How could Magistrate Ding not be tempted?
He was exiled to Lingnan because he offended someone. This godforsaken place was also hit by war, and he might have to stay in Lingnan for the rest of his life.
He wanted to achieve political success more than anyone else.
Especially after Lin Jinyue and her group arrived, many people were attracted by the local cuisine, and tax revenue also increased.
However, this was far from enough for him to be promoted.
Nowadays, when it comes to promotions, performance is judged by the number of households under one's name.
No matter how much tax revenue or economic growth there is, it's useless.
Nowadays, taxes, corvée labor, and military service are all levied on a per-household basis, and the common people are unwilling to separate their families.
Increasing the number of households is harder than climbing to the sky.
Officials who were basically sent down to Lingnan could never be promoted in their entire lives.
Right now, it is indeed a good opportunity.
Lin Jinyue brought a large number of people, more than a thousand households, regardless of whether they were female households or not, that was a real achievement.
Magistrate Ding was genuinely tempted.
But... he really didn't dare to offend Gu Shao.
To avoid being thrown into the dungeon before his achievements are even reported, in order to prevent him from interfering with Gu Shao's plans.
Magistrate Ding hesitated: "Political achievements are important, but what if I delay General Gu's progress? Wouldn't I become a sinner for all time?"
Lin Jinyue, being such a shrewd person, immediately understood what he meant.
Lin Jinyue remembered that her brother had been taken away by Gu Shao and hadn't returned for two days. She knew that Gu Shao must think her brother was amazing and was reluctant to let him go.
"It's not a big deal. Shall we go find General Gu together?"
Lin Jinyue added, "Actually, it doesn't matter. These people were originally maids and servants of various families, so conscription doesn't really apply to them."
Ding Ruiming feigned hesitation, "Then why don't we go and ask? That way we can find out what General Gu's plan is."
The group then hurriedly went to the military camp outside the city.
It used to be a makeshift training ground, and his brother was surrounded by a group of soldiers dressed in simple cloth armor.
Lin Jinyue wasn't in a hurry to disturb them; she simply watched from the sidelines.
Lin Xueqing hadn't really wanted to come, as he felt that the people in his village weren't physically fit enough and most of them weren't accurate archers.
If you can't even get your own village sorted out, how can you have time to worry about others?
But after arriving, he found himself somewhat reluctant to go back.
These soldiers were all only fifteen or sixteen years old, with some as young as thirteen.
He also learned from Gu Shao that when these people would go to the battlefield depended entirely on when Prince Jing attacked. If he attacked tomorrow, then they would have to go tomorrow.
Yes, bare-handed, and without any training in fighting techniques.
They were used as human shields and charged to the front.
Lin Xueqing grew up in a peaceful era, and she could coldly ignore these people even when they weren't in front of her.
But when they all smiled at him with their honest smiles and stuffed the dry food, boots, and local specialties they had packed at home into his clothes, they were surprised to see him.
Lin Xueqing could not turn a blind eye.
Lin Xueqing has been focusing on teaching this group of newly recruited people during this period.
We wanted to cram all their fighting skills and wilderness survival techniques into their heads.
These past two days, Lin Xueqing hasn't been able to rest for a moment.
After teaching them combat skills, we still need to do spot checks to identify and address any gaps in their knowledge.
No one complained that he was too strict; everyone knew that Lin Xueqing wanted them to survive.
After teaching for a while, Lin Xueqing spotted Lin Jinyue not far away.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and ran over. "Why are you here? I forgot to write home these past two days. Don't worry, I wanted to stay here myself."
Lin Jinyue smiled and said, "I need to ask General Gu to do something for me."
Lin Xueqing then said, "I'll take you there."
Lin Jinyue handed him a small cloth bag, which was stuffed full of food she had brought along the way.
Some of them were snacks I just bought from the system store.
Lin Xueqing accepted it, knowing that she couldn't walk very well, and carried her on her back.
Lin Xueqing also said, "I'd like to stay here a few more days. If I can make weapons and cloth armor, I'd like to..."
Lin Jinyue nodded: "If General Gu is willing to provide the raw materials and labor costs, I can have the villagers work overtime to make it."
After circling around for a while, they finally reached Gu Shao's side.
At that moment, he was staring at a sand table, seemingly lost in thought.
There were other people in the room, and when they saw Lin Xueqing, they immediately stood up and were extremely respectful.
Lin Xueqing was used to it; they'd been like this for the past two days.
However, the others who came with Lin Jinyue were somewhat surprised.
Hearing about it is one thing, seeing it with your own eyes is another.
When Gu Shao saw Lin Jinyue, he immediately ordered people to prepare fruits and snacks, and even sent someone to the city to buy them.
Lin Jinyue quickly said, "I won't be staying long. I'm here to talk about serious business. There's no need to trouble yourself."
Gu Shao insisted, "It's nothing, no trouble at all. What brings you here this time?"
Lin Jinyue then spoke directly.
Gu Shao was somewhat surprised: "Granting residency to two thousand people?"
Lin Jinyue nodded: "Yes, there might not be enough land. With so many people, I'd like to expand the area."
Ding Ruiming's eyelids twitched as he listened.
Good grief, they didn't mention the land at all before.
Lin Jinyue blinked her bright, watery eyes, looking completely innocent and harmless.
"I was thinking that if I could do something for the general, that would be good. Our village has many blacksmiths and carpenters with good skills, but providing food might not be enough to win this battle. I was thinking if we could provide more..."
Gu Shao's eyes lit up: "Crossbows..."
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