Chapter 81: The Stepping Stone on Emperor Road (Patreon)

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Several days later.

On the vast 10,000-acre Zhuwei Lake, over 100 boats were already working. Those boats, including transport ships and dredging ships, were all suitable for use in the calm waters of the Inner River. To gather these boats, Wang Shoujie had also mobilized many connections.

Especially on the side of Donggang's Chen Clan, which was also a major waterway inland, with many small boats and numerous shipyards. Chen Fang Jie, the future brother-in-law, was very helpful, lending a hand from buying small used boats to customizing dredging ships, and even taking charge of transportation.

The future brother-in-law was very accommodating, and Wang Shoujie naturally wouldn't be stingy either. As a token of appreciation for his help, Wang Shoujie directly presented him with 5,000 dan (approximately 250,000 kg) of new wheat, which would become high-quality flour after processing at the mill. The bran sifted out would usually be used to feed livestock, but this year it was also in high demand.

Compared to previous years, this 5,000 dan of new wheat was extremely valuable, mainly because the yield was very low, making it much more precious than usual.

Both parties were extremely happy with the cooperation, and Donggang's Chen Clan also secretly gained a huge profit.

It's worth noting that many young masters from aristocratic families were used to eating fine rice and flour, with high demands that were difficult to meet.

In summary, both parties were overjoyed.

The Inner River boats quickly assembled, and Wang Shoujie's "century-long project" was also rapidly unfolding.

Before this, the family would also clear some river channels every winter, using the dredged mud to fill in farmland, etc. However, the work mode back then was to have five people on each boat. One person would steer the boat, while four people would use rakes to clear the mud. Then, they would sail to the destination, unload the mud, and sail back to clear more mud...

It sounds like there's no problem, but in reality, this work mode was extremely inefficient. The small-scale clearing in winter mainly utilized the agricultural off-season, so the low efficiency was tolerable.

However, under a large-scale project, every bit of labor saved would be a huge saving in the long run.

Under Wang Shoujie's guidance, the clearing workers were all robust laborers, divided into groups of five. After boarding an empty boat, they would quickly use the clearing rakes to load the boat, then switch to another empty boat to continue clearing.

The boat drivers were slightly older and didn't need to participate in the clearing. They only needed to sail the boats back and forth. Upon arrival at the destination, one group would unload the boats, while another group would fill in the soil.

After clearing, the unloading workers would replenish the empty bamboo baskets on the boat. The boat drivers would immediately sail back, entering the next cycle of work.

After some trial and error, they gradually formed a streamlined workflow.

The clearing rakes used were very heavy, with iron bars surrounding them, especially at the cutting edge, which was sharpened to be extremely sharp. The middle part was a relatively dense bamboo weave, requiring a lot of strength to use.

However, with this rake, they could clear 50-60 pounds of mud, and 2-3 trips could fill a large bamboo basket. Smaller boats could only hold around 10-20 bamboo baskets.

Larger boats, specifically designed for clearing and transporting on the Inner River, could hold over 100 bamboo baskets at once. The largest boat could hold over 300 bamboo baskets.

A team of five clearing workers, including time for rotating breaks, could clear around 80 baskets per hour. Therefore, slightly larger boats would have multiple teams working together, with one team finishing up the remaining work.

Additionally, there were some weaker women, children, and elderly people who would assist with tasks such as weaving bamboo baskets, cooking, cleaning, or leveling the ground.

Overall, the clearing and filling work was progressing very smoothly.

Currently, there were 80 teams of clearing workers, totaling around 400 people, 150 boat workers, 50 unloading workers, 80 filling workers, and nearly 100 auxiliary workers.

The total number of workers on the project reached nearly 800 people.

However, even with this many people, the daily clearing and filling work would only reach around 3,000-4,000 cubic meters, equivalent to about one-two thousandth of the first phase of the project.

According to the current labor and resources, even if they worked every day, it would take around six years to complete the first phase of the project. And that didn't include the rainy season and harsh winter weather when construction would be impossible.

Opening up new lands and developing family industries was never an easy task.

The ancestors of the Wang Clan had also spent countless effort and time to gradually build Ping'an Town into what it is today. Conquering nature was never an easy task for humans.

Wang Shoujie's Black Canopy Boat glided quietly across Zhuwei Lake, watching the construction project unfold in the distance.

"Guardian Brother," Liu Yuanrui also sighed, "It's only now that I realize the difficulties our ancestors faced in developing our family's industries. Every family industry has the blood and sweat of our ancestors invested in it."

"That's right," Wang Shoujie nodded, "When Ancestor Zouxuan went south, the entire Ping'an Town region was a vast, untamed wilderness infested with ferocious beasts. Back then, our ancestors had it much harder than us."

Wang Shoujie stood at the bow of the boat, gazing out at the vast expanse of Zhuwei Lake. It looked like a massive engineering project, but in reality, the construction area only occupied a small part of it: "We still need to increase the scale of construction. There are still many people in Ping'an Town who can't afford to eat."

Currently, out of 800 people, many were tenant farmers from the Wang Clan, and some were even Wang Clan's collateral relatives who had come to participate in the construction and management. The recruited personnel from outside only numbered around 400-500 people.

