Qin's Moon: I'm really not the Holy Lord of the Demonic Sect

Chapter 132 Engineers are Soldiers Too

Nanyang Magistrate Han Fu's worries did not last long, as Yang Che appeared, which reassured him considerably. As long as Yang Che appeared, even if there were problems, they could be dealt with, and he would not be caught off guard.

However, Han Fu did not relax his vigilance because of this. The pressure had decreased, but it was still enormous, so he still had to deal with it carefully and naturally tried his best to meet Yang Che's various requests.

Fortunately, Yang Che did not check the land registers and accounts after arriving in Nanyang, which put his mind at ease.

So when Yang Che ordered the people to build canals and dig wells to combat the drought, Han Fu was so happy he almost laughed out loud.

Digging canals is good, digging wells is even better. With Yang Che busy with these things, he has no energy to pay attention to anything else, and his secret with Emerald Tiger can be kept hidden.

Emerald Tiger was also delighted to receive this news. In the face of natural disasters, are building canals and digging wells really useful? If they were, droughts wouldn't be droughts anymore. In the face of natural disasters, human power is ultimately limited.

"It seems the General is overthinking things. Our Minister Yang is good at pleasing the King, but when it comes to practical matters, he's just so-so. He wants to help with this year's drought, but unless grain falls from the sky, our plans for next year can still be implemented. The sky over Nanyang will one day belong to us." Emerald Tiger looked at Han Fu, who could only visit him at night, and couldn't hide his smile.

He had been quite worried for a while when he heard that Yang Che had come to Nanyang ahead of schedule, thinking that the general was being too meddlesome. Now he realized that the general was farsighted. Faced with natural disasters, even someone with extraordinary talent is powerless.

"That's true. From now on, let our Minister Yang obediently focus on repairing canals and digging wells. The entire Nanyang region will fully cooperate and ensure he can't find any fault with us." Han Fu also smiled.

Thinking about the pressure that Yang Che's absence had put on him during this period, how could he not be happy at this moment?

The Grand Minister of Works is nothing special.

"That's right. He's still too young. Can't he just focus on painting in Xinzheng and playing around with women? He seems to be up to something big. But big things aren't so easy to do," Jade Tiger mocked.

"Some people, because they are born rich, like to suffer without hardship," Jade Tiger mocked.

I just think the general is worrying too much. What threat could such a young favorite of the kingdom pose?

Even if one knows some martial arts, what can one accomplish? A sword is merely a tool, not a master.

With the cooperation of Emerald Tiger and Han Fu, Yang Che quickly conscripted 30,000 laborers, or engineering soldiers, from the Nanyang territory.

However, many of these people were old and weak, and only one-third were truly young and strong. Even the young and strong were so weak from the drought that they had to cut back on their food and drink.

If a country is poor, it simply cannot muster a strong enough army, and this is the current situation.

However, Yang Che didn't care about this; 30,000 laborers were enough to accomplish many things.

Using his authority as Minister of Works, he mobilized grain from the treasuries of various places in Nanyang to ensure the food and drink of the conscripts. This instantly silenced the complaints of the Nanyang people who had been resentful of being conscripted for labor during the disaster.

It's good to be a servant, because serving as a servant means you have to obey orders, and you have to be loyal to Lord Sikong.

With a sufficient labor force, Yang Che began large-scale development and construction in Nanyang. Dust rose everywhere, ditches leading directly to the river were constantly being dug, and wells were constantly appearing in the fields.

However, the price was that the money and grain accumulated in Nanyang were quickly depleted, with most of them being consumed in just one month.

Han Fu, who had been in charge of logistics, was naturally happy to see this change. When the money and food ran out and Yang Che could no longer make any moves, it would be time for him to leave Nanyang in disgrace.

At that time, under the cover of night in Nanyang, he, as the Magistrate of Nanyang, was still the Magistrate of Nanyang, and could even use the cover of night to seek a higher position of power.

At a construction site outside Nanyang City, the laborers were working enthusiastically. The able-bodied men were responsible for digging, which was a physically demanding task, while the older and more experienced men were in charge of surveying. Even the young men could play a significant role in the work.

The laborers knew what their work meant to them, and with ample food supplies, they worked diligently without slacking off, even without supervision.

However, this also meant a massive consumption of money and grain. Zhang Liang, whom Yang Che had invited from Xinzheng to help, sorted through various data and learned a cruel reality: in another half month, the money and grain available for allocation in the treasuries of various prefectures in Nanyang would be exhausted.

Without the support of money and food, the project will be unable to continue. A project that is only half completed is no different from a waste. For a project, being abandoned means zero, everything goes back to zero, including all the efforts made during this period.

When Zhang Liang told Yang Che that the money and provisions would soon run out, Yang Che fell into deep thought. Even a clever cook cannot cook without rice. Before the army sets out, the provisions must go first. In this era, food was the foundation of everything.

"Master, could we postpone the training exercises for now? If the people are less active, they can save their energy, and the money and provisions can last for a while longer," Zhang Liang suggested.

He did not take up an official post. His trip to Nanyang was at the behest of his grandfather. On the one hand, he came to Nanyang to help Yang Che with some paperwork, and on the other hand, he went deep into the grassroots to understand the hardships of the people and prepare for his future career in government.

Yang Che conscripted tens of thousands of laborers, not only to have them build various water conservancy projects, but also to provide them with military training every day without interruption.

This resulted in an even greater consumption of money and grain.

That's why he made this suggestion in order to alleviate the pressure on money and food supplies.

Unfortunately, Zhang Liang was unaware of Yang Che's deeper thoughts, so when faced with Zhang Liang's feasible suggestion, Yang Che's response was negative: "Training cannot stop, at least not now. Since we don't have enough money and food, I'll add some more. I still have four thousand gold coins on hand, which I can use to buy food from Xinzheng and Wei, which can sustain us for a while."

When Zhang Liang heard the word "four thousand gold pieces," his eyes twitched. Even though he came from the Zhang family, four thousand gold pieces was still a considerable sum. Yang Che was actually willing to take out four thousand gold pieces. You should know that even the upper-class families in Xinzheng might not be able to come up with that amount even if they pooled all their resources. Yet Yang Che took out four thousand gold pieces so easily. His concern for the country and its people was truly admirable.

Four thousand gold coins may seem like a lot, but it's still not enough for the moment. It can only last for another month. What will happen after that?

When Zhang Liang voiced his doubts, Yang Che replied, "Who can say for sure what will happen a month from now? Engineers are soldiers too!"

Engineers?