt that this had no chance of being implemented and gave up before an accurate result was obtained.

There was a long silence in the tent.

Geng Xuan was thinking and calculating, and did not speak for the time being.

Fang Jintang, Qi Mingcheng, Feng Yu and others kept their mouths shut, wishing that everyone would forget about them.

They felt that they should not be present at all at this meeting which had nothing to do with them.

Is it a lucky thing to witness the big boss making a fool of himself?

Not to mention Peng Ke's dejected face, even Liang Wenying, Chang Sidao and others were all at a loss after hearing what Peng Ke said.

For a moment, everyone felt confused about their future and didn't know where to go.

Liang Wenying blamed herself in her heart.

At the beginning, he was intimidated by the power of "Boss Su" who quickly wiped out Wanpingji and killed more than a dozen marrow-refining masters from Wuyou Palace.

When they were asked to move west, he agreed without giving it much thought.

He was now reflecting in his heart, wondering if he had agreed too hastily.
However, Liu Yueji, who had followed all the way and had taken a place in the corner of the tent, was looking here and there.

Among all the people present, he looked the most relaxed and calm.

It’s not because it’s none of my business.

Instead, he instinctively felt that this decision made by "Boss Su" could not be a simple mistake.

When he heard Peng Ke muttering like a nagging woman, "If only I had told you in advance," he couldn't help but want to laugh.

If it had been announced in advance, wouldn't the westward migration have been impossible?

So, do you think that "Boss Su" forgot to inform you in advance?
It's obvious that they did it on purpose!

If there is one person at this scene who has confidence in Geng Xuan, that person must be Liu Yueji.

In such an atmosphere, Geng Xuan woke up from his meditation, swept his bright eyes over Peng Ke, Liang Wenying, Chang Sidao, Wu Ruohai and others, and asked a question.

"What do you think is a reasonable price for a skilled worker?"

"what?"

Peng Ke, Liang Wenying and others looked confused.

I didn't know why Geng Xuan asked this, nor did I know how to answer it.

Not only because they rarely linked the assignment of labor in the neighborhood with money.

There are also huge differences between "great workers" and "great workers".

A person who only has strong strength and can do nothing else, but carries a hoe and digs the ground all day long, this is a big worker.

A skilled bricklayer can lay four walls in one day, so that the empty space that originally only had a foundation can be transformed into the outline of a room within one day. This is also a big job.

If measured in silver, would their values be the same?

Just when Liang Wenying, Peng Ke and others were a little confused and didn't know how to answer.

Liu Yueji, who was hiding in the corner, suddenly had a bright idea and answered quickly:
"Boss, I don't want money, you just need to provide me with enough food!"

Geng Xuan followed the voice and looked at Liu Yueji, with a smile in his eyes, and asked: "Oh, do you know what I am going to do?"

Liu Yueji quickly came out from the corner and stood next to Liang Wenying, Peng Ke and others. She nodded and bowed to Geng Xuan while smiling:
"If I'm not mistaken, you want to hire people to dredge the river."

Geng Xuan nodded and said, "You are quite clever. Yes, that is exactly what I meant."

When saying the last words, Geng Xuan looked at Liang Wenying and others again.

After hearing what Geng Xuan said, Liang Wenying and the others opened their mouths so wide that duck eggs could be stuffed in them.

It’s not that they are stupid, they just haven’t figured it out yet.

But they just don’t think that there are such “fools” in this world!
No matter how cheap a skilled worker is, it still costs money.

Not to mention tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of workers, that is such a huge astronomical figure that they dare not even think about it.

If the banks of the dried-up river were the private property of a certain family and that person was willing to pay for it, they could still understand it.

However, given the current situation in Yuanzhou, it is impossible for anyone to do this.

Even if Wuyou Palace wants to do this, it will immediately become the target of public criticism!
In this case, who would invest huge amounts of money in this thankless task?

To say that he was naive is too mild an expression.

It was Peng Ke who first broke free from his absurd and shocked mood and began to seriously consider the feasibility of this matter.

He murmured, "Even if they provide meals, there are tens of millions of workers, so the food consumed must be at least tens of thousands of catties."