If they wanted to truly alleviate the disaster, simply recruiting that many workers would not be enough. The team needed to be expanded, and the dredging boats needed to be increased. At the very least, the entire construction team needed to reach 2,000-3,000 people.

It was extremely difficult to carry out such a large-scale project under these circumstances, and the progress was slow due to the low productivity.

However, for basic engineering projects like dredging and land reclamation, there was no better way to do it except to establish a production line. He didn't have the capability to manufacture large excavators.

After satisfying Liu Yuanrui's desire to take a boat ride, the Black Canopy Boat returned to the main residence.

At this time, Wang Zhong sent someone to report that the hiding place of the scattered repairman who had killed a rich farmer had been discovered. It was in a secluded warehouse near the Dingpu Ferry Terminal.

Wang Shoujie's eyes narrowed, and his killing intent was palpable.

He didn't discriminate against scattered repairmen, as many of them had a hard life. However, he hated those who committed crimes without restraint and then acted as if they were innocent.

...

Time passed.

A secluded warehouse was a place where a certain aristocratic family stored salted fish and smoked fish.

Recently, the sales of smoked fish had been extremely good, and the inventory had been cleared out, but the place still reeked of fishy smells.

Several fierce-looking scattered repairmen were sitting listlessly, their morale extremely low.

"Boss, is there still no news from the Liu Clan?" a man in his 30s asked anxiously, "Isn't it just a matter of arranging a boat to cross the river? Is it that difficult?"

"The Wang Clan doesn't know what wind they've caught, but they've actually let Deputy Guard Wang Dingzu block the Dingpu Ferry Terminal, and even sent officials to guard some wild crossings. It's clear they're targeting us," a middle-aged man with a scar on his face said coldly, "Let's just endure this wave of trouble."

"Boss, I heard that the Wang Clan and the Liu Clan are at odds," another scattered repairman said worriedly, "Do you think the Liu Clan will kill us to silence us?"

"They dare!" the scar-faced repairman sneered, "We've done some shady things for the Liu Clan before. I've kept evidence of everything. If something happens to us, someone will send the evidence to Deputy Guard Wang Dingzu's hands. Given the relationship between the Wang Clan and the Liu Clan, they won't let it slide."

Scattered repairmen roamed the world, going wherever there was profit. Naturally, they were often used by aristocratic families as pawns, and the scenario of being killed to silence them was all too familiar.

Therefore, scattered repairmen weren't fools. They could take money to do things for you, but it was almost impossible to eat clean and stay innocent afterwards. Those who had managed to survive to their 40s or 50s were all cunning, and the dangers they had faced in their lives were unimaginable.

"Boss is wise, boss is wise. Let's take a deep breath and wait for an opportunity to take revenge on the Liu Clan."

The other scattered repairmen also let out a sigh of relief, praising the boss and cursing the Liu Clan.

It didn't matter if they had to endure for a while. They just needed to wait for the storm to pass. The Wang Clan people were just putting on a show, trying to boost their reputation, and it wasn't like they were going to kill someone from their own territory.

Just then...

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Applause erupted, accompanied by a young man's voice outside: "Listen to how these scattered repairmen do things. They're all about leaving a way out for themselves. This is a great philosophy for survival."

"Yes, Fourth Brother," two boys replied obediently.

"Don't talk nonsense, just get to work."

"Luojing, Fourth Brother is right. No matter how powerful you are, there's always someone more powerful than you in this world."

The scattered repairmen's faces turned extremely ugly.

The leader, the scar-faced repairman, remained calm: "Since you've already come to our doorstep, you must have come prepared. Why don't we talk?"

As they spoke...

Wang Shoujie led his two younger brothers and two younger sisters into the warehouse.

He didn't directly respond to the scattered repairmen's words but continued to talk to his siblings: "You must remember, if you want to keep something secret, don't do it. Our Wang Clan's Ancestor Zouxuan opened up Ping'an Town in the south, slaying monsters and expanding our territory, giving our Wang Clan descendants and tens of thousands of common people a place to live. We, the descendants, may not be able to match our ancestors' achievements, but we must protect our family and our bottom line, lest we shame our ancestors."

"You must remember, families like the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan do things without regard for the law, without any bottom line," Wang Shoujie said calmly, "They may prosper for a time, but they won't last forever. Those families will eventually bring disaster upon themselves."

"Yes, Fourth Brother," Wang Luojing nodded heavily.

Wang Shouyong and Wang Shoulian were also excited, their faces flushed with excitement. Our Wang Clan was a legitimate aristocratic family, passed down from Ancestor Zouxuan, and was fundamentally different from the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan.

"I, Wang Luoqiu, you don't need to remember my name." Wang Luoqiu's eyes flashed with a fierce and powerful aura, "I shoulder the expectations of our ancestors in heaven, and I will take on the heavy responsibility of the Wang Clan's rise to power. You scattered repairmen are just stepping stones on my path to greatness, experience points!"

"Boom!"

Wang Luoqiu charged into the group of scattered repairmen like a cannonball.

Wang Shoujie's mouth twitched.

Can't this little girl calm down? I haven't even finished teaching her about family honor and correct values yet?

This girl has temper!

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 82: Doubt Explodes the Equipment