Shen Feng, staying in Yuzhou, was not at ease either. He had to handle official duties during the day and study history at night. When Professor Chu asked questions, he was often at a loss and couldn't answer.
During this time, Shen Feng found a way to slack off, which was also a stroke of luck. Professor Chu was not feeling well and went to sleep after assigning the tasks. Shen Feng, with his questions in hand, went to the prison to observe the interrogation. Zhang Xixi had been here for a long time and had become numb to the interrogation process.
In the beginning, when Zhang Xixi saw prisoners being beaten, she was terrified and felt the situation was too brutal. She wondered if such ferocity was necessary for interrogations, couldn't they speak gently? She thought these people were probably forced to do these things for a living.
However, after Zhang Xixi carefully examined the case files, her eyes turned red. She hadn't expected the world to be so dark. These captured gang members were truly wicked. Robbery and extortion were considered mild offenses. The truly heinous villains deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.
Some gangs trained children to be thieves, while others specialized in kidnapping women and forcing them into prostitution. Countless elderly, weak, women, and children were harmed and killed by these people.
Zhang Xixi's mindset changed. She only blamed the interrogators for not being harsh enough, not for their cruelty.
"Beat them, beat them hard until they tell the truth. No mercy for these vermin!" Zhang Xixi's young voice echoed in the interrogation room. She gritted her teeth, wishing she could cut these people into a thousand pieces and feed them to dogs.
Perhaps violence couldn't solve all problems, but it could provide solace!
As Theodore said, when it came to capital punishment, the biggest trouble was that sentimental men and women always pitied the criminals about to leave the world, but never sympathized with the tragic fate of the victims, nor with the countless innocent people who might be harmed by these individuals in the future.
After changing her mindset, Zhang Xixi used her abilities with more vigor. After discerning if someone was lying, she always wished to personally witness those wicked men being executed.
Shen Feng, holding the questions from Professor Chu, walked around the prison, contemplating how to answer. Professor Chu's question was simple: "The importance of transportation in ancient history and the corresponding measures."
"Ancient transportation?" Shen Feng was immediately stumped. Besides knowing about the imperial roads built by Qin Shi Huang, he had never heard of anything else, or perhaps he had heard but never paid attention. Now, needing to answer about the importance of transportation, Shen Feng was in a predicament.
Unexpectedly, as Shen Feng walked around the prison muttering about ancient transportation, he couldn't come up with many ideas. Then, a man's voice came from a nearby cell: "What's so difficult about that? Imperial roads, the Grand Canal, maritime transport, just list a few!"
Shen Feng turned and saw the owner of the printing factory who had been arrested earlier. He remembered this guy wrote erotic novels, and not very good ones at that. A casual glance was enough to lose interest, only the illustrations were somewhat interesting.
"You, a writer of low-brow novels, actually know this? I'm impressed!" Shen Feng couldn't help but say.
Feng Shicheng heard this and couldn't help but pat his chest proudly, saying, "Back in peaceful times, I also made a living by writing. Let alone these vulgar novels, I can write elegant ones too. Whether it's historical fiction or fantasy cultivation, I understand it all. A professional author must read extensively, which is useful for bragging. It's very different from a science student like you, City Lord."
Shen Feng stopped in his tracks and stood by the cell door, thinking.
The prison cells were naturally like high school dormitories, but to prevent escapes, the doors were removed and replaced with steel frames, making the situation inside the cells completely visible from the outside. In a high school dormitory, the line of sight would be blocked behind the main door, but now with all the doors replaced by steel frames, one could see the situation inside with a single glance.
Feng Shicheng saw the City Lord looking at him, couldn't help but puff out his chest, brushed off some dust from his clothes, and wore an expression of "I'm the only one capable."
Shen Feng frowned and thought carefully. Perhaps this writing fellow really knew a lot. Why not let him help him with the answer?
"Then I'll give you a chance. If you can answer my question clearly, I will not only release you but also invite you to be my special advisor. It's not an official position, but if you perform well, I can promote you," Shen Feng said.
