It doesn't matter what the lord is.

This is also easy to understand. Drinking a cup of milk tea occasionally is not a difficult thing, but it is not easy to treat the whole class to milk tea. If a billionaire distributes his wealth to the people of the country, each person will only get a tiny bit, and may not even be able to afford a lollipop.

Therefore, it is actually a common practice to provide the army with white equipment. Many lords of the territories do not even issue any weapons and equipment to the army. They just let them fight with their own bodies and use those people as suicide squads.

At present, we in Yuxi City will issue soldiers with weapons and equipment between [entry-level] and [handy], that is, the better white equipment but not up to the level of green equipment.

Above [Handy] is [Rare] equipment. The staff [Rock Skull] that Fileta is currently using is of this level. It was made with materials that Alaya and I brought back after a long time of hunting in the demon tribe. It is difficult to produce one, let alone mass production.

Territories with higher rankings would certainly equip their soldiers with better weapons and armor, but generally speaking, the [Rare] level was the upper limit. I remember that when I was in Yunyang, the elite troops under my father were only equipped with the inferior [Rare] equipment, and there were only about a thousand people who could enjoy such treatment.

After thinking about it, I said to Fang Shisan:

"The issue of weapons and equipment is quite important. I don't want our soldiers from Yuxi City to die unwillingly on the battlefield just because their equipment is inferior to others. Let's have another meeting tomorrow morning to discuss this matter in detail."

Fang Shisan said strangely:

"Isn't it okay now? It feels like it's still early..."

I rubbed her cheek again and said:

"Now. It's a rare occasion for you to come back, so take a good rest. I'll hold you up... You should rest early tonight. I'll tell you the story that I didn't finish last time."

4. I hand over my army to you

Telling Fang Shisan bedtime stories is something I always insist on doing.

There are two purposes for this. On the one hand, I hope Fang Shisan can be happy, at least when I tell her stories. On the other hand, I want to use this to cover up the memories of Fang Lita. When she understands that what Fang Lita did for her can also be done by others, she will no longer be so obsessed with this matter.

As for the content of the stories, there were many. Sometimes I read her the Art of War, and sometimes I told her myths.

Once when I was talking to her about "One Thousand and One Nights", I found that Fang Shisan was quite interested in it.

The story of Aladdin and the magic lamp, the story of Jute and his two brothers, the story of Sinbad the Navigator, the story of the blind monk... the story of the man who never laughed... Fang Shisan couldn't see, so there were no stars in her eyes. But every time I told her these stories, she would hold my hand, and when it came to the happy parts, she would smile slightly, and when it came to the tense parts, she would sit up, hold my hand, and listen attentively.

Usually, I would cover her with a blanket when she felt sleepy, wait until she fell asleep, and then leave quietly.

Once I asked Fang Shisan if she dreamed, and she said yes. But most of the time it was a very abstract feeling, that is, she directly experienced happiness, sadness or fear in the dream, and fear was the most common. So Fang Shisan said that she didn't like to dream, and dreams would destroy her precious rest time.

But after I told her the story, she once told me that she dreamed of a lamp that could emit a god when rubbed. The genie asked her what she wanted, and she said: I want light. So the dream became colorful, but when she woke up, it was still dark around her. She was sad for a long time, but she was always very satisfied to have such a dream.

Seeing Fang Shisan fall asleep, I also yawned and went back to my room to sleep.

The next day, I called out Fang Shisan, He Yue and others and convened a new session of the Yuxi City Representatives Conference.

The participants were: me, Alayya, Felita, Heyue, Fang Shisan, Baihuang, and the agent of the [Anbu], Shuang. Xiluo did not come, on the one hand because Xiluo's previous assassination operations had caused great trouble to Yuxi City, and a public appearance might lead to a new round of conflict; on the other hand, Shuang was more suitable for such an occasion. She knew a lot about the ways of the world, had her own ideas, and could put forward some good suggestions.

