Xianyu Infrastructure, I have a lot of troops in my hands

The next morning, East Street was busy. Near the city gate, a row of long tables were set up, recording the basic information and special skills of the refugees. Men and women were arranged in an orderly manner. The local elders came to help voluntarily. They carefully divided the ground into areas. After a short training, the refugees recruited in advance were able to perform various basic tasks.

Xie Xian withdrew 500 shovels from the blacksmith shop. These tools were crucial, otherwise the construction of Diwobao would have to rely on manual digging and the progress would be greatly hindered.

The newly formed construction team was full of curiosity about the construction of the dugout. They had heard that a house could be built in half a day using this method, but most people did not believe it.

Xie Xian had only seen the dugout in museums in her previous life and in old photos of the Corps' reclamation of wasteland. It is the crystallization of the people's wisdom.

The land near Heishi Mountain is relatively suitable. Under the guidance of local elders, it is necessary to choose a location with relatively flat terrain, solid soil, not easy to collapse and far away from water sources. Considering the lighting and ventilation, the dugout should face southeast, and the entrance and exit should be designed for easy entry and exit. At the same time, vents should be set to maintain air circulation and avoid moisture accumulation.

Ventilation holes can be set on the top or side walls, and stones can be used to reinforce them in the later stage to enhance stability.

With shovels in hand, everyone began to dig, first digging about three feet downwards, then piling up stones to raise the height by three feet, forming three solid earth walls, erecting wooden beams at the four corners, and then setting up a central beam on the earth walls.

Subsequent expansion and interior wall repairs can be carried out step by step. Xie Xian specially consulted several experienced craftsmen and adopted the suggestion of reserving a two-foot space on the side to build a fireplace. The furnace mouth goes straight to the top and a bamboo tube is inserted as a chimney.

The dugout is half hidden underground and half above ground. Compared with traditional thatched houses, the construction workload is greatly reduced.

The last step was to build the roof. Branches, reeds and soil were piled up layer by layer. In just two hours, a large dugout stood before their eyes. It was of moderate size, enough to accommodate four adults.

If you install a door, it will be a decent house, except that it is a little damp, but you can light the fireplace to dissipate the smell and then you can live in it at night.

Everyone who witnessed this miraculous speed was amazed.

Si Ji waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and get your shovels. Move quickly and dig according to the planned areas. Don't dig or build randomly."

Xie Qiyan's eyes sparkled: "At this speed, the refugees will be able to settle down in a few days." The mask could not hide his joy. He followed Xie Xian in plain linen clothes, not leaving her side. He was still shocked by the feat of building a house in half a day, and was immersed in it when he saw Xie Xian waving.

"Sister Xian!" Xie Qiyan came over happily.

"The daily collection and distribution of these shovels must be registered, and any damaged ones must be recycled." Xie Xian instructed. She added something to these shovels, so the hardness was significantly improved compared to ordinary iron tools, but she didn't want to attract attention. Originally, these were prepared for her East Street guards, but this time, in order to quickly appease the refugees, she could only use them temporarily.

Her face was serious: "This matter is handed over to the headman of the refugees. If anything is lost, three times the compensation must be paid. Things of gold and silver can most touch people's hearts." Only when things are linked to money can people pay attention to them.

After looking at the planning of this area, it is no problem to house several thousand people, but the construction of sanitary facilities is imminent. She looked in the direction of the city gate, not knowing how the county's discussion was going.

She did not dare to slack off for a moment, and immediately summoned Si Ji to speed up the construction of the toilet. At the same time, she reminded all participants to wear masks when working, and sent Qing Dai to the county government to ask if there were any medical staff to come to support. Xie Xian was busy for two days.

But in the eyes of the merchants passing through East Street, the lady of the Xie family seemed even more magical and able to resolve all problems.

At this moment, Xie Xian deeply felt how difficult it was to formulate rules, which needed to be adjusted at any time according to actual conditions. At this moment, she thoroughly understood why civil servants must go deep into the grassroots level and experience it personally to understand the sufferings of the people.

Liu held the teacup respectfully and said, "The women and boys in Weili have piled the cut reeds on the threshing floor. They can be used after drying for a few days." When she said this, she glanced at Xie Xian cautiously.

"Madam, can this thing really be sold for money?" Reeds are worthless. They are everywhere around Black Stone Guard, by ponds, streams, and rivers. Normally, they are only used to weave mats and lay roof mats. But now the lady has ordered people to harvest all the reeds nearby. She thinks of the newly built dugouts of the refugees outside the city gate, and can't help feeling a little uneasy.

Xie Xian did not stop writing and responded calmly: "This thing is first come first served, and it belongs to the village. I just asked you to keep it. If someone wants it later, you can just pay a lower price. Can silver be so hot?"

Seeing that Liu was relieved, Xie Xian said again: "Someone will buy the reeds sooner or later. After you collect them, the refugees will not run around in the village." The reeds were not the point. The point was that the things on her farm were not suitable to be shown to the public yet.

"These refugees have no money, so I will ask them to write IOUs. With the IOUs, they can get reeds from you. This way, it will be easier to manage the accounts." Xie Xian put down her pen.

Seeing that Liu finally understood what she meant, she chuckled and said, "Gou Gen has helped me a lot these past few days."

Liu's face turned red, and she said excitedly, "Your Highness has taught me well. If you need this child, feel free to use him."

Everyone was busy these days, so a few boys started running errands. Of course, Xie Xian did not use them in vain. A plate of bean sprouts could make the boy happy for a long time. As for whether he would use it to please Xiao Li'er when he got home, that was none of her business.

Talking about reeds, Xie Xian recalled what she had asked a few days ago: "Has there been any progress on the fishing nets I mentioned before?" Black Stone Guard is close to the Huai River, but there are very few fishing boats on the river. Xie Xian originally thought that river fishing had been monopolized by aristocratic families, but after asking, she learned that it was because the fishing methods were too backward.

"Besides ospreys and small nets, are there any larger boats?" Xie Xian sighed, leaning back in her chair. She still had to prepare her own meals for the winter, and she didn't have to go fishing by herself. She could rent a few boats, catch a few hundred kilograms, and freeze them when the weather got cold to eat for a long time.

Liu said seriously: "My lady, most of the big ships are used to transport goods, and very few are used to fish. On the river, thin ice forms when it is cold in winter, and small boats cannot fish very deep, so..." Without the cooperation of multiple ships, and without gillnets, purse seines, trawl nets, or traps, there must be a lot of big fish here!

Xie Xian's mouth began to water. Autumn is a good season for eating fish! "Then find someone to order a few large nets first." Xie Xian described in detail to Liu the styles of trawl nets and purse seine nets, as well as buoys and other equipment, and asked her to find someone to make them.

She found that Liu was becoming more and more convenient to use. Liu was a bold and straightforward person with a wide network of contacts in the garrison and the village. She knew exactly what each family member could do.

Xie Xian thought that she might be of great use in the future, so she decided to exempt Gou Gen from paying his salary. Liu was very grateful, and Xie Xian smiled but said nothing.