A large stretch of open ground had been left behind the main branch's warehouse for future expansion of the Pill Workshop and the Medicinal Herb Processing Workshop.
The City Defense Army's barracks stood on flat ground below the western ridge. Two hundred and fifty regular soldiers lived in shared quarters, while fifty elite soldiers had separate rooms.
The training ground lay behind the barracks. Lan Tian had Old Ke set up more than a dozen wooden posts in the middle for routine drills. Against the cliff, they dug out a separate stealth-training area and covered the ground with thick sand and gravel, so Xiao Li could teach the elite soldiers to move silently and use cover.
The medicinal herb growing area in the eastern district expanded fastest.
More than half of the newly added ten thousand mu consisted of gentle slopes and river valleys already suited to growing medicinal herbs. Once the workers had turned the soil, they transplanted seedlings cultivated on the Fief, then drew water from the stream to irrigate them each day. The plants thrived.
The Blue Silver Grass transplanted from the Blue Silver Forest was scattered around the edges of the herb fields and along the roads, forming a natural protective belt.
Construction of the Medicinal Wine Workshop and the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop in the southern district moved more slowly. The fermentation pits and stoves needed for brewing and cooking had to be specially designed.
Ah Yin spent several days there discussing the depth and orientation of the fermentation pits with the craftsmen. She also went to the stream herself to choose the spot with the best water for drawing it.
The kitchen at the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop was designed around the medicinal recipes Lan Tian had brought back from the Blue Medicine Hall. Its stoves