As for Shuang's identity, I only said that she was an external aid who was responsible for handling the affairs of the Anbu organization in Yuxi City. Today, Shuang also wore a veil covering half of her face, looking very mysterious.

"This is roughly the current situation. It is foreseeable that the development of Yuxi City will reach a bottleneck in the near future, and some things must be planned in advance. Especially now that various forces are constantly updating their own military weapons and equipment, we can't always buy what others have left. He Yue, tell me what you think first."

After all, He Yue is in charge of internal affairs, so it would be more appropriate to hand over the stage to him at this time.

He Yue was still wearing the green gown today. He stood up from the round table when he heard this.

"Regarding the weapons and equipment, I have made a detailed layout design a few months ago. However, judging from the current situation, this matter may have to be put on the agenda earlier than the construction of medical care, education, and health. The key reason is that our relationship with Yunyang has deteriorated faster than I thought... and yesterday, news came that Fangyuan in the north has increased its garrisons in Tianxing City, Jiangxing City, and Lixing City, and it seems that they are also guarding against us."

Bai Huang asked:

"What's going on with that fat guy... Lid, did anything happen between you that night?"

"Can you please stop using such weird expressions? People are looking at me in a weird way."

I reluctantly stopped Bai Huang. I didn't plan to talk about Fang Yuan's affairs for the time being, so I changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, do we have any spies in Fangyuan now?"

He Yue smiled and said:

"It didn't exist before. But this new sister has managed the Anbu in perfect order. We can finally reach out to the outside world and not be completely blind and deaf."

From his tone, it can be seen that he is very confident in Shuang's work ability.

Shuang acted very modestly and replied:

"Thanks to the help of the Minister, otherwise I alone would not be able to achieve the current level even if I had great ability."

Who are you!!

Are you still the arrogant Frost you once were?

That's why they say women are fickle.

After a round of commercial exaggeration, He Yue continued:

"Lord City Lord, Miss Alayya, and Miss Baihuang were not in Yuxi City before. Let me first tell you about how we can attack Yuxi City at the end of the year."

In fact, when we were in the capital, my eldest brother Li Yi said that Li Neng would take over Yuxi City while I was away and clean up Yunyang. At that time, I showed off my acting skills, pretending to be crazy and stupid and pretending to go back to Yuxi City. In fact, I really thought it was funny.

Last time Fang Shisan conquered the four cities of [Demon Suppression], [Iron Wall], [Fire Sun], and [Apocalypse], I basically did not intervene. If Xiluo had not stood on the opposite side, even the [Rivet City] where Li Neng lived would have been under the command of our Yuxi City. Now that Xiluo is on our side, the offense and defense have changed. I really don't know if Li Neng has the courage to come back and fight again.

Could it be that he is actually a masochist? ?

The Lord of Yunyang, my father, would certainly secretly give him some support, but he would not lend him his army directly. How should I put it? It's like when two sons are fighting, the father can secretly take sides, but basically he won't personally help one son beat the other.

Unless Yuxi City becomes completely independent and changes its name to Yuxi Territory, or rises up like Fang Yuan and directly confronts the entire Yunyang, it should be safe for the time being.

This time Fang Yuan brought people to Yuxi City, it can be said that he was planning to attack them by surprise. After all, the New Year is approaching, and the soldiers may have gone home for the New Year. Now the attack can be more effective. But what he didn't expect was that Fang Shisan had already prepared for the war, and was ambushed, and he was caught off guard.

One second he was shouting "Take down Yuxi City!", and the next second he was surrounded by enemies. In the fierce battle, he saw no sign of winning, so in order to save his life, he ignored many soldiers who were still fighting and ran away with his head covered.

This sudden appearance and hasty escape really made everyone in Yuxi City laugh.

But this time, we didn't win a big victory, we just pushed the enemy back. There are many problems exposed, such as the current position construction is not perfect, the number of troops is still small, etc. But the most important one is that the equipment advantage when we conquered the four cities last time is gone this time.

