Chatting along the way, the group entered Changliu Mountain. The house He Li had rented was Building Two in the First Alley of Changliu Mountain.
After safely escorting them to their destination, Li Mai took his leave with his soldiers.
He Li had left servants in the rented house, so it was kept spotlessly clean. Everyone could rest as soon as they arrived.
Despite the exhausting journey, the sights they had just witnessed left the group completely awake, and they began to look around He Li's house.
"It really is warm in here. Is this the effect of the fire wall?" Sun Jiang asked, his face full of curiosity.
It was still a bit chilly at this time of year, so as soon as they arrived, the servants immediately lit the fire walls and the heated kang beds.
Guan Bailing and his wife were already sitting on the kang, feeling the pleasant warmth, a comfortable smile appearing on their faces. "This heated kang is indeed warm."
The older one gets, the more afraid of the cold they become. In the past, they had to rely on fire stoves during the winter, and no matter how thick their quilts were, they still felt cold sleeping at night.
Now, with this heated kang, they wouldn't have to worry about losing sleep at night anymore.
However, since He Li had left in a hurry back then, the courtyard hadn't been furnished with anything yet.
Guan Rong, her daughter, and Sun Jiang's family members strolled around the courtyard.
Sun Jiang's wife, Gu Wenxin, couldn't help but click her tongue in praise. "Not bad. Although the courtyard isn't large, it's very practical."
Guan Rong was also very satisfied. "Indeed, the layout is quite nice."
He Qiuchi found it a bit strange. "The windows in this house are all so big."
Guan Rong smiled, not minding at all. "I actually think it's quite nice this way. It's bright and spacious."
They were quite wealthy, after all. Whether it was damask, silk, or oiled paper to cover the windows, they could easily afford it.
Gu Wenxin nodded in agreement. "I'll bring some damask over when the time comes."
The Sun family was in the fabric business, after all.
While the He family's place was bustling with excitement, a servant hurried in to announce that Dong Si had arrived.
Not long after He Li and his group had entered the secret tunnel, Jiang Jin received the news and directly sent Dong Si to host them.
He Li quickly went out to welcome him.
Dong Si said with a hearty laugh, "Shopkeeper He, long time no see. I hope your journey was smooth?"
He Li laughed. "Thanks to our Lord's blessing, everything went smoothly. Come, let me introduce you."
He introduced the Guan and Sun families, and Dong Si greeted them one by one.
Guan Bailing stroked his beard and asked, "I wonder if there are still houses available for rent in Gefeng?"
Dong Si nodded. "Naturally. How big of a place do you want to rent? There are still quite a few empty courtyards right here in the First Alley of Changliu Mountain. If that's not enough, there's always the Second Alley."
He Li's three families, along with their servants and guards, totaled over 700 people. In this era, this wasn't considered too large a number.
After all, He Li and his associates frequently traveled for trade, so the guards and cart-pulling servants alone made up a significant portion.
Guan Bailing nodded, unable to help but sigh in admiration again. "The kang beds and fire walls here are truly wonderful. They're so warm. When next winter comes, we won't have to fear the cold."
Dong Si puffed out his chest. "That goes without saying. This was our Lord's invention. This winter, not a single person in Gefeng froze or starved to death."
This was something unimaginable in the past. Let alone the northern lands, even in the south, countless commoners froze or starved to death every winter.
If the Yan Kingdom still existed, and if Jiang Jin were a local magistrate, this would undoubtedly be an extraordinary political achievement.
Guan Bailing spoke from the heart, "Your Lord is truly a great talent."
After chatting for a while, Dong Si began to introduce the available houses to them.
Soon, the Guan family rented a courtyard right next to He Li's.
The Sun family directly rented two courtyards: the larger one for themselves to live in, and the smaller one to store goods and house their guards and servants.
He Li also rented an additional courtyard for storing goods.
This time, He Li had brought nearly 2,000 shi of grain, along with several carts of oil and salt.
Dong Si wanted to buy it all.
He Li didn't agree. "I want to open a grain and oil shop in Gefeng."
Although it might compete for business with the general store, having an extra shop selling grain to the commoners was a good thing.
Dong Si didn't force the issue and said with a smile, "That's wonderful. The commercial district is now completely built. When you have time, you can go take a look and rent a storefront."
