Chapter 444

According to the rules of the Jin Dynasty before, when I conquered Dàyǐn Valley that day, I should have slaughtered all the Qiang people to the last!

The Qiang people below don't know whether they should run now or what, before such a small Beijiang King, could he be fickle?!

Da Wang took a deep breath, "But I didn't do that."

Dong Fu: ……

"As early as the oracle bone script era, there are records that the Central Plains dynasties referred to the nomadic peoples of the west as 'Qiang', and the Qiang people also had countless integrations into the Central Plains, with close exchanges. At the root, we are all black-haired, black-eyed people of the same race; temporary separation leads to later long reunion. Just like my Beijiang and the Jin Dynasty now appear separated, if true conflict ever comes that day, I won't think of marching south to slaughter the Jin people clean.

I don't know if everyone understood what I said after saying so much? Burning Dang Qiang and the Beijiang have conflicts, but I believe that is because Dahao didn't properly guide you. The wealth he plundered from Liangzhou wasn't distributed to each herdsman, and those present are all ordinary herdsmen.

I won't implicate you with Dianliang's sins; I've decided to give you a chance to correct your mistakes.

This chance comes only once; I hope you cherish it. As long as you properly be my Beijiang subjects, regard yourselves as Beijiang people in your hearts, and get along well with other Beijiang subjects, I will eventually treat you all equally, after all, you once committed a great mistake.

This time I won't kill you, and I will also spend money and manpower to support the establishment of a new city in the brand-new Qingyu Commandery. New dynasty, new atmosphere; those who wish to be Beijiang subjects, I will lead you to live well, at least better than following Dianliang; those who still consider themselves alien and alienated from the Beijiang, I will also send them to gather with those Burning Dang chieftains."

Wei Shen was deeply impressed; this guy spoke both sides of the argument.

"I hereby formally announce here that starting tomorrow, I will officially commence the construction of the new commandery. I plan to build Qingyu City on the original site of Dàyǐn Valley, with city walls and roads, so that the people of Qingyu Commandery will also have a place of refuge.

Moreover, my construction projects include meals.

I will select five thousand people from among you to work; those who know the Beijiang understand that such a pleasant assignment only goes to outstanding subjects. For example, having a male adult serve in my army under conscription has never been something everyone can get—a cushy post.

This time I'm making an exception: a 150-day work period, giving the Qiang people three thousand slots, to demonstrate my sincerity. During the conscription period, each person will receive one set of work clothes, thirty wén per day in wages, plus one sheng of refined rice!"

With a boom, the crowd below exploded!

Herdsmen who daily used sheep as trading currency, upon hearing that building a city for the Beijiang King pays thirty wén a day plus one sheng of rice, wondered if such a good thing existed under heaven? Below, it truly exploded.

They thought rice here was extremely precious!

One hundred fifty sheng of rice, thirty wén per day for one hundred fifty days—how many wén is that? How much silver could it be exchanged for? Could it buy some salt and sugar?! Illiterate herdsmen simply couldn't calculate it!

The distribution of clothing was overlooked by them; what good clothes could be issued? They don't wear lower garments in summer anyway.

Tang Qian and others who understood the trade silently watched Da Wang, you why did you shrink back? Then they realized it wasn't so little, and glanced at these Qiang people who had never seen the world!

Da Wang truly didn't want to give too much, lest these Qiang people take him for a sucker. Just a moment ago, they were sworn enemies; how could he possibly treat them equally right away? Da Wang, who will get over it, plans to take the saved funds back to build Jīnhuī.

With a command from Da Wang, the newly appointed county magistrate came out to maintain order, letting everyone register with the temporary household register.

Out of the 5000 person-times of wool, he left two thousand for the Jin people; Da Wang's meaning was that the captured Jīnhuī people could directly register, and if they adapted to the grasslands, they could also stay here to live; he would have Zhāng Fāng additionally take care of the Jin people; he hopes that in the future, Qingyu will not be only for Qiang people, but ideally mixed residence.

After Da Wang left, the valley was simply buzzing with voices.

In the past, earning half a tael of silver in Burning Dang was not easy; the Qiang people eagerly inquired what kind of rice the refined rice was, and upon learning it was the most expensive white rice sold by the Jin Dynasty, the registration table nearly got knocked over……

Da Wang went back to hide in his homestead and calculated with the calculator: 150 multiplied by 270 wén multiplied by 5000…… "Huh? Only 2000 taels? Totally insufficient, not even a fraction of what I spent on this trip."

Bai Ze: …… This guy just paying others' money can't be considered wrong.

750,000 sheng of refined rice in this world is actually worth some silver; Da Wang thinks Jīnhuī people find eating rice extremely difficult, and the system's bit of refined rice is truly not enough for them; this guy resold it to Bai Yang, letting him exchange this precious good rice for more coarse rice, which he wants to use for disaster relief.

Bai Yang has already eaten the system's refined rice and is very clear about its quality; it can compete with the rice grown from Da Wang's Field Foundation.

