“So many people can’t all live inside. You can expand the village outward,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “The surrounding fields can all be cultivated. Everyone can train from time to time. In peacetime they only farm the land, but if war comes, they’ll have some ability to defend themselves.”

She added, “I’ll assign you two squad leaders. They’ll teach you to train.”

After thinking briefly, she said, “I’ve been to your county seat. Inside now it’s nothing but broken walls, with just a few scattered people. Rather than rebuilding, better to choose a new county seat elsewhere.”

Hearing this, Chen Yin’s eyes gradually brightened, somewhat incredulous.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him. “I think the Chen family fortress is quite good. From now on, let’s establish the county seat here. I wonder if Fortress Lord Chen would be willing to be my first county magistrate.”

Chen Yin immediately rose and knelt down, his face both excited and anxious. “It’s just that Yin comes from humble origins and may not be competent.”

Zhao Hanzhang helped him up. “In my Yuzhou, talent selection only looks at ability and character, not at birth.”

With an emotional expression, she said to Chen Yin, “With your ability and character, being my county magistrate is more than sufficient.”

Chen Yin was deeply moved and couldn’t help saying, “The Administrator’s recognition and kindness—Yin can only repay with his very life.”

Zhao Hanzhang thought: …That’s really not necessary.

Because Zhao Hanzhang wanted to make the Chen family fortress the county seat, she simply went with Chen Yin to the Chen family fortress to have a look.

Knowing the bandit stronghold on the neighboring mountain had been suppressed and the Inspector was personally coming to see them, many people ran out to watch the excitement.

On the muddy yellow dirt road, most people wore tattered clothes and were thin as rails, but their eyes shone brightly as they watched Zhao Hanzhang on horseback.

A five or six-year-old child ran barefoot on the dirt road, managing to squeeze to the front, squeezing between adults to poke his head out and look curiously.

He happened to meet Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze as she looked down. He immediately shrank back, his whole body hiding behind an adult, pulling his head back too. But before long, he curiously poked his head out again to look, his eyes bright and shining.

Zhao Hanzhang felt his eyes shone like stars in the night sky—the only one there was.

She simply reined in her horse, reached out her hand to him, and asked with a smile, “Want to ride?”

The child shifted his body behind the adult but kept his eyes fixed on Zhao Hanzhang’s hand, looking quite eager to try.

The middle-aged man shielding the child grew very excited. Seeing his grandson hesitate, he immediately pulled him out from behind, picked him up, and handed him toward Zhao Hanzhang, whispering in his ear, “Be good, be good, this is an important person!”

Zhao Hanzhang caught the child and, smiling, placed him in front of her. Only then did she urge the horse forward.

Seeing the child was afraid, she held the reins with one hand and the child with the other, smiling as she pointed ahead. “Look in front. See? Riding on horseback, you can see very far, can’t you?”

The little boy looked forward. Since he dared look directly at Zhao Hanzhang, naturally he wasn’t timid. He quickly adapted, forgot his nervousness, and from Zhao Hanzhang’s embrace looked down at the people below from his high position. When he saw someone familiar, he couldn’t help bouncing a little, his bottom bobbing up and down as he greeted people below the horse.

The people lining the street in welcome—whether he’d greeted them or not—whenever they met his and Zhao Hanzhang’s gazes together, they all waved vigorously, overjoyed.

The Inspector was so approachable! Ah ah ah, the Inspector looked at him!

When Zhao Cheng and the others returned, they rode in ox carts—these were from the army, used to transport grain. The teacher and students sat in the ox cart, directly facing everyone’s enthusiasm.

Zhao Cheng looked forward at Zhao Hanzhang riding on horseback looking quite pleased with herself, then turned to ask Zhao Kuan, “Where did she learn these tactics for winning people’s hearts?”

Zhao Kuan thought: …Does she even need to learn? Not to mention the army, but among all the officials in Yuzhou, who has her talent? He’d thought this was her natural gift.

However, he didn’t dare show this on his face. Instead he said, “She acts from genuine feeling.”

Zhao Cheng glanced at him and said, “I didn’t say she was being insincere. But you—in just a few months, where did you learn this false and flattering manner?”

Zhao Kuan: …

He was wrong. With his teacher here, he hadn’t relaxed even a bit—his headache was even worse.

Zhao Kuan sighed deeply and pinned the blame on Zhao Hanzhang. “Teacher, if you stay a bit longer you’ll understand. I learned all this from Third Sister.”

Zhao Cheng snorted.

When they reached the Chen family’s front entrance, Zhao Hanzhang dismounted holding the child and even patted his bottom—this was the only fleshy part of his body.

She asked with a smile, “Was riding the horse fun?”

The little boy nodded vigorously. “Fun!”

“Want to ride again in the future?”

The child’s eyes lit up as he nodded.

“When you grow up, do you want to have a horse like this?”

The child’s eyes grew even brighter as he nodded.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “Then you’ll have to work hard—study diligently, and in the future become a general or official to bring benefit to the people of my Yuzhou.”

The little boy nodded hard. “Study!”

“But what does studying mean?”

“It means learning skills from others,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “After some time, the county office will open a school here to teach you reading and martial arts. When you grow up a bit, you can use your own abilities to protect this place, then protect Yuzhou, and even protect all of Dajin.”

These words weren’t spoken for the child to hear, but for the common people behind him.

Zhao Hanzhang decided to establish a simplified version of a school here—only teaching some simple characters, arithmetic, and martial arts. Only the smarter portion of students with stronger learning ability would, after screening, be sent to Chen County for further study.

She planned to establish a school in Chen County like those in Xiping and Shangcai, mainly to cultivate the officials Yuzhou would need in a few years.

Zhao Hanzhang lacked people, but she also didn’t want to use just anyone—better to have none than to have poor quality. If talented people who came to join her didn’t share her values, she’d rather first use village elders like Chen Yin for self-governance than let newcomers ruin the governance of her territory.

Zhao Hanzhang only brought her personal guards into the fortress. The army and the bandits captured from the mountain all remained outside the fortress.

Normally, if the people in the fortress were surrounded by so many troops, even though the person was invited in by Fortress Lord Chen, everyone would inevitably feel worried.

But because it was Zhao Hanzhang, people weren’t nervous at all.

Now in Yuzhou, even three-year-old children knew about Zhao Hanzhang of Xiping.

Her reputation had started spreading quietly in Yuzhou from when she led two thousand men into the Xiongnu rear. After her great victory when she joined with Gou Xi to drive out the Xiongnu army, she became known to all, famous throughout the land.

Many people felt that she was already famous throughout the realm, known to everyone.

Because she was famous, many people knew she governed her army strictly and her subordinate soldiers didn’t dare offend the common people. Moreover, she had a compassionate heart. Now people privately spread many legendary stories about encountering the female Inspector in distress and repaying kindness through meritorious service.

Everyone wanted to follow Zhao Hanzhang—not only could they repay kindness, they could also establish merit and build immortal achievements.

Achievements weren’t important—what was important was repaying kindness.

—