Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 161 The Transfer of Peach Blossom Spring
Han Ji, wrapped in a fur coat, stood with Zhao Shi on a small earthen slope a little distance away, overlooking the entire construction site.

The three hundred county soldiers brought by Zhao Shi were not idle; some of them set up sentry posts on high ground outside the construction site.

The other group directly acted as supervisors, patrolling the construction site to maintain order.

Zhao Shi himself had his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes like those of a hawk, and no sign of laziness or trouble could escape his notice.

"Stone is quite imposing now, look at him, he's really impressive," Han Ji teased Zhao Shi.

They all came from Taoyuan, and they were quite familiar with each other.

Accustomed to his cold expression, Zhao Shi couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he heard Mr. Han, who had taught him military strategy that day, making such a teasing remark.

"Sir, please don't tease me. My lord has put me in charge of the judicial department, and now even my former brothers are all very respectful to me. Alas, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing."

He sighed.

Han Ji approached and patted him on the back: "Shoulder the responsibility and bear the burden. You will all be entrusted with important tasks sooner or later. Every one of the twenty-seven people in the small mountain village is remembered by the lord. You are just taking on this responsibility a little earlier than them."

“I’ve heard about what happened in Yangqu County. You did a great job. This proves that our lord’s judgment was correct. You are capable of handling this matter.”

"It's very stressful. Every day I'm afraid that I might do something wrong and tarnish the lord's reputation," Zhao Shi said with a slightly worried expression.

Han Ji smiled and pointed to the construction site below.

“Look at those people down there. Only when someone as impartial as you stands here will these laborers feel in control and work with high enthusiasm.”

"Because they all know that as long as you are there, there will be no cheaters, everyone will work hard, and there will be no saying that some people do more and some do less."

"This is the power of 'law,' and this is what our lord values."

Zhao Shi nodded. In fact, he had understood this point after resolving the matter in Yangqu County, which is why he always showed a cold expression to others.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the direction of Jinyang.

Several horsemen, dressed in black cloaks and covered in dust, galloped over and were stopped by the county soldiers on guard outside the construction site.

The leader dismounted, revealed a waist token, and said a few more words.

After the county soldiers inspected them, they were allowed to pass. The knights headed straight for the earthen mound where Han Ji and Zhao Shi were located.

"Report! Supervisor! Clerk Zhao! The magistrate's letter is for you two to discuss!" The cavalryman knelt on one knee and presented a document covered with bright red sealing wax with both hands.

Han Ji's heart tightened, and he quickly took it and tore off the seal.

Zhao Shi also stared intently at it.

The official document was written by Xun Yu himself, and the handwriting was clear and powerful.

The content concerns the order to launch the new relay station. Without disrupting the existing project, the relay station will be established or renovated according to the new standards to ensure the smooth transportation of project materials and the transmission of information!

The document also included the main provisions of the new post station system and a sample notice for recruiting post station officials.

After reading it, Han Ji breathed a long sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face, and handed the document to Zhao Shi.

After carefully reading the official document, especially the clauses concerning the direct jurisdiction of the post stations over the prefecture, the post station administrators having primary judicial power, and the post stations being able to serve as temporary shelters, a thoughtful look flashed across Zhao Shi's eyes.

He put away the official documents, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Han Ji, and said, "By order of my lord, the Judicial Officer will do his utmost to assist you in your affairs!"

"Okay!" Han Ji nodded and turned to shout down at the construction site.

"Lu University!"

A moment later, Lu Da came down from the construction site and bowed to Han Ji, asking, "What's wrong with the supervisor?"

Han Ji handed him a letter from Jinyang: "Go back to the main tent to sort out the road conditions. Tomorrow, lead two teams to Jinyang and select sites every fifty li to build new post stations. Zhao Yuanshi will arrange for judicial officials to accompany you and be responsible for negotiating with officials and clerks in the neighboring counties."

"You are only responsible for construction; do not ask about or interfere with anything else!"

Lu Da looked at the letter and nodded: "Yes!"

After giving his instructions, Han Ji waved his hand, letting Zhao Shi and Lu Da discuss the details on their own, while he continued to keep an eye on the construction site below.

The craftsmen, chanting in unison, used ropes and crowbars to painstakingly drag up the slope of the scaffolding, carrying massive, neatly cut bluestone slabs weighing hundreds of kilograms.

Below, on the stove, a huge iron pot was bubbling with thick glutinous rice paste, emitting a unique sweet aroma.

The craftsmen scooped up the boiling slurry in wooden buckets and carefully poured it into the gaps between the stacked stone slabs.

If there's one downside to winter construction, it's that the use of cement is restricted, and only more expensive glutinous rice paste can be used.

Fortunately, the use of only a few passes is something Jinyang can afford now.

Half a month later, on the latter half of the post road leading from Jinyang to Jingjingkou.

The cold wind was still biting, but the snow on the official road had been cleared to both sides, revealing a dark and smooth road surface.

A supply oxcart covered with a thick tarpaulin was creaking along, escorted by several soldiers from Jinyang County.

The cart was loaded with steel chisels, sledgehammers and other fine iron tools urgently needed to reinforce the pass. They were transported from Lüchi to Jinyang, and then from Jinyang to Jingxingkou.

The coachman, Old Huang, hunched his shoulders, breathing warm air onto his frozen hands, and muttered, "This awful weather, and I still have to drive this far to deliver supplies... I wonder if that new post station up ahead is even reliable..." Just as he was complaining, a brand-new blue flag fluttered in the cold wind at the bend in the road ahead, with a large "post station" embroidered on it.

