Chapter 124: The Great Grab for Xu County

Stealing talent? Stealing Xu County?

The middle-aged man was taken aback. As a fellow leader at the same level, Xu Hao’s name had been mentioned countless times in Wei City. Of course, he knew exactly who Xu County was, as Qin Xuan had put it.

“Well! If it were you, would you grab him? He’s just too formidable! Would you have believed that half a year ago our Mingsha County could transform into what it is now?”

Qin Xuan couldn’t help but exclaim.

Others might not yet notice Mingsha County’s change, but how could he not? Beyond GDP, even ordinary residents now feel that earning money is far easier. Anyone willing to work hard can land a job at Mingsha Tourism.

University graduates with diplomas can work in the Mingsha Tourism office, while those without credentials can join Mingsha Labor.

Just for guesthouse service staff at Mingsha Labor, they need hundreds of people.

It’s all because of this.

Many young workers who had gone elsewhere have returned to the county to start working at Mingsha Tourism.

Earnings here aren’t any less than outside – no rent and close to home; any smart person would choose it.

Besides employment,

tourism spending has revitalized several industries.

Take camel breeding and sheep farming, for instance. They used to struggle with marketing every year. Now, they sell everything to Mingsha Tourism and simply focus on expanding their scale.

And as breeding scales expand, the farms require more staff – opening up new job channels.

With a growing population, the economy flourishes, and a booming economy demands even more manpower.

Before long, the entire county entered a virtuous cycle, all orchestrated by the behind-the-scenes mastermind, Xu Hao.

Such talent is exactly what the higher-ups are scrambling to snatch.

“Unimaginable!”

The middle-aged man turned to glance at his own county’s camel breeding farm. To be honest, their county had reaped significant benefits from the rise of Mingsha Tourism.

After a pause, he added,

“But would the Ancient Architecture Institute of Long Kingdom really let him go? I heard that Xu County is a Level One Ancient Architecture Researcher, and his Tengwang Pavilion sketch has even been archived by the Long Kingdom Library. Only the former director of the Ancient Architecture Institute could achieve such a feat.”

“They wouldn’t let him go easily – that’s why it’s called a scramble! If they did, it would merely be a reassignment!”

Qin Xuan chuckled.

“True. It all depends on what tactics the higher-ups use. If they manage to snatch him, Mingsha’s future will be boundless! Just look at that film your county shot, ‘Wulin Wai Chuan’ – it turned into a famous landmark against all odds.”

The middle-aged man couldn’t help but marvel.

“I reckon that once this tourism festival wraps up, actions will follow. Just wait and see.”

“Likely so!”

“Li Xian, let’s call it a day. I still need to contact a meat camel breeding farm—Xu County called a couple of days ago demanding at least three to five long-term supplier farms. And with National Day tomorrow, things are hectic,” Qin Xuan added after a few more exchanges.

“Alright, you do your thing. If you ever need anything else from that side, think about your brother counties,”

“Of course!”

In truth,

it wasn’t only Qin Xuan busy out there – many officials from Mingsha County were coordinating various matters, all in preparation for the upcoming tourism festival.

But before the festival,

many locals in Mingsha County had already noticed a distinct change in the county town’s atmosphere these past couple of days.

Not only were there many unfamiliar faces in the streets, but both sides of the county road were packed with vehicles sporting various license plates. By eight or nine at night, the streets of Mingsha County were jam-packed with outsiders.

Yet after venturing about, many couldn’t hide their disappointment.

“This county town really has nothing happening – we should check out Qixia Town tomorrow,” became the most common remark among the visitors.

To these outsiders,

the famed guesthouse county town in Mingsha must be something special.

In reality, however, the county town of Mingsha looked less impressive than a typical township, so many lost interest in sampling local delicacies – saving their appetite for tomorrow.

Time flew by, and by the next morning around six or seven, vehicles in the county began leaving one after the other. Many tourists, thinking they were early, assumed they’d be among the first to hit Qixia Town.

But when they reached Hongsha Gang Village, a long line of cars had already formed.

“Why is it so congested? I thought they already built a parking lot there!”

Tourists at the end of the line couldn’t help but grumble.

Little did they know, the jam wasn’t due to a lack of parking at the guesthouse area, but because the very first visitors at the entrance were so awestruck by the scene that they could barely think.

A majestic, blue-brick ancient city gate loomed in the center of the road like a giant beast; in the entire Long Kingdom, no other gate could match its grandeur.

Peering through the gate,

an endless blue-brick avenue lined with ancient buildings stretched out. With such a formidable sight, they dared not drive in hastily – it didn’t seem like a road meant for vehicles.

