Li Zan sighed, "I don't know. No matter which faction it is, since they're Han Chinese, I think we can cooperate, especially if they really do have high-yield grain seeds."
Jin Feng found it somewhat unbelievable, "I've never heard of such high-yield crops. Ten thousand jin per mu? How is that possible?"
Li Zan shot him a sideways glance, "What are you in a hurry for? Didn't they say they'll prove it themselves?"
"If there truly are grain seeds yielding ten thousand jin per mu, that's a good thing, solving a major problem for us."
Jin Feng twisted his thick brows together and said nothing.
Lu You pondered briefly and then settled it, "That's right, don't rush. They want to send someone to negotiate, don't they? Let them come. That way, we can learn which faction they belong to."
The morning light fell upon the walls of Gefeng County, bringing a hint of warmth to the chilly weather.
Outside the South City Gate, Jiang Jin quietly instructed, "Remember, safety comes first. If they dare to make any move, don't panic or act impulsively. Just send word to me."
Dong Si nodded, "My Lord, rest assured. I will secure the agreement."
Jiang Jin's pool of negotiators was small, but Dong Si was undoubtedly the cream of the crop. That's why the task of negotiating with Ze'a Prefecture naturally fell to him.
Jiang Jin smiled, "Negotiate if you can. If their demands are excessive, let it go. There's still Daqing County."
Shuangjiang solemnly promised, "My Lord, rest assured. I will protect Lord Dong well."
This time, she brought only one regiment of troops, plus fifty Dragon Shadow Guards.
Jiang Jin had full confidence in Shuangjiang, "Good, remember to station a battalion outside as backup."
This wasn't being overly cautious; it was that the Sheng family's modus operandi left much to be desired.
Though the likelihood of them daring to act was low, being fully prepared was essential.
Shuangjiang nodded in agreement, "Understood. We've also brought two carrier pigeons. If anything happens, we'll release them immediately."
At a carrier pigeon's speed, Jiang Jin would receive their message within four hours.
Seeing Shuangjiang become increasingly reliable and thorough in her work, Jiang Jin felt deeply gratified.
After seeing off Dong Si and his group, Jiang Jin returned to the county office.
"My Lord, this is a letter from Lord Chen Xi." Ding Ying handed her a slip of paper.
Jiang Jin took it and read. A smile soon spread across her face, "Not bad, but time is a bit tight."
She hadn't expected that Mu Ning, besides bringing over twenty thousand refugees back to Gefeng, had also 'captured' a man named Hua Ruo, said to have the potential to become a general.
The distance from Sizhou to Gefeng was vast, and moving so many refugees slowed their pace, making their route far less flexible.
If they encountered the Man Yi army, they would be at a severe disadvantage.
"Activate all liaison points along the route to cooperate with Mu Ning in protecting the refugees and scouting the path ahead." Jiang Jin ordered.
Ding Ying bowed in acknowledgment, "Understood."
Jiang Jin turned to Dongzhi, "Go summon Elder Mu, Suo Qian, Mu Zhuo, and Liu Mi."
After the previous Battle of Shanguan County, Suo Qian had remained there because some of the wounded were too severely injured to be moved.
After a period of treatment, all those with light injuries had returned to Gefeng, and those with severe injuries had stabilized. Suo Qian himself had come back two days ago.
She was planning to establish a medical academy. Relying on the current master-apprentice teaching method made the growth of medical professionals too slow.
What truly enabled mass-producing talent was a school; systematic learning yielded twice the results with half the effort.
However, in this era, most knowledge was passed down only to children or disciples. She wasn't sure if Suo Qian and the others would be willing to teach their medical skills so broadly.
Mu Qing and the others arrived quickly.
Jiang Jin first spoke about founding the medical academy.
Liu Mi had no objections. She had learned everything she knew from Suo Qian, so in her master's presence, she had no right to speak.
Unexpectedly, both Suo Qian and Mu Zhuo agreed very readily.
Seeing Jiang Jin's astonished expression, Suo Qian rolled his eyes.
"My Lord, you've already led an eradication of illiteracy, teaching knowledge to the common people, and shared countless medical theories and prescriptions with us. It's only natural that we pass on our medical skills, training more doctors to heal more people."
Mu Zhuo echoed, "Exactly. My Lord, our population is growing, so is our army, and there will be more battles ahead. Our abilities alone are truly limited."
The Battle of Shanguan County had shown him clear brutality of the battlefield.
Watching the wounded soldiers groan and bleed, with too few of them to handle the load, forced them to prioritize only the most critical cases.
His heart ached. They were young, vibrant lives, many barely twenty, the prime of life, dying or being delayed because there weren't enough doctors.
Fortunately, many of the medical apprentices had learned well enough to assist and even handle minor emergencies and lighter injuries independently.
Perhaps having lived in Gefeng for so long, the old Mu Zhuo, who only looked after himself and his family, had changed significantly.
He too wanted to contribute to this rising power and save more lives.
Soldiers fight for their country, their faith, and their people. They can die in battle, but not because a lack of doctors left them dying without timely treatment.
That's why his Lord was right, to build a medical academy and train more doctors to heal more people.
Jiang Jin was deeply gratified and nodded approvingly, "Good. I want to establish the medical academy in Gefeng, built in the new city area. What do you all think?"
She now had plenty of farmland, so cultivated land in the new city was no longer critical. Some land could be allocated for other purposes.
She chose Gefeng because the city has grown significantly, connected to the Gesi Mountain range, making it highly secure.
Not only was the city wall solid, but there were also several arrow towers outside the new city for coordinated defense.
More importantly, Gefeng had an underground tunnel network for emergency escape or entry.
Everyone looked at Mu Qing.
Mu Qing: "..."
Why were they all staring at him?
Though he loved farming, establishing a medical academy was of great significance. How could he oppose it?
Suo Qian chuckled, "I think it's great. That plot northeast of the North Gate looks perfect."
Jiang Jin had no objections, "Alright. Let's build an experimental building next to the medical academy too. Many medications will need to be researched going forward."
Mu Zhuo's eyes lit up, "Something like penicillin?"
Jiang Jin smiled, "Exactly. You'll find out soon."
She then turned to Mu Qing, "Elder, I'm also planning to establish an agricultural academy, with you as its dean. What do you think?"
Mu Qing was astonished, "An agricultural academy?"
Jiang Jin nodded, "Yes. Agriculture is a great discipline of knowledge—hybrid rice, developing new grain strains, various composting methods, and so on."
"Next year's farmland you've seen has expanded considerably. Relying solely on you and Madam Mu is impossible."
"We need to popularize scientific farming and composting methods with dedicated personnel, so you can focus more on hybrid rice, grain improvement, and solving the fertilizer problem."
For bumper harvests, seeds are one factor; fertilizer is another.
Through further composting research, it should be possible to produce simplified versions of chemical and compound fertilizers.
Pesticide research is also crucial. People in this era already used substances like arsenic and realgar to control agricultural pests.
Her grain seeds were 25th-century improved 'resilient' strains, with strong pest resistance and high adaptability.
But that doesn’t mean pesticides are entirely unnecessary—after all, there are many types of pests, and prevention and response are always required.
She not only plans to build a medical school, an agricultural school, and the associated laboratory buildings, but also other experimental research institutes, such as those for weapons research.
This winter, she intends to select talents across various fields from among the top students, planting the seeds of theoretical knowledge so they can take root and grow.
If successful, the overall strength of the Jinyang Army will rise to an even higher level.
