Chapter 136: Castle Construction overnight is not impossible!
Shi Pusa returned to the barracks smoothly, only to see the Pot Bowl Ladle Basin quartet just back from training, each busy with their own affairs, waiting for dinner.
Guo Tailang, seeing him back so early, asked with some surprise, “Why so early? Haven’t they blown the return-to-barracks whistle yet?”
Shi Pusa gave a simple, honest smile and replied concisely, “Back for dinner.”
“Saving money is a good thing.” Guo Tailang understood. He hadn’t dared to spend much money outside during his previous shift leave either, wanting to save up to buy some land to settle down in the future. He immediately agreed, “It’s good to be back early, too, so you don’t have to pull the manure truck if you’re late.”
Wan Cilang, however, was not one to save money. While washing clothes nearby, he interjected, “Good for nothing. It’s a rare chance to go out and have fun, saving money like this is pointless.”
He had indeed gone out and indulged himself before. The barracks only provided enough to eat, with no regard for taste; everything tasted like pig slop. He had gone out to try various dishes for two meals and even got a pot of good wine to relieve his fatigue, which made him feel a bit better. He didn’t dare drink any more, though, for fear of getting drunk and not returning to the barracks on time, which would result in being punished to dig manure pits and pull manure trucks, doing the most miserable job in the entire camp.
After expressing his opinion, he also asked Shi Pusa with concern, “What did you do today? Did you see anything unusual?”
Guo and Piao also immediately cast concerned glances, wanting to hear if there was anything fun, so they could experience it themselves when they were on leave next time.
Shi Pusa didn’t hide anything and honestly recounted his outing for the day, leaving Guo, Wan, Piao, and Pen stunned for a long time. They had almost forgotten about Mother A Qi and her daughter.
After a while, Pen Silang’s face showed a sneer of disdain, his lips moving slightly, likely silently calling Shi Pusa a fool. Piao Sanlang also said in disbelief, “You worked for half the day and came back after eating a bowl of noodles?”
Shi Pusa chuckled, “Yes!”
Wan Cilang pondered for a moment, then slapped his thigh in regret. He quickly grabbed Shi Pusa’s shoulders and shook him vigorously, saying in anguish, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I could have gone to work too! I was quite good at building houses back then! Where does that widow live? I’ll go find her on my next leave!”
Guo Tailang kicked him in the backside and cursed, “Get lost, you pervert! If you want to die, go ahead!” He then turned to Shi Pusa and sternly warned, “Why did you work for her? Don’t get into trouble. Those White Sticks are not to be trifled with.”
He genuinely meant well. After all, Shi Pusa’s mistakes during his leave wouldn’t affect him, and it had nothing to do with him. However, after such a long time of eating and living together, enduring beatings and punishments together, and charging into battle side-by-side, a friendship had naturally formed among the five. He didn’t want to see Shi Pusa’s head paraded around one day.
Shi Pusa didn’t think that far ahead. He honestly replied, “She resembles my mother a bit.”
Guo, Wan, Piao, and Pen were all taken aback, “Resembles your mother?”
Shi Pusa chuckled, “Yes, she really looks like my mother. If A Qi were a boy, it would be like when my mother took me around. I wanted to do some work for her, to help her live a little better.”
Guo, Wan, Piao, and Pen looked at each other blankly. They all knew Shi Pusa’s mother had died of illness and starvation long ago. Thinking about their own situations, with no family or with family lost or missing, their expressions also turned somber.
After a moment, Wan Cilang spoke first, sighing, “Forget what I just said. Do you have any dirty clothes? I can wash them for you while I’m at it.”
Pen Silang immediately went to open Shi Pusa’s cabinet, haphazardly pulled out two pieces of clothing, and secretly mixed them with his own dirty clothes before throwing them to Wan Cilang. Wan Cilang, however, picked out Pen’s clothes and threw them directly on the ground, cursing, “Get lost, you idiot! Do you think I’m stupid? Wash them yourself!”
The two of them started arguing. Piao Sanlang sighed quietly on the side. He was from Mino, captured and sold to Wanjin. He was now thinking about his own mother, lost in thought. Guo Tailang patted Shi Pusa’s shoulder and sighed, “Pusa, take care of yourself!”
He was the oldest among the five, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, and had experienced more. He believed Shi Pusa, unlike Wan Cilang, had no malicious intentions; he just wanted to fulfill a childhood dream or perhaps felt pity for the mother and daughter. However, the widow might not be a good person. It was just that he couldn’t advise him on such matters, so he could only say that.
Hopefully, there will be no trouble in the future!
…
Yuan Ye hadn’t expected that his attempt to stimulate the economy and let the new immigrants earn some money for the New Year would result in his subordinates not going for a feast but directly entering civilian homes. He was currently in the public office, researching where to establish his future territory. He frowned as he looked at the report submitted by A Man, and after a long pause, he sighed, “Not a single suitable place? Are you sure you’ve thoroughly searched everywhere?”
“Of course, I searched thoroughly!” A Man was very displeased that her abilities were being questioned. She replied indignantly, “Chita District doesn’t have the kind of peculiar place you’re looking for. How can I find something that doesn’t exist? I did my best, and if it’s not there, it’s not there!”
