"He's probably planning to make salt and iron the main industries of Linzi. The authority given to him by Xuande is practically used up in one go. He even demolished the original Linzi city and is rebuilding a new one here, insisting on making full use of the convenient transportation routes. We should take a look at his blueprint later," Chen Xi remarked with a shake of his head.
Fa Zheng was very clever, always prepared with various plans. Moreover, with Sun Qian's road construction bringing the provincial and county roads to the old Linzi city, Fa Zheng took advantage of the convenient transportation and decided to rebuild the city a bit further south, moving it closer to the main transportation routes. This way, the city could benefit even more from its strategic location.
"A blueprint? Fa Zheng understands this?" Zhuge Liang's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He had always disliked complex city planning blueprints, especially the detailed ones that gave him headaches every time he saw them.
"He's very good at it. The later stages of Fenggao's inner city planning were done by him. He even integrated defensive structures into it. That guy has a lot of creative ideas in this regard," Chen Xi marveled. "He's also working with Liu Ziyang to design a drainage system that can prevent flooding. While his hands-on skills may not be top-notch, his mind is incredibly flexible and unrestrained."
Zhuge Liang frowned but remained silent. He knew that for Fa Zheng to be valued by this group, he wasn't just anyone, especially given his rather peculiar personality.
Chen Xi also found it odd. In history, Fa Zheng hadn't shown any special talent for city construction, yet in this lifetime, after just hearing some ideas from Chen Xi, he had managed to fill in the gaps on his own and become self-taught.
"Alright, enough about that. Let's head to the inn and rest for the night. I'm not sure if Fa Zheng returned to Taishan after being demoted from his position as the governor of Beihai, or if he's still in the Qi State," Chen Xi said as he led the Lu family's entourage to the inn. Although the new Linzi city wasn't fully built yet, its convenient location meant that all the necessary facilities were already in place.
"He's probably still in Qi. For some reason, I always feel like he has a special attachment to the position of Prime Minister of Qi," Zhuge Liang observed, looking around at the bustling crowd.
"It was the first position he earned through his own abilities. Of course, he'd value it," Chen Xi nodded. "At seventeen, he became a 2,000-dan official, even younger than I was. It would be strange if he didn't have any special feelings about it."
"Hey, Zichuan, Kongming, you really passed through here!" Just as Chen Xi and the others were about to enter the inn, Fa Zheng, dressed in a simple blue robe, his skin slightly tanned, waved at them from afar.
"You've set up roadblocks like a bandit. Of course, we'd have to pass through," Zhuge Liang quipped as he saw Fa Zheng, his usual irritability resurfacing. Back in Taishan, they had often clashed, mostly because Fa Zheng liked to stir up trouble, but Zhuge Kongming was not one to back down.
"Oh, come on. I'm not at your level of simplicity," Fa Zheng, who seemed to have worked hard for a while, appeared less sharp and provocative than before, more composed.
"You built the city here, and you want to say you didn't think about collecting a city tax?" Zhuge Liang glanced at Fa Zheng, trying to calm himself.
"Unfortunately, you're wrong again. Your standards are really slipping. The Zhuge Kongming who used to be fun to play with is no more," Fa Zheng said in a teasing tone. In truth, he had initially considered collecting a city tax, but after some thought, he realized it wasn't necessary.
Lu Xun watched the interaction between this slightly tanned young man and Zhuge Liang with interest. This must be the new mentor his master had prepared for him. He seemed quite capable.
"What's going on with you two?" Chen Xi scratched his head, puzzled by the tension. He could sense some friction in the air. Fa Zheng was always like this, but Zhuge Liang wasn't usually this way.
"I just think that Kongming is losing his edge. The Zhuge Kongming who used to amaze me in Taishan has changed and become more mediocre," Fa Zheng said with a tone of regret, making Zhuge Liang want to punch him.
"You're the one losing your edge," Zhuge Liang retorted, clearly annoyed.
"Your vision has narrowed to focusing only on city gate taxes. Tsk tsk, the economic impact of merchant caravans passing through far outweighs the revenue from city gate taxes. You've become shortsighted, Kongming. As former Beihai Governor Kong Wenju once said, 'Those who excel in their youth may not shine in adulthood,'" Fa Zheng continued to taunt, further provoking Zhuge Liang, who now understood what Fa Zheng had meant earlier.
"Well, not bad," Chen Xi interjected after thinking for a moment. "Xiaozhi, you've got quite the insight. Have you already coordinated with the surrounding counties and reissued travel permits?"
"Hmph, for the provincial and county level, it's just a matter of making a few calls. As for the county level, it's just an order," Fa Zheng replied nonchalantly, completely unbothered by his blatant use of connections.
"How about it? Isn't my plan great? I won't charge city gate taxes for merchant caravans with proper travel permits from nearby counties. This way, as a fully equipped large city at the crossroads of major routes with convenient waterways, it'll be very appealing to merchants. It's bound to flourish," Fa Zheng continued, his tone growing more and more triumphant, while Lu Xun became increasingly excited.
"Very impressive. You've definitely got a future in this," Chen Xi praised Fa Zheng, acknowledging that he had done an excellent job.
"Of course! I've been studying hard. More importantly, I thoroughly researched your previous actions and realized that everything you did was related to urban planning. So, from the very beginning, I put a lot of thought into the city planning for the new Linzi city. I designed drainage, sewage systems, surface channels, and underground tunnels. It's fully fire and flood-proof!" Fa Zheng boasted with great pride.
Lu Xun's eyes sparkled as he listened to Fa Zheng. He realized that Fa Zheng was incredibly capable, considering every detail. Even Chen Xi couldn't find any faults, and Zhuge Liang was left standing on the sidelines, listening.
"I even had a geomancer check the underground water veins while planning the city, and I drilled dozens of deep wells!" Fa Zheng continued. To be honest, he was mostly trying to get under Zhuge Liang's skin. The old tricks no longer worked; only sheer talent could apply pressure now.