5. I have to trouble you again.

Mentioning this, Fang Shisan explained:

"For example, when we first fought with Li Neng's army, our soldiers could cut off their swords with their knives. This is the advantage of equipment. With this advantage, we can minimize casualties. The infantry of Yuxi City is equipped with a spear, a short sword, a dagger, and heavy armor or leather armor. The reason for the large number of weapons is that it is very common for weapons to break on the battlefield. When fighting hand to hand, the spears are used first. When the formation is broken or the spears are broken, the short swords or daggers can be used for hand-to-hand combat. They will not face the situation of being powerless due to the loss of weapons."

Although this may seem wasteful, it is not.

Fang Shisan and I agree on this point: the time and money cost of making equipment is far less than the cost of training a soldier. If we can improve the survival rate of soldiers by relying on the advantages of equipment, then everything is worth it.

Fang Shisan closed her eyes. She was not nervous at all and said calmly:

"Our weapons and equipment are quite advanced in the current small-scale battles. Even if Li Neng gets supplies from Lord Yunyang this time, we can still hold our own. However, from now on, the wars we face will only become more difficult. I will do my best to defend the five cities now and give you more room for growth. This is the only thing I am confident in doing well."

Bai Huang had rarely attended such meetings before, and now he folded his arms in protest.

"Now all the military equipment in Yuxi City is purchased from our Yunhai, right? It shouldn't be like this. You didn't buy fakes! Although our Yunhai army can't be said to be the best in the world, its weapons and equipment should be quite advanced."

He Yue smiled and explained:

"None of the territories will sell their most elite weapons and equipment. Moreover, even if Lord Yunhai is willing to sell them to us for Miss Baihuang's sake, Yuxi City probably can't afford them with its current economic strength."

The white phoenix chick pecked at the rice and nodded, with an expression of "I knew it":

"So it's not that our Yunhai equipment is not sophisticated enough. To put it bluntly, it's still a matter of money."

The smile on He Yue's face froze for a moment.

There was nothing wrong with what Bai Huang said, it's just that he didn't know how to read the atmosphere.

He Yue is now the head of Yuxi City, and Bai Huang bluntly attributed the matter to insufficient funds. No matter how you look at it, it seems that He Yue is being blamed.

I didn't say anything, but just tilted my head to see He Yue's reaction.

After a moment of hesitation, He Yue immediately regained her smile and said patiently:

"If we just use money to solve the problem, it's not impossible. But although armaments are divided into grades like ordinary weapons and equipment, they cannot be purchased like ordinary weapons and equipment. Military weapons and equipment must be of the same standard, and they are used for team combat, so the design is a little different. Therefore, when forging, each forge will generally distinguish between civilian and military use. Forges that produce armaments basically only produce armaments for their own territories. Selling the latest weapons and equipment to other territories privately is a capital crime."

Bai Huang scratched his head and said:

"Why not just poach the workers from the forge?"

Shuang took over the conversation and said:

"Same. Those craftsmen are basically closely watched by the Anbu organizations of each family. If we have a forge in Yuxi City in the future, I will do the same thing. Generally speaking, they will not be allowed to leave easily. Even visiting relatives will be monitored."

Bai Huang had no choice but to lean back in his chair and said:

"I can't buy it, and I can't dig it up. What else can I do?"

He Yue turned to the others and said:

"For now, the only solution is to recruit a blacksmith. Military equipment is different from ordinary weapons and equipment, so it is not something that laymen like us can study. If we can recruit someone who knows the business, he can at least understand how the military equipment we bought was forged, so that we can copy a batch of the same equipment at a relatively low price. Given time, we may be able to improve on the basis of the copy and enhance the level of our military equipment. It is worth noting that this person does not necessarily have to be the original blacksmith who forged the military equipment, as long as he has sufficient ability. As far as I know, although the various territories strictly guard the forges that produce military equipment, they do not seem to restrict blacksmiths who produce civilian weapons."

After these words were spoken, everyone nodded.

