"Don't worry about them," Lin Taichu said. "If they know what's good for them, they won't come back to cause trouble. If they don't, then no matter how many come, we'll deal with them all."
He turned around and looked at the busy townsfolk behind him, then sighed. "The most urgent matter is rebuilding Yunshui City. The city walls need to be repaired and houses need to be built. Otherwise, when winter comes, the people won't even have a warm place to stay."
Qian Ming said from the side, "Commander, rebuilding will require a great deal of timber and stone. I'm afraid the money we have isn't enough."
Lin Taichu thought for a moment. "Borrow from the surrounding towns. Tell them Yunshui City has been recovered and needs rebuilding, and ask them to offer whatever support they can. Once we get back on our feet, we'll repay them."
"Also, take stock of all the usable weapons in the armory and distribute some to the people. Have them work during the day and take turns guarding the city at night. That'll help keep troublemakers at bay."
Over the following days, Yunshui City entered its reconstruction phase. Though the people were tired, smiles appeared on their faces. They carried stones and chopped wood by day, then slept in temporary tents at night, keeping one another warm.
Lin Taichu wandered around the construction sites every day, moving people wherever manpower was lacking and finding ways to obtain materials wherever they ran short.
Zhao Hu watched him and felt for him. "Commander, take a rest. We're here."
Lin Taichu waved a hand. "It's fine. I can still keep going. The sooner we finish rebuilding the city, the sooner the people can live in peace."
Half a month later, the breach in the city wall