Jiang Jin shook her head. “Not exactly. It’s merely to strengthen cooperation between the two sides. Have Zhou Leng handle the negotiations.”
At present, she had little interest in reclaiming the troops and territory in Lu You’s hands. But the necessary development still had to begin, since those lands would eventually belong to her anyway.
She turned to Dong Si. “Do we have enough money?”
Dong Si nodded. “Rest assured, my lord. We obtained a considerable amount of wealth from the great clans of Ze’a Commandery, and we’ve acquired quite a bit more here in Wuqin. We have enough for now.”
“Fengzhou’s population is growing steadily. In particular, the two completed counties of Xianglu and Fuchuan have already begun generating revenue.”
Whether the houses were sold or rented out, they all brought in income. Although that was still a drop in the ocean compared with the enormous sums Jiang Jin had invested, it was only the beginning.
As they spoke, Luo Qingci entered and handed Jiang Jin a “report.”
“My lord, please take a look. Is this population distribution acceptable?”
Jiang Jin now had a population of roughly four hundred thousand. Divided among five commanderies, that amounted to only about eighty thousand people per commandery—truly a sparsely populated region.
Of course, the population would not be distributed evenly. The arrangements had to be based on actual circumstances.
Jiang Jin picked up the report and read it. Luo Qingci had indeed considered everything thoroughly. According to people’s occupations and backgrounds, she planned to send more farmers to commanderies and counties with greater amounts of arable land, while concentrating workers and merchants in the more developed areas.
Jiang Jin was very satisfied. “Excellent. How many people are still arriving from Sizhou each day?”
Luo Qingci replied promptly, “It varies. Sometimes there are only a few hundred; sometimes there are several thousand.”
She took out another document and handed it to Jiang Jin. “My lord, this is the road plan drawn up by the Planning Bureau according to your instructions.”
It was a road map covering all of Fengzhou. The total length of the roads, the locations where bridges were to be built, and the places where routes would need to detour were all clearly marked.
Luo Qingci looked somewhat worried. “Most of the roads follow the original official routes, but where there are rivers, we’ve followed your instructions and avoided detours, building bridges directly across them instead. It’s just that none of us has ever built a bridge this long. I’m afraid it may not be sturdy enough.”
Jiang Jin smiled. “Everything has to be developed from nothing. These rivers aren’t particularly wide. If we build two pillars in the middle using cement, it shouldn’t be a problem. We must be willing to experiment. If it doesn’t work, we’ll deal with it then.”
Remembering something, she asked, “We should have managed to produce steel rebar by now, shouldn’t we?”
Luo Qingci thought for a moment. “We do have some, though it’s thicker than what you described before. Can it still be used?”
Jiang Jin nodded. “It can. Test it first. If there are no problems, use it in the bridge construction.”
By the time they finished their discussions, it was already afternoon. Jiang Jin then summoned Zhou Sui and the other military commanders for another meeting.
Zhou Sui was the first to report. “Based on our current population, we should be able to recruit more than ten thousand additional soldiers. People from Sizhou are continuing to arrive, so we’ll be able to recruit more gradually in the future.”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Then recruit as many as we can for now. The same applies to the navy.”
She looked around at everyone. “Now that we’ve taken all of Fengzhou, the fighting here has eased somewhat, but the situation we face has become even more complicated. The Ji Army is to our west, the Jiao Army to our south, and Qu Zhao’s forces remain an uncertain factor.”
Although part of the Great Qing army was stationed in the south, she had never placed her hopes in anyone else.
“The entire border defense line must be secured. The newly recruited soldiers must also undergo strict training so they can adapt to the battlefield as quickly as possible.”
Everyone hurriedly acknowledged the order.
Jiang Jin turned to Xia Chanyi. “Tomorrow, take a unit of the Dragon Shadow Guards to the vicinity of Wenxia City and assist the tunnel team in completing the excavation as quickly as possible.”
Xia Chanyi’s expression was solemn. “Yes!”
