Jiang Jin nodded. "Confiscate everything. Just make sure you register it properly."
She then looked at Zhou Sui. "Dispatch troops as quickly as possible. I want all the people and grain under the jurisdiction of Shanguan County and Chunrong County."
The meeting concluded swiftly, and soon everyone dispersed, each with far too many tasks to handle.
When Sang Jie returned to Zhou County, the steward reported nervously that one of his female slaves had gone missing, along with her daughter.
Sang Jie flew into a rage. "What the hell is wrong with you people? You can't even keep an eye on two weak women?"
This female slave had originally been seized by the former county commander, Qu Xiangsheng.
Qu Xiang had intended to enjoy both mother and daughter together with the magistrate of Ge County. But then Ge County fell to the JinYang Army, the magistrate was killed, and not long after, Qu Xiang himself was slain.
The female slave then ended up in Sang Jie's hands.
Only then did he realize that this woman was truly beautiful—graceful and alluring—with an air of literary sophistication that only came from a great Han aristocratic family.
So he took her as his concubine.
As for the girl, he wasn't interested at first. He had originally planned to give her to a subordinate who preferred such things.
But the mother pleaded bitterly, and Sang Jie saw that the little girl was delicate and exquisite, with porcelain features. In a few years, she'd surely be a beauty. He figured he could have his way with her then, so he held onto her.
Be that as it may, after all the mercy he had shown, they had the nerve to run away the moment his back was turned. Han people were truly treacherous.
Cold sweat beaded on the steward's forehead. He knelt in a panic to beg forgiveness. "Several squads have already been sent to search, Master. Rest assured, they will be found."
"And... and one of our male slaves is missing too. I don't know if he..." The steward forced himself to continue the report.
Sang Jie's face darkened. He fixed his gaze on the steward. "Are you saying that slave helped them escape?"
For some reason, he felt a faint greenish tint hovering over his head.
The steward stammered, "I don't know... an investigation is underway."
Sang Jie's eyes narrowed dangerously. He stared at the steward until the man trembled all over before finally saying, "Get up. Find them no matter what. Otherwise, go report yourself for punishment."
On a mountain path near Zhou County, the faint sounds of fighting echoed.
"Wei Niang, hurry on!" a tall man shouted, thrusting his sword and killing one of the Quzhao people, then turned to yell behind him.
Three bodies of Quzhao people already lay on the ground, but the tall man's arm had also been slashed.
Not far behind him stood a panicked woman and a seven- or eight-year-old girl.
The woman was graceful and alluring, pitifully delicate.
The girl was covered in grime, but she was clearly a beautiful child—delicate and finely carved, like a little porcelain doll.
The two turned and fled.
"Seeking death!" a burly man roared, swinging his blade at the tall man. "You worthless slave! So you can fight, eh? Been hiding it pretty well!"
The tall man parried with his sword, clanging hard. The force pushed the Quzhao man back two steps.
He pressed the advantage, thrusting again. Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. He dodged quickly to the side, but pain shot through his shoulder.
A fierce light flashed in the tall man's eyes. Ignoring his wounds, he lashed out with his sword, straight through the burly man's neck.
Gut-wrenching—blood sprayed as he pulled the sword free. In the same motion, he stabbed backward.
At the same moment, searing pain tore through his abdomen.
He coughed up blood, but a grin cracked his lips. Good. He'd killed them all
Wei Niang and the girl were safe.
Gritting his teeth against the agony, he struggled to pull the blade out.
Without the sword for support, his legs wobbled. He stumbled forward a step as the blade lodged in his belly was yanked out.
Blood gushed forth. Fighting the dizziness, he forced himself to turn his head and look behind him.
The man who had ambushed him was struck through the chest by his sword, now also staggering back a few steps with blood spilling from his lips, his eyes fixed on him with venomous hatred.
The tall man’s gaze swept past him, landing on the fleeing figure.
Then he saw the woman stop, and then run back.
A light flickered in his eyes, but he murmured under his breath, “Why are you coming back?”
Soon he knew why. She picked up a blade from a corpse on the ground and lunged at the man who had attacked him.
That man, already on his last legs from the chest wound, was caught off guard and took the blow.
Still not satisfied, she yanked the knife out and stabbed again, blood splattering across her face.
The tall man smiled, but the motion pulled at his wound, making him suck in a sharp breath.
A young girl ran over and supported him, her voice trembling with tears: “Uncle, are you all right?”
The woman, snapping out of her daze, also came to hold him up. Seeing the blood streaming from his body, her eyes reddened. “Sir Meng, how—how are you?”
The man forced a weak smile, his voice faint. “Go… to Gofeng. The Princess of Jinyang may be there. Seek her out—perhaps she can protect you.”
The woman shook her head. “We go together.”
With difficulty, he lifted a hand to gently smooth the stray hairs from her face, his voice full of longing. “I… can’t walk anymore.”
His voice faded, barely a whisper. “I’m sorry… I can’t… walk the rest of the way with you.”
His words trailed off, and he collapsed.
At that moment, the Jiang Jin they spoke of was watching her two secret guards, An San and An Wu, with a firm nod. “You’ve done well. What reward would you like?”
Both men were stirred. “It is our honor to serve the master. We dare not claim merit.”
Jiang Jin shook her head and smiled. The army had a reward system in place, so she didn’t press further, instead asking, “What do you know about the situation in Chunrong County?”
She had not managed to place any informants inside Chunrong.
She had sent people to scout, but they could not enter the city, only guess at its situation from observations outside.
An San considered his words carefully and replied, “The population of Chunrong County is about a thousand or so, with around five hundred garrison soldiers.”
Though they were stationed in Shan Pass County, the towns between Quzhao were interconnected, and these two counties were neighbors, making it relatively easy to gather intelligence.
Chunrong City was even smaller than Gofeng, not located at a strategic pass, so it had originally only housed a few dozen troops.
After Gofeng was captured, its garrison was heavily reinforced.
Jiang Jin nodded inwardly. The information matched what she had gathered herself.
She glanced at the two men. “Go and rest for now.”
An San pressed his lips together, hesitating for a moment, but ultimately said nothing, and withdrew with An Wu after saluting.
Jiang Jin lifted her eyes to An San’s retreating figure for a moment, then looked down and resumed her paperwork.
