Inside the Guardian Department’s office, Yang Zhenshan and Xie Yuan were discussing the urgent expansion of Guard City.
The expansion of Guard City couldn’t be delayed any longer. Without it, the city was in danger of overcrowding.
The Engineering Section had already produced the planning map. After reviewing it, Yang Zhenshan didn’t raise any objections.
The Engineering Section of the Guardian Department had become highly specialized, with civil servants skilled in road construction, bridge building, and urban planning.
Specialization was important; although these civil servants were originally just scholars, over the years they had acquired substantial professional knowledge related to engineering.
Especially in terms of planning and architectural drawings – their work was both precise and detailed.
Of course, all of this was thanks to Yang Zhenshan. His expertise in his previous life was in engineering cost management, and he had experience with both planning and architecture.
"Let’s build according to this plan. What’s the budget?" Yang Zhenshan asked.
"Approximately fifty thousand Silver. The main expense is the high cost of stone materials," Xie Yuan replied.
Yang Zhenshan nodded. The Tenglong Guard region had few mountains, so the extraction of stone materials could only be conducted at a few small hills to the south.
These hills were situated at the southernmost edge of Tenglong Guard, at the border adjacent to Liao’an Prefecture, about thirty miles from Guard City.
The cost was high due to the significant labor required to extract and transport the stone materials.
"And the construction period?"
"If it’s just the city walls, it’ll take about six months. They should be completed before the end of the year. If it includes construction within the city, it should be done by next year," Xie Yuan said.
Yang Zhenshan pondered for a moment, "We’ll recruit another group of workers then. Yes, temporary workers, non-staff, but they’ll receive the same monthly pay as the regulars!"
The current engineering team had two thousand people. These were not merely construction workers as Yang Zhenshan was training them as engineering soldiers.
Two thousand engineering soldiers were capable not only of building roads and bridges but also of constructing large-scale war machinery, such as crossbows, siege towers, and battering rams.
Two thousand engineering soldiers were already a substantial force, and there wouldn’t be as many construction projects in Tenglong Guard in the future, so it wasn’t necessary to expand the team any further.
"Alright," Xie Yuan agreed.
Just then, Wu Zhan hurried into the study.
Yang Zhenshan looked at him in surprise and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Wu Zhan glanced at Xie Yuan. Yang Zhenshan shook his head slightly, "Mr. Xie is no outsider, speak freely."
Wu Zhan was a guard of the Yang family. Since Ding Qiu had gone to Qinghua Prefecture, and with Wu Zheng always in the Capital City, Wu Zhan had become the chief of the Yang Family Guards.
Members of the Yang family seldom visited the government office. Yang Zhenshan had his personal followers, so he didn’t need the Yang Family Guards to follow him all the time.
Since Wu Zhan had come, it surely meant trouble.
However, Yang Zhenshan didn’t think there was anything about the Yang family that needed to be kept secret from outsiders. Besides, Xie Yuan was not an outsider. Xie Yuan, Wu Chongzhe, Zhou Ren and others were his most loyal subordinates and Yang Zhenshan trusted them completely.
Wu Zhan said solemnly, "Master, news from the Capital City. His Majesty is seriously ill and has fallen into a coma. The court is currently overseen by the Crown Prince, with Prince Cheng and Prince Gong observing government affairs."
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhenshan’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression suddenly turned grave.
Xie Yuan also looked solemn.
"Where’s the messenger?" Yang Zhenshan asked.
"I’ve already let them rest. They only know this much and there’s no further news," Wu Zhan replied.
Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly and then fell into contemplation.
Would the death of the old Emperor affect him?
He knew without thinking - definitely yes.
Everything he had in Tenglong Guard had come from the support of the old Emperor.
If the old Emperor were to pass away, could he still stay in Tenglong Guard at ease?
He had no ties to the Crown Prince, in fact, there was a slight grudge.
Initially, the Crown Prince intended for a marriage alliance between the An Residence and the Changping Marquis Mansion, but instead, Yang Zhenshan formed an alliance with the Changping Marquis Mansion.
And there was Marquis Jingyuan, always a supporter of the Crown Prince. Even though Marquis Jingyuan lost his position as commander of Fenwu Camp, he’d been serving the Crown Prince for years.
The feud between the Yang family and the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion was deep; Yang Zhenshan had killed Marquis Jingyuan’s second son, Su Shanyu, and four years ago, Su Qian had sent assassins to ambush Yang Mingcheng in Xinping Town.
Every reign has its own courtiers.
If the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne, Marquis Jingyuan would rise in power inevitably. The Yang family would unavoidably be troubled.
Furthermore, after his ascension, would the Crown Prince continue to support Yang Zhenshan as the old Emperor had?
Thinking about this, Yang Zhenshan felt a headache coming on.
He seemed to prefer that the Crown Prince not ascend to the throne, but as the Crown Prince, it was destined to happen sooner or later; Yang Zhenshan couldn’t stop him.
As for whether he could win the Crown Prince’s favor and his support?
Yang Zhenshan was uncertain.
He knew something about the Crown Prince; his temperament was quite different from the old Emperor’s. Perhaps due to his long stay in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince had grown impatient and somewhat tyrannical.
For years, the court had been anything but peaceful. The struggle between the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Gong was relentless, and as the old Emperor’s health declined, the competition grew even fiercer.
Factions had emerged within the court: supporters of the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng Faction, and Prince Gong’s Party, almost openly battling each other.
Considering what the court might look like after the old Emperor’s death, Yang Zhenshan felt overwhelmed.
But then, something occurred to him and he suddenly looked up at Wu Zhan, "Did you just say Prince Cheng and Prince Gong are observing government affairs?"
"Yes! His Majesty has decreed that the Crown Prince oversee the government while the two Princes observe," Wu Zhan confirmed.