Chapter 81

......

A few days later.

On the vast Zhuwei Lake, over a hundred ships were already at work.

These ships included transport ships, dredging ships, and others suitable for calm, inland rivers. To gather these ships, Wang Shouzhe had to mobilize many of his connections.

Especially from the Chen family in Donggang, where the inland waterways were crisscrossed with numerous small boats and a significant number of shipyards.

Chen Fangjie, his future brother-in-law, was quite helpful. Thanks to his assistance, from purchasing small used boats to customizing dredging ships, he spared no effort and even took charge of the transportation.

The future brother-in-law was very cooperative, and Wang Shouzhe was naturally not stingy. Under the pretext of Chen Fangjie's previous help, Wang Shouzhe directly presented him with 5,000 dan of new wheat. After processing through the mill, it would become high-quality flour.

The bran, which in previous years was used to feed livestock, was now also in high demand.

In previous years, these 5,000 dan of new wheat would have been quite valuable, but this season was particularly different. The yield of new wheat was very low, making its value far greater than in previous years.

Through this collaboration with Wang Shouzhe, the Chen family in Donggang secretly gained a huge benefit.

It's important to note that many aristocratic children were accustomed to eating refined rice and flour, with high standards, making them much harder to please than commoners.

In any case, both parties were very pleased.

With the rapid assembly of the inland ships, Wang Shouzhe's "century project" was quickly underway.

In the past, the family would dredge some rivers every winter, using the silt to fill fields. The work was done in groups of five people per boat.

One person would steer the boat, while four would use rakes to dredge the silt. They would then sail to the destination, unload the silt, and return to dredge more...

It seemed fine on the surface, but this work method was actually very inefficient. During the winter, small-scale dredging mainly utilized the agricultural off-season, so a bit of inefficiency was acceptable.

However, for a large-scale project, every bit of labor saved would result in significant savings in the long run.

Under Wang Shouzhe's instructions, the dredging workers were all strong laborers, working in groups of five. After boarding an empty boat, they would quickly fill it with silt using dredging rakes, then switch to another empty boat to continue dredging.

The boat operators were slightly older and did not participate in the dredging, only steering the boats back and forth. Upon reaching the destination, a group of workers would unload the silt, while another group would fill the land.

After unloading, the unloading team would replenish the empty wicker baskets in the boat. The boat operators would immediately sail back to start the next cycle.

After some trials and adjustments, a streamlined workflow gradually took shape.

The dredging rakes were heavy, with iron bars around the edges, especially at the cutting edge, which was sharpened. The middle part was a more densely woven wicker space, requiring considerable strength to use.

However, one rake could carry 50 to 60 pounds of silt, and it only took a few rakes to fill a large wicker basket. Smaller boats could hold about 10 to 20 wicker baskets, while larger boats, specifically designed for dredging and inland transport, could hold over 100 wicker baskets. The largest boat could hold more than 300 wicker baskets.

A group of five dredging workers, including rest periods, could dig and load about 80 baskets per hour. Therefore, for larger boats, several groups of workers would work together, with one group finishing up at the end.

Additionally, some weaker women, children, and elderly people were responsible for weaving wicker baskets, cooking, cleaning, and leveling the silt-filled areas as auxiliary tasks.

Overall, the dredging and land-filling work proceeded very smoothly.

Currently, there were 80 groups of dredging workers, totaling 400 people, 150 boat operators, 50 silt unloaders, 80 land fillers, and about 100 other auxiliary workers.

The total number of workers on the project was nearly 800.

However, even with this many people, the amount of silt dredged and land filled in a day was only about 3,000 to 4,000 cubic meters, which was roughly one two-thousandth of the first phase of the project.

At the current manpower and resources, it would take about six years to complete the first phase of the project, not including the rainy season, winter, and other adverse weather conditions that would prevent construction.

However, opening up new territories and expanding clan assets was never an easy task.

The ancestors of the Wang family spent countless efforts and time to gradually bring Ping'an Town to its current state. Conquering nature was never an easy feat for humans.

Wang Shouzhe's covered boat quietly glided across Zhuwei Lake, watching the construction work proceed in the distance.

"Brother Shouzhe," Liu Yuanrui said with deep emotion, "Only now do I truly understand the difficulties our ancestors faced in establishing the family's foundation. Every piece of family property is a testament to the lifelong efforts of our ancestors."

"Indeed, when our ancestor Zouxuan moved south, the entire Ping'an Town area was a wild and dangerous place, teeming with ferocious beasts," Wang Shouzhe said, equally moved. "Back then, our ancestors faced far more challenges than we do."

