“General Qin is here.”

“Are we finally going to be settled today?”

“From now on, we’re citizens of the Qi Kingdom.”

“Being a Qi Kingdom citizen is good. At least we won’t have to worry about food like we did in the tribe.”

“Exactly, is there anything more important than just staying alive?”

The surrendered barbarians looked at Qin Fang and his men with hope in their eyes.

Since surrendering, they hadn’t been wandering aimlessly, but with the outbreak of influenza along the way, they constantly feared that Qin Fang might abandon them if they fell ill.

They had traveled for over a month, stayed in tents here for nearly two months, and finally, today, they would officially become Qi Kingdom citizens.

Qin Fang addressed them, “Everyone, follow the squad leader who registered you yesterday. Your identification documents have been prepared. From today onwards, you are citizens of the Qi Kingdom.”

“Long live the Qi Kingdom!”

“Long live the Qi Kingdom’s government!”

“Long live the Qi Kingdom’s emperor!”

Qin Fang observed the relieved and calm expressions on their faces and felt a sense of relief himself. “Alright, everyone, go on your way. If anything happens, you can reach out to the village chief or your town leader. If they don’t help, you can come to the county and find the magistrate. Remember, you are now citizens of the Qi Kingdom, and the kingdom will not let you down.”

“Thank you, General Qin.”

“General Qin, thank you for taking care of us along the way.”

“General Qin, we’re grateful to you.”

Moved by their gratitude, Qin Fang felt a unique emotion stirring in his heart.

He suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier, but it was a burden that now seemed more meaningful.

Once, he had been someone who simply struggled to survive.

Later, he had worked hard for money.

Now, however, he was driven by a sense of responsibility.

Qin Fang said, “No need to thank me. Line up, and the town leaders will step forward to lead their new Qi Kingdom citizens away.”

The eighteen town leaders responded, “Yes!” They quickly arranged themselves, and the town leader at the front, Town Leader Bai, stepped forward. “My name is Bai Baisen. Would the squad leader responsible for registering those assigned to my town please step forward?”

One squad leader emerged, leading his assigned 36 households. “Town Leader Bai, that would be me.”

Town Leader Bai replied pleasantly, “Then if this squad leader wouldn’t mind, please accompany us as we arrange their settlement?”

The squad leader responded, “Of course. Everyone, gather your belongings and follow me.”

The squad leader, a team leader appointed by Qin Fang, led his ten-man squad and escorted the 36 new Qi Kingdom citizens as they followed Town Leader Bai.

One by one, the other town leaders also stepped forward, each leading their new Qi Kingdom citizens away.

Once the 3,000 new citizens had departed, the area outside the county suddenly felt empty.

Only Qin Fang, Magistrate Yang, and the 200 soldiers under Qin Fang’s command remained.

Qin Fang turned to Magistrate Yang and said, “Magistrate Yang, we will be establishing a military camp here in Yunxiang County, and we will take over the management of the city walls. Do you have any other concerns?”

Magistrate Yang quickly replied, “None at all. I’ll leave everything to General Qin’s arrangement.”

His county office was not responsible for guarding the walls, so he was more than happy to hand that duty over to Qin Fang.

Qin Fang nodded, “That’s good.”

Magistrate Yang continued, “If there’s anything the county office can assist with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Qin Fang didn’t hold back, “There is indeed something I need help with, or rather, something I need your assistance with. We plan to recruit 1,000 soldiers for the city’s defenses. We already have 500 men, so we need to select another 500. Please issue a recruitment notice under the county office’s name. Those selected will receive a monthly stipend of 100 wen, with food provided by the military camp. We’re looking for men aged fifteen to forty who are in good health.”

In the Kingdom of Qi, boys at the age of fifteen bind their hair and are considered young men, while they officially become adults at twenty through the capping ceremony.

Therefore, Qin Fang required the soldiers he selected to be over fifteen years old, excluding those younger than fifteen, who were still considered boys.

Boys between the ages of thirteen and fifteen were in their “Wushou” years, which specifically referred to the age of boys.

County Magistrate Yang responded, “Understood. I’ll immediately issue an announcement.” The offer of a monthly wage of 100 wen (a coin) with food provided was great news for the people of Yunxiang County.

After all, this wasn’t about going off to fight in the borderlands; it was about joining a local militia, which posed little danger except during the occasional winter disaster.

But even without recruiting soldiers, they would still face those disasters.

And this year, with a city defense general present, the situation was different.

Qin Fang had done the math.

He had over ten thousand taels of silver in military funds, and the soldiers’ food supply was secured by a thousand acres of land.

He didn’t need to worry.

With a force of a thousand soldiers, paying each one 100 wen a month required a modest 100 taels of silver per month, or 1,200 taels a year.

His current funds would be enough to cover salaries for ten years.

Moreover, the imperial court would allocate military funds annually, so even in the worst-case scenario, he didn’t need to worry for at least ten to fifteen years.

