Li Jianjun is appointed Commandant of Martial Valor, Sixth Grade Upper, with a monthly salary of 50 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Chen Li is appointed Commandant of Martial Valor, Sixth Grade Upper, with a monthly salary of 50 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Gongsun Shang is appointed Director of the Ministry of Works, Fifth Grade Principal, with a monthly salary of 80 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Wang Yuan is appointed Director of the Ministry of Revenue, Fifth Grade Principal, with a monthly salary of 80 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
He Jiong is appointed Director of the Ministry of Personnel, Fifth Grade Principal, with a monthly salary of 80 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Zhuge Zhan is appointed Director of the Ministry of War, Fifth Grade Principal, with a monthly salary of 80 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Ma Chen is appointed Director of the Ministry of Rites, Fifth Grade Principal, with a monthly salary of 80 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Qu Zhong is appointed Director of the Ministry of Justice, Fifth Grade Principal, with a monthly salary of 80 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Mo Di is appointed Vice Director of the Ministry of Works, Fifth Grade Subordinate, with a monthly salary of 65 taels of silver and a 5-cubic-meter storage bag.
Li Gang is appointed Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat, Fourth Grade Principal, with a monthly salary of 150 taels of silver and a 10-cubic-meter storage bag.
"As for the common soldiers, their monthly salary will be raised to 10 taels of silver. Other meritorious soldiers and officials will be rewarded at my discretion. Furthermore, all soldiers who died while traveling from the capital with me shall be compensated with 150 taels of silver each."
"We thank His Highness the Prince of Shicheng for his rewards; we will serve with the utmost devotion until our last breath!" the group replied, kneeling in gratitude.
Although everyone had anticipated this day, they could not suppress their inner excitement. Thanks to the arrival of the Prince of Shicheng, everyone had received significant promotions in rank. In particular, the increase in monthly salaries meant their compensation had multiplied, reaching the levels of officials of similar rank in the capital of the Qin State. It should be noted that in the imperial capital of the Qin State, a single tael of silver was enough to cover the total living expenses of an ordinary family for half a month. The addition of the storage bags, which exceeded the standard for Fifth Grade officials in the imperial capital—who only received 1-cubic-meter bags—further solidified everyone's resolve to follow the Prince of Shicheng.
"Of course, the responsibilities on your shoulders have also increased. We currently have over 800 soldiers in the Ministry of War, over 1,000 in the Ministry of Works, and more than 200 in other departments. With over two thousand people relying on the state’s grain, playing the role of master of this house is no easy task!"
"I will now assign your upcoming tasks. General Wu Tian will lead over four hundred soldiers and three Commandants of Martial Valor to guard the pass. Remember, prioritize the security of the pass and assist the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel in managing the refugees. Currently, over ten thousand refugees have entered Tieshi City, and I believe many more will follow. If possible, buy horses from the fleeing Zhao State soldiers to build our cavalry!"
"Zhuge Zhan, my dear official, you and the remaining five Commandants will lead the remaining four hundred-plus soldiers to continue clearing the surrounding Demonic Beasts. This will reduce their numbers when the Beast Tide arrives in March or April next year. Additionally, grain supplies are already becoming tight, so we need more meat from Demonic Beasts to satisfy the growing food demand and to aid in everyone's cultivation and strength."
"Gongsun Shang and Mo Di, work together to divide the 1,000-plus personnel of the Ministry of Works into four groups: those skilled in mining, smelting, manufacturing, and construction. Now that we have located the refined iron ore and ironwood trees, we can mass-produce high-quality bows, arrows, and blades. These will be issued to our soldiers first, and in the future, we can sell the surplus to neighboring states to increase the revenue of Tieshi City or trade them for the horses and grain we need."
"Naturally, we must also build large-scale attack ballistae. Relying on the refined iron ore and ironwood trees, we can only manufacture entry-level large-scale attack ballistae for now. Even so, these are formidable heavy weapons for city defense. They have a range of up to two kilometers; even an Advanced Great Martial Master hit directly would be pierced through. Of course, those with lower cultivation would have limbs shattered instantly upon even a grazing blow. Thus, these entry-level ballistae have become effective heavy defensive weapons for most small and medium cities on the continent, as well as crucial tools for cities along the Tieshi Mountains to defend against Beast Tides. Based on our current needs in Tieshi City, we require at least 20 ballistae. This will allow us to extend our defensive capability from the city walls to two kilometers outside, meeting our most basic defense requirements."
"Of course, we can increase this number later to further improve our defense, perhaps eventually matching the anti-Beast Tide capabilities of Bohai City, which would require at least 100 large entry-level ballistae. However, each ballista requires at least 10 skilled soldiers to operate, which our current troop levels cannot support. We will address that in the future; for now, focus on constructing the ballistae, and we will train specialized operators later. Furthermore, as the Xiongnu’s invasion of the Zhao State continues, more refugees will come to Tieshi City. The Ministry of Works must continue building housing for them in the southern part of the city—let's build another 2,000 units. At our current speed, we can meet basic housing needs."
"The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel must mobilize more refugees to develop the wasteland outside the city, so that we can quickly plant crops once the Beast Tide ends, partially solving the food shortage for more people. Additionally, both ministries should brainstorm methods to satisfy the ever-increasing grain consumption of the residents of Tieshi City."