A few zhang away from them stood a squad of Jinyang soldiers holding repeating crossbows.
Luo Ah-di smiled and continued their earlier conversation: "You Quzhao people aren't straightforward. If you have something to say, say it to our faces. Don't gossip behind our backs."
"Also." He raised a finger and wagged it. "We're not weak. Didn't your Quzhao get beaten to a pulp by us Jinyang soldiers?"
The two men in the gray-white animal-skin hats had no idea how to respond. Was this really the time for this discussion?
Clearly they were surrounded by snow-covered ground—how had the Jinyang soldiers managed to approach them so silently?
Seeing them stay silent, Luo Ah-di felt a bit unsatisfied. "Why aren't you talking anymore?"
The one in the gray-black animal-skin hat flashed anger in his eyes. "If you're going to kill us, then kill us. Don't you dare humiliate us."
Luo Ah-di let out a cold scoff. "Pretty tough, aren't you? But I'm not here to kill you today. My lord has a message for your master."
The gray-white hat trembled as he asked, "What message?"
Luo Ah-di pointed toward the pyramid of skulls in front of the south gate of Lin County. "See that? Those are all your Quzhao corpses. My lord is merciful—you're allowed to come pick up the bodies."
The two gray-white hats exchanged glances, expressions strange. "You... what did you say?"
Luo Ah-di raised his chin slightly. "Are you moved by my lord's mercy? Don't be. Because you don't deserve it."
"We Jinyang soldiers are a nation of propriety, and our lord is a lord of propriety. When you come to retrieve the bodies, we guarantee we won't attack you."
Gray-white hat: "..."
They'd truly learned something new today. This was the first time they'd seen 'propriety' like this.
Luo Ah-di looked at their dumbfounded expressions and frowned. He got the feeling Quzhao people weren't too bright.
"You... understand?" he couldn't help asking.
The gray-white hat nodded. "Un... understand."
Luo Ah-di was satisfied. "By the way, has Quzhao run out of people? You two have been lurking around here for days now—why hasn't anyone come to relieve you?"
The gray-white hat drew in a sharp breath. "You... you knew we've been here all this time?"
Luo Ah-di nodded. "Of course. Your concealment methods are terribly clumsy. But since we're enemies, I won't bother teaching you."
The two gray-white hats felt a mix of frustration and fear, humiliation and panic. They couldn't figure out where exactly they'd gone wrong.
Realizing that their so-called secret reconnaissance had been seen through by the Jinyang soldiers the whole time—like monkeys in a zoo—they were so angry they could spit blood. "You... what exactly do you want?"
Luo Ah-di rolled his eyes inwardly. "Didn't I just say? I'm here to deliver a message. Oh, and one more thing—don't come lurking around here anymore. This area now belongs to us, Lin County."
"Next time we catch you around here, we Jinyang soldiers won't be polite. We'll make sure you become the crown jewel at the very top of that skull pyramid."
"You... you..." The gray-white hat couldn't even form a full sentence, he was so furious. The humiliation was unbearable.
Luo Ah-di didn't care about their mix of fury and shame. "I've said what I needed to say. You two hurry back now. And remember to pass along my message."
The two gray-white hats gritted their teeth, secretly relieved to have escaped with their lives.
They backed away slowly until they reached what they considered a safe distance, then turned and ran.
Whether it was the slippery snow or not, the gray-white hat tripped and pitched forward, leaving a person-shaped crater in the snow, with one boot flying off.
He scrambled to his feet and ran, only to notice after a few steps that his foot felt cold—something was missing.
He looked around and finally spotted his boot. He bent over, snuck back over to it, grabbed it, and kept running.
Luo Ah-di sneered. "Coward."
Just as he said it, the gray-white hat tripped again, sending his other boot flying too.
Luo Ah-di: "..."
Why did this streak of bad luck feel so familiar?
Ah, right—his own unlucky little sister.
Speaking of which, before he set out, he'd seen his sister A-man. She was really upset about missing out on this Lin County battle.
He'd comforted her on the surface, but deep down, he thought the decision had been absolutely brilliant.
That route was by water—a boat!
If his sister's bad luck kicked in, the boat might fall apart, or get blown off course, or even inexplicably sink...
Anything was possible.
At the Lin County government office.
Jiang Jin was reading a document while listening to Dongzhi's report: "The bodies should be buried under the soil in about two days. After that, should we have the common folk dig tunnels?"
Jiang Jin didn't look up. "No. First help the people repair their houses. Keeping warm is the priority."
"Have the barracks been cleared out? Our soldiers need good lodgings. If they rest well, they can fight better."
Dongzhi nodded. "Already cleared. We're fixing the windows and roof tiles. Rest assured, my lord."
Jiang Jin was satisfied. "We'll see. If conditions allow, we can also consider building fire walls."
Dongzhi was about to speak when Qiu Liao hurried in. "My lord."
Jiang Jin looked up. "What is it?"
Qiu Liao looked troubled. "Lin County has no academy, and no fire walls. With winter here, literacy classes might be difficult."
Lin County had an academy before, but it had long been abandoned and collapsed, unusable now.
Jiang Jin thought for a moment. "Skip the elderly and children for now, but the able-bodied young adults still need to learn. Isn't there a couple of private residences in Lin County that are well preserved?"
Qiu Liao understood. "You mean converting those private residences into temporary academies?"
Jiang Jin nodded. "Yes. Have crews build a few short fire walls inside."
Tens of degrees below zero was no joke—people could easily freeze to death.
Qiu Liao was stunned. "You can build fire walls that are short? Indoors?"
Jiang Jin nodded. "All we need is to keep the indoor temperature from dropping too low. A fire stove isn't as warm and isn't as safe."
She smiled. "I was just telling Dongzhi about the barracks. They can have these fire walls too. They won't be as warm as official ones, but they're better than nothing. We'll make do with this for now and rebuild everything next year."
Qiu Liao's eyes lit up. "Understood."
Jiang Jin continued. "Have the county clerks serve as literacy teachers for now. We have textbooks, so they just follow the curriculum."
She was a bit helpless. This rapid march meant she couldn't bring too many people along.
Also, with so many new citizens under her jurisdiction all at once, there simply weren't enough teachers to go around.
Chen Xi was already frantic, urgently training teachers and printing textbooks.
Feng Qingzhu was also busy rushing production of paper and brushes—his shops had sold out completely.
Qiu Liao nodded, then remembered something. "My lord, there's a plot of land in Lin County that the people converted into farmland. Should we keep planting it next year?"
It wasn't a large plot, but for an isolated city, it still meant something—at least they could grow vegetables.
Jiang Jin thought the same. She nodded. "Yes. We'll plant vegetables next year. See if you can figure out a way to store as much snowmelt as possible."
Qiu Liao stroked his beard. "The easiest way to store water is the moat, but... alas, it's all red."
Unfortunately, it was snowing rather than raining, or else it could have been washed clean.
Jiang Jin mused, "No rush. Even if next year is as dry as this one, the snowmelt in spring will give us plenty."
We could also consider using the mud from digging the tunnel to build a pool for storing water, but we’d need to pick the right spot—you can take a look at it when you get the chance.
