The fiercest soldier of the border army

"Two hundred and seventeen people, two hundred and seventeen contracts, are all here."

Tang Shun pointed to the thick stack of yellow papers in Wei Zong's hand, "Those who are willing, sign and put your fingerprints on it; those who are unwilling..."

He calmly said, "Die."

The townspeople present were breathing heavily; they had no choice at all!

On one side is a one-month indenture, and on the other is the money that will be completely theirs after a month.

On the other side, someone died on the spot.

"Sir...Sir, I, Liu Laosi, am willing to sell myself for a month."

Liu Laosi, who led the illegal excavation, practically crawled and scrambled, and without hesitation, signed the indenture.

He dug up two pieces of silver, a total of ten taels!

These ten taels are enough for him to renovate his old, dilapidated house!

It'll only be a month or so, let's give it our all!

One has two.

One by one, the thirty-one people who found the silver signed contracts to sell themselves into servitude.

Those who didn't find any silver were filled with resentment, but had no way to escape.

They were simply coerced, whether willingly or unwillingly, into signing.

Soon, 217 contracts were handed to Tang Shun.

Tang Shun held the contract as if he held their lives in his hands.

They dared not move or look up, staring down at Tang Shun's shadow, waiting for him to speak.

"Wei Zong," Tang Shun said softly, "register the list, group them by household, and assign them to work in a unified manner."

"Each household has ten people, and a head of household is elected. They sleep in tents and burn firewood for warmth."

"If even one person from any household escapes during the journey, the entire household shall be executed!"

Collective punishment!

Tang Shun knew that these people were outwardly compliant but inwardly resentful, and they would slip away at any opportunity.

Upon hearing this, those who had failed to find any silver, were forced to sign indentures, and were planning to escape at the opportune moment turned ashen-faced.

They were all from the same town, and most of them were related by marriage or other connections.

Even if they escape, they'll probably be resented by their neighbors for life.

Anyone would have to consider the consequences of doing this.

Wei Zong stood in front of a makeshift wooden table, holding a booklet in his hand, and began to read out the division of labor.

"One household, digging clay, ten people, led by Liu Laosi."

"Two households, carrying clay, ten people, led by Wang Laowu."

"Three households, cutting bamboo, ten people, led by Zhao the Cripple."

"Four households, bamboo weaving, ten people, Li Laohei in charge."

"Five households, gravel, ten people, and Li Si as the steward..."

The list was read aloud one by one as night deepened.

All the accounts belong to people who have found silver.

In order to obtain silver in a legitimate and legal manner, they would naturally side with Tang Shun.

After the formation was completed, Tang Shun ordered them to start working immediately, without giving them any free time.

They won't have a chance to sleep tonight and all day tomorrow.

When people live in a community, they tend to cause trouble when they have free time.

We must keep them extremely busy so they have no chance to chat.

The canyon came to life.

Torches illuminated the scene, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Piles of clay were stacked up and gradually transported to the kiln.

The limestone was broken up and piled up.

Bamboo was cut down in large swathes and arranged in an orderly fashion.

The foundation work for the city wall has begun.

Tang Shun left a few soldiers to take turns guarding the area, and led the rest of his troops back to the camp.

On the way, Cheng Weiliang and the other soldiers had fervent eyes, but Zhu Hang's expression kept changing, his eyes filled with fear and unease.

He never expected that Tang Shuncheng was so cunning!

Nearly two hundred taels of counterfeit silver were buried in the ground, forcing the people to dig the grave themselves and even forcing them to sign indenture contracts!

When the people happily finished their month-long work and returned home with their silver coins, ready to live a good life, they discovered that the silver coins were fake!

Zhu Hang could imagine how angry these townspeople would be, yet they would have no way to express their grievances!

After all, the silver grew from the ground, and Tang Shun was "unaware" of it!

These people paid a heavy price for their greed.

only……

Zhu Hang took a deep breath and exhaled a puff of white air.

The weather is cold, and soon it will snow heavily.

Even with more than two hundred laborers, building the city was still a difficult task!

