Chapter 74: Seize the opportunity; if you can't be the boss, be number two...
The sounds of battle cries and cannon fire echoed across the Wind and Rain Bridge in Sifang County. Meanwhile, in Anling County, the heads of various workshops issued notices to the entire county, calling on workers to actively sign up and go to Sifang County to build new workshops in the future.
The people: "?"
"The civil service exam recruits staff for the administrative office," He Qinglan explained slowly to Qiu Tang. "Because to do various jobs in the administrative office, you must be able to write articles, do some simple calculations, and have the ability to deal with emergencies."
Qiu Tang shuddered as she recalled the questions she usually answered in exams.
Seeing this, He Qinglan curled her lips and said, "It's not as difficult as the calculation problems in your school exams."
Qiu Tang looked puzzled.
He Qinglan: "Because our people today, in terms of learning alone, are not as good as the students of your academy."
This is normal; those who were already literate had already been recruited by the administrative office and workshops.
The current exam recruits ordinary people who have graduated from night school in the past two years.
How much can people learn in just two years?
Upon hearing this, Qiu Tang suddenly had an idea. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the goddess. "Goddess, can we apply?"
If we, the students of this academy, could also take the exam, wouldn't that be...?
He Qinglan propped her chin up with her left hand, looked at Qiu Tang with a half-smile, and slowly said, "No, you have to be at least fifteen years old to apply for the Administrative Department."
This rule was decided at the morning meeting of the administration office.
Qiu Tang was immediately very disappointed. "Why? Didn't you say we learn better than those adults?"
He Qinglan said, "Because the staff of the Executive Office are not only required to write articles, but also to actually handle troubles and solve problems. You are too young, and your experience and temperament are insufficient to cope with it."
Qiu Tang didn't quite understand what the goddess meant.
He Qinglan didn't explain further, only encouraging her in a light tone, "Keep it up, you can register when you turn fifteen."
Qiu Tang was slightly disappointed for a moment, then continued to ask the workshop, "Why aren't the workshop's requirements very strict?"
He Qinglan replied, "Because there are too few people who are good at it."
Qiu Tang: "..."
“The workshop is different from the administrative hall. People who are illiterate and don’t know how to do math can also work there, so we can lower the requirements,” He Qinglan said.
However, the team leaders in charge of each workshop must be very knowledgeable, otherwise they wouldn't be able to stand out.
After He Qinglan finished speaking, she added, "Your classmates should not think about dropping out of school to work in the workshops. All the major workshops have already decided not to hire child laborers under the age of fifteen."
This was a rule set by the goddess when the academy was built, to prevent some elders from forcing children to drop out of school to farm or work.
Qiu Tang's eyes widened, and after a moment, the little girl said, "But some people just can't seem to learn anything no matter what they do..."
He Qinglan smiled upon hearing this, "I don't require them to become Grand Scholars, as long as they can read and write, that's enough."
The next day, Qiu Tang arrived at Longyuan Academy and conveyed the goddess's words to some of the students.
Hearing the chorus of cries, she spread her hands, making a helpless expression.
The workshops in the prefecture and various counties were very enthusiastic.
Worker A from the Qingyang County lumber mill was visibly excited. "Originally, with my abilities, I couldn't compete with Brother Erzhu to become the team leader. But if I volunteer to go to Sifang County to build a new lumber mill there, even if I can't be the boss, I can at least be the second-in-command, right?"
He's willing to endure hardship wherever he goes!
He's willing to mentor newcomers!
Worker B from the Hulin County ceramic workshop raised one eyebrow. "We'll first build a ceramic workshop in Sifang County, and then open workshops in various counties. If I volunteer, I can become a workshop owner in a county!"
Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox.
That's how ambitious she is!
The brothers Bing and Tong, workers at the honeycomb briquette factory in Dongkou County, muttered to each other, "We can go to Sifang County too."
The brother was shocked: "There are coal mines all around?"
Worker C: "I was referring to other workshops. Although we work at the briquette factory, we've been learning for over a year. We can write and do math, which is better than most people in Sifang County. That's our advantage!"
The brother suddenly realized, "Then let's volunteer! Which workshop do you want to go to?"
Worker C: "The winery!"
Ding, a worker at the Anling County orchard, was studying a geography book. "If Sifang County corresponds to this place in the book, it should be suitable for growing fruit trees. Then the cannery, dried fruit factory, and even the winery can all be moved to this county."
Were those people at the distillery joking about wanting to monopolize a county and build a liquor county?
He decided to visit the site in person to see if it was suitable.
...
Cheng Hui sighed.
I took some time out of my work on the administrative office staff exam and held a meeting with the heads of various workshops.
Among the leaders, some wanted to stay in Anling County, and they recommended people they thought were suitable to build new workshops in Sifang County.
Some people volunteered to go to Sifang County on their own.
Qin Dongkui suggested that the embroidery workshops in various counties might have people willing to go to Anling, and the decision shouldn't be made solely based on Anling.
Wang Heren agreed, saying, "We should solicit everyone's opinions."
Aunt Feng said, "This is an opportunity for everyone." An opportunity for promotion.
