National strength upgraded

"Speaking of this Great Liang, it seems the Great Liang in the Hall of Fengtian of the Imperial Palace also needs to be replaced, doesn't it?"

Fang Weiyan looked at the Great Liang and thought of a memorial he had submitted before, which seemed to be from the Ministry of Works saying that they were preparing to replace the Great Liang.

The Great Liang Great Liang was damaged due to sabotage by the rebels.

Although the rebels did not actually attack the palace, the palace suffered varying degrees of damage due to the presence of traitors within it.

Therefore, the Ministry of Works Fang Weiyan a considerable amount of money on the repairs of the palace.

Among the documents submitted by the Ministry of Works earlier was one that indicated the need to replace the Great Liang.

Fang Weiyan only glanced at it at the time and didn't take it to heart.

Now that I see this main Great Liang, I can finally remember it.

"It seems so. A major Great Liang in the main hall of Hall of Fengtian does indeed need to be replaced. The Ministry of Works has found a thousand-year-old tree and is preparing to cut it down and transport it back."

Upon hearing this, the guard standing nearby immediately replied.

Fang Weiyan nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then walked forward.

After touring the Yanhuai City, Fang Weiyan then went to look outside the city.

Outside the city, land reclamation was underway, and when Fang Weiyan went to check, he could see that the area outside was already lush and green.

In terms of growth, thanks to the fertilizer, the crops and vegetables that have been planted are growing particularly fast right now.

Fang Weiyan wandered around for a while, and after seeing everything he wanted, he turned and left.

It seemed that Fang Weiyan hadn't been outside for long, but by the time Fang Weiyan returned, it was already afternoon.

After eating a little something, Fang Weiyan stayed in the imperial study, handling various matters.

Some of the students who had been sent out before, who were unsure about their ideas, would submit memorials to him for his decision.

Fang Weiyan glanced at the students and saw that some of them were still too inexperienced, showing no sign of being able to make up their minds at all.

If this were a more experienced official, they would have made the decision themselves long ago.

However, precisely because these students were too young and had no experience in being officials, they dared not make any decisions on many matters.

Faced with this situation, Fang Weiyan felt somewhat helpless, but all he could do was let the other party accumulate more experience so that they could grow in the future.

The sun, which was originally in the center, began to gradually shift westward.

Fang Weiyan's eyelids began to droop.

I don't know why, but he's not usually this sleepy.

But right now I'm incredibly sleepy.

Fang Weiyan couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the table, falling into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, the maid standing to the side quickly and carefully brought a blanket and covered Fang Weiyan with it.

"Emperor..."

A soft call made Fang Weiyan open his eyes.

Looking around, he couldn't see his palace. Fang Weiyan didn't seem to notice anything strange. The surroundings had now turned into a woodland.

At this moment, standing in front of Fang Weiyan was an old woman.

The old woman, her face full of wrinkles, looked at Fang Weiyan cautiously.

Fang Weiyan finally realized something was wrong. "Where am I? Who are you?"

After thinking about it carefully, he realized he was in the Imperial Study just now, so how did he suddenly end up in such an unfamiliar place?

Thinking of this, Fang Weiyan looked at the old woman in front of him with some wariness, wanting to try to see if he could return to Earth.

"Your Majesty, please do not panic. This old woman is a golden nanmu tree from the forest. I had no choice but to appear in Your Majesty's dream today. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and spare my life."

Seeing Fang Weiyan's appearance, the old woman sensed something was wrong and quickly made a request.

"Why would a tree spirit like you come to me to plead for mercy?"

Seeing the other party's appearance, Fang Weiyan couldn't help but think of the Koi King from before, which had also appeared in his dream.

This familiar scene reassured Fang Weiyan somewhat.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Great Liang of the Jiang Kingdom's palace has been damaged, and the woodcutter who came out to search for it has found it on my body. He is now preparing to cut down my tree trunk, but I am, after all, a tree spirit, and he cannot cut me down in a short time."

"But if the other side finds some experienced woodcutters, I will not escape this calamity. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy..."

As the old woman spoke, she Fang Weiyan, her face full of pleading.

