Reborn Before My Husband Ascends the Throne

The third son and fourth son were both summoned back to the Ye family stronghold. Only Zhao Jingwen, the fifth son, and a few others were left there to assist Mr. Yang.

Mr. Yang personally supervised the first batch of refugees settling in Fangcheng.

Those who arrived first gained the benefits of arriving first. The houses allocated to the first batch were mostly intact and only needed some simple repairs to be livable. More importantly, the fields allocated to the first batch were all good fields. Especially for those families with members serving in the military, they were allocated even better fields.

Almost as soon as they arrived, after registering their houses and fields, they were immediately given farming tools and driven dazedly to the fields.

Time waits for no one. In July, the fields were leveled for planting beans. In November, the beans would be harvested.

If it was late, the beans would not have grown well before the cold weather came, which would affect the yield.

After harvesting beans in Dengzhou, wheat still needed to be planted. Only after wheat was planted would the year be considered completely free. Then next June would be time for harvest again.

In spring days, vegetables could be planted, but it was not as pressing.

There was some overlap between the sowing and harvesting times for millet and wheat, so only one could be chosen. As for what should be planted in Fangcheng, Ye Suijin’s intent was very firm - it should be corn.

Because corn was the main ingredient of military hardtack.

Properly stored corn could last nine years without rotting or molding, much longer than other grains.

Tangzhou was already famous for its high corn yield to begin with.

Mr. Yang personally oversaw the proper settlement of the first batch. After smoothing out all the reception procedures, he handed things over to others there and rushed back to the Ye family stronghold on a fast horse.

He had not had this kind of busy yet exciting feeling for a long time. Even his steps seemed to stir the wind.

As soon as he returned to the Ye family stronghold, he grabbed someone and asked, "Where is the stronghold master?"

Ye Suijin was at the barracks.

The first barracks were built by the rebelling refugees who were caught during the patrol of Dengzhou.

When a convoy of new recruits arrived, they started by lighting the stoves and eating a meal. Although it was just hardtack mixed with bran and soup with a little minced meat and bones, it was filling.

For men who were not eating enough daily, being full felt like entering heaven.

They wolfed the food down; it had been so long since they ate their fill.

After eating their fill, they were assigned to squads and barracks.

The barracks were not proper buildings, but pits dug into the ground. But experts looking at them would know: "It can make it through the winter."

With the weather getting cooler day by day, getting through the winter weighed more and more heavily on everyone's minds.

After the new recruits were admitted, briefed on the rules, and assigned to squads, ten men to a pit barrack, just right for one stove, they were let to choose their own stove leaders.

Most people came with relatives, fellow townsmen, or neighbors, so it was easy for acquaintances to elect a squad leader.

Once each squad knew its members and barracks, they were given tools - go build new barracks!

Pit barracks were simple in technique, mainly physical labor, so the more people, the faster it went. The more people, the faster they were built.

In no time, the camp was a hive of activity. No need to worry the later arrivals would have nowhere to stay.

Ye Suijin rode on horseback, overlooking the large area of barracks already taking shape.

The men were all bare-chested, dripping with sweat. As long as they were given enough to eat, they were willing to work hard.

Each batch was given a quota. They just needed to finish their quota. By the time the next batch arrived, the previous batch would have already built new barracks for them and started training. Then the next batch would build barracks for the batch after them.

This way, they didn't need to use the existing manpower of the Ye family stronghold.

The Ye family stronghold relied on farming to support the troops. Their own people had to finish their own farming tasks first. Ye Suijin took Fangcheng in a lightning strike precisely to avoid disrupting the farming schedule too much.

"Mr. Yang is back?" Hearing the report, Ye Suijin immediately galloped back to the stronghold.

Mr. Yang was already waiting for her in the study, reading the memorial that Ma Jin had brought back on her behalf.

"Good penmanship," he praised.

Fast horses went back and forth daily between Fangcheng and the Ye family stronghold, so both sides knew each other's progress. Ye Suijin didn't need to repeat it. She just explained her arrangements: "Sir and Fourth Uncle will go. I will give you a battalion of men."

A squad had ten men. A platoon had five squads. Two platoons made up a battalion, which was a hundred men.

Mr. Yang asked, "Won't it disrupt farming?"

"It won't disrupt it," the Fourth Uncle Ye who was in charge of logistics replied. He was even clearer on these matters than Ye Suijin. "We hired more temporary laborers this year, and they're cheap. Manpower is sufficient."

Not to mention there were also the ones Ye Suijin had caught earlier. Pure free labor.

Mr. Yang asked again, "Were taxes collected from the three counties?"

Ye Suijin replied, "Neixiang was very obedient and submitted them the fastest. Accounts were settled. Ruoxian was a bit slow but the numbers were largely accurate. Just some small discrepancies being made up. No issues there."

"On the Nanyang side, Third Brother is running a killing campaign. Yongchun, oh, Sixth Brother of the Loyal and Distant Hall, is auditing. The reports we're getting are the yield should be even more than the past three years. They're making them vomit up everything they've swallowed."

After Ye Sanlang washed the Nanyang county government with blood, it was now clean and extra efficient.

"The young people are too amazing," Mr. Yang marveled. He added, "Third Son has changed so much."

This was his personal feeling.

It was only after Fangcheng was settled that he was brought over. He could clearly feel the changes in the young masters of the Ye family. Ye Sanlang especially stood out, seeming to have just emerged from the fire like freshly forged fine steel.

