Ji Commandery, Ji County.
Under the cover of night, Du Yu stood on high ground, gazing into the distance.
In the distance stood a dense cluster of temporary dwellings, all crude thatched huts or tents of the kind used in the army.
Bonfires had been set at intervals, dimly illuminating their surroundings.
Du Yu wore a thick fur coat, with two officials standing behind him. For some reason, he had fallen into a daze.
"Lord Du, take care not to catch a chill. You should go inside."
One of his subordinates spoke up to remind him.
Du Yu smiled.
He looked at the pond canal running across the distant plain. "This hired laborers policy has been quite effective here."
"Not a single place in Ji Commandery where a canal could be built has been overlooked. Work has begun on all of them at once. I think this place will look utterly different in less than three years..."
Judging solely by the situation in Si Province, the new policy had achieved considerable results.
Du Yu had planned numerous water conservancy and land reclamation projects here.
Almost all the refugees in the Sili Region had been gathered here, and under Du Yu's leadership, construction had proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
Of course, the pressure on the state treasury was also mounting by the day.
Du Yu felt both joy and worry.
He did not know whether the state treasury could hold out until next autumn.
As work began in various places, expenditure kept rising, and the numbers of refugees in each place continued to grow. Du Yu had now reverted to his former ways, no longer daring to approve construction proposals lightly.
He needed to know the state of the treasury.
Lu Zhi was coming from Luoyang to see him.
Du Yu had been