After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Chapter 1274: Chapter 1241:

Zhao Hanzhang began inspecting from Camp One.

The officials of Camp One already knew Zhao Hanzhang was coming, but after she entered the main tent, she did not come out, and no one dared to disturb her.

Because of a shout from a laborer, many laborers also found out, causing a commotion. They kept passing by the entrance of Fu Tinghan’s main tent, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary Great General.

But the curtain of the main tent was tightly closed, and soldiers were added to guard the entrance, so they couldn’t get too close.

By the fifth time passing by the tent’s entrance, Shouzhu had lost hope. But just as he walked past, the tent flap swung open.

His eyes lit up instantly, he turned his head, and his gaze was fixed.

A woman, standing beside the Chief of Staff and almost as tall as him, exuded a heroic aura. She keenly sensed his gaze and looked straight over.

Shouzhu was startled and quickly lowered his head.

How could a lowly person dare to meet the gaze of a noble one?

This would earn him a whipping.

But Zhao Hanzhang smiled and waved in his direction, "Brother, come over here for a moment."

Shouzhu did not dare lift his head. A soldier came over, grabbed his arm, and whispered, "What are you standing there for? The Great General is calling you."

Shouzhu felt a bit regretful. Although the Great General was kind, he shouldn’t forget his place and look directly at her.

He approached hesitantly and knelt down six steps away. Zhao Hanzhang was momentarily stunned, but as he bent to kowtow, she strode forward, reached out to stop him, helped him up, and dusted off the dirt from his knees, laughing, "No need for such formality. I’m here to see you all. There are over ten thousand of you in this camp. If each one kowtowed to me, I wouldn’t be able to handle it."

Hearing her gentle voice, and seeing that she wasn’t angry about his direct gaze, Shouzhu quietly raised his head to look at her.

Noticing his sallow complexion, Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Why are you so thin? Are you not getting enough to eat?"

Shouzhu hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no, we are well fed. The Chief of Staff said we are doing hard labor, and the most important thing is not to go hungry, so every meal we are fed well. This is just how I am naturally."

Zhao Hanzhang inspected his face and lips, sighed after a moment, and said, "There is no such thing as ’naturally’. This is due to a lack of nutrition. Hopefully, in the future, you’ll grow more crops, eat more, and improve your nutrition, at least so your complexion won’t be so sallow."

She looked at his hands and feet.

He wore a pair of tattered cloth shoes; his pants were thin, and his legs trembled in the cold wind. His hands were red, swollen, and cracked, bleeding near the side next to his thumb.

Many laborers were just like him.

In the bitter winter months, during silt clearance, they inevitably came into contact with cold water. Frostbite on hands and feet was normal. In their view, this was the best service they had ever experienced during military duty over the years.

They were fed well, soldiers didn’t whip them, they weren’t forced into the river, weren’t forced to work day and night at an accelerated pace, and even the Chief of Staff, a high-ranking official, ate the same food as them and accompanied them on the front lines.

Occasionally, the Chief of Staff would even invent some odd tools to help them, like the wheelbarrow, which they didn’t have in previous service years.

In just ten short days, the Chief of Staff had made nearly twenty thousand wheelbarrows, which greatly eased the burden of transporting mud.

There was also a type of machinery, which could go down into the river. By standing on it, they could operate it to dredge mud from the river to a wooden frame, avoiding having to stand in the water.

After all, standing in the water in such weather to dredge silt for too long could be fatal.

No workers had died since this service began, although some had been injured and left.

Those who fell ill or were injured and returned home could receive three days’ worth of medicine from the camp, and later, get seven days more from the county government’s clinic with a note.

Because each policy was implemented correctly, the laborers had no complaints even though they had to stay on the Yellow River over the New Year.

Everyone knew this was the best the Great General could offer them right now.

And now, on the first day of the lunar new year, the Great General wasn’t staying in Luoyang but had traveled overnight to see them, sharing the same porridge and buns.

The slowly gathering group of laborers grew larger, and Zhao Hanzhang looked at each one, her heart aching, "This year, you have suffered."

The crowd shook their heads quickly, smiles unable to be hidden on their faces. Seeing her grasp the hands of those at the front, they all extended their own hands, wanting her to touch them too, "Not suffering, not suffering."

Sister Feng also wanted to be touched, vigorously squeezing the people in front away, trying to get to the front. She was just a bit late washing the pots, how come all the good spots were taken?

Those at the front had their hands touched by Zhao Hanzhang, who gently patted their frostbite, asking if it hurt.

Who would feel pain then? They just laughed foolishly and shook their heads, saying that controlling the Yellow River was worth their lives, let alone just a hand, it was not worth mentioning, "My home is right by the Yellow River. Listening to the Great General, most of the land is reserved, only five acres of wheat are planted, and the rest will be planted with flood-resistant beans and sorghum in the spring."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, after entering spring this year, there will be more rain, so plant more beans and sorghum. Leave rice, wheat, and millet for later, after the rainy season passes."

Since last summer, Zhao Hanzhang had been laying the groundwork with propaganda. After the autumn harvest, she even sent letters to the governors of You, Ji, Yan, and Qing states, urging them to prepare for floods.

After the autumn harvest, the planting of winter wheat in certain areas of the middle and lower Yellow River must be reduced, reminding farmers to plant flood-resistant crops.

As for other places, she advocated planting more winter wheat, hoping that if some areas faced grain shortages, others could fill the gap.

Seeing that some farmers did remember, Zhao Hanzhang was very pleased, holding his hand and praising him several times.

Sister Feng finally managed to squeeze through, popping out from the crowd like a bottle cap being pried open.

Zhao Ya, standing guard to Zhao Hanzhang’s right, stepped forward with a stern look to shield her, grabbing her arm and ready to push her down. Zhao Hanzhang smiled, pressing down Zhao Ya’s hand, joyfully looking at Sister Feng, "There are few women in this camp. Are you here to work on the river too?"

Sister Feng seemed unaware of Zhao Ya’s caution, her eyes fixed solely on Zhao Hanzhang, "The Great General said, the world is made up half of women. If men can come, women naturally can too."

She said, "My family is a female household, and I am the head. As soon as service was announced, I came. There are three hundred and ninety-eight women here for service, just like me. We can cook, dig mud, and transport mud."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, approving, "Good, women are no less capable than men!"

Seeing her weathered complexion and hair styled in a married woman’s bun, Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Who else is at home?"

Sister Feng beamed, "I have two daughters, both studying at the school."

Saying this, her eyes turned slightly red, "Thankfully, it’s because of our lady, that they can find their place in the world, get educated, and hopefully find a means of livelihood in the future."

So, even though the draft hadn’t originally summoned her family, she insisted on coming.

She had received much kindness from the Great General and felt she must repay some of it.