A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

"I can't bear to part with it!"

"Once this iron ore is reported, the imperial court will definitely send a civil official to oversee the mining, and the use of the iron ore after it is produced will no longer be under my control."

"As for the gold mines, if they are reported, the gold dust extracted will definitely be included in the national treasury and belong entirely to the imperial court."

"With the current resources, we can last another six months, but after that, Wangbei Camp will inevitably face a shortage of money and food! What will we use to resist the Tartar army then!"

"Qingci, do you have any other ideas?"

Shen Qingci smiled as she looked at Zhao Daxuan's pleading eyes and said, word by word.

"Of course we do! We'll just openly and honestly start production! Acting first and reporting later is a common practice in front of the army; it's an unspoken rule in the chaotic border regions."

"My lord, you should simply announce to the public that the mine only contains iron ore, that the border situation is urgent, and that weapons cannot be lacking for even a day. It's impossible to request permission from afar, so using iron to supply the army is perfectly justified, and no one can find fault with that!"

"At that time, we will mine on the spot, forge military equipment, repair the passes, strengthen the city defenses, and create weapons to strengthen our Wangbei Camp army."

Zhao Daxuan nodded. "That's certainly a solution. What about the gold mine?"

When the topic of gold mines came up, Shen Qingci narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in a low voice.

"The presence of associated gold mines must not be revealed to anyone!"

"We need to select trusted loyalists or reliable veterans to mine and smelt the gold at night. The gold obtained will not go into our private coffers, but will all be used as military funds."

"This portion of military funds can be used to purchase warhorses and provisions, provide relief to the families of fallen soldiers, and also be used for unforeseen circumstances!"

"My lord, to build an iron army, you'll need to spend a fortune. How can you do that without money?"

Upon hearing Shen Qingci's suggestion, Zhao Daxuan frowned. This meant conducting the investigation privately without reporting it to higher authorities.

Although this would allow them to keep all the gold mined for themselves, if the imperial court discovered it, it would be a capital offense.

Zhao Daxuan closed his eyes, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons. Shen Qingci watched Zhao Daxuan deep in thought but did not urge him.

The other girls waited quietly to the side, also curious about Zhao Daxuan's choice.

A moment later, Zhao Daxuan opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Alright, we'll do it your way!"

Not reporting the gold mine was simply to better stabilize the border situation, which was a good thing for the country and its people, and it wasn't going into his private coffers. Zhao Daxuan had a clear conscience.

Shen Qingci smiled slightly upon hearing this. Zhao Daxuan's choice was exactly what she expected. Zhao Daxuan was not a pedantic person and had not disappointed her.

Seeing that this important matter had been settled, Shen Qingci breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with a change of expression, she brought up another matter that had happened that day.

"By the way, my lord, among the tens of thousands of refugees outside Black Mountain Pass, are there many orphans? Are you aware of that?"

Zhao Daxuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and frowned. "I don't know that. Are they starving? Or have they been bullied?"

Shen Qingci sighed softly as she recalled the children's withered yellow hair and thin bodies.

"Alas, in these chaotic times, I'm afraid none of these children will escape either of them."

Li Weiwei and the others standing nearby also looked distressed and said, "Husband, those children are really pitiful. You must help them."

Zhao Daxuan's face darkened. "I'll have someone investigate right away."

Just as he stood up, Shen Qingci called out to him.

"My lord, this matter is not urgent. What I want to discuss is how to properly settle these orphans?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan slowly sat down. Looking at Shen Qingci, he knew that she already had a plan in mind, so he asked directly.

"Madam, please speak freely about your brilliant ideas!"

Seeing that Zhao Daxuan could tell that she already had a draft in mind, Shen Qingci was not surprised, so she smiled and spoke.

"My lord, you can set up a children's shelter, and take in and settle all the orphans without parents!"

After he finished speaking, Zhao Daxuan nodded in agreement and listened carefully to what followed.

"Young children can be cared for by female relatives and midwives, who will provide them with food, clothing, and warm porridge, and teach them to read, do arithmetic, needlework, and cooking."

"The slightly older boys were assigned to the off-camp miscellaneous labor corps, where they learned to chop wood, feed horses, repair houses, care for wounded soldiers, and manage the soup kitchens. They earned their food through labor, and there was no room for idleness!"

"Furthermore, those with skillful hands will be selected and sent to the workshops as apprentices to learn blacksmithing, carpentry, and brick-making, so that they can later build fortifications and manufacture weapons for Heishan Pass and secure a stable livelihood!"

Listening to Shen Qingci's steady and methodical arrangements, Zhao Daxuan nodded slightly. Just when he thought that was all the arrangements, he heard Shen Qingci continue to speak.

"What we just did was merely a formality of adoption and education, intended to stabilize the people's hearts and save able-bodied labor."

"But secretly, we can also carefully sift through this group of orphans, focusing on those who are physically strong, have excellent memories, and are reserved and aloof, excluding them from the regular roster!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan's spirits lifted, and his eyes showed surprise. He quickly listened carefully.

At this point, Shen Qingci suddenly lowered her voice, and the gentle expression on her face disappeared.

"Sir, you can place them in a small courtyard for foster care, and secretly teach them to recognize maps, to sneak around and eavesdrop, and to pretend to be beggars and wander around."

"These children are homeless and rootless, and no one can exploit their weaknesses. We just need to treat them well, and they will become the eyes and ears of my Wangbei Camp army when they travel around."

Upon hearing Shen Qingci's arrangements, Zhao Daxuan couldn't help but gasp, marveling at Shen Qingci's decisiveness.

"Madam's considerations are indeed far-sighted! With this arrangement, not only will the orphans have someone to rely on, but I will also gain a great reputation outside and a powerful force within!"

Shen Qingci smiled. Cultivating the power of the Dark Ravens was the Privy Council's specialty, and she had learned a lot from her father over the years.

"Husband, why don't we take over managing this children's daycare camp?"

"The Shishi sisters and Zhiqing sister each have a skill, so we can select some children to learn their skills, which will be a great help in the future."

"As for training the scouts, leave that to me! I learned quite a bit about this from my father before, and now it's coming in handy."

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi and the others smiled and nodded repeatedly. They were naturally happy to help Zhao Daxuan.

Zhao Daxuan's eyes lit up, and he readily agreed, "That's excellent! Then I'll trouble you ladies!"

"In that case, I will immediately arrange for people to find all the orphans among the refugees and gather them together. I'll have to trouble you ladies then."

Li Shishi and the others exchanged smiles. "Why are you being so polite, sir? We're more than happy to be of any help to you."

Then, Zhao Daxuan had someone summon Zhao Fubao and Qin Lide. "Old Qin, are you aware that there are many orphans among the refugees outside the pass?"

Qin Lide sighed softly and said, "Alas! There are indeed quite a few orphans among the refugees, but we have been busy repairing the passes and haven't had time to pay attention to them yet."

Zhao Daxuan nodded and looked at Qin Lide with a serious expression, saying, "It's like this, Mr. Qin, I plan to establish a children's nursery to gather these orphans together and take care of them in a unified manner."