I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

Each of the four has their own difficulties and anxieties.

People's livelihood, public security, finances and food supplies, and city defense—all four vital sectors—are in dire straits.

The side room fell silent again for a brief moment.

After a moment, Su Zhe took a sip of cold tea, gave a wry smile, and voiced the question that had been puzzling the four of them the most.

"To be honest, my mind is still blank."

"In all my years, I have never seen such a bizarre wave of migrants."

"It is an age-old truth that refugees migrate south to escape the cold and war."

"Only we in Beiliang are doing the opposite. Hundreds of thousands of young men are rushing to flock to the harsh and cold northern frontier."

"And don't forget the quality of these refugees."

Su Zhe's eyes were strange as he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"All members are young adults aged 20 to 40, with no elderly, weak, or children. They include artisans from all walks of life, and their overall quality is ten times higher than that of ordinary migrants."

"Any one of them, if placed in another county, would be a highly sought-after laborer by local officials."

"How could they have suddenly become refugees all at once? And why did they specifically flock to Beiliang in such a concentrated manner?"

This question has been lingering in everyone's minds ever since the first group of refugees arrived.

No one could understand it.

Gao Bing frowned and guessed in a low voice, "These people... are definitely recruited by His Highness on purpose."

The other three did not refute this statement at all.

Apart from the newly arrived Prince Qin, no one else possesses such extraordinary abilities.

It can mobilize hundreds of thousands of high-quality young and middle-aged migrants in a short period of time, spanning regions and gathering in Beiliang.

This ability has exceeded what a vassal king should possess.

Wen Yan smiled wryly: "It's normal that we don't understand His Highness's extraordinary abilities."

"But the problem is right in front of us now."

"Hundreds of thousands of people have already overwhelmed the main city, and based on the previous influx rate, a large number of migrants will continue to arrive."

"There is no more vacant land in the city to resettle them, food consumption is increasing day by day, and the security risks are growing infinitely."

Su Zhe took a deep breath and made his final decision.

There's no other way.

"These refugees were brought by His Highness."

"Currently, the city is overpopulated. All plans, including resettlement, relocation, land reclamation, and expansion, require Your Highness's approval."

"We will now go to see His Highness and report the current situation in the city truthfully."

"Please give us your next instructions: how to resettle the existing population and how to accept the influx of new refugees."

........

The main hall of the Qin Prince's Mansion.

Chu Yun sat in the main seat, toying with a teacup in one hand, his expression indifferent.

Su Zhe, Gao Bing, Wen Yan, and Zhou Meng entered the hall one by one.

None of the four looked well; their brows were furrowed with worry.

The four people bowed respectfully in unison.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

"Please sit down. What is it?"

The four people sat down one by one, but none of them were in the mood to drink tea.

Su Zhe spoke first, his tone heavy.

"Your Highness, I must report the current situation to you truthfully."

"The population of Beiliang City has now exceeded 400,000."

"The old city was originally planned to have a maximum population of 200,000, but now that number has more than doubled, and the city is completely saturated."

"The streets and alleys are crowded, and there is a severe housing shortage. The area under the city walls is completely filled with temporary shacks."

"The local people are in a state of unrest, and many have begun to panic about food shortages and unrest."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Yan immediately chimed in, pointing out the critical hidden dangers regarding money and supplies.

"This is what your subordinate adds."

"The daily food consumption within the city is enormous, almost terrifying."

"Although the government's grain reserves are still plentiful, they cannot withstand the endless consumption."

"At the current rate of population growth, if we continue to allow migrants to flood in, our food supplies will run out in no more than half a month."

Gao Bing followed closely behind and started talking about potential security risks.

"The city's population was a mixed bag, with local residents, early migrants, and newly arrived migrants all mixed together."

"The population density is too high, friction is constant, and fights, turf wars, and resource conflicts occur frequently every day."

"With insufficient manpower for yamen runners, the pressure of patrolling is immense. If this continues, it could easily lead to large-scale riots."

Finally, General Zhou Meng spoke in a deep voice.

"There is also the risk of city defense issues."

"The origins of this group of refugees are mysterious; they come from all over the country, and the people are a mixed bag."