Fang Weiyan was surprised to hear this. Come to think of it, he did remember that a Great Liang in the palace needed to be replaced, but he never expected it would be used on this old woman.

"Judging from your appearance, you've been cultivating as a tree spirit for quite some time. Since others want to cut you down, why don't you run away?"

The other party has cultivated to the point of being a spirit; if they want to kill you, just run away.

At the very least, a divine manifestation should have been enough to intimidate those woodcutters, so why did it have to appear in my dream?

"Your Majesty is unaware that they have come to cut down the enemy on Your Majesty's orders. The entire strength of the Jiang Kingdom rests on my shoulders. How can I possibly escape? Only Your Majesty's mercy can save my life."

Upon hearing this, the old woman quickly replied.

Upon hearing this, Fang Weiyan was immediately surprised; he had never imagined there was such a hidden meaning behind it.

So it seems that his signature did have some effect after all.

This is likely partly due to the recent increase in the national strength of the Jiang Kingdom.

He's invested so much money, it's normal for things to improve a bit.

"I am aware of this matter. I will order it to be withdrawn once I wake up."

Since this tree demon has already become a spirit, it's not a big deal to let it go as long as it hasn't harmed the people of the Jiang Kingdom.

The old woman was overjoyed upon hearing this, as she had thought that the emperor who had just inherited the throne of the Jiang Kingdom would be extremely difficult to talk to.

She hesitated for a long time before finally finding Fang Weiyan in a dream.

After all, if the other party were a cruel person, knowing that she was a sentient golden nanmu tree would only make them more excited and want her torso.

If that happens, she'll truly be doomed.

Fortunately, after Fang Weiyan appeared in his dream, he agreed.

"Thank you so much for Your Majesty's great kindness!"

The old woman bowed three times to Fang Weiyan.

Before Fang Weiyan could say anything, Fang Weiyan slowly opened his eyes again.

Looking around again, Fang Weiyan realized he was now in the Imperial Study.

He was still covered with a blanket.

Maids stood on either side, shooing away mosquitoes.

"How long have I been asleep?"

After Fang Weiyan woke up, he asked a question.

"Your Majesty, it will only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

The maidservant quickly replied upon hearing this.

Fang Weiyan nodded, looked at the mountain of booklets in front of him, and after searching for a while, found the one he had stamped earlier.

This book describes the process of cutting down Phoebe zhennan trees.

After Fang Weiyan took it out, he drew an X on it and then ordered, "Summon the Minister of Ministry of Works to come here."

As soon as he finished speaking, a guard outside responded and hurriedly left.

A moment later, the minister of the Ministry of Works hurriedly arrived at the Imperial Study and was about to kowtow to Fang Weiyan.

Upon seeing this, Fang Weiyan immediately stopped the other party, "No need for formalities. I have something I need you to do immediately. The document you submitted earlier requested the felling of a golden nanmu tree for Great Liang. This matter is hereby cancelled. Summon someone back immediately, and do not try to take that golden nanmu tree again."

"But Your Majesty, the Great Liang Hall of Fengtian..."

The minister from the Ministry of Works was taken aback upon hearing this, and then quickly tried to dissuade him.

This was a piece of suitable Phoebe zhennan wood that they had searched for a long time to find.

If we abandon this piece of Phoebe zhennan wood, we'll have to go find another one later.

Golden nanmu wood isn't easy to find.

"Rest assured, you need not worry about this matter. I happen to have a piece of Phoebe zhennan wood on hand, which I will give to the Ministry of Works to use. As for that piece of Phoebe zhennan wood, don't even think about taking it."

Fang Weiyan waved his hand, indicating that the other party didn't need to worry about this matter anymore.

The villagers in Linbei County cut down several golden nanmu trees before.

Some of them were made into furniture, and there was one that was very large, Fang Weiyan did not touch.

It was only after this incident today that Fang Weiyan remembered that he still had this piece of golden nanmu wood left at the Daoist temple.

This is just right, it's perfect for use right now.

That untouched golden nanmu wood was already extremely thick and sturdy enough for use.

