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

Seven days after Arutai left with the salt, Hanyuan City experienced a special "harvest".

It's not food, it's not salt, it's people.

Before dawn, a dark mass of people appeared on the official road east of the city. Supporting the elderly and carrying children, families in tow, their clothes tattered, their eyes weary yet filled with longing. They emerged from the mountains and forests to the north, trekked across the wastelands to the west, and wound their way from the paths to the south.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Uncle Chen gasped as he ran up the city wall. "More...more people are coming! This time there are even more, at least two thousand!"

Standing atop the city wall, Xiao Chen looked out and, sure enough, the official road and the fields were teeming with people. Like a migrating swarm of ants, they were densely packed and stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Where did it come from?" he asked.

"I asked around, and they all fled from the north," Uncle Chen said. "The Left Wise King of Northern Yan conscripted soldiers on the border, taking two out of every three able-bodied men from each household. Those who didn't want to were conscripted. And from the south, near Dingbei Pass, after Gao Qiu died, the Prince of Yong sent a new general named Cao Bin, who was even more ruthless than Gao Qiu. He increased taxes and corvée labor, and those who couldn't survive there also fled."

War and tyranny are always catalysts for displacement.

"Open the city gates and let them in," Xiao Chen ordered.

"Your Highness, this..." Uncle Chen hesitated, "Our grain..."

"We have enough grain," Xiao Chen said confidently. "The autumn harvest hasn't been touched yet, and we've acquired another five hundred horses through the salt-horse trade. We can sell some of them to buy more grain. Besides, having more people is a good thing. More people means more workers. We need people for land reclamation, mining, and city building."

"Yes……"

The city gates opened, and refugees poured in like a tide.

The civil affairs department set up a long tent at the city gate to register people. Names, ages, places of origin, special skills, and the number of people in a family were all recorded. Then, temporary identity cards were issued, which entitled the holder to a bowl of thin porridge and two steamed buns.

"Don't rush, line up, everyone gets a share."

"Register first, then collect your grain."

"Priority to the elderly and children!"

Although there were many people, everything was well-organized. The Han Yuan Guards were maintaining order, and the security team was patrolling; no one dared to cause trouble.

Registration continues from early morning until evening.

The final count was 2,137 people.

With the original population added, the total population of Hanyuan has exceeded six thousand.

But it's not over yet.

The next day, more than 800 people arrived.

On the third day, there were more than 500 people.

On the fourth day, there were more than 300 people.

By the tenth day, the total population of Hanyuan officially exceeded ten thousand.

Ten thousand people.

Three months ago, there were only three thousand elderly and infirm people here.

Three months later, it became a city of ten thousand people.

Hanyuan truly became one of the major cities in the Northern Territory.

But with more people comes more problems.

First is accommodation.

Although new privately-run houses were built previously, there were only a little over a thousand mud-brick houses. Now, with seven or eight thousand people pouring in, there's simply not enough room. Many people have to sleep on the streets or under the eaves. Although the weather is warming up, it's still chilly in the spring, and the nights are cold.

Secondly, there's food.

Ten thousand people would consume one hundred shi of grain per day. Although Han Yuan had ample grain reserves, they couldn't withstand such consumption. At the current rate, it could only last for three months at most.

Next is order.

With a large population comes a diverse range of problems. Theft, fights, and robberies occur frequently. Although the security team patrols day and night, it's impossible to prevent all incidents.

"Your Highness, we must think of a solution." Uncle Fu held the account book, his face full of worry. "We only have enough food for two months. We don't have enough houses, and half the people are sleeping on the streets. If this continues, there will definitely be chaos."

Xiao Chen stood in front of the sand table, looking at the model of Hanyuan City.

The city is square, three li from east to west and two li from north to south. Originally, it only housed three thousand people, which was quite spacious. Now, with ten thousand people crammed in, it's crowded.

"Expand," he said.

"Expansion?"

"Yes." Xiao Chen pointed to the sand table. "Build another outer city outside the east city. The city wall doesn't need to be too high, 1.5 feet will do. Build houses, workshops, and markets inside. Move half the population to the outer city, and the inner city will be much more relaxed."

"But this requires money, manpower, and time..."

"Money, we have it. We made money from the salt-horse trade. People, even more. Over ten thousand people, they're just sitting around doing nothing anyway, let them build their own homes. Time," Xiao Chen paused, "one month. Within a month, I want to see the outer city take shape."

"A month? This..."

"It can be done." Xiao Chen was very confident. "Uncle Chen, you are in charge of the planning. The outer city should be square, the streets should be straight, and drainage ditches and green belts should be provided. The houses should be built according to the wards, ten households per ward, and one hundred households per li. Each ward should have a well, a public toilet, and a fire pit.

"Yes……"

"Old Han, you're in charge of the materials: bricks, tiles, lime, and timber. Expand the brick kiln three times, and the lime kiln three times. Cut timber from the mountain, but leave a firebreak; don't cut the mountain bare."

"yes!"

"Wang Dashan, you are in charge of security. Expand the security team to five hundred men, patrolling day and night. Anyone who commits a crime will be severely punished. Anyone who engages in fighting will be severely punished. In times of emergency, severe measures will be taken."

