After reading the letter, Lin Yi felt that everything was going smoothly and was in high spirits, so she settled down to wait for the arrival of the Northern Frontier prisoners. It was worth mentioning that during this time, Xiao Zhu's sand cement experiment had achieved initial success. In fact, making cement and paving roads didn't take much time, but since it was the first attempt on sandy ground, to prevent cracking, Xiao Zhu repeatedly adjusted the mix ratio and spent nearly ten days having people repeatedly compact the sand base in a small area before laying cement and continuing to compact it layer by layer. Afterward, to allow the lime to fully carbonate and the volcanic ash to react slowly, a long period of curing was carried out, and only now was it considered "initial success."
Lin Yi went with Song Lin to inspect the test area. The cement surface was flat and solid, and Song Lin had to admit that this method was feasible. Lin Yi told him that the hardening reaction of cement could last for months, and the longer it aged, the higher its strength, which drew repeated praise from Song Lin, who declared that they must build such a main logistical road in the Northern Frontier.
A few days later, the Northern Frontier prisoners mentioned in Gu Fang's letter finally arrived, totaling over three thousand people. Lin Yi and Song Lin handled the handover with Pan Chongyi, who was responsible for the escort. Afterward, Lin Yi looked out and saw a sea of heads, many of them in tattered clothes and covered in dust, their hygiene condition truly worrisome.
She was slightly startled and quietly asked Pan Chongyi, "Brother Pan, why are some of these people listless and not in good hygiene?"
Pan Chongyi glanced over and said nonchalantly, "Oh, most of them are slaves from various tribes. After our army recaptured Gaoque and continued north, we swept through several scattered settlements along the way. Apart from nobles and commoners in the Northern Frontier tribes, the rest are slaves. But their slave population isn't large; those you see might also include commoners. They're not really that dirty—just travel-worn. They'll be clean after a wash."
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