Yao Ji stood on the city wall, his expression tinged with worry yet mixed with anticipation.
He hadn’t been able to join tonight’s operation—someone had to guard the city, as no one knew if there might be a night raid.
Dong Si and Xie Nanxiao stood on his left and right, their faces equally grave.
“We brought back quite a few people today?” Yao Ji asked.
Xie Nanxiao nodded. “About five thousand or so. There should be more tomorrow—the two counties still have plenty of grain that hasn’t been harvested.”
He had gone out to gather people today himself and had only just returned.
“But tomorrow, the people we bring back might not be heading to Shanguan County,” he said, stroking his chin as he gazed at the pitch-black sky.
The feeling was incredibly satisfying. In the past, they had always been the ones getting plundered. Now it was their turn to plunder. Today, they had not only brought back about five thousand people but also a substantial amount of grain.
Dong Si remarked with emotion, “The county office is still busy registering households and assigning housing. It’s really tough for them.”
Fortunately, thanks to Jiang Jin’s literacy program, both soldiers and officials could read, so at least registering names wasn’t a problem.
Throughout the day, they had to not only record the information of the original residents of Shanguan County but also tally up confiscated and vacant houses, then allocate them to the newly arrived people.
Speaking of this, Yao Ji couldn’t help but admire, “Magistrate Luo is truly capable—everything is arranged in perfect order.”
Dong Si agreed. “Indeed, and that’s because the lord has a sharp eye, discovering a gem like Lady Luo.”
He sighed again. “I just hope tonight’s operation goes smoothly for the lord. If it does, we’ll have three cities.”
Just thinking about it made him excited. The princess was the only legitimate offspring of the current emperor. The entire Yan Kingdom rightfully belonged to Her Highness the Princess.
No one else was worthy.
They were all traitors and rebels!
The night was still, the moonlight dim. Jiang Jin and her group lay low on a small slope about a thousand meters from the south gate of Chunrong County.
Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, allowing them to vaguely see the road ahead, but anything farther was invisible.
Fortunately, Jiang Jin had come prepared. She pulled an item out of her bag and handed it to Zhou Sui.
Zhou Sui was puzzled, but his body obediently accepted it. “Lord, what is this?”
Jiang Jin explained, “This is a multi-functional telescope.”
“What is a multi-functional telescope?” Zhou Sui sensed that this was something remarkable, and his usually steady voice carried a hint of urgency.
Jiang Jin described it quietly. “I bought it from a merchant who came from across the ocean. Simply put, it’s a device that integrates daytime visibility, night vision, and long-range viewing. It can be used both day and night.”
“It uses digital and infrared technology for night vision, along with AR augmented reality features…” Under the faint moonlight, Jiang Jin could still sense Zhou Sui’s confusion, so she stopped.
Without noticing, she had slipped into using terms from a later era. After a moment of silence, she directly summarized the result. “It means you can see at night, and you can see very far.”
“Even in dusty or foggy weather, this device can cut through the dust or fog to reveal the truth. It works the same way during the day.”
She heard the sharp intake of breath from Zhou Sui and the surrounding soldiers.
Jiang Jin was about to continue when she felt Yun Chengxuan persistently poking her arm. The urgency in his jabs was obvious from their frequency.
Jiang Jin: “…”
Silently, she pulled two more multi-functional telescopes from her bag, handed one to Yun Chengxuan, and kept one for herself.
Yun Chengxuan cracked a grin, flashing his white teeth, which stood out starkly in the darkness.
She held up her own telescope and began teaching them how to operate it. “Press here first to switch to night-vision mode…”
Both listened intently, especially Zhou Sui, who tried to memorize every word she said.
After explaining, Jiang Jin told them to try it themselves and ask if they had questions.
Her device was a 25th-century product—feature-rich but not bulky. It could be worn on the head or held by hand, very convenient.
“Ah, I see a ghost!” Yun Chengxuan suddenly exclaimed, hastily taking off the telescope.
Jiang Jin was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized he must have seen people. She couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth. “They’re not ghosts.”
Yun Chengxuan still looked panicked. “Really not ghosts? They all looked green, some red.”
Jiang Jin couldn’t believe that this fearless nephew of hers was actually afraid of ghosts!
“They’re people, people!” She put the telescope back on him and turned his head toward the Chunrong County city wall.
“Look carefully again. Those are soldiers from Qu Zhao’s army, patrolling the city wall. They’re not ghosts.”
Before Yun Chengxuan could respond, Zhou Sui’s trembling voice came through. “I see them!”
His shock at that moment was beyond words. It wasn’t that he believed in spirits, but the wonder of this object defied conventional understanding. He could only call it a divine artifact!
From their position about a thousand meters from Chunrong County’s city wall, in the dead of night, what appeared before him was not just the clear view of the wall and towers, but also the guards with unmistakable clarity.
He could even see the weapons they carried and the movement of their lips as they spoke.
It was like a mysterious thing from beyond the heavens. He couldn’t comprehend it, but he felt deep awe. Apart from calling it a divine artifact, he couldn’t imagine anything so miraculous.
Jiang Jin caught the tremor in his voice. For a man of this era, encountering something so novel and beyond his understanding, his excitement was only natural.
She whispered, “Get used to it first. It’ll come in handy for the operation.”
Zhou Sui hummed softly in agreement, struggling to suppress his emotions as he began to adapt to the wonder of the divine artifact.
He was both moved and thrilled, his feelings hard to articulate. His lord had shown him absolute trust by entrusting him with such a treasure.
That trust weighed heavily on him with a sense of responsibility and ignited boundless fighting spirit. He longed to shed blood and lay down his life for Jiang Jin, never failing her deep affection and trust.
Once Yun Chengxuan confirmed that those things were not ghosts, he immediately grew excited, like a child with a new toy, looking left and right, up and down, even lying on the ground to look.
“Aunt, there’s a pile of bird droppings over there. Wow, I can see even such a tiny bit of bird poop—it’s amazing!” He was thrilled, but thankfully kept his voice low.
Jiang Jin: “…”
Zhou Sui followed Yun Chengxuan’s gaze and indeed saw a small pile of bird droppings. What a way to look—out of all things, he had to focus on bird poop.
Wait, why was he following his line of sight to stare at bird droppings?
He realized he shouldn’t get too close to Yun Chengxuan—it was contagious.
He quickly shifted his gaze to more serious matters, surveying Chunrong County’s current defenses.
On the south gate wall of Chunrong County, soldiers stood every few meters behind the battlements, staring out at the dark city beyond, even though they could see nothing in the pitch-black void.
Two tall figures stood on the tower—the leader of tonight’s patrol squad and his trusted confidant.
The squad leader leaned against the city wall, soaking in the quiet of the night. After a long pause, he murmured, "I heard from the brothers out on patrol today that Shanguan County has been taken by the Jinyang Army. No idea if it's true."
His trusted aide sighed in response. "I've heard it too. The higher-ups are keeping it quiet, but with the extra guards posted tonight, it's likely true."
The squad leader shook his head. "I still find it hard to believe. Gephoenix Fortress isn't much bigger than our own Chunrong. Where would they get the troops to attack Shanguan County?"
His aide said helplessly, "The Jinyang Army's crossbows are devastating. Word is they can shoot over a hundred paces, and they've got giant siege crossbows too."
"Sure, they're powerful, but that's attacking a walled city," the squad leader replied. He let out a heavy sigh. "Damn it. If the Jinyang Army's taken Shanguan County, we're in for a tough time ahead. And with Gephoenix under their control too... we're done for."