"yes!"

"Zhao Tie, you're in charge of recruitment. Select able-bodied men from the refugees to form an engineering team. Dig soil, mix mud, build walls, and transport materials. Work points will be doubled, and meals will be provided. Those who do a good job will be given priority for housing."

"yes!"

As orders were issued, the entire Cold Abyss came to a standstill.

The outer city construction began the next day.

More than 10,000 people were divided into 100 construction teams. Each team of 100 people was responsible for a section of the city wall or a group of houses. Tools were readily available—there were plenty left over from the construction of the iron city. Materials were readily available—brick kilns and lime kilns operated day and night.

The construction site was bustling with activity.

The men, shirtless, dug the foundation, mixed the mortar, and built brick walls. The women boiled water, cooked, and transported materials. The elderly and children were also busy, collecting pebbles, paving roads, and planting saplings.

Xiao Chen also went down to the construction site, rolled up his sleeves, and worked alongside the people.

If even the prince is like this, who would dare to slack off?

The project is progressing rapidly.

On the first day, the foundation was dug.

On the third day, the first section of the city wall was built. It was 15 feet high and 3 feet thick. Although it was simple, it was sturdy.

On the fifth day, the first batch of houses was completed. Although they were just mud houses, they could provide shelter from the wind and rain.

On the tenth day, the outer city began to take shape. City walls were in place, streets were formed, and houses were lined up in rows.

Xiao Chen then ordered a moat to be dug outside the city, and water from the Baishui River to be poured into it. Although it was not wide, it was enough to keep out cavalry.

One month later, the outer city was officially completed.

The city wall was six li in circumference, fifteen zhang high, and three chi thick. It had four gates: east, west, south, and north, each with an arrow tower. Inside the city, streets crisscrossed, and the market areas were well-organized. Although the houses were simple, they were sturdy and warm. Wells, public toilets, and fire pits were all available.

More than 10,000 people moved into their new homes.

Although it was cramped and simple, at least we had a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and a home to settle down in.

The people were overjoyed and spontaneously organized themselves to celebrate moving to their new home.

Standing on the inner city wall, Xiao Chen looked at the myriad lights of the outer city and felt a surge of pride.

In three months, it went from three thousand to ten thousand.

Han Yuan has truly stood up.

"Your Highness," Uncle Fu said excitedly, holding the latest household register, "the latest statistics show that Hanyuan has a total population of 10,837. Among them, there are 4,200 able-bodied adults and more than 6,600 elderly people, children, and women."

Ten thousand people.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath.

With these 10,000 people, Han Yuan had a foundation.

With 10,000 people, he can do much more.

"Issue the order," he said to the crowd behind him, "starting tomorrow, Han Yuan will implement new policies."

"New policy?"

"Yes." Xiao Chen nodded. "First, land reform. All landless peasants will be allocated land according to the number of people. Each person will receive three mu (approximately 0.16 acres), which will be their permanent property. However, they may not buy or sell the land, nor may they abandon it. Those who abandon their land will have their land confiscated."

"Second, household registration reform. Everyone will be re-registered and organized into households. Ten households will form a jia, ten jia will form a li, and ten li will form a fang. The baojia system will be implemented, with mutual responsibility and supervision."

"Third, tax reform. Abolish all miscellaneous taxes, and only collect land tax and commercial tax. The land tax is one-tenth, and the commercial tax is one-twentieth. Newly reclaimed land is exempt from tax for three years. Immigrants are exempt from tax for the first year."

"Fourth, military system reform. Implement the Fubing system. All men aged sixteen to fifty must be registered. They farm during the agricultural season, train during the leisure season, and serve as soldiers during wartime. During their service, they are exempt from taxes and labor."

Four new policies, each one significant.

Everyone was deeply moved.

This is the true strategy for governing a country.

"Your Highness," Wang Dashan couldn't help but ask, "can you afford to support ten thousand people?"

"Yes," Xiao Chen said confidently. "Hanyuan has coal, iron, salt, and horses. These things can all be exchanged for money and grain. Moreover, more people mean higher productivity. Clearing land, farming, mining, and working can all create wealth. If managed properly, ten thousand people are not a burden, but an asset."

Everyone was convinced.

What the prince says is always right.

"Furthermore," Xiao Chen added, "starting tomorrow, Hanyuan Academy will expand its enrollment. It will accept not only children but also adults. Children will attend school during the day, and adults will receive literacy training at night. I want Hanyuan to be a place where no one is blind."

"yes!"

"Expand the clinic as well. Build one in the inner city and one in the outer city, equipped with enough doctors and medicine. I want Hanyuan to be a place where no one can't afford medical treatment."

"yes!"

"The Bureau of Works should continue to expand its recruitment. It should not only manufacture agricultural tools and weapons, but also research new technologies. I want Han Yuan to always be at the forefront of the Northern Frontier."

"yes!"

Each order, like a seed, was sown into the soil of the frigid abyss.

Xiao Chen believed that as long as these seeds were nurtured with care, they would eventually grow into towering trees.

At that time, Han Yuan will not only be the pearl of the North, but also the true king of this land.

As night deepened, the lights gradually thinned out.

But Han Yuan's future has only just begun.