If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

The matter of White Wolf Village is urgent, but the foundation of Four Forts cannot be left empty either.

Xu Qingshan turned up the oil lamp in the council chamber. The wind and snow outside had stopped, but the chill of early winter still seeped in through the cracks in the door.

"I'll personally lead the team to Bailangji," Xu Qingshan said, glancing at the map on the table before turning to Shen Qinghe. "But things at home can't stop. Since the refugees have stayed, they need work. If we just give them food without them working, they'll become lazy and think the food is too easy to get."

Shen Qinghe held the roster in her hand and nodded gently: "More than a hundred mouths to feed, the daily consumption is not small. In addition to chopping wood, shoveling snow, and clearing the camp, there is indeed a big job that will use up the strength of the young and strong. It's just that it's freezing cold now, and we're afraid that we can't even dig into the soil with a hoe."

As they were talking, the door to the council chamber was pushed open.

Zhao Lihua walked in from outside, carrying a mud-covered twig in her hand. Her trouser legs were covered in half-dried mud, her cheeks were red from the cold, but her eyes shone with excitement.

"Sir, Miss Shen," Zhao Lihua said quickly to the table, placing the branch on the ground. "I led my men to search outside the fortress and found something good!"

Xu Qingshan handed him a cup of hot water: "Don't rush, have some water first. What did you find?"

Zhao Lihua took a big gulp of water from her cup before catching her breath: "It's an irrigation canal! There's an abandoned irrigation canal upstream of the shallows of the broken river!"

She picked up a pen and paper and clumsily drew a curved line on the table.

"My father taught me how to assess terrain. That patch of wasteland was cracked on the surface, but the soil underneath was incredibly fertile. I followed the terrain upstream, parted the weeds behind the reeds, and discovered an old irrigation ditch. Although it was blocked by silt and gravel, once the silt was cleared and the upstream sluice gate was repaired, the river water could flow directly in. That piece of land could easily yield at least eight hundred acres of excellent farmland!"

Upon hearing the number "eight hundred acres," Shen Qinghe's eyes immediately lit up.

If the 800 mu of good land can be prepared before spring plowing, Duanhebao will be able to be self-sufficient in grain by autumn and will no longer have to depend on the Yunzhou military supply depot.

Upon hearing this, Chief Feng, who had been sitting by the charcoal brazier warming himself, couldn't help but sigh heavily.

"That irrigation canal was perfectly fine before," Fort Chief Feng said with a look of regret. "Years ago, the military households of Duanhe Fort relied entirely on that canal for irrigation. But later, when Ma Rong became the deputy fort chief, in order to curry favor with Sun Kui and also to raise a few private horses for himself, he had people move stones to block the upstream of the canal."

Feng Baozhang coughed twice in anger, and Liang Shun quickly stepped forward to help him catch his breath.

"He cut off the water supply, turning those 800 acres of the most fertile land into pasture, which he reserved specifically for his trusted men to graze their horses. We ordinary military households could only go to those barren hillsides in the distance to grow some drought-resistant coarse grains. We worked hard all year round, but we still couldn't even fill our stomachs."

Xu Qingshan's gaze gradually turned cold. The evil deeds Ma Rong had committed were truly one after another.

"Since the canal is still there, let's dig it up."

Xu Qingshan stood up, his voice steady and powerful: "This will be the first major labor service in Duanhe Fort. Before distributing the land, dig irrigation ditches first!"

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

On the open ground outside the barbican, more than a hundred temporary residents and the original military households of Duanhebao had all been summoned.

The cold wind was still biting, but the atmosphere among the crowd was very warm.

Shen Qinghe stood on the high place and read out the rules set by Xu Qingshan to the public.

"Cleaning the irrigation canals is the top priority for Duanhebao! Whether they are new temporary residents or old military households, all able-bodied young men who can work will be assigned to the labor corps!"

"In addition to the basic daily rations, each person will receive an extra portion of mixed grain biscuits every day, provided they complete the required workload!"

Upon hearing this, cheers erupted from the crowd. In this desolate and freezing border region, a simple coarse grain pancake was more tempting than any gold or jewels.

