It's better to be an empress than a county magistrate

However, the timing of gift giving is also important, and there is no need to rush.

She had just gone to the capital and brought a lot of gifts for Concubine Shu. If she sent them to her now, it would seem like she was too eager to please her.

It is also good to cool down appropriately.

"There are many empty shops in Yongzhou City now, and we are in urgent need of attracting business. Now that you are here, I will give this task to you."

"Before the Chinese New Year, I want all the shops in Yongzhou City to be open for business. Whether you run the shop yourself or sublease it to someone else is up to you."

"I just want business to flourish and taxes to be collected on time."

Jiang Fangtu looked at Lu Xingchen in shock. He had never thought that there was such a cheap thing in the world.

Yongzhou City is simply a commercial space.

"What's wrong? You can't do it?" Lu Xingchen asked Jiang Fangtu.

"Yes, yes, no problem. There are still two months until the Chinese New Year. I will definitely get everything done.

Let all the shops here open for business during the Chinese New Year.

As long as there is something in this world, you can buy it in Yongzhou City." Jiang Fangtu patted his chest and promised.

Lu Xingchen nodded with great satisfaction.

"Only when commerce and trade are prosperous will more people feel that Yongzhou is a stable city, and more people will migrate here and settle in Yongzhou."

"If you have any questions, you can find Lu Yunfeng..."

Jiang Fangtu nodded excitedly, "I understand, General, I will go out and get busy now."

Lu Xingchen smiled and nodded.

Jiang Fangtu was a very versatile person and he quickly became very familiar with Lu Yunfeng.

What's more, Lu Yunfeng had just come to Yongzhou from Jizhou. Jiang Fangtu should have looked for him when he was in Jizhou.

It was just as Lu Xingchen expected.

Three days later, Lu Yunfeng praised Jiang Fangtu for his ability in front of Lu Xingchen.

"The accountants under Jiang Fangtu are really quick-witted. One of them is as smart as five or six of my men."

"It's just that guy is very stingy. I wanted to borrow a few people from him, but he refused to lend them to me." Lu Yunfeng's face was full of regret.

"Of course everyone wants good talents, so you should just train them slowly yourself, uncle." Lu Xingchen said with a smile.

"By the way, Yongzhou's accounts have basically been sorted out."

"This is the private property of the Zhao, Liu and Wang families."

Lu Yunfeng patted the thick stack of account books and clicked his tongue a few times.

"These three old guys are really greedy. Yongzhou City has basically become their asset."

"Look here, this little bit is public property."

There is indeed a big difference between public and private.

"Uncle, pick two shops or a farm from here, and leave a portion for my second uncle and his family."

"Leave me a few shops and farms as my assets."

"All the remaining ones shall be taken out and belong to the government."

"The common people who have just moved into Yongzhou can go to the government office to register and then contract a piece of land."

"The ownership of these lands belongs to the government, and the common people have the right to use them. Taxes are levied every year according to the amount of land."

"In addition, the land of gentry and officials must also pay taxes according to the number of acres, without any exceptions."

"In our jurisdiction, no one will be exempted from paying taxes just because of their status."

Lu Xingchen would not let the common people serve in the army. Any labor must be paid, so taxes must be levied on every acre of land.

"Also, uncle, the tax on newly reclaimed wasteland is 30% of the original land, to encourage the people to open up wasteland."

Lu Yunfeng nodded and agreed, "Don't worry, there are good policies being implemented in Xing County and Jizhou, and I will continue to promote them in Yongzhou."

Wei Hu and Zhang Fan continued to recruit and train soldiers.

After taking Yongzhou, the number of troops instantly increased by more than two thousand people.

At this time, the number of troops in Yongzhou alone had reached 7,000.

And these seven thousand people are all regular troops.

The combat effectiveness of the soldiers trained by Pei Jun has also been significantly enhanced.

Pei Jun fought with Zhang Fan several more times.

This time Zhang Fan did not dare to underestimate the enemy, as the two sides were evenly matched.

Later, Pei Jun completely gained the upper hand.

"General, Pei Jun's fighting style is like a gangster. We all follow the battle scenes he set. This is unfair to us." Zhang Fan lost two games in a row and became anxious.

The rules are against them.

Lu Xingchen smiled and said, "Pei Jun trained a team that is good at positional warfare."

"If you're not convinced, you can add archers and cavalry as well. I think your chances of winning are still slim."

Zhang Fan was not convinced and added cavalry and archers into the battle.

After the game, he still had no chance of winning.

Pei Jun's side has a large shield that can block all arrows.

The Qiangzhi and spear cavalry couldn't get close at all.

Seeing that Pei Jun had gained his own insights, Lu Xingchen allocated another 900 people to him, expanding his team to 1,800 people.

"General, if these 1,800 people fight like this, they will have no chance of meeting an enemy on flat ground," said Lu Feng.

This is exactly the effect Lu Xingchen wanted.

"When we encounter strong enemies in the future, this will be a sharp weapon for us." Lu Xingchen said with satisfaction.

"By the way, it's almost the end of the year. Are you going to bring my sister-in-law to Yongzhou, or go back to Xing County by yourself?"

Lu Feng has married and his wife has stayed in Xing County.

Lu Feng showed an awkward expression, "There are so many things going on in Yongzhou City, where can I leave?"

"War is war, but life must go on. If I fight for ten years and you don't get intimate with your sister-in-law for ten years, she will have to find someone else."

Lu Feng glared at Lu Xingchen, "You haven't even gotten married yet, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Lu Xingchen smiled calmly, "I'm telling the truth. It's not okay for a couple to live apart for a long time."

"We have developed so fast. It has been less than a year since we started planning. It has grown from one county to two states. That's enough. We will talk about the rest next spring."

The cold wind blew up a cloud of dust.

Lu Xingchen shook his head. "This is indeed a cold winter. It's about to snow."

Lu Feng nodded slightly, "Then I'd better go back to Xing County."

Lu Xingchen hummed softly. "If you go back to Xing County, I will let Zhang Fan stay here."

"You and Brother Wei each take a team of soldiers back to Xing County."

Wei Hu had also married and his wife also stayed in Xing County.

Lu Xingchen must give them time to reunite.

Lu Feng nodded in agreement.

"Then pack up and prepare to go back."

"There is still a month until the Chinese New Year. We will make new plans after the New Year. You and sister-in-law can stay together for at least one more month."

"You must hurry up and give me a nephew or niece."

Lu Feng was embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

"I'm leaving first. I won't talk to you anymore." Lu Feng ran away.

"General, what did you say to Lu Feng? His old face turned red." Zhang Fan came over and asked.

"I asked him to go home and reunite with his sister-in-law, and use this time to make a baby."

Zhang Fan laughed out loud.

"What are you laughing at? You're not a kid anymore, do you find anyone you like?" Lu Xingchen looked at Zhang Fan and asked.