"Gongsun Shang, hear my order!"
"Please, Your Highness the Prince of Shicheng, issue your command!"
"Your task is to immediately halt the reinforcement work on the city walls. You are to lead 100 soldiers from the Ministry of Works to coordinate with General Wu Tian to further strengthen and raise the height of the pass. At the same time, prepare all necessary materials for active defense to prevent Xiongnu State soldiers from sneaking into the pass. You have ten days to complete this. Once finished, begin immediate construction of 1,000 collective temporary dwellings in the southern part of Tieshi City to accommodate the incoming refugees. You have three months to complete this."
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured. We shall depart at once to reinforce the pass!"
"Zhuge Zhan, hear my order!"
"Please, Your Highness, give your instructions!"
"Your task is to quickly dispatch men to notify the other four squads to return immediately and await further orders!"
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured. I shall handle this immediately!"
"Wang Yuan, He Jiong, Ma Chen, hear my order!"
"Please, Your Highness the Prince of Shicheng, issue your command!"
"Wang Yuan, your task is to take charge of settling the fleeing refugees and conducting a population census. You must ensure that every refugee has food to eat and a roof over their head. Before the houses are completed, you may temporarily arrange for them to stay in the Prince's Mansion barracks. He Jiong and Ma Chen, assist Wang Yuan in managing the refugees and compile a list of those with special skills for future use. Ma Chen, dispatch some soldiers to the border to spread the word that Tieshi City is safe, that there is food to eat and houses to live in, and that there will be land to farm and money to earn in the future!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" the three replied in unison.
"Qu Zhong, hear my order!"
"Please, Your Highness the Prince of Shicheng, issue your command!"
"Your task is to keep a close watch on the security situation within the city. Pay attention to preventing any unusual incidents and prevent conflicts between the refugees and the original inhabitants. Everyone must strictly abide by the rules of Tieshi City; no one is allowed to cause trouble without cause! Simultaneously, conduct rigorous screenings to guard against spies from the Xiongnu State!"
"Yes, I shall make arrangements immediately!"
Hua Tianxiong looked at the surprised expression on the face of City Lord Li Gang and said slowly, "I must also ask Elder City Lord Li to issue a notice: anyone with a specialized skill is invited to apply at the City Lord's Mansion. We shall screen for talent in mining, smelting, manufacturing, farming, architecture, and administration to supplement the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel, and other departments. Once hired, everyone will receive a monthly stipend of at least 3 taels of silver, equivalent to the treatment of a common soldier, with higher rewards for those who make outstanding contributions. I leave this matter to you, Elder City Lord!"
"Haha, very well! Your Highness, rest assured, this old man will certainly not delay your grand undertaking!"
Following this, everyone went off to carry out the orders issued by Hua Tianxiong. Just as Hua Tianxiong was preparing to go to the Continent Chamber of Commerce to purchase another batch of Spirit Medicine seeds, he heard the guards outside the Prince's Mansion shouting:
"Report! Your Highness the Prince of Shicheng, Wang Jie of the Fifth Squad has returned! They are waiting outside the hall!" the messenger shouted in a hurry.
"Quickly invite Wang Jie into the hall!" Hua Tianxiong ordered with some excitement.
"Congratulations, Your Highness. We found a large expanse of ironwood trees 520 miles southeast of Tieshi City. These are ironwood tree saplings; please inspect them, Your Highness." As he spoke, Wang Jie took out ten saplings and held them up to Hua Tianxiong with both hands.
"It is indeed an ironwood tree. The wood is tough and highly resilient. Wang Jie, you and your men have worked hard. Lead everyone to place the mature timber samples in the courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, then return to the barracks to rest. I have new tasks for you all tomorrow!" Hua Tianxiong said kindly, patting Wang Jie on the shoulder.
"Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your concern!" Wang Jie replied, stepping back.
After everyone had left, Hua Tianxiong quietly planted the ironwood tree saplings brought back by Wang Jie into the Star Field Cauldron. Seeing a vast area of lush green Spirit Medicine nearing maturity, Hua Tianxiong thought that he needed to accelerate his cultivation speed so that the Star Field Cauldron would have more space to plant Spirit Medicine and ironwood trees, thereby further developing and strengthening his power.
The night passed without incident. After finishing his cultivation in the Star Field Cauldron, Hua Tianxiong performed his routine check on the Spirit Medicine saplings and discovered that 30% of the earliest planted batch had actually sprouted flower buds. This meant that 30% of the Spirit Medicine would yield seeds, eliminating the future need to purchase seeds of the same species from the Continent Chamber of Commerce.
As for the ironwood tree saplings, they had grown significantly taller and were developing extremely rapidly. It seemed that ordinary plants grew faster within the Star Field Cauldron; besides the special nature of the Star Field Cauldron as a divine artifact, the high concentration of spiritual energy within the cauldron was an important reason for the rapid growth of the plants. Thinking of this, a sudden idea struck Hua Tianxiong: once the space inside the cauldron was larger, he would try planting crops like wheat to see if they would grow faster and better. Of course, for now, planting Spirit Medicine remained more cost-effective.
The next day, when Wang Jie came to report, Zhang Rang of the Third Squad and Li Liang of the Fourth Squad also returned to Tieshi City. They had discovered ironwood trees and fine iron ore to the south and northeast of Tieshi City, respectively.
After dispatching Wang Jie and the others to the pass to assist Wu Tian in guarding it, refugees fleeing from the neighboring Zhao State gradually increased in number, growing from a few people a day to several dozen. Fortunately, Li Gang knew that the residents of Tieshi City were better at hunting than farming, so he had stored a great deal of grain in advance to ensure that there would be sufficient food when the residents returned to the city after the Beast Tide.