Chapter 351

First Volume, Chapter 351: Return Governance to the People

Under the skeptical gazes of the crowd, Qin Feng spoke solemnly: "Any project that benefits the people, my Tianji Camp will teach wholeheartedly—the more people who learn, the better."

"After all, when the people are wealthy, the nation grows strong!"

Qin Feng stopped there, swallowing the rest of his words.

After all…

When the people are wealthy, the nation grows strong—and only then can Tianji Camp's goods find buyers, allowing us to greedily continue accumulating wealth.

Otherwise, if the Common People are destitute, Tianji Camp's business will only circle among the rich—and such business will never grow large.

The richer the Common People, the happier Qin Feng was—this was a win-win situation.

The Civilian Laborers were moved to tears.

Wealthy people lead to a strong nation…

For the first time in their lives, they had heard these words.

Before this, whether Officials or Country Gentlemen, all had schemed to exploit the Common People, never caring if they lived or died.

Now, Shedynasty had finally produced a capable man who longed for the people's prosperity.

Most crucially, this capable man held real power.

He was the kind of weighty figure whose words could be turned into action.

The Civilian Laborers spontaneously knelt and bowed their heads.

"Young Master Qin, you are truly our savior!"

"Young Master Qin, rest assured—we will dig this Deep Well well and never betray your expectations."

"Everyone, work hard—don't let Young Master Qin lose heart."

The crowd, as if injected with energy, strained every muscle and began construction.

Seeing this, Qin Feng did not linger—he left Qin Xiaofu to supervise and turned away.

The so-called supervision was not over the schedule, but over engineering safety.

By the time Qin Feng returned to the Military Garrison, it was nearly Zishi Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour.

The remaining one hundred Lai Han were still waiting in place.

Qin Feng paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

Under the confused stares of the crowd, he shouted: "Your task is to wait here!"

"Do nothing. When the time comes, the money owed you will be paid in full."

The Lai Han had already been nervous.

After all, rumors spread that Qin Feng's methods toward Lai Han were always cruel…

During this time, many Lai Han had already fled under psychological pressure.

They'd already received one tael of silver as deposit—running away was pure profit.

The remaining nine hundred Lai Han, hearing Qin Feng's words, were utterly confused and began murmuring among themselves.

"Do nothing and still get five taels of silver? Is there such a thing in this world?"

"Who says not! Our Young Master Qin has so many schemes."

"Bah, why care so much? Law Does Not Punish the Many—Young Master Qin can't possibly deal with all of us at once?"

"Exactly right! Sitting idle to earn five taels of silver? Such luck is rare."

The advantage of Lai Han is that if there's profit, they ignore all side issues.

The Lai Han adapted quickly—they set up camp on the spot, some sleeping, others lighting fires to cook.

Qin Feng left the Lai Han and turned to his carriage, summoning Wu Wei in a low voice: "Go inside and pick out one hundred of the most violent, most unruly men."

Wu Wei nodded and soon returned with one hundred men.

These one hundred Lai Han were all bewildered.

Qin Feng cut straight to the point: "I've got a good job for you—if you complete it, each of you gets fifty taels of silver."

His words sparked instant chaos.

The Lai Han, idle all day, violent and brawling, had never seen so much money in their lives.

All flushed red, veins bulging with excitement.

A middle-aged man with an eye injury from fighting grinned wide: "Young Master, who do you want us to kill?"

Damn!

Of course—Lai Han would do anything for money.

Qin Feng despised these men in his heart.

But with manpower scarce—Tianji Camp Guards either stayed in Jingdu or were dispatched to Beixi County—his personal security force was truly only these few visible men.

And the County City Officials had yet to show their faces—no need to guess, the Lin Family's hand must have reached here.

Qin Feng's shoulder wound had improved, but every night, when dampness grew heavy, it still ached faintly.

Having witnessed the Imperial Consort's ruthless decisiveness, Qin Feng understood the Lin Family's methods would never miss a chance to eliminate him outright.

So he must recruit enough men to hold the ground.

With these Lai Han standing by as backup, enemies within the city would dare not act rashly.

Under the excited, vicious stares of the Lai Han, Qin Feng waved his hand, casually saying: "Killing and arson? Not your job."

"There are one hundred of you—split into two groups. Fifty go to the construction team, protect them as they dig the Deep Well. Whoever dares cause trouble, crush them to death—I'll take the blame if heaven falls. When done, fifty taels of silver, not a single coin less."

"But I warn you plainly: if any of you betray the construction team, pretend obedience while secretly sabotaging—your names and addresses are all known to me. You bear the consequences."

Facing Qin Feng's threat, the Lai Han all shrank their necks.

Even bullies know to pick their targets.

It is said that hooligans fear bullies, bullies fear officials, and officials fear powerful clans—each level suppresses the one below it.

This young master Qin Feng is a ruthless figure who single-handedly stood against the Jingdu bureaucracy and fought fiercely against the Northern Di armies.

No one would dare provoke this man and bring trouble upon themselves.

The One-Eyed Dragon, with his eye ailment, chuckled: "Young Master Qin, rest assured—we've all heard of your methods. You've nearly wiped out every Local Strongman in Pingyao County. Who would dare oppose you?"

"With your backing, even if Yamen Runners from Changping County show up, we'll still beat them senseless."

Qin Feng nodded, pointing at the One-Eyed Dragon: "I entrust you with protecting the construction team. Pick out fifty men—you have another mission."

The One-Eyed Dragon rubbed his hands: "Tell us, Young Master—through fire and sword, our comrades won't even flinch."

Qin Feng ignored the One-Eyed Dragon's pledge and looked up at the County City: "Figure out how to sneak in without being seen, then spread rumors within the city—that I am preparing to attack the County City, and Ning Hu, the Tiger General, is leading One Hundred Tianji Camp Guards to Changping County. The reason? The Officials here disrespected me. I came all the way from Beijing, enduring hardship, yet not a single soul greeted me—they clearly don't regard Qin Feng as worthy of notice."

"Kill all Officials, wealthy gentry, and Country Gentlemen on sight! Pingyao County is the example!"

The One-Eyed Dragon readily agreed—after all, this mission was far too simple. Spreading rumors by word of mouth required no skill; even a mute could manage it.

Sneaking into the County City was even easier. Changping County lies deep in the Central Plains, facing no threat of foreign invasion, so its City Wall was built low—just high enough to be functional.

The One-Eyed Dragon and his band of hired thugs were experts at breaking into homes, picking locks, and burgling empty houses.

A simple thrown grappling hook and a Rope were all it took to scale the wall directly.

The next day, the rumors had already spread throughout the County City.