Jiang Jin pointed to three locations on the map. “Shuangjiang, Nan Wen, and Yun Yu—you three will each lead an elite unit into Fuping Commandery, Shouci Commandery, and Shangjing Commandery.”
A gleam appeared in Yao Ji’s eyes. “Does my lord intend to wage guerrilla warfare against the Ji Army?”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Exactly. Those three commanderies surround Punan Commandery. I want to keep the Ji Army occupied, leaving them no time to pay attention to Wenxia City and ensuring that the tunnel excavation proceeds smoothly.”
“Use the identities of bandits and harass the enemy. Destroy as much of their effective fighting strength as possible.”
Xie Nanxiao asked, “There are many bandits in Chongzhou. Could we recruit and reorganize them into our own forces?”
Zhou Sui frowned slightly. “I’m afraid not all of those bandits are decent people. If even one of them exposes us, we’ll gain nothing and lose everything. I oppose the idea.”
It was not that he was cold-hearted. At present, the number of elite Jinyang Army troops entering Chongzhou would be limited. If even one bandit turned out to be a problem, they would be operating in Ji Army territory, where such a mistake could bring about their complete destruction.
Qiu Liao nodded. “That’s right. Although most of the bandits in Chongzhou are ordinary people who were forced onto the mountains, we can’t rule out the possibility that some of them harbor malicious intentions from the outset.”
Jiang Jin looked at everyone as they debated and felt greatly reassured. “Let’s discuss the routes and the details.”
In Changhai County, the Great Chanyu Qu Zhao sat inside his tent, his expression gloomy.
He swept his eyes over the others. “Tell me, what should we do now? Should we give up, or should we head into Chongzhou?”
Meng Su studied the map. “I still believe Anwu County would be an ideal base for us. It’s shielded by a river and protected by mountains, allowing us to defend ourselves as effectively as possible. The abundant water would also be highly beneficial for farming.”
The drought last year, followed by the complete lack of rain so far this year, had made him deeply understand the importance of rivers.
Tie Yu frowned. “King of Anwu may not be easy to defeat. Otherwise, the Jiao Army would never have allowed him to survive until now.”
He looked at the Grand Chanyu and hesitated before continuing. “I’m just afraid that by the time we fight King of Anwu to the death, the Jiao Army will reap the benefits.”
The Grand Chanyu looked at him. “Then where do you think we should go?”
Tie Yu thought for a moment. “Perhaps we should consider Wenlong County in Wuxiao Commandery.”
Meng Su shook his head. “First, it’s too far away. Second, the land is too barren. There’s hardly any farmland there. How could it possibly support fifty or sixty thousand soldiers, along with our families and civilians?”
Wenlong County was also controlled by Han forces, but it consisted of only a single county. Its population was small, and its land was poor. However, the city had been built as though it were perched atop a mountain, making it extremely difficult to attack.
For now, the Jiao Army had merely surrounded it without launching an assault. Even if they captured it, there would be little benefit; they would only waste their own troops.
Since that was the case, they might as well leave it alone and send a small force to encircle the Han population and cut them off completely.
Meng Su looked up at the Grand Chanyu. “I still believe Anwu County is the most suitable place for us.”
The Grand Chanyu rubbed his temples. “Judging from the Jiao Army’s attitude, they won’t agree.”
Putting himself in their position, he knew that if Qu Zhao faced the same situation, he would never surrender a force that he regarded as being within his own territory.
Tie Yu thought for a moment. “Perhaps we could take a route around the Xiling Mountains behind Anwu County instead of confronting the Jiao Army directly. As long as we occupy Anwu County, what could the Jiao Army do to us?”
Meng Su frowned. “The Xiling Mountains are not easy to cross. Besides, we don’t have only soldiers—we also have elderly people, children, livestock, supplies, and grain.”
The Grand Chanyu stared at the map in silence. After a moment, he gritted his teeth. “Perhaps this truly is a viable path. But how are we supposed to pass through the Jiao Army’s territory and circle around to the Xiling Mountains?”
