The armored soldier casually nodded to the village head, took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to the village head.
"This is a conscription order issued by the general. Your village needs at least fifty strong laborers. You have one day to decide on the candidates, and I will leave with my men tomorrow."
The village headman tremblingly accepted the conscription order, which seemed thin but was actually very heavy. He forced a smile at the soldiers.
"I'll arrange for someone to prepare a room for you, sir, so you can be more comfortable."
After saying that, he called out to the crowd, "Tiezhu's family, your house is the cleanest in the village. The military officer will be staying at your house. Remember to treat him well."
The old woman smiled and stepped out of the crowd. "I understand. Sir, it's cold outside. Why don't you come inside with me and have some hot tea to warm up?"
"Our village head will definitely handle the conscription matter for you clearly and thoroughly."
The soldier nodded casually and rode his horse slowly behind the old woman.
Once the soldiers were out of sight, everyone started talking and said all sorts of hurtful things.
"These damn bastards! Wasn't conscription supposed to start next March? How come it's been brought forward so long!"
"Yeah, our village was finally getting a little lively, and now they're recruiting soldiers again!"
“Sigh, I can’t bear to part with these children. Yesterday, I casually mentioned to Xu Siyi that we were running low on firewood, and the child brought me some that night.”
What a good kid! Why is he going to be cannon fodder for those inhuman people?
Lin Lizheng also sighed deeply. He whispered his advice: "Keep your voice down when you're outside. If the soldiers hear you, you'll get a beating at best, and you might lose your life at worst."
"If you're going to talk about it, it'll be safer at home, won't it?"
The women nodded in agreement and obediently dispersed.
Lin Li was looking in the direction of Xu Jinhuan's house when he put on his shoes and limped towards it.
"Grandpa Village Head, what brings you here? You could have just called someone to let us over if you needed anything." Li Xiaoxiao happened to be hanging clothes out to dry outside. As soon as she saw the village head coming over, she immediately helped him into the house.
Lin Lizheng has no children at home, so when he saw Li Xiaoxiao, who was cute and obedient, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Oh, it's Xiaoxiao. I had some things to discuss with your sister Xu, and since I had some free time, I came over by myself."
Upon hearing the voice, Xu Jinhuan looked at Lin Lizheng, who had just entered, with a puzzled expression, seemingly wondering what the village head wanted to see her about.
"Uncle Village Head, please sit down and have a cup of hot tea," Xu Jinhuan said with a smile.
After Lin Li sat down, he held a teacup in his hand, but did not drink it. Instead, he sighed softly and explained his purpose.
“Miss Xu, soldiers from the military camp just arrived in the village. The general is recruiting again, this time... at least fifty men.”
Lin Lizheng paused here, then continued, "The able-bodied men in Blackfish Village have all been recruited, so these fifty men will probably have to come from your place."
Xu Jinhuan nodded knowingly and said gently, "I understand. Arrange the list of these fifty people before tonight, and then send someone to deliver it to you, Uncle Village Head."
Lin Lizheng looked at Xu Jinhuan in surprise upon hearing this, feeling both touched and gratified. He had actually been quite nervous when he came, fearing that Xu Jinhuan might change his mind.
"In that case, I won't delay Miss Xu any longer and will take my leave now." After saying this, Lin Lizheng limped away, leaning on his cane.
Xu Jinhuan said to Li Xiaoxiao beside him, "Xiaoxiao, go to each room and tell them about the conscription. The list should still be the one I ordered before."
Li Xiaoxiao agreed earnestly and ran out of the house.
Before they knew it, it was afternoon, and Li Yichang and An Er returned in their carriage.
"Boss, today I've finally seen what it means to fight and snatch things from each other!" An Er said loudly with a laugh as soon as he entered the room.
Compared to An Er's unreliability, Li Yichang bowed to Xu Jinhuan and quickly explained the day's events.
"Boss, as soon as our carriage entered the county town today, it was stopped by servants from several families. They said that their master had a great appetite after eating our vegetables."
He specifically instructed them to wait at the city gate early in the morning, and told them to make sure to bring back some green vegetables, so each of them immediately asked for eight or ten baskets.
An Er laughed and replied, "That's right. After hearing all that, I immediately lifted the carriage curtain and showed them the two baskets of vegetables inside."
He also mentioned the boss's instructions regarding limited production, instantly bringing them to the harsh reality.
Li Yichang nodded and continued, "Although they are unwilling, we will only sell one copy to each household."
If anyone tries to slip through the cracks, those in line are allowed to report them, and the person who reports them will have priority in purchasing the vegetables.
Moreover, thanks to the enthusiasm of these people, we sold all our vegetables right at the city gate.
Xu Jinhuan nodded in satisfaction. As expected of her subordinate, he could now apply what he learned to other situations.
"I understand. Since the market is slowly opening up, Li Yichang doesn't need to go anymore. Starting tomorrow, An Er, you find a clever person to go with you to sell vegetables."
An Er nodded upon hearing this, "Okay, boss, I'll definitely find someone smart."
Li Yichang seemed to understand something, and he asked, "Boss, has the village started conscription too?"
Xu Jinhuan nodded, then asked, "How is things in the county town?"
Li Yichang thought for a moment and said, "Although there are conscription notices in the county town, they are recruiting poor people who can't afford to live a happy life. It seems that wealthy merchants and gentry are not included in this list."
Xu Jinhuan sneered, "There will always be a privileged class."
After expressing her feelings, she made arrangements: "When you go to the military camp tomorrow, you will split into groups of five, with each group consisting of twenty-five people. You and Da Tou will be in charge of two groups."
During this time, you can earn military merits, subtly accumulate merits, and even record the location of supplies to report to me. If you encounter any difficult situations, you can burn this talisman to contact me.
After Xu Jinhuan finished speaking, he handed the talisman in his hand to Li Yichang.
She had previously used her extra protagonist aura to exchange the system's method for making communication talismans, and this talisman was one she had just made.
Li Yichang respectfully accepted the talisman and carefully placed it in his pocket. He said earnestly, "Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission!"
Xu Jinhuan said some words of encouragement before letting Li Yichang leave.
"Boss, can you give me a sound transmission talisman?" An Er looked at Xu Jinhuan with anticipation.
Seeing that he was just like Ma Wencai, Xu Jinhuan chuckled and handed over the talisman.
“Even if you didn’t say anything, I would still give it to you. This vegetable business is very important to us at this stage.”
An Er accepted the talisman with both hands, completely satisfied, his mind already racing with excitement.
He did it! He really did it! He successfully gained the boss's trust!
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