Wang Shouzhe stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the vast Zhuwei Lake. The project seemed enormous, but the actual construction area was only a small part of it: "We need to increase the scale of the construction. There are still many people in the Ping'an Town area who don't have enough food."

Of the current 800 workers, many were tenant farmers of the Wang family, and even some distant relatives of the Wang family who came to participate in the construction and management. Only about 400 to 500 workers were recruited from outside.

To truly alleviate the disaster, simply recruiting so many workers was not enough. The team needed to expand, and more dredging boats were needed. At least, the construction team needed to reach 2,000 to 3,000 people.

Carrying out such a large-scale project with relatively low productivity was no easy task, and the progress was slow even with the mobilization of a large number of people and resources.

However, for a basic project like dredging and land-filling, there was no better method than a streamlined workflow. He did not have the ability to manufacture large excavators.

After satisfying Liu Yuanrui's desire to tour the lake, the covered boat returned to the main residence.

At this moment, Wang Zhong sent someone to report that the wandering cultivator who had killed a wealthy farmer had been found. He was hiding in a secluded warehouse near Dingpu Ferry.

Wang Shouzhe's eyes turned cold, revealing his killing intent.

He did not discriminate against wandering cultivators; many of them had a hard life. However, he hated those who committed crimes recklessly and then thought they could just walk away without consequences.

......

Time passed.

In a secluded warehouse, which was used by a certain aristocratic family to store salted and smoked fish.

Recently, the sales of smoked fish were excellent, and the inventory had been moved out, but the warehouse still smelled strongly of fish.

A few fierce-looking wandering cultivators were sitting around listlessly, their morale low.

"Boss, have the Liu family not sent any news yet?" a man in his thirties asked anxiously, "Isn't it just about arranging a boat to cross the river? How difficult can it be?"

"The Wang family must be up to something. They've had Deputy Town Commander Wang Dingzhu seal off the Dingpu Ferry and even sent soldiers to guard some wild ferries. It's clearly targeting us," a middle-aged wandering cultivator with a scar on his face said coldly, "Everyone, just hang in there. Once this storm passes, everything will be fine."

"Boss, I heard the Wang family and the Liu family are at odds," another wandering cultivator said worriedly, "Do you think the Liu family will kill us to cover their tracks?"

"They dare!" the scar-faced wandering cultivator sneered, "We've done many underhanded things for the Liu family before. I've already kept all the evidence. If anything happens to us, someone will deliver the evidence to Deputy Town Commander Wang Dingzhu. Given the relationship between the Wang family and the Liu family, they won't let it go easily."

Wandering cultivators roamed the world, going wherever there was profit. They were often used by aristocratic families as tools, and the stories of being betrayed and killed were common.

Therefore, wandering cultivators were not fools. They would take money to do things, but it was almost impossible to completely eliminate all traces. Those who had survived to their thirties were all shrewd, and the dangers they had faced were far beyond what aristocratic children could compare to.

"Boss, you are wise, you are wise. Once we catch our breath, we must take a piece out of the Liu family."

The other wandering cultivators also breathed a sigh of relief, praising the boss and cursing the Liu family.

Hanging in there was no problem; once the storm passed, everything would be fine. The Wang family was just putting on a show to gain popularity, and the wealthy farmer killed was not from their territory.

At this moment.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Clapping sounds echoed, and a young man's voice came from outside: "Listen to how these wandering cultivators do things. Learn from them; always leave yourself a way out. It's a good survival philosophy."

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

"Stop talking and get to work."

"Luoqiu, what Fourth Brother said is very true. No matter how strong you are, there will always be someone stronger in this world."

The faces of the wandering cultivators turned very grim.

The scar-faced leader, however, remained calm: "Since you've come here, you must be prepared. Why don't we talk?"

As he spoke,

Wang Shouzhe walked into the warehouse with his two younger brothers and two younger sisters.

He did not directly respond to the wandering cultivators but continued talking to his siblings: "Remember, if you want to keep something secret, you must not do it. Our ancestor Zouxuan moved south to establish Ping'an Town, slaying beasts and opening up new territories, providing a place for our Wang family and countless commoners to live. We, as descendants, may not be able to match the achievements of our ancestors, but we must protect our home and uphold our principles, and not let our ancestors be disgraced."

"Remember, families like the Liu and Zhao do not follow the law and have no principles," Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "They may be rampant for a while, but they cannot be arrogant forever. Those clan members will eventually bring disaster to the entire family."

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

Wang Shouyong and Wang Shoulian were also excited, their faces flushed with enthusiasm. Our Wang family is a legitimate aristocratic family passed down from our ancestor Zouxuan, not like the wolfish families like the