It wasn't just these few villages in Penglai County; villages in other counties were also massacred. Xu Di had read the detailed reports, which were so detailed that Xu Di trembled with rage after reading them. Therefore, when he came to Penglai this time, Xu Di was determined to achieve something and wipe out the Japanese pirates to comfort the souls of those who died unjustly.

The imperial court transferred troops from Yuezhou. When Xu Di left the capital, it was not yet decided who would lead the troops. This group of people planned to travel north along the coast from Yuezhou by sea.

Xu Di is now thinking about how to settle the people after they arrive. Penglai County is very small, so settling them inside the city is not feasible. It would be best to settle them outside the city, not far from the county seat, and close to the sea. This would be beneficial for the training of the soldiers in the barracks and would also allow them to be ready to annihilate any invading Japanese pirates at any time.

For dinner, we ate the salted fish that Xu Di brought back. The cook was someone we found here who was very good at cooking seafood. After washing the salted fish with clean water, we steamed it and then stewed it. It tasted quite unique.

Xu Di was preoccupied with his thoughts and was somewhat absent-minded during the meal. After finishing his meal, he picked up the topographical map he had drawn and studied it carefully.

Li Yuexi felt the room was a bit dry, so she asked someone to bring a few pears and put them on a plate. She said to Xu Di, "Husband, take a rest. The kitchen staff bought some pears from the street this afternoon. Try some."

Xu Di took one, took a bite, and felt a burst of fragrant pear juice fill his mouth. He thought of some fruits he had eaten before. Some places by the sea are not suitable for growing crops. Are there places suitable for growing fruits?

Due to transportation difficulties, it is actually quite difficult to transport fruits and grains grown in many places to other areas. If a team were to be formed to transport fruits and grains, even a relatively simple one, could it help increase the income of the local people?

Having come up with this idea, Xu Di quickly wrote it down. The idea was good, but it needed to be carefully verified. If the verification failed, he would have to stop immediately. Xu Di didn't want the people to pay for his immature ideas. An official like that would be criticized and condemned by the people.

As for Xu Di's arrangement of arranging for the injured and sick to stay in the house in the backyard of the county government, County Magistrate Yuan and Registrar Tong did not say anything. The imperial court had just issued an order that the Prefect of Dengzhou was dismissed, and County Magistrate Li, who closed the city gates, had his family and three clans confiscated and exiled. The most severe punishment was that his family and three generations would be barred from participating in the imperial examinations. As for the other county magistrates, they were suspended from their posts, and no one knew when they would be reinstated.

Now, Dengzhou Prefecture is quite famous within Daliang, and because of this, many people dare not act rashly. For a time, the officialdom of Daliang was surprisingly clean and upright.

Xu Di couldn't worry about those things right now. He had been appointed to a critical mission and had many things to plan and do.

To be honest, this was the first time Xu Di had felt such a heavy sense of mission. Why was he sent to Penglai County by Emperor Liang Cheng? His purpose was to protect the people under his jurisdiction, to lead them to a better life, and to fulfill his duties in his position. This was not only to live up to the salary he received from the court, but more importantly, to realize his own value in life.

After entering the twelfth lunar month, several snowfalls had already occurred. On a morning after the snow had cleared, several large warships docked at the small pier of the fishing village.

Xu Di received the letter and rode his horse in that direction. When he got closer, he discovered that the general leading the way was Zheng Boyuan.

Zheng Boyuan was very happy to see Xu Di, but Xu Di was a little puzzled as to why it was Zheng Boyuan who had brought a group of people from Yuezhou.

Zheng Boyuan settled the people in a temporary residence by the sea, and then went with Xu Di to visit his mother-in-law.

Chen Zhaoci was overjoyed to find that it was Zheng Boyuan who came. She instructed the kitchen to prepare food and drinks, and kept saying that Zheng Boyuan had grown much taller and thinner.

Zheng Boyuan felt his mother-in-law's enthusiasm and kept grinning foolishly. Xu Di saw this and said, "I really didn't expect it would be you who came this time."

Zheng Boyuan said, "I didn't expect it to be my brother-in-law in Penglai. After receiving the order, our general told me to lead men here. We haven't stopped along the way except to resupply at the shore. Brother-in-law, do you have any plans for coming here this time?"

Xu Di thought about the future he had envisioned and felt that Emperor Liang Cheng was truly determined this time. He nodded and said, "I really do have ideas. I was worried that a general who didn't get along with me would make it difficult to carry out the work. Now that you're here, I'm relieved. Brother-in-law, I'll help you train the troops."

Upon hearing that Xu Di was going to help him train his troops, Zheng Boyuan's eyes lit up, and he said with delight, "That's great! I know how capable my brother-in-law is."

Xu Di waved his hand and said, "It's not just about training troops, but also about improving the warships. When your ship docked, did you see those villages? Last time, the Japanese pirates landed from there. Only a few people were left in one of the villages. Brother-in-law, after I saw them, I was filled with hatred. I must make sure those Japanese pirates never return."

Upon hearing Xu Di's words, Zheng Boyuan slammed his hand on the kang table and said, "Brother-in-law, what you say is exactly what I think. When I was in Yuezhou, I went to sea with a ship and fought with those Japanese pirates several times. Although these Japanese pirates are called ronin, some of them are former sergeants and their backgrounds are not very clean."

Xu Di naturally knew this and nodded, saying, "No matter who they are, as long as they know that anyone who comes to invade will not return. Brother-in-law, I plan to set up your training camp near those fishing villages by the sea. The terrain there is suitable for landing, and most importantly, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. We can build fortifications to teach those Japanese pirates a lesson that they will never return."

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