Chapter 945: Starting Work

"Zilong, due to our current shortage of troops and the ongoing unrest in Ji Province, where bandits and deserters are causing trouble, the roads are not entirely safe. I need you to go to Taishan and bring back the families," Liu Bei said to Zhao Yun after seeing off Ma Teng and Xiahou Yuan.

"Understood." Zhao Yun cupped his hands in salute and then turned to head toward the military camp in Ye City, preparing to lead his personal guards to Taishan.

As Liu Bei mentioned, the roads were not entirely safe. Despite Liu Bei's swift actions, there were still many lingering issues. Restoring order after a war, even at the fastest pace, is not something that can be accomplished in just a few months, especially considering the relatively slow speed of information dissemination and troop movement.

"They’ve finally left." Chen Xi exhaled deeply as he watched the ceremonial departure of Ma Teng and Xiahou Yuan. Their presence had delayed certain matters.

"Send orders to the generals: organize teams of 500 soldiers to clear out the bandits in the occupied areas of Ji Province, inspect road conditions, and survey the mines and reserves," Liu Bei instructed after Ma Teng and Xiahou Yuan had left, immediately assigning tasks.

"Order Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping to take over the current horse farms in Ji Province and breed quality horses!" After the group acknowledged his commands, Liu Bei issued another order.

The northern wars could never be fought without cavalry. With Ji Province being a horse-producing region, having quality horses would finally make cavalry a standard part of their forces.

"Hua Xiong, you will use the training methods of the Xiliang cavalry to train our horsemen." Having witnessed the near-unmatched power of the Xiliang cavalry and the way they could trample through enemy lines, Liu Bei fully understood the importance of cavalry.

The White Horse Cavalry had rarely engaged in close combat before, lacking a certain sense of brute strength. Though they were ferocious in battle, they did not have the overwhelming force of the Xiliang cavalry, whose charges could decisively end battles. Liu Bei now fully grasped the direction in which his cavalry should develop.

"Understood!" Hua Xiong tugged at his mouth. He wasn’t entirely sure how the Xiliang cavalry was trained, so he glanced over at Li You, who stood calmly behind Liu Bei. Thankfully, with Li You overseeing things, everything would be manageable.

"Zijing, remeasure the fields. Don’t worry about offending anyone; all land records from the past three years must be re-verified. For any local bullies who cross the line, deal with them severely. Register the landless peasants and prepare for land distribution," Liu Bei said, his expression turning cold as he spoke.

"Understood!" Lu Su frowned slightly. Verifying the land records from the past three years would be an incredibly tedious task. But after thinking about it, he nodded in agreement, as he had already been preparing for many of the other tasks Liu Bei mentioned.

"Wenhe, shift our intelligence focus from the south and west to the northern borders. The Central Plains battle is over, and what comes next will be the real challenge," Liu Bei said as he turned to Jia Xu.

"Understood." Jia Xu's expression remained calm, but he had already set things in motion and was only waiting for Liu Bei to give the official order.

"Ziyang, after the land measurements and yield assessments, recalculate the tax rates. This is a critical task, and any mistake could have severe consequences. Be cautious and meticulous. You can ask Fengxiao and Xiaozhi for help if needed," Liu Bei instructed, after some thought, turning to Liu Ye.

"Alright." Liu Ye nodded. He had already anticipated that Liu Bei would assign him the task of recalculating taxes. After all, he had handled the tax assessment in Taishan previously, and overall, it had been quite successful. Although it was a delicate matter, it had reduced the influence of local elites without reducing the peasants' grain holdings.

"I'll help out as well. There may be discrepancies in the new calculations, and I want to be involved," Chen Xi offered, after thinking for a moment. "Ziyang, you won’t mind if I join in, will you?"

"The more people to share the blame, the better." Liu Ye smiled, not minding Chen Xi joining in at all. In fact, having Chen Xi involved in recalculating the tax rates would mean fewer people directing their ire solely at him.

"Don’t always focus on taking the blame. Think about how to avoid it altogether." Chen Xi rolled his eyes. "I’ll need your multi-angle thinking to ensure we don’t overlook anything."

"Zichuan, make sure no issues arise when you handle this," Liu Bei added with a nod.

"Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. Everyone here will pitch in and help." Chen Xi chuckled. "Pooling our wisdom is the best strategy. Also, we should consult local elders, wealthy families, and ordinary citizens for their input."

"That’s a good idea." Li You smiled, recognizing how this would shift the conflict from being between the government and the people to being among the people themselves. In that case, there would be no need to take the blame—the different factions would surely clash.

"Wenruo, you will be in charge of registering the population of Ji Province. As before, create new household records," Liu Bei instructed Li You. This was still primarily Li You’s responsibility, but now it included much of Yu and Ji provinces, where the population far exceeded what it had been previously.

"Understood." Li You shook his head but didn’t comment further. He was the best person for this task, and unlike other tasks, this one could be stretched out over time. In fact, it might even require correcting some of the earlier records, given how complicated household registrations could be.

"Household registration is critical as well, so do take care of it. Gongyou, continue with the construction of roads and bridges. Once the surveys are complete, the roadwork will be in your hands," Liu Bei said to Sun Qian.

"Got it, but I may not be able to spare enough time soon. The bridge over the Yellow River will require a lot of work. I’m currently resurveying the nearby terrain, and it will take time—unless I can have two construction brigades assigned to me. Otherwise, we won’t finish by the end of next year," Sun Qian said with a bitter smile.

"Two construction brigades?" Liu Bei sighed. The whole of Ji and Yu provinces needed infrastructure, and assigning two brigades to the Yellow River bridge would delay many other projects.

"My lord, I think it’s better to allocate them to Gongyou," Li You suggested, stepping forward when he saw Liu Bei hesitate. "Building roads can be done by anyone, but constructing a bridge over the Yellow River—this will be a first in history."

"Very well…" Liu Bei thought for a moment before agreeing. If he had hesitated, it meant the decision was close, but Li You’s input had tipped the scales.

"Xianhe, are you prepared?" Liu Bei asked Jian Yong, looking at him. Jian Yong’s performance in Taishan would be crucial for the upcoming cultural developments Liu Bei had in mind.

"I’ve been waiting for this. The time for the Hundred Schools to converge has finally come," Jian Yong said slowly, then glanced at Chen Xi. "Zichuan, you knew this day was coming all along, didn’t you?"

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