Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 502 Side Story: Seoul (Part Two)
"Shi Yan, what brings you here!"

After more than half a year apart, the couple were reunited, filled with indescribable joy. In front of everyone, Pei Qinghe held Shi Yan's hand.

Pei Xuan, Pei Feng, and the others exchanged knowing smiles and tacitly withdrew.

In an instant, only the husband and wife remained in the military tent.

Shi Yan couldn't contain himself any longer. He stretched out his arms and hugged Pei Qinghe tightly. "The official explanation is that His Majesty has established Han City on the grasslands to rule the grasslands and has created an unprecedented and timeless achievement. As the Minister of Revenue, it is only right that I come here to oversee the specific matters of building Han City and share His Majesty's burdens."

Pei Qinghe chuckled lightly: "Besides the official explanation, what else is there?"

Shi Yan raised his head slightly and gazed into Pei Qinghe's eyes: "I missed you."

Pei Qinghe's cheeks flushed slightly under his gaze: "We've known each other since we were young, and we've been married for ten years. We're an old married couple, why are you talking so mushy?"

Shi Yan chuckled softly: "When feelings reach their peak, they come from the bottom of one's heart."

"Didn't the little monkey try to come along?"

“She is the crown prince and is to guard Yan County. Besides, she is still young and cannot withstand long journeys. When I left, it was still dark and she was fast asleep.”

Pei Qinghe felt somewhat guilty: "Since she was born, I have been fighting in the east and west, and I also have to deal with government affairs. I really haven't spent much time with her."

Shi Yan kissed her cheek: "There's nothing we can do about it. She has an emperor as her mother, so she has to bear more than other children."

Pei Qinghe sighed softly and nestled her head against his chest. Shi Yan pulled her into his arms.

After a few playful banter and a brief moment of intimacy to ease their longing for each other, the couple got down to business.

“Hancheng should be built to the size of Yan County,” Pei Qinghe said. “The city walls should be at least eight feet high, enough to keep out wild animals and cavalry attacks.”

Only with city walls can the common people living inside the city be protected.

This Han city will stand here forever, symbolizing the imperial power and rule of Emperor Sowon.

Building such a city from scratch would require an immense amount of manpower, resources, and capital. It certainly wouldn't be a project that could be completed in just one or two years. It was an enormous undertaking.

Shi Yan had a plan before he came: "To build such a large city, we need at least five or six hundred craftsmen and several thousand laborers. I brought the first batch of craftsmen, and more will be conscripted in succession. The laborers can be conscripted locally."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly: "There are seventy to eighty thousand Han people here, about thirty percent of whom are men, which is more than twenty thousand. We will select some of the healthiest people from among them to serve as laborers. There are also several thousand Xiongnu prisoners of war, and the prisoners will be assigned to do all the hard and tiring work. The women will also be managed in a centralized manner, and they will be responsible for raising cattle and sheep, cooking, making clothes and shoes, and handling logistics."

They will all be living in Seoul in the future, so it is only natural for them to contribute to the city's construction.

Furthermore, Pei Qinghe had another consideration. These were so many Han Chinese, from different backgrounds and with varying lengths of time spent on the grasslands. To unite so many people under one roof would be no easy task. By using the grand event of building the city as a pretext, he could keep all the Han Chinese busy, thus preventing them from causing trouble.

How exactly it works is another headache-inducing and tedious matter.

These things require the attention of capable and astute officials like the Minister of Fashion.

“Building a city will require a huge amount of money and supplies,” Pei Qinghe said, his eyes gleaming. “These money and supplies must be provided by all the tribes on the grassland.”

This Empress Zhaoyuan did not like killing people, but she would not hesitate to demand money and grain.

This is also the best way to significantly weaken the strength of the grassland tribes. Without money and provisions, their cattle and sheep will be taken away, the herders will have to tighten their belts, and the tribes will not be able to support too many cavalrymen. Over time, even the birth rate will decrease.

That evening, Pei Qinghe hosted a welcome dinner for Fashion Books.

After resting for a day and a night in the Emperor's tent, Fashion Book quickly threw itself into the busy preparations for the construction of Seoul.

With Shi Yan's arrival, Pei Qinghe's pressure was immediately reduced considerably. She also began to have some free time, spending her days patrolling and wandering among the tents.

Pei Yan and Yang Huai needed to recuperate from their injuries and were unable to come to the grasslands. Therefore, the important task of protecting the Emperor's secret guards fell to Pei Lang and Pei Wang. Pei Feng and Pei Xuan also stayed by Pei Qinghe's side every day.

Pei Qinghe smiled at Pei Feng and said, "These past few years, you've been leading troops alone, and apart from fighting, we've had very few opportunities to meet. This time on the grasslands, we're together day and night." Pei Feng grinned and said, "I've been looking forward to this day for a long time."

Pei Xuan smiled playfully, "Exactly, I wish I could stay with my cousin Qinghe forever."

They were chatting and laughing when suddenly a sharp, shrill noise rang out.

Pei Qinghe frowned slightly.

Pei Feng and Pei Xuan both frowned.

Pei Lang and Pei Wang strode forward, and after ascertaining the reason, quickly brought two people over. The man was in his thirties, disheveled, and his eyes darted around. The woman was younger, beautiful, and her face was full of anger.

The cause of the incident was rather bizarre. The man made advances towards her, the woman agreed, and then changed her mind.

"I gave her a piece of mutton." The man knelt, not daring to raise his head, muttering angrily, "She thought it wasn't enough and wanted another piece."

The woman was not ashamed and said with her head held high, "I have two children to raise. I'm exchanging my body for some meat to feed them."

When faced with survival, morality and worldly conventions are irrelevant.

Let alone on the grasslands, even during the Republic of China era, such things could not be prevented.

Pei Qinghe could not blame the woman, nor could she seem to severely punish the man who bought pleasure with his body.

However, such things cannot be tolerated.

After a moment's thought, Pei Qinghe punished the man by making him do hard labor for three months, and the woman by making her do laundry for three months. The food for the two children was provided by the military camp.

A few days later, Emperor Sowon promulgated the new laws. While Seoul was still under construction, the Seoul Law had already been issued.

This Seoul Code, based on the laws of the Republican era, made some adjustments specifically for the 70,000 to 80,000 Han Chinese who had been abducted and brought to the grasslands. It imposed severe penalties for theft and robbery, encouraged women to establish female households, and encouraged men and women to marry.

The powerful military force ensured the strong deterrent effect of Seoul's laws.

Since the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued the law, the number of daily fights, brawls, and disturbances has decreased significantly.

……

Half a month later, the second batch of craftsmen was sent, and the felled timber was also delivered one after another.

The massive city construction officially began. After digging the foundation for over a month, the weather turned completely cold, forcing a temporary halt to work.

Pei Qinghe spent the New Year on the grasslands. The leaders of the various Xiongnu tribes dutifully paid homage to Emperor Zhaoyuan on the New Year and offered tribute.

In truth, Emperor Zhaoyuan was far more benevolent than the old Khan and Moton Khan; he only wanted money, grain, cattle, and sheep, not people.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, a familiar face appeared in the emperor's military tent.

"Pei Yan!"

Pei Qinghe, usually so cold and stern, was unusually cheerful and lively: "Why did you come all this way without saying a word? Is your injury healed?" Pei Yan grinned: "My injury healed a long time ago. If it weren't for waiting for Yang Huai, I would have come two months ago."

"Where is Yang Huai?" Pei Qinghe asked with a smile.

Pei Yan said, "Oh, he can't ride a horse for long distances yet, so I came first."

Everyone: "..."

(End of this chapter)