Start with a red name

Geng Xuan turned to Guo Zian and said, "Then let's make adjustments according to your suggestions."

Guo Zian, however, did not understand what "know when to stop" meant, and looked at Luo Qing "pushing forward" and asked:
"Including the Liuyunfang that moved in later, the total number of residents in the Wufang camp has exceeded 100,000, right?

How many people do you plan to send north? "

Luo Qingdao:
"To be exact, there are more than 105,100 residents in the Wufang camp. After discussion, we plan to arrange 60,000 residents to go north one after another."

Guo Zian was surprised and asked, "So many?"

Luo Qing explained:
“The Wufang Camp is now stationed in the wilderness near Santongji.

Although it is not far from the ancient Zhushui River, the wilderness cannot be cultivated as long as the river is blocked.

They stayed there and had nothing to do except improve the facilities in the camp.

A large amount of stored food is consumed every day, and the country is almost empty.

With the grain reserves in each neighborhood and the current daily consumption, they will be completely exhausted before next summer.

Given the current situation, there will be absolutely no production from the land next year.

All the residents are now extremely panicked."

Having said this, Luo Qing looked at Geng Xuan and said:

“The heads of several villages have already reported this situation to the leader of the gang.

The gang leader had assured them that as long as the residents participated in dredging the ancient Zhushui River, they would not only be provided with enough food.

Every time a piece of work is completed, it can be exchanged for silver or food.

As the news spread in the Wufang camp, there was no need to urge them, and more than 80% of the residents applied to participate in the project.

Taking the actual situation into consideration, we eliminated 20% of them, leaving about 60,000 strong laborers.”

——In the neighborhood, except for the very old, very young, or those who are born weak or have illnesses, all other young men and the elderly in their 50s and 60s are considered normal laborers. And this kind of labor force basically accounts for about 80% of the total population of the neighborhood.

However, projects like dredging the ancient Zhushui River are very different from normal farming in the fields. They require higher physical fitness and cannot be done without truly strong laborers.

After listening to Luo Qing's explanation, Guo Zian said, "That is to say, the current 10,000 people are just the first batch, and there are another 50,000 people who will go north later?"

Luo Qing nodded and said, "Yes, according to our original plan, we will make one batch for every 10,000 people.

As the first group, we will open up the route first and set up camps along the way, so that subsequent teams, as well as a large number of various tools and supplies, can more conveniently go north."

Hearing this, Guo Zian couldn't help but shook his head and said:
"According to this plan, it will take you 60,000 people one or two months to arrive... This efficiency is too low. All the time is wasted on the road."

After unable to hold back his emotion, Guo Zian looked at Geng Xuan and said:

"Boss Su, with this efficiency, it is impossible to complete the main project before the next rainy season!"

After hearing what Guo Zian said, Geng Xuan also fell into deep thought.

Originally, Geng Xuan had no special requirements for the construction period, and he was not obsessed with completing the main project before the next rainy season.

Therefore, he did not pay much attention to the specific issues of personnel and resource scheduling, and left it all to Luo Qing and the heads of the five camps.

Now, Guo Zian had aroused his thoughts in this regard, and he had to think about it seriously.

After a while, Geng Xuan, who gradually had some ideas in his mind, looked at Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng and asked:
"Before the Qingyuanji War broke out, the nearby people were very smart and quick to take advantage of the situation. They all hid in the mountains in advance... What's their situation now? Have they all returned?"

Qi Mingcheng nodded and said:

"They are all back. A few days ago, several abbots came to visit me and test my attitude.

Knowing that the battle of Qingyuanji was over, the gang leader was kind and had no intention of implicating them.

They soon came out of the mountains with their respective residents."

Geng Xuan asked again: "Have the neighborhoods around Beibaji been affected by the battle at Qingyuanji?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Mingcheng was stunned for a moment, and then fell into thought.

At this time, a man who used to be the head of Wanshunji and now serves as the team leader with his senior marrow refining skills first bowed respectfully to Geng Xuan and said:

"Boss, as far as I know, the neighborhoods around Beibaji were not affected much by the Qingyuanji war.