“What now – should we go in or not? I saw videos online from other visitors, and none showed this city gate!”

The more the vehicles in front hesitated, the worse the blockage became at the back.

It wasn’t until security from Mingsha Tourism guided the cars into a parking lot at the rear right of the gate that the long convoy began to creep forward.

Yet after a brief crawl, the line stopped again.

Simply put,

as the first batch of tourists parked and prepared to head to Qixia Town, they were confounded by the peculiar transportation system for guesthouses. Some even forgot their original plan to check in at Tongfu Inn and instead started recording on their phones.

At other attractions, parking lot exits featured either electric shuttle cars or special bicycles, but Hongsha Gang Village 256 had none of these.

Not a single familiar mode of transport! At the exit, besides a continuous stream of horse-drawn carriages, there were about a dozen sedan chairs – with horses pulling the chairs, donkeys pulling the horses, camels following the donkeys, and shockingly, two teams comprising thirty to forty ostriches.

Each ostrich was saddled, clearly meant for tourist rides.

Furthermore, the staff handling the reins wore traditional outfits reminiscent of Ming Dynasty attire.

With such a scene,

how could tourists not be captivated?

They found every mode of transport fascinating and all wanted to try them out. A few moments’ hesitation only thickened the crowd.

“Dad, I want to ride an ostrich.”

“Dad, I want to ride a horse!”

“Honey, cost doesn’t matter—I just want to experience riding in a sedan chair.”

Some families couldn’t even agree, sparking arguments at the parking exit.

Despite the commotion, many tourists captured footage at the gate, which soon ignited heated discussions on short-video platforms.

“Oh dear, this change is incredible!”

“Absolutely!”

“It’s hard to imagine that in less than three months they built such a majestic city gate. It’s truly imposing! Standing atop it must offer a unique view of the desert—no less exciting than Tengwang Pavilion or the Desert Pavilion.”

“What’s even more astonishing is these travel options. I really want to try them out.”

“Brother Hao is absolutely amazing. Had I known earlier, I wouldn’t have gone – now I’m itching to return!”

Many loyal fans who had followed Xu Hao marveled at the video, while newcomers to Mingsha Tourism were irresistibly drawn by the novelty.

“Ostriches, sedan chairs – they’re fascinating! Really, so fascinating!”

“Right? Honestly, it feels even more fun than checking in at Qixia Town.”

“This must be a first for the Long Kingdom!”

“Looking around, ancient buildings are everywhere. If you add in period costumes, it’d be an immersive trip back in time.”

“I can’t wait—I’m booking a guesthouse. I must experience Mingsha’s tourism festival.”

“Want to book a guesthouse? I heard Qixia Town’s reservations are full until after the festival.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Don’t worry. They say that once the new drama by Mingsha Tourism and Haofang Culture airs, the guesthouses will open up.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“Then I’ll have to follow Mingsha Tourism’s official account in advance.”

Time flew by, and soon it was ten in the morning.

At Oasis 2, after a half-night of relentless work, Xu Hao had just gotten up, freshened up, and planned to finish the final touches at the southwest corner of Wudi City when his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen – it was Han Xiaoqing calling.

“Boss, the commotion on your end is just too much – you even have ostrich rides! Now I want to come over. What should I do?”

As soon as the call connected, Han Xiaoqing’s voice burst through, urgent and excited.

“Ah? You want to come over?”

Xu Hao paused.

“Every time I swipe through short videos, I see your clips! They’re so entertaining—why didn’t you warn me earlier? Now I can’t book any rooms.”

Han Xiaoqing complained.

“Maybe others can’t book a room, but if you come over, they won’t make you stay out in the desert.”

Xu Hao chuckled.

Speaking of ostrich rides, he hadn’t expected that all this was the masterstroke of Luo Peng, the man in charge of transportation. This time, Luo Peng even wants to arrange for elephant rides. If not for the limited balance at Mingsha Labor, there might have been an elephant convoy alongside the ostriches.

As for where Han Xiaoqing would stay, Xu Hao had even built an ultra-high-standard Ancient Building Courtyard right in the center of Wudi City to handle the tourism festival. This courtyard isn’t open to outsiders – it’s reserved exclusively for his own people and close friends.

He even plans to move in permanently for both work and living, no longer settling for guesthouses.

“Do you really have room over there?”

Hearing this, Han Xiaoqing was overjoyed.

“Of course, as long as you want to come over.”

“Alright, I’ll book my flight tomorrow. By the way, my Third Uncle called yesterday saying he wants to meet you too – are you free?”

After a pause, Han Xiaoqing added.