Chapter 178: Spectacle of Entering the City
The village heads’ eyes lit up when they heard this!
This...these jobs...which girl in their village can't do it?
Girls have to do these chores at home too!
Not to mention that they also provide three meals a day, teach you to read, and give you a monthly stipend!
This is not like being a soldier, it's clearly a pie falling from the sky, and it's knocking them dizzy.
Wang Sanniang could see the excitement on their faces, and she added with a sigh, "Alas, you didn't catch up with the good times. The first wave of female soldiers were even given land, five mu each! It was all in their own names! Think about it, when a girl has land, whether she's in her parents' home or her husband's, won't she stand tall and proud? It's just that there are too many refugees now, and there's not enough land to go around. I'm afraid the female soldiers who come later won't be able to enjoy it. But if they come in and learn some skills, it's just as good as getting some land!"
"Oh my!" Village chief Fan was so anxious that sweat broke out on his head. Especially when he heard about the five acres of land, he felt heartbroken!
Why?
Because his granddaughter was just thirteen years old, the girl ate a lot and was lazy, and she often quarreled with her mother at home.
If he is sent to the military camp for some training, I can't expect him to be completely transformed, but at least he will be more obedient and sensible!
What's more, sending it in saves a lot of food!
At this moment, they no longer care about whether being a female soldier is decent or whether they will be criticized by others. Being a soldier is so glorious. Look at the soldiers in Lan County, no matter whether they are male or female, they all look energetic. How can other soldiers compare to them?
As for the issue of war, why would there be a war in Lan County?
Even if a war really breaks out, ordinary people cannot escape. If they become soldiers and have some skills, they may be able to protect themselves.
This person is also strange. Once he figures it out, he sees benefits everywhere.
The Fan family's village chief's heart ached the more he thought about it. He even ignored the distinction between men and women and pulled Wang Sanniang aside to ask her all sorts of questions. "Hey, Mr. Head, I want to ask, are you still recruiting female soldiers this year? I have a little granddaughter at home. She's lively and active, and has a strong body. She's a good candidate for the army. When are you going to recruit? I'll bring her to the city to show you!"
The head of Zhangjia Village wasn't far behind. Last year, their village was looted by Li Datou, and after much reflection, he decided the village needed its own patrol team. He quickly asked, "Besides female soldiers, are you looking for male soldiers? We have some very strong kids in our village. It would be a shame if they didn't join the army!"
Wang Sanniang rolled her eyes secretly.
Can't there be more young ladies?
She is from the female military department and only recruits girls!
But she still smiled and said, "I'm not responsible for the male soldiers' affairs. You can go to the male soldiers' camp and ask. Village heads, go back and discuss it. If there are any young people in the village who are ready to join the army, please send them to me! Remember, on the first day of next month, at the county government gate, there are limited places. You've already missed the land distribution, so don't miss out on this opportunity for female soldiers!"
The Fan family village chief quickly repeated, "On the first day of next month, at the county government office! Hey, boss, I will definitely be there, I will definitely be there!"
Qian Zhenniang also came over and added, "If the village heads are interested in sending their girls to the army, you really have to hurry up. The number of places is limited this time, and the city lord still prefers to accept girls from the refugee group. After all, the girls there have suffered hardships, and they are even poorer than you. The city lord will definitely give them priority. There are 30,000 to 40,000 people there, so there are many suitable girls, all vying for service as female soldiers!"
Qian Zhenniang and Wang Sanniang looked at each other, then looked away calmly.
Wang Sanniang was moved and delighted.
There will definitely be more sisters joining the female soldiers camp this year!
By then, their team will definitely become stronger!
"Remember, remember." Several village heads whispered to each other, seemingly talking about the situation in the village, and made appointments with each other to go to the city together next time.
Seeing that everyone else in the county government office was about to finish their meal, Qian Zhenniang had to urge them on, "Village heads, the food is getting cold. Let's eat first! We have to go to the demonstration village to learn composting techniques this afternoon. Don't keep the city lord waiting too long!"
On this day, the village heads who had not been to the city for a long time were greatly shocked.
They had never been like this before, as if they had stepped into a territory they had never been to before.
It seemed as if overnight, the city had changed, the people had changed, even the utensils for eating had changed. Not to mention the wide and wide official road leading to Ye County after leaving the city, where a carriage could pass without a speck of dust.
