Li Guang didn't say anything. He stood up, opened the door, and went out.
A gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes blew by, and Li Guang couldn't help but shiver.
The news Mr. Fang brought should be true; Li Xue went to the border last year and has not been heard from since.
According to Li Xue's habit, she would definitely come to Shuixian Village again in the second half of the year, but so much time has passed and she has not come.
Perhaps this news was brought back by Li Xue from the border.
The snow fell intermittently for three or four days before finally stopping.
That morning, as the sun rose, Li Guang went to the fields to check on the growth of the winter wheat.
A timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest. Such heavy snow can freeze and kill pests and insect eggs in the fields, which is beneficial to the crops. There is no need to worry about the heavy snow damaging the wheat.
The heavy snow disrupted transportation, and for several days in a row, no one came to the village to deliver goods.
Zhao Xian knew that once the snow melted, more people would come to the village to deliver goods, especially since there was less than a month left until the New Year.
During this period, the workshop must speed up production and ensure sufficient supply.
Three days later, the snow on the road finally melted, the road became clear, and more merchants began to enter and leave the village, marking the start of the year-end business season.
That day, several carriages arrived at Zhao Xian's gate, and Prefect Shen and his entourage got off the carriages.
Judging from their attire, they should be military personnel.
Zhao Xian quickly came out to greet them. Prefect Shen must have something important to discuss with his entourage.
"Prefect Zhao, I have come to bother you today on behalf of Vice Minister Luo of the Ministry of War. Let me introduce you first."
After Prefect Shen finished speaking, he began to introduce his entourage.
As Prefect Shen introduced them, Zhao Xian was astonished. Among these people were the Vice Minister of War, local military and political officials, officials, and a young general.
The lowest-ranking person to come here today is a fifth-rank official, making it a formidable lineup.
At this moment, the Vice Minister of War looked at Zhao Xian and said:
"Young Master Zhao, a few months ago, Lord Yao conducted research in Narcissus Village. After returning to the capital, he presented the Emperor with several kinds of crops he brought back."
After learning about these crops, the Emperor was very pleased and ordered Lord Yao to promote them throughout the country.
Later, Lord Yao took out a package of compressed biscuits and let everyone taste them. After learning about the characteristics of compressed biscuits, the people present were overjoyed. This food could be used as military rations and had great strategic significance.
However, Lord Yao pointed out that Narcissus Village is located in a remote mountain village where bandits roam freely.
Because Narcissus Village is able to produce these important resources, but has no defense capabilities, it must be garrisoned for defense.
Lord Yao's suggestion caused a great uproar in the court. After one or two months of discussion, there was no progress. Finally, the Fourth Prince stepped in and made the final decision. Only then did the Emperor agree to build an army of three thousand men in Shuixian Village.
The imperial court instructed the Ministry of War to assist the military and political authorities of Qing'an Prefecture in establishing a local army in Shuixian Village. The basic expenses would be covered by the Ministry of Revenue, requiring no local contribution.
Zhao Xian quickly understood that when Lord Yao came to Shuixian Village for research last time, he mentioned the safety issues of Shuixian Village and suggested that troops be stationed in Shuixian Village.
Lord Yao's suggestion was adopted by the imperial court, which was a major opportunity for Shuixian Village. Shuixian Village would no longer be a small mountain village from then on.
At this moment, the Vice Minister of War called over a young general beside him and introduced him to Zhao Xian:
"This young general's surname is Yao, and his given name is Lin. He was recommended by Lord Yao and will be the commander of this local army from now on, under the command of Prefect Zhao."
"Greetings, Lord Shaofu. This general will obey your orders." After Yao Lin finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Zhao Xian.
"General Yao, there's no need for such formalities. From now on, we're family."
Zhao Xian sized up Yao Lin and found that he was not old, not even twenty years old. He would be spending his days with this young general from now on.
But he still had a question: stationing troops in Shuixian Village to protect local crop cultivation and the development of their own industries was certainly necessary.
It seems a bit of a waste to station an army of three thousand here. Is there some other reason behind this?
At this moment, Lu Dinghai, the local military and political leader of Qing'an Prefecture, walked over, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Xian, and said:
"Greetings, everyone. I am Lu Dinghai, the local military affairs manager of Qing'an Prefecture. I have not been in office for long. From now on, I will work with General Yao to establish the local army of Shuixian Village."
Zhao Xian looked Lu Dinghai up and down and found that he was quite old, at least in his fifties.
The former local military and political supervisor, Censor Xie, was punished by Li Xue and dismissed from his post, thus creating a vacancy in the position of military and political supervisor.
The imperial court arranged for Lu Dinghai to come to Qing'an Prefecture to serve as an imperial censor.
“The formation of a local army is a major event for Qing’an Prefecture. Since this army will be stationed in Shuixian Village, I will fully cooperate,” Zhao Xian said.
"You're too kind, Zhao Shaofu. During this period, I will live and eat in Shuixian Village until this army is fully formed."
Some time ago, Lord Yao inspected Shuixian Village and suggested that the General's Camp be built at the foot of the mountain, near the Shaofu Lord's workshop.
"Could Prefect Zhao spare some time to take us to survey the terrain first?"
"Sure, of course, no problem. But it's lunchtime now. Why don't you all have lunch first and then come over?"
Upon hearing this, Prefect Shen immediately spoke:
"Young Master Zhao, there's no need to be so polite. We should first survey the terrain. After that, Vice Minister Luo and I will be returning to Qing'an Prefecture, so we won't be having dinner here."
Since Prefect Shen has given the instructions, let's take them there first. Building a military camp on the wasteland will directly protect the large amount of property there.
Zhao Xian led his group to the wasteland and soon began to survey the terrain.
When General Yao saw the huge square, he was immediately delighted, spurred his horse, and galloped across the square.
This large area could easily accommodate 30,000 or even 30,000 troops, making it a very suitable place to build military camps.
Vice Minister Luo was also very satisfied with this place; it was indeed the best location to build a military camp. It seems that Lord Yao had a good eye.
After surveying the terrain, Prefect Shen left with Vice Minister Luo and his entourage, while Censor Lu and General Yao would continue to survey the terrain.
This will be a permanent military camp, where soldiers will live for a long time. Some things must be carefully considered.
After surveying the terrain, Zhao Xian led Imperial Censor Lu and General Yao on a tour of the workshop.
They were very interested in the production of compressed biscuits and tasted them.
The compressed biscuits taste good; a small biscuit can keep you full all day, which is incredible.
"I heard that the imperial court may be making a large-scale purchase of compressed biscuits as a supplement to the army's rations. It seems that Lord Shaofu will have to increase production," General Yao said.
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