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

Lu Kui has been in Xing County for so many years and has rescued many boys and girls.

However, there are very few people who can be adopted by him.

After all, as adopted sons, one must consider their talents as well as their abilities.

Xing County can only produce a limited amount of grain, and the population it can support is also limited, so among the refugees rescued by Lu Kui, only a few are worthy of his attention and are kept by his side.

It was a chaotic time, human life was worthless, and it was not something that could be sustained by sympathy.

People have to become cold-blooded and ruthless in order to survive in this age where people eat each other and human life is worth less than that of dogs.

Lu Xingchen reached out and helped Wei Hu up. "Brother Wei, what are you doing?"

"Since I have allowed you to lead the troops independently, it means I trust you."

“When I was little, you took care of me like an older brother. I think you will continue to be a good older brother in my life.

Not only can you expand my territory, but you can also be my right-hand man and help me build my kingdom."

Wei Hu stood up from the ground and looked at Lu Xingchen with burning eyes.

"No matter where the girl goes, I, Wei Hu, will follow her. I will always be your supporter. If anyone dares to offend the girl, I will tear him into pieces."

Lu Xingchen smiled and nodded, "I knew my father would not misjudge people. I won't misjudge people either."

After a few days of packing up and reorganizing, Lu Xingchen and Wei Hu each led a team of soldiers to leave Yuzhou.

Lu Xingchen's subordinates include Ling Xiao, Lu Feng, Ma Chao, and Ling Feng. Wei Hu's subordinates include Zhang Fan, Lu Yun, Pei Jun, and Guan Yue...

Lu Xingchen attacked Renzhou and Anzhou, which were located slightly to the north.

Wei Hu attacked Yizhou and Huozhou, which were located in the south.

Master Guo was stationed in Yuzhou, and the garrison leader Ma Kui was stationed in Yuzhou.

The so-called four states were actually regimes established by refugees and local tyrants within the past decade or so.

In fact, they were all county towns before.

The rulers of these states had neither the ambition nor the ability to expand their sphere of influence, and they huddled in their small states to act as local tyrants.

In an age where the average life expectancy is only in the twenties, who knows how long they will live?

Therefore, when many people became local emperors, they lived a dissolute life, the government was extremely corrupt, and the common people lived in dire straits.

Some children were drafted before they grew up, and some died in battle or from exhaustion before they reached adulthood.

Lu Xingchen arrived at the city of Renzhou half a month later.

The so-called Renzhou was previously Ren County. The county wall was not as high as Xing County, and only a few towers were built at the four corners of the county wall to spy on the outside world.

Such towers are basically used to prevent robbery by refugees.

Therefore, there were only less than a thousand soldiers in Renzhou City, just to deal with the refugees who suddenly attacked the provincial capital.

Lu Xingchen led five thousand soldiers, with neat formations, waving flags, and a thunderous momentum.

The prefect of Renzhou saw that the enemy before him was so powerful that he offered no resistance at all. After hesitating for only two or three hours, he opened the city gate to welcome Lu Xingchen into the city.

Renzhou is not big, with only two main roads, and commerce is not well developed, so the population is sparse.

After seeing the prosperity of Jizhou and Yongzhou, such a small county town seems too shabby and desolate.

Lu Xingchen came to the Renzhou Prefecture Government Office and sat in the prefect's chair.

The prefect of Renzhou was a sensible man. His surname was Gao, and his name was Gao Shi.

Gao Shi placed Renzhou's population book, account books and other things in front of Lu Xingchen.

Since Lu Qingchen was with Lu Feng, she didn't have to worry about these things.

Lu Feng took it and asked his subordinates to start calculating and processing it.

"This place should have been called Ren County before." Lu Xingchen looked at Gao Shi and asked.

Gao Shi nodded, "Six years ago, this place was called Ren County, and originally belonged to Yuzhou..."

"So are you an official of the court or a refugee? Or a bandit?" Lu Xingchen asked Gao Shi with a sharp gaze.

"My father-in-law was originally the county magistrate of Gao County. In the last years of Qi State, wars broke out frequently. After my father-in-law passed away, I took over this place."

“Later, I also took control of the three surrounding counties.”

“That’s how it got to where it is today.”

"I saw many people change their county seat to state capital, so I also took the initiative to change Ren County to Renzhou."

"Do you have the appointment letter from Daliang?" Lu Xingchen asked.

Gao Shi shook his head. "I don't have the appointment letter from Daliang. I also wrote to the court, but I never got a reply."

"Okay, the governor understands. From today on, Renzhou will be changed back to Ren County and assigned to Yuzhou Prefecture. It will fall within the sphere of influence of this governor..." said Lu Xingchen.

Gao Shi was unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.

"After the account books and population verification are completed, I will investigate among the common people to see what your reputation is. If you are a good official, I will not kill you without regard for human life. I can even let you continue to be the head of the county, govern the people and bring peace to the local area."

"But if you are corrupt, abuse your power, kill innocent people, and commit heinous crimes, don't blame me for being rude."

Gao Shi's legs went weak. In this turbulent era, who hadn't killed two people?

But at this time he couldn't explain these things and could only wait for Lu Xingchen's judgment.

I just don’t know what the specific rules of Lu Xingchen’s trial are?

Lu Feng checked the accounts and land population in Ren County, while Lu Xingchen took a team of soldiers to the three surrounding counties.

Ren County has been taken over by Lu Xingchen, and naturally there is no resistance from the remaining three counties.

Lu Xingchen brought the county magistrates of the three counties and other officials to Ren County, and asked them to bring account books, population, land and other books to wait for Lu Feng to calculate.

While Lu Feng was rectifying the administration of Ren County, Lu Xingchen was not idle either. He took Ling Xiao and others on a tour of the entire Ren County.

This is the critical period for spring plowing and sowing. The crops sown earlier have already emerged from the soil, releasing vigorous vitality.

Looking at the tender green shoots growing from the vibrant land, Lu Xingchen felt that his blood was constantly awakening.

These lands are hers, and the people who live on these lands are also hers. Her territory is constantly expanding, and these are all she wants.

She wants to constantly build a country that belongs to her, a country that she designed and developed according to her wishes.

When she first traveled to this world, she just wanted to continue expanding her land to prolong her life.

But now she has found what her heart desires in the constant expansion and development, which is a transformation.

Lu Xingchen likes this transformation, which makes her feel full of vitality. This is what it’s like to live a new life.

Ling Xiao stood not far away and looked at her, and saw that the girl was shining.

Although the sunlight was very dazzling at this time, in Ling Xiao's eyes, Lu Xingchen's brilliance suppressed the sunlight and made it dim.

His heartbeat quickened and he found it difficult to breathe.

He wanted to achieve military merit, he wanted to be able to lead troops to fight independently like Wei Hu, and expand the territory for her.

He also wants her to realize that he is a real man who is capable of supporting her.

Ling Xiao thought about this, his eyes burning with excitement.