14: Chapter 14 You Treat Me Like a National Hero!

"City Lord! Everyone's enthusiasm has been ignited!"

"Let's take advantage of this momentum and get to work right now!"

Tie Shan looked at those flushed faces full of excitement and felt the almost boiling heat around him. He felt his own blood burning, wishing he could rush up and start working vigorously right now.

However, Zhou Yun smiled and shook his head, "No rush. Even an emperor doesn't send hungry soldiers to battle! How can you work on an empty stomach?"

He scanned the crowd and said loudly, "Eat first! Only after you're full can you work!"

Hearing the word "eat," a sound of gulping saliva suddenly erupted from the crowd.

Although everyone had eaten two steamed buns earlier, they had been in a state of long-term hunger; how could two buns fill their stomachs?

Zhou Yun hadn't mentioned it, but once he did, people immediately felt the saliva in their mouths begin to secrete frantically.

Tie Shan frowned and said, "Eating until full before working is fine. But City Lord, this is fifty thousand people!"

"With so many people eating, how many pots are needed? How much rice needs to be cooked? How will it be distributed? And who will do the cooking?"

"If things get chaotic, I'm afraid we won't be able to eat until nightfall."

Zhou Yun nodded.

This was indeed a big problem.

Logistics for fifty thousand people were not easy to solve.

But the problem was...

He didn't need to worry about this himself!

Hadn't he just appointed a Minister of Interior?

It was the perfect time to see her capability!

Just as he was about to speak, Wan'er, who had been standing on the side, stepped forward proactively.

"What's difficult about this?" She said with a calm demeanor, "This trivial matter can be handled by me."

After speaking, she didn't need a name list at all, walking directly into the crowd to start calling names,

"Li Erniang from the west side of the city, Second Sister-in-law Wang from the alley entrance in the south of the city, as well as Auntie Sun, Auntie Zhao..."

"You are quick-handed and have good culinary skills. The heavy labor of building the city wall is not suitable for you. So, this cooking task will be led by you!"

The women whose names were called were full of surprise.

"director-general... How did you know these things?" Li Erniang couldn't help but ask.

Wan'er just smiled faintly without explaining.

She had a photographic memory. She had understood the background of the tens of thousands of people in the city to a large extent, even without deliberately paying attention.

Immediately after, she continued calling names, only this time, she called men,

"You few, go to the nearby forest to gather dry firewood, the more the better!"

"You, go to the river to get water!"

"And you, use the local environment to build simple stoves with stones!"

"Also..."

Wan'er's gaze shifted to the young men in the crowd who looked somewhat scholarly, wearing shabby but tidy clothes,

"Zhang Wentao, Liu Jiadong, Wang Xuebin..."

"From this moment on, you are scribes under my command. While everyone is eating, register the names, specialties, and family situations of all personnel participating in the labor!"

"Whoever has worked, whoever hasn't, and whoever has received rice must be recorded one by one without error!"

...

In less than ten minutes.

The originally chaotic fifty thousand people, under the command of the director-general, were operating like precise gears!

Some were building stoves, some were carrying pots, some were gathering firewood, and some were registering names.

Everything was orderly and not in the slightest bit chaotic!

Zhou Yun, standing on the side, was dumbfounded, feeling even more admiration in his heart.

Not to mention anything else, just this on-the-spot command and that terrifying memory were things he couldn't hope to match!

If it were him, he would probably still be trying to maintain order right now!

When everyone gathers firewood, the flames rise high.

Soon, hundreds of simple large stoves were built on the open space outside the West Gate.

The large pots were set up, and the water was heated.

Seeing this, Zhou Yun didn't hesitate and waved his hand.

Clatter!

Bags of crystal-clear rice, emitting a faint glow, were taken out from the System space and piled up next to the stoves.

The moment the rice bags were opened, that unique fragrance instantly permeated the air.

"This... What is this?!"

Li Erniang, who was in charge of cooking, shook her hand and almost threw the ladle.

The surrounding citizens widened their eyes, gasping in surprise.

"Spiritual Qi rice?! It's actually Spiritual Qi rice?!"

"Oh my god! City Lord is going to use Spiritual Qi rice to cook for us?!"

"This is too extravagant!"

"Is this eating? This is eating money!"

...

For them, white sugar buns were already a rare delicacy, and being able to eat a bowl of rice made from ordinary rice would be satisfying enough!

Yet now, Zhou Yun was going to give them Spiritual Qi rice to eat?

This was simply wasting natural resources!

Facing everyone's shock, Zhou Yun just smiled and said:

"What's extravagant about it?"

"Everyone is building a new city and reclaiming wasteland; that's heavy physical labor! How can you have the strength to do that if you only eat chaff and vegetables?"

"Only when you eat well can everyone work well! Isn't that right?"

These words made everyone's eyes hot with emotion.

Everyone understood the logic, and they had heard nice words countless times.

But the only one who actually did it was the one in front of them!

"Thank you, City Lord!!"

Everyone knelt down in unison, prostrating themselves.

If they had even a shred of doubt about building the new city before, now, that shred of doubt had vanished without a trace!

If the ruler treats me as grass, I shall repay him as an enemy.

If the ruler treats me with the courtesy due a scholar, I shall repay him with the loyalty of a scholar!!

Who cares if the new city can be built? Is it needed? Is it reasonable?

City Lord is giving us Spiritual Qi rice to eat!

Whatever he asks us to do, we will do it!

...

Half an hour later.

Fifty thousand people had eaten hot, fragrant Spiritual Qi rice.

As the Spiritual Qi entered their bodies, their bodies, which had been weak due to cold and hunger, were instantly filled with vitality.

The accumulated fatigue on their bodies was swept away, replaced by an endless supply of strength.

"Start working!!"

Following Tie Shan's order, the well-fed citizens immediately sprang into action.

Tie Shan pointed to a mountain peak not far away and shouted:

"That mountain is called 'Qingshi Mountain.' The stones on it have high hardness and good texture; they are excellent Materials for building the city!"

"Quarry team, follow me!"

"Logging team, go to the Black Pine Forest over there!"

Hearing the order, everyone grabbed the tools at hand, preparing to devote themselves to the work.

Watching everyone full of drive, Zhou Yun nodded with a smile and called out softly, "Wan'er, Lei Lie."

"Present."

"Tell me about the situation with Minister Wang Fugui."

?

Wan'er and Lei Lie looked at each other, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

But they still responded in unison.

Not long after, just as everyone had entered their state, the sky, which had already been a bit gloomy, quickly turned black.

Whoosh...

A biting cold wind blew from the depths of the wilderness, rolling up the withered grass on the ground and making a wailing sound.

Immediately after.

One dot, two dots... dense white snow particles fell from the sky.

"It's snowing!"

"Dammit, why did it have to be at this time?"

"Never mind! We just finished eating, we have to work even if it's snowing!"

"That's right! Brothers, let's go!"

...

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