Border Soldiers: My granaries are full of grain and meat, and I guard this region.

After the training session ended that day, Qi Feng did not return to Ye Family Restaurant. Instead, he went directly out of the city, rode his horse, and arrived at Qi Family Village after about half an hour.

The old locust tree at the entrance of Qijia Village is now lush and leafy, with sunlight filtering through the leaves, and several children squatting under the tree playing with pebbles.

A group of children glanced at Qi Feng as he entered the village, then went back to playing.

Qi Changlai was weaving bamboo baskets in his own yard, his hands moving quickly.

When Qi Feng entered the courtyard, Qi Changlai looked up and was somewhat surprised.

"You're back? Where's your wife? You've been gone for over a month, where did she go? Did she go gambling again?"

Qi Feng gave a wry smile and waved his hands repeatedly.

"How could that be, Village Chief? I've been in Fuxing County for a while. I came back specifically to see you."

Qi Changlai stopped what he was doing, went inside, got a cup of tea, and a small stool.

Qi Feng took the tea, sipped it to moisten his dry throat, and then spoke:

"Village chief, things aren't peaceful to the west. There are bandits active in Qing Shi Ao, and they've started ravaging those villages. More than 100 of them have arrived recently and have even entered Fuxing County."

Qi Changlai narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a while before speaking.

"What bandits? Are they outlaws?"

Qi Feng shook his head.

"They weren't bandits. More than 100 people fled from that village over there, without taking much with them. They were driven out."

Qi Changlai smacked his lips and sat there in silence again.

A person who has lived to this age cannot possibly not understand the reasons behind this.

Having served as village chief for so many years, he knew what it meant for people to flee their villages with their families; those were probably not ordinary bandits.

"So what do you mean?"

Qi Feng spoke up.

"It only takes half a day to get from Qing Shi Ao to Qi Jia Village by horseback. Our village is right next to that dirt road. If people from that side go east, Qi Jia Village won't be able to avoid them. So I want Qi Jia Village to reinforce it."

"Should we reinforce it?"

Qi Changlai was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought the kid wanted them to donate money, but it turned out he was only asking for their labor.

Qi Feng got up and went to the courtyard gate, glancing outside.

There were hardly any people on the ground at the village entrance now, except for a group of children playing. A few houses had dried vegetables stuffed in front of their doors, and a yellow dog was dozing in the middle of the road.

Qi Feng looked around the village from one end to the other, then turned to Qi Changlai and said:

"I want to reinforce the village, put up barricades at the village entrance, and block the dirt road."

After saying that, Qi Feng pointed to the wall in the distance.

"Those walls are too low. We need to add another layer of soil and nail sharp wooden stakes on the outside, just enough to keep the horses out."

Qi Changlai thought about it for a moment and finally nodded.

"The wall was originally made of earth, so raising it isn't difficult. To build a chevaux-de-frise, we need to cut down trees. Let's cut down those old trees on the east side of the village. The wood is sturdy and will come in handy. As for the stakes, they're easy to get. There's a pile of them in the woodshed at the back. We can just chop them up."

Qi Feng nodded and asked:

"How many young people in the village can still spare?"

Qi Changlai counted on his fingers.

"Thirty or forty people. It's just the beginning of spring, so farm work isn't too busy, and we can spare some manpower."

"That's fine then."

Qi Changlai stood up, walked to the door, and glanced at the open space at the edge of the village.

"Are you free tonight? I'll get everyone together, and you can let them know."

"OK."

Before it got dark, about thirty people had gathered under the old tree at the village entrance.

Some carried hoes, some carried sickles, some were empty-handed, and a few teenagers squeezed into the crowd to watch the excitement.

A group of people were discussing among themselves, wondering why Qi Changlai had summoned them.

Qi Changlai stood at the front and clapped his hands to quiet everyone down, then explained the matter of reinforcing Qijia Village.

"Why bother reinforcing the village for no reason? Isn't it fine as it is?"

"Yes, spring has arrived and there's work to do; the whole family is waiting for their meals!"

Qi Changlai coughed lightly.

"Bandits have broken out in the west, looting all the villages. More than a hundred people have fled to Fuxing County. Of course, we have to take precautions in advance."

Upon hearing Qi Changlai's words, the crowd immediately quieted down, and someone couldn't help but ask a question.

"Why would the bandits come here?"

Qi Changlai did not answer this time, but turned to look at Qi Feng.

Qi Feng stepped forward and said:

"It's hard to say whether the bandits will come, but if they do, Qijia Village can't stop them in their current state. The walls are too low, there aren't even any barricades. If a dozen or so riders come, we won't be able to stop them."

Someone couldn't help but mutter something.

"What can we do then?"

Qi Feng spoke:

"Block the village entrance, raise the wall, and we'll talk about other things after that. Everyone who comes to work tomorrow will get paid: 10 coins a day for adults and 5 coins a day for children."

Upon hearing Qi Feng's words, everyone was stunned at first, and then they looked at Qi Feng in disbelief.

"Qi Feng, you're not bragging, are you? You really give 10 coins a day? Even for kids?"

Qi Feng nodded. With the current income of Ye Family Restaurant, this amount of money was really nothing.

Furthermore, since they are all from the same village, Qi Family Village is very likely to become a bridgehead to block the Great Rong, which is also crucial for Qi Feng.

"My goodness, Qi Feng has struck it rich!"

"Brother Feng! Where are you working now?"

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Qi Changlai quickly stepped forward to interrupt.

"Alright, what are you all asking about! Qi Feng is already being generous by paying you. Start work first thing tomorrow morning. Bring your own tools; if you have an axe or saw at home, bring it!"

Upon hearing Qi Changlai's words, the crowd quieted down and dispersed one by one.

Several young men gathered around Qi Feng, and one of them, named Qi Xiaoliu, asked:

"Brother Qi, how were those barricades built? We've never seen them before."

Qi Feng said, "Just lay the tree trunk horizontally across the road, weigh it down with stones at both ends, and then stick a row of sharp wooden stakes in front of it. When the horses come along, they'll stop when they see this."

Qi Xiaoliu nodded and then asked:

"How high should the wall be?"

Qi Feng gestured to his chest.

"Just add it here, and nail a sharp wooden stake to the outer side."

After hearing this, Qi Xiaoliu didn't ask any more questions and walked away muttering to himself with the others beside him.

The next morning, Qi Feng did not go to the drill ground, but went to Qi Family Village first.

People were already working at the village entrance. Several young men were digging a ditch, preparing to dig out the base of the barricade. When they saw Qi Feng coming, they quickly greeted him.

Several people were chopping down those old trees on the east side of the village, swinging their axes with great effort, wood chips flying everywhere, and a pile of freshly cut branches lying by the roadside.

Upon seeing Qi Feng, the group stopped what they were doing and greeted him.

Qi Feng is now like their provider, so they can't help but value him.

Qi Changlai stood at the village entrance, leaning on his cane. He waved to Qi Feng as he approached, and Qi Feng exchanged a few words before rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.