Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

With the banditry swiftly eradicated, order was quickly restored in the rear of Hanyuan, even more orderly than before. People's hearts were at peace, rumors ceased, and a construction boom swept across the region with even greater force.

The most central and prominent focus of this craze is undoubtedly the rapidly changing Zhenbei City downstream of the Baishui River.

During the "cleanup" operation, construction at the Zhenbeicheng site was not completely halted, but progress was inevitably affected after security was strengthened and stricter camp management and material transportation protection measures were implemented.

Now that the obstacles have been cleared and the threat from the rear has been temporarily eliminated, this new city, on which great hopes have been placed, has immediately unleashed an astonishing energy for construction.

Thanks to the large-scale application of "stone mud" and the continuous flow of various tool improvements and small machines from the "Gewuyuan", the construction speed of Zhenbei City completely overturned people's traditional understanding of city building.

The city walls, the strongest outer shell of this future megacity, are of paramount importance in its construction.

The planned city wall was twenty li in circumference, five zhang high, and four zhang thick at the base. It had four gates, each with a barbican. Four horses could ride side by side on the top of the wall. It also included watchtowers, horse-faced ramparts, corner towers, and hidden troop caves.

A city wall of this size would not have been completed using traditional methods, even with the mobilization of tens of thousands of laborers and a construction period of several years.

But now, all you see is a huge quarry where gunpowder is used to loosen the mountainside, and massive boulders are quarried out and dragged to the processing area by oxen, horses, and manpower.

Stonemasons used new steel chisels and shovels with a "stone mud" binder, which greatly increased the speed of processing the stone blocks. After rough processing, the stone blocks were transported to the foundation of the city wall.

The foundation of the city wall had already been poured with "stone mud" concrete, which was ten feet deep and as hard as iron.

At this moment, a huge wooden "box-shaped template" was erected along the baseline, with thick bamboo poles tied inside.

Stone mud, river sand, and gravel are mixed in the best proportions in a huge wooden trough. Water is added, and the strong laborers vigorously stir it into a paste with wooden sticks. Then, it is poured into the mold by the load, one load at a time.

The craftsman, holding a long pole, repeatedly tamped inside the mold to remove air bubbles and ensure it was dense.

Each section is poured and compacted. Once it has partially solidified, the formwork is removed, a new formwork is erected, and the pouring continues.

Meanwhile, another group of craftsmen began to use processed stone blocks to "encase bricks" on the outside of the poured concrete walls.

The stones are bonded together with high-quality "stone mud" mortar mixed with glutinous rice paste, making the gaps tight.

From a distance, the city wall of Zhenbei City looks like a gray dragon, "growing" on the earth at a visible speed.

In the morning, it only reached waist height, but in the afternoon, it had reached chest height. Every day after work, you could see that the city wall had "climbed" a bit higher.

The roaring stirring, the clanging hammering, the resounding shouts, and the distinctive smell of "stone mud" permeating the air intertwined to create a powerful "city-building symphony."

It's not just the city walls.

Inside the city, the crisscrossing main roads also use "stone mud" concrete to pave the roadbed, covered with stone slabs, wide and flat, with ceramic drainage pipes pre-installed underground.

The foundations and some walls of the first batch of public buildings—the future city lord's mansion, government offices, central warehouse, barracks, and large market—are also under construction simultaneously.

They even began planning the first batch of military and civilian housing areas, adopting a more efficient "row house" layout, sharing gable walls to save on building materials and land.

Dozens of construction areas and tens of thousands of builders operated in unison, like precise gears. Han Lie personally oversaw the work, allocating materials and manpower. Craftsmen from the Bureau of Construction and the Academy of Natural Sciences worked tirelessly to resolve technical issues.

In addition to maintaining order, the troops dispatched by Wang Dashan also participated in some heavy physical labor.

The entire construction site was incredibly busy, yet orderly and efficient.

Xiao Chen would take time to come to the construction site almost every day, sometimes in the early morning, sometimes at dusk.

He rarely gave long speeches; he simply observed silently.

Looking at those once ragged and listless refugees, now sweating profusely on the construction site, their faces beaming with pride as they see the new city gradually taking shape under their own hands; looking at the officers and clerks of Hanyuan, rapidly growing and commanding with composure in the face of new challenges; looking at how the revolutionary material "stone mud" transforms human resources and wisdom into tangible, indestructible city defenses and homes.

This is not just about building a city, but about forging a completely new order, an efficient organizational capability, and a strong sense of confidence based on technological and managerial advancements.

This fortified city, rising from the ground, will be the most direct manifestation of Han Yuan's military strength and will, and also the most solid foundation for its future struggle to dominate the world.

"Your Highness, at this rate, the main structure of the city wall will be completed in two months at most. The first batch of government offices, military camps, warehouses, and some civilian residences will definitely be put into use before winter."

Han Lie pointed to the latest progress chart, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement. He had never imagined that the city could be built so quickly and so solidly.

Xiao Chen nodded, his gaze turning south.

There, in the Central Plains of the Great Xia Dynasty, in the court controlled by the Prince of Yong, and in the Jiangnan region where the flames of war had not yet been extinguished.

For every foot the city wall of Zhenbei City rose, Han Yuan's back straightened a little more.

When this magnificent city stands fully erected on the banks of the Baishui River, it will be more than just a city; it will be a declaration, a declaration of a new, powerful, and undeniable force officially stepping onto the stage of this chaotic world.

"Speed ​​up the process, but quality must be guaranteed."

Xiao Chen said in a deep voice, "The city wall is the lifeblood of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and we cannot afford to be careless in the slightest. Tell Shi San and the craftsmen in the construction department that if any problems are found in any stage, no matter who is involved, work must be stopped immediately for rectification. It is better to be slow than to be careless."

"Yes, I understand." Han Lie replied solemnly.

The afterglow of the setting sun gilded the gray city wall as it "grew," making it appear even more majestic.

In the distance, the Baishui River glistens and flows quietly, as if witnessing the earth-shaking changes taking place on this land.