If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

"Brother Wu, are all these horses really going to our security regiment?"

When Zhou Wu arrived at the training camp, he took inventory and found that besides his own yellow horse, there were thirty-six other strong horses. Some of these were captured from Flying Tiger Village, and some were bought from Hu Sai. Zhou Wu planned to allocate thirty-one horses to the security regiment, and use the remaining five to pull carts. Now, the labor in Niujia Village and the exchanges with the county town are increasing day by day, and it is urgent to increase the number of horse-drawn carts to solve the transportation problem.

"It's not all for you. There are only thirty-one of you, so of course you only need thirty-one horses. The rest will be sent to Master Niu to be used as carriages."

"Hey, that's good."

Having a horse for every man was something Niu Er couldn't even dream of; this configuration already surpassed that of the border garrison.

"By the way, Niu Er, take another trip to the county town when you have some free time."

What are you going to the county town for?

"What, the magistrate allocated thirty spots, and you're not going to fill the remaining ones?"

"Of course we need to make up for it. I've already spread the word, and the selection will start in the next couple of days."

"Then why aren't you giving them equipment?"

"Okay, okay, okay. Thank you, Brother Wu."

Niu Er then realized that Brother Wu wanted him to go to the county town to buy equipment.

"Just order thirty sets according to the previous standard, and store the extras in the warehouse as spares."

"Good."

After saying that, Niu Er immediately went to fetch his horse, preparing to personally go to the county town to find a blacksmith to order these equipment.

When Zhou Wu left the training camp, he found that many refugees had appeared along the roadside in the village. They were sitting or lying haphazardly by the roadside or in the fields. This sight made Zhou Wu quicken his pace.

"Uncle Niu, Uncle Niu."

"Zhou Dianshi, you've arrived."

"Hey, Uncle Niu, you must be joking with me. Please just call me Scholar."

"Haha, I also think calling him Clerk sounds a bit awkward. Scholar, you were looking for me?"

Even Niu Ye felt that calling someone a clerk was more friendly and natural than calling them a scholar.

“Yes, Uncle Niu, I just saw a lot of refugees in the village. Shouldn’t we open the soup kitchen as planned?”

Zhou Wu and Niu Ye had formulated a series of detailed plans for the arrival of the refugees some time ago. This soup kitchen was the first step. However, Niu Family Village would not provide free food and lodging to the refugees indefinitely. They could eat for free for three days when they first arrived, but afterwards they would have to participate in the work arranged by Niu Family Village. They could not allow everyone to develop a habit of being lazy and unwilling to work.

However, this also proves the saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

"So that's what you're talking about? I was just about to talk to you about it. Let's get started on the plan then."

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away. As for the security team, we need to have them reinforce the village soon. With so many people, trouble is bound to happen."

"Alright, scholar, I'll listen to you."

------

"Mom, I'm so hungry."

A little girl leaned against her mother's chest. Her mother was too weak to speak, but looked at her daughter with heartache.

The mother was holding the hand of an even smaller boy in her other hand, but he was no longer moving and appeared to have fainted from hunger.

. . . .

"No, son, you should go. I really can't walk anymore. I can't keep you in your way."

On the other side, an elderly mother with white hair was trying to persuade her son, who was carrying her on his back, to put her down.

“Mother, don’t talk nonsense. I have plenty of strength. I will definitely find something to eat behind your back.”

The man had clearly been starving for several days; his face was pale and weak, and large beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead.

Amidst the wailing from the roadside, a faint fragrance suddenly filled the air.

"What does this smell like?"

The man who had fallen into a coma by the roadside suddenly took a deep sniff; the fragrance in the air seemed to give him a bit of strength.

"Mother, it tastes like porridge."

The little girl tugged at her mother's hand, trying to pull her along to find the source of the fragrance.

"Where did this come from? Was it from a soup kitchen?"

Everyone was startled by these words and became alert, all looking in the direction the man was pointing. Sure enough, a simple shed had been erected in the open space not far away, with several large pots inside, containing something that was constantly boiling.

"There's something to eat."

"Have a look."

Zhou Wu stood under the soup kitchen. To prevent the refugees from looting, he specially ordered the security team to be fully armed and guard him. These refugees should not be underestimated. They may seem so hungry that they can barely walk, but often, hungry people can unleash unimaginable energy.

"This is the disaster relief tent in Niujia Village. I am the clerk of Qingyang County. Everyone line up. Everyone has a share. If you disobey or cause trouble, you will be arrested on the spot."

Zhou Wu's words, coupled with the intimidation of the fully armed security regiment beside him, immediately quieted down the previously noisy refugees, who lined up in an orderly fashion at the porridge stall.

Just as everyone was lining up to receive porridge, Zhou Wu continued speaking.

"Gentlemen, now that we've arrived at Niujia Village's territory, Niujia Village will naturally not let you go hungry. However, let's make this clear from the start: this porridge will be provided free of charge for the first three days. After that, if you don't want to go hungry, you'll have to work."

"Sir, it's not that we don't want to work, it's just that there's really no work to do."

Some of the displaced people immediately raised their concerns. They said that they had fled from their hometowns because they had suffered disasters and could not survive. They would do any job if there was work available, but now they were penniless and everyone was struggling to survive. What kind of work could they do?

"Don't worry about that. Niujia Village will provide various jobs. As long as you work hard, you won't go hungry. We're also arranging accommodations here. The conditions won't be great at first, but we'll make sure you have a place to shelter from the rain."

"Sir, is this true?"

"What are you saying? Brother Wu always keeps his word."

A member of the security team, seeing that a vagrant dared to question his idol, immediately retorted angrily.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you'll find out when the time comes. But let me make this clear first: accommodations might be a bit tight tonight. We'll prioritize the elderly, children, and women. The young and strong will have to make do for now."

"Thank you, sir."

The refugees fled their way out of the village, and nowhere they went had such good policies. Forget about being assigned work or having lodging, they couldn't even get a sip of thin porridge. If they were lucky, they could beg for some food, but if they were unlucky, they could only eat wild fruits and tree bark. That's why Zhou Wu's description of the refugee policy in Niujia Village was met with skepticism.

"This porridge has meat and fish in it, haha, it smells so good!"

"Mom, eat quickly. I see there's still some in the pot. I'll go get some more later."

"This porridge is really thick."

"Lord Zhou is such a good person."

With the soup kitchen mostly running smoothly, Zhou Wu immediately rushed to the temporary living quarters that had been set up.

Early in the morning, Zhou Wu arranged for Niu Er to go to the blacksmith shop in the county town to buy another thirty sets of swords and bows and arrows. The extra sets were kept in the warehouse as spares.