After hearing Luo Chong's words, You Zhi nodded. If they were only responsible for constructing the imperial palace, there indeed would not be much of a problem. Moreover, Luo Chong had given them an extremely generous schedule: two years to prepare the materials and three years for construction. The entire palace was expected to be completed in five years. That was plenty of time, all right.
"Chieftain, what is the situation at the palace site right now? What should I pay attention to after I get there?" You Zhi asked again.
"First, consolidate the Golden Crow Guard members who have already completed their assignments. Pick out some of them and put them in the open. There's no need for too many—around a thousand should be enough.
"Then I'll give you another three thousand slaves. Take them to the imperial palace construction site. The general location has already been chosen. Dashu, the Prefect of Tohai Commandery, sent people to scout it out, but they only determined a rough area. Once you get there with your people, have the craftsmen measure the land first and confirm the construction site according to the specifications on the blueprints. Then have the slaves begin working on the foundations.
"Building the foundations will require digging an artificial lake and excavating earth, then piling up a high platform for the palace. That work will take quite a while, so get them started as soon as you arrive.
"Then have the craftsmen calculate the required building materials—for example, where to fell the timber for the palace and how to transport it. As for the bricks, stones, and tiles, kilns will have to be built to fire them.
"There are also the stones needed for all kinds of railings, steps, walls, and stone carvings. The stone from Panshi Commandery