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

After eating, Qi Feng headed straight for Qi Family Village.

The county inspector can recruit local militia on his own, and the thirty or so young men in Qijia Village are excellent recruits.

Upon arriving at Qijia Village, Qi Changlai was directing a group of people to continue reinforcing the village, while many others had already packed their belongings and were preparing to leave.

Upon seeing Qi Feng approaching, Qi Changlai quickly stepped forward.

"Could it be that someone has called again?"

Qi Changlai looked flustered, his eyes unconsciously glancing westward.

Qi Feng had just left yesterday, saying he wouldn't come back, but he came today. It's hard not to feel uneasy about this.

Qi Feng shook his head.

"How could that be? We just wiped out those cavalrymen of the Great Rong yesterday. The Great Rong probably haven't received the news yet. I'm here today to talk to you about something. I'd appreciate it if the village chief could ask everyone to stop what they're doing."

Hearing Qi Feng's words, Qi Changlai finally breathed a sigh of relief and called out to Qi Xiaoliu, asking him to go and call for help.

Before long, everyone gathered under the old tree at the entrance of Qijia Village. Qi Feng noticed that there were fewer people today than before.

Qi Changlai explained from the side:

"This morning, I sent the elderly and children in the village to Fuxing County first. Those with relatives can stay with them, and those without relatives can make do with a temporary shelter, so that Da Rong and his group won't come again."

Qi Feng nodded and looked at the crowd in front of him:

"Did they find work in the city?"

Qi Changlai sighed, "It's not that easy."

Qi Feng smiled slightly and said:

"I came here for this very reason. I opened a restaurant in the city, and now is the time to expand. I need manpower, but I don't trust anyone else. However, the people of Qijia Village have all watched me grow up, and I want you to come work for me."

Upon hearing Qi Feng's words, the crowd immediately began to discuss.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Qi Feng, are you serious? You really want us to do the work?"

When Qi Feng came last time to ask them to reinforce Qi Family Village, he casually pulled out more than two taels of silver, which really shocked them.

Now that Qi Feng is willing to hire them to work, this is a huge benefit for them.

After all, rural people usually farm and don't know much about other jobs. If they go to the county, no one will hire them. They can only do the lowest-level odd jobs, but even these jobs are highly sought after.

Qi Feng nodded and continued:

"I've been appointed county inspector and need to recruit local militia. I found some good candidates when I came to the village before, and I'd like to bring you into my ranks. The rest of you can work at my restaurant, what do you say?"

Hearing Qi Feng's words, everyone stood there stunned, not yet able to react.

Qi Feng, thinking that everyone had reservations, continued:

"I won't skimp on your food and clothing, and you'll even get a monthly wage. We're all from the same village, so I have no reason to cheat you. Those who are willing can sign up here, and those who aren't won't be forced."

Upon hearing this, Qi Changlai immediately called out to everyone:

"What are you all standing there for? Qi Feng is the only prodigy from Qi Family Village. Aren't you going to come over here right now?"

"If you really had to rely on yourselves to find work in the city, you might starve to death in a month! Now that Qi Feng is willing to help us because we're from the same hometown, you should hurry up and come over!"

Hearing Qi Changlai's words of disappointment and frustration, everyone finally realized what was going on.

Qi Xiaoliu was the first to run up to Qi Feng: "Brother Feng, I've made up my mind. I want to join the army with you, I want to join your team!"

Qi Feng smiled slightly and nodded.

Qi Xiaoliu is quick-witted and fast; with a little training, he could become a good scout.

Besides Qi Xiaoliu, Qi Shitou and Qi Daniu, who were usually close to him, also came along, along with about thirty other young men.

However, Qi Feng did not want them all; the key to an army is quality, not quantity.

Qi Feng led everyone to the grain drying ground in Qi Family Village and picked up a twig on the ground to draw lines.

"You'd better think this through. Joining me in the army means going to the battlefield. Swords have no eyes on the battlefield, and sometimes I might not be able to protect you. One wrong move and you could lose your life. So I need to select some people with good physical fitness. You should also discuss this with your families."

Hearing Qi Feng's words, everyone remained standing in front of him, not one of them backing down.

In this chaotic world, it's good enough to have a bite to eat; who has time to think about anything else?

Qi Feng nodded and pointed to the track he had drawn:

"Start running along this track, run five laps for now."

The threshing ground in Qijia Village is not large; one lap is about 200 meters, and five laps would only be about one kilometer.

With everyone ready, Qi Feng gave the order, and they began to run.

At first, everyone was enthusiastic and rushed to the front, but after the third lap, the speed obviously slowed down, and many people were hanging at the back, panting heavily.

Qi Xiaoliu ran in the lead, gritting his teeth and running five laps before finally stopping.

Qi Feng waited a while longer, and seeing that some people hadn't finished running, he finally shook his head:

"You guys don't need to run anymore. On the battlefield, the faster you run, the more likely you are to survive. Even if you join my team, you'll just be throwing your lives away for nothing. You might as well stay in the city. The restaurant needs a lot of people right now, and you'll be safer there."

Then Qi Feng brought out bows and arrows and had everyone take turns shooting.

Qijia Village is located at the foot of Liupanling Mountain, and many people there go up the mountain to hunt, so they are very good at using bows and arrows.

However, Qi Xiaoliu's archery skills were not so accurate this time; he only hit the target with four out of ten arrows.

Qi Shitou, on the other hand, was usually quiet and reserved, but when he used a bow and arrow, he was incredibly accurate, hitting the target with six out of ten arrows.

"Wow, Stone, I've never seen you so capable before."

Qi Feng approached Qi Shitou and couldn't help but praise him.

Qi Shitou scratched the back of his head and chuckled:

"I feel that if I get more familiar with the game, I should be able to hit seven arrows steadily. I haven't been hunting in the mountains for a long time."

Qi Feng didn't screen anyone this time; even the worst person in this group could hit three arrows.

Finally, Qi Feng arrived at a millstone in the village and conducted strength training for everyone.

The millstone isn't heavy, but it still weighs sixty pounds.

"If you can hold the millstone up to your chest without moving it for three breaths, you've passed the test."

Qi Xiaoliu rolled up his sleeves, spat twice on his hands, and was the first to come out and approach the millstone.

Qi Xiaoliu gripped the millstone with both hands, exerted force to lift it up, held it horizontally in front of his chest for four or five seconds, and then threw it away.

Qi Feng nodded, signaling for the second person to come up.

This time, Qi Shitou and Qi Xiaoliu performed similarly, but what surprised Qi Feng was Qi Daniu, that simpleton.

He told everyone to just hold the stones to their chests, but Qi Daniu actually held them above his head, and then started walking around.

Thirty breaths passed before Qi Feng, unable to bear it any longer, told Qi Daniu to put the millstone back in its place, and only then did Qi Daniu loosen his grip.

"Could this kid be born with superhuman strength?"