Jiang Zhou crossed his arms. "I think we should focus on training our young people next. Because we've occupied Sifang County this time, and if we occupy Yuanxi County in two years, then..."
Cheng Ji couldn't help but laugh, "You think quite a lot."
Cheng Hui assigned this task to Fang Wangshu in the secretariat.
The county issued a public announcement, calling on everyone to sign up for the construction of the new workshops, and selecting outstanding and suitable talents from various workshops to serve as the heads of the new workshops in Sifang County.
Sifang County.
Six or seven days later, two-fifths of the allied forces from the two prefectures were killed by the army of Anling Prefecture, one-fifth chose to surrender, and the remaining two-fifths fled to Yuanxi Prefecture from Fengyu Bridge.
After discussing the matter with Hu Dazhu, Hu Dazhu led a portion of the army to the county town to take over, while Ning Huai'an led his men to guard the Wind and Rain Bridge to prevent the defeated army from returning.
On their way to the county seat, Hu Dazhu and his companions passed through a county and heard from the locals that the county magistrate had fled long ago because of rampant bandits in the mountains.
Hu Dazhu's smile instantly turned sinister. "Oh? I forgot, besides the imperial army, there are also mountain bandits and outlaws in all directions."
Fang Qin thought for a moment and said, "If we want to take over the four directions and organize the people to engage in planting and production, we need a peaceful environment."
Therefore, those mountain bandits and brigands must be wiped out.
A centurion from the artillery battalion asked excitedly, "So, what do the general and the strategist mean?"
Fang Qin suggested, "Let's take a trip to each county."
Instead of taking a shortcut back to the county seat, he inspected all the surrounding counties and, if there were any bandits or outlaws harming the people, he would wipe them out directly.
Firstly, we'll deal with them sooner or later; secondly, we can gain the trust of the people in a short time.
This will benefit the future construction and development of Sifang County.
They reached a consensus.
The vanguard battalion immediately dispatched men to investigate the situation of this bandit group, and then formulated a battle plan based on the intelligence.
The bandits on the mountain never imagined that one day, divine soldiers would descend from the sky and defeat them, forcing them to flee in terror after they had committed so many crimes and oppressed the local people, leaving the county officials helpless.
Those soldiers, who appeared out of nowhere, captured them all and took them to the county town at the foot of the mountain.
Then he summoned the people of the city and, in front of them, beheaded several bandit leaders.
The bandits turned pale with fright.
The people were filled with doubt and uncertainty.
Hu Dazhu stood on a high place, carrying a large knife, and gave a speech.
The gist of it is that your county now belongs to the Goddess. As long as you believe in the Goddess, we will protect you and ensure you have food to eat and land to cultivate.
The people naturally dared not believe his words.
But it's a fact that they dealt with the local bandits, and it's also a fact that people will no longer be bullied by bandits in the future.
Hu Dazhu and his men did not stay long before heading to the next county with the prisoners they had not killed.
There are mountain bandits who fight against mountain bandits, and bandits who eliminate bandits.
Even without bandits or outlaws, they entered the city, seized control of the county officials, and declared that the county would henceforth belong to the goddess.
Therefore, not long after, the county seat received news that an army was suppressing bandits in various counties.
And the various counties also knew that a "goddess" had become the new master of Sifang County.
Since the Anling County army drove away the allied forces of the two counties, peace has been restored in Lihua's county.
The villagers who had been hiding in the mountains came down, and those who had fled to other places returned to the village, and everyone continued their lives.
But life was not good for them. They were already in poverty, and now it was even more difficult. They didn't have enough food to fill their stomachs.
Some people began to hope that the army from Anling County would actually take them to Anling.
They told others about it.
They talked about how delicious the meat patties were, how the steamed buns were white and soft like clouds in the sky, and how the holy water was the sweetest water in the world.
They said, "As long as we can go to Anling, we can eat such delicious food every day."
"The soldiers in Anling said they were willing to take us to Anling!"
The people waited and hoped.
Then I heard that the army of Anling County was going to stay in Sifang County.
Everyone was shocked, confused, and worried, wondering if the promises made by the female military doctor would actually come true.
Chun Tao looked bewildered. "Does that mean they're not going back to Anling?"
Pear Blossom murmured, "Will the goddess still give us food?"
Chun Tao guessed, "I guess... I guess so. If they stay in Sifang, then we'll be under their jurisdiction, just like the Anling people are under their jurisdiction."
Pear Blossom nodded quickly, "That's right, we are willing to believe in the Goddess. Sister Zhou Xuan said that as long as we believe in the Goddess, we will receive her protection!"
Two little girls looked up at the sky, full of anticipation.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before the Anling County army wiped out the bandits in Sifang County and garrisoned the county city.
Immediately afterwards, many people from Anling came to Sifang County, saying that they were ordered by the goddess to lead the people of Sifang County to farm, build roads, and construct workshops.
From the day they arrived, the people of Sifang County received food bestowed by the legendary "goddess"!
Everyone enjoyed the fragrant white rice and delicious dishes!
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Author's Note: Two more chapters to go! [Crying emoji]
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