Their second feeling was that there were so many people.
There are so many people.
Especially on the avenue between Lan County and Ye County, there are people everywhere.
Those small vendors actually set up their business by the river!
The village chief of Fanjia Village held on to the railing tightly, but did not forget to look at the scenery outside, and did not forget to look and ask as he walked.
"Miss Qian, what were those tall buildings we just passed? Why are the people inside all wearing white aprons and face scarves?"
"That's the medical building! The mayor said the building must be clean, and all doctors and students must wear white coats so that any dust on them can be seen."
"Why...why is this?"
"If someone has an exposed wound or is sick, and there's dirt, wouldn't that allow evil spirits to enter the body? Therefore, the medical building is the cleanest place. It has to be cleaned twice a day and fumigated with moxa or other methods. If snakes, insects, rats, or ants are found, the doctors will have their wages docked!"
"Oh my God, are you so strict? But it's better this way. It makes me feel more at ease."
Someone else pointed at the white tents flashing by the river and asked, "Miss Qian, what are those?"
Someone in the group laughed and said, "You country bumpkin who has never seen the world, you haven't even seen a tent?"
The man hurriedly defended himself, "What tent? There are many children inside. I even heard voices."
Qian Zhenniang lifted the curtain of the car and looked at the white tent flashing by outside. She actually saw a familiar face in the crowd.
Fang Ruyu!
Fang Ruyu actually became a teacher for refugees? Look at her now, she's getting along well with the children, she seems like a completely different person than before!
It's really amazing.
The city lord is right. As long as the girls are given a glimmer of hope, they will be like winter plum blossoms. The colder the weather, the more prosperous they will bloom.
Qian Zhenniang explained with a smile, "Those tents aren't just any tents; they're mobile classrooms for the refugees. Each tent is staffed by a teacher and a propagandist. The teacher teaches reading and writing, while the propagandist maintains order. Many of these 30,000 to 40,000 refugees are children. They're not very capable of working, but their parents can't just leave them wandering around the mountains, so they need someone to look after them. So the city lord simply set up mobile classrooms for the refugees. Wherever the refugees go to open up wasteland, the tents follow them. They can look after the children, allowing them to work peacefully, while also helping them learn to read and write. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
The village heads in this car were completely shocked. If they had been afraid of Xu Zhenying before entering the city, now this fear had turned into admiration!
They were able to resettle tens of thousands of refugees at once, provide them with land and houses, help them regain confidence in life, and even teach their children to read and write, so that they could take root in the land of Lan County.
This is a great kindness!
Qian Zhenniang was right. Compared to the relatively conservative County Magistrate Sun, what Xu Zhenying did was truly changing everyone's lives!
But at the same time, a strong sense of crisis and anxiety came over me.
All the kids in the city are learning to read and write, but what about the kids in the village?
The head of Zhangjia Village sighed with emotion: "Oh my God, even the children of refugees are starting to learn! Our village is really so far behind! How can we catch up?"
"That's right. We'll have to have a good talk with the city lord later. It's fine if the people in Lan County enjoy it first, but the refugees came later! Why shouldn't we get anything? We are also real Lan County people!"
"Yes, yes, yes, we have to tell the city lord that even if we lose face today, we, the dozen or so old men, must find a future for the children in the village!"
The carriage continued to gallop forward.
The spring breeze blew on our faces, bringing warmth to our hearts. The village leaders' hearts were especially excited when they saw the wonderful corner of the demonstration base.
That area, stretching for dozens of kilometers, was filled with a sea of human heads.
The refugees bent over to work in the fields, some were carrying stones, some were turning the soil, some were delivering farm tools, and some were carrying water. Everyone was busy, and even people in the distance were singing cheerful folk songs.
They were dumbfounded by what they saw.
Although they knew that Lan County had taken in tens of thousands of refugees, it was just a number after all. Now, after looking along the way, they realized that the land between Ye County and Lan County had been almost completely flattened. Now there were no tall trees to be seen. It seemed like an endless plain, and the sun was shining brightly on this land.
Countless people on the land rolled up their sleeves and worked.
Village chief Fan was deeply moved by the bustling scene and wished he could roll up his sleeves and join in.
