If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

Xu Qingshan found it increasingly outrageous the more he thought about it.

He originally thought that Liu Sandao had stuffed eight mouths into his mouth because he thought Liu was dying too soon.

Looking back now, they still had some conscience.

Of course, not many.

After all, they had provided rice and tools, but the dilapidated house was still drafty. Liu Sandao and Li Kui were keeping watch outside, and further away, barbarians could invade from the south at any moment.

It was another hellish start.

But it's not a big problem. As long as you can survive, even hell can be slowly transformed into a rural resort.

Xu Qingshan pushed the set of carpentry tools toward Bai Zhi.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll fix the door first."

Bai Zhi pursed her lips and nodded gently.

"It can be repaired."

Xu Qingshan added, "The courtyard wall also needs to be reinforced."

Bai Zhi glanced outside and whispered, "The courtyard wall is too low and the soil is loose. If we only patch it up, it will easily collapse."

"Then let's use a wooden frame to support it, and make a few rows of wooden spikes, is that feasible?"

Bai Zhi thought for a moment and said, "It can be done, but we need wood."

Xu Qingshan looked towards the corner of the room.

There were a few damp pieces of firewood piled up there.

This amount of stuff is barely enough to start a fire, let alone reinforce the courtyard wall.

He rubbed his temples.

Indeed, the hardest thing in the early stages of starting a business is not having a manpower, but having no resources.

Xu Qingshan said, "I'll figure out a way to get the timber."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the remaining people.

He's not some kind of chivalrous philanthropist.

In a place like this, everyone has to play a role, and whoever is capable gets to eat more.

This is the simplest truth.

Xu Qingshan's gaze fell on a woman who hadn't said much.

She sat by the firelight, still wearing that dirty old prison uniform, but her back was very straight.

Her features were gentle, but unlike Shen Qinghe's dignified demeanor, she was more like a piece of delicate jade, whose original quality could still be seen even when buried in mud.

"What's your name?"

The woman looked up at him, her voice very soft.

"Su Jinniang".

Xu Qingshan asked, "What can you do?"

Su Jinniang hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can do accounting and know a little about business."

Xu Qingshan's eyes lit up. Another one who knows how to calculate?

This is good.

Our family is dirt poor right now and desperately needs someone who knows how to manage a household.

However, he didn't show it immediately, but instead asked, "What kind of deal?"

Su Jinniang said in a low voice, "My family used to be in the business of leather goods and medicinal herbs."

"I've handled some sheepskins, wolf pelts, deer antlers, and dried ginseng from the North."

"I also remember some of the prices of grain, salt, and cloth."

Xu Qingshan was genuinely surprised this time.

Isn't this just a walking market price chart?

What is a border region?

There was a shortage of food, salt, cloth, and medicine.

But there are also things.

There were furs, medicinal herbs, warhorses, and livestock.

As long as you can survive and get your hands on these things, you can exchange them for food and money.

Xu Qingshan looked at Su Jinniang and said, "If there are any things that need to be exchanged for grain in the future, you can estimate the price."

Su Jinniang was taken aback.

"Aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?"

Xu Qingshan said, "I'm afraid."

Su Jinniang: "..."

Xu Qingshan continued, "So you'd better not lie to me. I'm poor now, and I don't have much for you to fool. If you still try to fool me when I have more stuff later, then it means I've really made it big."

Su Jinniang didn't know how to respond for a moment.

She has met many men.

Some people pretend to be generous from the start, while others are clearly greedy but insist on putting on the airs of a virtuous gentleman.

She had never met someone like Xu Qingshan before, who always said "I don't believe you" and "Don't lie to me."

Ironically, people like this aren't so disgusting.

At least he doesn't pretend.

Xu Qingshan then looked at another woman.

The woman was sitting towards the back, and even though she was wearing prison clothes, it couldn't hide the charm in her eyes.

She wasn't the prettiest, but she was easy to notice.

Because when she looks at people, her eyes always seem to carry a hint of a smile, but that smile doesn't reach her eyes.

"And you?"

The woman looked up and smiled gently.

"Liu Ruyan".

Her voice was soft but not seductive, making it pleasant to listen to without sounding frivolous.

Xu Qingshan asked, "What can you do?"

Liu Ruyan tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment.

"They know how to read people's expressions, how to listen to what people say, and how to extract information from them."

The women inside the room looked slightly strange.

Liu Ruyan remained calm, as if she had long been accustomed to such gazes from others.

Xu Qingshan showed no disdain, simply asking, "Where were you before?"

Liu Ruyan's smile faded slightly.

"The Imperial Music Bureau"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Women from the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) have always had an awkward status.

To put it more politely, it was the female relatives of disgraced officials who were forced into the ranks of entertainers.

To put it bluntly, they are nothing more than playthings for the powerful and wealthy.

Xu Qingshan looked at her and said, "Then you'll be in charge of organizing the information from now on."

Liu Ruyan was taken aback.

She had prepared herself for ridicule, and even for being looked at with those kinds of eyes.

But Xu Qingshan didn't; it seemed he only heard the first half of her sentence.

This gave Liu Ruyan a strange feeling.

She asked softly, "You don't mind that I come from a dirty background?"

Xu Qingshan frowned.

"Have you killed someone?"