Yuan Ye sighed again, not caring about A Man’s impatient attitude. To have a place close to the sea, capable of building a pier and a shipyard, while also having tidal flats for a salt drying plant, with at least two rivers nearby, forest resources, fertile land suitable for large-scale grain cultivation, and to be easily defensible, preferably with only one enemy approach – this was indeed a bit difficult. He couldn’t blame her for not finding it.
He was being greedy, wanting to achieve everything in one go and lay the best foundation for future development. But reality was reality; without such a miraculous place, he would have to reduce his requirements and try to pick a relatively better location.
He would first disregard the eastern side of the Chita Peninsula. Although there was a small plain and many rivers there, making it very suitable for farming, it was too close to the Shima Peninsula. The bays like Agui Bay and Ya Bay had too many islands, at least sixty, inhabited by a large number of lawless islanders who were part of the future Shima Navy. If he were to live on the eastern side of the Chita Peninsula now, he wouldn’t be able to gain naval control, and even safe transportation might not be guaranteed.
At the very least, he would be frequently harassed by various water bandits, leading to many unnecessary troubles.
If he only considered the western side of the peninsula, based on the intelligence A Man’s people gathered after half a year of scouting, the southern tip of the peninsula was also unsuitable. Most of it was mountainous, and the seaside environment was poor. The tip of the peninsula seemed to be tilting up, with most of the coastline being sheer cliffs, making it difficult to build a pier. Moreover, there were many submerged reefs by the sea, making access inconvenient.
Yuan Ye, holding the intelligence compiled by A Man, checked each location on the map one by one. He didn’t find a satisfactory place until he reached the base of the Chita Peninsula. He reduced his requirements again and went back to re-evaluate. Finally, out of desperation, his finger stopped at a place in the southern-central part of the Chita Peninsula, and he sighed, “This will have to be it.”
A Man glanced at the map and then picked up her summarized “Chita District Details” and flipped through it. She asked curiously, “There’s no city here, very little forest, and only one river.”
“But it’s very easy to defend here,” Yuan Ye said, pointing at the map. “There’s a small bay here, making it convenient to build a port, and contact with Wanjin won’t be a problem. Moreover, there’s a small mountain to the north. As long as we build a fortress on the mountain, we can easily control the north. To the south, there’s a river and a small hill. We can build a fort by the river and a fortress on the hill, easily preventing enemies from crossing the river. The south will also be fine.”
Overall, it can barely be considered single-sided defense, and the pressure of defense will be much less.
He paused and moved his finger eastward. “As for the east, the pressure will definitely be great. We can build a city and walls here, connecting north and south, with our backs to the sea, to block the enemy. We should be able to wear them down for a long time.”
“But this way, we’ll occupy too little territory and won’t be able to do much.”
“We can’t achieve everything in one go, so it has to be this way. Other places are even less suitable. At least the soil here is good, and there are large tidal flats that can be utilized, and defense is also relatively advantageous,” Yuan Ye said, then pondered, “The Imagawa Family cannot afford to wear us down for a long time. When they can’t do anything about us and want to build rock fortresses to trap us, we can try to push back. Force them to build the rock fortresses further away, and then force the neighbors on the flanks to move their homes. This should allow us to gain more space. At that time, we will also build rock fortresses, so the area should be sufficient for now, allowing us to farm and so on. In the future…”
In the future, after Okehazama, the Imagawa Family will be in decline. As long as he can seize the opportunity, expansion will be very easy. At that time, all the local lords of the Chita Peninsula will have to scram. He can build a defensive line at the base of the peninsula, turning the Chita Peninsula entirely into his backyard.
However, these things are not convenient to say for now and can only be handled as opportunities arise later. The main reason is that he couldn’t recall the year of Okehazama. A Man’s thoughts were not as far-reaching as his. She just stared at the map for a while, her Dou Dou Eyebrows drooping, and asked, “But there’s nothing there now. We have to build so many things after we go there. Is there enough time? The local lords are easy to deal with; we can just drive them away first. But if the Imagawa Family comes faster and the city isn’t built yet, what will we do then?”
According to the original plan, having something ready would be best. For example, if a certain local lord had already occupied an easily defensible prime location and built a city, Yuan Ye could launch a sneak attack, drive him away, and then begin a war of attrition with the Imagawa Family after some repairs. This would be the most labor-saving and safest option. But now, there was no such ideal defensive location. Building a defensive line from scratch was indeed a challenge…
Yuan Ye hadn’t expected that on such a large peninsula like Chita, there would be no one building a city by the sea, and they would have to build it themselves. After pondering for a moment, he said, “It’s a bit difficult, but this matter concerns our future, so we have to try!”
He paused, his gaze firming, and said softly, “We’ve come this far. Let’s give it our all and try! Building a city overnight is not impossible!”
A Man already trusted him greatly on important matters. Seeing that he had made a decision, she no longer questioned it and immediately nodded vigorously, “Yes, Lord!”
Yuan Ye is responsible for figuring out plans and making them. She is responsible for supervising and executing them. Anyone who dares not to execute them properly or to ruin the great cause will have their skin peeled off by her. This is how she can live up to her name as a Senior Retainer of the Yuan Ye Family!
