In front of Hanyuan Hall, on the platform inside the imperial palace, You Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief when Luo Chong told him the stone could be transported to him once spring began. If they still did not have enough building materials, he truly had no idea when this capital could be completed.
However, stone alone was still not enough, so he listened as Luo Chong continued.
"Chieftain, stone alone isn't enough. We're also short on craftsmen here. All that wood and stone needs exquisite carving, not to mention laying bricks and building walls. How could those slaves possibly be enough?
"When Chieftain first sent me to oversee the construction of the capital, he gathered three thousand slaves from all over the Han Tribe and had me bring them here. These slaves came from various construction sites and mines. After years of taming, they had become extremely obedient, and they could even understand our Han language.
"At first, those slaves were only responsible for digging the artificial lake, laying foundations, carrying bricks, and firing kilns. Later, Chieftain sent another five thousand newly captured slaves. Those new slaves were far less useful.
"Not only could the new slaves not understand us, they also refused to obey orders. It took quite a lot of time just to tame them into working honestly. Besides, they had no skills whatsoever and could only be used for mindless heavy labor like carrying bricks and digging earth.
"As for the original three thousand slaves, since we lacked enough craftsmen, I had our artisans teach them some skills. Slaves who learned those skills could receive more food and better treatment, so they actually studied quite seriously.
"The foundation walls of Hanyuan Hall before us were built by that original batch of old slaves. Without them,