Traveling through time and space and becoming a deposed prince, he just wants to survive!

Chapter 347: Alien Movements

In a Pingyang courtyard, Zhao Sheng stood quietly by the window, his hands behind his back. He slid a finger gently across the glass, slowly circling it, his gaze deep and distant.

"How's the construction of the iron ore expressway going in Pingyang?"

Zhao Sheng broke the silence in the room with a low and steady voice.

Holding a teacup, Fan Xitong slowly walked over to Zhao Sheng and said, "Prince Consort, how can it be so fast? The mountain road leading to Liangyu is difficult to travel, and we are short of manpower, so the construction is very slow."

Fan Xitong had always wondered why the prince consort preferred ceramic teapots and teacups, but had no interest in the currently popular glass cups.

"Third brother, no, His Majesty needs so many weapons. My progress is a bit behind schedule, and I'm afraid it will delay His Majesty's important task."

Zhao Sheng stopped drawing circles with his fingers, and there was a hint of anxiety in his tone.

"Not really. Everything will be back on track in three months at most."

Fan Xitong put down the teacup and looked at Zhao Sheng's slightly solemn back with a questioning look.

"Three months is a bit long." Zhao Sheng said suddenly, his voice revealing urgency.

"Three months is the fastest time. Does the Prince Consort have any concerns?"

Fan Xitong frowned and stared at Zhao Sheng.

"My people recently learned that several barbarian tribes in the north have been making unusual movements, and the usually calm Liang Kingdom has also shown signs of starting a war."

Zhao Sheng turned around, his expression solemn and his eyes full of worry.

"Liang Kingdom? They only have 300,000 soldiers. Do they want to mobilize the entire country to fight against our Great Zhou?"

When Fan Xitong heard this, he suddenly became flustered.

"It's not just the Liang Kingdom. The Xianbei have recently united and their forces are moving northeast. It seems they have big plans for Yanzhou."

Zhao Sheng's voice became heavier.

After hearing this, Fan Xitong couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat on his forehead. This was an unusual phenomenon that occurred in two places at the same time. If the Huns gathered their forces again, the Great Zhou would probably have to mobilize on all fronts.

"So I say that the construction of the Bingzhou Iron Mine must be brought forward, and we must also recruit people as soon as possible so that we can provide a very good logistical reserve when the time comes."

Zhao Sheng looked at Fan Xitong with a firm gaze and said.

Liang Dong, who was standing in front of the door, inadvertently glanced into the room at the two people who were talking. At this moment, his hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, with a serious expression.

"Then what should I do?" Fan Xitong asked anxiously.

"The purpose of expanding the security measures on the expressways is to help Your Majesty station troops. Secondly, each service area must become a food storage point. Once a war breaks out, food and fodder from these areas can be quickly distributed to other areas."

Zhao Sheng spoke in an orderly manner with a sharp gaze.

"If this happens, the aristocratic families may not agree."

Fan Xitong seemed a little worried about what Zhao Sheng said, and his brows were twisted into a knot.

"For the time being, don't expand the number of personnel at each location too quickly. First, formulate a plan. Then, consider the food and fodder reserves. On the one hand, we will use the emperor's dividends, and on the other hand, we will activate the commercial reserve funds.

After all, the ultimate goal of the Expressway is to report profits to the aristocratic families. Once the war begins, no one can guarantee that trade will be 100% profitable."

Zhao Sheng spoke in a calm tone, full of confidence.

"Is that so?" Fan Xitong nodded unconsciously after hearing this. "It's not impossible. After all, I have the authority to dispatch the expressway's commercial reserve fund, so it's not impossible."

"When the time comes, I will increase your food requirements and use some wine, spices and other goods as collateral."

Zhao Sheng gave Fan Xitong and the noble families an offer they couldn't refuse. "As long as we hold on for two months, after the autumn harvest, we'll have all the grain under control. This will give us one less thing to worry about if we start a war later."

……

Over the next half month, nationwide recruitment was in full swing.

In particular, the recruitment of road protection teams for expressways and some other work such as porters have received positive responses on a large scale.

Pingyang's recruitment is no longer limited to the local area, but has also attracted a large number of workers from other places.

This time, not only the people of Liangyu, but also the local people of Pingyang showed a sentiment of resisting outsiders coming here to work.

After all, in their view, this is like a pot of porridge. If they can't finish it, they can keep it and enjoy it slowly.

How could those short-sighted villagers tolerate others coming to share the food?

The expressway from Pingyang to Feimazhuang is not too long, only a hundred miles of mountain road.

With huge crowds of people working on the construction, it was completed in just one month.

At the same time, some personnel needed for the railway protection team and iron mines were also recruited from these workers.

Initially, the unwilling locals of Pingyang County tried to cause trouble.

But they were forcefully suppressed by the coalition forces of the aristocratic families.

First give a stern warning, then offer some benefits.

As for the transportation work, Zhao Sheng’s principle was not to entrust it to the people who led the trouble, but to organize it with the guarantee of local gentry, which solved the employment problem of a group of people.

This should be a happy occasion for everyone.

That day, Pu Xuesong was in a tavern.

He was surrounded by seven or eight rough men. The food and wine bowls on the table had been cleared away, and everyone was discussing something with great interest.

"Brother Pu, are you saying Chief Stone is going to ruin their plans?"

Ma Wu was a local unemployed vagrant with messy hair, big yellow teeth with a piece of meat stuck in them. Taking advantage of being drunk, he pulled Pu Xuesong's hand and asked anxiously.

"Everyone, I'm here this time to unite with you brothers. Among these recruits, there must be your friends and relatives. Helping you gather some information will definitely benefit you."

Pu Xuesong rested his chin on the table, glanced left and right at everyone's expressions, and spoke in a low voice.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of this. Don't blame us for being unkind, rich people like them."

Another person who came with Ma Wu patted his chest and said confidently.

Pu Songling placed a few silver ingots on the table and said with a smile, "This money can be divided among you. It's hard-earned money. The amount will be determined based on the amount of information you provide."

Under the flickering lights, the grayish-white silver shines with an alluring glow.

The eyes of several people narrowed in an instant because of the flash of silver.

"Why are you all being so polite? Take one ingot each." Ma Wu was not polite at all. He stretched out his hand and shouted to the people who gathered around him.

Everyone rushed forward like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey. The silver on the table was snatched away in an instant, and the table was empty in an instant.

Everyone said thank you happily and quickly put the silver in their waists.

"Within half a month, this matter will be completed. By then, the silver you can get will be dozens of times more than today."

As Pu Xuesong spoke, he drew a large semicircle in the air with his hand, as if depicting the mountain of silver and money.

"I understand. We don't need to." Ma Wu raised his head with a smile on his face, and smiled proudly at the people behind him from time to time.

This tavern is not big and is located in a town outside Pingyang County. The owner of the tavern is a member of the ? tribe.

They opened a tavern here as an intelligence liaison point, and it was a good place for them to discuss the matter of starting a rebellion.

……

Zhao Sheng and the people from several major families were unaware of their secret gathering.

However, they were mining in Shili's hometown, and someone from Guwu was always keeping a close eye on them.

In Zhao Sheng's words, once there is any sign of trouble, they will attack with all their strength and directly eliminate this stubborn disease.

However, Shi Li did have the intention of taking action against these people, but he would not act rashly without finding out whether it was worth it.

When he heard that iron ore was being mined on the mountain, his heart couldn't help but be moved.

Although this is their hometown, Liang Yu is not included in the sphere of activities of their clan.

If you want to have a legitimate reason, you may need to put in some extra effort.