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

As dawn broke, Qi Shan stepped out of his room, feeling as if he had slept soundly all night, and all the fatigue and killing intent accumulated from the days of battle had dissipated.

Last night's tenderness is more nourishing to the soul than any elixir.

He glanced at the backyard, where Jia Qinghan was squatting by the well, her little face puffed up with anger as she scrubbed a quilt, muttering to herself. Her embarrassed and annoyed appearance made Qi Shan smile.

Wait, something's not right?

What kind of blankets does she wash?

Could it be?

Qi Shan suddenly understood!

It seems that the commotion last night was indeed quite significant.

Just then, Meng Da's rough voice rang out from outside the courtyard: "Boss! Oh no, Commander! You're awake?"

"Come in, what are you yelling about?" Qi Shan said irritably.

Meng Da chuckled and ran in, his face beaming with excitement: "Sir, the warhorses and armor bestowed by General Yuan have all been put into storage, and the brothers are all eagerly waiting! When do we start training? Where will we train? We can't just keep doing it in that little open space in front of the county government office, can we?"

The series of questions hit the nail on the head.

Qi Shan frowned slightly.

Yeah, where do you practice?

He is now the commander of a separate unit of the Yuan Battalion, nominally in charge of the Qingyang garrison, with a force of one thousand men under his command.

In reality, as long as he could afford to support three or five thousand people, Yuan Tianlong wouldn't interfere.

In this chaotic world, military power is life itself.

But training requires a site, and stationing requires barracks. Every inch of land in Qingyang County is precious, and each family's residence and courtyard have long been clearly divided. Where is there an open space that can accommodate thousands of people?

We can't just station our troops outside the city; what's the difference between that and bandits?

Moreover, there isn't enough money.

The silver "borrowed" from the gentry, plus the spoils from bandit suppression, sounds like a lot. It could be used to forge weapons, distribute rations, and provide compensation for the wounded and the injured—each a bottomless pit.

If you want to recruit a truly strong army, the amount of money you have is just a drop in the bucket.

"It seems I still need to go and have a talk with Magistrate Zhao." Qi Shan had made up his mind.

"Meng Da, go and take stock of all our old brothers, register them, especially those who fought bravely in battle. List them separately; I have a great use for them."

"Alright!" Meng Da accepted the order and left.

Qi Shan changed into a clean set of casual clothes and strolled toward the county government office.

Along the way, people on the street would stop and bow when they saw him, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.

Today, in the eyes of the people of Qingyang County, Qishan is a living bodhisattva who slew the barbarian chieftain and protected the people's territory; he is a great hero who stands tall and upright.

Naturally, we respect them even more than before.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the county government office, Chen Chong, who was on duty, spotted him immediately and quickly came to greet him with a warm smile on his face.

"Brother Qi... Brother Qi!" he called out instinctively, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized it was inappropriate, so he quickly bowed and clasped his hands, correcting himself, "This humble officer greets Commander Qi!"

The address "Qi Qianhu" was formal, yet it perfectly conveyed the vast difference in their current status.

Qi Shan patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Brother Chen, there's no need to be so polite between us."

Chen Chong stubbornly shook his head, his back ramrod straight: "My lord, there is a proper order of rank, and propriety cannot be disregarded."

Qi Shan sighed helplessly.

This is the era.

He may not care, but others cannot.

His current status, every word and action, represents power and authority.

"Is the county magistrate here?"

"Yes, yes! The magistrate is handling official business in the back hall. I'll go and inform him right away!" Chen Chong said, turning to run away.

"No need, I can go in myself."

Qi Shan waved his hand, walked straight through the front hall, and headed towards the back office.

As soon as he stepped into the back courtyard, Zhao Bingkun, who was reviewing documents inside, heard the noise. He looked up and saw Qi Shan. He immediately put down his pen, stood up from his chair, and hurried out to greet him, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

"Brother Qi! You've finally arrived! I was just thinking of coming to your residence to find you today!" Zhao Bingkun warmly grabbed Qi Shan's arm and ushered him into the house.

"You're too kind, Your Excellency," Qi Shan said with a smile.

"Oh, what's with all this talk about adults and adults?" Zhao Bingkun waved his hand and personally poured Qi Shan a cup of hot tea. "There's no need for this between us. Sit down, please sit down."

This enthusiasm is different from when they joined forces to deal with the gentry at the banquet.

Back then, Zhao Bingkun relied more on external forces and cooperation, but now he adopts an attitude of near equality, even one that carries a hint of dependence.

Qi Shan didn't stand on ceremony and got straight to the point: "Your Excellency, I've come today to ask you for a favor."

"Speak freely!" Zhao Bingkun patted his chest. "As long as it's within this small area of ​​Qingyang County, and as long as it's within my power, I, Zhao, will do it without hesitation!"

"I want to find a piece of land in the city," Qi Shan said slowly, gazing at him. "A large enough piece of land to build a military camp, to house and train troops. At least... it needs to be able to accommodate three thousand people."

"Three thousand people?" Zhao Bingkun gasped.

He knew Qi Shan wanted to expand his army, but he didn't expect his appetite to be so great.

A military camp of three thousand men would take up almost one-tenth of the city's area!

He looked troubled and paced around the room. "Brother Qi, this...this is a bit difficult. There isn't that much vacant government land in the city, and it's not easy to forcibly seize private land either."

Qi Shan remained silent, simply watching him. He knew Zhao Bingkun would have a solution.

Sure enough, after pacing back and forth a few times, Zhao Bingkun suddenly clapped his hands, a glint of light flashing in his eyes!

"Got it!"

He strode up to Qi Shan, his expression excited, and said, "We don't have land in the city, but we can make it happen!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Bingkun pointed towards the north of the city, lowering his voice slightly: "Qingyang County's population is already saturated, and there are thousands of refugees stranded outside the city. It's time for expansion! Why don't we pull off a big one—expand Qingyang City!"

This suggestion surprised Qi Shan as well.

Zhao Bingkun grew increasingly excited as he spoke: "We'll extend the city walls to the north and west, enclosing a large area of ​​land. That way, you'll have a training ground for your troops, right? And..."

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Qi Shan: "Those three thousand refugees outside the city, instead of just giving them porridge every day and letting them eat away their savings, they'll eventually become a hidden danger. Why not use work-for-relief programs? Let them build the new city wall, provide them with food and pay, and they'll have a way to survive, so they won't cause trouble. Once the wall is built, you can select the strongest and most hardworking among them to recruit into the army, and the manpower problem will be solved, right?"

Kill three birds with one stone!

Qi Shan's eyes lit up instantly.

This Zhao Bingkun is indeed quite bold!

Turn a powder keg that could explode at any moment—the refugees—into the cornerstone for building a new city and expanding the army!

This skill far surpasses that of an ordinary county magistrate.

"This plan is excellent!" Qi Shan praised sincerely. "However, expanding the city will be extremely costly, and that money..."