98: Chapter 98 Rapid Development

"One hundred thousand mouths to feed, eight hundred li of desolate land, and a group of surrendered soldiers who have just laid down their weapons, each with their own hidden agendas. This is our current foundation, and it is also our greatest problem."

"Military Advisor Liu," he looked at Liu Chengfeng, "does the Political Affairs Hall have a preliminary strategy regarding the resettlement of the population and the division of land?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengfeng stood up with confidence, holding a thick stack of files in his hand.

"Reporting to my Lord, my colleagues at the Political Affairs Hall and I discussed this overnight and have drafted the 'Panshi Reclamation Act'. Please take a look, my Lord."

He handed over the files and explained in a clear voice, "There are three core points to this act."

"First, 'Land Grants for Military Merit'. All soldiers who performed meritorious service in this battle may receive corresponding farmland in the Nanfeng Plain based on the size of their contribution. This will be private property and can be passed down to future generations."

"Second, 'Land Grants by Headcount'. All existing subjects of the Panshi Land, newly joined refugees, and the families of Barbarians who have sincerely surrendered will be allocated equal 'allotment land' based on their household registration. This land can be cultivated and harvested, but it cannot be bought or sold. If the number of people in the household decreases, it must be returned to the public in proportion."

"Third, and most importantly, 'Relief Through Work'. Although we have plenty of food on hand, sitting around eating until the supplies run out is not a long-term solution. I suggest we immediately establish the 'Panshi Construction Corps' and incorporate all able-bodied laborers without land, including those surrendered Barbarian soldiers. We will open the granaries to feed them, and in return, they will build roads, dig canals, construct cities, and reclaim wasteland for us!"

Liu Chengfeng's plan was clear, logical, and interconnected. It not only appeased the meritorious officials and stabilized the hearts of the people, but it also transformed those tens of thousands of potential destabilizing factors into a massive labor force to drive development.

Upon hearing this, a trace of approval could not help but appear in Gaofeng's eyes.

"Good! We shall follow the Military Advisor's plan!" He made the decision immediately, "The Political Affairs Hall will be fully responsible for this matter, and the military will cooperate fully! I only have one requirement: within half a month, I want to see the prototype of the first irrigation canal on the Nanfeng Plain!"

The meeting lasted until late at night. One by one, decrees concerning people's livelihoods, military affairs, and the economy were issued from this small council chamber. Like the most precise gears, they drove the massive war machine of the entire Panshi Land to slowly begin shifting in the direction of "construction."

When the last snowflake of winter melted, the frozen soil of the Nanfeng Plain finally became soft under the blowing of the spring breeze.

An unprecedented and miraculous "Great Production Movement" officially began.

Before the morning mist had dissipated, the vast Nanfeng Plain was already bustling with noise and excitement.

Tens of thousands of surrendered Barbarians and incoming refugees were mixed and organized into hundreds of production and construction corps. They took off their blood-stained leather armor and put on the uniformly issued coarse cloth outfits. What they held in their hands were no longer lethal scimitars, but heavy iron picks and wooden plows.

At first, those unruly surrendered Barbarians were still full of resistance and resentment in their hearts.

But after seeing the large iron pots set up on the field ridges, bubbling with steam and emitting an enticing aroma of meat, all their dissatisfaction turned into the sound of swallowing saliva.

With hot meat porridge and as much coarse grain bread as they could eat for all three meals a day, for them, who had been struggling on the starvation line for years, this was simply the kind of treatment that only existed in the legendary land of the Ancestral Spirits.

"Listen up!" An old veteran of the Panshi Army, acting as a supervisor, stood on a high point and roared with all his strength, "The Guardian Deity has ordered! Those who dig one hundred zhang of canal today will get an extra piece of meat for dinner! The top ten teams that dig the most and the fastest will each be rewarded with a jar of wine for the whole team!"

"Roar!"

This simple incentive instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm.

Bursts of rough roars erupted from the crowd. Waving their tools as if they were fighting on the battlefield, they vented all their strength onto the fertile land beneath their feet.

Dust flew, sweat poured, and winding canals continuously extended across this wilderness that had been sleeping for thousands of years, at a speed visible to the naked eye.

On the other side, the veteran soldiers of the Panshi Army and the commoners who had been allocated land cherished this hard-won hope even more.

Gaofeng distributed, without reservation, those high-yield crop seeds suitable for the Nanhuang climate that he had found in Longduota's treasury.

At the same time, the Artisan Battalion, led by Old Blacksmith Sun Jiu, worked day and night to forge batches of new, more labor-saving and efficient curved-shaft plows.

An old veteran of the Panshi Army with a severed arm was clumsily leading a captured ox with one hand, laboriously plowing the land.

