The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"My lady, are you tired of staying in the manor all day and want to find something to do?" Shen Lian asked, holding Nie Xiaoqian's hand and playing with it.

"It's a bit boring. Uncle Fu takes care of everything at home perfectly, so I don't have to worry about anything. I don't have much to do all day except chat with Sister Yue'er. And Sister Yue'er seems to be afraid of me, so we don't talk much," Nie Xiaoqian said with a troubled expression.

"Is that so? If my wife really wants to do something, I'll arrange one for you." Shen Lian thought there was one thing that would be most suitable for her to do.

"Great, my love!" Nie Xiaoqian looked at Shen Lian with delight.

"It's like this, you can keep an eye out for me with this relief effort. I'd like to recruit some young, quick-witted women..." As Shen Lian said this, he felt the small hand in his palm suddenly pull back. Nie Xiaoqian stared at him suspiciously with her big eyes.

Shen Lian couldn't help but chuckle; "I'm planning to recruit some female soldiers in the army, and then have them take charge of treating the wounded..."

"Hey! What's with that look? Don't you believe me?"

Nie Xiaoqian didn't speak, but her big eyes revealed a deep sense of doubt.

"You little brat, how dare you doubt your husband! I think you're asking for a beating!" Enraged, Shen Lian pulled Nie Xiaoqian up and placed her on his lap, then slapped her across the face.

"Nie Xiaoqian let out a scream, then quickly covered her mouth. Shen Lian struck her twice more."

"Husband, be gentle..." Her cry only fueled Shen Lian's desire.

The large hand changed from patting to stroking, and slowly slipped inside her skirt. Seeing this, Ruyi was so embarrassed that she quickly ran away.

"Husband, no! It's still daytime!" Nie Xiaoqian struggled to stand up.

"What's wrong with doing it during the day? Who says you can't do it during the day?" Shen Lian chuckled mischievously, his hands continuing to work.

"Husband, shall we go back to our room?" Before long, Nie Xiaoqian was teased by Shen Lian until she was completely limp.

"It's alright, this is the study. No one would dare to barge in, and Ruyi is keeping watch outside for us! Come on!"

(This section, containing 10,000 words, has been censored!). ... ... ... ... ...

After a long while, Nie Xiaoqian, her face flushed, leaned against Shen Lian's chest and asked, "Husband, you just said you wanted to recruit female soldiers?"

"Yes! I plan to establish medical teams in the army. Women are more meticulous than men and are better suited to treat wounds."

"If I were to do the recruiting, it might cause a lot of gossip. It's much easier if you, my wife, handle it!"

Shen Lian was well aware of the power of feudal ethics. When his two factories first started hiring female workers, only some desperate middle-aged women were willing to work there. Only after operating for a while and seeing that nothing bad had happened did young women and married women gradually start working there.

"It would be even better if we could recruit some literate girls, otherwise it will be hard for you to teach them to read!" Shen Lian said, stroking his wife's back affectionately.

"Don't worry, my lord, I will definitely do this well!" Training female soldiers was Nie Xiaoqian's lifelong dream. Although it was just a medical team, she was full of enthusiasm.

Shen Lian has already sent a telegram to Jason, asking him to help find some good surgeons to come over.

Qu Huanzhang, the inventor of Yunnan Baiyao, has been located by Shen Lian's men and brought to Linqing. They are currently working diligently to prepare the medicine. Production is only a matter of time!

In addition, the anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics that I asked Li Xiao to purchase can come in handy in an emergency.

Over the next few days, Nie Xiaoqian led her people to provide relief to refugees and comfort the lonely and widowed.

Shen Lian, however, took a break and took the opportunity to formally take Xiao Yue'er into his room.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, a horse-drawn carriage braved the wind and snow and drove into Zhangjiaba Village. It stopped in front of Zhang Tieniu's house. Zhang Tieniu and Shitou jumped off the carriage and began to unload things.

The military camps take turns granting leave, and today was their turn. Although it was a bit late, it was still nice to be able to spend the New Year at home. Because they were in a hurry to get home, the two gritted their teeth and hired a horse-drawn carriage to take them directly back to their village.

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Niu peeked out from behind the curtain, secretly observing the two men in military uniforms, but dared not speak.

"Little Niu, come here quickly, look what your father brought back for you!" Zhang Tieniu laughed heartily.

"Dad, Dad's back!" Little Niu shouted loudly. Everyone in the house rushed out. Tie Niu's mother was also leaning against the door, looking out.

"Wow! Brother, you bought so many things!" Niu Mei exclaimed happily, while Er Niu silently helped his older brother carry the things.

"My dear husband, you look so handsome in this uniform!" The young woman carefully reached out and stroked Tie Niu's military uniform.

"Sister-in-law, just wait and enjoy your good fortune! Our Brother Tie Niu is the squad leader now, which is like being an extra commissioner, a ninth-rank official! Hehe!" Shi Tou chuckled from the side.

Although he didn't become an officer, he was transferred to the cavalry battalion. His pay was one tael more than that of the infantry, and he was quite satisfied.

"Husband, you've become an official?" the young woman asked in surprise.

"It's temporary, it doesn't count yet!" Zhang Tieniu reached out and touched a gold thread on his sleeve, grinning as he spoke.

Because of his extensive knowledge, diligent training, and reliable and steady character, he was selected as a squad leader after being assigned to the company. However, officers in the new army haven't started receiving ranks yet; they are all temporary.

"Who isn't on a temporary assignment these days? Even our battalion commander is on a temporary assignment! With Brother Tie Niu's abilities, getting him promoted to a permanent position is a piece of cake!"

"You already have seven taels of military pay, and if you get promoted, it'll be eight taels! Tsk tsk! I heard the troops are going out to suppress bandits after the New Year, so if you make some merits, you might get promoted to platoon leader!"

"That's equivalent to a subcontractor general, a ninth-rank official! He'd earn at least twenty taels a month!" Shi Tou said, his words flowing like a river, and the whole family listened as if they were floating on clouds.

"Shut up! You talk too much, bringing up anything and everything! Have you forgotten the military regulations?" Zhang Tieniu scolded, his face darkening.

"Hehe! Isn't this home?" Stone scratched his head.

"Hmph! You can't tell just anyone. If you can't control your loose tongue, you'll get into trouble sooner or later. Looks like I should go back to camp and report this to your instructor."

Although Zhang Tieniu had only been a squad leader for a little over a month, he really did look like a military officer when he put on a stern face. This frightened Shi Tou so much that his face turned pale.

"No, Brother Tie Niu! I was wrong, I'll never do it again!"

"It's good that you know you were wrong. Don't do it again next time. Otherwise, I'll definitely report you to your instructor! Now get out of here! Your grandma must be getting impatient!"

"Okay! Sister-in-law, I'm off now!" Shi Tou slung his big bag over his shoulder, grabbed a sack in his hand, and scurried away.

“We are soldiers now, and all information is a military secret. You can’t tell outsiders what you hear, understand?” Tie Niu said to his family.

His family members were clearly frightened by his display just now, and they all nodded hurriedly.