I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

Qi Shan arrived at the blacksmith's shop.

When he lifted the curtain and went in, the old blacksmith was hammering a red-hot iron blank, sparks flying everywhere.

The old man looked up and saw it was him; his face was full of surprise.

"Oh my! Officer Qi! What brings you here?"

The old blacksmith wiped his hands haphazardly on his apron, then looked overjoyed.

He circled around Qishan, then quickly moved stools and poured tea, not caring that the tea had spilled all over the table.

"Officer Qi, you're a true hero of Qingyang County now! I've lived for fifty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a hero like you! You single-handedly beheaded that corrupt official Li Long and killed so many bandits, tsk tsk tsk..."

"If you need any work in the future, just let me know! I, Old Zhang, will never hesitate! No money! Not a single penny!"

Qi Shan laughed and said, "Uncle Li, what great hero? Don't flatter me. I was just protecting myself."

Li the blacksmith said, "Captain Qi, please don't be modest. Is there anything you need to have made today?"

Qi Shan took out the blueprints from his pocket and handed them to Li the blacksmith, saying, "Uncle Li, take a look at this."

Li the blacksmith looked down at the blueprints and his face showed shock.

He grabbed the blueprints and brought them close to the fire, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"What...what is this thing?"

The drawing shows an iron pipe with a spring mechanism and a firing device inside; the structure is frighteningly precise.

"You'll find out later whether this thing can be made or not."

The old man gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh.

"I can do it! I'll do whatever it takes to get this done for you, Officer Qi! But this job is too delicate. Just turning that iron pipe will take a lot of work, and the spring mechanism is even more troublesome. I'll have to try turning one spring more than ten times..."

"Let's make five first, how many days?"

"It should take at least three days!"

Qi Shan took out some silver from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Alright! Come pick it up in three days! If I can't finish it, I won't charge you a penny!"

"Thank you for your help, Uncle Li."

After finishing his sentence, Qi Shan turned and left the blacksmith shop.

As I came out of the blacksmith's shop, there were already people waiting on the street.

A tall, thin constable ran over, panting, and bowed, saying that County Lieutenant Chen wanted him to return to the county office immediately.

Is the county magistrate looking for me again?

Li Long's troubles have just been resolved, but are there new ones already?

Thinking about it won't get you anywhere; let's go and hear what they have to say first.

When Qi Shan arrived at the county government office, Chen Chong was pacing around the entrance of the second hall. As soon as he saw Qi Shan arrive, he went up and put his arm around Qi Shan's shoulder.

"Brother, you've finally arrived!"

"I've been a county lieutenant for three years, and the number of times the county magistrate has summoned me for a private talk can be counted on one hand! And you, after only a few days, the magistrate has already specifically requested to speak with you again!"

He patted Qi Shan's shoulder hard, his tone full of envy.

"We've been through thick and thin together. If you ever become successful, don't forget to pull some strings for me!"

Qi Shan glanced at him and laughed, "Brother, you're being too polite."

Chen Chong chuckled and, without saying anything more, led him toward the main hall.

As they approached the lobby entrance, they bowed and retreated into the corridor.

In the main hall and a side hall, Zhao Bingkun was standing in front of a large hanging scroll.

It was a topographical map of the northern border, the parchment yellowed and the edges worn, with mountains, rivers, cities and passes marked on it in vermilion and ink.

Heading north from Qingyang County, the markings gradually thin out, eventually leaving only a few dotted lines with the words "nomadic land" written on them.

Zhao Bingkun was not wearing official robes, but a long blue cloth gown with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his finger pointing directly at the location of Qingyang County.

"Officer Qi is here? Have a seat!"

He turned around, a smile on his face, and was even more delighted to see Qi Shan.

"I've been busy settling the refugees these past few days and haven't had a chance to talk to you in detail. I called you here today to hear your thoughts."

Qi Shan was taken aback.

Should we hear his thoughts?

What ideas could they possibly have?

"Your Excellency is too kind. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, and I will answer them accordingly."

Zhao Bingkun quickly pulled Qi Shan to sit down.

Zhao Bingkun walked back to the wall chart and drew a circle with his finger around the northern part of the border.

"You've been walking around the county town these past few days, so you should have seen it all. There are refugee shelters set up for almost two miles outside the town, housing at least three or four thousand people."

He paused, his voice turning somber.

"These people are border residents scattered by the Tatar cavalry. Their villages were burned down and their land was abandoned. It's a miracle they survived to reach Qingyang. But the little grain we have in our county granary won't last more than a month."

He turned around and looked at Qi Shan.

"You're a local, so I don't need to tell you about the hardships here. The imperial court is very strict when it comes to collecting taxes, but when the Tartars come, the court can't send any troops. It's just that the county government has to hold the line. You probably know better than I do how many people have died in the various prefectures and counties in the north over the years."

Qi Shan nodded; this was indeed the current situation.

Local county towns are in a difficult situation right now, and the situation is even more difficult for border areas.

Zhao Bingkun turned back to look at the wall chart, pointing his finger at the county boundary line.

"I have studied the classics for twenty years and served as a seventh-rank county magistrate for five years. I believe I have done right by the people of this region. However, I have less than a hundred soldiers at my disposal, and the granaries are almost empty. When I borrow grain from the gentry, they readily agree, but then they hoard the grain and wait for prices to rise."

He gave a wry smile.

"To put it bluntly, the imperial court is currently preoccupied with its own problems, and those bigwigs in the capital are busy fighting for their seats. Who cares about the lives of us from these small border counties?"

He turned around abruptly, stared at Qi Shan, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"But you're different."

Qi Shan looked up at him.

Zhao Bingkun walked back and sat down, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table.

"There's something about you that I rarely see in this officialdom—the youthful spirit, the indomitable will. You dared to face two hundred border soldiers alone without retreating; this isn't reckless courage, but courage born of inner strength."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"The biggest problem in Qingyang County right now is food. If the refugees don't have enough to eat, they will cause trouble, and trouble will lead to deaths. The gentry are hoarding grain and refusing to sell, causing grain prices to rise by 30% every day. If this continues, the county will fall into chaos on its own, even without the Tartars coming to attack."

He looked at Qi Shan and asked, word by word.

"Do you have any way to resolve this?"

Qi Shan remained silent for a while.

"Your Honor, I am a hunter by trade, I cannot conjure food out of thin air."

"But there are ways to prevent the gentry from hoarding grain."

Seeing that Qi Shan had a solution, Zhao Bingkun's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward: "Tell me quickly! What's your solution?"

"They hoard grain to drive up prices, and they know the county granaries are almost empty. If the county granaries had grain, the price wouldn't have risen. It's a very simple principle."

Zhao Bingkun smiled wryly: "But the county granary is out of grain."

Qi Shan said, "Who said that? The county magistrate is sitting in this position, and what he says is law."

"I will personally approach these wealthy households to request grain."

"happy!"

He stood up, walked around the hall twice, and then suddenly stopped.

"Qi Shan, there's a vacant position for a county magistrate. According to regulations, it should be appointed by the imperial court, but these are chaotic times, so we can act expediently. If you can handle the grain matter properly, I'll keep the position for you! You've already made outstanding contributions; I'll personally petition the court. What's a county magistrate position then?"