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the Minister of Ministry of Works immediately acknowledged them and then withdrew.

He was going to instruct his men to immediately stop the woodcutters at the logging camp ahead and not to cut down the golden nanmu tree.

The Emperor has given the order; if we continue to cut down that golden nanmu tree, it would be disobeying the imperial command.

Seeing the other person leave in a hurry, Fang Weiyan felt relieved.

As per the other party's request, leaving behind this golden nanmu wood was tantamount to sparing their life.

That's it, everything will be fine.

Relieved, Fang Weiyan stretched and then continued working on the booklet in front of him.

To be fair, these demons do have some skill; they made him fall asleep exceptionally quickly when they appeared in his dream.

If someone learned this skill, they could open a shop on the other side of the world, specializing in helping people fall asleep quickly.

Fall asleep instantly without medication or injections.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems like this business is booming.

Thinking of these things, Fang Weiyan couldn't help but smile, and then continued to deal with his own affairs.

Later that evening, Fang Weiyan took some time to return to the Daoist temple.

They took the golden nanmu wood that had been stored at the Daoist temple and brought it directly to the palace.

Then the minister of the Ministry of Works was ordered to move the Phoebe zhennan wood away.

The minister of the Ministry of Works brought several carpenters over, calculated the exact dimensions of the Phoebe zhennan wood, and, finding it suitable for use as Great Liang, hurriedly carried the Phoebe zhennan wood away.

With this big tree, we can start installing the Great Liang here in a few days.

Time passed little by little.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of three months, the roads leading to the three counties in Yanhuai City were finally completed, but the other roads were not yet fully repaired.

Fang Weiyan built a cement plant here.

Fang Weiyan also purchased some of the equipment needed for the cement plant under the name of a cement plant he owned.

The cement plant had already started construction earlier.

Even so, cement production still cannot keep up with consumption.

Especially after Fang Weiyan brought the ships here and trained a group of people to use them, these ships basically never stopped to rest.

They are constantly hauling supplies back and forth every day.

Fortunately, with these ships, Yanhuai City can quickly mobilize any supplies needed in various places.

After several months, Fang Weiyan finally managed to gather all the refugees from various places by relying on the money and grain he had invested, and there was no record of famine in any of the places.

The work-for-relief programs implemented in various regions are continuing to ensure that those refugees still have something to eat.

The grain planted in Yanhuai City three months ago is now ripe.

The first batch of grains to ripen, corn alone, yielded a harvest of 400 billion jin (200 million kg).

Four hundred billion jin seems like a lot, considering that Yanhuai City currently has a population of 800,000.

That 400 billion jin is enough to feed these 800,000 people for a long time.

Most importantly, this is only the corn harvest; there are also harvests of other grains, and the total amount of these harvests combined is far more than this.

However, these 400 billion catties of grain were not only intended for Yanhuai City.

The military settlements near Yanhuai City accounted for about 25% of the national total.

Many places have relatively barren land, making it difficult to grow crops, so some of Fang Weiyan was directly transferred to other counties.

In addition, the military farms in other counties also had bumper harvests. This time, the total grain harvest across the country exceeded one trillion catties.

Therefore, Fang Weiyan directly ordered a nationwide reduction in grain prices to ensure that everyone could have access to food.

Previously, the Ministry of Rites had been promoting the idea that the people should be able to live a life of plenty, starting with having enough to eat and wear.

The Jiang Kingdom currently has a population of around 30 million and a grain yield of over one trillion jin, enough to feed all its people for a year without any problem.

Because of this bumper harvest, Fang Weiyan no longer needed to transport food from Earth.

This is only because rice hasn't been planted yet this year. Once rice is planted next year, the harvest will be even more spectacular.

However, by tomorrow, the fields will need to be planted with crops such as cotton and watermelons.

After Fang Weiyan ordered a reduction in grain prices, every household began stockpiling grain at home.

These days, if you open any house, you'll see that their rice bin is full of grain.

Children in every household can now eat their fill three meals a day.

Under these circumstances, the color above the heads of the people that Fang Weiyan saw also quietly turned yellow.

Our national strength has finally been upgraded!