Feng Shicheng was overjoyed upon hearing this. He thought he had encountered a great disaster and was being interrogated by soldiers, but now it seemed like a blessing in disguise. He could not only escape his unsavory past but also have a better future.
"Please test me, City Lord. I will definitely provide a suitable answer!" Feng Shicheng said quickly.
Shen Feng repeated Professor Chu's question. Feng Shicheng sat in the cell and listened carefully, then quickly gave his answer: "City Lord, transportation has always been highly valued in ancient times, especially in feudal dynasties. Taking the Tang Dynasty as an example, after inheriting the Grand Canal, Chang'an became extremely prosperous. Was the Guanzhong Plain truly so fertile? If Guanzhong was prosperous, why build the canal? It was merely to facilitate the transport of materials, allowing rice and salt and iron from the south to be brought in, thus creating a prosperous dynasty."
Shen Feng understood somewhat after hearing Feng Shicheng's explanation.
Then, Feng Shicheng continued, "After the An Lushan Rebellion, although the Tang Dynasty was in turmoil, it did not collapse because the canal could still transport materials. However, after Huang Chao revolted in the south and cut off the Grand Canal, the glorious Tang Dynasty lost its lifeline and finally collapsed."
Shen Feng was filled with emotion, truly, the canal was both the making and the undoing of the dynasty.
Feng Shicheng hesitated for a moment and continued, "City Lord, I think Professor Chu is testing you. He wants you to understand the importance of Yuzhou and the subsequent difficulties."
Shen Feng was puzzled and asked, "Are there any other reasons?"
Feng Shicheng explained, "Yuzhou is important precisely because of its transportation significance. It is the gateway to the southwest, with treacherous terrain. Once occupied, one can gain control of the resources of several southwestern provinces. However, crises are also hidden within, such as the Three Gorges!"
Shen Feng reacted and fell into deep thought. That's right, even if he occupied the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam was still in the hands of headquarters. If headquarters closed off the waterway, Yuzhou would only have land routes left. And the trains had not yet opened, so they could only rely on highways.
But were highways safe? Zombies were still rampant across the country, and besides zombies, the problem of mutated beasts was also obvious. Highways were actually not safe.
"So, the power of life and death is also in the hands of others! This is not good, not good at all!" Shen Feng muttered to himself.
Currently, Yuzhou lacked many things, such as salt and gasoline. They were basically dependent on external input. Salt was not a problem, as Sichuan Province was to the northwest, and they had rock salt. However, gasoline and coal could only be obtained from external sources, meaning their lifeline was completely choked.
A single remark awakened the dreamer. Shen Feng suddenly understood the true meaning of Professor Chu's question.
"City Lord? Can I come out?" Feng Shicheng asked in a low voice, his eyes full of anticipation.
Shen Feng nodded and said, "You can come out. Change your clothes later, and someone will assign you a house and a car. Be ready for my questioning at any time. I will need your help to answer many questions in the future."
"Oh, and a car?" Feng Shicheng was overjoyed. Joining the City Lord's mansion was great. Houses were everywhere, and they even got assigned cars!
When Feng Shicheng walked out of the prison, he saw only an electric scooter outside and was stunned. Could an electric scooter be called a car?
In fact, electric scooters were the most suitable vehicles. Gasoline was scarce, and except for buses, almost no vehicles were running. Fortunately, Yuzhou had a significant elevation difference, making it suitable for building power stations, so Yuzhou did not lack electricity.
The next day, Shen Feng went to see Professor Chu.
The professor casually asked, "How did you consider yesterday's question? Did you find the answer?"
Shen Feng nodded seriously and relayed what Feng Shicheng had said the previous night, along with the difficulties faced by Yuzhou.
Professor Chu became excited on the spot, grabbed Shen Feng, and said excitedly, "I didn't expect your comprehension to be so high. You could see the future difficulties of Yuzhou from such a small detail. I intended to test your reaction ability, but you actually gave such a suitable answer. You are truly the student with the best comprehension I have ever seen."