"I sent it to our dry goods store to sell; you wait, I dare to sell twenty-one catties!"

Da Wang gave his white brother a crazy thumbs-up; he's really too smart! After Bai Yang's intermediary, 750,000 sheng will become 7,500,000 sheng—no wonder smuggling makes money~

Da Wang complained on the surface about not having a few taels of silver, but his body was honest; he immediately summoned the NPC technical supervisor for this mission.

Upon coming out, he discovered it was a newcomer, who called himself surnamed Tú; Da Wang had already lost count of how many NPCs Mengmeng had. He instructed the new NPC that he had deducted most of the grain and funds, telling him not to make mistakes when distributing later.

"This situation is special; I have conquered new territory, and among the local labor force of five thousand, three thousand are foreigners, so management… might be a bit troublesome; I hope Mr. Tú will put in extra effort. If any conflict arises and truly cannot be managed, you may seek the commandant of Qingyu Commandery."

The NPC nodded: "My lord need not worry; we still have five thousand technical personnel, sufficient to maintain all order at the construction site."

Sounds like those little ants have a couple of brushes!

Da Wang relaxed and launched the side mission that night, officially beginning construction.

He maximized the city's area to the limit, then dumped manpower and materials all at once to the technical supervisor; after a while, reopening the map, in the distance tiny figures were already transporting building materials to Dàyǐn Valley, and the selected eastern gate location soon lit up with lights.

Da Wang greatly admired Mengmeng's so-called logic chain; at first glance, it really looked like it was being acted out.

With so many more people active in the distance, vigilant people wouldn't miss it; the night watch cavalry first noticed the anomaly, reported to Old Tang, they now live in tents, and Wei Ke, next door, also heard the commotion and followed.

The two rode their horses, watching the distant crowds bustling like beans under lamp light, staring at each other.

That place is the eastern gate selected by Da Wang; the entire project will officially start there tomorrow.

Tang Qian shrugged his shoulders, "……I've broken out in gooseflesh all over, this is too absurd, where did these people come from overnight?" When he went to build Shānyáng Pass before, they had already been working for a long time; Old Tang had never experienced such a surprise; in a moment's effort, suddenly several thousand people appeared!

Wei Ke pondered for a moment: "I'm also seeing this for the first time. Why not go ask?" Could it be that Da Wang decided to attack the Qiang and simultaneously decided to build a city? The mobilization of this manpower and building materials is too fast, right?!

The two rode closer and discovered these people wore identical clothing, and their faces resembled Jin people more. They had already transported building materials as high as a mountain. As far as the eye could see, there were many blue stone strips; is this thing auspicious?

Wei Ke went up to inquire; the person busy setting up tents stopped, laughed heartily, and replied that he was a Longxi person, hired by Da Wang from Longxi to come build the city.

Old Tang took a deep breath: "Your Highness's strength is indeed unfathomable!"

Wei Ke: ……

It turned out Da Wang was crying poor, and that was really just crying for nothing.

★

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The next day, three thousand Qiang people and two thousand Jin people received their brand-new work uniforms, not only outer garments but also inner clothes, socks and shoes.

This kind of textile that looks extremely sturdy, in the pastoral western Qiang, can be called a luxury item.

The five thousand labor force exploded again; who knew this wasn't over yet; they learned for the first time in life that work could come with advance pay.

Tú Guānshì gave them the first day's wages: thirty wén plus a full dàn of white rice!

A tall, broad-shouldered man received a brand-new set of clothes; after stepping out of the queue, he still stood there dazed.

He was tall and broad-shouldered; the officer in charge of distributing clothes looked up at him, glanced, and told the person beside him: this person is tall, find the largest size for him; then he received the supposedly largest size. That officer also kindly reminded him to formally start work in the afternoon, and that outer clothes and boots must be worn then; the construction site has requirements, for safety, they must be worn.

He pinched the clothes and shoes made of cloth, "... I've lived this many years, and still this is the first time I've worn such good clothes..."

The brother who came with him held a sack of rice and a brand-new thirty-wen coin, pushing forward, "Second brother really struck it rich with white rice and thirty-wen copper coins of the Jin Dynasty! I heard they knew we weren't well-off, so from now on they'll hand out that day's wages every day after work!"

The Han man looked at the white rice in his brother's hand, then felt the sack holding the rice, and exclaimed in amazement.

Even the sack for the rice is made of cloth—wouldn't our two brothers, working three days, be able to save up enough cloth to make clothes for the little ones at home?

"Is this Beijiang King building a city right after seizing the territory?"

"Who knows? How is this even said?"

"Old man here even wanted to go help him fight the neighboring tribes."

His brother began to think seriously, "Then... that's really not bad! Saying something I shouldn't, the great hero got benefits from the Jin people but never let us get a taste of this kind." He again felt the sack of rice in his hand.

"That's because you didn't go serve him—staying home herding sheep, who'd care about you? You're not like me, are you? You just don't like fighting..."