The worst thing about doing things is that an amateur guides an expert. We have one person in charge of internal affairs, one in charge of military affairs, one in charge of intelligence, two combatants and two idlers. What do we know about forging? A group of people here can't come up with a result by blindly analyzing. It's better to recruit a consultant who is proficient in this field.

But at this moment, Fang Shisan suddenly said:

"I have thought about this before and have also implemented it. However, in reality, most of the skilled forging masters have joined the military forging workshops, and there are very few who have escaped. Moreover, those free forgers do not like the work of forging weapons. When I asked them to help forge weapons, most of them would say goodbye and leave."

Bai Huang was lying on the table, but he sat up again after hearing this:

"Forging is forging, and we won't treat them unfairly."

Fang Shisan smiled slightly and said nothing.

He Yue simply said:

"It may be because the bloody aura is too strong when forging weapons. There is no good or evil on the battlefield, only killing and being killed. Many blacksmiths don't want to see the weapons they made being used for such pure killing."

Bai Huang pondered for a while and said:

"What about increasing their wages? Just increase their wages several times, and they won't stop coming."

He Yue shook his head:

"If they valued money, they would have gone to the forge that produces weapons in their territory long ago. Why would they come all the way to Yuxi City?"

Watching their heated discussion, I covered my mouth and yawned. Then I heard Bai Huang say irritably:

"This won't work, and that won't work...isn't there a way to go?"

He Yue nodded:

"some."

She looked around and said calmly:

"I have thought about this question. I plan not to bring up the idea of ​​developing our own weapons. I will just say that as the population grows, Yuxi City needs to recruit some skilled blacksmiths. Once they settle down in Yuxi City, we will think of other ways. We can either fight for them or learn from them. There is always a way. The key is to trick them first."

Fang Shisan said:

"It's difficult. Blacksmith is a sensitive profession. If we openly recruit blacksmiths without a proper reason, it will easily arouse the vigilance of other territories."

He Yue looked in my direction and said:

"So... if we want to get things done, I'm afraid we'll have to inconvenience the city lord again."

I hadn't even finished yawning when I stood there in a daze with a dull look on my face.

6. Release some bait

I thought He Yue had some clever plan, but after getting my consent, he simply pushed the blame onto me.

In fact, he didn't do anything, just spread a mysterious gossip:

"The Lord of Yuxi City has no ambitions. He loves to study strange skills and tricks. He likes swords and spends a lot of time every day studying forging methods. It is said that his love for this is far greater than his desire for beauty."

This gossip was passed down layer by layer, and in the end, in the eyes of the public, I had become a frigid man who left his beautiful wife and concubines alone in an empty room, and slept alone with a cold knife in his arms. In particular, the more this story spread, the more outrageous it became. When I went to a teahouse to have a cup of tea, I heard a few brothers next door say:

"Speaking of which, have you heard about what our city lord has been through recently? It is said that someone offered a beautiful woman to the city lord, but was kicked out by the city lord and was warned, 'Woman, stay away from me.'"

Another elder brother said seriously:

"Yes, yes, I heard about it too. It is said that after the city lord returned from the capital, his temperament changed drastically and his desire for women disappeared. Some people also said that the city lord was given by the king... Sigh. Let's not talk about this matter."

???

Wait, is public opinion starting to become a little weird?

But before long, this matter became known to everyone. Even merchants from outside the city would send people to deliver a few weapons to the city lord's mansion after hearing about this matter.

Since I became the city lord, quite a few people have wanted to send me gifts.

For example, Han Tu who works at the demon breeding farm, Sha Yan, the owner of Zhenweilou, etc., have all thought about giving gifts to build relationships. It is better to say that the entire newly emerging aristocratic class, because of the lack of foundation and background, has to curry favor with them. But currying favor with them is a bit difficult, because He Yue is basically in charge of internal affairs on weekdays, and it is difficult for them to contact me, so they don’t know what I like, and can only use their own smart brains to guess.

The previous public opinion was that I was beautiful.