More than a month later.

Ning Que got up yawning.

Mu Ya snuggled up beside her like a little wild cat.

Her skin was as smooth as sheep fat, and the tattoo on her arm was quite eye-catching. Shen Qinghe, who was standing to her right, was wearing her underwear and had her sleepy eyes open.

"Why are you awake again?"

"I can't sleep."

Ning Que smiled and patted her butt, his hands groping around rather dishonestly. Shen Qinghe blushed, holding her hand and whispering, "Why...why are you so mean? It's like you're not tired. I'm not feeling well right now..."

"I just want to hold you." Ning Que smiled wickedly and held her in his arms, whispering softly in her ear, "I've wronged you these past few days."

“Hmph.”

Shen Qinghe just hummed softly.

He let Ning Que perform his moves from behind.

They had been in Lingnan for nearly two months and had adapted to local life. Every day was extremely busy, and the two of them only saw each other in the evenings. Ning Que had to handle government affairs while also training the troops. The entire burden of Nanyue fell on Ning Que's shoulders, and Jie Jun was essentially sidelined.

Of course, this wasn't to say Ning Que was attempting to seize power. Jie Jun had ceded power, believing it was best for the most capable to hold the position. He wasn't cut out for governing, so leaving it to Ning Que was more reliable.

Shen Qinghe snuggled in Ning Que's arms.

The two of them didn't say anything, just hugged each other.

They had finally gotten to where they were today, having weathered many storms. While conditions in Lingnan were harsh, they offered freedom and freedom from any constraints, freeing Ning Que from the constant intrigue. Even though Ning Que was now married to Mu Ya, his love for Shen Qinghe had never diminished.

"Get up quickly."

"But it's almost noon."

Shen Qinghe spoke softly, then stood up to help Ning Que change his clothes. Lingnan was in need of reconstruction, and Ning Que was needed at the helm in every aspect. It could be said that without Ning Que, the Nanyue Kingdom would not be where it is today.

"OK."

Ning Que chuckled and nodded.

When Qingfeng Mingyue entered the room and saw the messy bed, she realized something and her cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

First, he helped Ning Que wash up, and then served Shen Qinghe.

By the time Ning Que left the bamboo hut, the sun was already high in the sky. He had a simple meal while Hai Gui sat beside him, reporting the news.

"Brother Xiao Hai, how is Jie Jun doing?"

"I think it's almost done." Hai Gui held the book and whispered, "Jie Jun has been training all this time. With Bai Yu's help, these five thousand elite soldiers have been completely transformed. Every one of them can obey orders and understand flag signals. And according to your instructions, they have been dispersed to train the remaining Yue soldiers."

"good."

Ning Que nodded immediately.

"So how many troops do we have now?"

"Including the personal guards, there are more than 80,000 of them."

"If full conscription is carried out, the number could exceed 100,000."

"Then there's no need to rush."

Ning Que waved his hand calmly.

Eighty thousand elite troops are actually more than that.

The key is that the population of South Vietnam is small, and there are even fewer young and strong laborers suitable for military service. If everyone is conscripted, it will definitely affect local production.

"Tell Jie Jun that we don't need so many men to fight in Lingnan. Have him remove 30,000 and keep them as reserves. The total force will be 50,000, which is more than enough. Keep more young and strong laborers and let them take charge of farming, hunting, or working. Agriculture and industry are the foundation for Lingnan's rapid development. Just think about it, even if you have 50,000 soldiers, how much armor and weapons will you need? Just making arrows would be quite a laborious task."

"Okay, OK."

Haigui wrote it down.

While South Vietnam's current focus is on warfare, it cannot disregard the laws of development. Simply accumulating troops will actually weaken their combat effectiveness. Soldiers need armor and weapons; they can't just go into battle shirtless. They also need food and fodder supplies, which all require manpower.

"Also, you can inform them that after their daily training, the soldiers can do some work. Farming, craftsmanship, raising pigs, chickens, ducks... all of these are possible. They have good physical strength and can't just live on white rice. The most suitable ones for Lingnan are the production corps. They can also open up wasteland and build roads later."

"become!"

Haigui smiled and nodded.

The Production Corps was something Ning Que had mentioned before. Currently, there are few people in Lingnan, so all the labor force needs to be utilized.

"There's still a problem with Junior Brother Wan." Hai Gui shook his head helplessly, "We asked him to help bring some slaves over, but the sea breeze is not suitable these days, making it difficult for their merchant ships to come."

"It doesn't matter."

Ning Que waved his hand calmly.

He smiled calmly and said, "It would be great if Senior Brother Wan could come, but it doesn't matter if he can't. We still have to focus on production, especially armor. I told you last time that if you can't make bronze armor, use leather armor. I see that Nanyue has a lot of animal hides. There are cow hides, rhinoceros hides, and even crocodile hides, which are more than enough for armor. If that doesn't work, then make rattan armor."

"Senior Brother Gongshu has already arranged this." Haigui said helplessly, "He also recruited some women and taught them how to make armor. But as you know, making armor is not a matter of a day or a night; it still takes a long time. The current production is also quite limited, but the number of rattan armor is still acceptable. Once the copper and iron workshops are built, it should be OK."

"Well, let's focus on leather armor and rattan armor."

Ning Que nodded.

Lingnan is located in the south, with a hot and humid climate. Wild animals are plentiful here, with countless species. Take, for example, crocodiles, or alligators. Ning Que has encountered them several times, and the day before yesterday, one even scurried directly into the forest stronghold. According to Haigui, these are quite common in Nanyue.

Whether it's bronze or iron armor, the production methods are too complicated. Furthermore, both require skilled copper and iron craftsmen, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the Yue people may not be able to adapt to it. It would be better to use them to forge weapons first, and then replace the armor with something else.

"How's the burning of the cement?"

"I was just about to tell you about this." Haigui smiled. "You know what? Your mortar is really effective. I pulled my bow to its full strength and shot at close range, but it was still difficult to hit it. Now they have started large-scale calcination, and they have built two bunkers near the potato field. The potatoes are about to ripen today, why don't we go take a look?"

"sure!"

Ning Que stood up immediately.

"Well, go and inform the Great Elder and the others first."

"Potatoes are the staple food of the future."

"Since today is the right time, let's call them too."

"become."

Ning Que watched Hai Gui leave with a smile on his face. Potatoes were the key to his victory over Emperor Feng. They were a high-yield crop, making them perfect for military rations.

He wasn't idle either, but headed towards the barn. Ning Que had been leaving the logistics work to Mu Ya and Shen Qing He, and now that the potatoes were ripe, he could take them out to see what was happening.