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

The overflowing treasury, the proliferation of workshops, the construction of high city walls, the opening of official roads... all these grand constructions and the growth of numbers ultimately depend on individual people.

The most profound and fundamental change in Hanyuan over the past few months is not reflected in the cold bricks, steel, and gold and silver, but in the rekindled light, upright spines, and heartfelt identification in the eyes of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians on this land.

This change is subtle yet pervasive.

On the bustling construction site in Zhenbeicheng, those migrants who were once emaciated and had numb eyes are now sweating profusely, but their faces have regained color and their eyes have regained focus.

They were provided with three meals a day, their wages were settled on time, and they could even learn a few words at the night school in the workers' shed and listen to the teacher talk about the outside world.

They know that what they are building with their own hands is not just this magnificent new city, but their future home.

The prince has decreed that anyone who has participated in the construction for a full year and has demonstrated outstanding performance will be allocated a plot of land in the new city and will have priority in renting and cultivating government-owned farmland surrounding the new city.

Hope, like wild grass in spring, grew wildly in their hearts.

At Hanyuan Academy and Jiangwu Hall, the sound of students reciting their lessons and the resounding slogans of drills replaced the deathly silence and despair of the past.

Children, whether they were originally from Hanyuan, were children of refugees, or even orphans in the army, all gained equal opportunities to attend school here.

They wore neat school uniforms, ate nutritious meals, and learned to read, do arithmetic, practice martial arts, and uphold loyalty and righteousness.

They are no longer wild grass trampled on by the chaos of the world, but carefully nurtured seedlings, the pillars of the future of Hanyuan.

In the clinics and pharmacies scattered throughout urban and rural areas, the despair that once threatened to take lives from a cold or an injury was dispelled by effective treatment and affordable medicines.

The medical team led by Murong Xue not only treated the sick and saved lives, but also promoted hygiene knowledge and prevented epidemics.

For the first time, people truly felt that life could be cherished and that illness did not have to wait for death.

In the vast fields and newly established military garrisons, the newly reclaimed land was neatly divided, and irrigation canals, like silver veins, nourished the parched earth.

The improved farming tools, high-quality seeds, and even loaned oxen provided by the government gave farmers hope for a bountiful harvest.

Under the organization of officers, the military households in the military settlements farmed and trained, protecting their land and homes, no longer rootless duckweed.

In the bustling markets and busy workshops, merchants no longer had to worry about robbery by bandits or exploitation by officials. They could simply pay taxes according to the rules and operate their businesses with peace of mind.

Craftsmen can earn enough to support their families and even become wealthy through their skills and hard work.

Fair weights and measures, relatively stable prices, and government-provided dispute mediation services invigorated commercial activities.

All of this converges into an invisible yet incredibly powerful force—the will of the people.

This sentiment is not simply gratitude, but a deep sense of identity and belonging based on shared interests, shared destiny, and shared hopes.

The people began to proudly call themselves "Hanyuan people" and Xiao Chen "our prince".

They spontaneously maintained the newly built official road, reported suspicious strangers, enthusiastically signed up to join the army or local militia, actively paid taxes, and even began to spread various legendary stories about Xiao Chen and Han Yuan Army in the streets and alleys, deifying and heroizing them.

This popular sentiment is also reflected in the smallest details. When Xiao Chen occasionally travels lightly to inspect the people, he is no longer greeted with fear and avoidance, but with heartfelt cheers and kneeling in worship.

The elderly would tremblingly offer the fruits and vegetables they had grown themselves, the children would chase after the carriage with laughter, and the young and strong would stand tall, their eyes fixed on the young prince with reverence and a desire to follow him.

"Your Highness, the people's hearts... have truly turned to you."

Han Lie looked at the scene in the streets and alleys and was filled with emotion.

He had experienced the end of the previous dynasty and witnessed the plight of the displaced people, and he knew how difficult it was to unite people's hearts in this chaotic world.

The prince accomplished this, not through empty promises or harsh laws, but through tangible and concrete actions that gave the people a way to live, hope, and dignity.

Xiao Chen stood on the newly built city wall of Zhenbei City, looking down at the city that was growing wildly below, as well as the villages with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, the crisscrossing fields, and the endless stream of roads in the distance.

He could feel the vibrant life force of the land beneath his feet, and the uplifting, hopeful atmosphere permeating the air.

"The will of the people is like water; it can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

Xiao Chen said slowly, "Everything we have done today is simply to provide water with channels and people with a way to live. What they have given us in return is trust, strength, and the most unbreakable foundation of this northern border."

He turned around and said to the civil and military officials behind him, "But this is not enough. The hearts of the people are easy to win, but also easy to lose."

What we need to do is ensure that this trust can withstand the test of time and the erosion of storms.

May every person from Hanyuan, regardless of their background, have enough to eat, clothes to wear, a house to live in, land to cultivate, work to do, books to read, medical care to receive, laws to follow, grievances to be redressed, and the dignity to live and the hope to move forward, as long as they are willing to work hard.

Only in this way can the hearts of the people truly unite with ours, becoming the most powerful force in this chaotic world.

The officials stood in solemn silence.

They understood that what the prince was describing was an unprecedented, almost ideal blueprint for governing the world.

Although the road ahead is long, looking at the thriving scene before them and the unprecedented brilliance in the eyes of the people, they firmly believe that this path is viable.

The support of the people is Han Yuan's greatest asset and its sharpest weapon.

With these hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians united in purpose, the skies over the northern border will surely be rewritten.