Lin Jinyue and he talked at cross purposes for a long time.

They've finally turned their attention to potatoes.

He painted a rosy picture for Lin Jinyue, saying that although the battlefield was dangerous, military officers could be promoted the fastest, and their village had always had training, so their accuracy was even better than that of veteran generals who had been through many battles.

Lin Jinyue also offered him empty promises: "General Gu, you can't look at it that way. The most important thing in military campaigns is food."

“Your food supplies are insufficient, but I have heard that Prince Jing has been buying up large quantities of food recently, and the Bashu region where Prince Ning is located is not short of food either.”

"Can you really hold out?"

Lin Jinyue bombarded her with questions one after another.

Gu Shaozhen remained silent.

Seeing that he realized the importance of food, Lin Jinyue smiled and said, "General Gu, the yield of ordinary rice is about 400 catties, and potatoes have a growth cycle of three months and can yield 3,000 catties. If we take good care of them, they may be able to exceed 5,000 catties."

Gu Shao asked incredulously, "Is it really that amazing?"

Lin Jinyue: "We went through a lot of trouble to get these potato seeds, so can they make up for the military service of our entire village?"

Gu Shao remained hesitant.

His mind was in a state of extreme inner turmoil.

If there is food, not only the army, but also the people outside Lingnan who are suffering from famine will be able to eat and drink their fill.

However, if Lin Xueqing were to join, his methods of training the army and his troop deployment would definitely lead to victory in a short period of time.

Lin Jinyue didn't want her brother to go to the battlefield.

Let alone the saying that everyone has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation, their souls, who were unexpectedly transported here, didn't have much of a sense of belonging to begin with.

She only wanted to protect her own little corner of the land and the people in the village.

Lin Jinyue felt that she had already done more than enough by providing a continuous supply of potatoes.

If they really forced her to join the army, she could lead the villagers across the sea overnight in three days.

Lin Jinyue added, "If General Gu feels that potatoes are not enough, then take a look at cement; that would definitely be a great achievement."

She continued, "If the road can be built, it will make travel to and from the north and south much more convenient, and it will boost the economy. In short, it would be a great achievement."

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Shao said, "Then, you will provide plenty of potatoes and be exempt from military service."

Lin Jinyue breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned to Gu Shao and asked, "Is the fighting outside very fierce?"

Lingnan, especially the Shawan County area, is located in a remote area and is almost isolated from the outside world.

They only knew that prices were skyrocketing, but they didn't know what the outside world was like during this time.

Gu Shao's expression was grave: "The situation is not good; we need to prepare as soon as possible."

Forced conscription, no matter how much silver is offered, cannot offset military service. Lingnan is likely to be attacked at any time, so there won't be much time to train soldiers.

Lin Jinyue still felt that she could still do something.

After all, if Gu Shaoneng can delay for a while, their village's development will get better and better, and upgrading the farm will also unlock some higher technologies.

If I can survive a little longer, I'll survive a little longer.

Lin Jinyue said to Gu Shao, "General Gu, although my brother can't go to the battlefield, he can provide some guidance when you are training troops. In case we have to fight guerrilla warfare, I can provide some knowledge on wilderness survival."

Gu Shao said, "Thank you. If you need anything here..."

Lin Jinyue thought for a moment and said, "Let's get another piece of land and plant more potatoes. We can transport them by sea to the capital."

Gu Shao stood up and bowed to Lin Jinyue.

This time, his bow was sincere; he was genuinely grateful to Lin Jinyue for offering her help.

Lin Jinyue is the type of person who responds better to gentle persuasion than force. After being dealt with like this, she even started considering giving him a pair of binoculars, which could save her life in a critical moment.

Having reached an agreement, Lin Jinyue's smile became even more genuine, and she even invited Gu Shao to stay for hot pot that evening.

Everyone in the village liked Gu Shao, and they all used their best skills to entertain these people.

The women in the village learned to dance from Lin Zhao and Lin Xing for a while, and some even started dancing themselves.

The atmosphere was great, and several of Gu Shao's men even said they didn't want to leave.

Lin Jinyue also released a lantern to pray for blessings, with the words "I hope for peace and prosperity for the country in the future" written on it.

She just wanted a peaceful life, why was that so difficult?

The soldiers also came to release lanterns, some praying for a great victory, and others hoping for the safety of their families.

Unfortunately, on this joyous occasion, a clueless person showed up.

Xie Hong was still unwilling to give up.

He felt that Lin Jinyue had something good, and even if he was rejected once, he could still force the issue.

As for Lin Jinyue, she is only ten years old...

What does it matter?

Let's marry her first and talk about the rest later.

He refused to believe that if he really married Lin Jinyue, her parents wouldn't hand over those treasures.

Besides, Xie Hong felt that he wasn't about to go so far as to steal it.

After all, he still has something to exchange.

Conscription is imminent, a forced conscription that the people don't want to do. Going there is basically a death sentence. Those who are temporarily and forcibly conscripted are basically cannon fodder.

Without combat skills, weapons, or armor, yet always charging at the forefront.

Of those who survived, only one in ten remained.

This group of people finally escaped the famine and came here. Now that they've only been living in peace for a few days, they certainly don't want to be conscripted.

Then we can get them to hand over Lin Jinyue.

But Xie Hong didn't expect that Gu Shao would beat him to it again.

When Xie Hong saw Gu Shao and the others return, chatting and laughing, he thought of the news he had received from the capital and a smile appeared on his lips.

"General Gu, you're forcibly conscripting soldiers, so why did you let the people of Yunhe Village go?"

Gu Shao frowned. "Do I need to ask your opinion on the decisions I make? Xie Hong, don't overstep your bounds."

Xie Hong scoffed, "Although I am a deputy general, His Majesty also intends for me to supervise him."

Lin Jinyue pulled Gu Shao aside and said directly, "Our Yunhe Village will provide food for the army's march and fighting to offset future conscription."

Xie Hong frowned. "Grain? You mean to barter with grain? Is Lingnan short of grain?"

His gaze darkened. "In short, I disagree."

Then he looked at Gu Shao and said, "General Gu is protecting this group of people at every turn. It's hard not to suspect that you have some kind of private deal."

Gu Shao: "Yunhe Village has only eleven households in total, so we can only conscript eleven soldiers. If His Majesty were here, he would probably agree to exchange eleven people for grain."

Xie Hong gritted his teeth, "I said no, and that means no!"

Gu Shao took a firm stance and had Xie Hong dragged away, thus finalizing the matter.

Lin Jinyue frowned.

Xie Hong is really a troublemaker.

At this moment, Lin Xueqing remembered what Chen Jinbao had said when he came back that day.

He was considering how likely it was that Xie Hong would be assassinated.

This pretty but useless person probably wouldn't survive a single move in his hands.

However, considering that their village is now undergoing rapid construction everywhere—commercial streets, houses, schools, roads, and even watchtowers…

Forget it, the village can't withstand any more turmoil.

Let Xie Hong live a few more days for now.