Chapter 56: The Rich Finally Arrived

I had some business this morning, so I updated early. If I can get back to it tonight, I'll add another chapter. As for twelve thousand words or something, don't even think about it; my all-time record is four thousand...

Looking at the city walls before him and watching the few officials of Fenggao come out of the city to welcome them, Chen Xi let out a deep sigh. This was far too poor. Looking around, he couldn't see a single fat person. The Taishan bandits were too good at causing trouble; they were shearing the sheep without ever knowing how to raise them. What was there for poor people to rob?

Standing inside the administrative seat of Fenggao, a gust of wind blew by, and a layer of dust fell from the ceiling beams. Opening the official granary, he found it so empty that even a mouse would starve to death.

"Lord Xuande, this Fenggao is truly destitute," Chen Xi said, spreading his hands helplessly. "Completely penniless. But this is also for the best; there's nothing to worry about. As long as they can eat their fill, these people will be willing to do anything."

"It truly is a blank slate. Zichuan, are you prepared to take over this mess?" Liu Bei said with a bitter smile. He had expected Taishan to be poor, but he hadn't expected it to be this level of poverty. Not a single well-dressed person could be seen in the entire city.

"None of this is a major problem. News should arrive within three to five days. I originally thought Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang would arrive before us, but it seems they haven't arrived yet. However, this is fine. We aren't short on money or grain. Lord Xuande, you should first open the granaries to distribute grain to the refugees. Tell them that in three days, we will begin water conservancy projects and city renovations. Tell them that if they work, they will be fed and paid wages." Chen Xi shrugged as he looked at the empty granary where even the mice were gone. He didn't have money, but in this world, there were plenty of people willing to pay for expertise.

"In that case, I will go implement it immediately," Liu Bei said, patting Chen Xi on the shoulder. "I leave everything else to you."

In the following days, Chen Xi handled administrative affairs in a casual manner. Although he seemed easygoing, there were very few errors, as his general direction was always correct.

For Chen Xi, he only needed to tell the subordinate officials the general gist of what needed to be done. The subordinates would then fill in the details, draft plans, and submit them to Chen Xi for review. After a few tweaks, a strategic plan—combining the long-term vision of a transmigrator with the actual circumstances of this era—would be finalized.

Because of this, even though only a few days had passed, the entire administrative framework of Fenggao had been established. All official business began to be handled in an orderly fashion, and the impoverished masses—who were half-bandits and half-civilians—were being organized by Liu Bei to begin providing their intended value.

"Zichuan, you seem to never have any work to do." Jian Yong, while taking a break to drink tea, discovered that Chen Xi was dozing off.

"I have already solved the macro-level issues. What needs to be done, how many people are needed in certain places, and how to manage them are not my concerns. My job is to establish the framework," Chen Xi said, propping up his head with half-closed eyes. Given Jian Yong's good temperament and his status as a fellow townsman of Liu Bei who didn't sweat the small stuff, Chen Xi couldn't be bothered to maintain his poise.

"Zichuan, haven't you always said that those who are capable must work more? Even Zilong has been pulled in to handle administrative affairs. Why do you still have the mood to sleep? I always feel like you lack energy during the day," Jian Yong said, half-admonishing and half-helpless.

"That wasn't how it was described when the tasks were assigned. You all had such gloating expressions on your faces." Chen Xi opened his eyes and took a sip of tea. "I don't just have to handle the planting season; I also have to handle land reclamation, disaster relief, the management of refugees, the construction of city defenses, the rapid increase of taxes, the census, the promotion of commerce, and a whole series of other matters."

As Chen Xi counted them off on his fingers, Jian Yong, who had only recently arrived in Taishan, felt incredibly depressed. When the tasks were first assigned, Chen Xi had waved his hand grandly, claiming he could handle the high-level strategic planning. Everyone was happy to let Chen Xi take on the big responsibilities, and as a result, it turned out like this.

Chen Xi spent five or six days finishing all the tasks. For the remaining time, he sat in the administrative hall watching Jian Yong busily handling affairs. Of course, Zhao Yun wasn't having it easy either; all the details of the military farming colonies had been handed over to him. It seemed Zhao Yun was struggling quite a bit; even after Chen Xi gave him several pointers, he still struggled through it, spending a lot of time on revisions just to make things barely acceptable.

"Who would have thought you'd finish three months' worth of work in five days!" Jian Yong was clearly on the verge of a breakdown. He was working busily every day, only to watch his direct superior leisurely sip tea. Was this even human?

"It's because you all are too slow." Chen Xi felt a bit listless. Being idle was quite torturous, especially when you weren't allowed to leave the administrative hall. Some people couldn't understand what he wrote; although they could read every single word, when put together, they had no idea what was going on.

"Zichuan..." Jian Yong's beard twitched with anger. Originally, as a close friend of Liu Bei, he had come from Pingyuan to help in Taishan, but since arriving, he had encountered a true monster. It was quite a blow to his spirit!

"Report! Deputy Prefect Chen, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping of Zhongshan request an audience." Just as Chen Xi was preparing to continue teasing Jian Yong and Zhao Yun, a messenger entered, bowed, and spoke.

"They're finally here. Good. If they were any slower, we wouldn't have enough grain. It looks like I can finish everything today," Chen Xi said with a smile. "Xian, come with me to handle my business."

After Chen Xi left, Jian Yong finally felt a sense of peace. He turned to look at Zhao Yun, who was still there reviewing matters related to the farming colonies, and asked, "Zilong, why are you so silent today?"

"The strategist is not someone we can compare ourselves to. Although he is young, he is truly a once-in-a-generation talent. He has already laid out the grand direction for the matters we are handling. Giving them to us is more about letting us familiarize ourselves with administrative procedures. I suspect that even without us, he could finish all the work within ten days," Zhao Yun said, putting down his brush and sighing. The more he became familiar with the administration of the farming colonies, the more Zhao Yun felt that Chen Xi was tempering him.

"Xuande told me to watch over him so he wouldn't overwork himself, fearing he might die of exhaustion. Now, I'm not worried about that at all. Perhaps those tasks could exhaust us, but to Zichuan, they might truly be nothing." Jian Yong shook his head.

Chen Xi stepped out of the main gate, bowed with a smile on his face, and said, "The two of you have finally arrived. Lord Xuande has been waiting for several days. Not long ago, he was inspecting the various counties due to the Taishan bandit issue. Would you be willing to wait here for a day or two? I expect Lord Xuande will return shortly."

"We cannot accept such a grand greeting from Deputy Prefect Chen. How could we dare to interfere with Lord Xuande's great affairs? Brother Zhang and I have come from Zhongshan after hearing that Taishan lacks grain. We wish to offer one hundred thousand piculs of grain to support Lord Xuande's great cause." Su Shuang's voice was powerful and resonant, truly worthy of a man who had built his reputation with wealth. "Spending a thousand gold pieces" was not enough to describe their current display.

"One hundred thousand piculs!" Chen Xi highly approved of Su Shuang's boldness. As expected of a merchant from Zhongshan; though they might not rank among the four greatest merchants of the late Han, they were undoubtedly wealthy. "I won't beat around the bush; I accept the hundred thousand piculs of grain. I wrote the proposal, and you must have already verified it, otherwise you wouldn't have come."

As soon as Chen Xi spoke, it was obvious that Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't afraid of the other party asking for more; they were afraid the other party wouldn't accept the offer at all—the classic "ask for the moon and then settle for the earth." Since the grain was accepted, there was room for negotiation. Their efforts and social capital spent to quickly gather and transport the grain were not in vain.

(End of Chapter)