In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

With Su Li's approval, Zhao the craftsman and his group left happily, excitedly preparing to go home and build a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) for the winter.

Touching the still-warm kang (heated brick bed), Su Li beckoned Mo Bei and asked him to inquire about Zhao Zexuan's whereabouts and, if there was time, to have Zhao Zexuan come over.

Mo Bei knew that Zhao Zexuan and Su Li had been paying attention to the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) recently. Now that the kang was successfully completed, she naturally wanted to inform Zhao Zexuan of the good news. So Mo Bei quickly went to find Zhao Zexuan.

These past few days, Zhao Zexuan and other generals have been traveling back and forth between the south and north of the city, rarely having time to stay at the mansion. Today, they happened to be discussing matters at the mansion, which is why Mo Bei came to find them.

In the hall, Zhao Zexuan sat in the main seat, while Wang Zong and other generals sat on either side. They were discussing whether to connect the north and south parts of the city, otherwise the two cities would not be considered interconnected.

The two cities were not far apart, but once the city gates were closed, they were each two separate cities, which was not conducive to unified management. Therefore, everyone discussed whether to connect the two cities and merge them into one.

This plan has both supporters and opponents. Opponents believe that the current situation is not suitable for large-scale construction. To connect the two cities, a wall must be built between them, which is not appropriate under the current circumstances.

There were relatively more dissenting voices, and their considerations were quite comprehensive and reasonable. However, the generals who agreed also had their own concerns, and their concerns were also practical, so the two sides started arguing.

The entire morning was spent discussing whether or not to open up the north and south cities. The generals argued heatedly, their faces red and necks bulging. The scene was as lively as a vegetable market, with each side unwilling to give in.

Zhao Zexuan listened to the generals' argument with a frown. Seeing that their argument was getting more and more heated and that the situation was about to get out of control, Zhao Zexuan stopped them in time and told the generals to calm down.

"I've heard everyone's opinions. We're here to discuss whether or not to open up the north and south cities, not to have you argue!" Zhao Zexuan said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the generals, whose faces were red and necks bulging from arguing, all returned to their seats, no longer daring to continue their quarrel.

“I understand what you all have to say, and they all make sense, but my current opinion is the same as Wang Zong’s: I do not agree with building the city wall at this time,” Zhao Zexuan said directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiong's side immediately expressed their concerns, saying, "General, it will be difficult to integrate and manage the North and South cities in this way. The people of the South City already had many complaints under Prefect Su's administration. Now that we are taking over midway, their trust in us is already insufficient."

Compared to the geographical location of the South City, the North City is in a more dangerous position, and there is a greater possibility of directly facing other forces. Therefore, for whatever reason, everyone's focus is now on the North City.

During this period, Zhou Xiong was mainly in charge of affairs in the South City, while Zhao Zexuan only made occasional inspections. Therefore, Zhou Xiong had a deeper understanding of the South City than others and was more in favor of connecting the North and South cities.

“General, if we don’t open up the north and south cities, the people of the south city may genuinely submit. Take this trial of the work point system, for example. The people of the north city accepted it easily, but the people of the south city resisted it. They always feel that we are taking benefits from them in some way,” Zhou Xiong said with some concern.

Upon hearing this, the other generals nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, this situation exists. The people of the south city are not as accepting of us as the people of the north city."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan nodded and said, "I've heard about this matter. I also noticed something about it when I was in Nancheng. It is indeed a problem."

“Yes, so it is indeed necessary to connect the north and south parts of the city,” Zhou Xiong said.

“But the expenses and manpower involved are beyond our means.” Although Wang Zong felt that Zhou Xiong’s concerns were valid, he still objected considering the current situation in the two cities.

Hearing Wang Zong's objection, Zhou Xiong said angrily, "This won't work, that won't work, are you just going to ignore what's happening in the south of the city?"

Upon hearing this, the other generals immediately frowned and denied it, saying, "We never said we wouldn't care about Nancheng. Aren't we trying to find a solution?"

“But your solution is not to open up the two cities. Isn’t that just letting the South City fall into disarray?” Zhou Xiong said anxiously, his tone becoming somewhat unpleasant.

The others felt uncomfortable upon hearing Zhou Xiong's words, and some of them became angry.

Seeing the generals arguing and Zhou Xiong getting angry, Zhao Zexuan, who was sitting at the head of the table, said, "I haven't finished speaking yet, why are you getting angry? Zhou Xiong, don't be impatient. Saying that I won't open up the north and south cities doesn't mean I'll ignore the south city!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiong and the other seated generals immediately perked up, their eyes fixed intently on Zhao Zexuan, eager to know what other countermeasures he might have.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Zhao Zexuan did not delay and said, "Although the North City and the South City are not far apart, they are still quite far apart if you think about it. What do you all think about building houses on both sides of the road leading from the North City to the South City?"

Upon hearing this, the generals, including Zhou Xiong and Wang Zong, were somewhat incredulous. They looked at Zhao Zexuan with puzzled expressions, not yet understanding why.

"General, after those houses are completed, do you intend to let some of the soldiers live in them?" Wang Zong asked with some uncertainty.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan said without hesitation, "Our soldiers still need a place to be settled. I was originally considering which place would be suitable, but now it seems that this place is just right."

Upon hearing Zhao Zexuan's answer, the others couldn't help but exchange glances, all considering the feasibility of this method.

Zhou Xiong was quick-witted; otherwise, Zhao Zexuan wouldn't have sent him to manage the South City. Now that he had realized what was going on, he said loudly, "I agree with the general's suggestion. With soldiers stationed outside the South City, the people inside won't dare to act rashly."

Wang Zong was also considering the feasibility of this. He thought of Zhou Xiong's mention of the attitude of the people of the South City towards them, and then said, "If the soldiers can be stationed in the center of the two cities, then the two city gates facing each other in the north and south will not need to be closed and will remain open."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan nodded and said, "In this way, the north and south cities are not completely closed off, which makes management much simpler."

The generals present finally understood the key point and nodded in agreement, saying, "This method is good, we agree."

"If we're going to build houses along the roads on both sides, what style should they be, and what materials should we use?" Liu Canjun couldn't help but ask. He was mainly responsible for the soldiers' daily expenses, so he was very concerned about this.

As soon as these words were spoken, a general immediately shouted, "Old Liu, what do you mean by this? Winter is coming soon, do you want our soldiers to freeze?"