Shen Qinghe raised her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and continued, "Furthermore, the garrison commander has established a new rule. Labor service will be calculated based on work points. Refugees with families who perform well and accumulate more points can directly use those points to exchange for farm tools, next year's grain, or even thick winter clothing at the logistics department!"

Everyone's eyes lit up with joy. They had food rations, grain cakes to take, and the opportunity to exchange clothes and farm tools—it was as if a path to survival had been paved for them.

The allocation of labor was quickly arranged.

The able-bodied young men in the temporary households were responsible for the most tedious tasks, such as dredging, moving gravel, and transporting timber to reinforce the ditches.

Those Black Wind Stronghold outlaws who, after being investigated and confirmed to have no blood debts, were shackled and made to do the hardest and heaviest manual labor, such as carrying large logs and prying up huge rocks.

As for the former military households of Duanhebao, they were familiar with the terrain, so they were responsible for leading the way and identifying the field boundaries that had been covered by weeds and the original waterway routes.

In less than half an hour, the team set off in a grand procession towards the abandoned canal upstream of the shallows.

The ditch, which had been dry for many years, was overgrown with withered grass up to waist height, and the bottom was filled with frozen, hard silt.

"Let's get started!"

At Liang Shun's command, hundreds of people simultaneously wielded their tools.

Zhao Dahe swung his hoe and dug into the frozen soil with all his might. He worked with great enthusiasm, and soon beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His wife helped with boiling water and cooking in the logistics department, and his son could also get half a bowl of hot porridge. He could only repay this kindness with all his strength.

"Everyone, give it your all! Once the ditch is cleared, we'll have fields to cultivate and food to eat next year!" Zhao Dahe shouted to his companions as he dug the mud.

Labor can make people quickly forget their guard.

During the few days of canal repair, the newly arrived refugees and the old military households of Duanhebao worked together for the first time in a real sense.

At first, the former military households were wary of these outsiders, fearing they would steal their rations. But after several days, as they dug mud in the same pit, drank water from the same pot, and rested together eating coarse grain cakes while chatting about their misfortunes back home, the initial barriers gradually disappeared.

During the lunch break, several wheelbarrows used to transport silt broke down.

One of the vehicles' wooden wheel bearings, due to years of neglect and excessive load, cracked open with a loud "crack," causing the vehicle to tilt and spill half of its frozen mud onto the ground.

One of the temporary workers responsible for pushing the cart was sweating profusely, unsure of what to do.

Upon hearing the news, Ma Fu, an old craftsman who had been assigned to the craftsmen's team, rushed over. He circled the wheelbarrow twice, his brow furrowed: "The wood used for the axle is too brittle, and the mortise and tenon joints have been neglected for years and are completely rotten. To repair it, we need to carve a new axle and insert it, but we don't even have a decent plane on hand."

Just as Ma Fu was having a problem, Zhao Dahe put down his shovel and came over.

"Old man, let me give it a try?"

Ma Fu looked at him with some doubt: "You know anything about carpentry?"

"Back in my hometown, I learned from a master craftsman in the village for a few years. It wasn't a particularly refined skill, but I could manage to make wheels and repair farm tools."

As Zhao Dahe spoke, he found a piece of fairly sturdy pine wood nearby. Since he didn't have a plane, he used his machete, which he always carried with him, and along a flat stone, he slowly chopped it down.

His movements weren't fast, but each strike was incredibly precise.

Before long, a wooden axle of uniform thickness was formed in his hands. Zhao Dahe then skillfully carved out mortises at both ends with the tip of his knife, walked to the wheelbarrow, and tightly inserted the wooden axle into the center of the wheel. Afterward, he found a wooden wedge and hammered it in firmly.

"Try pushing it," Zhao Dahe said, wiping his sweat.

Ma Fu, half-believing and half-doubting, gripped the handlebars and pushed forward. The wheelbarrow rolled steadily forward, not only without the slightest wobbling, but even smoother than before.

Ma Fu's eyes lit up immediately, and he couldn't help but slap his thigh: "Excellent craftsmanship! The mortise and tenon joints are so tight, they can withstand any force without nails!"

