"A joke!"
"How could I possibly let the Chaker family dominate?"
To Li Xiuning's worry, Qin Feng could only say she was still a bit naive.
Or rather,
She hadn't experienced the information explosion of later generations, nor had she read the analyses of all the know-it-alls on 'Bi Hu'.
A single family dominating?
Impossible!
He'd have to support at least three other families, and ones with deep-seated hatred, too.
As for whether they would unite and rebel?
The chance was very low!
Unless his strength suddenly plummeted by half, would a situation arise where he couldn't suppress them.
But was that possible?
Even if such a day truly came in the future, it would likely be decades from now.
Before that,
Qin Feng was absolutely confident that he could turn those alien races into cattle farms.
"Alright then!"
Seeing that Qin Feng seemed to have made up his mind, Li Xiuning could only sigh helplessly,
"Since the Lord has decided, Xiuning will naturally cooperate fully."
"But..."
"Shouldn't we first solve the problem of the soldiers' meals before that?"
"Uh..."
Qin Feng, who was still envisioning the future, was immediately knocked out by Li Xiuning.
Indeed!
Even their own soldiers' meals were a problem, how could they have the resources to entice the alien races?
"Forget it!"
"Let's first think about how to solve the problem of the common people's food and clothing!"
With a deep sigh, Qin Feng collected his thoughts and began to face the immediate problem.
Lack of resources!
Very lacking!
It wasn't just a shortage of grain, but also of cloth and winter cotton-padded clothes.
Grain was easy.
Even if it was too late to sow this year, the contributions from the aristocratic families were enough.
The difficult part was winter!
You Province was not like other places; it was very close to what would later be known as Northeast China.
Simply put,
In winter, it would be much colder here than in other places.
And at this time, they didn't even have cotton!
Although his system had rewarded him with cotton seeds, they were too far away to solve the immediate problem.
Therefore,
The problem facing Qin Feng now was how to get through this winter.
"My Lord~!"
Seeing that Qin Feng hadn't spoken for a long time, Li Xiuning peeked at the sky and reminded him,
"We should be ready to depart soon."
"Oh?"
"Right!"
Coming back to his senses, Qin Feng patted his forehead. He had almost forgotten he still needed to visit Liu Qi.
Just right!
As a local force rooted in Zhuo County, he might have some good suggestions.
...
West of Zhuo County,
Liu Residence.
Although he was still serving as the Prefect of Zhuo Commandery, Liu Qi had always lived in the family estate.
The Prefect's mansion was out of the question.
In fact,
Liu Qi had already prepared to hand over this Prefect position at any moment.
If he had been unwilling at first, the arrival of the imperial decree had instead made him feel fortunate.
See?
Fortunately, I didn't fight to the death with those rebels for the sake of the Great Han.
It wasn't worth it!
Without any prior notice, his position as Grand Administrator was suddenly terminated?
After this incident,
Even Liu Shan, who didn't quite understand his father, began to change his mind.
Therefore,
When Qin Feng arrived at the Liu family's residence, he was almost treated with the highest courtesy.
"Prefect Liu, we are all one family, no need to be so formal!"
Seeing Liu Qi and the others kneeling on the ground, Qin Feng quickly stepped forward to help them up.
"Lord Qin, propriety must be observed!"
Despite Qin Feng's attempt to help him, Liu Qi still struggled to remain kneeling.
Seeing this,
Qin Feng no longer insisted and stood there to receive the bow from the Liu family.
They all understood,
From this bow offered by Liu Qi in front of his manor, the Liu family would now bear Qin Feng's mark.
"Alright!"
"Everyone, get up!"
After accepting the allegiance of the Liu family, Qin Feng smiled and helped Liu Qi up.
"The young gentleman beside you must be your noble son, he is indeed remarkably talented!"
"Hmm?"
Liu Qi's eyes flickered slightly, and he pulled Liu Shan, who was looking a bit dazed, to his side.
"My Lord, this is my son, Liu Shan, who is currently idly at home."
"Not bad!"
After a habitual compliment, Qin Feng got straight to the point and asked,
"May I ask what you intend to do in the future, politics, the military, or do you have other aspirations?"
"I..."
"Silence!"
Seeing that Liu Shan was about to answer, Liu Qi glared at him fiercely.
"My son will abide by the Lord's decision!"
"It's alright!"
Qin Feng waved his hand with a slight smile, indicating that Liu Shan could speak his mind.
"My, my Lord~!"
Looking at Qin Feng, who was not much older than him, Liu Shan said a little awkwardly,
"Father wants me to go into politics, but, but I'd rather develop in the military!"
"You~!"
This time, Liu Qi was genuinely a bit anxious.
What was he doing?
Asking for military power directly in front of the Lord? Did this kid want to overthrow heaven?
"Then you shall join the army!"
Before Liu Qi could utter his reprimand, Qin Feng made the decision.
"I'll give you the position of a Thousand-Man Commander to start with. You can go to the barracks tomorrow to select your men."
"Ah?"
"Really?"
Liu Shan, who had not held out much hope, was suddenly overjoyed and knelt down.
"Thank, thank you, my Lord, for your approval!"
"Get up!"
Smiling, Qin Feng helped Liu Shan up and said in a slightly deeper tone,
"A Thousand-Man Commander is just the beginning. Work hard, and I believe your Liu family will not disappoint me!"
Having said that, Qin Feng turned to Liu Qi, whose expression was slightly complex, and said earnestly,
"Lord Liu, the position of Prefect of Zhuo Commandery is still yours. I have no interest and no time to manage these trivial matters."
"But you must achieve one thing... that is, to benefit the common people!"
"You must all remember one sentence!"
"Money can never be earned completely, and in one's life, one must do something meaningful."
After pouring a belly full of "toxic chicken soup," Qin Feng then entered the Liu residence with everyone.
He believed,
With his current level of attention, those words would soon spread.
If the remaining aristocratic families were sensible, they would naturally know what to do.
Those who weren't sensible?
Then he would eliminate them and replace them with sensible ones!
The aristocratic families were inexhaustible, and Qin Feng did not expect to eliminate them all.
But the aristocratic families under his command must be obedient!
Regarding this,
Liu Qi and the others naturally knew what to do, and he wasn't too worried.
What he cared about now was only one thing.
"How to get through the winter?"
Hearing Qin Feng's question, Liu Qi's eyes flickered, and he immediately made a judgment.
Qin Feng and the others were not from You Province, nor were they from the north!
Could they be from southern aristocratic families?
But why would they choose to start from You Province?
Were they easy to bully?
Or had they received news in advance, knowing that the Yellow Turban Rebellion would break out in Ji Province?
Although thoughts flashed through his mind, Liu Qi said with a composed expression,
"My Lord, getting through the winter is quite simple for us: thick clothes and sufficient firewood."
"Firewood?"
Qin Feng nodded thoughtfully. Using fire for warmth was indeed a good method.
It was just a bit troublesome!
And,
There were no steel saws or anything like that in this era, so cutting trees and collecting firewood wasn't that easy.
What about using coal?
Thinking of the coal stoves popular in the nineties, Qin Feng fell into contemplation.