Geng Xuan smiled and said, "Do you still need to worry about this? You should know the current situation of Liuyunfang best. Are you still worried that I can't take care of the food?"

Now all the surplus food in Yueluyuan is being sent to Liuyunfang.

Then the grain transport team organized by Liu Yueji was continuously delivering grain from Liuyunfang to this side like flowing water.

It’s really not difficult to provide meals.

Ten million kilograms of grain is certainly a lot.

But according to the measurement commonly used by rice merchants, it is only more than 800,000 shi.

For the neighborhood, this is naturally an astronomical figure.

But for the rice shops in Yueluyuan market, there is no pressure at all.

When Peng Ke reacted, his breathing became heavier.

He suddenly realized that the biggest problem had been solved at the very beginning.

He fell into deeper thought, and after a while, he said:
“There are also tools and agricultural implements that are barely usable, but they will seriously affect efficiency.

If you want to improve efficiency, you need a lot of better quality and more targeted tools! "

Geng Xuan said, "I can place large orders with the iron shops in the markets right now. I think few will refuse such a profitable deal."

"..." Peng Ke looked at Geng Xuan, opened his mouth, and finally said, "This will cost a lot of money!"

Geng Xuan casually replied: "Isn't money meant to be spent?"

To others, this was not an answer at all, but just a joking ridicule.

But this is what Geng Xuan really meant.

Money is money only when it flows.

If it stays there, it will be a pile of paper, oh, now it should be a pile of metal.

Geng Xuan did not forget that in the basement of Kangleji, he had buried a total of 4.7 million taels of silver in a corner known only to him.

In the storehouse of the Wei family compound in Wanfufang, after burying the 4.7 million taels of silver, there was not much cash left.

But now, not much time has passed, and because of the seizures and transactions with Bajiafang on Xuanyou horses, weapons and supplies, another 600,000 to 700,000 taels have been earned.

This time, Yue Luyuan and his team received another huge amount of profit in just a few days.

Hong Quan and others have not yet taken stock of everything because there are too many and too complicated things to do.

Geng Xuan realized that in the foreseeable future, the speed at which he would "accumulate" wealth would become faster and faster.

And the speed of spending money is far less than the speed of "making money".

But Geng Xuan knew very well that it was inappropriate to keep the money in his hands.

His financial knowledge was limited, but he knew the basic concepts.

If the amount of silver and money circulating in a region drops sharply, there will be a money shortage.

Geng Xuan found it ridiculous just to think that his hamster-like hoarding of silver would eventually bring an economic crisis to the world.

Given the fragility of the people at the bottom of this world, if something like this really breaks out, the number of deaths would definitely be ten or a hundred times more than the number of people he killed with his own hands.

This is not the situation Geng Xuan wants to see.

But he couldn't just give away the money casually.

It is not easy for him to find a suitable and generous way to spend money.

Geng Xuan felt that it was appropriate to spend money on this big project, and he easily convinced himself without any hesitation.

“Just think of it as redistribution.”

Thinking this in his mind, Geng Xuan looked at Peng Ke again and asked, "Any other questions?"

Peng Ke was silent.

He thought this "Boss Su" was evil enough.

Now I understand that my previous understanding was far from enough.

He tried to focus his attention on the incident, thought about it, and said:
"If the problems of food and tools can be solved, then there is only one problem left—"

He paused, his tone became heavier, and said:

“That’s the human being.”

"In many matters involving the Lifang, there is no difference between a strong man and a strong woman.

If you work for a whole day, you can be considered a skilled worker.

But dredging the river is different, it involves real physical labor, and a strong woman can only do 0.7 or even 0.6 of the work at most.

Even many of the strong men we have counted in various neighborhoods cannot fully adapt to this workload.

I estimated in my mind that even if the people from Liuyunfang were included, the number of able-bodied men and women should be around 84,000.

But even if all of them were mobilized, they could only contribute 60,000 to 62,000 workers a day at most.

But with so many people, leaving aside other things, it would take at least a year and a half just to dredge the river.

If we also include riverbank and slope protection projects, it will take four years to complete!"

