A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
Lu Fei, Zhang Xun, and Han Sheng filed in, their faces still bearing the marks of battle.
"My lord, our scouts report that wounded barbarian soldiers and barbarian women have been discovered ten kilometers outside Shannan County, along with three thousand warhorses and countless weapons and armor..."
Zhang Xun excitedly reported, his spittle almost landing on Lu Yan's face.
Lu Yan waved his hand impatiently:
"Alright, alright, stop reciting the menu like you're listing dishes. Just get all the ledgers organized and send them over."
"Also, we must do a good job in compensating our wounded and injured soldiers, so as not to disappoint them."
"Yes!" the three replied in unison.
“Oh, right,” Lu Yan suddenly remembered something.
What should be done with the captured women?
The three looked at each other, this was a problem that had been bothering them for a while.
"Sir, according to custom, it's either kill him or release him..."
Han Sheng said cautiously.
Lu Yan sneered:
"Killing them would be a waste of manpower. Releasing them would be like raising a tiger to cause trouble. Neither is a good idea."
He stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"How about... we send them to the mines to work?" Lu Fei suggested.
Lu Yan rolled her eyes at him:
"You think I'm some kind of exploitative landlord? I'm a civilized person, how could I do something like this?"
"Then..." The three of them were dumbfounded again.
Lu Yan stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his brows furrowed.
"I don't kill women, so what should I do with them?" he muttered to himself.
"How about, sir, we let them farm like the previous prisoners?"
Zhang Xun asked tentatively.
Lu Yan stopped in his tracks, his eyes lighting up:
"Farming isn't out of the question; we can let them cultivate wasteland,"
"It can solve the food problem, enable them to support themselves, and deter other barbarian tribes—a win-win situation!"
“But sir, barbarian women are also wild and untamed. Letting them farm might be…” Han Sheng said with some concern.
Lu Yan waved his hand:
"Don't worry, I have a plan. Tomorrow, gather all the prisoners together; I'm going to teach them a lesson myself!"
The next day, in the square in front of the county government office.
Nearly a thousand barbarian prisoners were bound hand and foot, kneeling on the ground, their heads hanging low, their eyes filled with fear.
Standing on the high platform, looking down at the dense crowd below, Lu Yan cleared his throat and spoke in fluent barbarian language:
“I know you are very scared and resentful right now.”
“You think I am an invader, a robber, who killed your men.”
"But I want to tell you, you are wrong!"
His voice was loud and powerful, echoing across the square.
The prisoners looked up in surprise at the young magistrate who spoke their language.
"Your defeat was not because I was so great, but because you were too backward!"
"You are still living a primitive life of eating raw meat and drinking blood, while we have already learned to use firearms and employ advanced tactics! That is the difference!"
Lu Yan paused for a moment, then continued:
"I'm giving you two choices: either remain prisoners, imprisoned by us, and suffer from hunger and cold every day;"
"Secondly, join us, learn our technology, cultivate our land, and live a life free from worries about food and clothing!"
The square was silent. The prisoners looked at each other, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
Seeing this, Lu Yan added fuel to the fire:
“I know that many of you were forced into the war, and you also have your own children.”
"If you choose to join us, I can guarantee that your families will also be properly taken care of,"
"Your children can receive an education and become useful members of society in the future!"
These words completely touched the hearts of the prisoners.
After a moment's hesitation, they all kowtowed to express their willingness to submit.
Lu Yan nodded in satisfaction.
He knew that the real victory in this war had only just begun.
Lu Yan was extremely busy after that.
Lu Yan's method of settling the prisoners was simple, brutal, yet surprisingly effective.
There was no torture, no killing, only a completely new and unheard-of method of farming.
He imparted all the agricultural knowledge he had learned from modern times.
From crop rotation to fertilization, from seed selection to seedling cultivation, nothing is too small.
They taught these barbarian women and local farmers in great detail.
At first, they were somewhat reluctant.
Now, however, they have to toil in the fields like farmers to earn a living.
Because Lu Yan's method of "motivation" is very special, he neither hits nor scolds.
They were subjected to only one horrifying form of torture—reciting "Sympathy for the Peasants."
"Hoeing the fields at noon, sweat drips onto the soil beneath the crops..."
A group of barbarian women, speaking with a broken accent.
The sight of them reciting the text while swaying their heads was almost unbearable to watch.
However, the effect is significant.
Under Lu Yan's psychological attack, they quickly succumbed.
I began to seriously learn farming techniques.
In addition, Lu Yan's method was indeed effective.
Not long after.
The land in Shannan County presents a thriving scene, and grain production is soaring.
Chen Qingwan and Qiao'er witnessed all of this.
Ever since that day when I witnessed Lu Yan's "eloquence" in the county government square.
They decided to stay in Shannan County for a while longer.
They called it "understanding the people's sentiments".
Actually, they wanted to see what this glib-tongued magistrate was really up to.
In the past few days, they have witnessed how Lu Yan transformed a group of unruly barbarians into docile "farmers".
We also witnessed a significant improvement in the living standards of the people in Shannan County.
This made Chen Qingwan feel uneasy.
For a county magistrate to possess such methods is not a good sign.
"Qiao'er, look at Lu Yan, he really doesn't seem like an ordinary county magistrate."
Chen Qingwan sat in a private room of the teahouse, her brows furrowed as she gazed at the scene of people working in the fields outside the window.
Qiao'er cracked melon seeds and said casually:
"Indeed, Your Majesty, I've long suspected that this lad is no ordinary person."
"Look at his mouth, it just keeps going on and on, it could make the dead talk."
"If this were in the palace, who knows how many women it could fool."
Chen Qingwan rolled her eyes at her: "What are you saying!"
Qiao'er smiled mischievously and moved closer to Chen Qingwan.
"Your Majesty, think about it, Lu Yan isn't bad-looking at all,"
"It can talk and it can also farm. It's simply an essential item for home and travel."
"Qiao'er!" Chen Qingwan said, feigning anger.
"If you spout any more nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Qiao'er stuck out her tongue, no longer daring to misbehave.
However, Chen Qingwan also knew in her heart that although Qiao'er's words were vulgar, they were not without reason.
Lu Yan is indeed a figure not to be underestimated.
His existence was both an opportunity and a challenge for her.
Those who submit to me are the pillars of my state; those who do not submit must be eliminated by some means.
This small Shannan County must also be under my control.
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