Gu Qingcheng's idea was grand and far-sighted. The County Clerk had never expected that the problem that had troubled the county magistrate for nearly half a month would be so easily solved by Gu Qingcheng.
If Gu Qingcheng could truly lead a large number of refugees to cultivate land on the mountain, it would be a great gift to the county magistrate.
The County Clerk was experienced. Although his expression relaxed considerably, he wouldn't immediately reveal everything.
Gu Qingcheng gestured with her eyes to Dai Fa. Dai Fa, understanding her intent, took out a silver ingot and secretly slipped it to the County Clerk under the table.
The County Clerk weighed the silver. It was heavy, at least ten taels. He was delighted.
Thus, the County Clerk cleared his throat and got to the point:
"From my understanding, Mount Yunwu outside Tancheng City should meet the conditions you mentioned, Young Master Gu.
Mount Yunwu belongs to the Wangchun Mountain range and enjoys a spring-like climate year-round. The lowest temperature in winter is just frost, with a frosting period of no more than 20 days. Light snow falls once every four to five years, but it doesn't last long.
Mount Yunwu should be over 500 meters above sea level. Due to the lower temperature on the mountain, planting rice would be about ten days later than in the plains.
However, there are suitable crops for high altitudes, such as mustard greens and palm melons, which also yield well."
The County Clerk was indeed a local expert, recounting these details as if they were his own possessions.
Gu Qingcheng feigned interest and asked, "County Clerk Zeng, could the government allot us about 100 mu of land at the most favorable price?"
"Haha, naturally. Our Wangchun City not only doesn't charge for reclaiming wasteland but also offers tax incentives. If more than 50 mu of land is reclaimed, taxes can be waived for three years. Since you plan to reclaim 100 mu, there will certainly be no charge."
The County Clerk was very pleased.
Wasteland had no value if left undeveloped. It was perfect that Gu Qingcheng wanted to cultivate grain on the mountain.
"Lord Zeng, then we will need the government to issue a document to put this land under our name so that we can start cultivating and living here, right?" Gu Qingcheng asked.
"That's all on me." Having accepted Gu Qingcheng's favor, the County Clerk was naturally obliged to provide full service.
Gu Qingcheng didn't particularly care about the government document. The Great Zhou Dynasty was doomed to fall sooner or later, and she just didn't know when. That's why she needed the government's certification now.
If she didn't have such a document, the surrounding villagers might perceive it as illegal occupation. If they reported them as bandits, leading the government to dispatch troops to suppress them, it would be a loss outweighing the gain.
"Furthermore, if we want to reclaim land for cultivation, these few people won't be enough. We want to hire more refugees to work on the mountain."
Gu Qingcheng was looking for manpower.
"Of course. But how many people do you intend to hire?"
The County Clerk raised his eyebrows. This was the important part.
Frankly, the county magistrate wouldn't care about the wasteland. What he cared about was how to resettle the refugees.
If the refugees were not resettled properly and social unrest occurred, his year-end performance review would not be excellent.
However, it would cost a great deal of money for the government to resettle refugees, and the county magistrate was reluctant to spend it.
In the county magistrate's eyes, the government's silver was his own. Spending it to resettle refugees was like cutting off a piece of his own flesh, which pained him greatly.
In the end, it all came down to whether the county magistrate was willing to spend money to resettle them.
If Young Master Gu could help resettle some refugees, it would solve the county magistrate's headache.
Moreover, since this matter was initiated by him, the county magistrate would surely praise him for his competence.
The County Clerk became extremely enthusiastic towards Gu Qingcheng. He said, "How many people do you want to recruit?"
"I want to recruit as many as possible, can it be over 500 people?"
"I'll discuss it with the county magistrate. If we give you 200 mu of land, how many people can you take in?"
The County Clerk's implication was clear: the more people Gu Qingcheng hired, the better.
Gu Qingcheng calculated the supplies she had collected. Even feeding a thousand people for three to five years would be enough.
However, they would naturally not just sit and eat. They would cultivate land on the mountain and find ways to do handicrafts, grow vegetables, and trade with the plains. These would all be enough to sustain themselves.
If she wasn't worried that the government would misunderstand her intention of gathering people to seize the mountain as their own kingdom, Gu Qingcheng felt the more people, the better.
Ideally, before the natural disaster struck, she would establish a secluded paradise akin to a base, and then she would have the capacity to accommodate more refugees.
"Over a thousand people? How about that?" Gu Qingcheng said.
"Alright, I'll report this matter to the county magistrate first. Tomorrow morning, around this time, we'll meet here."
Having understood Gu Qingcheng's requests, the County Clerk promptly left to handle the matter.
Observing his actions, Gu Qingcheng knew there was a good chance.
Dai Fa hadn't said much. But after the County Clerk left, he looked at Gu Qingcheng in shock and said, "Young Master Gu, do you really plan to hire so many people to reclaim land? Supporting so many people and cultivating so much land requires countless silver!"
This was an underestimate. Not to mention the cost of reclaiming land, there were also seeds, fertilizers, and living expenses – money would flow out like water.
Gu Qingcheng smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about these. I can handle it. Honestly, I do wish to reclaim as much land as possible, ideally recruiting several thousand people."
Dai Fa was extremely stunned.
The daily needs of thousands of people...
He found it hard to imagine for a moment.
He silently poured himself a pot of tea and forced himself to accept the reality before saying, "Do we need to leave the city now?"
"My brother and I want to stroll around the city. Uncle Dai, we'll leave later."
Dai Fa grunted and left first.
Actually, Gu Qingcheng didn't want to go shopping. She took Mi Guo, found an inn, and booked two superior rooms. She took a bath and then lay on the spacious and comfortable bed, enjoying a normal person's life.
She woke up at 3:30 PM. The two of them had caught up on the sleep they had missed in the past few days and were full of energy. They then went to a restaurant in the city for a big meal and also packed some local specialty dishes to take back for the Dai family.
Wang Daya and Luo Juan, these two young girls, had also gone through hardships and suffering. Gu Qingcheng had established a deep bond with them.
Wang Daya and Luo Juan were both outgoing, but they had their differences. Daya was more steady, while Juan was a bit more boisterous. However, both were decisive in their actions. In the future, they would be good helpers in managing people on the mountain, so they couldn't be treated unfairly.
When the two of them returned from the city, Dai Fa had already come back.
Dai Fa had bought needlework and fabric for his wife to make shoes. Zheng Wuniang was happily sitting in front of the makeshift shelter, sewing shoe soles. Luo Juan and Wang Daya were boiling water, preparing dinner.
When Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo returned, they handed over the packed food.
Luo Juan opened the packed dishes. They included salted duck, fried spring rolls, and oyster omelets, all local specialties.