"Those who love fighting are all buried at the foot of Nao Mu Mountain. We're fine like this—whoever can let us live a good life, we'll follow whoever!"

The construction site was already bustling like fire, and the King wasn't idle either—he took the commandant of Dai Commandery and the prefect to the jade mine, after all, that place would henceforth be their main battlefield.

Two million taels of fiscal revenue relying solely on herding sheep could gnaw the jade white.

As for Youzhou, after Xie Yuan and the Chancellor and Grand Tutor discussed it, they placed Lu Tong in the position of Minister of Justice. Lu Tong was unwilling to go serve the King without even seeing his face, so he delayed taking office, saying he'd wait until the King personally appointed him before he'd go—anyway, dragging it out day by day.

That day, Xie Yuan had a rare day off. He waited until the afternoon sun wasn't so fierce, then rose and went to the Lu family's temporary residence, determined to push out the duties that should be handled by the Minister of Justice.

Who would have thought that upon arriving at the Lu residence, he was told Lu Tong wasn't home. Heard he basically doesn't stay home much—either he's at the Beijiang Academy or hanging out at street-side wine shops and tea houses.

Xie Yuan and Lu Hong drank tea for a while, then took their leave—who would have known that right at the Da Men Kou they'd bump into Lu Tong returning home.

"Lord Xie, who handles myriad affairs with difficulty, finally came by—how could you just leave like this? Come, come, come, have dinner before you go! I've obtained a string of exquisite beautiful jade, and I invite Brother Xie to appreciate it together!"

Xie Yuan had come precisely to find him, and he gladly went back with him.

Who would have known this person was really dragging him to admire jade, hurriedly back into the inner chamber to change out of his sweat-soaked clothes, then came out to show off his newly bought bracelet.

Lu Tong followed local customs, came to Youzhou, and fell in love with wrist strings.

Previously, men of the Jin Dynasty didn't have the hobby of wearing wrist strings; in recent years, Chang'an has seen a trend, but this extravagant style hasn't yet reached the simple, cultured lands of Fangyang.

"Look at this jade I just obtained—so icy and transparent, completely different from the beauty of mutton-fat jade!

The purity and warmth of heaven and earth are entirely condensed in this string of beads—no garish showiness, like lake water pierced by morning light, crystal clear. Look, change the angle—doesn't it seem like there's a layer of misty cyan? Like distant mountains reflected in the lake's heart, hazy yet poetic!"

Xie Yuan nodded—those jade beads weren't small, polished to a generally uniform size, round and smooth, glowing with luster. Not speaking of color, the craftsmanship was genuinely excellent.

He didn't know the King imported this jade machine-polished—if it had to be hand-polished by Jin Dynasty artisans to this round and bright, that would be troublesome; how long one person would take to polish such a perfect string is hard to say.

"Its quality is like congealed fat with dew, its rhythm surpasses ink and paint!" Lu Tong praised without cease.

If the King were here, he should be able to recognize this as just a string of somewhat icy ordinary lake-water green and Hetian jade—only modern polishing techniques are truly excellent. I bought this cargo for twenty silver ingots at Baiyang's; selling at double already shows good conscience.

Isn't the King preparing to get into the Hetian jade trade, planning to stir things up domestically in advance?

It's clear Lu Tong is truly satisfied, chattering on about his new bracelet: "This string is the largest size—I'd been eyeing it before but couldn't bear to buy it. Luofu Tower really knows how to make money—one size, one price, all displayed together. Since there's a large one, as a man I won't stoop to petty smallness buying the small one—looking at it just isn't generous."

"You've also learned this act of crying poor? You still won't buy a string of jade beads for the Lu family's fortune?"

"It's not my fault—I went twice too many to Spring River Flower Moon Night, Old Three even specially came over to warn me not to go too often—you Youzhou folks really are a money-sucking pit!"

Xie Yuan didn't know what expression to put on—Youzhou also has a day when it's called a money-sucking pit. But he had also heard of Spring River Flower Moon Night—it's famous for being expensive.

The younger ones at home have gone with the King several times, each more obsessed than the last—whenever the King calls, they'd have to cross mountains of knives and seas of fire to arrive on time. Good thing he asked Xie Tu about it, learned it was selling song and dance and food, so he didn't care anymore.

"Hmph, so you're willing to spend again today?"

"Of course it's because it dropped in price! This string of mine previously required eight hundred taels for its color and quality—today it only needs four hundred taels."

Speaking of this, he finally remembered something, gave Xie Yuan a meaningful look, "This is still thanks to the Beijiang King's favor. Who would've thought Luofu Tower is also his? The shopkeeper said they're celebrating the Beijiang King's conquest of Burning Dang Qiang—jade all half-price!"

"Cough cough cough~"

Xie Yuan successfully got choked by tea.

"What? Finished already?"

Lu Tong muttered to himself: "I heard Burning Dang Qiang produces this color of beautiful jade—the Beijiang King this time drove prices down. Brother Xie, could it be he didn't go fight Burning Dang Qiang just for the beautiful jade?"

Xie Yuan:...