His wife followed behind, carefully sowing plump seeds into the soil opened by the plow.

Their child, a seven or eight-year-old boy, carried a small wooden bucket and followed at the very end, moistening every inch of land where hope had been sown with water.

Although the family's faces were full of exhaustion, their eyes shone with the most simple and fervent light for the future.

Such scenes could be seen everywhere across the entire Nanfeng Plain.

Qian people and Barbarians, veterans and refugees, through shared labor and the common anticipation of a harvest, the estrangement and hatred that once existed between them were quietly being worn away and fused by sweat and soil.

Gaofeng did not stay in the comfortable City Defense Office issuing orders all the time.

More often, he would change into plain cloth clothes and, accompanied by Big Fool, walk along the field ridges like an ordinary farmer.

He would personally pick up an iron pick and sweat profusely alongside the soldiers of the construction corps.

He would bend down to carefully check the germination of the seeds and ask the most experienced farmers for advice on Cultivation Techniques.

His approachable actions were seen by everyone and kept in their hearts.

In their hearts, this "Guardian Deity" who was like a god and a demon was no longer that high and unreachable legend, but a real leader who shared their joys and sorrows.

The hearts of the people were united as never before through these repeated bendings and sweat-drenched efforts.

When spring passed and the hot summer arrived, the Nanfeng Plain had completely changed its appearance.

Intersecting irrigation canals, like dense blood vessels, transported the life-giving water melted from the distant snow-capped mountains to every field.

In the tens of thousands of mu of newly reclaimed fertile land, green seedlings swayed in the wind and grew vigorously, signaling a year of inevitable harvest.

The focus of construction in the Panshi Land also shifted from agriculture to industry and the military.

Deep in the Gui Jian Chou Mountain Range, a brand-new steel smelting and military industrial base, more than ten times the size of the original Panshi Stockade, rose from the ground.

Gaofeng poured in all the various Ores he had captured, which were piled up like mountains, as well as those rare Artifact Refining Materials from Longduota's treasury.

Old Blacksmith Sun Jiu, who now held the esteemed position of "Minister of Works" in the Panshi Land, was like a man possessed, spending days and nights immersed beside the smoky and fiery forging furnaces.

He organized hundreds of skilled craftsmen, recruited some Barbarians with a talent for forging as apprentices, and divided the entire arsenal into a dozen assembly-line departments.

Some departments were dedicated to smelting, refining rough iron Ore into standard steel ingots.

Some departments were dedicated to forging, hammering steel ingots into the prototypes of swords, spears, and halberds.

Some departments were dedicated to sharpening, quenching, and polishing...

Under this efficient assembly-line operation mode, the production efficiency of the arsenal reached a terrifying level.

Steel sabers emitting a chilling gleam and sets of sturdy, heavy steel plate armor were produced continuously from this mountain fortress like a flowing stream.

These freshly minted weapons and armor were immediately sent to the huge military camp outside the city, which was also under intense construction.

Du Wei and Wulu, these two war maniacs, after receiving Gaofeng's order to "spare no cost and expand the army with full force," completely let go of all restraints.

They selected ten thousand of the most elite and fearless warriors from the more than thirty thousand surrendered Barbarians and recruited five thousand strong and sturdy young Qian people from the newly joined refugees to form a new army with a total of fifteen thousand soldiers.

The hot summer sun became the best catalyst for training.

On the huge training ground, fifteen thousand shirtless men were undergoing the most brutal and primitive physical training.

They did shuttle runs while carrying giant logs weighing hundreds of catties, engaged in combat in knee-deep mud pits, and under Du Wei's near-perverted demands, repeated the most tedious marching and slashing movements over and over again.

Sweat had long since soaked the ground beneath their feet.

Everyone's body had been pushed to the limit, but no one dared to slack off, and no one dared to quit.

Because they knew that only by passing this hellish selection could they be qualified to wear that brand-new steel armor, pick up that sharp steel saber, and become a true Panshi Army soldier who could eat their fill and make their families stand tall!

And their commander, Gaofeng, entered his first long-term seclusion during this period.

He entrusted all worldly affairs to Liu Chengfeng and Du Wei with peace of mind.

He himself, carrying the "ba snake totem heart" and the "thousand-year blood dragon ginseng," entered a top-secret quiet room deep inside the City Defense Office, specially built for him and constructed from solid ice and cold jade.

What he wanted to do was to ignite a fire of strength capable of setting the heavens ablaze, for himself and for the future of the entire Panshi Land, during this hot summer.

When the last trace of summer heat was blown away by the autumn wind, the Nanfeng Plain welcomed its first harvest season since its rebirth.

