These words actually made Lü Tu a little embarrassed. His real intention was simply to reassure his family not to worry about him. Moreover, Lü Tu had been sowing seeds like crazy before he left, so it was probably not just Wang Miaoling and Jiang Wanyu, but Zhao Qingyao was probably pregnant as well.
After all, Lu Tu's efficiency was ridiculously high before. With such a high frequency of sowing, it was impossible for him not to succeed.
Lu Tu ordered Sun Meng to send Qin Qianqian back. It was good that she was back, as what Lu Tu said was true.
Jiang Lingfeng could return at any moment, and with a large army at that. Once he returns and sees that his base has been taken over by Lü Tu, it's easy to imagine what he will do—he'll be furious.
But the only thing that could counterbalance Jiang Lingfeng was not the fake appointment letter from Prince Duan, but Zhang Chengyan's Red Turban Army, which was raiding in the south.
As long as they are together, even if Jiang Lingfeng leads his troops to Longcheng, he will not dare to break ties with Lü Tu. After all, the army that Jiang Lingfeng leads is undoubtedly no more elite than the Shence Army.
Even the Shence Army was no match for Lü Tu's troops, let alone the men led by Jiang Lingfeng. How capable could a powerful minister who rose to power by flattering and betraying his friends be in leading troops?
This is not called underestimating the enemy, but rather despising the enemy strategically while taking them seriously tactically—a philosophy espoused by great military strategists of the past.
After explaining everything, Lü Tu was also a little tired. He seemed to have done nothing today, but he was mentally exhausted. There were just too many things to think about, and he was also in dire need of a decent strategist to share his burdens.
This is where the importance of a strategist becomes apparent. Lü Tu desperately wished he had a strategist like Jia Xu who could help him.
Otherwise, he would have to worry about everything himself, and the more he thinks, the more likely he is to become narrow-minded and have problems with how he views issues.
Lu Tu slept until dawn the next day. As soon as he got up, he heard Sun Kuang come forward to report: "Sir, after a night of urgent work, the central army camp has been initially completed."
There were maids and cooks in the Commandant's mansion. They prepared the food and brought it to him, but Lü Tu did not eat it. He asked Sun Kuang, "Are these the original cooks?"
"Yes, sir."
"Replace them! Replace them with the cooks we brought from the village, and replace all these maids too!"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon hearing this, the dozen or so maids present immediately knelt down, prostrated themselves at Lu Tu's feet, and began to sob, "Please, sir, give us another chance! We can't survive if we leave here!"
Lu Tu asked in bewilderment, "I'm just not letting you continue working in the manor, not selling you to a brothel, so why are you crying?"
"No, sir. We voluntarily sold ourselves into the Commandant's mansion. Our indentures are still in the mansion. If we leave the Commandant's mansion, we won't be able to get married. The world is in chaos now, and the only way we can make a living is by going to brothels."
Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "Men, go and retrieve these people's indentures and return them to them!"
Upon hearing that they could get their indentures back, these young maids stared at Lü Tu in disbelief.
Mo Tienan had said similar things before, but all he got in return was for them to dance in public or sell their bodies; he never actually delivered on his promises.
Now that Lü Tu has come again, they have heard of his reputation and have a faint hope that he will keep his word.
Soon, a thick stack of indentures was placed on the table in front of them. Lü Tu picked one up and said, "Xue Xiaoli, come and take it."
"Hey!" A girl of about 15 years old obediently stood up, her hands trembling as she took the indenture that could rewrite her fate, tears falling like beads from a broken string.
"Thank you so much, sir! I don't know how to thank you enough!"
Lu Tu waved his hand and returned all the indentures of the more than 50 maids in the entire Commandant's mansion to them in one go, without making them pay any price.
The girls whose names were called all had red eyes and their heads bowed. Just as Xue Xiaoli had said, the kindness was too great, and they didn't know how to repay Lü Tu.
Lu Tu waved his hand: "You can leave now, you're free."
But even after they finished speaking, they remained standing there for a long time without leaving.
Lu Tu slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone into kneeling down again: "Why aren't you leaving now? Are you going to cling to me?"
"No, sir. In fact, most of us were driven out of our homes and sold to slave traders. Even if we regain our freedom, we don't know where to go or what to do."
Lu Tu gave these people a deep look. He knew that there must be spies from other families among them, so even so, Lu Tu would never allow these people to stay in the Commandant's Mansion.
"Don't know where to go? That's good. I'll show you the way. There's a caravan going to Wuchuan in the north. Pack your bags and go north with them. Once you get to the caravan, someone will arrange work for you. They'll not only pay you, but they'll also arrange husbands for you."
"Really, sir?"
Lü Tu nodded: "When have I, Lü Tu, ever lied to anyone?"
"Thank you so much, sir! I will never forget your life-saving grace!"
Lu Tu laughed and said, "I didn't realize you were educated. It's perfect timing to go to Wuchuan. It's a great land waiting for you to cultivate. Someone, take them to find Qin Qianqian!"
"Yes, sir!"
Since some of these maids belong to other factions, having them return to Wuchuan or Kuishan Village with Qin Qianqian would solve all the problems, as it would completely sever their connection with their original mistress.
In fact, Lu Tu could have simply dismissed them, but considering that he had just entered Longcheng and the people were still observing his attitude, it would be very detrimental to his stable control over the hearts and minds of the people of Longcheng if he treated these commoner women poorly.
After finishing these tasks, Lü Tu called Sun Meng over and said, "Go to the market or neighborhood and ask which women are willing to work at the Commandant's Office and receive a monthly salary on time, but you must vet their character."
Sun Meng was dumbfounded: "Brother, a woman's heart is like the bottom of the sea, how am I supposed to judge her?"
Lu Tu was too lazy to explain to him: "Don't ask me, figure it out yourself!" People always need to be trained. Nie Yun has grown a lot by following Lu Tu, but the two brothers, Sun Kuang and Sun Meng, have grown the least.
After leaving the Commandant's Mansion, Lü Tu bought a few meat buns by the roadside, ate them as he walked, and rode his horse toward the central army camp outside the south gate. He had to make these garrison troops completely his own in the shortest possible time and build a fortified barrier!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
