Shen Feng was somewhat taken aback upon hearing that the solution was merely to build an outer city wall, and asked, "Can a city wall really have such a significant effect?"
"It's not the city wall's effect that is great, but rather that the city wall can serve as a symbol, demonstrating an attitude. To those outside the city, everyone is still a person of Yuzhou, no worse than those within the inner city. Furthermore, the most important function is tax collection. Currently, collecting taxes outside the city is particularly difficult, as the population outside is highly mobile. Apart from water and electricity, which are controlled by the City Lord's Mansion, making tax collection possible, other taxes are very difficult to implement," Yu Zhijing analyzed earnestly.
Shen Feng began to carefully consider the suggestion put forth by Yu Zhijing, a ten-year-old child, and found that it indeed had feasibility. After the autumn harvest, many people would be jobless, and in such a situation, building a city wall would be equivalent to providing these people with work. However, the actual effectiveness remained to be seen.
After eating a large portion of cold dishes, Yu Zhiling was finally full. She then stared blankly at the conversation between Shen Feng and her brother. She couldn't understand much of it anyway and could only sit there blankly. Although her eyes were looking forward, there was a lack of focus in them.
Yu Zhiling was different from her brother. When her brother was idle, he would constantly overthink things. However, after Yu Zhiling was captured, her mind went blank, and she stopped thinking altogether. This is commonly known as spacing out, or more elegantly, as having her mind wander to distant realms.
Previously, after being captured, Yu Zhiling had begun to space out. She wouldn't say anything when asked questions, essentially emptying her mind. Even Zhang Xixi's use of her abilities couldn't detect anything, as Yu Zhiling had no emotional fluctuations, making detection impossible.
This situation can also occur in ordinary people, typically when they are so frightened that their minds go blank, and they are unsure of what they are thinking. It takes a considerable amount of time for their emotions to stabilize completely.
"Who told you to say these things? Who is standing behind you?" Suddenly, at this moment, Shen Feng directly inquired.
The more Shen Feng considered Yu Zhijing's line of thought, the more he felt the matter was important. This also indirectly indicated the foresight of the person who proposed the idea. Currently, nothing unusual was happening outside the city, and everything appeared normal. However, the potential issues that might arise in a few years had already been brought up, which meant that the person holding this view was truly extraordinary.
After much thought, Shen Feng felt that the problem couldn't possibly have been raised by a child, so he began to press Yu Zhijing, wanting to know who was manipulating him behind the scenes. A ten-year-old child could not possess such a level of insight.
However, in response to Shen Feng's questioning, Yu Zhijing earnestly replied, "It's my own insight. No one taught me to say these things!"
Shen Feng looked at the slender Yu Zhijing with disbelief, still unconvinced. He asked, "Are you sure you thought of this yourself? Then I will test you. If you can answer my questions, I will admit that you came up with these ideas!"
"I can!" Yu Zhijing immediately agreed, confident that he could answer any question posed to him.
"Then let me ask you something difficult, a question about history. How did the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu perish?" Shen Feng then inquired.
Shen Feng believed that the question he was asking was already quite difficult. Given the age of the young man before him, he should only be at the level of an elementary school student. How much knowledge could he possibly possess? Especially in history, he would surely know even less. He couldn't believe that the boy could answer questions about the Three Kingdoms.
Unexpectedly, Yu Zhijing replied without hesitation, "Sima Zhao usurped the throne, and the state of Wei perished first. Deng Ai secretly crossed Yinping, and the state of Shu perished. Subsequently, the Western Jin dynasty moved south across the Yangtze River, and the state of Wu perished. If the City Lord wishes to know the specific dates, I can also recite them!"
Seeing that the young man before him possessed such extensive knowledge, Shen Feng was still somewhat disbelieving. How could an elementary school student know so much?
Afterward, Shen Feng continued to ask, "Let me ask you some geographical questions this time. What mountains are there around Yuzhou? If you can answer, I will believe you!"
Yu Zhijing still answered without hesitation, as if he had an intimate knowledge of the terrain around Yuzhou. He then said, "To the northeast is the Daba Mountains. Beyond the Daba Mountains, one can go to Xiangyang. Following the river downstream leads to Wushan. To the east and southeast are the Wuling Mountains, to the south is the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and to the back is the Mingyue Mountains. If needed, I can also name all the rivers within Yuzhou!"
"Alright, alright, that's enough. I don't need any more. I've already confirmed your level. I believe you thought of all this yourself. You truly are a prodigy!" Shen Feng praised him sincerely.
"You flatter me, City Lord. Since I've already offered such a good suggestion, can you, in consideration of this conversation, let my father return? We promise that we will never offend the City Lord again and will never collect protection fees in the future!" Yu Zhijing quickly asked.
Now that Yu Zhijing saw hope for saving his father, as long as Shen Feng spoke, it would be fine!
However, Shen Feng replied, "One matter is one matter, and they should not be confused. Although you have reminded me that the mercenaries outside the city are an unstable factor, your father dared to collect protection fees. This cannot go unpunished!"
"Then... how does the City Lord intend to punish him?" Yu Zhijing's mood sank to the bottom. Ultimately, this world is still one where strength reigns supreme. Without strength, one can only be at the mercy of others.
"How about this? In consideration of your suggestion, I will deal with him leniently. I happen to need to open a secret trade route, so I'll have him handle it. As for you and your sister, you will reside in the city from now on. You will be my advisor, and your sister will go to school. We'll see what work she can do when she's older!" Shen Feng said with a smile.
