Hooknose wasn't quite as optimistic. "You probably don't know yet, but Gefeng has heavenly punishment on its side, as well as an incredibly formidable repeating crossbow. Word has it that the Cavalry General was defeated by this divine weapon."
Scarface scoffed in contempt. "The Cavalry General didn't lose; he just needed to send reinforcements to Ze'a Prefecture."
Although rumors of Qu Bai's defeat at Gefeng secretly circulated among the soldiers, he refused to believe them. Gefeng was such a tiny place; how could they possibly defeat Cavalry General Qu Bai?
Hooknose shook his head. "Let's not talk about the higher-ups' affairs. Sigh, the weather this year is really something. I feel like it hasn't rained in ages."
Speaking of this, Scarface also sighed. "It hasn't rained since the new year. I'm afraid there will be even less grain this year. Fortunately, our tribesmen have flocks of sheep."
After saying this, his expression darkened again. "The Jinyang Army is the most detestable. Otherwise, our tribesmen could just graze their herds directly outside the Gefeng Pass. Why would we need to venture so deep in here, driving flocks of sheep and herds of horses all the way to Wuqin?"
"If you ask me, our tribesmen are just too cowardly. They wouldn't even agree to deliver the herds to the Pingwan County pass. They only know how to collect so much grain from us every year, and grain is so hard to come by nowadays."
Pingwan County belonged to Donghu Prefecture. Like Gefeng, it was a small border county, though slightly larger than Gefeng.
Exiting the pass from Pingwan County to get to Wuqin indeed required a massive detour, but it couldn't be helped. To the west lay the territory of the Jiao tribe.
The two tribes had previously cooperated to fight the Han people, but everyone knew that was merely a temporary alliance.
"That's enough. Exchanging that amount of grain for so many sheep and horses is already a fantastic deal. It's not easy for our tribesmen either," Hooknose said.
"Is there someone over there?" a sudden exclamation rang out.
Hooknose's heart tightened. He quickly looked up and, sure enough, saw over a hundred cavalrymen galloping madly in their direction.
"It's the Han people!" Scarface's pupils shrank as he cried out in disbelief.
Since when did the Han people dare to ride out of the pass so openly?
And looking at their formation, were they coming right for them?
He unsheathed the saber at his waist with a swish and shouted, "Everyone get ready! They are coming for us!"
Hooknose widened his eyes. "That direction is Gefeng! It's the Jinyang Army!"
Everyone's hearts leaped. They were very familiar with the name of the Jinyang Army lately; it was a mysterious and formidable force.
"Archers, ready! Shoot as soon as they get close!" Scarface bellowed.
He didn't care what army it was. If they dared to leave the pass and enter Quzhao territory, they had to be prepared to die.
From a distance, Jiang Jin saw the Quzhao soldiers raise their bows at them. She narrowed her eyes. "Wipe them all out."
"Understood!" The response was loud and resolute.
Hooknose saw Jiang Jin raise a strange crossbow, and his pupils contracted sharply. He roared, "It's the repeating crossbow! The Jinyang Army's repeating crossbow! Everyone, run!"
The Jinyang Army's repeating crossbow was even more famous than the army itself. It was said to be capable of firing dozens of arrows in succession. Most importantly, its range was several times that of an ordinary bow.
Given the current distance between the two sides, they were already targets for the Jinyang Army!
Meanwhile, their own arrows couldn't even graze the enemy.
Sure enough, he watched as the Jinyang Army unleashed countless arrows at them.
The arrows flew like lightning, reaching his eyes in an instant.
He hastily swung his saber to block.
With a loud clang, the impact nearly knocked the blade out of his hand!
What terrifying power!
Even from such a distance, the arrows still packed such a massive punch!
The Jinyang Army's repeating crossbow truly lived up to its reputation!
Before he could turn and run, another arrow shot straight toward his neck.
His pupils shrank. It was too fast. He knew he couldn't block it. Was he going to die?
Pfft.
A cold sensation pierced his neck.
