In the blink of an eye, the fifteen-day deadline given by the court had arrived.

The leaders of the two tribes gathered with eighteen thousand of their people at the Yongzhou military camp, waiting for arrangements from the Qi Kingdom court.

Qin Fang had been assigned three thousand people, while Yunxiang County had eight towns, with the larger towns containing over ten villages, and the smaller ones having seven or eight villages.

Thus, there was indeed enough space to settle three thousand people.

Qin Fang looked at the large crowd and shouted, “Everyone, assemble!”

Captain Yang and Captain Lu led one hundred soldiers each, managing the fifteen hundred tribesmen assigned under them. “Everyone, gather!”

The three thousand tribesmen stood up.

Qin Fang watched them align and then said, “Starting today, you are all citizens of the Qi Kingdom. It takes about half a month to walk from Yongzhou to Renzhou. During this half month, if you have any issues, you can reach out to Captain Yang or Captain Lu. At this time, I’d like those among you who have served as soldiers to step forward.”

The tribesmen didn’t understand Qin Fang’s intention, but they still complied.

Out of the three thousand people, three hundred were soldiers who had previously been in the tribesmen’s military camps.

Qin Fang looked at the numbers and said, “You will split into two teams; one team will be managed by Captain Yang and the other by Captain Lu. Along this journey, you will share the responsibility of protecting the others, understood?”

“Yes!”

Qin Fang nodded in satisfaction and looked at Captain Yang and Lu, “You have fifteen minutes to arrange these one hundred fifty soldiers. We will depart in fifteen minutes.”

Captain Yang and Lu replied, “Understood.”

Then the two discussed the arrangement of the teams.

The setup was quite simple: the ordinary people would walk in the middle while the soldiers flanked both sides and the rear to provide protection.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone gathered and prepared to set off.

The more than three thousand people formed a relatively orderly line as they departed from the Yongzhou military camp and arrived at the entrance of the family housing in the town.

Many carts and donkeys were parked at the entrance, including three horse carts and one donkey cart belonging to the Qin family, one donkey cart from Captain Yang’s family, and another from Captain Lu’s family.

Both families had a lot to pack, and with the men getting promoted, they had each bought a donkey cart.

The Qin family had quite a few belongings: chickens, ducks, and a bountiful harvest of crops, including sweet potatoes and potatoes planted in the second half of last year.

Besides that, they had furniture and even the families of the personal guards, along with Niu Da’s family.

Except for Niu Da’s two sons who stayed behind to look after the estate, Niu Da was going to Yunxiang County to buy land.

Moreover, Yang Haiyan had disassembled all her furniture, such as the bed boards, to take with her; otherwise, it would be too troublesome to order new ones at the new place.

Fortunately, there were enough people to help for this trip to Yunxiang County.

Qin Fang looked at the womenfolk.

The three families together had a considerable number of people.

Yang Haiyan saw Qin Fang riding over and, once he was close, couldn’t help but say, “So many people.”

Qin Fang replied, “Yes, quite a few. But because we have so many, the journey will surely be safe.”

He added, “Even if we take the back roads, the bandits would be afraid to rob three thousand people. Even if ninety percent are ordinary folks, the sheer number of ordinary people is still significant.”

He then asked, “Are you all set?”

Yang Haiyan nodded, “We’re ready. Are we set to go?”

Qin Fang said, “Yes, we are ready to depart. Do we have enough supplies for the journey? We will travel by day and rest at night.”

Yang Haiyan responded, “We have a lot of food. The journey from here to Yunxiang County will take half a month. The three thousand people cannot stop in other counties or villages along the way. Therefore, I think we can prepare food for everyone every night, charging us at the regular market price. What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Qin Fang agreed wholeheartedly.

Having warm food was certainly better than dry rations.

He said, “Wait a moment; I’ll ask everyone.”

Qin Fang walked to the front of the team and addressed the more than three thousand people, “Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me.”

The crowd, which had been chatting, immediately fell silent and turned their attention to Qin Fang.

Qin Fang said, “Here’s the thing: our journey to Yunxiang County will take half a month. We’re taking the most direct route, traveling during the day and resting at night. Those who can, may cook their meals while resting; those who cannot need to prepare their own dry rations.

However, considering the limited conditions, my wife has come up with a solution.

She has brought enough food, and every evening when we stop to rest, she will have people cook meals for us, which everyone can buy at regular prices.

Rest assured, she won’t make any profit from selling these meals, so you don’t need to worry about spending too much money along the way.”

Hearing Qin Fang’s words, more than two-thirds of the people were pleased.

If they could eat something warm at regular prices, who would want to eat dry rations?

Qin Fang continued, “My wife has only suggested this method; whether to buy or not depends on everyone. Now, let’s prepare to set off. I’ll lead, Kun Shi, you bring the family at the back, and the local residents will be last. Everyone, get ready to depart.”

“Get ready, set off.”

Qin Fang led the group out, and the family home became increasingly distant.

