Chapter 778: The Canal Project

After getting to know these technical talents better, Liu Bei realized their immense importance. For instance, when Qu Qi had too much to drink, instead of using his spiritual power to calm him down, Liu Bei would personally keep an eye on him to prevent any mishaps.

According to Liu Bei, every breakthrough Qu Qi made in agriculture represented a significant step toward the restoration of the Han Dynasty. In this era, as long as the people under your rule had enough food to eat, there would be no shortage of those willing to die for you.

"Zichuan, do you have any other instructions?" Liu Bei turned to Chen Xi to ask, hoping to avoid any future issues.

"It's just a pity I wasn't there when my wife gave birth," Chen Xi sighed. Compared to others, he couldn’t let go of his personal emotions as easily.

"We’ll deal with the Xuanyuan Cauldron first, and talk about everything else later. Send orders to all the relay stations to begin mobilizing our troops," Liu Bei said with a bitter smile. He had anticipated that Chen Xi would struggle to let go of family matters. "Zhang should also return to Jizhou soon; this will be a dangerous time."

"If we want fewer casualties, danger is unavoidable. If our original goal was only to unify the world, we would have already started. However, doing so would mean countless Han citizens would be displaced and suffering. We cannot sacrifice an entire generation for the ambitions of a few," Chen Xi replied helplessly.

"We will keep the war within our control. When necessary, we can end the conflict at any time by paying the price," Liu Bei declared, sweeping his gaze over everyone present. "The world has long awaited the battle between Yuan and Liu. Let them witness it and understand the vast gap in power between us."

"Let them realize the difference in strength!" Chen Xi added with a mocking smile. "Ju Gongyu and Xu Ziyuan believe they have mastered the essence of Taishan. Let them see the true strength of our Taishan."

"Chen Xi... the light of dawn, dispelling darkness and bringing brilliance. Zichuan, your father placed great hopes on you!" Liu Bei laughed, but his expression soon turned serious. "Together, we will dispel the darkness that hangs over the Han Dynasty!"

"I will follow my lord forward!" Li You smiled, the unease he had previously felt now gone. As long as Liu Bei remained unchanged, even if they had to fight the world alone, victory would still belong to Taishan. They would not lose!

After distributing the military duties, Chen Xi and the others immediately got to work. Each of them began activating the plans Chen Xi had laid down long ago, and now, each seed had grown into a towering tree.

"Wang Yi, continue to manage the waterworks in Qingzhou and Xuzhou. Additionally, start researching how to connect the rivers and the Yangtze. Figure out what kind of infrastructure is needed if this connection is possible," Chen Xi instructed Wang Yi, who seemed somewhat dissatisfied. Recently, Chen Xi's wife had mentioned that Wang Yi had been diligently studying hydraulics.

"What?" Before Wang Yi could respond, Mi Zhu had already reacted. "You want to connect the rivers and the Yangtze with a waterworks system?"

"The difficulty will be immense, and the manpower and resources required would be enormous. It might even rival the construction of the Great Wall under the First Emperor," Wang Yi’s eyes initially gleamed at the prospect, but after hearing Chen Xi's instructions, she felt disappointed. The project seemed too labor-intensive and costly.

"I didn’t say it needed to be done now. I’ll give you 5,000 work hours to draft a detailed plan. Present a complete design by then. As for technical support, I can only recommend Zheng Wengong and Huang Yueying. Unfortunately, there aren’t many experts in waterworks," Chen Xi replied casually, shrugging.

"Such an enormous project would exhaust the people! How could it ever be completed?" Wang Yi grumbled, clearly upset. To her, it felt like Chen Xi had just handed her a meaningless task because she was a woman in the government.

"Miss Wang, how about leaving this entire matter to me instead?" Mi Zhu interjected, his face filled with a smile. Wang Yi couldn’t see the potential benefits of the project, but Mi Zhu certainly could. To rise from a minor merchant to his current position, Mi Zhu had to possess a keen commercial intuition.

"Agree to it, Shiyi," a soft voice came from Huang Yueying, reaching Wang Yi’s ears. About to protest further, Wang Yi stopped in her tracks. She deeply admired Huang Yueying, who was a few months younger than her but far wiser.

"Agree to whom?" Wang Yi whispered, but before Huang Yueying could answer, Wang Yi realized the situation. She quickly turned to Chen Xi and said flatteringly, "I spoke rashly earlier. Please forgive me, Chancellor Chen, for my youthful impetuousness. I am willing to take on the task."

"Work closely with them. The other women who study alongside you can also help," Chen Xi replied, not minding Wang Yi’s tone, showing no interest in holding grudges over such minor issues.

"I’ll definitely present a plan that will satisfy you, Chancellor Chen!" Wang Yi said excitedly. After reflecting on the task, she realized it actually held many potential benefits. "I’ll get to work right away."

Without even glancing at her, Chen Xi waved her off, and Wang Yi dashed away energetically. Huang Yueying, on the other hand, gracefully bowed before leaving. Recently, the war machines in Taishan had started operating smoothly.

"Zichuan, how could you assign such a massive task to a young girl?" Mi Zhu immediately questioned after watching Wang Yi and Huang Yueying leave. "This kind of project, which requires both money and manpower, should be left to us!"

"This task cannot be entrusted to any of you," Chen Xi shot a glance at Mi Zhu before calmly explaining, "The manpower, resources, and funding must come from the government."

"What if I offer to fund the project? We could complete the canal in about fifteen years without charging you. Just provide us with the plans. In fact, we don’t even need the plans—give us twenty years, and we’ll complete it for you," Mi Zhu said, grinning. It wasn’t about making money anymore. For the Five Great Merchants, the thrill of earning profits had long passed. Now, they sought a sense of accomplishment.

"Even if you offered all the resources, I wouldn’t agree to let you handle it. If you were to manage the construction, you’d inevitably charge tolls. In your view, the tolls might not seem like much, but..." Chen Xi pressed his temples and firmly rejected the idea.

Handing the construction of the Grand Canal over to private entities was a surefire way to fail, in Chen Xi’s eyes. Mi Zhu’s suggestion wasn’t entirely off base; with the resources of the merchant guilds, building the canal in fifteen years was feasible. They could stagger the funding and subcontract parts of the project to various large merchants.

However, if the canal were privately owned—even leased out to private interests for a few decades—it would cause endless headaches. Therefore, from the very beginning, Chen Xi had no intention of privatizing the construction of the Grand Canal. It had to be a government-led project, and chaotic times like these provided the perfect opportunity to undertake such an endeavor.

"What if I donate the money for the project?" Mi Zhu suggested, now aiming to fund the canal as a philanthropic effort to build his reputation.

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