Parents are busy farming

As soon as Magistrate Su raised his head, Ye Zifen's pretty face came into his eyes. This face was full of anxiety and hope. It was like a bright light in the dark night, igniting a glimmer of hope in Magistrate Su's heart.

But then, this glimmer of hope was extinguished like a candle in the wind.

He knew that this was a conscription order issued by the imperial court.

The court's orders are golden rules, and a little girl like Ye Zifen can't change them.

As the head of a county, he has already issued the notice to dig the reservoir, and there are still a lot of laborers who have signed up. He just has hope.

But at this time, the imperial court wanted to recruit troops, and most of the labor force might be taken away.

It will not only affect the construction of the reservoir, but also affect the grain production in the upcoming quarter.

Moreover, this conscription cannot be just a one-time conscription at the beginning. As long as the war does not end, this conscription will probably continue, and the people will really be miserable by then.

Magistrate Su was filled with anxiety and helplessness.

He knew that he was just a small county magistrate and could not change the court's decision.

He could only watch it all happen, but he could do nothing.

He felt his heart sinking little by little, as if an invisible hand was crushing his hopes and dreams little by little.

Ye Zifen looked at his sad look, filled with concern and worry.

She slowly walked into the room and asked softly: "Brother, are you worried about the imperial conscription?"

Magistrate Su nodded, stood up, took out a few pieces of paper from his case and handed them to Ye Zifen.

Ye Zifen took the paper, read it carefully, and then returned the paper to Magistrate Su.

The paper was a decree from the imperial court, stamped with the official seal. It says on it the number of soldiers sent out of their county and the amount of food and grass collected.

It is impossible for their county to avoid the matter of collecting grain and grass.

Ye Zifen looked at the numbers on the paper and couldn't help but feel nervous.

This amount of food and grass is already a considerable burden for their small county.

Moreover, we don’t know what the situation will be like in the next few years. Taking out these grains at this time will put a lot of pressure on the county’s economy and people’s livelihood.

Ye Zifen was silent for a while and said: "Can the county still bear this food? If not, I will get some of it and give it to the county. I still have some in the village, which can be used for emergencies first."

Magistrate Su looked at Ye Zifen, his heart filled with gratitude and relief.

He knew that Ye Zifen was a very kind and enthusiastic person who had been doing his best for the county.

He said: "Thank you, Xiaowu. I appreciate your kindness, but the county should still be responsible for these matters. Don't worry, I will find a way to solve it."

Magistrate Su lowered his head silently, with a hint of helplessness and worry in his eyes.

Ye Zifen stared at him quietly, with complex emotions welling up in her heart.

She knew that whenever the county magistrate mentioned the soldiers, the entire county would fall into silence and sadness.

The county magistrate sighed and said slowly: "This season's taxes have been collected, and it stands to reason that we can pay for the food and grass. However, what I am worried about now is the problem of the soldiers."

There was a hint of helplessness and exhaustion in his voice.

Which time is not always the saddest time for a county to recruit soldiers? Whenever the imperial court ordered conscription, the entire county would fall into panic and chaos.

Young men were forced to leave their homes to fight in the brutal war, and most of them never came back.

Their families were left with endless pain and poverty.

Zi Zifen said: "I came to the county government this time to talk about this matter. You also know the situation in our county. Most of the children have left with the caravan, and these children will not be able to return in one or two months." Come. I'm still facing a huge problem, so I can't explain it to the people in the village. At this time, the county is recruiting soldiers again, so I'm thinking if we can contribute some money or something like that. Buy the places from your families in our village."

Ye Zifen was helpless. She knew that asking Magistrate Su at this time was actually causing trouble to Magistrate Su, but she couldn't do it without speaking!

If those families in the village knew about the conscription, they would cause a huge commotion.

Magistrate Su looked troubled, "I'm afraid this won't work. The court's regulations are very clear. Each village must send troops according to a certain proportion. There is no room for negotiation on this matter."

Zi Zifen said anxiously: "What should we do? There are not many young people left in our village. If we take away some more, how will the remaining old, weak, women and children live?"

Magistrate Su thought for a moment, "How about this? Let's go to other villages to see if anyone is willing to send troops on your village's behalf."

Ye Zifen's eyes lit up, "This is a solution, but why should I agree to it?"

Magistrate Su said: "Some compensation can be given, such as money, food or land."

Ye Zifen nodded and sighed, "I think it's feasible, then I'll go back and discuss it with the villagers. In addition, I will take care of the food or land."

In fact, this method also has many disadvantages. For example, why are the people in other villages not human? Ye Zifen felt uncomfortable, but this was the only way she could do it at the moment.

Fortunately, the government order said that these soldiers will not be sent to the battlefield immediately after being recruited, but will be trained for a period of time.

In addition, she is not a saint, so she can only solve the immediate matter first.

Ye Zifen felt guilty in her heart, so she added, "In addition, I'd better come up with some food! The county government has set aside some food to prevent any accidents in the future and prepare for emergencies."

Magistrate Su looked at her for a while and finally nodded.

Why doesn't he know how this girl feels? It's just that there are some things that he can't do, and she can't do anything either. She can only recognize the facts.

The two discussed a solution, and Ye Zifen planned to leave.

Zi Zifen said: "I will go back to the village first and tell the people in the village about the current situation. My father is still waiting for me at home. I guess he is anxious now!"

County Magistrate Su nodded, but couldn't help but comfort him: "You have done enough to provide some food for the county government. The ideas I gave you are actually routine operations. Even if I don't tell you, you will You’ll know too. Don’t feel too guilty!”

Ye Zifen nodded.

Ye Zifen left the county government office and hurried home like an ant on a hot pot.

Magistrate Su sighed as he watched Ye Zifen leave, and quickly went to plan the next thing.