Zhao Minfa stood respectfully in the small study in the inner courtyard of Xiaozhu.

Gu Jiu sat on the soft couch and looked through the problem summary table.

Liu Zhao was standing beside him, looking very serious.

Only Gu Jiu knew that Liu Zhao was making small movements constantly under his serious expression.

This person is even more pretentious than her.

After a long while, Gu Jiu said, "I thought you should have dealt with these issues long ago."

Zhao Min broke out in a cold sweat, "I have done my job poorly, please punish me, Madam."

Gu Jiu threw the summary sheet on the table and rubbed his brow. "I can send you 300 people. Don't think it's too few. Too many people will easily arouse suspicion and criticism from above. In addition, you can consider recruiting 500 to 1,000 people in the first phase and borrowing 3,000 from the Beijing Camp."

After saying that, Gu Jiu looked at Liu Zhao and asked, "Can we borrow someone from the Jing Camp?"

"As long as the money is sufficient, people are not a problem." Liu Zhao was very sure.

Gu Jiu continued, "Refugee resettlement is different from refugee resettlement. Since there are so many problems, we will adopt a rationing system. According to the registered population, children under ten years old will receive three taels of coarse grain per day, and those over ten years old will receive half a pound of coarse grain per day.

Besides that, everything else costs money. If you don't have money, you have to work. I've put so much thought into accommodating them, creating so many job vacancies. You're just trying to get something for nothing, and you're always causing trouble. You should know what to do.

Zhao Minfa bowed and responded.

"The weather is getting hotter, and the doctor said there's a possibility of an epidemic. Some people in the shantytowns are already experiencing diarrhea and abdominal pain."

Gu Jiu's approach was simple and drastic. "Anyone who refuses to heed the advice and insists on drinking raw water, which causes diarrhea and abdominal pain, will be forcibly quarantined, along with their entire family. Do not show any mercy in this matter. This lady does not want to see a day where tens of thousands of people need to be quarantined and tens of thousands die, understand?"

"I understand."

Gu Jiu asked: "Any other questions?"

Zhao Minfa looked hesitant.

Gu Jiu said: "Just say it."

Zhao Minfa then said, "A large number of refugees are pouring into the Gyeonggi region every day. The north of the city is mountainous, and the refugee huts may not be able to accommodate so many people. Madam, please make the decision on this matter."

Gu Jiu asked him, "What do you and Huang Qubing think?"

Zhao Minfa said: "First, we will expand the refugee camp along the official road. Second, we will cut down the forests to provide as much space as possible for the refugees."

Gu Jiu asked again: "Which plan do you prefer?"

Zhao Minfa immediately said, "Young Master Huang and I both favor clearing the forest. The official road is narrow on both sides. If we build refugee shelters along the road, it will stretch for more than ten or twenty miles, which is not conducive to management."

Gu Jiu nodded. "Then do as you wish. Don't worry about the money; I'll find a way to solve it. Your and Huang Qubing's mission is to ensure that all refugees are properly resettled, that there are no riots or epidemics, and that we can smoothly navigate the initial, most difficult period."

"I understand."

After finishing the business, Zhao Minfa bowed and left.

As soon as they left, Gu Jiu said to Liu Zhao, "Lend me your men. You're idle anyway, and yours are personal guards. Instead of letting them rot, why not go to the refugee resettlement site and teach those refugees a lesson?"

Liu Zhao did not object, "I will give you a hundred men."

"Only a hundred people?" Gu Jiu was disgusted, he was so stingy.

Liu Zhao said, "I can only give you 100 men. If I give you more, you won't dare to use them. My men are all brave and have crawled out of the dead. They are ruthless and cruel.

If they manage the refugees, and there are too many of them, I'm afraid those bastards will be too confident and act without restraint, causing loss of life and causing trouble for you. If there are fewer of them, they'll be more cautious and at least know how to be gentle when they strike."

Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Okay, a hundred people is a hundred people. Give me the one who can fight the best. Remember, the one who can fight the best, not the one who can kill the best."

oh!

Liu Zhao understood.

We want thugs, not killers.

He understands.

I already have a candidate in mind.

The next day, Zhao Minfa brought 300 guards, plus 500 people recruited from the first phase of Xinmin County.

A total of 800 people returned to the refugee resettlement site.

Three hundred guards, their methods are much more ruthless than those of the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

When patrolling the slum area, they never waste words and will directly drag out and beat up anyone who commits a crime.

They also dragged people to resettlement sites and tied them up for a whole day.

The five hundred people recruited from the first phase of Xinmin County were all refugees at the time.

These people had all experienced the harsh discipline of the Sihai Trading Company, which could even be described as training. They were branded with the Sihai brand from body to mind, even though they themselves were unaware of it.

At first these people were a little hesitant.

After the three hundred guards set an example, they all let loose and became so ruthless that even the Embroidered Uniform Guards were afraid of them.

The strict management and the shanty town with nearly 100,000 people have caused widespread public outrage.

After all, refugees are different from displaced persons. Refugees are not those who cannot survive and can be saved by simply having food to eat.

These refugees all have some belongings.

Once they settled down and the shadow of fear brought by the war disappeared, all kinds of little thoughts began to emerge.

In terms of management, it is much more difficult than those refugees who were satisfied with just having something to eat.

The refugees were discussing the connections between different regions in private.

Complaints about the harsh conditions in the shantytowns.

Complain about rationing.

The rationing system meant that people received food per head, and even after receiving the food, they still had to make fire and cook for themselves, which was extremely troublesome.

