Build high walls, store up plenty of grain, and delay declaring yourself king.

One needs a solid and stable rear and sufficient supplies to gain renown among the feudal lords and eventually rule the world.

Infrastructure development and food production are the foundation for conquering the world.

Since Shenxi wants to seize the world, he must first develop this first territory in a solid and solid manner.

After inspecting Qiaozhen, Shenxi strolled to the villages on the outskirts of Qiaozhen.

The sound of children reading aloud could be heard everywhere.

Zheng Hongfang pointed to the best brick house in front and said, "This used to be where a rich man lived. When the disaster came, his family moved away and the house has been vacant ever since. After some discussion in the village, we decided to use it for the children's schooling. It's a loan, and if we hear from this family again someday, we'll pay the rent."

Chen Xi almost laughed: It's not a rental, it's clearly occupying the space first and then notifying you.

But she also knew that housing was scarce in the village, and many houses had been abandoned during the period when refugees were rampant, and some had even fallen into disrepair and collapsed.

This brick house courtyard is already the best preserved one, not to mention whether the rich man can come back or find out any information.

The world is in such chaos, and information is even less developed.

For example, the unrest in the neighboring Xiahe County was something that, if it weren't for Feng Ke and his group who had fled here mentioning, Chenxi wouldn't have received an accurate report from their scouts.

The unrest in the two counties of Yuzhang Prefecture will have a butterfly effect, directly triggering chaos in multiple regions.

From now on, Yuzhang Prefecture can forget about having a peaceful life.

Seeing that Shen Xi's expression was calm and she had no objections, Zheng Hongfang continued, "Children aged six to ten will study every day, with two large classes in the morning and two large classes in the afternoon. Children over ten years old will only study in the morning and will have to participate in labor in the afternoon."

Shenxi nodded. It is said that boys are not raised for ten years in vain, meaning that after a boy turns ten, he becomes the labor force of the family.

The same applies to girls; nowadays, there are no gender restrictions for those studying in schools.

Shenxi quietly walked into the school and stood outside the window to see the children reading inside.

But they discovered that there were no girls among the students; it was all boys.

Shenxi didn't show anything, but took a look. The schoolteacher saw Shenxi and his group. Although he didn't know Shenxi, he knew Zheng Hongfang.

He told the children to continue reading and then immediately came out to bow to Chenxi and Zheng Hongfang.

He wasn't stupid; a woman who could command Zheng Hongfang's accompaniment and respect must be no ordinary person.

Zheng Hongfang immediately returned the greeting: "Sir, there's no need for such formalities. This is the chief."

The schoolteacher bowed to Shenxi again: "Greetings, Commander."

Shen Xi gestured to Zheng Hongfang, who immediately helped the schoolteacher up, saying, "The commander is on an incognito visit, you don't need to be so polite."

The schoolteacher stood nervously to the side. The town mayor and his superiors had come to inspect the area. Was there something wrong with my place?

Chenxi smiled and asked, "Sir, please don't be so formal. I just happened to be passing by."

The schoolteacher breathed a sigh of relief. It's alright, it's alright.

"Sir, there is something I don't understand. Please explain it to me."

The schoolteacher immediately bowed and said, "Please give your instructions, sir."

Are all the children studying here boys?

The schoolteacher nodded: "The village chiefs of several villages said that both boys and girls can go to school for free, but the old clan chief of this village disagrees. He said that the houses are limited and can only accommodate boys. It doesn't matter whether girls go to school or not."

Teachers are happy to teach more students; the more students they have, the more funding they receive from higher authorities, and the more money they get paid.

However, the village elder disagreed with the girl coming to school. Since the place was in this village, the other village chiefs didn't have much of an opinion. Since ancient times, girls had never gone to school, so it didn't matter whether they went or not.

Even the girls' parents did not object.

"Nonsense!" Shen Xi's face darkened. "How can a village be ruled by the clan chief? Besides, it's my policy that boys and girls should all go to school, and you're openly opposing it!"

Zheng Hongfang's face was flushed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He knew that his superior was ruthless. She usually seemed quite gentle, but once her rules were violated, she would be ruthless, even to the point of beating capable subordinates like Qi Xiuwen.

"Sir, please calm down. I have failed in my duty. Please punish me!"

Zheng Hongfang immediately admitted his mistake, showing a good attitude, and actively corrected it to atone for his sins and avoid getting a beating.

Shenxi softened his tone: "You did make a mistake in this matter, but you can't be entirely blamed. There are so many villages in the town, it's impossible for you to supervise them all in such a short time."

Zheng Hongfang still admitted his mistake: "It was due to my inadequate supervision. I will definitely strengthen my supervision."

Shenxi nodded: "Let's go to the village chief's office."

The village chief's office doesn't have a fixed location; it's in the village chief's house because there aren't enough rooms.

Upon arriving at the village chief's house, village chief Qian Wu, upon hearing the news, immediately came out to greet him and bowed: "Qian Wu greets the leader and the town chief."

Zheng Hongfang said, "Village Chief Qian, there's no need for such formalities. The leader is just here to take a look."

Qian Wu was still uneasy. He heard from the villagers that the leader had visited the school first and then came here.

He immediately invited Shenxi and Zheng Hongfang inside.

The living room, which consisted of one room, was used as an office. Shen Xi was invited to sit at the head of the table, Zheng Hongfang was below Shen Xi, and Qian Wu remained standing.

Qian Wu's wife immediately served tea, not daring to say anything, and left after putting down the teacup.

Seeing that the tea was somewhat cloudy, Xing Xiuyan knew it wasn't good tea and didn't want Chenxi to drink it, so she said, "Chief, the tea is too hot. Please wait a while before drinking it."

The tea had no aroma, probably because it was old tea. Shenxi didn't care; in the village, during this turbulent time, having old tea was already quite good.

It's probably because she's a leader that she receives this treatment.

But she didn't touch it, not because she disliked the tea, but because the village chief had made a mistake.

She didn't want to give him that face.

Chenxi neither stirred his tea nor asked any questions; he simply sat quietly.

Qian Wu was extremely nervous, racking his brains but unable to come up with any mistakes.

He managed the village diligently and handled all the affairs with great care.

When Qian Wu was already sweating slightly, Zheng Hong asked, "Village Chief Qian, why are there only boys and no girls in the school?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Wu's panic subsided considerably: "Reporting to the chief and the town head, here's what happened. The old clan chief said that the houses are limited and only enough for the boys from a few villages. If we add girls, there won't be enough room. So, the boys can study first, and when there are vacant houses later, the girls can go to school too."

Zheng Hongfang's face darkened: "Village Chief Qian is confused. Both boys and girls must go to school. This is a policy personally issued by the leaders. You are violating the policy, do you understand?"

"Isn't this just a slogan?" Village Chief Qian looked completely bewildered. "How did it become a policy?"

Zheng Hongfang was furious: "When did you look at that document?"