With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Lin Ye stared at the image of the gargoyle's lair in his mind, but his heart remained calm.

He knew that he couldn't materialize it in the near future.

Nests are often born in desolate, uninhabited environments.

However, he is currently in Wubao, where the Sword Sect and the Lin family are stationed both inside and outside the fortified village. If he were to manifest here, it would surely arouse suspicion from others.

Moreover, there are already ant nests in the rotten soil within Xiang County, and according to the laws of this world, it is impossible for a second nest to naturally form in the same area.

The nest feeds on the energies in the air, thus taking shape.

Now, the spiritual energy of Xiang County has been continuously absorbed by the ant nests in the rotten soil, and the spiritual energy is so thin that it cannot support the birth of new nests.

If he were to reveal the stone statue ghost's lair in Xiang County, such an illogical situation would inevitably attract the attention and suspicion of those with ulterior motives, and he absolutely could not take that risk.

When the family's power is strong enough in the future, even if someone has doubts, it will be difficult to shake his position. But now, the time is not right.

Therefore, this gargoyle's lair must manifest elsewhere. But right now, he can't possibly go alone to the outskirts of Xiang County to complete the manifestation.

That would only arouse suspicion: Why did he leave the territory alone? And why did he happen to discover and manifest the nest while he was out? Such coincidences would only add unnecessary trouble.

After much deliberation, he could only patiently wait for a suitable opportunity, or, under the guise of patrolling the border and contacting neighboring countries, place his hideout in a remote and unnoticed place far from Xiang County, while ensuring that his actions were reasonable.

On this day, Lin Ye left Wubao and arrived at the spiritual plant field where he was about to harvest. There, two rotten soil ant servants were working hard. It was obvious that about one-sixth of the spiritual plants in this area, which were being cared for by the Dao soldiers, were thriving better.

According to Mother Li's calculations, the yield of this field will be one-third higher than before when it matures in two weeks. The entire territory can harvest 2000 catties of Jade Sprout Rice, which can supply the daily consumption of a small portion of the third-rate martial artists in the territory.

Just then, a member of the guard team ran up quickly to report that Prefect Cao had arrived at the county gate.

In fact, Lin Ye had already received the news a day earlier, when Cao Fucheng and his party entered Xiang County.

Now, the intelligence network headed by Sun Qian has spread throughout Xiang County, and no matter what happens, it will be difficult to escape his notice.

Lin Ye immediately instructed Lin Yi, the county magistrate, to go out of the city with the prefectural magistrate to meet the guests at Linjiawu Fort.

Before long, Lin Ye was already waiting in front of the gate of Wubao.

The former magistrate of Cao County, now the assistant prefect of Cao Prefecture, stepped down from his carriage. The two greeted each other with clasped hands and pleasantries. In their conversation, they inevitably mentioned the great battle a year ago in which the bandits were wiped out, thus closing the distance between them and warming the atmosphere.

Upon entering the hall, Lin Ye abandoned all formalities, cupped his hands, and said directly, "I didn't know that the Prefect had graced us with his presence today. What important matter brings you here? I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip in person."

Cao Fucheng said solemnly, “Your Excellency is too kind. It is the imperial court that has issued a conscription order, requiring Your Excellency to send men and labor from your territory.”

"A conscription order?" Lin Ye's heart tightened, and he asked in confusion, "Xiang County has just been granted a fiefdom. According to the court's custom, new territories should have a three-year grace period without conscription in order to recuperate and develop their strength. How could this be..."

"What you say is correct, Your Excellency," Cao Fucheng nodded.

"Usually, the conscription was mostly for the front lines to resist the Northern Xiongnu army, but this time is different."

According to reports from the imperial spies in Northern Hungary, there has been little rain in the region this summer, resulting in large areas of grassland drying up and large numbers of cattle and sheep dying.

To survive the harsh winter, the Northern Xiongnu will surely invade south again this autumn, plundering money and grain, and even seizing cities.

He paused, "To prevent the Northern Xiongnu spies and bandits within the territory of Gongchang Prefecture from taking advantage of the chaos to harass the grain transport routes to the border, or even to launch an uprising in collusion with the outside world."

The imperial court decided to conscript troops from the territories near Gongchang Prefecture to first clear out Gongchang Prefecture, both to ensure the safety of the grain supply lines and to allow the various lords to train their troops.

"Especially our Wuwei Prefecture, which had been at peace for a long time, was attacked and captured by the Northern Xiongnu five years ago."

Although the enemy was powerful at the time, it also exposed the shortcomings of our county's military strength, weak sense of crisis, and disorganized troops.

The county also intends to use this opportunity to allow each territory to hone its combat capabilities and prepare for any eventuality.

After listening, Lin Ye had already made up his mind, and immediately said loudly, "So that's how it is. Then it is my duty, Xiang County, to respond to the call, to severely curb the arrogance of the Northern Xiongnu, and to vent my anger for the grudge from six years ago!"

Cao Fucheng then took out a white Daoist soldier egg from his servant and said, "To facilitate future communication and training, I have also brought a communication Daoist soldier named Qingyu Messenger."

Lin Ye did not refuse. The territory was currently in dire need of a means of rapid communication, and the arrival of this communications soldier was timely.

He changed his mind and decided to hand it over to the Li family.

Li Shi had just broken through to the third rank two weeks ago, and was currently in Wubao, not participating in the front-line battles. This kind of dedicated messenger soldier was perfect for her, as it utilized her strengths without affecting the combat strength configuration.

"What are the requirements for this recruitment?" Lin Ye asked, leaning forward slightly.

Cao Fucheng remained serious and slowly replied, "At least ten third-rate martial artists, one hundred unranked martial artists, and there are no other strict requirements."

However, the number of personnel cannot be too small. It is possible that the area will be divided, with each lord responsible for a specific section. If there are insufficient personnel, the task may be difficult to complete. The imperial court will also formulate corresponding rewards and punishments based on this.

"Does the lord need to personally participate in the conscription?" Lin Ye followed up with another question.

"That's not mandatory," Cao Fucheng stroked his beard, a smile playing on his lips. "However, as far as I know, some lords will be going with the group."

After all, this kind of conscription isn't particularly dangerous. What, does Your Excellency also intend to go personally?

Lin Ye knew that in these kinds of war conscriptions, the imperial court generally would not force lords to participate in the war.

The reason is obvious: if a lord is killed on the front lines, his territory's stronghold is likely to be destroyed, and the entire territory will be abandoned. The losses are so great that no one dares to take such a risk.

Looking at the current situation in Gongchang Prefecture, six years have passed and the situation has deteriorated. However, no suitable stronghold has come to suppress it. Not only is production impossible, but a lot of effort has to be spent on defense.

Furthermore, forcing the lord to personally lead the expedition would inevitably provoke resistance.

The lord is of noble status and is like a local emperor in his territory. How can we let an "emperor" go to the battlefield?

The fate of a family is often tied to its nest and to its lord; it should not be easily placed in danger.

Lin Ye's thoughts raced, and after a moment he looked up, "I do want to participate. Firstly, I want to take this opportunity to get to know other lords so that we can exchange information in the future."

Secondly, Prefect Cao, as you know, my family and the Northern Xiongnu are sworn enemies. My father and grandfather both died at the hands of the Northern Xiongnu. I will personally avenge this hatred.

At this point, he paused slightly, secretly adding a third point in his mind: wasn't this the perfect opportunity to materialize the gargoyle's lair?

Being far from Xiang County makes it less likely to arouse suspicion when traveling. By simply using the excuse of traveling with the conscription team, they can legitimately place their hideout in a remote and unnoticed place.