It was a magnificent scene that would be unforgettable for all who witnessed it.

Looking out, the boundless fields were covered in a brilliant golden yellow. The heavy ears of grain were bowed down by the plump kernels, shining with a light even more dazzling than gold under the autumn sun.

A scent, mixed with the fragrance of soil and the fresh aroma of grain, permeated the air; taking just a single breath was enough to intoxicate one.

A harvest! An unprecedented bumper harvest!

Those high-yield crop seeds provided by Gao Feng, improved by the spiritual spring, displayed their near-miraculous power on this fertile land.

According to the preliminary estimates by the agricultural officials of the Political Affairs Hall, this year's grain yield per mu in the Nanfeng Plain was at least three times that of the same fields in surrounding prefectures and counties!

"A harvest! A harvest!"

Joyful shouts rose and fell across the fields.

Liu Chengfeng issued the order for "everyone to be a soldier, everyone to rush the harvest," and even the new recruits undergoing harsh training in the barracks were pulled into the fields.

This rush to harvest lasted for a full half-month.

When the last grain was safely transported into the newly built massive granaries, the final, precisely calculated figures sent the entire upper echelon of Panshi Land into a state of near-manic ecstasy.

The total yield: 1.2 million shi!

This was a terrifying figure that would make the city lord of any major city in the North envious!

This figure not only meant that Panshi Land had completely shaken off the grain crisis and possessed strategic reserves sufficient to feed one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians for over two years, but it also meant that Gao Feng now held a trump card capable of shifting the entire landscape of the North!

In this chaotic world, grain is more precious than gold!

After the joy of the harvest came the grand "Harvest Festival." Gao Feng happened to conclude his first short-term closed-door cultivation at this time and personally presided over the celebration.

In the square, bonfires soared into the sky.

Large chunks of roasted meat sizzled over the flames, golden grease dripping onto the charcoal, stirring up waves of enticing aromas.

Freshly brewed ale, stored in giant wooden barrels, was left for people to help themselves freely.

Gao Feng raised his cup, drinking with the soldiers and celebrating with the commoners. Looking at those faces beaming with genuine laughter, the sense of achievement in his heart was even more intense than when he had personally slain Longduota.

After the revelry of the Harvest Festival, the harsh winter descended.

For the refugees outside, winter meant death. But in Panshi Land, winter was the best season for recuperation and gathering strength.

Warm brick houses had already been built for every household before the winter arrived. Ample grain reserves meant people no longer had to worry about rations for the winter.

And the thick, affordable cotton clothes and quilts produced by the state-run textile factory made this winter much less cold.

For the first time, people had a tangible sense of "stability" and "prosperity" in their lives.

Yet, the pace of development in Panshi Land did not stall due to the snow-blocked mountains. On the contrary, a more profound, top-down internal transformation was quietly taking place during this winter.

Liu Chengfeng's Political Affairs Hall utilized this slack winter season to launch a massive "Household Registration Census and Cultural Literacy" campaign.

He dispatched hundreds of young scribes, composed of the first batch of graduates from Panshi Academy, to go deep into every village and every Barbarian tribe to register every household and issue official household registration certificates stamped with the Panshi mark.

This was not just a simple proof of identity; it was more like a spiritual brand, allowing everyone to clearly realize—they were the subjects of the "Panshi Guardian Land."

At the same time, the "Barbarian-Han Academy" model was widely replicated and promoted.

In every settlement with more than five hundred people, a winter school had to be established. All school-age children, whether Qian people or Barbarians, were required to enroll and learn the language and writing of the Qian people.

Initially, this mandatory policy met with resistance from many conservative Barbarian Elders.

But when they discovered that the young Barbarians who had learned to read and calculate could easily understand official government notices, calculate their own due work points and rations, and even have the opportunity to be selected as grassroots officials, all resistance vanished into thin air.

Wisdom brings status and wealth. This simplest of truths made learning a deeply felt desire.

While cultural integration was ongoing, the pace of economic construction also moved to a deeper level.

Three-Forked Crossing, once a chaotic lawless land, had now completely changed its appearance. A brand new commercial city, well-planned and heavily guarded, had risen from the ground.

Gao Feng used the two hard currencies in his hands—the massive surplus of grain and the fine weapons produced by the arsenal—to firmly control the trade dominance with the Four Seas Merchant Guild and other northern merchant caravans.

Snow-white cotton cloth, sturdy steel ingots, sharp weapons, and that mellow, potent "Panshi Liquor" were continuously transported out through this trade route, exchanged for large amounts of gold, silver, medicinal Materials, and various advanced technical blueprints and skilled craftsmen that Panshi Land desperately needed.