But Fourth Uncle Ye wasn't sure if Mr. Yang saying "changed so much" was meant as praise or criticism.

As their father, he could also sense the changes in his sons. But these kinds of changes actually made him feel somewhat apprehensive. It was only natural for fathers to feel apprehensive when they started losing control over their sons.

But Ye Suijin simply said, "Of course, he's my Third Brother."

Her voice was full of pride.

What were these little changes? Just the start, the lotus first peeking out of the water, the edge first glinting keen.

Ye Sanlang of Dengzhou, Left Wing General of the Ye Family Army.

Ye Suijin's only brother of the main line.

No matter how difficult the circumstances, he had never cowered or shrunk back. He had always silently supported her from behind, accommodating her. No matter what decisions she made or which battle flag she pointed at, he charged straight ahead without hesitation.

He had waded through every kind of bloody battle as her dependable left and right arm.

When the news of his death came, Ye Suijin felt her heart shatter.

It was as if a blade had slashed diagonally across her shoulder, slicing off half her body.

The steady confidence and pride in Ye Suijin's voice strangely soothed Fourth Uncle Ye's apprehension.

"Don't praise him too much. Later he won't know his own weight," he said happily. Then he asked, "So Fourth Uncle and Mr. Yang are going to the capital. Who should we look for?"

"No need to look. If you can enter the city, head straight for the palace. If you're blocked at the city gates, just report your names and explain clearly you've come to present congratulatory gifts to the Emperor. The new emperor needs this the most right now."

"For the Emperor's side, Fourth Uncle will handle it."

"The Emperor's son-in-law is called Fang Shuo. Mr. Yang will contact him. Fang Shuo and his wife have a good reputation. They take money and get things done, no empty promises."

Fourth Uncle Ye burst out laughing, "That's considered a good reputation?"

"Don't laugh, Fourth Uncle," Ye Suijin said. "When you meet those who take your money but don't get things done, you'll know how good Fang Shuo is."

"That's true. Taking money without delivering is the worst kind of bastard." Fourth Uncle Ye had to admit.

Ye Suijin gave them a gift list to look over.

Fourth Uncle Ye hissed, "This much?"

He was clearly distressed about the amount.

"Fourth Uncle, think of it as money to buy peace," Ye Suijin said with a smile. "Once Fourth Uncle visits the capital, you'll know this money is well spent."

Always cooped up in Dengzhou, cooped up in the Ye family stronghold, it was easy to get delusions of grandeur.

Ye Suijin was also arranging for Fourth Uncle to go in order to broaden his horizons. When someone's horizons expanded, their thinking would naturally change too.

"Fourth Uncle, don't fret about it. Don't forget, this time in Fangcheng, we made a fortune."

Mentioning the wealth brought back, Fourth Uncle Ye couldn't help grinning again.

Before attacking Fangcheng, he had only thought about expending manpower and resources. He didn't expect they would also earn a windfall. Suddenly he didn't feel so pained about the Emperor's gifts: "Alright, whatever you say. When do we set off?"

Ye Suijin looked to Mr. Yang, "Sir, do you need two days to rest?"

Mr. Yang smiled, "Why rest? Fangcheng is just a short distance from us. Running this bit of road won't tire me out. We can leave any time."

He was energetic and bursting with vigor.

Ye Suijin smiled and said, "The people and things are all prepared. Let's set off tomorrow."

Ye Siju said, "Why the rush?"

He was always a little uneasy when they were busy with farm work and he couldn't keep an eye on things.

Ye Suijin glanced at him.

Her fourth uncle didn't actually have big ambitions. His biggest ambition was Ye Manor - to pass on Ye Manor.

He was a very typical man, loyal to the family business and suited to preservation. Also, since the Ye family elders had regarded him as the head of the family after the death of Ye Suijin's father, his sense of responsibility towards Ye Manor was stronger than anyone else's.

Back then, when he fought Ye Suijin for Ye Manor, it was also out of this mentality as the family elder.

So later, when he saw the Ye family army being consumed little by little, and the younger generation falling one by one, he grabbed Ye Suijin's hand and died with his eyes wide open.

Did he think in his last life that it would have been better if he had handed over Ye Manor to him back then?

If it had been handed over to him, he would definitely have stayed holed up in Dengzhou with the clan members to guard Ye Manor well as a local tyrant.

Then he wouldn't have gotten on Zhao Jingwen's boat to seize power in the Central Plains.

Ye Suijin suppressed her emotions.

"It's better to set off early to get things done, set off early to save money."

"If we set off early, people will still covet us. If we go late, people will be settled and won't covet us anymore, and we'll have to spend even more money."

"Fourth uncle, we have to move quickly to get things done."

"You're right." Ye Siju stood up, "I'll go get prepared."

He left the study hurriedly.

He was born sturdy, and from behind he looked broad-shouldered.

Ye Suijin smiled as she watched his receding figure.

When she turned her head, Mr. Yang was smiling at her while stroking his beard.

Mr. Yang was more astute than anyone.

But he didn't ask her how she suddenly knew so much about the details of Beijing.

Nor did he ask how she had suddenly let go of her resentment towards her uncle.

As long as she was moving in a good direction, Mr. Yang didn't think what had prompted her to take the step was important.

The host and guest looked at each other in the sunshine for a moment, both smiling tacitly.