It wasn’t yet noon when they crossed the county town and reached the outskirts.

Qin Fang stopped to let everyone rest and gave them fifteen minutes to have lunch.

Since they had just set off today, the food everyone had prepared was quite good, including buns and steamed bread.

Even the two hundred soldiers were eating steamed bread, which they had picked up from the mess hall that morning.

Qin Fang approached the cart and asked, “Yanyan, what are we having for lunch?”

Yang Haiyan came out from the cart, followed by Grandma Lian, Qin Siya, and Qin Shoucheng.

Grandma Lian then brought over a small table and four small stools, setting them up beside the cart. “Madam, it’s ready.”

Yang Haiyan said, “Everyone sit down. Today we’re having cold mixed noodles; you should try it.”

Qin Fang replied, “Cold mixed noodles? I’ve never had that before.”

Yang Haiyan explained, “Back home, Aunt Fan would prepare three meals a day for us. This time we’re traveling far, so I thought carefully about what food to prepare.”

It needed to be filling, easy to digest, and flavorful enough without spoiling.

So, cold mixed noodles were the best choice. “However, the noodles aren’t ready yet; we need to add pickled cabbage, tofu skin, and egg crepes.” Yang Haiyan added these ingredients separately. “Here, give it a try.”

Qin Siya was the first to taste it.

The cold mixed noodles had a tangy and spicy flavor and were indeed delicious.

Moreover, the tangy flavor wasn’t too strong, making it suitable even for those who didn’t eat spicy food.

Meanwhile, the Qin family servants and private guards were enjoying the delicious cold mixed noodles, which smelled fragrant and rich, with a strong aroma of pickled vegetables.

In contrast, everyone else was eating various dry rations while frequently glancing over at Qin Fang’s side.

Captain Yang was biting into the steamed bun prepared by Mrs. Yang, which had radish shreds inside, making it quite tasty.

However, his nose was drawn to the delicious smells coming from Qin Fang’s side.

He curiously asked, “What are the general’s people eating? It smells special.”

Mrs. Yang, knowing her husband well after years of marriage, replied, “Since I didn’t prepare much dry food, why not buy food from the general’s family on the way? We’d need to spend money on our own food anyway, so it’s more convenient to eat with the general’s family.”

Captain Yang smiled and said, “You run the house; I’ll listen to you.”

In comparison, the Lu family was even simpler.

Sister Lu, unaware that she could buy food from Yang Haiyan, learned about it and directly told Captain Lu, “Dear, I didn’t prepare any food; let’s spend some money to buy from the general’s family. My cooking can only fill our stomachs; it’s better to buy something tasty.”

Captain Lu responded, “I’ll follow your lead. But I’ve been eating your cooking for nearly ten years; I’m used to it.”

Mrs. Lu felt pleased with this remark. She knew her cooking wasn’t great, but being criticized by her husband would make her unhappy.

After finishing her meal quickly, Mrs. Lu stood up. “I’m going to talk to Mrs. Qin.”

Captain Lu replied, “Okay.”

Sister Lu went over to the Qin family’s side.

There were many people at the Qin family’s side—Qin Fang’s family of four, plus the servants, livestock, and private guards.

They were all eating cold mixed noodles purchased from Yang Haiyan, but just as she had said, they were at cost price, without any profit.

At this moment, everyone gathered together to eat, creating a lively atmosphere.

Seeing this, Sister Lu also felt the liveliness. “Mrs. Qin.”

Yang Haiyan, not very hungry, had only a small bowl, so she ate quickly.

When she saw Sister Lu coming, she stood up and said, “Sister Lu has arrived.”

Sister Lu smiled as she approached, feeling happy and warm.

Since Qin Fang had promoted her husband, she was grateful and moved, making her respect Yang Haiyan even more. “Mrs. Qin, I came to greet you. We would like to purchase some of your food; is that okay?”

Yang Haiyan, now a fifth-rank lady, was addressed as ‘madam’ in private. In larger settings, Sister Lu would call her ‘lady.’

Yang Haiyan told Aunt Fan, “Aunt Fan, write down that Sister Lu’s family has four members.”

Aunt Fan replied, “Yes, I understand.”

Sister Lu added, “Yes, yes, four members, but my husband has a big appetite, so we need a little more.”

Aunt Fan assured her, “Don’t worry, madam, I’ll prepare enough.”

Sister Lu, curious, asked, “Aunt Fan, what are we preparing for dinner?”

Aunt Fan teased her, “You’ll find out in the evening.”

Sister Lu didn’t press for more details. “I’ll go back now; if you need help in the evening, Aunt Fan, you must call me.”

Aunt Fan replied, “Okay.”

The fifteen minutes for eating passed quickly.

After the meal, Qin Fang said, “Everyone, get in line; we’ll continue on our way.”

Captain Yang and Captain Lu had already lined up ahead of time.

Upon hearing Qin Fang’s words, they said, “Everyone get ready to set off; line up and depart.”