Currently, the county town has a total of five thousand troops.

That's right, when Chen Mo was here, the county's forces were five thousand strong (Divine Brave Guard + Divine Martial Guard + Reserves).

Chen Mo took two thousand with him on his campaign, leaving three thousand behind.

During Chen Mo's absence, an additional two thousand were gradually recruited.

In fact, this expansion of two thousand troops was somewhat passive. Around two hundred were remnants of the Qingzhou Army brought by Li Yunzhang from Gaozhou. Subsequently, about four hundred more Qingzhou troops joined.

Later, due to Qingtian County being allocated to Chen Mo for defense purposes, Geng Songfu ordered the recruitment of twelve hundred more soldiers.

Among these five thousand, two thousand are Divine Brave Guards, one thousand are Divine Martial Guards, and the remaining two thousand are reserves.

The Qingzhou Army, who joined later, were absorbed into the Divine Brave Guard.

Li Yunzhang is a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist, so Geng Songfu had him oversee the reserves and moved Wei Qing from the Divine Brave Guard to serve as Li Yunzhang's deputy along with Gao Yuming.

Upon returning to the government office and hearing Geng Songfu finish reporting matters concerning the army, Chen Mo raised his brows. Five thousand troops, plus the ten thousand or so from Quanyang County, meant he could easily assemble an army of twenty thousand if he desired.

What pleased Chen Mo the most was the autumn harvest situation last month. The late rice harvest throughout the county reached eight hundred thousand bushels, with one hundred thousand bushels set aside as reserves.

Moreover, the armory in the town recruited a large number of talents, and after some research, they could independently produce crossbows and bed crossbows, although the product yield was not particularly high.

A hundred and fifty sets of Bright Armor have been manufactured, all of which are now equipped by the Divine Brave Guard.

Additionally, the large amount of copper coins Chen Mo transported back from Celestial Water Town perfectly facilitated the expansion of the armory, increasing production capacity.

With good news, there's certainly bad news as well.

Due to the effects of the war, the trade route established with the Shenghuang Commerce Association in Jiangnan has been cut off.

Moreover, through Lu Yuan, Chen Mo learned something he hadn't been aware of; the Celestial Master Army had crossed the river, occupied Fengzhou, and sent a force to ambush Huai State, causing the Loyalist Army to suffer its first defeat.

It was because of this reason that the trade route through Jiangnan was severed.

Furthermore, the weather has turned cold, and many people have frozen to death in Ping Court and Qingtian Counties.

Both counties lack cotton, fabric, and firewood.

Bear in mind, the more than eight thousand winter clothes Geng Songfu sent to Quanyang County were not made of cotton.

Most of the civilian winter clothes are made from paper materials such as chaff and rattan paper, also known as "paper coats."

These paper coats are soft and thick yet still inadequate against the severe cold.

As for cotton clothes, fox pelts, or fur-made garments for warmth, only wealthy families can afford them.

Upon hearing Geng Songfu's report, Chen Mo tapped his fingers on the desk gently as he pondered, soon having an idea.

There is coal on Daze Mountain. He could perfectly mine coal and produce honeycomb briquettes.

The technology for honeycomb briquettes isn't complex. Before Chen Mo transmigrated, many common folk already knew how to make them.

The only aspect requiring some skill is the iron tool used to perforate the honeycomb briquettes.

With this thought, Chen Mo immediately took action.

If he could produce honeycomb briquettes, not only could he help the residents of the two counties survive the harsh winter, but he could also make a small fortune.

…

Meanwhile, as Chen Mo was busy.

In the backyard of the county government office.

After bathing, Xia Zhining had changed into a simple coat skirt. Her hair was wet, like a lotus emerging from the water, sitting in front of a vanity combing out the water, she said, "It's been so long since I've enjoyed a nice soak like now."

Through the copper mirror, Xia Zhiqing could see her sister's fresh and lovely face. She walked up, placed her hands on her sister's shoulders gently, and said warmly, "Zhining, while in the army, did he ever bully you?"

Xia Zhining paused, her eyes reflecting a hint of shame and annoyance. How could she not have been bullied, bullied badly indeed, but how could she admit this to her sister?

She responded with a shout: "He wouldn't dare. This time in the army, I... have been a big help to him, even taught his troops the Yanyue Array, how could he... dare to bully me."

"That's good." Xia Zhiqing sighed with relief, then inquired about the situation on the front lines.

Although Xia Zhining had been absent for some time, she'd still managed to get out and about, but she knew nothing about the front line situation.

She asked Geng Songfu, who simply assured her everything was well, and she need not worry.

"Yu State's terrain is too complicated, mountains everywhere, and many gourd mouths..."

Speaking of this, Xia Zhining seemed to open up, turning directly to face her sister, speaking fervently about integrating terrain with military maneuvers and how to apply the strategies from military books.

"The military book says arrogant troops will surely be defeated, and it's not merely lip service. Yuan Youchun's tens of thousands strong army was too arrogant. Liang Song lured them step by step deep into enemy territory, ultimately delivering a devastating blow in Shiling County. If not for Chen Mo, it would have been complete annihilation..."