Before Geng Xuan could speak, Liu Yueji beside him said dissatisfiedly:

"Hey, Mr. Peng, do you have any problem with me?
Why do you only count the people from your few villages? Aren’t those vagrants who came here to build bridges and roads for you and escort you also human beings? "

As he spoke, he looked at Geng Xuan and said seriously:

"Boss, don't be fooled by the fact that those vagrants are as skinny as monkeys, that's mainly because they are hungry.

Their bodies, however, were in very good health, and they were not lacking in strength.

I guarantee that if we give them enough food for two days, they will work harder than the locals!"

Geng Xuan believed this.

Given the living environment of vagrants, those with poor physical fitness have long been eliminated by nature.

Those who can live to adulthood with intact limbs are all blessed with some "talent".

He said to Peng Ke, who looked unhappy:
"Liu Yueji is right. As long as there are vagrants willing to do this, I won't refuse."

As he said this, he didn't care what Peng Ke was thinking, he looked at Liu Yueji and said, "Your vision is still a bit narrow."

"Ah?" Liu Yueji blinked and quickly asked for advice:
“What am I overlooking?”

Geng Xuan said:
“If my prediction is correct, the signs of famine will gradually appear in various parts of Yuanzhou as early as next month and at the latest by the end of January next year.

If nothing is done, a food shortage will break out between March and April next year."

And given the nature of those top forces in Yuanzhou, they will not take any action.

Well, except for taking the opportunity to "purchase" some people they like who have various special needs.

Similar things have happened in history.

Although famine will cause death, not all of them will die.

Those who survive will eventually return to the land again.

Once again, cultivate and reproduce.

It's like leeks. Once you cut one, a new one will grow soon.

Geng Xuan continued:
"I know you Rangers have your own circle, and people like you have friends all over the world.

You can let them slowly spread the message that life here is not easy, but as long as you are willing to work, at least you can be guaranteed to have food to eat and not starve to death.

I believe that as the signs of food shortage become more and more obvious, more and more people will come here.”

When Liu Yueji heard this, her expression changed drastically. She then bowed deeply to Geng Xuan and said:
"Boss, I, Liu Huaer, am truly convinced!"

Peng Ke next to him muttered:

“It’s not good to have too many people coming.

For such a large-scale project, the more people there are, the better it is not the case.

The more people there are, the more difficult it is to manage.

If you are not careful, there could be a big mess."

Geng Xuan smiled and said:

“There’s no need to arrange for everyone to dredge the river.

There are thousands of miles of wasteland on both sides of this river. Once the river channel is dredged, it will all be fertile land. Are you still worried about having no place to settle down?

This place has been abandoned for nearly four hundred years. If we want to renovate it, no matter how much manpower we put in, it will never be enough. How can it be too much? "

From then on, Peng Ke had nothing to say.

Afterwards, Geng Xuan talked about this matter with everyone for a long time.

Under his "suggestion", Peng Ke can serve as the person in charge of this project and start the preliminary preparations from now on.

We will strive to start the practical operation at the beginning of next month.

At that time, the Wu family's troubles were almost resolved.

Well, it is a "suggestion". After all, logically speaking, Geng Xuan has not accepted the loyalty of the Five Districts up to now, so naturally he cannot order them to do anything.

Fortunately, no one raised any objection to his "suggestion".

After sorting out all of this, although it felt extremely absurd, the morale of the top brass in the Five Quarters was indeed settled.

Geng Xuan asked Fang Jintang, Qi Mingcheng and others to look after the five districts, and asked them to keep an eye on the developments in Anleji at all times, and send pigeons to report any disturbances as soon as possible.

After everything was settled, Geng Xuan, Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong, and the newly joined Feng Yu continued their journey westward.

Liu Yueji stayed in the Wufang camp.

Although he and Liang Wenying, Peng Ke and others dislike each other, it does not prevent them from working together for the upcoming major project.

Liu Yueji, Liang Wenying, Peng Ke and others stood at the entrance of the camp and watched Geng Xuan and his group disappear into the night.

Before they could return, they heard a burst of dense horse hoof sounds from the east.

When everyone turned their heads, they saw a group of dusty and disheveled people rushing out from the night.

(End of this chapter)