Chapter 1174: First Volume, Chapter 1174: Bei Di Study Mission

First Volume, Chapter 1174: Bei Di Study Mission

Everything Liu Ming had said had utterly shattered the Village Chief's understanding.

He had lived most of his life, and the words "Fu Yi" filled him with terror—he believed nothing was more destructive than Fu Yi.

Yet now he learned that in some corner of this kingdom, conscription quotas were fiercely contested, and ordinary people had no qualification to serve at all…

Most astonishing of all, soldiers serving on the Northern Border could save over three Tael of Silver in a single year.

In the Village Chief's mind, even the wealthiest households in his village barely saved two Tael of Silver annually!

On the Northern Border, a soldier's salary exceeded the annual income of an entire family in Jiangnan.

This wasn't unbelievable—it was a dream!

Even more shocking to the Village Chief was what came next: Liu Ming stood tall and proud, as if becoming a member of the Northern Border Army filled him with unmatched pride.

"Every Northern Border General who dies in battle receives a generous Compensation, and their children are cared for by the Beixi County Yamen."

"We fight with blood and sweat not just for the Northern Border, but for our own families."

At this moment, the Village Chief's heart burned with emotion—he wished he could be decades younger and join the Northern Border Army as a true Northern Border General.

To the Village Chief, the Northern Border seemed like a dream.

Liu Ming's words were not merely meant to convince the Village Chief—they were heartfelt expressions of pride.

"Now, do you think Qin Wang is worthy of your trust?"

The Village Chief's face had shifted from sorrow to joy; his eyes widened, fixed on Qin Feng with burning intensity.

As if only under Qin Feng's rule could Jiangnan become as prosperous as the Northern Border—even the most common people could live with dignity.

"Qin Wang, this old man doesn't ask for luxury—I only want us to live like human beings."

"Forget distant dreams—just look at our village: we'll never again serve as spies for Gusu City. When Gusu sends people here, we'll hide in the mountains."

Hearing this, Qin Feng burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha, old sir, don't worry—no need to hide in the village anymore. Just live well."

"From now on, the only armies passing through this village will be mine."

"Under my command, no soldier may enter a village unless absolutely necessary. If anyone dares disturb the people, come straight to me—I will show no mercy."

The Village Chief, overwhelmed with emotion, nodded frantically, then turned and waved toward the hills, shouting.

"Come down! Everyone come down!"

"Qin Wang has come! The righteous magistrate who stands up for the people has arrived!"

"There's no need to fear."

The Village Chief's voice was too weak to summon the villagers; seeing the hour grow late, Qin Feng no longer delayed—he mounted his Horse and turned back.

As they left the village, only the Village Chief stood at the entrance, waving at Qin Feng.

Though only one man, the simplicity of Jiangnan's Common People left a lasting impression on Qin Feng.

On the return journey, Liu Ming had already figured out Qin Feng's purpose.

"Qin Wang, are you planning to gather Jiangnan's people—to turn these potential conscripts into assets for us?"

Qin Feng pulled the Reins, answering calmly: "Every war requires the support of the people—or rather, no state affair can ever be separated from the people."

"If I were to gather them as you suggest, to use them as tools, how would that differ from conscripting them by force?"

"As long as Jiangnan's Common People don't side with the Nan Jing Powerful Clans, and remain neutral, that's enough for us."

At this, Qin Feng slapped Liu Ming's shoulder, offering unreserved approval.

"Liu Ming, when you advised the Village Chief just now, you gave me a crucial insight."

"To resolve the problem of hearts and minds, the most direct method is propaganda—and the Northern Border is the perfect example."

Liu Ming agreed completely; he smiled lightly: "Leave this to me."

"Within days, the Brocade Uniform Guard will spread the true conditions of the Northern Border across all of Jiangnan—so every local person knows."

Qin Feng had full confidence in Liu Ming's ability to handle this.

The core of winning local support is to promote the imperial army as a "Righteous Army," one that never harms or tramples the people.

But words alone are far from enough.

Concrete proof is required—and the Northern Border is the best proof.

If the local people believe in the Northern Border, they will believe in Qin Feng, who leads the imperial army.

Upon returning to ZhuZhen, Qin Feng's first act was to issue a Military Order: under any circumstances, no one was permitted to mistreat the local people.

Violators would be executed without pardon.

Qin Feng's stance was absolute—even though he knew some locals might be colluding with Gusu City, he had to pretend ignorance and turn a blind eye.

Otherwise, if the imperial army's blade turned toward the people, even white would become black.

Before launching the Siege Warfare, the propaganda war had already begun.

Just as Qin Feng was urgently preparing for this pre-battle propaganda, at the same moment, Beixi County received a group of visitors.

The entire delegation was massive, nearly a hundred strong.

The leader was Princess Jing Ci.

To restore the Di Kingdom's National Strength and allow its people to recover, Jing Ci had specifically secured Li Zhang's special permission to form a delegation composed of Merchant Caravans and civil officials.

Traveling thousands of miles, they had come to Beixi County specifically to "study."

When Qin Feng had once promoted the achievements of Beixi County in Bei Di Guo, the Di people had been envious—but that envy was hollow.

Few had ever seen Beixi County's prosperity with their own eyes.

Moreover, Qin Feng had always been cautious, and his words did not necessarily translate into action.

He had loudly promised to aid Di merchants, yet now that peace had finally come between the two kingdoms, not a trace of that aid had appeared.

Instead, large numbers of Liang Kingdom merchants had begun entering Bei Di Guo, expanding their businesses wildly—so wildly that describing it as "Military Siege Luedi" was not an exaggeration.

If things continue like this, it won't take long before the Liang merchants completely take control of the Beidi commerce sector.

Jing Ci dared not delay any longer; she nearly rushed into action, coming to Beixi County to investigate and learn from Beixi's commercial practices.

Merely arriving outside the Beixi County Gate, Jing Ci was stunned by what she saw.

Not just her—even the merchants and civil officials accompanying her were speechless; for a moment, cries of astonishment rose and fell in succession.

"Heaven… heaven, have we taken a wrong turn?"

"This isn't a county city—it's… a Zhou Fu!"

"No, even a Zhou Fu doesn't have this scale—look, the Wengcheng alone has three full layers."

"Not to mention—the city gate's specifications are even one rank higher than a Zhou Fu's."

"The population of Beixi County must number in the hundreds of thousands, right?!"