Talking about such matters, Xia Zhining was particularly enthused, clutching Xia Zhiqing's hand, saying:

"Sister, let me tell you, though Chen Mo may appear like a rogue, he genuinely has his own style when it comes to leading troops, and he possesses a unique charisma, especially when he delivers speeches—serious and exuding the kind of heroic aura you read about in books.

If it weren't for him, the Celestial Master Army on the entire Yu State battlefield would have suffered a particularly terrible defeat..."

Noticing the small expressions on her sister's face when she spoke of Chen Mo, Xia Zhiqing instantly detected something amiss, saying:

"Zhi Ning, weren't you quite resentful towards him before? Why are you now speaking highly of him?"

"Also, you seem to be in much better spirits recently?"

Xia Zhiqing recalled how Zhi Ning didn't look too well when she left the last time.

"Is it... Is it so?" Xia Zhining knew she had spoken too engrossingly and quickly reined it in, then explained: "One thing... at a time. There are things I... indeed resent him for, but I can't overlook his talents."

Something's not right.

Too much is not right.

If earlier, Xia Zhiqing only sensed a hint of peculiarity, now, she sensed an overwhelming feeling of peculiarity.

Previously, when her sister disliked him, she wouldn't think of his talents, she just disliked him.

And wouldn't utter a single positive word about him.

Now, having returned from the army, her attitude towards him seemed like she had become a different person.

"Has the war ended?" Xia Zhiqing said.

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhining's expression froze, falling silent as she remembered discussing with her sister before leaving that they would leave once the war ended.

But now, she and that bastard had already expressed mutual feelings, and even agreed to let him take her sister into his family, naturally, she didn't want to leave.

But she couldn't say this to her sister outright.

After thinking it over, Xia Zhining said: "Not yet, although the Celestial Master Army has been defeated, Liang Song is tightly prepared. Coming south from Yu State is unrealistic, and by water, the main force of the Celestial Master Army is still battling the Fengzhou Navy, blocking the waterway southwards. So, leaving anytime soon is unlikely..."

"Hmm." Xia Zhiqing nodded: "Safety is a small matter."

Actually, she also felt guilty inside.

Although she didn't want to admit it, the days spent in the county town made her develop an attachment to the place.

The two sisters fell into a brief silence.

Xia Zhining turned around and opened the drawer under the dressing table, took out the pearl necklace from inside, and quickly let out a slight "huh" in surprise.

The guilty Xia Zhiqing quickly asked: "Zhining, what's wrong?"

"I feel the color of the pearls has faded a lot, and the luster is not as bright as before." Xia Zhining muttered.

Xia Zhiqing felt even more guilty, as she understood jewelry; when pearl necklaces are worn for a long time, pearls lose their original luster, and while she wore it, she often touched the pearls above, so how could the color not fade?

"It hasn't faded... Ah, maybe it's been a long time since I've seen it, and now suddenly seeing it, there's a difference." Xia Zhiqing said.

Fortunately, Xia Zhining didn't think much of it.

Seeing she had muddled through, Xia Zhiqing let out a sigh of relief.

Watching the pearl necklace being returned to her sister's neck, Xia Zhiqing, who always stayed out of competition, suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.

"The necklace originally should have been mine."

...

Chen Mo drew many blueprints and picked out the one he was most satisfied with, believing it best matched the "Coal Ball Smasher" in his memory, and taught it to the blacksmith to make.

Even though some details couldn't be drawn on the blueprints and could only be explained verbally by Chen Mo, the technique wasn't difficult, and he believed that with the wisdom of the working class, they should manage to tinker it out.

After finishing the blueprints and inspecting the factories in the city, he learned Xiaolu and his sister-in-law were living together, so he returned to the village with Zhang He.

On the way back, upon hearing Zhang He took a concubine, Chen Mo happily patted his shoulder: "Well done."

He understood that Zhang He was able to take a Wang Family girl because of him, but it also indirectly showed that his prestige and influence were on the rise.

Moreover, seeing Zhang He able to take a Wang Family girl as a concubine because of him, wouldn't outsiders also consider rallying around him...

As his first subordinate, now that he's back, of course, he should visit Zhang He's family.

He also met that Wang Family girl, whose appearance was charming, primarily having good skin quality as she was a noble clan girl, her skin was much better than rural women.

After exchanging a few words to show care, Chen Mo returned to his home.

Meanwhile, news that he had returned to the mountain village reached Han Anniang's ears as Chen Mo went to visit Zhang He's home.

When he reached the doorway, Han Anniang, Yi Shiyin, and Song Min had been waiting for a long time.

"Why is everyone standing outside, it's so cold..."

Just as he spoke, Yi Shiyin threw herself into Chen Mo's embrace, holding him tightly: "Husband, I missed you so much."

Standing alongside, Han Anniang saw Xiaolu directly pounced over, her cheeks reddened a bit.

"Uncle, you're back." Han Anniang stepped forward, kindly patting the snow from Chen Mo's shoulders and head, then took the Tang Blade and his bundle from his hands.

Chen Mo said smoothly: "The bundle has gifts prepared for all of you."

"Brother Mo." Song Min sweetly called out.

Chen Mo released Xiaolu, and gently rubbed Song Min's head: "Min'Er has gotten taller."

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