Zhu Hang silently followed them back.

On the road, someone was carrying stones with a mournful face when Liang Enyi kicked him up, saying, "Sparing your lives is already an act of mercy; don't take your blessings for granted!"

Early the next morning.

The sun climbed up and shone on the backs of the townspeople, who looked tired as they sat in the fields drinking coarse rice porridge with pickled vegetables.

They were treated like criminals.

At this moment, five vertical kilns were completed in front of Tang Shun.

The limestone was stored in a dry place and ground into a fine powder.

The clay was also piled up, a thick layer of yellowish-brown.

To Tang Shun's surprise, the three septuagenarian soldiers not only knew how to cook, but also how to fire kilns.

Tang Shun handed over a piece of paper. "This is the recipe. Mix the ingredients according to this ratio."

The old soldier took the paper, squinted at it, and said, "Seven parts lime, three parts clay... will this work?"

"Give it a try," Tang Shun said, uttering only these two words.

The old soldier nodded and led his men to begin sifting soil, crushing stones, and mixing materials.

The skeleton is also being built.

Several thick wooden stakes were driven into the ground, crossbeams were erected, and bamboo was densely bundled together to form a preliminary wall foundation.

Its length covered the entire pass, but its height was no more than chest height; it lay crookedly and looked rather shabby.

But at least it's starting to look like something.

When limestone and clay are mixed with water in a certain proportion to form raw materials, and then placed in a kiln for calcination, cement clinker can be obtained in a few days.

With cement, a little gypsum powder, and crushed stone, you can build a city!

Moreover, Tang Shun could also transform this place into a military town, allowing all his soldiers to live in concrete houses and no longer have to endure the elements.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?"

Just as all the townspeople were gathered together for dinner, the commotion from the north slope drew everyone's attention.

"I am the town magistrate of Xiushui Town. Where did you soldiers come from? How dare you seize the townspeople to work for you?"

"How dare you! How outrageous! You have no regard for the law!"

The sharp rebuke caused many townspeople to stand up involuntarily.

On the north slope, several men approached menacingly, attempting to force their way in.

However, the presence of two soldiers with arrows already drawn made them hesitant.

"It's Wu the Skinflint...it's Lord Supervisor!"

"Our supervisor has arrived. I guess it's his wife and children at home. Seeing that we haven't gone back, he reported it to the authorities."

"My lord, my lord!"

Some townspeople cheered and jumped up to greet them.

"Snap—"

Cheng Feng lashed out with his whip, yelling, "Damn it, all of you sit down!"

"You've signed a contract of servitude; even a god couldn't save you!"

Upon hearing this, the townspeople all looked dejected.

Yes, the indenture was signed, it's all in black and white, and all the paperwork is complete!

A minor official in a blue robe led a dozen or so constables.

He was stout and broad-shouldered with a large belly.

The enormous garment was wrapped up so tightly that it was completely airtight.

It was Wu Yong, the supervisor of Xiushui Town.

Wu Yong shook the fat on his face, his expression gloomy.

Today, many people have filed complaints, saying that their husbands have been away for a day and a night and their fate is unknown.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that a considerable amount of silver had been buried in the wasteland that had been rented out by merchants from the south a few days earlier!

This is practically defying the laws of nature!

Upon hearing the news, Wu Jianzhen was furious and sent several constables to cause trouble at the door.

Those are all his assets!

Wu Yong shouted at the top of his lungs, "Where is that merchant from the south? Get out here!"

Pat pat—

As soon as he finished speaking, a dozen soldiers dressed in leather armor, with broadswords at their waists, rapidly approached.

They held a bow in their left hand and drew an arrow with their right, the bow fully drawn.

In an instant, the officials of Xiushui Town were on high alert.

Wu Yong swallowed back the curse that was on the tip of his tongue...

At this moment, the group parted in the middle, and a tall, upright young man stepped out.

This person had a slightly dark complexion, but with distinct facial features.

It was Tang Shun.

Tang Shun gripped the hilt of his sword with one hand. "I am a merchant from the South. What business do you have with me?"