Sun Jiang also planned to open a fabric shop, as he had brought quite a lot of textiles this time.
Dong Si naturally welcomed this. Opening shops was great; not only could the Lord collect rent, but she could also collect taxes, and the commoners would have more choices.
"Alright, after you settle down over the next couple of days, go check out the commercial district. Once you fancy a shop, come find me."
He Li nodded. "Alright, sorry for the trouble."
Dong Si waved his hand. "No trouble at all. Oh, by the way, we've opened a furniture store and a charcoal shop in the commercial district. If you need anything, you can go browse."
The charcoal shop had opened before the new year. It not only sold charcoal but also honeycomb briquettes and small iron stoves. The demand for charcoal fires in winter was still very high.
The furniture store had only opened at the end of March.
They chatted for a little while longer before Dong Si took his leave.
On the city tower.
Jiang Jin looked at the Quchao army in the distance, who were obediently besieging the city without attacking, and felt very helpless.
She wanted to find an opportunity to kill another wave of enemy troops, but there was no chance. So, it wasn't a good thing for the enemy to be too well-behaved either.
What she didn't know was that Qu Bai was even more frustrated than she was.
Watching the Gefeng commoners in the distance actually starting to sow seeds, Qu Bai's face was so dark it could drip ink.
Farming right under his nose? Was he supposed to watch Gefeng's crops grow vigorously, yield a bountiful harvest, and fill their granaries to the brim?
The thought that if he really maintained the siege for half a year, he might actually end up watching Gefeng's granaries fill up, made his face darken a few degrees more.
Not only that, but did he also have to stand guard every day and watch Gefeng build its city walls right in front of his eyes?
Seriously, was he besieging Gefeng, or was he protecting it?
He glared fiercely at the busy commoners. They were clearly doing exhausting manual labor, yet they smiled so joyfully. He couldn't suppress the violent rage in his heart. Peasants!
He turned and went back to his tent.
"Have the reinforcements I requested from the Great Chanyu arrived yet?"
Qu Cong paused his drinking. "General, I'm afraid the Great Chanyu has no one left to send right now."
Qu Bai naturally knew that the battle at Ze'a Commandery was tight, but just the thought of helplessly watching Gefeng reap a great harvest and build their city walls made him feel unbearably stifled.
He looked at the map. "If I am just given another ten thousand men, I can attack Gefeng. You've seen it too, Gefeng has started farming. Besieging the city is meaningless now."
A siege was completely useless against the current Gefeng. They were farming their own land now; how could they possibly be starved out?
Qu Cong shook his head. "How could it be meaningless? With just this little bit of land, how could it be enough to feed the soldiers and commoners of Gefeng?"
"Besides, this might be a good thing. By the time their crops are ready, I reckon Ze'a Commandery will have been taken. Their harvest will become our harvest."
Qu Bai exhaled softly, calming his emotions.
After losing nearly ten thousand soldiers and four fierce generals in succession, he was indeed getting a bit anxious.
The more critical the moment, the more he needed to stay steady.
Seeing him calm down, Qu Cong's expression turned grave. "Tomorrow is the day we transport our military rations again. I wonder if that group will make a move?"
Ever since they were robbed last time, the Quchao army had increased the amount of rations transported each time to reduce the frequency of trips. The number of escorts had also been increased to seven or eight hundred men.
These were just the forces on the surface. In reality, even the cart-pulling servants were Quchao soldiers in disguise.
Although their facial features were different, by smearing dirt on their faces and keeping their heads down, it was impossible to tell from a distance.
Furthermore, over three thousand Quzhao soldiers trailed far behind the grain transport convoy, lying in wait to catch the bandits in one fell swoop the moment they showed themselves.
Knowing there was an ambush waiting in the mountains, and unsure of the enemy's true strength, they dared not venture back in. Instead, they opted to lure their targets out into the open to eliminate them.
Unfortunately, ever since the last incident, the bandits had not made another appearance, almost as if they had lost all interest in the rations.
"Whether they show up or not, the plan proceeds as scheduled. I refuse to believe they can resist making a move."
At noon the following day, a soldier rushed in with an urgent report. "General, our military rations have been stolen again!"
