Willow Ash Town.

Yuan Qingyan was holding his regular council meeting when an official said, “Lord Yuan, we’ve set up three food relief centers. We’ll see the results in a few days.”

“Why three? Weren’t we supposed to open just one?” Yuan Qingyan asked, furrowing his brow.

The official replied, “One place just isn’t enough. To be honest, there are no refugees near the commandery seat at all, and those farther away simply cannot make it this far. Therefore, we can only recruit those from the area near Bianning, and even then, they only come in small groups. That is why we need to set up multiple food relief centers to recruit enough manpower. But rest assured that the number of food relief centers does not change the amount of grain we’re consuming for this endeavor. It’s still only one thousand catties per day.”

Yuan Qingyan’s expression softened slightly. “Very well. It is truly lamentable that I hold the title of commandery administrator, yet have no people to govern. Recruiting some refugees will allow us to clear the land and begin farming.”

“To start with, let’s recruit… ten thousand people?”

Yuan Qingyan nodded. “Ten thousand is plenty. And remember, we only take able-bodied men. Do not accept the elderly, the infirm, women or children.”

The officials chorused, “Do not worry, my lord!”

Meanwhile, the four gates of Bianning Commandery were wide open, and the garrison soldiers were all huddled inside the gatehouses, watching as wave after wave of menacing-looking refugees filed out of the city carrying bundles of various sizes.

A soldier on the...