It was such a large area of ​​shanties, and as soon as we arrived at the restaurant, thick smoke billowed into the air.

People who didn't know the situation thought there was a fire, but in fact every household was cooking.

Refugees in the slums began to miss the original big pot meals.

When it's time for dinner, I just go to the cafeteria and line up to eat. I don't have to worry about cooking every day, so I have plenty of time to think about random things, wander around, and connect with others.

When you cook for yourself, you have less time and your expenses skyrocket.

Burning firewood is not allowed in the shantytown area because it is said to cause a fire.

Only coal stoves are allowed.

The coal stove is free, but the coal briquettes cost money.

It's so infuriating!

The people in the resettlement site are all evil.

They are refugees, they are already in such a miserable state, yet they still don’t forget to squeeze money out of them.

A rotten-hearted bastard.

His resentment grew, and his eyes were filled with hatred when he looked at the eight hundred guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

A small spark can cause a riot of 100,000 people.

At the critical moment when the situation was tense, the three thousand soldiers that Gu Jiu borrowed from the Jing Camp arrived.

Three thousand fully armed soldiers standing there are enough to deter a hundred thousand people who are ready to make moves.

No matter what little thoughts they had, no matter how much dissatisfaction they had, in front of three thousand fully armed soldiers, they had to put them all away and act honestly.

If you need to find work, do it. If you need to queue up for water or use the toilet, queue up honestly.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be arrested and forced to do free labor.

If you say you are a coolie, then you are a coolie. Don't expect anyone to let you off.

Digging drainage ditches in a slum area with a population of 100,000 is a huge project.

With enough wells and toilets dug, the refugee shantytown, which had been somewhat bustling, finally calmed down.

All work is proceeding in an orderly manner according to plan.

…

The days in the court were not peaceful.

The Northwest Grand Marshal's Office commanded the border troops and controlled the northeastern border troops, and launched a counterattack against the Northern Rong Army.

However, the battle went against each other and became a stalemate.

The Beirong Army, which received material supplies, recovered its vitality and combat effectiveness.

With the combat effectiveness of the border troops, their defense was okay. They could only hold out for a few rounds at most against cavalry charges and hand-to-hand bayonet fighting, and then had to retreat to the city.

The war situation was unfavorable, and new cities fell into the hands of the Beirong Army.

When the news reached the capital, the court was shocked and Emperor Wende was furious.

"What's Li Bingming doing? He gave me money, men, and armaments, and all he gave me was this war report. He deserves to be hacked into pieces."

The court officials were silent and no one spoke up for Li Bingming.

After Emperor Wende vented his anger and calmed down, the Minister of War said, "To deal with the Beirong cavalry, we can only rely on the Northwest Army."

The Northwest Army's cavalry was the best in the Great Zhou. It was universally acknowledged that the Tianlang Army was the most formidable of the cavalry.

There was nothing Emperor Wende could do even if he didn't want to admit it; the facts were the facts.

Emperor Wende gritted his teeth and said, "Issue an order to have the Northwest Grand Military Governor's Office cooperate with the Northwest Army in the battle."

The clear intention is to fight in coordination.

Emperor Wende also issued a secret decree to Li Bingming, asking him to control the Marquis of Lu and the Northwest Army as much as possible.

The 800-mile express trip, with cement roads, increased the speed by nearly 50%.

In just a few days, at the cost of the death of more than a dozen horses, the imperial edict was delivered to the northwest.

After receiving the imperial edict, Duke Lu looked up to the sky and laughed three times.

"You still have to rely on me to turn the tide."

When the Northwest Army set out, the sky and the earth changed color.

The Tianlang Army excelled in field battles, and they could march thousands of miles, with one man riding three horses and a small amount of supplies, and they intercepted and killed the Beirong Army.

The two sides engaged in close combat and a fierce battle began.

Both sides were fearless and killed people on the prairie, leaving a sea of ​​blood and corpses.

The only thing that makes the Tianlang Army stronger than the Beirong Army is that they don't care about battle losses.

Even if the casualties are as high as 30% or 40%, we will still charge forward and never retreat.

The Sirius Army can afford the compensation.

The Northern Rong Army cannot afford the compensation.

The 20% casualties have already made General Bei Rong very distressed.

When the casualties reached 30%, General Bei Rong decisively ordered a retreat and stopped fighting with the Tianlang Army.

The Tianlang Army, having suffered heavy casualties and with no reinforcements, dared not pursue and could only watch the Beirong Army retreat in panic.

After the battle, the Sirius Army lost thousands of people.

Nearly a thousand people were beheaded.

The Duke of Lu decisively ordered the victory report to be sent to the capital.

Being able to behead someone is a great victory, let alone beheading nearly a thousand people.

One of them was a minor noble from Beirong, barely a big fish.

The news of the great victory was sent to the capital, along with the embalmed head of a minor noble from Beirong.

The people in the capital were in high spirits, with lights and decorations all around, as if it were New Year's Day.

Court officials were mixed.

The good news is that we finally had a great victory.

The worry is that the Northwest Army will continue to grow and become difficult to control.

As for the head of the small noble of Beirong sent by the Northwest Army, the officials of the Honglu Temple could not recognize it, so they could only invite Liu Zhao to the palace for identification.

Liu Zhao confirmed that the head indeed belonged to a minor nobleman of Beirong, and his father and brother were both advocates of war in Beirong.

"Next, Beirong will definitely take retaliatory measures."

Judging from Beirong's nature, the second large-scale war will soon begin.