Chapter 106: Using Labor Instead of Relief, the People's Hearts First Rally

The news that Black Wind Stronghold was wiped out in one battle and that the bandit chief Heishan Lang had been captured alive.

Like a thunderclap of spring, it thoroughly awakened the numb Riverside County.

When the shackled and chained Heishan Lang was paraded through the streets, and finally publicly tried on the makeshift wooden platform at the county government gate, Chen Wen publicly sentenced him to immediate execution.

The onlooking populace erupted in earth-shaking cheers and wails.

The bandit chief's hot blood, spurting high, not only washed away part of the injustice.

And like the strongest declaration, it announced the former lawless, chaotic era.

Within Riverside County, it has already been ended.

Prestige is established; grace must be swiftly carried out.

The victorious reports of the bandit extermination and the lingering prestige of the public trial have not yet dissipated.

Chen Wen immediately devoted all his energy to that more fundamental and also more arduous task.

——Using labor in place of relief, to restore livelihood.

The county government treasury, under Zhang Cheng's personnel conducting nonstop inventory, finally yielded its totals.

Zhou Tao and his followers' embezzled cash, cloth, and grain.

Together with the county government's remaining stores, when combined, they form a considerable startup fund.

However.

Facing thousands of starving refugees across the county and a situation where myriad undertakings await initiation.

These funds and provisions still appear strained.

"Sir, the funds are limited; if distributed directly, though it could relieve the immediate need, it would exhaust the resources and is not a long-term plan."

Zhang Cheng held the ledger, his brow furrowed.

"We must get the project underway as soon as possible, letting the people earn grain through labor, for it to be sustainable."

Chen Wen stood before that simple map, his gaze falling on the waterway that runs through Riverside County.

On the channel of that Yellow River tributary which breached in last autumn's flood—the Riverside River.

Although the breach had been roughly blocked, the dam remains fragile, with great hidden danger.

Moreover, due to silting causing poor drainage, vast tracts of fertile land on both banks remain submerged in mire, unable to be cultivated.

"The foremost task is to repair the Riverside River dam and dredge the channel."

Chen Wen pressed his finger heavily on the breach location.

"This is the lifeline of Riverside County. If the dam is not solid, the water disaster will not be eliminated;"

"If the channel is not clear, fertile land will be difficult to restore. Taking this project as the core, recruit civilian laborers to replace relief with labor!"

The order was issued, and the entire temporary administrative system immediately began operating efficiently.

Wang Ru, with several literate clerks, worked through the night calculating workloads and establishing grain and wage standards;

Zhao Lao Nian then led the core of the artisan camp to the breach site for on-site survey, designing the repair plan, and urgently manufacturing and repairing various tools;

Li Yan's troops were responsible for maintaining order, and also diverted some personnel to assist with material transport and camp construction.

At dawn the next day, before the notice board at the county government gate.

And at the four gates of the county city, the new notices were posted, and loudly-voiced soldiers repeatedly proclaimed them:

"Order of the Border Pacification Commissioner, Lord Chen: Effective immediately, massively recruit civilian laborers to repair the Riverside River dam and dredge the channel!"

"All applicants will receive two filling meals per day, and wages will be settled according to the volume of earth and stone moved."

"Those who bring their own tools get a 50% wage bonus! The schedule is tight, slots limited—apply quickly!"

The news spread, and the whole city erupted!

Meals provided, plus wages!

For the refugees struggling on the death line and the impoverished farmers, this was nothing less than heavenly music!

At first some were still half-believing, half-doubting, but when the first batch of dozens of able-bodied youths, with a tentative mindset,

at the designated river labor camp, they actually received steaming porridge and flatbread mixed with coarse grains, enough to fill their stomachs.

And after completing the day's assigned earthwork volume,

they on the spot received several heavy copper coins.

All doubts vanished in an instant.

"They really pay! They really fill you up!"

"Lord Chen Qingtian keeps his word!"

"Hurry back and call people! Hurry go!"

The excited crowd surged toward the recruitment point like a tide.

In just two or three days, over two thousand civilian laborers had gathered on the construction sites along both banks of the Riverside River!

The noise was deafening, the scene spectacular.

However, many people do not mean high efficiency.

These laborers were mostly emaciated from hunger, lacking strength.

The tools used were also broken beyond repair, compounded by a lack of effective organization and dispatch.

In the first few days, the project's progress was extremely slow, with frequent disorder.

Zhao Lao Nian grew so anxious that blisters formed on the corners of his mouth, he ran back and forth shouting orders until his voice went hoarse, yet to little effect.

Chen Wen personally came to the worksite.

Seeing the lively yet somewhat disordered scene before him,

seeing those laborers, weak and powerless from long-term hunger, staggering even while carrying a small basket of earth and stone, he understood clearly.