This scene was witnessed by Bai Zhi, who was inspecting the progress of the project nearby.

Bai Zhi walked to the wheelbarrow, squatted down, and carefully examined the wooden axle and mortise joint that Zhao Dahe had carved out.

She stretched out her finger and touched the joint to make sure it wasn't loose at all.

"What's your name?" Bai Zhi stood up and looked calmly at Zhao Dahe.

"Your Excellency, I am Zhao Dahe." Zhao Dahe quickly bowed his head.

"You used the machete well." Bai Zhi turned to Ma Fu. "Old Ma, he doesn't need to dig mud in front anymore. You, him, and your two apprentices will all be transferred to the temporary workshop starting today. I'm short of people who can make mechanisms from wood."

Ma Fu and Zhao Dahe exchanged a glance, their faces lighting up with joy. Being able to work in the workshop meant not only avoiding digging mud in the cold wind, but also that craftsmen often received more food rations.

"Thank you for your promotion, sir!" the two replied in unison.

The cleaning of the canal progressed extremely quickly. Motivated by the food, several hundred people managed to clean up the abandoned ditch, which stretched for several miles, in less than five days.

When the large group of men dug to the very end of the canal, near the riverbed, several Black Wind Village henchmen in charge of clearing the way suddenly cried out in surprise.

"There's a metal object! We can't dig anymore!"

Upon hearing the news, Liang Shun immediately led his men to the scene.

With everyone's combined efforts, the silt, dead branches, and rotten leaves covering the structure were cleared away, and a heavy, ancient mechanism was finally revealed to the sunlight.

It was an old sluice gate made of thick bluestone slabs and rough ironwood. Above the gate, iron chains as thick as an arm were crisscrossed and locked at the other end to the stone pillars on both sides. Behind the gate, many huge stones that had been moved in by man were piled up, completely blocking the waterway.

"This must be the place Ma Rong used to block the water back then." Liang Shun looked at the large stones and cursed through gritted teeth.

Xu Qingshan and Feng Baozhang also arrived at the scene soon.

Feng Baozhang was helped to the old gate. He stretched out his calloused hand and stroked the rusty iron chain on it, a complex emotion flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"My lord, this is not just an irrigation gate."

Feng Baozhang pointed to the stone grooves deeply embedded in the underground rock strata on both sides of the gate, his voice somewhat excited.

"This arrangement was left behind by the older generation of military craftsmen in the early days of the construction of Duanhe Fort. This sluice gate connects several underground springs upstream of the Duanhe River. Normally, the stone slabs are lowered, and only a small opening is opened, allowing the water to flow gently into the farmland."

He took a deep breath and pointed directly below the gate.

"But if the sluice gates are raised completely in a short period of time, coupled with the force of the upstream underground spring..."

Xu Qingshan followed his finger and immediately pictured the topographical map of the broken river and shallows in his mind.

"Will the water level suddenly rise, changing the topography of the shallows?"

"That's right!" Feng Baozhang nodded emphatically. "As long as the sluice gates are fully opened, the river will backflow, and the water level in the shallows will rise within half an hour. Not only will the places that were previously waded through become impassable, but more importantly, the water will flow back into the low-lying area on the east side of the shallows."

Feng Baozhang paused, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn.

"When water soaks and rots the soil, a huge swamp will form there in a short time."

Upon hearing these words, Bai Zhi, who was standing to the side, immediately looked past the sluice gate and towards the open, shallow beach of the broken river in the distance.

Her mind was already rapidly calculating the water flow speed, the soil moisture, and the timing of the mechanism's activation.

After a long while, Bai Zhi withdrew her gaze, a sharp, cold glint in her eyes.

She looked towards the shallows, her voice not loud, but everyone around her could hear her clearly.

"Fix it."

Bai Zhi's fingers gently brushed across the cold, rusty iron chain.

"Normally, it can draw water for farming and sustain the four border forts."

"When faced with a massive enemy cavalry advance..." Bai Zhi's lips curled into a cold smile, "it can also turn this shallow beach into a mud pit that buries them."