Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1412 - 1362: Building Bridges

Chen Xi was extremely effective in certain situations, like today, when such a major event had occurred, Chen Xi packed up the necessary things for his family and, under the escort of Hua Xiong, left Ye City.

Of course, Liu Bei had no intention of sending anyone to disturb Chen Xi. After discussing with Jia Xu and Li Youu, they more or less figured out the situation.

"Zijian, take the official road, don’t go directly to Mount Tai, go to the Yellow River Ferry first, then proceed to Mount Tai." After leaving Ye City, Chen Xi instructed Hua Xiong.

"The Yellow River Ferry? Is that where Gong Youu is?" Hua Xiong asked in return, at which point their entourage had already increased to nearly ten carriages.

"Yes, that’s the place. It’s been a year, Gong Youu has been researching bridge construction, and I don’t know what the current situation is. With the expulsion of the Li Family from water network construction, only Gong Youu can take the lead now." Chen Xi nodded in response.

"I heard they’ve been working on it ever since the construction design book was finalized at the end of last year, but I’m not clear on the current situation." Hua Xiong thought for a moment and said, since he didn’t care much about what stage Sunx Qian’s bridge construction had reached, he could only estimate from rumors.

Although building a bridge on the Yellow River did not seem to disturb Liu Bei much, a lot of people were actually paying attention. In fact, many grand craftsmen skilled in bridge construction volunteered their help upon seeing Sunx Qian’s design book at the end of last year.

Because these people were knowledgeable, they were very aware of the difficulty of bridge construction, and because of their expertise, they could understand Sunx Qian’s design book.

Even though these craftsmen were generally illiterate and lacked scientific descriptions, their years of experience allowed them to easily judge right from wrong upon receiving Sunx Qian’s design book.

In simple terms, this group belonged to the practical wild path. They didn’t understand science, but when science was placed before them, they just applied their experience to differentiate right from wrong, which attracted many craftsmen knowledgeable in bridge construction.

Well, they claimed to be lending a hand but everyone understood they were actually here to steal the craft. The fact that Sunx Qian’s design book was so advanced, even though only a portion was released, was enough to pique their interest.

Working for free to steal craft has always been the way. Once learned, these skills are tools for survival, and as for working without pay, that’s not an issue at all. Being given a chance to learn without needing to bring their own meals is already quite accommodating.

Moreover, upon arrival, not only did Sunx Qian not mind them learning the craft, but he was also willing to humble himself and communicate with these simple folk to help them learn more. Of course, he never shortchanged their compensation, so the craftsmen gathered there regarded this bridge construction as if it were their own work.

Some craftsmen even chose to join Sunx Qian’s construction team permanently rather than roam freelance. Due to this, Sunx Qian was currently organizing a formal structure, for it’s good to leave specialized tasks to professionals.

"Go take a look, and if Gong Youu can free himself, then the water network will be his responsibility. I need to discuss some matters with him, as he is the most knowledgeable about construction among us." Chen Xi slowly returned to the carriage.

On the other hand, Sunx Qian was having lunch with a group of people, sitting among the craftsmen, indistinguishable from them, his former scholarly demeanor obscured by the elements leaving him somewhat weathered.

"Finish up and let’s continue working; today we’ll complete another section!" Sunx Qian said to the grand craftsmen beside him, finishing the fish soup in his bowl.

These grand craftsmen were his biggest gain after such an extended period. In this era, anyone deserving the title of grand craftsman was a standout in their industry, combining talent and hard work which could not be lacking.

Put simply, the Chen Family was well-established, with a long legacy. When they split the family, they sent over four thousand craftsmen to Chen Xi, but among them, only one could be truly called a grand craftsman; the rest were merely respected.

As Sunx Qian’s progress in bridge construction on the Yellow River became increasingly apparent, many skilled craftsmen with families gradually moved over, and even some grand craftsmen brought their apprentices for practical learning.

"Okay." Said a burly grand craftsman in his thirties, whose bronze-like muscles glistened in the sun, as he downed his fish soup and stood up.

"I think we might be able to finish construction in about two more years." An old man estimated the project timeline, saying, "I never thought in my lifetime I’d have the chance to work on a bridge over the Yellow River, it makes my life worthwhile."

"Old Elder, that’s not right, I not only want to build this one over the Yellow River, but after crossing the Yangtze River, I want to build one there too!" Sunx Qian said with a laugh, "Rest up, rest up, we’ll resume work soon."

"To be honest, I’ve never seen so many craftsmen working on a single project in my whole life." Chen Que, the only clear grand craftsman among the Chen Family’s craftsmen given to Chen Xi, also opened up; he was now over fifty.

"Indeed, over ten thousand craftsmen are directly participating in the bridge construction, and all of them have surpassed the apprentice level." The elder shook his head and said, "Back when the Ten Attendants were building outer residences, although they mobilized many people, there were barely over a thousand real craftsmen."

"Can’t let peasants do it." Sunx Qian said with a bitter smile, "They don’t understand this stuff, and if any step goes wrong, it would be disastrous, which is why no peasants are involved, and after it’s done, I’ll ask the authorities to give them an artisan rating."

In fact, this artisan rating is part of the household registration, but Li Youu’s involvement in household registration covers so many aspects that certain less important parts aren’t strictly enforced due to time constraints.

"Being cautious in building over the Yellow River is necessary, because if peasants were involved and a mistake happened, all our efforts would be completely wasted." Chen Que nodded thoughtfully, knowing that similar disastrous events with peasants had occurred before.

"About these ratings, Leader Sunx, I’ve always felt that Lord Xuande’s ratings here are not quite proper, assigning officials unfamiliar with the trade to rate..." The elder spoke up, knowing Sunx Qian’s good temper, giving voice to long-held grievances.

"Indeed, officials don’t understand craftsmen, and most craftsmen are illiterate, making it impossible to conduct tests like in previous arithmetic or political examinations, leading to great disparity between ratings and actual skill." With the elder’s words, other grand craftsmen voiced their concerns.

A major reason for the ineffective rating under Liu Bei is that outsiders and insiders see problems from different perspectives and may not even grasp what the insiders aim to showcase.