The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

"My lord, my lord is back."

"Lord Baihu!"

Those present quickly noticed Jia Chen and began to call out to him.

"What's going on?" Jia Chen asked in a deep voice.

"My lord!" Upon seeing Jia Chen, the women immediately turned around and ran over, kneeling before him.

Wang Baisheng hurriedly came over and whispered to Jia Chen, "Sir, they want to stay at Qianshan Fort."

"Sir, we can also dig ditches, carry soil, and build walls..." a woman in front called out.

"How much strength do you women have to dig ditches?" someone immediately said.

"Exactly, they were all captured by those northern barbarians, they're filthy, leaving them behind will only bring us bad luck..."

His words made the kneeling women tremble and turn pale.

That was a tragic past they could never forget.

Being brought up is like having a wound reopened, causing unbearable pain.

"Shut up!" If it was just because he thought the other person was a woman and was weak, then Jia Chen couldn't really say anything.

But Jia Chen couldn't tolerate bringing up the tragic experiences of these women.

Is this their fault?

It was the incompetence of the border troops that prevented them from resisting the foreign enemy, allowing their own sisters to suffer such humiliation.

"As men, it is our duty to protect our wives, children, elders, and fellow villagers. But when the northern barbarians invaded and plundered, how many of us stood up?" Jia Chen coldly swept his gaze across the crowd. "What wrong did they do? The wrong lies with the incompetence and cowardice of the border soldiers who were men..."

Jia Chen gave him a severe dressing down.

The women's eyes were red, and many of them even cried out loud.

Jia Chen understood their situation.

Although they were rescued by themselves, the fact that they had been violated by the Northern barbarians made it difficult for them to live as they used to.

He had this concern before, but at that time, he didn't know how to better accommodate them.

Of the women who returned at that time, apart from a few who were taken back by their families or parents, most were left unattended.

Some of them had parents or relatives who were unwilling to take them back, while others had all their family members killed by the Northern barbarians and had nowhere else to go.

They spent their time near Victory Castle, where they were shunned by everyone.

Later, they happened to hear that Qianshanbao was recruiting people to build fortified villages, so they came here with a glimmer of hope.

"If revenge is to be taken, it should be against the northern barbarians, not by stabbing our own sisters in the back," Jia Chen snorted. "I won't pursue the matter from before, but if I hear such insults again, I will not let it go easily!"

Many people lowered their heads.

Because most people present had this thought, even if they didn't verbally insult anyone.

Wang Baisheng's face flushed red, and finally he stepped forward and said, "Sir, I admit my mistake!"

After saying that, he slapped himself hard several times, knelt down in front of the women and said, "I have offended you a lot before. If you are not satisfied, you are welcome to beat me up to vent your anger."

Wang Baisheng was definitely one of the more troublemakers. This time, seeing that Jia Chen was truly enraged, he readily came out and confessed.

Jia Chen nodded inwardly. Wang Baisheng was often reckless in his actions, but he was also a man who dared to take responsibility for his actions.

Following Wang Baisheng's example, some other people also stepped forward to apologize and ask these women for forgiveness.

These women naturally wouldn't beat them up; instead, they cried even louder.

The grievances and sorrows in one's heart need to be released.

It took them a while to calm down.

"Sir, we really can. What they can do, we can do too," the woman said again after composing herself.

"Your name is Huang Xiuer?" Jia Chen recognized her and had a deep impression of her.

When they were rescuing people, she was the first to shout for her sisters to run away. With her taking the lead, the other women dared to rush towards the front hill.

"Yes, sir," Huang Xiuren replied in a low voice.

Huang Xiuer is not yet twenty years old and has a pretty face.

Jia Chen wasn't attracted to her looks, but rather felt that Huang Xiuer was the backbone of these women.

"Get up, all of you," Jia Chen said.

"Please take us in, sir, otherwise... otherwise we won't get up," Huang Xiuer said stubbornly.