"Heh heh, really? You flatter me, Professor." Shen Feng gave an awkward smile.
In reality, Shen Feng's answer was entirely from Feng Shicheng. If he had to answer the question himself, he would have been lucky to think of a third of it, let alone have such a profound understanding.
Shen Feng really wanted to tell the truth: "That's because I have a strategist."
But Shen Feng didn't want to disappoint Professor Chu too much, so he had to accept the praise. After all, he had successfully dealt with Professor Chu's inquiry, wasn't that a good thing? Feng Shicheng also found a suitable position for himself, which was even better.
Chu Yangtian slowly sat down, the smile on his face gradually disappearing. He said sternly to Shen Feng, "Although Yuzhou is a vital transportation hub, you must also be aware that if Yuzhou is blockaded from the outside, it will be a disaster. Once the Three Gorges are closed to traffic, most of the shipping will be paralyzed. If the trains are blocked, land routes will also be extremely difficult. If Yuzhou relies solely on highways, it will surely not achieve greatness. As a ruler, you must remember that transportation is the most important."
Shen Feng nodded, feeling a sense of powerlessness. He said to the professor, "Teacher, but headquarters doesn't sell us gasoline, and we don't have many resources. It will be difficult to get by on the highways in the future."
Professor Chu nodded slightly upon hearing this concern, clearly aware of the issue. He then said, "I am very pleased that you are thinking about these things. Have you considered what other projects, besides farming and building city walls, can alleviate our urgent needs?"
Shen Feng had a glimmer of realization and began to ponder. If gasoline was lacking but needed to be relieved through engineering projects, wouldn't that mean building power stations?
"Professor, you're not suggesting we build hydropower stations next, are you?" Shen Feng asked tentatively.
"A promising student," Professor Chu took out a map and pointed near Yuzhou, saying, "Building power stations requires places with significant elevation drops and abundant water resources. Yuzhou lacks coal, so thermal power generation is not feasible. However, hydropower and wind power can both be constructed."
Shen Feng nodded and looked at the map, beginning to think. It seemed Yuzhou had quite a few resources. If they built hydropower stations, they could sell electricity to the outside, which wasn't entirely without resources. Moreover, weren't there iron ore deposits nearby? And there was coal in the upstream steel city, so steel refining in Yuzhou would also be good.
Shen Feng had now determined the development direction for Yuzhou. In the past, he was like looking at flowers in a fog, completely unaware of how to manage Yuzhou or how to develop it. But now, Shen Feng had completely understood. The future of Yuzhou was actually very bright.
Shen Feng now had his own strategist. Regardless of his abilities, he was certainly skilled at bragging. As a web novel author for over a decade, Feng Shicheng's bragging skills were profound. Even when facing science students, he could discuss professional topics. If he had been born in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, he would have been a master of miscellaneous studies.
And Jiang Yang also had a strategist!
Wang Xiao had escaped from Rongcheng. He had incited a group of fools to rob financial institutions, creating chaos. This led to widespread disorder in Rongcheng, with the surrounding areas in turmoil and countless people dying in the chaos. Shen Feng was a firsthand witness at the time.
When the battle for Rongcheng ended, Wang Xiao quickly fled south to Jiangyang. This was because Rongcheng was now searching everywhere for those who caused the chaos, and batches of criminals were being taken outside the city and executed, to the applause of many.
Wang Xiao was terrified. If he were caught, it would be a dead end. He, the instigator, might even be eaten by the enraged populace, so he had to run.
As a result, Wang Xiao arrived in Jiangyang and heard that Yuzhou had been occupied by Shen Feng. He intended to go to Yuzhou to live, but he accidentally joined a mysterious organization.
Wang Xiao was originally a pyramid scheme promoter, and his intellect was average. He relied on a series of tactics to make a living. However, after joining the organization, he was treated as an honored guest. It could only be said that the situation was too surreal, and human destiny was like a dream and an illusion.