A brand new and most stable economic circulation system, with Panshi Land as its core, was officially established during this winter.

When spring arrived the following year, the entire Panshi Land was like an inflated ball, having accumulated immense, terrifying potential for outward expansion and development.

That year, Gao Feng did not launch large-scale infrastructure projects. Instead, he focused on consolidating existing achievements and refined development.

Larger-scale water conservancy networks were built, turning every inch of land in the Nanfeng Plain into fertile soil that guaranteed harvests regardless of drought or flood.

The state-run textile factories, steel mills, and arsenals, after absorbing more talent and technology, doubled their production capacity again and began attempting to produce more refined, high-end products.

For example, they could weave cloth with exquisite patterns, refine tougher composite steel, and manufacture more complex siege defense equipment.

Militarily, after a whole year of brutal training and elimination, only five thousand remained from the fifteen-thousand-strong new army.

But these five thousand were elite among elites; whether in physical fitness or tactical discipline, they had reached an outrageous level.

They were no longer a single type of infantry, but a terrifying multi-armed combined legion composed of three thousand heavy armored infantry from the Tiger Guard Battalion, one thousand elite light cavalry from the Wind Cavalry Battalion, and one thousand "Barbarian God Guards" personally led by Wulu!

The "Barbarian God Guards" became the most fearsome trump card in the Panshi Army. They were not only equipped with top-tier heavy armor and giant axes, but they had also successfully tamed dozens of war beasts captured from the Southern Wilderness that were as large as small hills—Armored Terror Rhinos!

Once this heavy legion of man and beast launched a charge, its destructive power was enough to easily tear apart any army of equal size!

As for Gao Feng himself, he devoted most of his time to the cultivation of the Martial Dao.

He no longer sought that ethereal opportunity for a Breakthrough, but instead focused all his energy on comprehending the top-tier Cultivation Technique, "Barbarian God Ba Snake Transformation."

Although he dared not Cultivate it directly, he was surprised to find that the "ba snake totem heart" seemed to resonate strangely with the crimson-gold Qi and blood in his body.

With the help of this totem heart, he constantly contemplated and simulated the Bloodline Power contained within it, which belonged to the ancient Ba Snake.

By drawing parallels, his control over his own strength and his understanding of the circulation of Qi and blood reached an unprecedented, brand-new height.

Although his Realm remained at the Fourth Rank Great Perfection.

However, his Physical Body, under the subtle influence of that Ba Snake power, became increasingly formidable and increasingly inhuman!

He felt that he was only a hair's breadth away from that Realm of shedding his Mortal frame and becoming a saint in his Physical Body.

When the Panshi territory enjoyed political harmony, flourishing industries, and strong troops, and had completely solidified its position as the hegemon of the North, Gao Feng, during a deep closed-door cultivation, once again felt that desperate Bottleneck.

His Physical Body had already been honed to the limit of a Mortal.

His Qi and blood had also condensed to the verge of becoming liquid.

However, he simply could not complete that final step of qualitative change.

He could feel an invisible ceiling above his head, unbreakable, trapping him firmly within the category of "Mortal."

He knew this was not a problem that could be solved by hard work alone.

He was missing the "key" to draw upon the power of heaven and earth to temper his Primordial Spirit.

He had to step out.

Just at this time, news of the triennial Great Qian Dynasty Martial Examination, which was about to be held, reached his ears through the channels of the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

After a long talk with Liu Chengfeng, Du Wei, and others, Gao Feng made a decision that surprised everyone.

He was going to personally participate in this Martial Examination.

First, to seek a higher-level, orthodox Dao-based Cultivation Technique capable of drawing upon the power of heaven and earth in that place where the heroes of the world gathered, in order to solve the fundamental problem of his own cultivation.

Second, to personally go to the center of the world, the Imperial Capital of the Great Qian Dynasty, to see how much fortune this decaying Dynasty still had left, and also to see where the future path of his Panshi Land should ultimately lead.

He entrusted all the affairs of his territory with peace of mind to Liu Chengfeng, who had grown into a qualified prime minister, and Du Wei, a qualified marshal.

He himself took off the black cloak that symbolized power and changed into the attire of an ordinary traveling Martial Artist.

He did not bring any personal guards, only the two "human weapons" he trusted the most—Big Fool, who had completely grown into a Fourth Rank Body Refining giant, and Wulu, the fierce Barbarian general whose strength had also skyrocketed and who was loyal to him.

Three people, three horses, just like the most ordinary Jianghu travelers, they quietly left the iron fortress city they had built with their own hands.

They stepped onto the road leading to Hanyang City, and also to the broader, more magnificent stage of the world.