At the beginning, Wu Yi recruited soldiers from Anleji and Baiyuanji.

The surrounding neighborhoods were highly alert to the market and were quite powerful, so it was not easy to take advantage of them.

Secondly, Wu Yi probably had not expected the war to escalate to that extent at that time, and he had not yet thought of attacking those neighborhoods.

Later, when they began to forcibly recruit soldiers in "Beibaji", the surrounding neighborhoods had already sensed the danger and hid in the Chiwu Mountain in advance.

Even if Wu Yi and his men wanted to squeeze some troops out of these neighborhoods, they wouldn’t be able to find any trace of them for a while.”

The villages and towns surrounding Chiwu Mountain all rely on Chiwu Mountain for their livelihood, and they are very familiar with the mountains and forests under their respective jurisdiction.

Outsiders feel dizzy when they enter the mountains and everything looks the same to them. To them, this is the best place to escape disasters.

Another thing is that the population of these villages and towns that depend on the mountains for their livelihood is much smaller than that of the villages and towns in Yueluyuan where people live by farming. Generally, there are only two to three thousand people in one village, but the per capita quality is very high.

Not only is their cultivation level high, but their mobilization capabilities also far exceed those of other organizations. Every year's autumn hunt is a large-scale mobilization of the entire neighborhood.

As long as he made up his mind, he could make all the people in the neighborhood disappear overnight and hide in the mountains.

Geng Xuan asked again: "Have they all come out of the mountains now?"

The man nodded and said:
"Hiding in the mountains is just a temporary refuge, and food and clothing are all problems, so you can't stay there for long.

After confirming that the war was over, the most they did was wait and see for three to five days before returning one after another. "

At this point, he added:

“As far as I know, these villages that have been able to take root around Chiwu Mountain all have their own roots and foundations.

Their sense of change in wind direction and danger may be more acute than that of many markets.”

Geng Xuan heard this and nodded slightly.

Originally, he did not include these neighborhoods in his plan.

But now, the new plan proposed by Guo Zian and the "great flood" that had accumulated in the two states of Xuan and You and was about to pour down with overwhelming force made Geng Xuan change his mind.

As far as the dredging of the ancient Zhushui River is concerned, these residents are better workers than those from Yueluyuan.

The proportion of practitioners is very high.

Moreover, this is a rare group of practitioners who have no resistance or aversion to labor.

In the overall situation, this is the best source of troops!

Compared to other groups of practitioners, their discipline, obedience, understanding of war, and acceptance of strict military orders are all qualities that other practitioners do not possess.

In the past battle of Qingyuanji, the eight villages around Kangleji alone provided Geng Xuan with two thousand troops.

Compared with the thousands of troops raised from various other channels, it is not only the most worry-free but also the most trouble-free.

Moreover, it is the fastest to enter a state of war.

According to what Geng Xuan had learned, the total number of mountain people living in the Chiwu Mountain surrounding the 17 markets of "Southern Fourth Market", "Eastern Fifth Market" and "Northern Eighth Market" was about 350,000 to 400,000.

According to the potential of recruiting one in ten soldiers from the eight Lifangs such as Changpingfang and Wanfufang, this is the source of 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers.

If the Seventeen Bazaars are included, a total of 50,000 to 60,000 troops can be mobilized if necessary.

——This is not simply a matter of gathering people or conscripting men, but it is composed entirely of cultivators, and there is a relatively reasonable proportion of echelons from refining the skin to refining the flesh, refining the blood, refining the bones, and refining the marrow.

Even though it cannot be compared with the "elite corps" such as the Blood Fang Corps, which is composed entirely of practitioners above the Blood Refining and Bone Refining levels.

But when the scale reaches 50,000 or 60,000, the nature is completely different.

Even if you look at Kyushu as a whole, it is a force that is enough to attract everyone's attention.

Of course, there is still a long way to go between having such war potential and actually turning "potential" into real "manpower".

But this change in thinking made Geng Xuan begin to face up to these forces and decided to try to incorporate them into the system little by little.

