Chapter 117

The Great King was extremely excited about the unexpected windfall, but he didn't quite understand it. What is relocation compensation? What are water supply and drainage? Would they also build a set of underground sewers for You

The excited king clicked open the descriptions inside the bubbles one by one.

Indeed, it's pretty much what he thought; this water supply is the large well dug in Youzhou City, capable of supplying daily water for every ward. Drainage refers to the discharge of rainwater and domestic wastewater, mainly for urban construction and preventing disease spread.

Road construction is easy to understand; the bluestone pavement of Zhuque Avenue is excellent, but I don't know what kind of road Mengmeng is building inside the city.

Then, to select a location with groundwater for the well, the city plan had to be redrawn; some haphazard civilian constructions were in the way, which is why relocation compensation arose.

The king was dying of curiosity about what the compensation for those 922 households would be; since the task hadn't started, he couldn't produce it, so he could only open the notes to look.

【Relocation compensation: silk 10 bolts; silver 10 taels. (Compensation based on twice the Youzhou housing market price)】

The king laughed upon seeing it; this must be the compensation based on Youzhou's best houses—those flimsy shacks that sway in a gust are certainly not worth five bolts of silk and five taels of silver.

Such a deal where moving house makes you rich—everyone would surely welcome it.

He also looked at the relocation roster; impressive, it listed names and surnames. Mengmeng's map gathering was incredibly thorough, hardly inferior to his own household-by-household census.

The king was beyond excited, "Ah, Mengmeng is building roads!" He really wanted to share the news with someone; he immediately thought of his cousin, but after running over he found his unreliable cousin had gone out riding, so he summoned Zhao Zhuge instead, telling him, "You don't need to go anywhere—I've given you a big job!"

The joy of impending road construction let the king briefly forget his worries about the bandit-suppression mission.

Fortunately, sixty days is still enough time.

Zhao Zhuge suggested that instead, let the Owl Cavalry take on this task, using Rock Sparrow Mountain as their first whetstone.

That way the king wouldn't be anxious either; the 1,500 candidates were still undergoing a month-long screening, with results due in a few days. Once the Owl Cavalry is formed, their first battle could be at Rock Sparrow Mountain—the king thought afterward, "How splendid!"

At the morning court the next day, the king announced he would pave the city's roads, dig wells, and build a drainage system.

The premier had no idea of Zhuque Avenue's money‑making ability, but hearing that spending fifty thousand could get the king to dispatch troops out of Youzhou—an event that had happened many times before—now, whenever the king splurges, he remains calm.

Until the king threw out a relocation roster, ordering the Youzhou garrison to post it; everyone present, each and every one, marveled at the king's efficiency.

Had the king been secretly working hard without their knowledge?

Not only had he planned the city‑construction routes, but he had also tallied up all those who needed to be relocated?

Was it because the king disapproved of—or had objections to—their administrative efficiency, so he didn't use them?

Anyway, the hall was filled with a gloomy, wind‑and‑rain atmosphere, everyone feeling a strong sense of crisis.

After the small morning court ended, the king led his officials, whose faces were not looking good, out to inspect the city walls.

Youzhou's city walls are eight zhang high, the top width seven point four zhang, the bottom width eight point two zhang; their outline forms a closed rectangle encircling the expanded Youzhou City—once everyone climbs up, it's utterly shocking.

The officials gained a new understanding of the king's wealth, enough to overturn their foolish estimate from just over half an hour earlier. The king must possess a huge sum of silver—or perhaps they've uncovered a gold mine in the southwest?

Coincidentally, the Wei family's young master was still there; anyway, these people could no longer imagine how much this would cost. If you said to build something like the earlier straw‑mixed mud wall, they'd still have a rough idea, but this scale is too hard to estimate.

They couldn't tell whether it was stone or fired brick; anyway, it differed greatly from the bricks and stones of their Great Jin, being much larger, and when struck it gave a metallic‑stone resonance. A few of them gathered, stared at each other, and fell silent in astonishment.

Only after the king ran off happily did they begin to whisper among themselves.

"I've passed by the construction site several times; their tools look quite complex, and there's rising hot air—so it must be fired,"

"No, it looks very heavy, so it must be stone! I've seen several convoys bringing materials over, and those people all wore identical clothing…"

"This is awesome—when the northern barbarians attack the city again, it'll be lively!"

"Really, how long would it take to climb up? They'd be shot full of holes before they got close."

"Hey, there's even a big water tank for storage!"

"For firefighting, right?"

"This wall is built with great care!"

Actually, the original blueprint for Youzhou's city walls was about five point five zhang; the king, wanting to play it safe, unhesitatingly chose a 1.5‑times enlargement, so now the walls are wide enough for chariots to run side by side.

The king ran a stretch on the walls with his three beloved pets—what is this? It's the sturdy little‑life protective shield of this king!

He stood on the wall, tiptoeing to gaze at the distant mountains, silent for a long while; everyone softened their steps, thinking he was pondering some grand matter, then they heard him say: "Our wall is so wide that thirty thousand people could stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder around the city—too bad we don't have that many. Look at those big stones on the mountain; pick them up and stick them onto the inner battlements in a line—when the enemy comes, they become weapons."

Zhao Chuan saw his colleagues offering no reaction, so he quickly seized the king's face: "Your Majesty's brilliant idea! When I lead troops out for drills and return, I'll have them each bring back a piece."

Zhang Tu: ……

If he were a deputy commander, he'd never get promoted in this lifetime.

The king's diary:

【June 15, Youzhou City.

Today I ascended the new city walls of Youzhou; my heart suddenly felt at ease—I, the king, could still live another hundred years, haha!

By then there will surely be funds to build a grand mausoleum, right?

Starting tomorrow I will follow Lingyin into seclusion to practice the sword; I will personally go to Rock Sparrow Mountain to suppress the bandits! (No cousin brought along).