"Tens of thousands of people enter the city every day, and our garrison cannot investigate the details of each one."

"If there are spies or bandits hiding there, the consequences would be unimaginable if they caused trouble."

After finishing the business, Su Zhe finally voiced his long-held question.

"Besides that, there is another matter that I cannot understand."

"Your Highness, these refugees are far too strange."

"Tens of thousands of people are pouring in every day, without stopping."

"Their ancestral homes are spread across all the counties in the north, and they are all young and strong, possessing various skills."

"Ordinary refugees, seeking profit and avoiding harm, all migrated south. Only this group went against the trend and headed north, flocking to the bitterly cold land of Beiliang."

"I truly cannot understand where these people came from."

This question was also the biggest question in the minds of the other three.

They discussed it countless times in private during this period, but still had no clue.

All eyes were on Chu Yun, who sat in the main seat, awaiting the answer.

Chu Yun put down his teacup with a soft sound.

"It's pointless for you to obsess over where they came from."

"You only need to understand one thing."

"What the Northern Liang lacks most right now is never food, money, or housing."

"It's a person."

Chu Yun's sharp gaze swept over the four people.

"The northern barbarians are eyeing us covetously, and the northern frontier is rife with war. We want to gain a foothold and truly rise to power."

"Fertile fields need people to cultivate them, cities need people to build them, armies need people to fill them, and trading companies and workshops need people to operate them."

"Human resources are the most valuable strategic resource for Northern Liang at this stage."

"What you see is a burden, a drain, and a hidden danger."

"What I see is the foundation, the future of the millions of people of Northern Liang, and the confidence to rise."

The four of them were slightly taken aback, and subconsciously lowered their heads to ponder.

Chu Yun continued to issue instructions.

"If the city is saturated, then don't crowd everyone into the old city."

"Su Zhe, listen to my command."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Initiate the new town redevelopment plan immediately."

"With the old city as the center, expand outwards and divide it into four outer city residential areas."

"The surplus population will be relocated in batches to new areas outside the city."

"Simultaneously, large areas of wasteland in the suburbs were designated for agricultural settlement. Migrants were resettled in groups of a thousand, with each area designated for unified management."

The simplest solution to the overcrowding problem has never been to stop migrants, but to expand the city!

Chu Yun turned his gaze to Wen Yan, who was in charge of money and grain.

"You don't need to worry about the food problem."

"Let alone 400,000 people, even if the population reaches one million in the future."

"I will take full responsibility for the supply of provisions and will ensure that there is no food shortage in Northern Liang."

"You only need to manage the treasury accounts, allocate resources properly, and cooperate with the expansion of the new city and the reclamation of farmland."

Wen Yan's tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

The biggest problem that had been troubling us for days was solved with a single sentence from His Highness.

Chu Yun looked at Gao Bing and Zhou Meng again.

"Gao Bing has increased patrols, improved the laws and regulations of the new district, and severely punished those who fight, cause trouble, and loot resources, making an example of them to deter others."

"Zhou Meng deployed city defense forces, divided the outer city into sections, guarded the major entrances to the city, strictly investigated spies, and stabilized the overall defense."

"Everyone should perform their duties and cooperate with each other."

After the deployment was completed, Chu Yun spoke calmly, stating his attitude.

"Remember this."

Others fear that the influx of refugees will overwhelm the population and place an excessive burden on them.

"I am not afraid."

"If they are willing to come to Northern Liang, I will accept them all."

"No matter how many come, I will take them all."

"The more people there are, the stronger Beiliang will be."

After hearing all the arrangements, the heavy weight that had been pressing on their hearts instantly lifted.

Their anxiety stems from viewing the issue through the lens of conventional county-level thinking.

They were worried about housing, food supplies, and unrest.

But only now did they fully realize what was happening.

The young Prince of Qin before us never plays by the rules.

Your Highness has no worries about food supplies; your methods are extraordinary.

Since His Highness has personally promised to provide food for a million people.

What else do they have to be anxious about?

The four exchanged a glance, then bowed and clasped their hands in a solemn manner.

"Understood!"

"We will immediately follow Your Highness's instructions and begin preparations for the expansion of the new city, the relocation of the population, and the settlement of farmland in the outer districts!"