The first step is to let them serve the "Zhushui Ancient River Dredging Project".

It’s a journey of thousands of miles from Wufang Camp to the “construction site”.

All preparations, from food logistics to the preparation and collection of various tools, were all handled by the Wufang Camp itself. Not only was it inefficient, but a large amount of resources would also be consumed on the journey of thousands of miles.

But if we include the "Beibaji" and its surrounding neighborhoods along the way, the originally empty road of thousands of miles will have many more solid "fulcrums".

To the north, the distances between the several markets Geng Xuan knew, from Qingyuan Market to Baiyuan Market, to Anle Market, to Wanshun Market, were all between one and two hundred li. And if the lifangs around each market were also counted, there would be lifangs every ten or twenty li at most, and many of them were even close to each other.

With these thoughts in mind, Geng Xuan asked again: "Which market is closest to the silted-up ancient river channel in the far north?"

"Nancenji." The man from Wanshunji replied immediately.

"How far away?"

The man thought for a moment and said:
“I’m not sure how far it is exactly, but I can be sure that it will not exceed one hundred and thirty miles.

And below Nancenji, the nearest village to the silted-up section of the Zhushui River is only about 60 to 70 li away.”

As the two sides talked, this person gradually grasped Su Ruiliang's thinking.

So, without waiting for Geng Xuan to continue asking questions, he told him the situation.

Geng Xuan looked at him and said, "You should have some ideas, right?"

The man said hurriedly: "Yes, there are some, but these are not what I thought of. They are all inspired by your advice, the leader."

"tell me the story."

“Right now, the biggest problem is that the construction site is too far away from the Wufang camp.

Whether it is the transfer and transportation of personnel or various materials, the efficiency is too low and the cost is too high.

...This is without taking into account the markets and neighborhoods along the way, and everything has to be done by oneself.

If we can fully mobilize their power, efficiency will be greatly improved and costs will be reduced."

Geng Xuan asked again: "Then do you think we can mobilize the power of these markets and neighborhoods?"

The man nodded immediately and said confidently: "Of course I can!"

Geng Xuan looked at him suspiciously and said, "Why are you so confident? Won't they just give me an excuse or hide in the mountains again?"

The man stared at Geng Xuan and said softly, "Boss, you may have some misunderstandings about your influence around the Seventeen Market."

"What did I misunderstand?"

"The Qingyuan Market Battle dragged all the surrounding 17 markets into it.

You have won this battle involving more than 10,000 people, so you are the undisputed king of the surrounding areas!

After such a brilliant victory.

You did not take advantage of the situation to bring the Seventeenth Market and the surrounding neighborhoods under your control, and you did not pursue absolute control.

A large number of captives were released, and each market and neighborhood was given full autonomy.

They also took the initiative to bear huge costs, rebuild Qingyuanji, and properly resettle the residents of Qingyuanji who lost their homes.

If you don't have absolute power, everyone might think you are weak and easy to bully, and that you don't have the strength.

But now, it can only prove that you are really kind-hearted and don't want to cause more killings."

"Besides, hiding in the mountains can only be temporary, not permanent.

Unless you completely leave the area around Chiwu Mountain and find a way to make a living somewhere else.

As long as it is something you are determined to promote, who would dare to hope to avoid it by hiding in the mountains?"

“What’s more, you are asking them to help dredge the ancient Zhushui River, not forcing them to fight on the battlefield.

If the river is reopened, it will be beneficial to them and not harmful.

...Winter and spring are the off-seasons for hunting in the neighborhood. Many residents have nothing to do and can only practice and exchange skills in the neighborhood to kill time.

If you are unwilling to make an effort and find excuses to refuse, then you can completely doubt the other party's intentions!"

My goodness, people are sitting in the market and the pot falls from the sky.

As long as you are unwilling to respond and contribute, does that mean you have ulterior motives?
The most important thing is that except for Geng Xuan who felt that his remarks were a bit too overbearing, no one from Fang Jintang to other middle and high-level gang members thought it was inappropriate.

