After traveling through time, I rely on force to survive

Seeing that everyone was about to speak, Li Qingqing signaled them to remain quiet and continued:

"You may have known this before you came. This city is called Border City. It is different from other towns. It is an important border town of our Dayuan Kingdom. I will arrange for you to live in the border town.

If anyone disobeys the rules of this place, this city lord will throw him onto the battlefield at the border and let the enemy soldiers teach him the ropes!"

Many of the refugees shuddered when they heard this, with a hint of fear in their eyes.

The crowd began to feel uneasy, and everyone stared at Li Qingqing in a daze.

Li Qingqing did not stop, she continued:

"If any of you are unwilling to accept the rules here, or feel afraid, then there is no need to force it. Turn left and exit the city. The gates are open and you are free to leave."

Refugees: “…”

The refugees felt sad.

The city lord's words were so... polite.

Will they still be able to survive if they leave the city?

When we came, we were protected by a convoy and people gave us food and drink along the way.

Now let them go on their own...

Let's not talk about whether we can find the way to Qiushui Town or the next town. There are wild beasts and bandits along the way.

They were traveling on foot, and before they even encountered wild animals, people in the team might have died from lack of water and food.

This, this, this is forcing them to stay here! ?

Everyone was silent for a while, looking frustrated, and they couldn't help but look at an old refugee among them.

When the old refugee saw everyone looking at him, he was silent for a moment and slowly walked out of the crowd.

His face was weathered, but his eyes showed a hint of determination.

He bowed respectfully and said:

"Lord City Lord, although we are refugees, we know what is right and wrong. Now that we have come to your jurisdiction, we are willing to abide by the rules. We only ask for a chance to survive."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other refugees nodded in agreement, expressing their willingness to stay and promise to abide by the local rules.

Seeing this, Li Qingqing's eyes flashed with satisfaction.

She looked at the old refugee and asked, "Are you Uncle Liu?"

Zhou Yimo had already given a general account of the basic situation of the refugees in the letter. He also mentioned Liu Bo in the letter, saying that he was deeply trusted by everyone.

The letter also included a detailed list of all the refugees, which listed each person's expertise and what skills they were good at, but Li Qingqing didn't have time to look at it carefully.

When she saw the old man coming out, she started to guess something.

Liu Bo immediately nodded in acknowledgment.

Li Qingqing smiled and said:

"I believe that you are all good citizens who are willing to live and work in peace and contentment. As long as you work hard and abide by the rules, I promise that your life here will get better and better!"

When everyone heard this, a hint of hope appeared in their confused eyes, and they all looked at Li Qingqing to listen to her continue.

“After you settle here, I will provide you with land.

In the first year, I will send people to assist you in reclaiming and cultivating the wasteland. I will provide all the farming tools, oxen, rice seeds and all other seeds.

As for the distribution of the harvest, it will be carried out in the ratio of 80% for the border city and 20% for you.

In addition, all farming families will receive tax exemptions!"

Li Qingqing glanced at everyone, then looked at Uncle Liu and said, "What do you think?"

As everyone listened, they were secretly calculating in their hearts.

Take paddy fields for example. The annual output of one acre of rice is only about 200 kilograms.

Based on the ratio of eight to two urban residents, this... 20% of the rice can be eaten up in a few months. How are they supposed to survive?

A middle-aged man frowned and whispered to his companion, "With this distribution ratio... can we survive?"

His companion sighed, shook his head, and remained silent.

The refugees felt mixed emotions.

They looked at each other, at a loss, and looked at Liu Bo.

But Liu Bo knew in his heart that they had nothing now and had no choice at all.

Now, not only do we have a stable place to live permanently, all the crops are provided by the city lord, and taxes are also reduced. This is equivalent to a 20% profit picked up this year.

Moreover, the cost of exile was too heavy. Even if they found the next town, they didn't know if anyone would take them in.

His old bones couldn't walk any more, and he really didn't want to walk anymore.

Why not..., settle down first and then think of a solution!

It is much better than being in exile, not knowing whether you will live or die tomorrow.

Then Liu Bo looked around at everyone, and seeing that they were all silent, he bowed to Li Qingqing and said:

"Everything is up to the city lord."

After a pause, he asked with hope, "How will the funds be allocated for the second year?"

When everyone heard this, they all looked at Li Qingqing.

Li Qingqing smiled slightly and continued:

"Starting from the second year, if you continue to use our oxen and require us to provide seeds, the profits from the land will be distributed in the ratio of 70% to the Border City and 30% to you."

Li Qingqing paused and added:

"If only our oxen are needed, the distribution ratio will be adjusted to 60% for the city and 40% for the common people. If only the land is needed, it will be divided equally.

But no matter which method you choose, you must strictly follow my instructions when farming."

After Li Qingqing finished speaking, she looked at the refugees again.

She is not in a hurry anyway. Now that things are here, isn't it her who has the final say?

Moreover, if these people lived in other places, they would still have to pay various taxes, so she was not exploiting them.

As both the deputy general of the border and the lord of the border city, she always has to consider the soldiers in the border barracks.

The soldiers needed food and fodder, and even if Minister Zhou was willing to help allocate food, he was unable to do so.

Ten thousand kilograms of food and fodder were transported all the way from Kyoto, and they were constantly lost on the way. But after arriving at the border, there were still two thousand kilograms left. It was all a blessing from God.

Since these refugees came to settle in the border city, and the border soldiers protected their safety, they naturally had to provide them with food.

As long as these people farm according to the methods and seeds she provided, not only can the soldiers' food problem be solved, but even if the town residents only get 20% of the income, they will not starve to death.

What she wants now is their attitude and determination.

Li Qingqing quietly observed the reactions of the refugees. Although their expressions were different, there was still a desire for survival in their eyes.

These people are all her labor force!

She starts with a group of laborers, and see how she ensures that the soldiers at the border have food and vegetables to eat!

Li Qingqing felt happy in her heart, but her face was calm and without any ripples.

The refugees discussed in low voices and finally reached a consensus.

"We are willing to follow your arrangements." Uncle Liu said, conveying the decision of everyone.

"Okay!" Li Qingqing smiled. Seeing that the village head had also returned, she introduced:

"Uncle Liu, this is Zhao Lizheng of the border town. He will be responsible for arranging your accommodation and land. You can discuss anything with him."

The village head nodded, and when Li Qingqing handed him two more booklets, he hurriedly took them.

Li Qingqing handed the refugee roster and agricultural supplies ledger to the village head and continued:

"Once you've settled them, send someone to inform me. We can put the paddy field work on hold for a while. Let them build the houses and tidy up the vegetable patch first."

"Yes, City Lord!" The village head nodded in agreement.

Li Qingqing arranged everything that needed to be arranged, and then rushed to the main city with Li Feng and Xie Xuan'an.