It's better to be an empress than a county magistrate

Lu Xingchen reached out and helped Wei Hu up, "Brother Wei, there's no need to do this. I know you will all protect me."

"From now on, you will be my right-hand man."

Wei Hu looked at Lu Xingchen with a resolute gaze, "Master, don't worry. I will definitely protect you and Xing County."

"Yeah, I know..." Lu Xingchen said, "Brother Wei, go and have a rest!"

Wei Hu agreed and turned to leave.

Lu Xingchen looked at Wei Hu's departing back and thought, he would be her general from now on.

Lu Xingchen's thoughts were pulled back by Ling Xiao. The fifteen-year-old boy had a childish face, a smile overflowing from the corners of his eyes, and his eyes were as clear as a pool of clear water.

"Why are you still here?" Lu Xingchen said to Ling Xiao.

"I just saw Brother Wei. The master asked me to talk to him. He said that although we are not blood brothers, we should love each other and be a family." Ling Xiao said.

Lu Xingchen nodded and tapped him on the shoulder.

The boy's shoulders are still a little thin, but in a few years they should become strong and reliable.

"There are a lot of bandits lately, so the master sent me to patrol..."

"This spring, there is a shortage of food. People in many places have no food to eat and have begun to flee from famine."

"The situation in Xing County is relatively good, but there have been many cases of bandits robbing villages in other areas."

"It just so happened that we bumped into each other..."

"I chased them all away." The young man had a high-spirited look on his face.

"In that case, let's go out for patrol again tomorrow." Lu Xingchen said.

"Young Master, do you still want to go? The last time you went out, you were attacked by bandits and were injured. Since then, the master has not allowed you to go out again." Ling Xiao looked at Lu Xingchen vigilantly.

"I dare not take you out secretly? The master will break my legs."

"I will tell my father. Don't worry. We will set off early tomorrow morning. Bring some dry food with you." After saying this, Lu Xingchen walked towards his yard.

"Master, dinner is ready." Feixue came up to her and said as she walked into the yard.

Lu Xingchen nodded, then went to wash his hands and sat at the dining table to eat dinner.

Green vegetables are very hard to come by in this era, and it’s spring now, so there’s a gap between the old and the new.

We had mutton, cabbage and vermicelli soup for dinner, and the staple food was leavened bread.

Lu Kui was not a person who lived a luxurious life, so in fact, the original owner was not particular about it either.

Lu Xingchen didn't have too high requirements for food itself.

In her previous life, her status and profession did not require her to set too high standards for these appetites.

While eating, Lu Xingchen was thinking about what to do next.

Since her life value can only be extended by constantly expanding the territory, she cannot just defend Xing County.

She thought of the tactical guidance on mountain warfare given to her by the system, which told her to capture the bandits on Niutou Mountain first and occupy Niutou Mountain.

The bandits in Niutou Mountain have coexisted with the surrounding counties for five or six years, and have reached a temporary balance.

Once she launched an attack and captured Niutou Mountain, she would have to guard against several surrounding counties uniting to attack Xing County.

Therefore, if she wanted to consider attacking Niutou Mountain, she had to consider taking over several surrounding counties as well.

Because once the balance is broken, if you don’t have enough countermeasures, it is easy to put yourself in danger.

Moreover, taking Niutou Mountain must be done quickly and accurately without any delay; otherwise, if the other counties find out, they will be attacked from all sides.

Among the surrounding counties, Song County and Xing County have relatively good relations. The other two counties are also eyeing Xing County covetously.

The situations in these counties are similar to that in Xing County.

For example, in Wanxian, after the death of the previous county magistrate, the control of Wanxian was actually in the hands of local tyrants.