"You woman, how dare you threaten an adult?" Wang Baisheng couldn't help but say.

He apologized just now, but that doesn't mean he approves of these women.

In his view, women can never compare to men.

Wang Baisheng's words caused the kneeling women's expressions to change, and many of them showed signs of fear.

If they offend Jia Chen, they'll have nowhere else to go.

Even Huang Xiuer realized that there was something wrong with what she had just said, and a look of panic flashed in her eyes.

"Get up. The fortress here isn't short of food for you right now," Jia Chen said with a slight smile. "However, you still have to do the work. I won't give you any special treatment just because you're women. We don't keep idle people here."

There were only thirty-three women in total, so Jia Chen wasn't worried that they would eat him out of house and home.

"Thank you, sir. We'll do any job as long as we can stay," Huang Xiuer said hurriedly, kowtowing.

The other women also kowtowed in gratitude.

"Old Sun, go get them something to eat," Jia Chen said to Sun Tiechong beside him.

Without saying a word, Sun Tiechong immediately prepared to call a few people to help.

However, Huang Xiuer stood up immediately and said, "Sir, we can manage to start a fire and cook."

Jia Chen smiled and let her take a few women and Sun Tiechong with her.

These women had been hungry for several days and were in poor mental condition; they needed to rest and recuperate for a few days.

However, Jia Chen still underestimated Huang Xiuer and her group.

After they finished eating, they volunteered to help dig the soil.

Only after Jia Chen insisted did Huang Xiuer and the others go back to rest.

Even so, the next day, Huang Xiuer and her daughters expressed their desire to participate in the construction of Qianshan Fort.

Seeing their resolute attitude and that they were in much better spirits after a day of rest, Jia Chen agreed.

There are still some differences between men and women, and it is normal for men to have an advantage in physical strength.

Moreover, not all of these women were as physically fit as Huang Xiuer, capable of doing heavy work.

Many women are weak and lack strength, and can't dig even a few times.

Therefore, Jia Chen made some assignments for them.

Most of the women were assigned to logistical work, such as cooking, or doing other auxiliary tasks.

Only 20 people are truly capable of heavy physical labor.

Huang Xiuer was appointed by Jia Chen as the leader of these women. Although they were not as fast as Wang Baisheng and his group in digging ditches and building walls, they were just as efficient in their work.

Women hold up half the sky; this is not just a saying.

Even in this era, women from ordinary families still had to go out and work in the fields.

Staying inside the main gate and never stepping outside is something only officials and wealthy families do.

There were over four hundred people before, but Jia Chen still felt that there weren't enough people. It would be good if Huang Xiuer and the others joined, so that Qianshan Fort could be built faster.

Who knows when the Chahar tribe will head south again?

On the fifth day after returning to Qianshan Fort, Liu Tianwang sent someone to inform Jia Chen that the food, firearms craftsmen, gunpowder, and some swords and weapons he needed would arrive in three days.

However, the iron that Jia Chen needs will probably have to come from Zhenqiang Fort.

Liu Tianwang said he had spoken to He Liding and asked Zhenqiangbao to provide Qianshanbao with 1,000 jin of wrought iron.

Jia Chen was a little disappointed; he wished Liu Tianwang had given him everything at once.

I didn't expect to leave such a loose end.

Jia Chen couldn't really say anything about this, as Liu Tianwang had his own difficulties.

Want to get a thousand catties of wrought iron from He Liding?

Jia Chen felt it would be very difficult. Even if He Liding gave orders, the other party would have various ways to delay or give less.

Just like the laborers they gave to their own people before, their numbers were pitifully small.

Jia Chen didn't even dare to think about whether he could get back half of the thousand-pound wrought iron.

However, we still need to go to He Liding to try and get as much wrought iron as possible.

This is crucial to his plan to defend the city.

Without hesitation, Jia Chen immediately went to Zhenqiang Fort to ask He Li for wrought iron.