Chapter 417 – Rebuilding Xiangyang County (Part 1)
The epicenter of this earthquake was near the capital, so the damage in the capital city was the most severe. The once-great city lay in ruins, with restless spirits roaming the land.
Xiangyang County, located on the outskirts of Fengyi Prefecture, was somewhat distanced from the epicenter.
When the earthquake struck, the tremors here were not as strong as in the capital, leading to less devastation.
However, the timing of the quake was absolutely infuriating. Who isn’t asleep at the witching hour?
As a result, over ten thousand common people met their end in their dreams.
After enduring the torturous earthquake and then being ravaged by the Green Garment Army, Xiangyang County was in dire straits and urgently needed reconstruction.
If one could take a bird’s-eye view, one would see that at least one-third of the buildings were in a state of disrepair.
Facing the battered Xiangyang County, Jiang Pengji collected her emotions and ordered her subordinates and the Imperial Guards to urgently clear the wreckage.
After all, they had to leave some place for the citizens of the capital to sleep.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and thought about the situation in Xiangyang County, unable to help but scoff, “This Xiangyang County isn’t much better off than the capital…”
Feng Jin took a short nap, now somewhat revitalized.
He remarked, “Heaven bestows great responsibilities upon people, but first, they must endure hardships, strengthen their bodies, and starve in spirit; they’ll stumble and falter… The wisdom of ancient sages has its merit. Everything is hard in the beginning, and currently, Xiangyang County is a mess. Rebuilding from the ruins will be incredibly challenging. But if our Lord can overcome this hurdle, she will certainly soar.”
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes in silence; she wasn’t some soaring monkey reaching the heavens.
Still, Feng Jin’s words lightened her mood a bit. She waved her hand, summoning a few subordinates for a meeting.
She wasn’t one for pretense or empty rhetoric, so she got straight to the point.
“After the earthquake and the rampage of the Ninth General’s Green Garment Army, Xiangyang County is now basically destitute and in shambles.”
Jiang Pengji started, and everyone took their seats. The table only had plain tea and water, just enough to wet their throats.
“Let’s skip the details for now. Our primary challenges are to rebuild Xiangyang County and recruit workers and soldiers to strengthen the city’s defenses. While rebuilding, we must also be ready for battle at any time. The scale of the Green Garment Army is beyond what we imagined, not to mention the Red Lotus Sect, who are equally as dangerous. They pose potential threats and enemies to Xiangyang County. Right now, none of us can be trusted; we can only rely on ourselves.” Jiang Pengji’s final comment was laced with deep resentment.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
However, regardless of which task, each would require immense manpower, resources, and time. Unfortunately, Jiang Pengji was quite broke at the moment.
This “broke” didn’t mean she lacked food or money; rather, she lacked people!
Thanks to the generous donations from the audience in the live stream, who had gifted her funds, she had temporarily trapped that little demon known as the System. With enough popularity points, she could comfortably support tens of thousands of people. Not to say they’d eat like kings, but at least they wouldn’t starve.
As for the money?
She had “borrowed” quite a bit from numerous households in the capital, accumulating a sum that should last her through the winter.
She continued, “Last night, we counted the captured soldiers of the Green Garment Army, and there are one thousand seven hundred eighty-one of them, primarily young men aged thirteen to thirty. The population of Xiangyang County, according to the county office records, is around five thousand to ten thousand able-bodied individuals, plus the citizens from the capital who came with us… If we could mobilize them all for labor, with a detailed plan and phased execution, rebuilding Xiangyang County before winter isn’t impossible.”
At this, Luo Yue frowned tightly, “Labor?”
Feng Jin casually said, “The Lord likely means paid labor. The common people provide manpower, and she provides money and food. This way, we can ensure their basic needs are met while also rebuilding Xiangyang County. The Lord isn’t wealthy, and her assets are limited. But as the county official, even if the citizens do nothing, she cannot let them starve. Food must still be provided. Rather than doing nothing, it’s better to offer them something to do.”
Labor is inherently unpaid, and with the common people living in dire conditions, if they were additionally forced to work unpaid, Jiang Pengji’s reputation would be thoroughly ruined. Even if others urged her to do so, she wouldn’t risk such a thing.
In special times, using labor to provide relief was indeed a great method.
She had done it before, so Feng Jin and the others didn’t misinterpret her.
Of course, the idea of unpaid labor was already ingrained, so Luo Yue’s misunderstanding was understandable.
“Even so… the number of willing citizens is likely to be few, especially among the locals of Xiangyang County.”
Qi Guanrang waved his feather fan, looking tired yet with bright eyes, and continued with a somewhat sarcastic tone, “Those with wealth and stored grain at home will be able to harvest crops in autumn and won’t be lacking in the grains promised by unpaid work.”
The Green Garment Army had pillaged many wealthy households, swallowing up their properties, and could easily fill their bellies by plundering just one family, dismissing the needs of the ordinary peasant.
Thus, many common folk still had stored grain and a degree of certainty, making them unlikely to sell their labor. The likelihood of them refusing paid labor was quite high.
After finishing his statement, Qi Guanrang snickered softly, his gaze filled with a hint of disdain.
Meng Hunyun suggested softly, “Why not increase the wages?”
Jiang Pengji looked at him with an exasperated expression. Did she seem that wealthy?
“I’m broke; how can I provide such wages? The houses aren’t going to build themselves; they…” she pressed her fingers together while grumbling, and suddenly had an idea, “But there’s a way. With countless buildings collapsed due to the earthquake, a lot of land has been vacated. If there are no families to inherit them, according to the law, they would be reclaimed by the state…”
After her words, Feng Jin and the others revealed expressions of contemplation.
However, someone reacted even faster than them!
The audience in the live stream were tired of the pain of home-buying and were shocked to realize the streamer was pushing real estate on them.
【Qu’er】: Shocking! The oldest real estate developer in history is actually her!
【Nutritional Express】: If Xiangyang County can be fully constructed, becoming a safe haven in chaotic times, I bet land prices will skyrocket.
【Intoxicating Shark Soup】: Pfft, who previously said ancient houses were cheap and wanted to cross over to ancient times to be a landlord? Look now, you see, the streamer is diving into real estate; prices will soar to the heavens. Forget being a landlord, we’d end up as house slaves even if we crossed into ancient times. Woah!
Jiang Pengji glanced at the barrage, feeling quite innocent; she hadn’t initially thought that far.
Why would she want to speculate in real estate and land?
She simply aimed to build houses on unused lands and allow those who participated in labor to occupy them at low rents, while also offering certain tax reductions and allowing them to rent farming tools and cattle at relatively low prices… Her intentions were quite simple!
But now… it seemed there were possibilities to extend this further?
