I Built a Territory in Ancient Times

Chapter 60

"In the future, if there's anything, just give the order, and the Red Robe Army will do its best," Xie Yixiu promised.

Upon hearing this, Ming Yu's frustration eased a bit. With this assurance, he could deploy the Red Robe Army, which wasn't too bad.

"Alright, it's settled then," the two reached an agreement, concluding their deal.

Next, Ming Yu had to plan the actual construction of the horse farm, a place with abundant water and lush grass. Ming Yu had been paying attention to this for a while. The major drawback of Liangzhou was the scarcity of water sources. The Qifeng River was considered a relatively large river, but the terrain there wasn't entirely satisfactory.

"Since you're building a horse farm, Prince, have you chosen a location?" Xie Yixiu inquired.

If Ming Yu could indeed establish the first horse farm in Dayan, it would be a significant boon. At least, the soldiers wouldn't have to face enemy cavalry as infantry due to a shortage of horses. The Red Robe Army could also expand, and with that, they wouldn't need to fear enemy invasions. They could defend against attacks, use the terrain to their advantage, and perhaps even launch a counteroffensive, penetrating the enemy's capital.

Ming Yu frowned, also troubled. "I considered east of the Qifeng River Valley before, but that area is too small and unsuitable for horse breeding. Other locations are too far from water sources, making it impossible to raise horses. Now, I'm at a loss."

After a moment of contemplation, Xie Yixiu suggested, "What about the area around Changlan Mountain?"

"Changlan Mountain?" Ming Yu thought carefully, recalling some impressions. When he first arrived in Liangzhou, he passed by Changlan Mountain. Xie Yixiu's Red Robe Army encircled and annihilated a small group of invaders entering Liangzhou in that area. He first saw General Xie in a red robe there, overseeing the entire battlefield. Until now, that scene remained vivid in Ming Yu's mind.

"But, there's no water source near Changlan Mountain," Ming Yu said, puzzled.

Xie Yixiu nodded. "Do you know? The Qifeng River passes east of Changlan Mountain, but it's blocked by Changlan Mountain."

Ming Yu was startled, as he hadn't noticed this detail. He grabbed Xie Yixiu's sleeve. "Come, let's go take a look at the topographic map."

This was the Guard Camp, where maps and scaled terrain models of Liangzhou were available.

Ming Yu couldn't read the maps created by people in this era, so he made a sand table model for quick and clear understanding.

He was currently huddled in front of the sand table, examining the terrain around Changlan Mountain. Xie Yixiu was right; Changlan Mountain to the west had vast flat grasslands, and the Qifeng River flowed to the east of Changlan Mountain, blocked by it.

A bit regretful, Ming Yu studied the topography for a while. If it weren't for Changlan Mountain blocking the way, this flat grassland would be the most suitable place to build a horse farm.

Even if his abilities were stronger, he couldn't move Changlan Mountain. If he tried to dig a canal through the mountain, it wasn't very practical. In this world with backward production capabilities, everything relied on manual labor. It wasn't like the future Ming Yu came from, where high-tech methods such as explosives and advanced machinery could easily solve such problems.

Seeing Ming Yu's expression, Xie Yixiu pointed to a place not far from Changlan Mountain on the Qifeng River upstream and said softly, "Can we find a solution here?"

Ming Yu followed his pointing finger but didn't see anything special. Puzzled, he looked at Xie Yixiu, his eyes full of questions.

"Do you know, Prince? In this place, whenever there's a big flood, the Qifeng River water floods this area. More severely, it even diverted the river westward, beyond Changlan Mountain," Xie Yixiu explained what he knew in one breath.