Gu Bi’s smile stiffened for a moment, but he quickly returned to his usual unruffled expression. “There’s no need to trouble yourself. We can discuss the military supplies once we’ve reached an agreement.”
Li Zan was taken aback. “General Gu, what do you mean by that?”
Gu Bi forced a smile and got straight to the point. “His Majesty’s meaning is that the Daqing Army has rendered meritorious service by holding Daqing. He has specially sent us here to assist you, so that we may better protect the mountains and rivers of the Yan Kingdom.”
Li Zan raised a brow. So they wanted to enlist in the Daqing Army?
His face remained mild and amiable. “Of course, of course. What about those ships, then?”
Gu Bi waved a hand. “It’s nothing. They can simply remain at the docks.”
Li Zan’s eyes grew deep and unreadable. “That would be fine as well.”
He truly wasn’t in any hurry. Anything that had arrived in Daqing and still wanted to leave would find it too late.
When Li Zan went to the docks to receive the newcomers, Luo Qingci looked gravely at the note in her hands. “Are you certain this information is reliable?”
Ding Ying nodded. “Absolutely. The flooding in Sizhou is severe. Shankang and Tao Commanderies are the worst affected. I’m afraid a large number of refugees will appear soon, along with epidemics.”
He Qiuchi asked curiously, “If the flooding in Sizhou is so serious, how could Sizhou still send people to Daqing?”
Ding Ying shook her head. “Although it has been raining throughout Sizhou for more than half a month, the truly torrential rains only began these past few days. When they set out, the situation probably had not yet become this severe.”
He Qiuchi frowned. “What is Sizhou doing about disaster relief?”
Ding Ying’s expression turned strange. “There are currently no relief efforts. Apparently, the First Prince has no intention of doing anything.”
He Qiuchi was stunned. “What? They aren’t going to provide relief? Then… what are the people supposed to do?”
Ding Ying fell silent.
After a moment of contemplation, Luo Qingci quickly issued an order. “Send word to our lord through the fastest channel available.”
Ding Ying nodded and hurried off to carry it out.
Luo Qingci turned to He Qiuchi. “Prepare a supply of grain and medicinal herbs, along with ships that can be mobilized at any time.”
He Qiuchi frowned. “Are we preparing to go provide disaster relief?”
Luo Qingci sighed. “Better to be prepared. Given our lord’s compassion and her plans, there’s a very good chance she’ll send people to Sizhou to aid the disaster victims. Whatever happens, we should make the preparations first. The moment our lord gives the order, we can act.”
It was currently the autumn harvest, and Fengzhou was not short of grain. In particular, it had an abundant supply of exceptionally high-yield crops such as potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes.
Just then, Yan Ke hurried in. “Governor, the one who came from Sizhou is General Gu Bi. He brought roughly two thousand soldiers. His intention is to take up a position in our army, and only then will he hand over the military supplies.”
Luo Qingci gave a derisive laugh. “They certainly have a nice plan.”
“What should we do?” Yan Ke asked with a frown.
Luo Qingci shook her head. “I can’t decide this matter. I’ll have to report it to our lord. Stall them for now and wait for our lord’s reply.”
If Jiang Jin still wanted to cooperate with Sizhou, she might give General Gu a nominal post as a token gesture, allowing Sizhou to continue providing military supplies to the Daqing Army.
If not, the matter would be much simpler. They could confiscate the ships and supplies. As for Gu Bi and the others, that would depend on whether their lord wanted them alive.
At that moment, Jiang Jin still knew nothing about the flooding in Sizhou. She was asking about the iron mine in Punan Commandery.
Qiu Liao said with a smile, “Is our lord planning to expand the weapons workshops?”
The Ji Army already had a weapons workshop in Punan Commandery, but it was not very large.
Jiang Jin nodded. “Chongzhou is not near the sea, so transporting weapons is inconvenient. Since there’s an iron mine here, the weapons needed in this region should be produced here as well.”
Looking at the map, she continued, “Fan County in Shangjing Commandery has coal and copper mines. We need to arrange for people to increase the scale of extraction as soon as possible. The coal mine is especially important—we’re about to enter winter, so it will come in handy.”
