Mei Sheng and the other two were startled. Jiang Jin was no longer the same as before; how could they dare accept the word 'beg' from her?
He waved his hands. "My Lord, whatever you need, just say the word. As long as it is within our power, we will certainly do it."
Jiang Jin got straight to the point: "You deal in the slave trade. Can you sell slaves to other counties and commanderies in Fengzhou?"
Mei Cai frowned slightly, taking a moment to understand Jiang Jin's implication. "You want to...?"
Jiang Jin nodded. "Exactly. Right now, most of the counties in Fengzhou have very strict screening for anyone entering. If you have connections in this area, I want to plant some people in the various counties of Fengzhou."
Ever since she took Gefeng, the various counties of Fengzhou had basically kept their gates shut tight, terrified of following in Gefeng's footsteps.
After all, she had originally infiltrated Gefeng disguised as a refugee, attacked the Quzhao soldiers from within, and opened the city gates to let her people in.
Therefore, it was now incredibly troublesome for her to plant personnel in the various counties, which was one of the reasons why her intelligence department had been unable to expand.
During the winter months, Gefeng had trained quite a few talents, including personnel specialized in intelligence gathering.
The three members of the Mei family listened with their hearts pounding in fear. Jiang Jin meant to use their hands to plant spies in various places.
The three exchanged glances. After a long while, Mei Cai carefully weighed his words, "My Lord, we do have some connections, but not many."
Selling slaves everywhere, they naturally knew some people in the counties they frequently visited. However, after the chaos of war, those people had either fled or died, leaving them with few remaining connections.
A hint of a smile flashed in Jiang Jin's eyes. "Plant them where you can. If you can't, I won't force it. See which places are feasible so I can arrange the personnel."
"Rest assured, I will send people to protect your safety. If you have any requests, you can bring them up," she added.
It wasn't until noon that the three members of the Mei family emerged from the county magistrate's office.
Dong Si watched their retreating backs with some concern. "My Lord, can they be trusted?"
The agents would be planted through the hands of the Mei family, which meant the Mei family would know the identities of all her spies. This was extremely dangerous.
Jiang Jin shook her head. "There is no absolute safety. As long as we can get our people into the cities, we will figure out the rest when the time comes."
Of course, she could kill the three Mei family members after the deed was done to eliminate future troubles, but she had her own bottom line.
Besides, these hidden pieces wouldn't need to lie dormant for too long.
A massive merchant caravan of over two thousand people marched grandly along the official road.
He Li and Chen Xi sat in a carriage, comfortably watching the scenery outside the window.
Luo Ah-di rode on horseback next to the carriage. "I don't know why, but just returning to Gefeng territory feels completely different."
He ran fast and had a sturdy physique; simply put, he was very durable.
Thus, after a winter of extreme training, he had become a member of the Dragon Shadow Guards.
He was among the 50 Dragon Shadow Guards assigned to protect this merchant expedition.
He Li smiled and said, "I feel the same way. This trip was truly not easy. In the blink of an eye, it's already June."
The situation in Daqing Commandery was becoming increasingly severe. Fortunately, he had some connections there, otherwise they wouldn't have even been able to enter the city gates.
It was also a good thing that the people sent by Gefeng were there. Otherwise, the various mountain bandits along the way would have been enough to cause him endless grief, not to mention the several times they encountered barbarian tribes.
Speaking of which, he couldn't help but admire Jiang Jin. He didn't know how she trained them, but her soldiers were all excellent fighters, especially those few dozen Dragon Shadow Guards.
He had seen with his own eyes how just a few dozen Dragon Shadow Guards rapidly annihilated a force of several hundred Jiaoren soldiers.
Along the way, not only did they kill many robbers and barbarians, but they also subdued many mountain bandits, who then brought their families along to live in Gefeng.
Chen Xi smiled. "You've worked hard, Shopkeeper He."
He Li's eyes were filled with complex emotions. "It is you who has worked hard, Young Master Chen."
Gefeng truly produced exceptional talents. This Young Master Chen usually looked unassuming and kept a low profile.
Yet, upon arriving in Daqing, he had managed to persuade two noble clans and several merchants of Daqing Commandery to pack up and follow them to Gefeng.
