Gao Zhan stood up and bowed to Yun Lie, saying, "I don't know if I can be considered 'virtuous and capable,' but if Your Highness is willing to give me this opportunity, I..."
Yun Lie tapped the table lightly with his knuckles and pointed his chin at the sand table: "You are good at construction, so Linchuan is just about to build a city. Whether you are capable or not, let's do it first and then talk about it."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Let's keep things separate. There's something we need to discuss upfront," Yun Lie said coldly, looking at him with a solemn expression. "Focus on your work and stop staring at my Weiwei like that!"
Chapter 61
Although Gao Zhan's research into various construction methods was merely out of hobby, as the saying goes, "a nine-story tower begins with a pile of earth," this was, after all, the only thing besides "wine" that could keep him focused, and over the years he had finally accumulated some expertise.
The problem that had puzzled the laymen in Linchuan who knew nothing about construction for so long, yet they couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, was something Gao Zhan noticed the moment he saw the sand table.
On the morning of the fifth day of the ninth month, Yun Lie summoned his most trusted strategists to the courtyard, where they sat around the sand table, waiting for Gao Zhan to offer his guidance.
“City defense,” Gao Zhan traced the edge of the sand table with his finger, his noble and handsome face showing unprecedented solemnity and determination. “This city is less than a hundred miles from the front line, yet the construction plan completely ignores city defense.”
Gao Zhan tapped the wooden frame of the sand table twice with his fingertips, emphasizing his words, "With the current plan, if the front line falls, this city will be as fragile as a peeled egg. Haven't you all considered this?"
The layout of this sand table in front of us doesn't take into account the city's defenses at all. Logically speaking, it's not an unnoticeable flaw, but Yun Lie and his men are all from the Linchuan Army. Protecting the Linchuan defense line is their duty and their dignity. Who would have the idea of "what if we lose the front line..." which is a bad omen for their own side?
It was precisely this "blindness among those involved" that made them all aware that something seemed amiss, yet none of them could pinpoint exactly what was wrong, thus leaving them stuck in a rut on the city planning for nearly half a year.
Today, Gao Zhan pointed out this problem incisively, finally unraveling the last obstacle in the planning and construction of the new city.
The clouds parted to reveal the sun.
"I see, I've learned something," Song Jiuyuan bowed to Gao Zhan, then couldn't help but laugh, "However, Young Master Gao should be glad that bear wasn't here today, otherwise..."
Although everyone understands that Gao Zhan is simply calmly and objectively assuming a possibility from the perspective of construction planning, and the reasoning is correct, if this new city, which is a hundred miles away from the defense zone, is also attacked by foreign enemies, it would mean that the entire Linchuan army has died for their country.
For the Linchuan army, if this hypothesis came true, it would be a terrible misfortune.
Fortunately, the few people present today are all gentle strategists, and their temperaments are relatively calm and self-controlled, not easily impulsive; if Xiong Xiaoyi, who is easily provoked, were to hear such words... tsk tsk.
The others, obviously aware of Xiong Xiaoyi's temper, also laughed.
Gao Zhan was completely bewildered by the laughter, and looked at Song Jiuyuan and the others with a questioning look in his eyes, "That bear? Are you talking about Xiong Xiaoyi, the Central Army Advisor?"
Everyone nodded in unison, their laughter growing even more unrestrained.
"If General Xiong were here," seeing that everyone was only laughing and no longer answering his questions, Gao Zhan could only turn to Yun Lie for help, "what would he do?"
Yun Lie glanced at him with a complicated expression and said in a low voice, "He would probably be so angry that he would immediately take his brain out and throw it away, then roll up his sleeves, punch you into a meat patty, and then throw you on the road to feed the dogs."
After all, for everyone who had shed blood on the Linchuan defense line, Gao Zhan's prediction could be considered a provocation and a curse against the Linchuan army.
Although military strategy says, "To wage war, first seek the path of defeat," those who have actually used their own flesh and blood as shields on the border are mostly hard-pressed to calmly listen to others saying, "If you are defeated."
"Your Highness, that's not what I meant!" Gao Zhan suddenly realized, clutching his head and clicking his tongue repeatedly. "It's just... we need to be prepared for things to happen before they happen!"
Some of the things said may be unpleasant to hear, but the underlying principle is the same.
“Hmm,” Yun Lie nodded calmly, “Then let’s work out the city’s defense layout as soon as possible.”
If he were merely the commander-in-chief of the Linchuan army, he would probably instinctively be furious at Gao Zhan's previous statement; but now he is not only the commander-in-chief of an army, but also the lord of the six cities of Linchuan, and he will no longer act impulsively.
****
How to lay out the city defenses of the new city to ensure safety is certainly not something that can be solved by simply thinking about it. After discussing it for a long time, everyone still had no direction.
After circling the table several times while staring at the sand table, Gao Zhan stroked his chin and said, "I'm afraid this matter needs further consideration."
After all, he only had experience in drawing blueprints and supervising the construction of a few houses. How to lay out the defenses of an entire city in the most secure way was a new challenge for him.
Yun Lie was not one to rush things, and he understood that this matter could not be accomplished overnight. So he did not urge anyone, but instead told everyone to go back and consider it carefully before brainstorming.
The cautious Song Jiuyuan then thought of another thorny issue, "The money for the city defense..."
After the six cities of Linchuan became part of the Yunlie vassal state, all expenses were borne by the vassal king's palace. Unless there were natural disasters or man-made calamities, the capital would not allocate any more money or grain according to the law.
Poor Yun Lie was an extremely careless and clueless fellow when it came to money, yet he dared to take on any burden. In the past, whenever his subordinates said that the Linchuan Army or their comrades' families needed money, he would give away as much as he had on hand. Over the years, the Zhaowang Mansion's treasury was naturally filled with debts and no savings.
That's why everyone was so worried about the funding for the city's construction.
Currently, following Luo Cuiwei's earlier plan, they have attracted people from all walks of life to purchase land and build houses, which has finally solved the problem of the money spent on building the city; however, when it comes to city defense, this money cannot be passed on to others.
***
"From the treasury." Yun Lie cleared his throat, slowly sat up straight, and suppressed the urge to turn around and look at the side hall.
The current wealth in the treasury was all accumulated by Luo Cuiwei. Although she never intended to hide it, Yun Lie was always too lazy to keep detailed accounts and never inquired about the exact amount.
Yesterday, after Luo Cuiwei led Gao Zhan to confirm the site selection, today she happily set to work on the abacus in the side hall, preparing to build her own royal palace.
Yun Lie was somewhat unsure whether the Prince's Mansion could still be built if money was allocated from the treasury for the defense of the new city.
If these two things conflict...
Based on his understanding of Luo Cuiwei, he knew she would definitely agree to take the money to build city defenses first.
But he also knew very well how much Luo Cuiwei valued building her own house, and he couldn't bear to ask her to endure and back down.
Yun Lie kicked the crossbeam under the table in frustration, raised his head with a stern face, and saw that everyone was staring at him, which made him even angrier.