Geng Xuan quickly said:
"Don't be so tough. It's meaningless if something that benefits both parties turns into a one-sided coercion... You..."

At this point, Geng Xuan's face showed a thoughtful expression.

The man showed a look of surprise on his face and said hurriedly: "Ji Cong, boss, my name is Ji Cong."

"Okay, Ji Cong, I'll give you a task, you set off now and go to Nancenji.

We recruited some manpower in Nancenji and its subordinate villages and towns, and also tried to collect as much supplies as possible, including various tools needed for dredging the river, as well as food and other necessities of life.

...Within two days, the first batch of personnel and materials will be delivered to the construction site.

Do you have the confidence to complete this task?"

Ji Cong straightened his chest and raised his head, saying loudly: "Boss, please rest assured, I will definitely be able to handle this matter and will not let you down!"

Geng Xuan stared at him and said, half reminding, half warning:

“Remember, I asked you to raise funds and coordinate, not to levy funds by force.

Neither personnel nor materials will be wasted.

As long as it is within a reasonable range, they will be compensated.

Food, skills, money... As long as it is something our Giant Bear Gang can provide, we can negotiate any conditions."

Ji Cong was stunned for a moment and said, "Boss, we don't have to treat them like this..."

Geng Xuan shook his head, interrupted him, and said:
“This is not a one-time thing. I need you to find a sustainable path.

Even if you can really get them to contribute their manpower for free and squeeze the entire Nancenji dry, how much profit can you get?

Only mutual benefit can be a sustainable long-term solution.

...Your vision should not be limited to Nancen Market, or even Beiba Market, but should also focus on the 17 surrounding markets and the 300,000 or 400,000 inhabitants. "

At the end of his speech, Geng Xuan's gaze had moved away from Ji Cong and fell on Fang Jintang.

He thought about it and decided not to tell anyone about the letter he got from Xiao Jingwen's office and the content of the letter.

——This has no meaning other than making them nervous.

However, he still told Fang Jintang and others about his thoughts, especially the potential for terrorist mobilization and war contained in these 300,000 or 400,000 residents.

Hearing him say this, everyone looked enlightened.

Even Ji Cong had a complete change of mindset.

This is what the gang leader really values, so it is easy to understand why he wants to "win people's hearts" now.

Afterwards, Geng Xuan talked about another matter with Fang Jintang, Luo Qing and others.

That is to set up a formal "project department" with the dredging of the ancient Zhushui river channel as the core.

From now on, all matters related to the project will be the responsibility of the "Project Department".

The Giant Bear Gang must do its best to assist in this matter, providing manpower and effort as necessary, but other gang affairs must not be confused with this project.

Now, a group of Giant Bear Gang leaders have gathered in the camp. Their collective will has overwhelmed the voices of Luo Qing, Peng Ke and others who are actually in charge of this matter. In Geng Xuan's view, this is already a confusion of boundaries, and they subconsciously regard this project as the core task of the Giant Bear Gang for some time to come.

After discovering this trend, Geng Xuan separated the two sides in time.

Finally, Geng Xuan said to Fang Jintang who seemed to be thinking:

"Right now, we still have 3,500 gang members. According to my estimation, it will be enough to arrange 1,000 people to participate in this project.

We don't have to throw all our gang members into this... In fact, there is something very urgent that needs to be done right now."

Fang Jintang asked hurriedly: "What's the matter?"

“This time when I went out, I only chopped off Wuyou Palace’s head, but its huge body is still rooted in various places in Yuanzhou.

By now, the news of the demise of the Wuyou Palace's top brass should have spread.

My idea is to uproot and kill them completely before they panic and completely hide themselves." Geng Xuan said bluntly.

"This..." Fang Jintang was stunned for a moment, looked at Geng Xuan, and decided to tell the truth, whispering:
"Boss, our Giant Bear Gang was established too recently, and most of our brothers are intimidated by your authority.

It's okay to be around you.

Once they are released to do such a dangerous job, no one can guarantee what kind of results they will achieve." (End of this chapter)