Chapter 372: The Fifteenth Day in the Struggle for Supremacy World

Chapter 372: Day Fifteen in a Hegemony-Building Novel

Grain yields climbed steadily, estate income rose, and tenants and farmers had more grain left over—their lives were visibly better.

Meanwhile, An Yi's grip on Tongzhou's lifelines—the copper mines and several iron deposits—grew even tighter.

Salt was just as crucial.

Though Tongzhou wasn't coastal, it had underground brine.

An Yi remembered the method of digging deep wells to extract brine and make salt, and "coincidentally" located a rich brine deposit somewhere in Yangyi Commandery.

So salt wells were quietly dug, and high-quality well salt began production, turning into another key source of income.

On the military front, An Yi's personal forces kept growing quietly.

Backed by deep pockets and the top-notch gear rolling out of his workshops, his elite troops had quietly expanded from five thousand to thirty-five thousand men.

This army trained hard under a new code An Yi created, mixing modern military ideas with ancient realities.

Orders were obeyed without question; formation drills, physical conditioning, weapon combat, and small-unit coordination all followed a clear playbook.

Since An Yi made sure they ate well, they had no gripes.

Over the past two-plus years, An Yi had repeatedly led squads of his best men in disguise, assisting the authorities or even going on the offensive, wiping out several big gangs of mountain bandits and outlaws that had drifted into Tongzhou—protecting the region and its people, winning praise from officials and regular folks alike.

Leveraging these achievements, combined with the smart political moves of An Zheng and An Xiu, who remained in Yuncang on the An family's behalf, and because the court needed a new balance in its power games, the imperial government did something unprecedented: they named An Yi, just eighteen, as Grand Administrator of Yangyi Commandery!

An eighteen-year-old commandery governor was almost unheard of anywhere in the realm, and the appointment turned heads across the country.

Yet after taking office, An Yi kept a low profile.

Coupled with his previously cultivated image as a "gentle scholar" and his rep for military chops in suppressing banditry, he quickly solidified his position—commandery affairs ran smoothly, and the people loved him.

At least on the surface, this young Administrator An appeared beyond reproach, aside from being super young and from a distinguished family.

As for the deeply entrenched local bigwigs, rival families, and stubborn powers in Tongzhou who might have obstructed An Yi or coveted his influence... over the past two years, most had encountered various "accidents" and "troubles."

Scandals, backstabbing, switching sides, falling-outs, sudden sickness, early deaths...

With enough interest and power, dividing and co-opting such people was a piece of cake.

If they remained stubborn and showed obvious dirt and danger, then a succession of "accidents" would follow until their power crumbled and they caved in.

By the time others noticed, hardly any real power players remained within Tongzhou.

Comments section:

"I just love reading this! Two hundred-plus chapters of infrastructure-building content, and I'm loving every bit—though it seems from the author's hints that fighting is about to start, so the detailed infrastructure writing will be wrapped up."

"Economic base determines the superstructure—An Yi gets this completely!"

"Plows, water wheels, copper and iron mines, and salt! These are all strategic resources! A time traveler's must-haves! I keep thinking An Yi seems more like a transmigrator than the MC. And I've noticed his methods for economic and political development, plus his approach to people's daily lives, education, and team-building... they're just so ahead of their time! How can a local be this advanced?"

"Exactly! I've brought this up more than once—is he also a transmigrator? But the author hasn't written it that way! A plot hole?"

"Hilarious! The male lead's shocked, floored expression is killing me! Every time he wants to show off, he discovers his Lord has already got it covered!"

"Not just him—look at the people under An Yi, whether strategists or generals, aren't they all totally loyal?"

"No choice. I said it before: falling for An Yi is as easy as breathing!"

"The MC... ugh..."

"Sorry, but I like An Yi!"

"How can this be? Is the MC really meant to end up in the harem as the empress? No! No! No!"

"What's wrong with that? It's An Yi! Being An Yi's empress means climbing into his bed! Hugs and kisses too! Damn! That's freaking amazing!"

"??? Are you guys really straight?"

"A real straight guy would have bailed the moment the MC was confirmed gay. Those still here are either deep in the closet, gay, bisexual, or female readers who came because of this novel's fame—like me. I'm a gay guy who checked this out because of the hype, and I like An Yi, hehe~"

"Eww eww eww—don't lump us in with that, person above!!"

"Exactly!"

"Get lost!"

"Eww-guy, you're still here? What's in it for you?"

"Eww—I'm just here for the story!"

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"..."

An Yi blinked.

He really was a time traveler.

----------

On an early summer afternoon, out in the fields of Yangyi Commandery.

Two dark-skinned old farmers in straw hats crouched on a field edge resting, their empty water jugs beside them.

The rice in the fields was thriving—a lush green expanse rippling in the breeze.

"Old Yang, this year your field here—could it yield another dou more per mu?" asked the slightly younger farmer, wiping his neck with a sweat cloth, eyeing his neighbor's land with envy.

The man called Old Yang grinned, revealing a gap where a front tooth had been, his eyes full of satisfaction: "Thanks to Administrator An! With the new plow and that water wheel, it saves effort, and the land just works better. He even taught us what to plant and how to fertilize. Last year we already harvested more, and looking at these seedlings this year, it'll be even better!"

"Right!" the younger farmer agreed. "Before, who'd have dared dream of this? Rents were so heavy, we ate once a day, and if the harvest was bad we'd have to sell our children. Ever since Administrator An came, he cut our taxes, built irrigation canals, and taught us new farming methods... life finally has some hope."

"More than hope!" another middle-aged tenant farmer resting nearby chimed in. "The steward on our estate said these new tools and methods started with Administrator An—well, back then he was still Young Master An—starting on his own family's land. He tested the methods himself first, and only taught us once they worked. An official like this—how many generations would you have to wait to meet one?"

"I heard Administrator An personally came to our village the other day to check on the canal construction, asking if any local bureaucrats were bullying us and whether we had enough to eat." Old Yang lowered his voice, with reverence: "His presence, his looks—like a god from a painting—but no arrogance at all. He spoke so nicely. In all my years, I've never seen an official like him."

His wife chuckled: "You've seen paintings? And other high officials?"

Old Yang pursed his lips: "He's gotta be just like that!"

"Exactly! The world outside is in chaos, people can barely survive, but here in Tongzhou, in our Yangyi Commandery, it's stable. So many refugees have come—as long as they're willing to farm and work, the authorities even grant them unused land and lend them seed," the younger farmer said.

"That too is Administrator An's benevolence," the middle-aged tenant farmer said, nodding.

The farmers chatted on, their words filled with appreciation for their current lives and deep thanks and loyalty for Administrator An.

They might not understand the big picture stuff, but they could really feel that over these two years, the sky above seemed a bit clearer, the burdens on their shoulders a bit lighter, and the rice in their bowls a bit thicker.