The layout of Guangzhou and the grand opening of the Prince Jin Pavilion

As soon as he stepped through the city gates, Li Zhi felt the surrounding area suddenly grow quiet.
Few pedestrians could be seen on the wide streets, nor were there many grandiose buildings.
What Li Zhi found most peculiar was that the local residents seemed to live exclusively near the city gates.
Even the foreign quarters specially designated for overseas merchants remained largely uninhabited.
Instead, all along the way, Li Zhi saw a continuous stretch of various government offices and military barracks.
It felt as though this city had been built specifically for officials and the garrison.

With lingering doubts, Li Zhi followed Dang Renhong to the Governor's Mansion, only to find it constructed with extreme extravagance.
Dang Renhong had arranged a lavish seafood feast to entertain Li Zhi and his accompanying generals, including Su Lie and Zhang Lei.
Among them, the young warrior Xue Li was the most eye-catching.
For a young man in his early twenties to hold the official rank of a General of the Imperial Guard was a rare sight indeed across the entire Tang Empire.

Li Zhi had not tasted fresh seafood for a long time, so he thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
It was a pity that the culinary techniques of this era were truly backward.
As a result, the preparation of the dishes was somewhat monotonous, consisting of little more than simple steaming and boiling.
After the meal, Li Zhi eagerly questioned Dang Renhong about the specific conditions in the Lingnan Circuit.
He first asked Dang Renhong, "Lord Dang, do the various tribes in Lingnan currently harbor any resistance toward the rule of our Great Tang?"

Dang Renhong replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, the situation in Lingnan is currently passable."
With that, he went on to give a general overview of the region.
Overall, because commerce was well-developed in the areas near Guangzhou, the population was relatively dense.
The appointment of officials remained firmly in the hands of the imperial court.
As for the other prefectures, most were governed autonomously by local powerful clans or various tribes.
Although these tribes frequently fought among themselves, they showed little resistance to the court's decrees.
However, due to limitations in transportation, the movement of people in these areas was restricted.
Consequently, the influence of the imperial court over the local populace was far weaker than that of the powerful local clans.

After gaining a thorough understanding, Li Zhi already had a preliminary plan taking shape in his mind.
He intended to start from the Guangzhou area, where the court's control was strongest, and gradually expand outward.
Li Zhi had two main directions for development.
One was to develop light industry and handicrafts.

Capitalizing on the local population's inclination toward commerce rather than farming, he aimed to stimulate trade.
The other direction was to utilize the upcoming influx of prisoners of war, putting them to work clearing land to grow food and cash crops.
The potential for agricultural development here was immense, and Li Zhi was confident that he could double the grain yield of the entire Lingnan Circuit within a few years.
Li Zhi spent several days touring all the surrounding districts.
He then purchased a vast tract of wasteland just outside the city of Guangzhou.
He intended to replicate an industrial park here, establishing workshops for cement, building materials, glass, and cosmetics.

The Indian merchant he had previously contacted still had not managed to find rubber trees.
Therefore, he needed to re-establish contact with the Indian merchants here and enlist more people to help him search.
He also bought a piece of land near the bustling district, planning to build a Prince Jin Pavilion there as well.
As the steel mills across the country gradually completed their upgrades and renovations, Tang's iron and steel could now be supplied in large quantities to the common people.
Thus, Li Zhi no longer had to worry about a lack of materials.

He hired a large number of artisans to help him build the industrial park and the tavern.
The personnel sent by the Directorate of Palace Buildings were put to work manufacturing various required equipment.
Another half month later, the first batch of nearly thirty thousand prisoners of war was finally escorted in.
Li Zhi immediately deployed over ten thousand troops stationed in Guangzhou to oversee them in clearing the land.
He did not rashly lead the people into the uninhabited wilderness.
Instead, he started from the wasteland just outside Guangzhou and gradually reclaimed land outward step by step.

With the officials from the Ministry of Agriculture on site, the land suitable for reclamation had long been demarcated.
These prisoners only needed to follow instructions to cut down trees, clear weeds, and level the ground.
While Li Zhi was busy there, the Prince Jin Pavilion in Chang'an finally officially opened for business.
On the opening day, Fang Xuanling and a crowd of other high-ranking ministers proactively came to show their support.
As soon as they stepped into the Prince Jin Pavilion, they were immediately struck by the luxurious decor.

The floor of the first floor was paved with light-colored marble, and the pristine white walls were tiled to a height of nearly a man's stature.
Exquisite paintings were fired onto the tiles with lifelike vividness.
Exquisite glazed lanterns hung from the walls and ceiling.
Rectangular tables made of solid wood were neatly arranged along both sides of the main aisle.
Each table was equipped with four chairs.

This floor did not reserve any private rooms; all the private rooms were located on the second and third floors.
Pei Mingli personally led Fang Xuanling and the others on a tour of the second floor.
There were over twenty private rooms here, each featuring a different decorative style.
Some were antique and elegant, while others were neat and bright.
The tables and chairs in the private rooms were standard for ten people, and each table featured a rotatable glass tray.
Most importantly, every private room had been given a distinct name.

Upon reaching the third floor, the space suddenly seemed much more open.
Aside from four massive private rooms, there were no other facilities.
Each of these four private rooms contained a huge round table large enough to accommodate twenty people.
Pei Mingli invited everyone to take their seats in the northernmost private room.
Then, he gently pulled a cord hanging in the corner of the room.

Before anyone could ask, Pei Mingli explained, "The other end of this cord is connected to the back kitchen. As long as it is gently pulled, the kitchen will begin preparing the dishes."
Fang Xuanling laughed and said, "This must have been His Highness Prince Jin's idea; only he could come up with so many wondrous and whimsical notions."
Wang Gui remarked, "I wonder how His Highness Prince Jin is faring down in Lingnan?"
Changsun Wuji stated, "A family letter arrived two days ago. According to the Empress, things are going quite well, though one cannot be certain if it is true or false."

Dai Zhou said, "The environment in Lingnan is so harsh that everyone turns pale at the mention of it. I suppose His Highness is merely reluctant to let his family worry."
Duan Lun offered, "Perhaps I should recruit a few more artisans and send them over; it might at least offer some assistance."
Zhang Ru also chimed in, "The Ministry of Agriculture can also dispatch some additional personnel."
Yan Lide spoke up, "You all need not worry. My mentor refused additional personnel from me long ago, so I assume he already has his own well-laid plans."

Pei Feishu said, "I wanted to send people to lend a hand, but His Highness declined as well."
Fang Xuanling noted, "His Highness has always known how to plan ahead in everything he does; I imagine he is already fully confident."
Just as everyone was talking, they suddenly heard two light knocks on the door.
Pei Mingli announced, "The dishes have arrived. You gentlemen might as well eat and chat."
With that, he reached out and pushed open the door to the room.