Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 98 Expansion
Money was spent like water, and large quantities of goods were continuously delivered to Peijia Village.

The number of refugees who voluntarily came down from the mountain to seek refuge increased at an astonishing rate.

Pei Qinghe ventured into the mountains on his own initiative for the first time and captured White Tiger Village in just a few hours. Upon hearing the news, the refugees hiding in the mountains flocked to him like bees to a flower.

The number of makeshift thatched huts outside Peijia Village increased from two to five, then to ten. Even so, it still wasn't enough. Bian Shulan specifically came to find Pei Qinghe: "Qinghe, refugees are coming to Peijia Village every day. The thatched huts outside the village aren't enough; we need to build ten more."

Bian Shulan was the first young woman in the Pei family to marry into the family, and she gave birth to the Pei family's first child after they came to Youzhou. Pei Qinghe personally named the child Pei Wang.

Bian Shulan was utterly loyal to Pei Qinghe. After her confinement period, she took charge of settling the displaced people. She was meticulous in her work, never made hasty decisions, and always reported back when something happened.

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "This is a small matter, you don't need to report it to me. You can make the decision yourself."

Bian Shulan agreed verbally, saying that she would report back the next time something happened.

Training those around you to be independent is no easy task; it takes time and practice. Pei Qinghe wasn't in a hurry and patiently instructed, "Every refugee must be registered in detail, and their origins must be ascertained. Have them vouch for each other; if one makes a mistake, all of them will be expelled."

“If you encounter anyone with a suspicious identity, pay close attention to them and have someone keep an eye on them secretly.”

As the saying goes, "A large forest has all kinds of birds." Among the refugees are kind and pitiful people, as well as wicked fugitives. Pei Family Village has money, grain, fields, and houses, and it's run by a group of women. Kind and pitiful refugees will find Pei Family Village safe and reliable. Those with malicious intentions, however, came with ill intentions from the start.

The thatched hut was built in the north of the village, and every refugee who came to seek refuge would stay in the hut for a few days. Stepping out of the hut, one could see the "gourd" hanging under the tree in the distance.

Those hanging from the trees included thieves and robbers, bullies of women, arsonists, and bandits whose identities had been exposed.

Every now and then a new batch is replaced, and the hemp rope under the tree never stops.

This show of force was enough to intimidate the newly arrived refugees.

Peijia Village expanded rapidly, with its population more than doubling. The young master Shi sent someone to deliver grain every half month, and he was amazed by the speed of Peijia Village's expansion.

Having decided to fully support Miss Pei, it was essential to ensure a food supply for everyone in Pei Family Village. The trade routes that the Shi family had operated for over a century were fully operational. Members of the Shi family's collateral branches and managers traveled to various places, continuously purchasing large quantities of grain and sending them to Pei Family Village.

Pei Qinghe sighed once again. In her previous life, she had never received such strong support from a wealthy family. She had worried herself sick over the Pei family army's food supplies, yet she still couldn't ensure that everyone had enough to eat for more than a few days. Indeed, when it came to procuring military provisions, it was Young Master Shi who was truly an expert.

With ample food and supplies, Pei Qinghe had no worries and focused all her efforts on training. All the women of the Pei clan, regardless of age, were to train as soldiers.

Five hundred docile, obedient, and relatively healthy refugees were selected from among the displaced people, forming teams of ten, from which a captain was chosen. Their daily needs—clothing, food, shelter, and training—were all shared. Pei Qinghe personally trained all fifty captains.

The remaining refugees spent half a day farming and the other half practicing simple formations and drills.

In the evening, everyone had to read and learn to read.

The women of the Pei family were all literate, more than capable of teaching illiterate refugees. This resulted in an astonishing consumption of lamp oil, paper, and ink.

Pei Qinghe picked up his pen and wrote a letter to Young Master Shi. Within a few days, Dong Erlang delivered several cartloads of lamp oil, coarse hemp paper, and charcoal pencils.

"The young master asked me to tell Sixth Miss that the price of lamp oil has been driven down to the lowest possible level. For calligraphy practice, there's no need for fine paper; coarse paper and charcoal pencils will suffice. Another batch of better paper and ink will arrive in a few days. All at the lowest price; the young master has negotiated everything. Sixth Miss can pay once the goods arrive." Even Wu Xiuniang repeatedly praised Pei Qinghe, saying, "Young Master Shi is truly shrewd and capable; he's proficient in everything. Sometimes when he's involved, we buy more and better goods, and we save a lot of money."

Even the problem of lacking weapons was solved by the young master Shi.

The Shi family had close ties with General Li of the Liaoxi Army. As long as they paid enough money, they could buy suitable weapons from the Liaoxi Army.

This is certainly a taboo matter. However, the Pei family is already doing things that are all against the rules, so one more thing won't make a difference.

Purchasing weapons was a major event, so Pei Qinghe made a special trip to the Shi family to discuss it with Shi Yan.

It was already November, and a cool breeze was blowing. Pei Qinghe was a martial artist and was not afraid of the cold. He was still wearing coarse cloth clothes, his cheeks were slightly red from the cold wind, and his dark eyes shone brightly: "Young Master, can you really buy weapons from the Liaoxi Army?"

The young man, dressed in a luxurious silver-gray sable robe, smiled slightly: "If others can't go, I'll go myself. General Li will surely give me some face."

Young Master Shi is really handsome now.

Pei Qinghe's dark eyes flashed with pleasure: "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you, young master. Please go to the Liaoxi Army. I've brought all my gold and silver. Buy as much as you can."

The gold and silver obtained from the raids on Black Bear Stronghold, Wolf Fang Stronghold, and White Tiger Stronghold have been spent in the past year and a half, but most of it is still left. It has filled five full boxes.

After Shi Yan opened and inspected each box, he said in a low voice, "The weapons have no price. It's hard to say how many weapons this money can buy right now. However, I will try my best to bring back as many as possible."

At this moment, in this situation, saying thank you would be too formal and superficial.

Buying weapons privately is a capital offense punishable by beheading if caught. Shi Yan risked his life to go to the Liaoxi Army in the freezing weather; this act of kindness is truly profound.

Even Pei Qinghe, with her thick skin and hardened heart, was genuinely moved.

She looked at Shi Yan, and Shi Yan looked at her too.

"Shi Yan," Pei Qinghe called him by his name for the first time, clearly and explicitly telling him, "You know the rules of Pei Family Village."

Shi Yan nodded: "I know. Women in Peijia Village don't marry out of the village; they only take in sons-in-law, and all their children bear the surname Pei. Bian Shulan was the first to take in a son-in-law, and her child is named Pei Wang. There are also many women from the mountain stronghold in the village, more than ten of whom have gotten married, all of them through taking in sons-in-law."

"These are the rules you set, and you cannot and will not break them."

"Fighting has already broken out in the capital. In addition to the Beiping Army and the Bohai Army, two other armies have rushed into the capital to purge the emperor's corrupt officials and rescue the crown prince. It is still unknown who will win. Several rebel armies have emerged in Jiangnan, and several counties have been occupied by the rebels."

"The world is about to descend into chaos. You are ambitious and capable, but the most important thing now is to expand your power and establish a firm foothold for the future. You have no time to get married."

Shi Yan and Pei Qinghe looked at each other and he slowly said, "Pei Qinghe, I know all of this."

(End of this chapter)