After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 925 - 910: A Rift Appears

In addition to the refugees, citizens originally living in Jinyang also stepped out of their homes and started wandering around the streets near the county government.

A government official came out with a piece of paper, wiped off the words on a stone slab with a cloth, and wrote a new line of text. Old Man Fang, who was out looking for work, immediately squeezed forward and asked as soon as he finished writing, "Sir, what does it say?"

The government official read aloud, "Eight miles north of the city, there are 180 acres of land to be plowed. We are recruiting twenty young and strong men to pull the plow, three liters of rice per person per day. We also need ten people to guide the plow and fifty people to cut grass, each person receiving two liters of rice per day..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Man Fang immediately shouted, "I can guide the plow, I can guide the plow!"

Following his voice were more shouts from behind, "I can pull the plow!"

"I can cut grass!"

"I can too!"

The government official quickly counted the people as per Fan Ying’s instructions. Among them were ten women, ten elderly, and ten half-grown children, all assigned to cut grass.

The younger and stronger people standing in front, shouting the loudest, were dissatisfied at seeing this and loudly protested, "We expressed our willingness first; why choose them over us?"

The government official sternly reprimanded, "This is the County Magistrate’s order. Who dares to object?"

He shouted, "Every household has elderly, women, and children. These lighter jobs can be done by them, and naturally, some positions must be reserved for them. Otherwise, if you take all the jobs, are we to let them starve?"

The young and strong fell silent, not daring to speak further. Most accepted the county government’s arrangement, but some were still disgruntled, feeling the work had been taken from them.

As they were pondering, another government official came out with a paper and wrote on a stone slab opposite.

Those who were not recruited immediately crowded over again. Before the official finished writing, seven or eight more government officials and soldiers came out of the county government, followed by managerial-like people, all finding a slab to write on.

The crowd was invigorated, wanting to go both ways. However, few could read, and they couldn’t know what the job was before the official spoke, relying only on luck.

At this moment, the importance of literacy was starkly evident.

This is why Fan Ying insisted that the officials and soldiers announce the job requirements after writing them down.

In Jinyang, if you don’t know how to read today, you might never learn in your lifetime.

But in the Zhao Family Army, if you don’t know how to read today, you might learn tomorrow or the day after.

Zhao Hanzhang is well-known for her passion for education, establishing both major and minor schools in the city; large schools accommodate scholars to study, while small schools teach age-appropriate children; workshops have literacy classes, and soldiers in the army also learn to read and write besides training...

Fan Ying had to settle so many refugees at once, and naturally, the county government’s officers and officials alone were not enough. Unwilling to ask Liu Kun for help, she directly selected over a hundred soldiers from the Zhao Family Army.

These soldiers had all studied literacy; while they might not be proficient, they were capable of basic writing.

Moreover, they could write and provide security, making them the most suitable choice, even more helpful than the officials and officers in the county government.

In less than five days, Fan Ying had mostly sorted out the conflicts in Jinyang caused by the influx of refugees, while Shi Le, after some investigation, captured many people, believing them all to be involved with the recent cases of disappearances.

Among them were two individuals closely connected to Liu Kun, often seen at banquets in Liu Kun’s residence.

Their families immediately went to Liu Kun to plead for justice. Before Liu Kun could approach Shi Le to release them, Shi Le had already executed them at the marketplace.

With a single stroke, he beheaded them and had their heads hung on bamboo poles in the execution ground. The densely arrayed fifty-some poles horrified the people of Jinyang with the sheer brutality.

When Liu Kun arrived, he saw a row of hanging heads, with his two friends glaring at him with wide eyes.

Liu Kun’s vision darkened, unable to contain his temper. He charged forward and angrily rebuked Shi Le, "General Shi, what are you doing? Who gave you permission to commit wanton executions in Jinyang?"

Shi Le, unfazed, replied, "All those who plunder and sell good people deserve to die!"

Hearing this, Liu Kun took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked, "What evidence do you have to prove they kidnapped and sold people? Was there an interrogation or a report? By law, you are merely a County Captain; any execution requires my approval."

"I said they kidnapped people, so they did," Shi Le said, "Governor Liu, you invited me to track down these outlaws, and now that I’ve found them, justice must be swiftly served. I have neither the interest nor the time to follow all the formal procedures."

"You!" Liu Kun was infuriated by his arrogance, unable to help but mock, "General Shi, you act righteous now, but don’t forget, you rose to power by kidnapping and selling people. Are you now reminded that you were once a slave?"

Flames of anger surged in Shi Le’s heart. He hated being reminded of his past as a bought and sold slave, and equally detested being reminded of his time as a bandit kidnapping and selling people. Both memories were disgraceful, and today, Liu Kun had touched both sore points.

A cold flash crossed Shi Le’s eyes, filled with murderous intent.

As soon as Liu Kun said it, he regretted it. He still wanted to win over Shi Le; it was just that his anger clouded his judgment.

Those two people hanging there were not just his friends but also half-retainers, contributing large sums of money and silks to him each year. Now, all was lost.

And inadvertently, he had also offended Shi Le.

Liu Kun was full of remorse, wishing he hadn’t agreed to Zhao Hanzhang’s offer to become this Jinyang County Captain in the first place.

Zhao Hanzhang, having watched their confrontation, turned and left.

Fu Tinghan quickly caught up, "Did you know Liu Kun’s friends were involved?"

"I’m no prophet," Zhao Hanzhang smirked, "I can’t just calculate it out of thin air. But for these people to run rampant in Jinyang, abducting so many children with no repercussions, there must be a powerful force supporting them."

"Liu Kun leads a lavish life and is easy to please. That force likely has entanglements with him," Zhao Hanzhang stated, "He might genuinely be unaware, but he has surely protected them unknowingly. Shi Le despises human traffickers, especially those selling Jie Clan people. He’s the best choice for investigating this case."

With someone like Liu Kun, he even thought about recruiting Shi Le? She intended to cut off his path completely.

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan said, "Let’s go, let them argue. I estimate that the Xianbei reply will arrive soon, and we’ll only have these couple days of leisure."

During this period, Zhao Hanzhang recruited twelve thousand soldiers, and the Shi Army had also arrived, now stationed outside the city.

The daily consumption of rations and fodder by the army was enormous. Zhao Hanzhang wanted to resolve the Xianbei affair soon, then move to confront Wang Jun, which would also expedite their movement against the Xiongnu.

Once the Xiongnu were defeated, she could focus on internal development with peace of mind.