They couldn't help but sigh once again, "Oh my God, this whole section has been flattened—"
"Will Lan County and Ye County be connected from now on?"
"Look, some people have already started building houses. Amazing! I'm afraid this place will be even more prosperous than the county town in the future!"
Qian Zhenniang interrupted their discussion with a smile, "Village heads, we've arrived at the demonstration base. Let's get out of the car quickly. The city lord is waiting for us!"
The village heads finally came to their senses and slowly got out of the car, supporting each other.
Arriving at the demonstration base, I saw a large plaque with the words "First Demonstration Base of New Rural Areas" written on it. It was bordered with gold, giving it a truly magnificent look. There were a few people sitting at the entrance, not guards, but people responsible for registering people.
Qian Zhenniang kept urging them: "Old men, hurry up, it's almost three o'clock. If you dawdle any longer, we'll be late."
They always heard Qian Zhenniang say what time it was. They were used to hearing the time, so they couldn't react for a long time.
In short, just catch up quickly.
After entering, they found a large flat area with a crowd of people. Village Chief Fan, with his sharp eyes, immediately recognized the village chief of a village in Ye County. The two were just exchanging a few words when they heard Miss Qian shouting, "The city lord is here! Everyone line up and be quiet!"
Strangely enough, the girl was holding an iron loudspeaker in her hand. Whenever she spoke into it, the sound would buzz and travel far away.
The village leaders had seen too many new things today and had become numb to the loudspeakers.
Over here, a dozen old men held hands and shared their experiences along the way. People from nearby villages used to move around frequently, and villagers often fought over water, weddings, and other matters, so the village heads from the neighboring counties were all acquaintances.
In addition, since the floods last summer, people nearby have fled and scattered, and the people in the village are scattered all over the place. It is not easy to see acquaintances alive, so naturally there are endless things to talk about.
"Brother Cai, you guys are really in dire straits over there. I heard that after that big-headed Li took over Ye County, he killed all the people in the city and stole your food."
Village Chief Cai wiped his tears and said, "Don't mention it. Last winter, dozens of people in our village starved to death, including several children. Those who had some money in the village fled south, leaving us lonely widows to guard this little piece of land. Alas, this world..."
Village Chief Fan felt sympathetic, but he also tried to get information. "But you guys should be living a better life now. I heard the city lord took over your Ye County as well. The farmland there was distributed to the first wave of refugees, and they're also giving you food."
At the mention of Xu Zhenying, several village heads from Ye County immediately burst into tears of gratitude. "The city lord is such a kind man! Not only did he distribute land to the refugees, he also gave the extra land directly to the village. Furthermore, he said the people of Ye County have had a hard time. For the past three years, he didn't collect any taxes, and whatever they grew on the land was all they could eat! Now, he's talking about making compost, and as soon as we old folks heard about it, we came running over!"
Someone else added, "That's right. Just the day before yesterday, the city lord sent someone to deliver us some food. It's not much, but it'll at least last us a few days!"
The village heads here felt a pang of fear in their hearts.
How come everyone is more informed than them?
While they were still hesitating and demonizing the city lord, the people of Ye County had already distributed the land and food?
So in the entire Lan County and Ye County, only the villages here didn't get any benefits?
At this moment, everyone's heart was no longer filled with envy, but anger!
Why?
"No... where did he get the food?" The Fan Village Chief finally lost his temper. He was filled with regret and hatred. "Is there an endless supply of food in Lan County?"
Village Chief Cai pointed to the sky mysteriously and said, "Some say the city lord is no ordinary person and can create food with just a wave of his hand."
"That's pure bullshit, don't you think, Lao Zhang?"
The village chief Zhang, who was called, said nothing.
That kid looks a little unusual.
And everything in the city, is that something a human could come up with?
Village Chief Cai was suddenly anxious. "Why don't you believe it? I heard that the city lord is a god from heaven who reincarnated to the human world to experience tribulation. He is very advanced in Taoism. He once saved a drowning girl with just a breath of his immortal energy. The girl was already dead at the time, her body was cold."
"Is this true? Is it really that magical?"
Everyone was skeptical.
"Then where does the food come from? Just do the math and you'll know. There are nearly 100,000 people in these two counties. Where does he get so much food from?"
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