Yu Zhijing was stunned by this. With his intelligence, he naturally guessed Shen Feng's intentions. It meant that Yu Muhe could be released, and they could be forgiven, and from then on, they would follow the City Lord's Mansion. Wouldn't that mean a bright future? However, he and his sister would have to reside within the city, essentially becoming hostages!
Yu Zhiling was delighted to hear that she could go to school, and a smile appeared on her face. She said to her brother, "Brother, I can go to school now. I won't be an illiterate anymore!"
Yu Zhijing looked at his sister with a wry smile, thinking, "She doesn't even know we're about to become hostages. What a silly girl, she knows nothing."
In this post-apocalyptic era, education had become a scarce commodity. This was the case in most places. Although there were schools, ordinary people couldn't afford tuition fees, as they were struggling to survive daily. Children from ordinary families had also lost the ability to receive an education. Yu Zhiling's education had been handled by Yu Zhijing during this time, but the quality of this teaching was still inferior to that of a real school.
Yu Zhijing had no other choice at the moment. Looking at Shen Feng, who was smiling across from him, he could only say helplessly, "My sister and I are willing to reside in Yuzhou City, and we hope that our father can successfully open the trade route!"
At this moment, Shen Feng was in a good mood. Although he knew there would be many problems to solve in the future, he had gained a genius. This was no small feat. With an additional advisor, he would have another reference point when encountering problems in the future.
With this thought, Shen Feng's appetite increased. He grabbed the braised meat on the table and began to eat, while also beckoning Yu Zhijing and Yu Zhiling to join him.
"Come, come, eat together. Especially Yu Zhijing, you are thin and weak, you need to replenish your nutrition the most. Now is the time to eat more!" Shen Feng said to the siblings.
Shen Feng lingered outside the city for two hours, and then brought the siblings into the city. The people living on this street couldn't help but whisper when they saw this scene. They didn't know what had happened, or why the City Lord himself had taken away the Yu siblings.
Shen Feng returned to Yuzhou with them and first arranged accommodation for the siblings, planning to introduce them to others the next day. As for the prison, a phone call to Zhang Xixi would be enough to have her release Yu Muhe, but before releasing him, he needed to be informed of his future mission.
Currently, Yuzhou was facing a blockade and had lost the ability to obtain supplies from the outside, especially oil! Shen Feng couldn't solve the oil problem. There were almost no oil-producing regions in the southern continent of China. There were a few places that produced natural gas, but oil-producing regions were practically impossible to find.
Previously, Wang Aoye had said that he could specifically open a trade route for smuggling. Whatever Shen Feng needed, he could sell it, and Shen Feng could also continuously produce evolution base. The two sides hit it off. Since there was a need for cooperation, there was no time to delay, so they should proceed immediately.
Yu Muhe looked at the sunlight outside the prison, and for a moment, he felt a sense of disorientation. Now that he was back in the outside world, everything seemed somewhat unfamiliar. Moreover, he learned that his son had saved him. However, his son and daughter would now reside in the city, and he didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse.
"Isn't it just working for the City Lord's Mansion? It's no big deal, just a job, and I can handle it," Yu Muhe muttered to himself.
During this period, Yu Muhe had accumulated considerable wealth. He first planned to go home and find all his belongings, at least to give his children some pocket money. He would have fewer opportunities to meet them in the future, and everything in the city required money. He couldn't let his children suffer.
However, when Yu Muhe returned to his restaurant, he saw a large group of people moving the tables and chairs inside. Upon seeing this, Yu Muhe was furious. He rushed forward and swung his fists at these people, demanding, "Who allowed you to move my things? Who is it?"
After the group was dispersed, they saw Yu Muhe appear and fled. They hadn't expected Yu Muhe to actually be released from prison. Many people had previously rumored that Yu Muhe would surely die, but now, the facts were before their eyes, and they had no choice but to believe.
"Run, Yu Muhe is back!" The crowd dared not continue to take advantage of the situation and scattered immediately. Yu Muhe was helpless and didn't want to stoop to the level of these petty thugs outside the city.
Yu Muhe walked into the restaurant and saw Wei Tong, his former brother from the mercenary group, bossing people around. "Quick, quick, throw away all the unnecessary things. I want to convert this place into a brothel. I'll sign a few girls later, and then it can be operational. From now on, you must call me Master, understand?"
Yu Muhe hadn't expected this. His former brother was now preparing to seize his property. He had originally thought that his brothers from the mercenary group would rescue him, but he hadn't expected them to be like this. Moreover, his best brothers hadn't even visited him in prison once.
With this in mind, Yu Muhe then asked coldly, "Master Wei, hello. I'd like to work under you now. Do you think you'd be willing to take me in?"
Upon hearing the word "Master" from behind him, Wei Tong felt a surge of satisfaction. Without thinking, he directly said, "As long as you're willing to work, why wouldn't I take you in? Let me see if you're quick with your hands and feet!"
As he spoke, Wei Tong turned to look, thinking that the person behind him was simply looking for a job. Since he spoke so pleasingly, it wouldn't hurt to keep him.
However, when he turned around, Wei Tong saw Yu Muhe appear before him and was greatly shocked. He stammered, "Boss, how did you get back?"
"Yes, how did I get back? You probably thought I would never return!" Yu Muhe sneered.