Chapter 778: They Are Practicing It Well
Lu Xiangheng was on a bandit suppression campaign.
During the bloody battle at Huanglongtan, the Tianxiong Army unleashed its might, catching the fleeing rebels returning from Sichuan to Yunyang and delivering such a brutal beating that they were barely able to care for themselves.
Once the fighting concluded, Lu Xiangheng again led his army in pursuit, chasing the rebels until they were utterly terrified and scattered, scurrying back into Sichuan.
This time, he couldn't pursue them further. He recalled his troops and returned.
On his return, passing through Shangnan County, several days had already passed.
As he approached the outskirts of Shangnan County, Lu Xiangheng couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
It turned out that in just a few days, Shangnan County had undergone a massive transformation. The demolished city walls were now being rebuilt by a large number of laborers. A new, large wooden gate had also been erected. This wooden gate was clearly newly constructed; it hadn't even been painted yet, still showing the natural color of the timber.
Lu Xiangheng wondered, "Ah? Rebuilding these city walls, mobilizing so many common folk to work together—doesn't this violate the principle of 'Forbid Impressment and Corvée to Stabilize the People's Livelihoods' from my Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations?"
Considering this, Lu Xiangheng grew a little anxious.
Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!
That Steward Li is simply messing things up!
Lu Xiangheng quickly hurried into the city.
Just as he reached the city gate, Lu Xiangheng sensed something amiss. The common folk who were repairing the city walls were actually chatting and laughing, their spirits seeming quite high.
They looked nothing like "suffering common folk conscripted by the government for forced labor."
Lu Xiangheng stopped, grabbed a man who was working, and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly are you doing?"
Seeing an armored official seize him, the man was startled and immediately prostrated himself. "Sir, I haven't done anything wrong!"
Lu Xiangheng reassured him, "Don't be afraid. I'm just asking—you're conscripted for corvée labor, yet you're smiling so happily?"
"Corvée labor?" The man shook his head. "Begging your pardon, Sir, I am not performing corvée labor. I am a hired short-term worker."
A colossal question mark slowly bloomed above Lu Xiangheng's head, filling the entire sky above Shangnan County. "Short-term worker? You mean... someone is paying you to repair the city walls?"
"Not money, Sir. It's three catties of flour, three catties every day!" As he spoke, a smile spread across the man's face. "Three catties! I work alone, and my family of five can all eat their fill!"
Lu Xiangheng exclaimed, "What?!"
In a year of widespread drought, to pay three catties of flour a day in wages! This was truly astonishing.
Since people were being paid for their labor, it didn't violate the principle of "Forbid Impressment and Corvée to Stabilize the People's Livelihoods" from the Eight Regulations. Lu Xiangheng's anger immediately dissipated, replaced by a hint of joy.
Lu Xiangheng asked, "Who hired you?"
The man replied, "It's a young Steward... his name is..."
Lu Xiangheng prompted, "Steward Li?"
"Ah, yes! That's it! Steward Li."
Lu Xiangheng thought to himself: "This Steward Li is truly investing a fortune. So many laborers working together to repair the city walls—he must have hired all the able-bodied men in Shangnan County who weren't killed by the bandits, right? There must be at least several hundred people. Giving each of them three catties of flour a day means spending over a thousand catties of grain daily."
"To provide so much grain to rebuild city walls for the nation's defense against bandits—he's truly a good man."
His urgency subsided. He slowly entered the county town.
He observed that Shangnan County wasn't just repairing its city walls; buildings within the city were also under repair.
When the rebels arrived, they had set fire to and destroyed large sections of the district. Now, many laborers were carrying debris on their shoulders and by hand, clearing the burned ruins, while also constructing new homes.
Lu Xiangheng watched, deeply gratified. "This is putting into practice the principle of 'Diligently Repair and Rebuild to Settle the People's Dwellings' from the Eight Regulations," he thought. "Excellent, truly excellent! Luo Xi and Steward Li are really saving me a lot of trouble!"
Proceeding to the North Gate, he saw yet another group of laborers repairing a road.
From Shangnan County's North Gate, an official road led directly to Wuguan Pass. This road, neglected for years, had become uneven and difficult to traverse. Yet now, large groups of laborers were diligently leveling it.
Lu Xiangheng realized that they were also "opening up the benefits of mountains and marshes to aid the impoverished populace."
He was overjoyed!
He had previously worried that local officials wouldn't cooperate, leaving his policies unimplemented at the grassroots level. But to his surprise, in Shangnan County, his directives were being implemented with such swiftness. It made him so happy he felt like he could soar.
Every local official should come and learn from Shangnan County. He would instruct them to all make a pilgrimage to Shangnan County to gain wisdom.
Lu Xiangheng strode quickly towards the county yamen, intending to find Luo Xi and Steward Li to offer a few words of encouragement. However, he was only halfway there when a messenger ran up to him and swiftly reported, "Urgent news! A contingent of rebels is heading towards Wulin Pass!"
Lu Xiangheng sighed softly. "It seems there's no time to chat with General Luo and Steward Li today," he thought. "Suppressing bandits is the priority."
He quickly rushed out of the city, gathered his Tianxiong Army, and sped directly towards Wulin Pass.
Several days later, they arrived at Wulin Pass, where they found ten thousand rebels pillaging and destroying inside the pass.
Lu Xiangheng ordered his army to surge forward in an assault. The Tianxiong Army was formidable, and with their first strike, sent the rebels fleeing in terror, scrambling in disarray. Lu Xiangheng's forces beheaded several hundred and captured the remaining bandits alive, amounting to over three thousand individuals.
As always, they couldn't simply kill all these people; it would be an affront to heavenly harmony. They could only take them back for resettlement.
He had no idea how these people could be resettled. He had no money or provisions, and his finances were severely strained. Three thousand people in his hands were a burning hot potato. He could only march them back, under escort.
This journey took several more days, and once again, they passed through Shangnan County.
Upon this return, he saw a colossal building under construction outside Shangnan County. A group of people wearing Blue Hats were directing the work, while large crowds of laborers moved under their guidance, constructing the building according to the Blue Hats' instructions.
Lu Xiangheng approached, curious. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
The Blue Hat, upon seeing the high official, showed no fear whatsoever, unlike other common folk who would immediately prostrate themselves before an official. Instead, the Blue Hat smiled and spoke with ease, "We are currently constructing Shangtie No. 1 Factory."
"What?" Lu Xiangheng was greatly puzzled. "What is this Shangtie No. 1 Factory?"
The Blue Hat chuckled, "It's short for Shangnan Iron and Steel No. 1 Factory."
Lu Xiangheng was a little bewildered. "Smelting steel and iron?"
The Blue Hat replied, "That's right! To the west, in Tianzhu Mountain in Shanyang County, and to the east, in the Lushi mountain area, there are large iron ore deposits. Both of these major iron mines are roughly equidistant from Shangnan County. So, we've decided to build a smelting plant just outside Shangnan County, and later, all the iron ore from Tianzhu Mountain and the Lushi mountain area will be transported here for centralized refining."
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