670 The Meaning of Guarding
As the city's nights became peaceful, the incense offerings gradually flourished, and the fame of the City God spread far and wide.
Furthermore, the prefectural governments of Wanzhou and Changzhou recognized and worshipped Liu Chenghuang, and the name of Liu Chenghuang has gradually become deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Not only people from Wanzhou and other places, but also people from nearby counties and those who come from afar often come to offer incense.
With the temples flourishing, naturally, a powerful and elite army gradually formed under its command, mostly composed of female generals.
She protected the safety of these cities from the invasion of evil spirits and demons. Even the lesser evil spirits dared not come, and those who did were killed by the female demon general.
As a result, many villagers felt that the nights were not as frightening as before, as if some unseen things had disappeared, and they felt at ease. Naturally, they wanted to visit the City God more often.
The villagers have always believed that the City God manages the underworld, while the government offices manage the mortal world.
Within the City God Temple, Liu Qianqian sensed that four beautiful and talented female generals, clad in silver armor and wielding silver swords, stood silently guarding her sides.
The four female generals were all young and beautiful, but died young. By chance, their souls remained intact. They were chosen by Liu Qianqian from among many ghosts who had never shed blood.
Ghosts are also easily formed, especially during times of turmoil, when the City God's power is greatly weakened, or when someone harbors disloyal intentions and fails to cleanse the area.
Some city gods or village guardian deities deliberately allow evil spirits to cause trouble in order to obtain incense offerings; such practices are not uncommon.
Therefore, Liu Qianqian's selection of Yin Ghosts as guards and soldiers under her command was a gradual process. Some Yin Ghosts could not control their greed and malice and stole the lifespan of the people, so they naturally needed to be dealt with.
Controlling the number of troops tests the character of these ghosts. Those ghosts who cannot control themselves will take risks when faced with so much blood and energy, but they will soon be discovered, and their souls will be scattered.
Liu Qianqian looked at the four carefully selected female generals in front of her, who were majestic and radiant in their armor.
There were also a dozen or so bodyguards, all of whom were of excellent appearance and virgins.
However, we still need to observe slowly. If we break any taboos, we can't keep her. Naturally, we will not overstep the rules of our beloved.
A slight smile crept into her eyes, as if she could imagine her lover being very pleased to see the beautiful scene she had so carefully prepared.
Inside the main hall, Elder Weng and Jin Luo waited quietly. Upon hearing that the young master had invited them to come for a chat, the two were both very happy and excited.
The two were still dealing with their own affairs. Jin Luo was compiling intelligence, which had been handed over to Madam Yun Su for some time. He Chen had not personally inquired about this matter for a long time.
Old Man Weng has been overseeing tax collection, farming, and the collection of medicinal herbs without stopping. Although many young people are now helping the village, Old Man Weng still needs to personally oversee every matter to ensure that each task is handled properly.
If there are any issues that cannot be resolved, they should also be recorded. For example, the task of digging ditches requires a lot of manpower and resources, and it may be difficult to recoup the costs in a short period of time.
Instead, they conscripted the local people to cultivate the land, which would require He Chen's consent.
Busy yet orderly, the longer the city remained peaceful, the more one felt the population was increasing dramatically, and goods from all over the city were transported in, changing daily.
When the new city was first established, villagers from all around moved in one after another. Villagers from more remote and distant areas were still watching and waiting. However, as the villagers concentrated, some of the originally dense populations gradually became sparse.
But later, especially those villagers who had retreated to the deep mountains beyond the border, to remote and sparsely populated areas where wild animals roamed, saw fewer and fewer of their neighboring villages migrating away, despite the hardship they endured.
At first, the surrounding villagers felt that the land seemed to have become more expansive and that the output was increasing, and they were secretly delighted.
But as time went on, they gradually discovered that the surroundings were becoming deserted, and the number of wild animals began to increase. The goods they hunted also gradually increased, and the output of their crops also increased.
However, some troubles gradually emerged.
Especially at night, the surroundings are so quiet that you can only hear the howls of wild animals and the howling of the wind.
At first, the villagers didn't pay much attention, but as time went on, the number of wild animals increased and they became more dangerous.
This change slowly made the villagers uneasy, and they began to worry that wild animals would invade, threatening their safety and livelihood.
Although the villagers began to strengthen preventative measures, building fences and setting traps to stop wild animals from entering, they also started organizing patrol teams to patrol the surrounding area at night to ensure safety.
Moreover, the amount of land cultivated has increased significantly, but the area is too large to be fully covered, and the area that can be protected does not seem to have expanded much.
As the surrounding villages gradually moved away, a problem became increasingly prominent—young men of marriageable age in the village found it difficult to find marriage partners.
This problem was like a bomb about to explode, casting a thick shadow over the villagers' hearts.
Especially children who are about to get married.
They couldn't help but inquire among themselves and search everywhere, and soon the discussion began.
Huang Lao Si was skilled at hunting. As the number of prey increased, his harvest was considerable. He also went to the city to sell a lot of furs and meat, and exchanged them for some silver.
For the sake of my son, I have made several trips to distant old villages to check on the situation and inquire about things.
But upon returning, his expression grew increasingly somber.
As night fell, several families with young children gathered to discuss the matter. Huang Lao Si's eyes dimmed slightly, and his voice revealed a lot of anxiety and helplessness: "The people from the surrounding villages have all moved to the newly built city."
Moreover, there are many young men and women in the city, so many that I'm dazzled. Most of them have jobs in the city that don't require working in the fields, and there are no wild animals to attack them.
They were dressed so nicely and elegantly, and the young man was also dressed neatly, even better than the rest of us. You all know that we all work in the fields and are tanned like charcoal.
People ask if it's possible for a girl from our village to marry into our village, but it's difficult for someone else's daughter to marry into our village. They're doing just fine with their jobs there, how could they possibly come over?
Moreover, city kids can go to school for free, and they get a big steamed bun when they come home in the evening—it's delicious!
In the evening, I saw the children returning home each carrying a large steamed bun, and some of them were already eating as they walked with their families.
It smells so good!
He couldn't help but smack his lips; even he himself couldn't bear to eat these delicious treats.
She couldn't help but scratch her sparse hair, and a few more strands were pulled out. She didn't feel any pain, but she felt even more anxious.
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