His mouth hung open as he stared at the quivering tail of the arrow just beneath his eyes, a gurgling sound escaping his throat.
Thud. The corpse fell to the ground.
This time, Jiang Jin had only brought Yun Chengxuan and a hundred Dragon Shadow Guards. With the entire unit equipped with Dragon Plume Crossbows, they were an absolutely crushing presence in terms of martial power.
It was like using a rifle against someone wielding a knife; the victory came effortlessly.
"Retrieve the arrows, don't waste them," Jiang Jin said, looking at the flocks of sheep and herds of horses in a delightful mood.
The sheep not only provided meat but also wool and sheepskin, all of which were excellent materials.
The horses were even more precious. The herds here, combined with the ones ridden by the Quzhao soldiers, totaled over 1,300 steeds.
After more than half a year of breeding, her own horses now numbered over a thousand.
A smile appeared on Jiang Jin's face. She could now form two cavalry regiments.
Everyone else was also thrilled. Being bandits turned out to be so satisfying. The fat sheep this time were truly fat. They had made a massive profit.
At the Gesi Pass, Dong Si paced back and forth in front of the half-built city gates.
Yao Ji couldn't help but find it amusing. "What are you worried about? Don't you know our Lord's strength? Nothing will happen."
Yun Yu chimed in, "Exactly, plus young master Yun is with her."
Dong Si sighed. "It's not exactly the Lord I'm worried about."
Under Yao Ji's half-smiling gaze, his face filled with melancholy. "I admit, I'm a tiny bit worried. I mean, she could have just sent you guys, but she insisted on going herself."
Gefeng had so many military officers, all of whom were highly capable. There was absolutely no need for Jiang Jin to take action personally.
Yao Ji said helplessly, "She probably just wanted to stretch her legs."
"Look, the Lord is back!" Yun Yu shouted excitedly, looking outside the pass.
Dong Si quickly looked over and, sure enough, saw Jiang Jin and her group, along with a massive herd of horses and sheep leading the way.
He was dumbfounded. It was his first time seeing so many horses and sheep at once. Then came wild joy. "Fantastic, we won't have to worry about running out of meat."
Yun Chengxuan was even more excited. "Aunt, I want to eat roast lamb and mutton bone soup. It's so delicious."
Jiang Jin nodded. "Sure, when we get back, I'll have Liqiu and Guyu make it for you."
Yun Chengxuan wiped away nonexistent drool. "Aunt, you're so good to me. I'll definitely take care of you in your old age and give you a proper burial."
Jiang Jin was speechless. This silly nephew seemed to have an obsession with taking care of her in her old age.
Arriving at the Gesi Pass, Jiang Jin smiled at the overly excited Dong Si. "Slaughter a hundred sheep today. Sell twenty to the commoners for meat, and use the rest to reward the soldiers."
Dong Si felt a bit reluctant to part with so much meat, but he agreed nonetheless.
"It's hard to find a place for so many sheep and horses. Where does My Lord plan to keep them?" Yao Ji asked.
Jiang Jin had already thought it through. "We'll put them in the new city. Didn't we plan out an animal husbandry zone? We'll put them there."
Because the outer city hadn't been built yet, the new city's animal husbandry zone was currently an empty plot of land with nothing set up.
However, Gefeng had quite a population now. It would be very easy to temporarily draft a few hundred people; they could get the fences put up in a single afternoon.
Dong Si smiled and agreed. "I will arrange it right away. It's just that if we raise livestock in the outer city, we'll need to send people to keep watch at night."
The new city wasn't finished, and with large tracts of farmland planted with grain, there were actually soldiers patrolling the area at night.
But the sheep and horse herds would definitely require dedicated management.
Jiang Jin nodded. "In that case, let's draft some people to build houses there first."
Those watching the horses and sheep, as well as those managing the farmland, needed a place to live. They hadn't expected the livestock zone to be put to use so quickly, so they had never gotten around to it.
But it wasn't too late to build now. With bricks, cement, and manpower, they could have the houses built in a matter of days.