Relying solely on slogans and limited provisions cannot quickly reverse this long-standing state of weakness.

He needed to infuse this surge of survival with a strong, immediately effective force.

Chen Wen didn't stand on high ground pointing and gesturing; instead, he took off his official robe.

He changed into short work clothes, picked up an iron shovel, and walked into the crowd digging earth.

He said nothing, merely began digging and shoveling soil silently and energetically.

His movements were not flashy, yet they carried a strange rhythm and efficiency, as if he never tired.

The surrounding laborers were initially startled and all made way.

Once they saw it was Chen Wen himself, they were even more shocked and at a loss.

"Sir! How...?"

"Please don't, sir!"

Chen Wen lifted his head, wiped away sweat, and smiled at the frightened laborers around him:

"Repairing the dikes is so we can all survive, have land to farm, and food to eat."

"Although I am a Pacification Commissioner, I am also a subject of the Great Zhou; contributing my effort is only proper."

This hands-on action of his was more inspiring than any slogan.

Seeing him labor personally, the laborers' sense of distance and fear diminished considerably.

In its place arose a feeling of respected inspiration and ever-growing zeal to work.

And at the same time.

Chen Wen's mind stirred slightly, and the pale gold vortex in his sea of consciousness turned gently.

He did not choose to quadruple-enhance only a few people, for that would be too limited in scope.

He let his mental power spread slowly outward, like invisible ripples.

It covered a core work area centered on him with a radius of roughly several dozen zhang.

"Ability Granting—wide, double!"

A gentle yet firm force quietly enveloped the hundreds of laborers in this area.

Wang Lao Shuan, who was vigorously swinging his shovel, suddenly felt his arm grow lighter.

The iron shovel, originally heavy and hard to wield, now felt much easier to handle.

With each shovelful, he could dig up more soil, and the soreness and numbness in his arm lessened.

Li Ergou beside him felt his legs no longer as leaden as before.

The speed at which he carried earth baskets back and forth unconsciously increased a bit.

Even the artisans responsible for driving stakes and tamping earth found their hammer strikes stronger, placement more accurate, and efficiency markedly improved.

This change was not earth-shattering, yet it was truly palpable.

Fatigue was dispelled considerably, strength seemed to well up from deep within the body, and the rhythm of work naturally quickened.

"Huh? Today's strength... seems a bit greater?"

"Yeah, this basket of earth feels less heavy."

"Work goes much more smoothly now!"

The laborers whispered to each other, their faces showing surprise and delight.

They naturally didn't realize this was due to Chen Wen's ability; they thought it was just from having eaten their fill and seeing Chen Wen himself laboring, which gave them hope and strength.

The effect was immediate.

The work efficiency of this area increased at a visible pace!

Digging, hauling, and tamping—the various segments meshed smoothly.

The originally sluggish project progress, as if injected with lubricant, began to accelerate.

Zhao Lao Nian quickly noticed this astonishing change, he ran to Chen Wen's side and excitedly pointed at that area:

"Sir! Look! Over there... over there it's like a different crew! This efficiency is more than double what it was this morning!"

Chen Wen set down his iron shovel, gazed at the bustling, orderly worksite, and wore a relieved smile.

He wiped his sweat and said to Zhao Lao Nian:

"Do you see? The people aren't unwilling to work; they merely lack clothing and food, have exhausted their strength, and grown cold-hearted."

"As long as we give them hope and a little help, the strength they unleash can overturn heaven and earth."

He paused, then spoke softly:

"Assign our people, scattered across the various work sections, to organize and coordinate."

"Also, announce that the top three teams for earth moved today will receive extra meat rations!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Lao Nian eagerly received the order and departed.

The latent boost of the wide-area double ability, combined with effective organization and incentives, produced a wonderful chemical reaction.

The efficiency of the entire River Facing Water worksite surged across the board!

The main dam repair project, originally estimated to take over a month to finish,

actually showed signs of completion in just ten short days!

The newly built dam's prototype emerged, solid and substantial;

after dredging, the river flow became noticeably smoother, and the flooded fields on both banks gradually reappeared.

The laborers received their hard-earned wages, ate hearty meals they hadn't had in ages, and occasionally even saw meat and fish.

Their faces no longer showed despair, but gained a healthy flush and vitality.

Their eyes were filled with anticipation for the future.

They spontaneously called Chen Wen "Lord Chen the Just" and "Living Bodhisattva."

They wholeheartedly supported this Pacification Commissioner who brought order and hope.

The Fortune Momentum vortex in Chen Wen's sea of consciousness grew as the dam was heightened inch by inch.

As the people's hearts gradually rallied, and as this land regained its vitality.

Continually growing and condensing, that pale golden light became ever warmer and more dazzling.

The people's hearts, on this construction site where sweat and hope intertwined, silently coalesced, firm as a rock.