Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"My husband..."

Fan Changrui felt his intense gaze, so she quickly lowered her head and called out softly.

The two looked at each other and smiled, and the sense of unfamiliarity immediately dissipated.

Soon after, Lu Xiao, with her help, washed up and dressed, but new problems arose one after another:

"My lord, I've heard that I have an older sister named Liu Xianya. Is it really alright to decide on this marriage without informing her?"

"Generally speaking, taking a concubine requires the consent of the first wife, right?"

These words do make sense. Fan Changrui saw that the die was cast and she could not avoid meeting Liu Xianya, so she decided to learn about Liu Xianya's temperament and personality in advance to avoid offending the eldest wife.

In their Great Zhou Dynasty, the mistress of a household had the absolute power to decide the life and death of her concubines, and she would be no exception, even if she was Fan Changxin's sister.

Seeing the worry in her eyes, Lu Xiao smiled and said:

"Xianya is a very good person, and she has always hoped that my Lu family could have many descendants and a large family. If she knew about your existence, she would not be angry, but would be happy instead."

"Moreover, in our family, there is no distinction between high and low status, as long as everyone lives together harmoniously."

"Chang Rui, according to the laws of my Great Zhou, there can only be one principal wife in a family, and everyone else is a concubine. But in my eyes, you are all equal, and I will not favor one side because of your respective status."

He patted Fan Changrui's head, his eyes filled with tenderness:

"You may not have a particularly deep feeling right now, but after you meet Xianya and spend some time with her, you will understand that your worries are not real at all."

After saying that, he walked towards the door, ready to see how today's recruitment and supply transport were going.

As soon as the door opened, Fan Changxin raised his hand, ready to knock.

The two locked eyes, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Fan Changxin saw that his sister behind him had changed her hairstyle and clothing style, and immediately smiled:

"Brother-in-law, I was just looking for you."

"It's past mid-morning today, and the required number of soldiers has been recruited."

"But they're bringing their families along, and you announced early on that soldiers could bring their families to the White Wolf outpost, so the total number already exceeds four thousand!"

"A thousand soldiers are manageable, but the remaining three thousand ordinary civilians consume a considerable amount of food every day."

After briefly introducing the recruitment situation, he expressed his concerns:

"Should we simply disperse the soldiers' families to various villages along the way to reduce the burden on the outposts?"

He did this not because he wanted to break the contract, but because three thousand men were simply too many for the White Wolf Outpost.

If the outpost doesn't find a way to make money soon, they might be dragged down to their deaths!

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao smiled and shook his head:

"Brother, if we don't bring these civilians to the outpost, they might rebel or desert before we even get back to collect the thousand new recruits, causing even greater losses!"

"And don't worry, our outpost should already have 10,000 shi of grain, enough to last for a while. During that time, we can naturally come up with a way to properly resettle the people."

"How are our provisions for the return journey going?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Changxin quickly replied that everything had been prepared late last night and they were ready to depart at any time.

Lu Xiao had initially thought things would drag on for a while, but now that he heard both sides of the work had been completed, he decided to head back immediately.

"Alright, let's set off now."

"The sooner we return to the outpost, the more at ease Magistrate Huang will feel, and we can also save a batch of supplies."

The presence of five or six thousand refugees lingering outside the county town posed a significant threat to Huang Chongshan. Lu Xiao understood that delay could lead to unforeseen changes, and thus made this decision.

The Fan siblings seemed to have been prepared. After he announced that he wanted to leave, they immediately had the butler bring over their belongings and then went to the East Gate together.

Today, Long Gui personally waited here. Upon seeing them arrive, he stepped forward and earnestly gave them instructions:

"Once the four thousand refugees have eaten their fill, they will be a considerable force. Be careful on your way back, Xiao Di, and don't cause any trouble."

"But don't worry, I have already assigned a hundred soldiers to escort you back to Changyang County. I have also spoken with the magistrate there and asked him to send officers and garrison troops to take you back to your post."

As he spoke, he patted Lu Xiao heavily on the shoulder:

"Brother Xiao, I won't say anything more. I hope that with these thousand soldiers, you can forge your own path and achieve great things!"

"Thank you for your concern, brother!"

Lu Xiao nodded and thanked the other party for their kindness.

These words also relieved Fan Changxin, who was standing to the side.

This time, the Fan family brought food back to the outpost with Lu Xiao. They actually had guards, but they were worried that more than ten people might not be able to keep an eye on these refugees.

Now that we have the helpers assigned by Long Gui, we don't have to worry about any trouble along the way.

Because there were too many people, the refugees had only eaten a few meals and their bodies had not yet recovered. It took them three or four days after leaving Jixian County, the county seat, to finally arrive near the north gate of Changyang County.

Just as Long Gui had said, Qian Haishan and Luo Yang both sent people to help.

Lu Xiao didn't exchange many pleasantries with the two men. After thanking them, he headed straight for the outpost.

On the first day of late July, four thousand refugees finally arrived in front of their future home.

Many refugees felt a sense of dread as they looked at the small outpost and the hundred fully armed soldiers.

They knew that their fate had been changed at that moment.

At this moment, Lu Xiao found Fan Changxin and said with a serious expression:

"Brother, the task of settling the families of these three thousand soldiers is now entrusted to you."

"All the wasteland around here can be freely used and cultivated. With the craftsmen, timber and other building materials you brought, I believe that a small military town will soon be built here."

"The task of managing them is also entrusted to you."

Upon hearing this, Fan Changxin was greatly alarmed:

"Brother Xiao, this...this is inappropriate!"

"I am just a businessman and have never had any experience in managing the people. What if..."

"Brother!"

Lu Xiao smiled and patted his shoulder heavily, indicating that he didn't need to worry.

During his casual conversation with Fan Changrui on the way, he learned about his brother-in-law's abilities and that this group of people were his core members. He felt more at ease entrusting this matter to his own people.

"Brother, you can manage dozens of shopkeepers, big and small, making the Fan family business thrive. Why can't you manage these vagrants?"

"Don't worry, I'll personally lead a team to assist you in the initial stages. Once you're more experienced, you can take full control!"

For a moment, a dazzling light flashed in Fan Changxin's eyes. He turned back to look at the starving refugees, and made a firm decision:

"In that case, please rest assured, Brother Xiao, I will certainly not fail your trust!"