Lu Xiangheng was in the midst of another bandit-suppression campaign.
At Huanglongtan, the Tianxiong Army unleashed its full might. They caught the rebel forces who had just fled back from Sichuan to Yunyang and struck them so brutally that the rebels could barely recognize their own mothers afterward.
The battle ended swiftly.
Lu Xiangheng did not give the rebels a single moment to catch their breath. He immediately ordered a pursuit, chasing them relentlessly until they were terrified out of their wits and scattered in all directions, scrambling back toward Sichuan like startled mice.
At that point, further pursuit was no longer feasible. Lu Xiangheng recalled his troops and began the return march.
Several days later, as the army once again passed through Shangnan County, Lu Xiangheng found himself slowing his horse in surprise.
In just a few short days, Shangnan County had changed beyond recognition.
The city walls—previously demolished by the rebels—were being rebuilt. Large numbers of laborers were working together, hauling bricks and tamping earth. A brand-new wooden city gate had already been erected. The timber was so fresh that it hadn't even been painted yet, still showing its pale natural grain.
Lu Xiangheng frowned.
"Wait a moment," he thought.
"Rebuilding city walls… mobilizing so many commoners…"
His heart skipped a beat.
"Doesn't this violate the regulation *'Forbid Impressment and Corvée to Stabilize the People's Livelihoods' from my Eight Regulations?"
His expression darkened slightly.
Shangnan County had just suffered a devastating rebel invasion. Countless common folk had been killed or injured. To immediately conscript the survivors for forced labor—how could that be acceptable?
Unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable!
"That Steward Li… is he completely muddle-headed?" Lu Xiangheng thought grimly.
He urged his horse forward and hurried into the city.
But the moment he reached the city gate, something felt off.
The laborers repairing the walls were… laughing.
They chatted as they worked, joking with one another, their movements brisk and energetic. Their faces were full of life.
This did not look like a group of people being dragged into forced labor by officials.
Lu Xiangheng stopped abruptly. He reached out, grabbed one of the workers by the arm, and asked in a deep voice,
"What exactly are you doing?"
The man nearly jumped out of his skin. Seeing a high-ranking official in armor, he immediately dropped to his knees.
"Sir! I haven't done anything wrong!"
Lu Xiangheng waved his hand.
"Don't be afraid. I'm just asking—if you're doing corvée labor, why are you smiling so happily?"
"Corvée labor?" The man looked confused. He shook his head vigorously. "Sir, I'm not doing corvée labor. I'm a hired short-term worker."
A massive question mark seemed to rise above Lu Xiangheng's head, blotting out the sky above Shangnan County.
"Hired?" he repeated slowly. "You mean… someone is paying you to rebuild the city walls?"
"Not money, sir!" the man said eagerly. "It's grain—three catties of flour per day!"
As he spoke, his grin stretched ear to ear.
"Three catties! I work alone, and my family of five can eat their fill every day!"
Lu Xiangheng nearly fell off his horse.
"What?!"
In a year plagued by drought, paying three catties of flour per day was nothing short of astonishing.
Since the workers were being paid voluntarily, this clearly did not violate the regulation prohibiting forced labor. Lu Xiangheng's anger evaporated instantly, replaced by a warm surge of satisfaction.
He asked, "Who hired you?"
"A young steward," the man replied, scratching his head. "His name is…"
Lu Xiangheng prompted, "Steward Li?"
The man's eyes lit up.
"Yes! That's him—Steward Li!"
Lu Xiangheng sighed inwardly.
"So that's how it is. He's throwing grain around like water."
He quickly calculated in his head. Hundreds of laborers, three catties each per day—this meant over a thousand catties of grain consumed daily.
"To spend such a sum just to rebuild city walls for defense…" Lu Xiangheng thought.
"This man truly has the heart of the people."
His tension fully dissipated.
He entered the city at a relaxed pace.
Inside Shangnan County, it wasn't just the city walls being repaired.
Large sections of the town that had been burned by the rebels were now bustling with activity. Laborers carried debris on their shoulders, cleared charred ruins, and raised new houses in their place.
Lu Xiangheng nodded repeatedly.
"This is exactly 'Diligently Repair and Rebuild to Settle the People's Dwellings' from the Eight Regulations," he thought approvingly.
"Excellent. Truly excellent."
Luo Xi and Steward Li were doing everything before he even needed to say a word.
At the North Gate, he saw yet another group of laborers repairing the official road.
This road connected Shangnan County directly to Wuguan Pass. Neglected for years, it had long been uneven and nearly impassable. Now, however, it was being carefully leveled and reinforced.
Lu Xiangheng's eyes gleamed.
"They're even implementing 'Utilize Mountains and Marshes to Aid the Impoverished'…"
Joy surged through him.
He had originally worried that his Ten Proposals and Eight Regulations would be ignored by local officials, reduced to empty slogans.
Yet here in Shangnan County, they were being executed with frightening efficiency.
He was so pleased he nearly felt light enough to float.
"Every prefect and county under heaven should come here and learn," he thought fervently.
"I'll make them all visit Shangnan County and see what proper governance looks like."
With high spirits, Lu Xiangheng headed toward the county yamen, intending to personally commend Luo Xi and Steward Li.
But halfway there, a messenger came sprinting toward him.
"Urgent report!" the messenger gasped. "A rebel force is advancing toward Wulin Pass!"
Lu Xiangheng let out a quiet sigh.
"So much for a friendly chat," he thought.
"Bandit suppression always comes first."
Without hesitation, he turned around, assembled the Tianxiong Army, and rode straight for Wulin Pass.
Several days later, they arrived to find ten thousand rebels looting and burning inside the pass.
Lu Xiangheng did not hesitate.
"Attack!"
The Tianxiong Army surged forward like a steel tide. At the very first clash, the rebels collapsed in panic, fleeing in all directions. Several hundred were beheaded on the spot, and over three thousand were captured alive.
As usual, they couldn't simply slaughter everyone.
That would offend the balance of Heaven.
The captives had to be brought back and resettled.
This, however, left Lu Xiangheng with a headache.
He had no money. No surplus grain. Supporting three thousand captives was like holding a burning iron rod—painful and impossible to discard.
With no better option, he escorted them back.
Several days later, they once again passed through Shangnan County.
This time, Lu Xiangheng saw something astonishing outside the city.
A massive structure was under construction.
Groups of people wearing Blue Hats stood directing the work, while large numbers of laborers followed their instructions with surprising discipline.
Lu Xiangheng approached, puzzled.
"What are you building here?"
The Blue Hat saw him—but instead of panicking or kneeling, he smiled calmly and replied,
"We are constructing Shangtie No. 1 Factory."
Lu Xiangheng blinked.
"What… is Shangtie No. 1 Factory?"
The Blue Hat chuckled.
"It stands for Shangnan Iron and Steel No. 1 Factory."
Lu Xiangheng felt his brain pause for a moment.
"Smelting… iron and steel?"
"Yes," the Blue Hat replied cheerfully.
"To the west lies Tianzhu Mountain in Shanyang County, and to the east is the Lushi mountain range—both rich in iron ore. Shangnan County lies right between them. So we're building a smelting plant here. All the ore from both regions will be transported here for centralized refining."
Lu Xiangheng stood silently, staring at the construction site.
His heart trembled slightly.
"…They're practicing it this well?"