Liu Ruyan was taken aback, then shook her head.

"Then you've hurt me?"

Liu Ruyan shook her head again.

Xu Qingshan said, "What does that have to do with me?"

Liu Ruyan was completely stunned.

Xu Qingshan said calmly, "What I lack now are people who can survive, not a clean and virtuous facade."

"Besides, if we're really talking about filth, those man-eating bastards in Blackrock Fortress are way filthier than you."

Liu Ruyan lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.

The firelight illuminated her face, and the usual smile in her eyes had faded away at some point.

Xu Qingshan didn't bother with her anymore.

He then looked at a woman with a cold expression.

The woman sat in the corner the whole time, her expression indifferent.

She gets nervous when others are nervous.

But her tension wasn't panic; it was observation.

Observing Xu Qingshan's complexion, she noticed that when he was drinking porridge, her gaze had also fallen on his wrist and breathing.

Xu Qingshan asked, "Do you know medicine?"

The woman looked up, somewhat surprised.

How did you know?

Xu Qingshan said, "I guessed."

Of course, this isn't just wild guessing.

Because this woman looks at people differently than others.

Others look at Li Kui with fear.

She was looking at Li Kui's wound.

The woman was silent for a moment, then said, "Qin Yuenu."

"My family has been practicing medicine for generations."

"I can stop bleeding, set bones, and recognize some herbs."

Xu Qingshan was overjoyed again.

Female doctors are highly sought after.

Who is the most valuable person at the border?

Not only can they kill people, but they can also make people immortal.

He's definitely going to get injured soon.

With Qin Yuenu around, it's like having an extra life.

Xu Qingshan said, "If anyone gets injured in the courtyard in the future, you're in charge."

Qin Yuenu looked at him. "Where are the medicinal herbs?"

Xu Qingshan paused.

Yes... we have the doctor, but not the medicine.

It's like opening a clinic, only to find there's a doctor and a signboard.

Xu Qingshan thought for a moment and said, "I'll figure out a way to get the medicinal herbs."

Qin Yuenu said calmly, "Without medicinal herbs, many injuries can only be endured through sheer suffering."

Xu Qingshan nodded, "Then let's just endure it for now."

Qin Yuenu: "..."

For the first time, she felt that this person's words were truly infuriating.

But as infuriating as it may be, at least he was telling the truth.

Xu Qingshan finally looked at the woman sitting at the farthest point.

She lowered her head.

He has spoken the least since he entered the room.

She was rather thin, her skin wasn't as fair as others, and her eyebrows and eyes were more defined.

Xu Qingshan had actually noticed her long ago.

Because every time she hears the word "barbarian," her fingers unconsciously tighten.

"And you?"

The woman's body stiffened slightly.

The eyes of everyone in the room also fell on her.

She remained silent for a long while before whispering, "Aman."

Upon hearing the name, Xiao Hongluan's eyes turned slightly cold.

Xu Qingshan noticed, but did not interrupt.

Aman continued, "My mother is from the Great Qian Dynasty."

"My dad..."

She paused, her voice even lower.

"They are barbarians."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

The word "barbarian" is too sensitive in border regions.

For many, barbarians are synonymous with burning, killing, looting, corpses, and blood.

Ah Man lowered her head, as if she had long been used to such gazes.

She was even prepared to be kicked out, or to be tied up on the spot by Xu Qingshan.

But Xu Qingshan simply asked, "Do you speak Mandarin?"

Aman was taken aback, and she looked up at Xu Qingshan.

"meeting."

"Do you know the roads in the North?"

"I recognize some of them."

"Can you distinguish barbarian footprints?"

Aman hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"able."

"Can you decipher the markings they left behind?"

"Simple energy."

Xu Qingshan slapped his thigh.

"good!"

Aman was stunned.

it is good?

She thought Xu Qingshan would scold her and treat her as a spy.

Unexpectedly, what I received was a "good" answer.

Xu Qingshan looked at her and said, "From now on, you'll help me keep track of the terrain outside and the movements of the barbarians."

Ah Man's throat bobbed. "Aren't you afraid I'm a spy?"

Xu Qingshan said, "I'm afraid."

Ah Man's face turned pale.

Xu Qingshan continued, "So you'd better not be."

"I'm really short of people who know the way right now, so I don't really want to kill you."

Aman was stunned.

These words didn't sound nice at all; they were even a bit cold.

But for some reason, she felt a sense of relief.

At least Xu Qingshan didn't kick her out like livestock the moment he heard she was of mixed barbarian descent.

This is already good.

It's really good...

Xu Qingshan looked at the eight people in front of him and quickly made a mental calculation.

Shen Qinghe is in charge of grain.

Su Jinniang is in charge of buying and selling.

Zhao Lihua will be responsible for meals and farming in the future.

Angelica dahurica is used in carpentry and mechanical work.

Qin Yuenu is in charge of injuries and illnesses.

Liu Ruyan is in charge of news.

Aman, who governs the Man language and terrain.

Xiao Hongluan was in charge of traps and battle formations.

These are not eight criminal women.

This is practically a startup team provided to him by the system, a team that has everything from administration, finance, logistics, medical care, technology, intelligence, mapping, and military expertise.

The only problem is that the office environment is a bit poor.