Although these families were not major noble clans or extremely wealthy merchants, they were exactly what Gefeng currently lacked.
Besides, Jiang Jin didn't necessarily want those massive noble clans and great merchants with their deeply rooted and complicated connections.
The people cultivated by aristocratic families were indeed different from ordinary merchants like him; they had their own unique ways of conducting themselves and handling affairs.
If that wasn't enough, whenever Chen Xi saw people along the way, he would promote Gefeng through the guise of casual chatting among his own people.
For example, Chen Xi would say: "The wages for ordinary workers in Gefeng are actually over 200 copper coins?"
Luo Ah-di would play along: "Right? That can buy half a stone of grain. Everyone can eat their fill."
However, his tone was a bit exaggerated, clearly showing that his acting skills weren't quite up to par.
But the group of refugees resting nearby didn't catch on to that. They all looked over, their eyes flickering with hope.
Jinyang Soldier A: "Not only can you eat your fill, but women can also work. The daughter of my sister-in-law's second great-uncle on her mother's side works in the garment workshop and also makes over 200 copper coins a month. I heard they even distribute clothing every season."
The women among the refugees all lifted their heads in astonishment, looking at Jinyang Soldier A.
Jinyang Soldier B: "Let alone women, even farmers and the elderly can find work to do. I hear the wages aren't low either."
Chen Xi understood the principle of stopping while ahead and concluded: "That truly is a good place. When we get back, I'll find a job there too. It's better than being a traveling merchant like now, where you might lose your life any day."
Chen Xi then sighed in admiration: "It's impressive enough that Gefeng managed to drive away the Quzhao people, but I never expected the commoners in the city to live so well."
When these words spread, perhaps nothing would come of it immediately. But, like scattering seeds, who knew which day they might take root and sprout.
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Luo Ah-di's honest and simple voice: "I miss Gefeng too."
He Li's thoughts returned to the present, and he joked, "I think you're just missing your wife, aren't you?"
Luo Ah-di scratched his head. "I'm not married yet."
He Li's smile stiffened slightly. "Ah ha, well, you certainly look quite... imposing."
No way, with those looks, he appeared to be at least in his late twenties. And he wasn't married yet?
Looking closer, he realized the man was actually quite youthful. It was just that he was tanned rather dark and had a burly physique, which made him appear somewhat 'old'.
Luo Ah-di, unaware that he was being judged for looking old, looked up and faintly saw the silhouette of Gefeng City. A smile spread across his face: "We're here."
Gefeng, at Mei Sheng's home on Changliu Mountain.
Mei Ren expressed his concern: "Tell me, do you think the Lord will...?"
Saying this, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
Mei Sheng shook his head: "No."
Mei Ren raised an eyebrow in confusion: "Why?"
"Intuition."
Mei Ren: "..."
Mei Cai looked down at the clean, raw wood tabletop and said after a long pause, "She indeed won't."
Mei Ren: "Also intuition?"
Mei Cai's expression became unreadable. "Naturally not. I see that our Lord is magnanimous and upright; she is not a petty or treacherous person."
"Furthermore, look at the current Gefeng. In less than a year, it has transformed from a dilapidated county town of a few hundred people into a city of tens of thousands. What incredible boldness and capability that takes!"
"Faced with such a powerful person, would you betray her? I certainly wouldn't. As long as we don't betray her, the Lord won't take our lives."
There was one point he didn't mention: given Jiang Jin's formidable strength, the hidden pieces she was planting were likely not just for surveillance and gathering intelligence.
Their primary purpose was probably to prepare for a future military conquest, and that time would not be far off.
Thinking of this, his heart swelled with excitement once more. "I want to bring our entire family to Gefeng."
While they might not have had any roots in Gefeng before, now that they were working for Jiang Jin, they were safely secured to his sturdy ship.
Mei Sheng and the other man showed no surprise; they had harbored this very intention ever since they first rented a house in Gefeng.
Mei Ren agreed, "I want to as well. I feel very safe here, and it only continues to grow safer by the day."
Mei Sheng pondered for a moment before suggesting, "How about my brother and I go this time, and you, Uncle, take on the arduous task of returning home to escort our clansmen here?"
Mei Cai thought it over and found the idea sound. "Then we shall find a day to discuss this with our Lord."
