Jiang Jin raised her eyes. What is it? Are the people of Zhou City asking about this?
Luo Qingci smiled. Yes. At first, it was the women asking. They saw that we had female soldiers, so... Later, quite a few men also asked this question.
We will recruit. Let's do it the day after tomorrow. Settle the people down first, and pass down the notice. Jiang Jin was short of both manpower and soldiers.
She thought for a moment and added, Right, get their grain ration books made as soon as possible. Without a grain book, no one is allowed to buy grain.
The refugees who had just fled here were basically all short of food. Knowing that there was grain for sale in the city, anyone with money would likely hoard it.
Luo Qingci nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Dong Si walked in. My Lord.
Luo Qingci nodded to him, greeted Jiang Jin, and went off to handle her tasks.
Seeing Dong Si's excited expression, Jiang Jin could not help but find it amusing. A good harvest?
Dong Si looked a little embarrassed. We collected twenty large catapults alone, as well as scaling ladders, siege ladders, battering rams, trench bridges, and so on. We now have at least some siege equipment.
Saying this, he sighed again. It's just a pity that the Quzhao army all ran away. We couldn't find any silver or money, but fortunately, we got three good horses.
The horses belonged to Qu Chou and the other two who were killed; naturally, the horses they rode were of excellent stock.
Jiang Jin smiled and said, You should be content. When you have time, tally up the silver and money in the storehouse. I estimate that we will soon have to use money instead of grain to pay wages.
Speaking of this, Dong Si looked worried. That is not a small amount. Once operations get underway, I'm afraid our copper coins won't be enough.
He knew exactly how much money was in the storehouse, which was why he was worried.
Jiang Jin said unconcernedly, Don't worry about the money. I still have some. Besides, the money we hand out will soon return to our hands.
Dong Si was puzzled, but after a few breaths, he figured it out and his eyes lit up. That's right! Our grocery stores, medical clinics, and residential areas.
Jiang Jin gave him an approving look. Exactly. We will be collecting rent on the residences.
She had no intention of selling the houses in Gefeng City for the time being, whether they were residential or commercial. She was preparing to become a landlady.
In the evening, Jiang Jin convened another military meeting.
The way everyone looked at Jiang Jin held a trace of fanaticism.
This meeting primarily summarized today's battle and discussed the Quzhao people's next moves, as well as various countermeasures.
Yun Ci looked at Jiang Jin with a face full of amazement. Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he had heard about the incident. He couldn't imagine what kind of method could directly blow people to pieces.
Could it have been taught by an eminent monk from Yinshan Temple?
He didn't dwell on this question and voiced his thoughts: Within this year, the Quzhao army shouldn't come to Gefeng again.
When it came to understanding Fengzhou best, no one surpassed him.
The highest-ranking military generals of Liuxiang County had been directly executed by Jiang Jin, in a bizarre manner akin to divine punishment.
The need to adjust and replenish the Quzhao army generals in Liuxiang County was one aspect, but the most important thing was the impact such a death had on the morale of the army and the people.
Furthermore, the weather had already begun to turn cold, although there was still some time before the truly freezing winter.
But now, everyone knew that Gefeng was definitely a tough bone to chew and could not be taken in a short time. Thus, they inevitably had to prepare for a war of attrition or a siege.
Laying siege for a month or two before the cold winter would not hold much meaning.
Everyone present understood this point, but they still had to make foolproof preparations in case the Quzhao army did not play by the rules.
Zhou Sui looked worried. I'm just afraid they will use small groups of soldiers for surprise attacks and harassment, or infiltrate the city through other means.
Yao Ji nodded. We also need to prevent them from dispatching a large number of scouts to investigate the situation around Gefeng. After all, we still have iron mines and brick kilns outside.
Xia Chanyi sighed. Even if they lay siege after the new year, we will be in trouble. Iron ore, charcoal, and firebricks won't be able to be transported in.
Xie Nanxiao suggested, Since there is a high probability that Quzhao won't attack us in the near future, why don't we send soldiers to mine? We can try to mine enough ore during this period.
Basically, all the commoners in the city who could work were already on the field. Every project Jiang Jin was currently undertaking was urgent and short of manpower; it was simply impossible to spare more hands.
Yun Yu shook his head and vetoed it. Them not attacking is just our guess. What if things change? We already don't have many soldiers; we can't take the risk.
Luo Qingci was more worried about logistics. There's also grain, oil, and salt. If we are besieged, and we have no arable land in the city, when the time comes...
Dong Si chimed in, Right, even if someone sells grain to us, it can't be transported in.
Although he knew that Jiang Jin had asked Mu Qing to farm, there wasn't much space left in the city for cultivation. Food for over five thousand people was not a small amount.
Jiang Jin looked around at everyone and spoke, The way to break this deadlock is actually not difficult.
Everyone's eyes lit up as they all looked at her.
Jiang Jin traced two imaginary lines on the simple map of Gefeng she had drawn herself. What if we connect this area?
Zhou Sui furrowed his brows, and after a good while, he asked hesitantly, You... you mean building a city wall? Incorporating this area into Gefeng City?
Jiang Jin nodded affirmatively. Exactly. The straight-line distance from Gefeng City to Mount Gesi is only six or seven li. If we build the city wall all the way to Mount Gesi...
Not only will we have arable land, but we will also have the resources and clean water of Mount Gesi. By then, even if they besiege the city for five years, we won't have to worry. We can be completely self-sufficient.
Furthermore, Jiang Jin pointed to the location of the Mount Gesi pass, we will open a North Gate here and set up a barbican with inner and outer gates.
Directly setting the Gesi pass as a city gate had its pros and cons.
The advantage was that guarding the pass and the city gate together saved trouble.
The disadvantage was that once it was breached by the enemy, they could enter the city directly without any buffer.
Therefore, Jiang Jin planned to build an inner and outer city structure for this gate. It could lead directly into the city, as well as directly outside.
This meant that even if the enemy broke in, they would only have entered the pass. To get into the city, they would have to breach another gate.
In these two places, we will open East and West gates. Jiang Jin pointed to two locations. This way, it will be convenient for us to come and go, and we can prioritize our defenses when guarding the city.
A light flashed in Yun Ci's eyes. After pondering, he said, This is a massive project. We currently lack the manpower and materials. I'm afraid building it after the new year will be too late.
Jiang Jin was full of confidence. There's no need to worry about this matter. I have my own plans.
As for the issues of entry, exit, and transportation after being besieged, the solution is simple: dig tunnels. Jiang Jin drew a few more lines on the map.
Dig tunnels? Everyone was stunned.
Jiang Jin nodded. Gefeng will be completely freezing by late November or early December, and it usually doesn't warm up until late March of the following year. During this time, the construction crews and miners won't be able to work, so they can dig tunnels.
Yun Ci shook his head. My Lord, you might not know this, but the ground freezes in winter. It cannot be dug.