Below the flag, several brand-new houses with foundations built of large mountain stones and walls constructed of logs came into view.

The houses surrounded a small courtyard, and there was a hitching post at the entrance.

On the open ground thirty or forty meters away from the courtyard, several simple but sturdy shacks had even been erected.

"Hey! There really is one!" Old Huang's spirits lifted, and he cracked his whip in the air.

The oxcart approached the gate of the post station.

A young man dressed in a brand-new indigo cotton robe and a matching felt hat came out quickly with two couriers.

Although Hao Tong was young, he had a scholarly air about him, but he was also tall and strong, with a calm demeanor and nimble movements.

"But were these reinforcement tools sent by the Jinyang Prefecture?" Hao Tong asked loudly, his voice clear.

A month ago, he was transferred from the Mountain Battalion to serve as a reserve postmaster.

There were also many junior officers from the Wind Battalion, Forest Battalion, and Fire Battalion in the same batch.

Most of them were squad leaders or platoon leaders.

The Jiaqi Army is now arguably the most educated force under Zhang Xian's command. Literacy courses have been almost non-stop, so if you were to ask which group of educated people Zhang Xian would be most satisfied with and at ease with, it would undoubtedly be the Jiaqi Army.

Of course, he also knew that the duty of the Jiaqi Army was to defend the territory and expand the borders, so he only transferred personnel to maintain an equal number of those recruited from poor families in the prefectures and counties.

At the same time, after transferring a batch of junior officers from the armored army, several times more new soldiers need to be recruited to fill the gaps. Although this will cause a small number of units to lose combat effectiveness in the short term.

However, in the long run, this approach also has some advantages, namely, it ensures smooth promotion within the armored army, preventing situations where meritorious soldiers cannot be promoted, and maintaining the enthusiasm of rank-and-file soldiers.

After being transferred, Hao Tong and more than a hundred others received more than ten days of training in the same place, and then he was assigned here to serve as a postmaster.

"That's right! That's right!" Old Huang hurriedly jumped off the cart and handed over the wax-sealed goods order stamped with the seal of the Jinyang Prefecture Granary Office.

Hao Tong quickly inspected and checked the quantity, then turned to the courier and instructed, "Wang Er, take this old man and the others to the kitchen for some hot soup to warm them up! Zhang Wu, take a few men to unload the goods and count them into the warehouse! Be careful, they're all fine iron, don't bump them!"

He arranged everything in a very orderly manner.

Old Huang and several soldiers were led to the kitchen next door.

As soon as you enter, a warm current mixed with the smell of firewood and the aroma of food hits you.

In the corner of the room, on a large stove, a big iron pot was bubbling with steaming vegetable porridge, with chopped dried vegetables and millet faintly visible inside.

There was also a bowl of freshly baked flatbread that smelled of wheat next to it.

"Hey! There's hot food too?" a soldier exclaimed in surprise.

The courier Wang Er smiled憨厚ly: "The postmaster said that anyone passing through on official business can have a bowl of hot soup to tide them over with their post certificate! Please sit down, please sit down!"

As he spoke, he quickly ladled out several bowls of porridge and served some flatbread.

Old Huang held the piping hot vegetable porridge in the rough earthenware bowl, slurped it up, and a warm current flowed from his throat straight to his stomach, instantly making his frozen body feel much more comfortable.

"Wow, this is great! This new inn is really nice!" he exclaimed sincerely.

In the backyard stables, several sturdy post horses were chewing hay.

Zhang Wu, who had just finished unloading the goods, ran in and said to Hao Tongdao, who was inspecting horseshoes, "Innkeeper, all the goods have been put into storage and counted."

The next stop is 'Shanshiyi', thirty miles away. Judging from the sky, it seems we won't make it today."

Hao Tong straightened up, patted the grass clippings off his hands, and said decisively, "Then let's do it according to the rules! Tools are important, we can't risk traveling at night. You guys settle the carriages and horses in, there's hot soup and flatbread in the kitchen, take good care of the coachman and the county soldiers."

I'll arrange for them to rest in the temporary shelter at the post station tonight, and they can leave again tomorrow morning when the snow stops.

He glanced at the few simple but sturdy shacks: "Let's see if this resettlement site is any good."

Old Huang sat in the warm kitchen, listening to the howling wind and snow outside gradually intensifying. He held a bowl of hot porridge, ate a flatbread, and watched the young postmaster's calm and composed figure directing the work in the courtyard. He felt incredibly at ease.

Jinyang, the backyard of the prefectural governor's residence.

The night was deep, and the wind and snow had quietly stopped. A clear, cold crescent moon peeked out from the gaps in the scattered clouds, casting its bright light upon the snow-covered city of Jinyang.

Zhang Xian pushed open the heavy wooden window of the study, and a chilling, bone-chilling air rushed in, instantly dispelling the warmth of the charcoal fire inside.

He took a deep breath of the cold air and felt refreshed.

Looking out into the distance, the houses in the city, scattered at different heights, are covered with a thick layer of snow, gleaming with a cold, bluish light under the moonlight, silent and still.

"It's time to let Brother Lan start recruiting refugees in Jizhou, and also move the other people from Taoyuan to Jinyang."

"The world is about to descend into chaos."

December 183, the end of the sixth year of Guanghe.

Two months until the Yellow Turban Rebellion!
(End of this chapter)