Qiu Liao acknowledged the order. “Yes. I’ve already sent people to search for materials such as clay and limestone. Once we find them, we can make cement, fire bricks, and build the workshops.”
Jiang Jin looked at Yao Ji. “How many of the Ji Army have withdrawn?”
Yao Ji replied promptly, “Nearly all the Ji people have withdrawn. About seventy percent of the Ji Army’s forces have pulled out as well. Most of those remaining are supervising the collection of grain.”
Xia Chanyi asked, “Our lord, what are we going to do with the Han dogs in these two commanderies? Kill them all when the time comes?”
The Ji Army had ruled Chongzhou for so long that there would naturally be many Han people who had submitted to them.
Jiang Jin shook her head. “We’ll decide according to the circumstances. Those who have committed particularly vile acts can be killed as a warning to the others. The rest can be put to work mining.”
Qiu Liao beamed. “Excellent. We’re short on manpower, so they’ll be put to good use.”
On the streets of Daqing, Li Zan led the group forward. Before long, they entered the county office’s council hall.
As he walked along the familiar streets, Wang Boshan kept feeling that something was wrong. For a while, however, he couldn’t figure out what it was.
Only after a moment did he ask, “Why do I feel as though there are fewer soldiers on the streets today?”
Li Zan smiled. “Do you? I don’t think so.”
Wang Boshan thought about it and let the matter go. After all, he was not a military officer and was not especially sensitive to such things. Perhaps the soldiers had simply changed shifts.
He smiled and asked about Luo Qingci. “Where is Governor Luo? Why haven’t I seen her?”
Li Zan answered honestly, “The governor is busy.”
General Gu’s expression darkened. “The governor is busy, and General Lu is busy as well. It seems Daqing truly doesn’t regard Sizhou very highly.”
Li Zan stroked his beard, completely unconcerned by his attitude. “May I ask what instructions His Majesty has given General Gu on this visit?”
Seeing Li Zan’s attitude, Gu Bi felt as though he had thrown a punch into a cotton ball. The frustration was unbearable.
He took several deep breaths before speaking. “I need to discuss the details with General Lu.”
Li Zan was about to reply when Yan Ke hurried in and nodded at him.
Li Zan’s brows drew together slightly, but when he turned back to Gu Bi, his face wore a smile. “In that case, why don’t you rest for a few days first? We can discuss the matter once the general has some free time.”
The muscles in Gu Bi’s face twitched several times. “What does Daqing mean by this? We’ve traveled a thousand li from Sizhou to get here, and this is how you treat your guests?”
His expression darkened. “Or does Daqing mean to say that it does not regard His Majesty with respect?”
Li Zan’s smile remained gentle. “His Majesty is the Son of Heaven. Naturally, we wouldn’t dare place him in our eyes. We can only keep him in our hearts.”
Gu Bi: “…”
He flung his sleeve and turned to leave.
Although he sensed that something was wrong, Lu You was hiding away and refusing to meet him, and there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he was in Daqing.
Wang Boshan had no choice but to say, “In that case, we shall take our leave.”
Before long, only Li Zan and the others remained in the council hall. He couldn’t help looking toward Zhou Leng, who had been silent the entire time. “What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Zhou Leng lifted his eyelids slightly. “What am I supposed to say? He didn’t attack me.”
Li Zan: “…That’s a fair point.”
As if his skill were some kind of passive ability.
Gu Bi stormed into the courtyard Daqing had arranged for him, his expression easing as soon as he entered.
He was naturally not an easily angered man, and he understood perfectly well that establishing a foothold in Daqing would not be easy.
His outburst had merely been an act for the people of Daqing, to make them believe he was a reckless brute.
“Go out and gather information. Find out exactly what’s going on in Daqing,” he instructed his personal guards in a low voice.
He had brought one hundred and twenty personal guards this time. Aside from the twenty men left aboard the ships, the rest had followed him into the city.
Only after his personal guard had left did he turn to Wang Boshan. “Lord Wang, you’ve been in Daqing for quite some time now. Have you still not managed to meet Lu You?”