However, Qin Fang wasn’t naïve.

As a military officer, he was under the authority of the Ministry of War, whose head was Du Ke.

If he wanted to secure military funds and ensure the well-being of his soldiers, he needed to curry favor with Du Ke.

As for whether the Ministry of Finance would allocate money, Qin Fang wasn’t concerned—that was Du’s responsibility.

So Qin Fang decided he needed to keep Du Ke informed of all matters, big or small, related to the situation here.

Du Ke had no idea that he was about to become involved in these affairs.

In fact, Qin Fang wasn’t pestering Du Ke.

He knew his situation well.

Without any powerful background, connections, or resources, he was officially in charge here, but if something went wrong, he would bear full responsibility.

Being a cautious man, Qin Fang naturally wanted to cover his bases.

Du Ke was his safety net.

By keeping Du Ke fully informed, Qin could ensure that, if anything went wrong, the responsibility wouldn’t solely fall on him.

He had already reported everything to the Vice Minister of War.

After some thought, Qin Fang added, “Recruiting soldiers is one matter. The second is repairing the city walls. Your county office should start preparing the necessary materials. Also, we need supplies for building the military camp. Do you have any recommendations for its location, Magistrate Yang?”

“This…” Magistrate Yang hesitated, “Does the General have a place in mind?”

Qin Fang replied, “The eastern suburbs. I’ve heard that many wild animals live in the mountains to the southeast. Every winter, when food is scarce, they come down to hunt. As the city’s defense general, it’s my responsibility to protect the people. Building the camp in the eastern suburbs will allow us to respond quickly to any movement from the wild animals.”

Magistrate Yang was deeply moved, “On behalf of the people of Yunxiang County, I thank you, General.”

Qin Fang waved it off, “No need, it’s just my duty.”

In the following days, Magistrate Yang, along with his yamen officers, and Qin Fang, with his soldiers, were kept extremely busy.

Repairing the city walls, building the camp, and recruiting soldiers—all these tasks required time and effort.

During this hectic period, Yang Haiyan finally awaited the return of Kun Shi and Niu Da.

Kun Shi and Niu Da had hired a transport team to bring back the fruit trees from their two-acre orchard.

Of the trees, 80% survived—about 80 apple trees and 80 pear trees. With each wagon able to carry 20 trees, they had hired eight wagons for the job.

The soldiers working on the city walls were surprised when they saw the fully loaded wagons of fruit trees arriving.

At first, from a distance, they were cautious, unsure of who was coming.

But once they recognized Kun Shi and Niu Da at the front, they waved and greeted them.

Tao Shan, who was now Qin Fang’s personal bodyguard, was overseeing the wall repairs.

Upon seeing Kun Shi return, he happily ran over. “Captain, you’re finally back!”

Kun Shi responded, “Yes, finally back. How’s everything been here? Looks like the surrendered barbarians have all been settled?”

Tao Shan nodded, “Yes, they’ve been settled. The General said they are now new citizens of Qi, just like us. They’re no longer barbarians.”

Kun Shi agreed, “Yes, yes, they’re citizens of Qi now. Are you repairing the walls?”

Tao Shan explained, “I’m leading the yamen officers and the private guards in fixing the walls. The General is with the soldiers building the camp. We currently have 700 soldiers. We brought 200 from the Yongzhou camp, recruited 300 from the new citizens, and we’ve recruited another 300 here in the last few days. Once we get 200 more, we’ll have our full 1,000 soldiers. Oh, by the way, Captain, we now have 30 people at the General’s residence.”

Niu Da led the workers to the General’s residence, while Kun Shi continued chatting with Tao Shan to catch up on the recent developments.

After getting up to speed, Kun Shi said, “I’ll head to the camp to report to the General.”

Tao Shan replied, “Alright.”

Eastern Suburbs

It took less than a cup of tea’s time on horseback to travel from the county gates to the eastern suburbs.

Seeing the nearly completed camp, Kun Shi was deeply moved.

“General!” Upon spotting Qin Fang, Kun Shi dismounted and called out loudly.

With 800 soldiers building the camp, the work was progressing quickly.

Whether it was clay, stones, or wood, everything they needed was ready on the same day.

The first priority was building the watchtowers, followed by the soldiers’ barracks, mess hall, training grounds, and the surrounding walls.

Kun Shi noticed that the four watchtowers—north, south, east, and west—were already built, and soldiers were standing guard.

Not only that, but the soldiers’ barracks were also completed.

With the county office’s support and the soldiers’ efforts, things were getting done much more efficiently.

Kun Shi approached Qin Fang, his tired and dusty face showing a hint of renewed energy. “General.”

Qin Fang acknowledged him, “You’re finally back. From now on, you’ll be in charge of all the private guards and sentries at the General’s residence.”

Kun Shi straightened up and replied, “Rest assured, General. I won’t let you down.”