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

While working, Qi Xiaoliu sidled up to Qi Feng, wiping the sweat from his brow as he whispered, "..."

"Brother Feng, do you think those thugs will really come?"

Qi Feng moved a stone to the edge of the pit and placed it down. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, clapped his hands, thought for a moment, and said:

"They might not actually come, but it's not a loss for you to build up the wall now. If they do come, you'll have a chance to retaliate."

Qi Xiaoliu nodded and continued working hard.

During the lunch break, Qi Xiaoliu brought Qi Feng a bowl of water.

Qi Feng took a sip, sat down against the old tree, and looked at the group of young people working hard at the village entrance, with a few older people handing over timber.

Qi Feng noticed that among the thirty-odd youths, several were quick and strong, and they didn't talk much while working, just working hard in silence.

Qi Xiaoliu was squatting to the side, munching on dry rations. Qi Feng glanced at him and asked, "Xiaoliu, what are you busy with now? How's the profit?"

Qi Xiaoliu chewed on his dry rations, not turning his head, and said:

"I'll just stay home and farm. The harvest is so-so every year, but I won't starve."

Qi Feng didn't ask any more questions, but his gaze kept lingering on Qi Xiaoliu and the other young people.

These people grew up with him and were all from the village. They knew Qijia Village well and were also familiar with him.

With a major battle looming, these people are far more reliable than those recruited from outside.

In the afternoon, Qi Feng did not stay in Qijia Village, but went back to the drill ground.

Liu, the head constable, and his twenty-odd county soldiers had already started practicing on their own, with each of them drawing their bows and nocking arrows.

This group is much better than they were a few days ago; now they can hit the target with three or four out of ten arrows they shoot.

Qi Feng watched from the sidelines of the training ground for a while without saying a word, and only went over to say something after they finished practicing.

"I won't be coming tomorrow morning. You guys practice on your own, and I'll come back to check on you the day after tomorrow. Don't think that what you're practicing now is useless; it will be your life-saving skills when a real fight breaks out."

Liu Du nodded, and Qi Feng said no more.

When Qi Feng returned to Ye Family Restaurant, Yu Yourong was clearing the tables. Seeing him come back, she handed him a bowl of hot water: "Why are you back so late today?"

Qi Feng didn't get any hot water. The weather had become a bit hot and dry since the beginning of spring, and he had been running around all day, so he really didn't want anything hot to drink.

"I went to Qijia Village and told them about the wall and barricades they were building. In the afternoon, I went to the drill ground to watch them practice and gave them some instructions."

Yu Yourong nodded, and seeing that Qi Feng hadn't taken any hot water, she poured him a cup of cold tea instead, and asked, "Has the village changed? We haven't been back for a month."

Qi Feng nodded: "It's the same as before, the same old way. Fortifying Qi Family Village is also to prevent bandits from sneaking over, so that we can have a means to fight back if they do."

That night, Qi Feng lay in bed, listening to the breathing of the person beside him, two thoughts lingering in his mind.

The first thing is that the walls and barricades around Qijia Village need to be repaired as soon as possible, because no one can be sure when the Da Rong cavalry will come over without a word.

Another reason is the young people in the village; he wants to build his own team.

Although he now nominally has thirty county soldiers, this is a right granted to him by Zhong Shao, and he has never built his own team.

If war really breaks out, only those who have men under their command can stand firm.

We worked in Qijia Village for five days, and luckily we didn't see any bandits during those five days.

Before the bandits arrived, the defense of Qijia Village was finally completed. Even if some bandits dared to ride over to plunder, they would have to think twice before attacking, given the high walls and barricades.

Qi Feng has been coming every day for the past few days, moving stones and carrying wood with the villagers, and directing everyone to build barricades. His old clothes are worn so badly that the threads are falling out.

Qi Xiaoliu brought him a bowl of water and, looking at the drastically changed Qi Family Village, couldn't help but ask, "Brother Feng, now that our village has been reinforced, is it safe?"

Qi Feng drank the cold water in one gulp and shook his head.

"This is nothing. It can only hold them off for a while. It can handle a dozen or so cavalrymen, but it can't stop a large army. On the battlefield, cities like Fuxing County are nothing."

Qi Xiaoliu was taken aback: "Then what's the point of us repairing all this now?"

Qi Feng slapped Qi Xiaoliu on the forehead: "If we buy a little more time now, Fuxing County will receive the news and send troops to support us immediately. Otherwise, we won't have any chance to ask for help at all."

Qi Xiaoliu pursed his lips and remained silent.

Qi Changlai, leaning on his cane, walked to Qi Feng's side, looked at Qi Family Village now, and couldn't help but laugh, "They don't look like they're easy to mess with."

Qi Feng nodded: "The wages and material costs for the past few days have totaled a little over two taels of silver. We'll have to trouble the village chief to distribute it to them later."

After saying that, Qi Feng handed Qi Changlai a bag of money.

Qi Changlai chuckled, genuinely worried that Qi Feng was just making empty threats.

It seems that Qi Feng has really made it big in the city; he can take out two taels of silver without batting an eye.

Qi Changlai continued, "So, are we still working tomorrow?"

Qi Feng shook his head: "No need, it's fine as it is now. It's not like we're building a county town."

Qi Changlai nodded and then asked, "Are you coming to the village tomorrow?"

"I'm not coming. Thank you all for your hard work these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Qi Changlai waved to Qi Feng and turned to leave.

Watching Qi Changlai's departing figure, Qi Feng was thinking about the few young men in Qi Family Village.

After working for the past few days, he has figured out everyone's background and abilities. Some of them are indeed capable and can become good helpers with a little training.

If Qi Feng really goes to the battlefield later, he will need a few trustworthy people by his side.

However, he didn't rush to speak. He was just a nobody now, and he couldn't just go and recruit people directly, or he might be secretly laughed at.

It's not too late to recruit them after they've truly made a name for themselves.

With these thoughts in mind, Qi Feng turned and left, heading towards Fuxing County.

......

Life went on as usual, and Qi Feng's thirty county soldiers were now consistently hitting the target with five arrows, much better than before.

The group had become accustomed to the drills, and their bodies would move before their minds could even process Qi Feng's commands.

This most basic training involves instilling obedience in them.

During this time, Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan also came to visit several times. Both of them were somewhat surprised by Qi Feng's training methods, but they did not say anything.

They just felt that Qi Feng was being a bit ridiculous. Apart from archery, which was somewhat useful, the drill training was just nonsense in Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan's eyes.

When you actually encounter the enemy on the battlefield, you fight with knives and guns, not these fancy drill exercises.

However, since Qi Feng was appointed by Zhong Shao himself, it was not appropriate to say anything, but he silently questioned Qi Feng's training ability.