Ding Ying hurriedly replied, “Yes!”
Dong Si sighed. “I wonder where Lord is now.”
The Jiang Jin he was worried about had already reached Daqing Commandery and was discussing its defenses with Zhou Sui.
“Ying Commandery has fallen to the Jiao Army. Aside from the border areas, we also need to keep an eye on the coast to guard against a surprise attack.”
Zhou Sui nodded. “Our naval forces are still somewhat lacking.”
Jiang Jin currently had around twenty thousand sailors. Considering the immense length of the coastline, they were indeed short-handed.
Jiang Jin smiled. “No need to worry. Our forces will soon increase considerably.”
Zhou Sui’s eyes lit up. “How many soldiers does Lord plan to recruit from among the people of the two commanderies in Sizhou?”
Jiang Jin pondered for a moment. “Around sixty or seventy thousand. Our forces are still too small. After recruiting new soldiers, we can train them over the winter.”
Of the four powers currently occupying Yanguo, her army was the smallest.
Pointing to Anwu County on the map, Zhou Sui said, “The Jiao Army has already taken Anwu County. They will probably return to Liang City soon. I’m afraid next year’s war will be even more complicated.”
Jiang Jin furrowed her brows. “Are you worried that the Jiao Army and the Ji Army might join forces to attack us?”
Zhou Sui nodded. “It’s certainly possible.”
Jiang Jin studied the map. “Indeed. If they learn our true strength, cooperation would be the best option for them. Unfortunately, they belong to two different clans and are not of one mind.”
She pointed to Sizhou on the map. “The Jiao Army may be more inclined to attack Sizhou first. At present, Sizhou would be an easier target than we are.”
Zhou Sui sighed. “I’m only afraid that Sizhou will voluntarily cede territory in exchange for a temporary truce. If that happens…”
Sizhou had already lost three of its eight commanderies and had just suffered a natural disaster. With its people in a panic, ceding territory to sue for peace would be entirely in Sizhou’s interest.
A cold light flashed through Jiang Jin’s eyes. “If that happens, we can try to win over the Ji Army.”
“With the threat of Heavenly Punishment hanging over them, Ji Duoyan most likely won’t take the initiative to participate in the war as long as we don’t make the first move.”
Zhou Sui shook his head. “We must prepare for the worst. What should we do if the Ji Army and the Jiao Army both turn against us?”
The Ji Army’s morale was low, and the lingering fear of Heavenly Punishment might indeed keep them from joining the battle.
However, if the Jiao Army truly planned to attack Fengzhou first, they would certainly try to win over the Ji Army.
If they offered enough persuasion—or sufficient benefits—the Ji Army might still take action. After all, who wouldn’t want revenge?
Jiang Jin gazed at the map. After a moment, she smiled faintly. “Even then, it’s not as though we’d have no options.”
Zhou Sui’s eyes brightened. “How does Lord plan to respond?”
Jiang Jin pointed to three locations. “Attack, defend, disrupt!”
Zhou Sui’s gaze followed the movement of her finger, and the strategy gradually became clear to him.
He drew in a sharp breath. “Brilliant!”
The three locations Jiang Jin had indicated were Chongzhou, Daqing, and the coastline.
Her plan was to launch the main attack against Chongzhou, defend Daqing, and use the navy to harass the enemy.
The Jinyang Army possessed repeating crossbows, and Daqing’s cities could be held without committing too many troops.
There were four coastal commanderies within the Jiao Army’s sphere of influence. With the current size and combat strength of the Jinyang Army’s navy, they could certainly throw those four commanderies into chaos.
The docks at Ying Commandery in particular would be nothing more than open targets beneath the Jinyang Army’s repeating crossbows, whose range far exceeded that of ordinary weapons.
When the time came, the Jiao Army would have no choice but to send more troops back to defend those four commanderies. Naturally, that would weaken their offensive against Daqing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jin’s main force would attack the remaining three commanderies of Chongzhou. Once Chongzhou had been taken as quickly as possible, they could focus entirely on dealing with the Jiao Army.
Jiang Jin smiled. “This is merely a desperate measure. Ideally, the Jiao Army will continue attacking Sizhou, allowing us to seize all of Chongzhou next year.”
Zhou Sui nodded. “If that happens, either the Ji Army or the Jiao Army may come to negotiate with us.”
Jiang Jin considered this. “Have Zhou Leng and Yan Ke return. When the time comes, they can handle the negotiations.”
She then looked toward Hua Ruo, Jin Feng, and the other principal commanders currently stationed in Daqing, reminding them, “Be sure to guard against a surprise attack by the Jiao Army’s navy.”
They hurriedly responded, “Yes!”
While various discussions were taking place there, Lu Ping was drilling troops in Wenlong City. At that moment, a subordinate hurried over to report that a group of people from Nanwu had arrived outside the city.
A cold glint flashed through Lu Ping’s eyes. “Come. Let’s go take a look.”
He had just stepped into the county office when he heard a coarse voice bark, “What do you mean by this? Do you no longer want the work?”
“I mean exactly what I said. I believe I’ve made myself perfectly clear.”
It was Shangguan Mao’s voice.
When he saw Lu Ping approaching, the unpleasant expression on his face eased slightly. “You’re here.”
“What happened?” Lu Ping asked, pretending not to know.
Shangguan Mao introduced the visitor. “This is Gu Jian from Nanwu. He says he’s found our soldiers in Wenlong City some decent work.”
Lu Ping smiled and found a seat before sitting down in a broad, imposing manner. “Oh? Let’s hear what sort of work it is—and what makes it so decent.”
Gu Jian looked Lu Ping up and down before asking hesitantly, “And you are?”
At a glance, the man was clearly strong and healthy, completely unlike the gaunt people Gu Jian had seen in Wenlong City.
Come to think of it, even Shangguan Mao and the others had looked different this time. They seemed sturdier than before, though he wasn’t sure whether that was merely his imagination.
More importantly, they were all wearing matching new military uniforms. They were no longer dressed in rags, and their entire bearing had changed.
There were even civilians in the city. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be living reasonably well. In any case, they no longer looked like emaciated refugees.
He had not thought deeply about it earlier, but now that he considered the matter, he realized there was something very wrong. Clearly, something had happened in Wenlong City—something he knew nothing about.
Lu Ping waved a hand. “Who I am isn’t important. I just came to see what sort of good work you’ve found for us.”
Gu Jian’s brows twitched. This trip was probably not going to go smoothly.
After thinking it over, he decided to raise the wages slightly.
“Winter is almost here, and we’re planning to build some defensive fortifications on our side. The work will last about a month. Each person will receive one jin of coarse grain per day, along with one meal. How about it? That’s fair treatment, isn’t it?”
Shangguan Mao pressed his lips together. In the past, when they had been driven into a corner, this kind of work would indeed have been a decent offer.
But things were different now. They had Lord behind them and no longer needed to perform this sort of humiliating, cheap labor.
Lu Ping smiled. “Fair? I’d say it’s fairly generous.”
“However, Wenlong City is also carrying out construction work. If Nanwu is interested, you’re welcome to come work here. We’ll provide one meal a day as well, and pay you one jin plus another liang of coarse grain per day. How does that sound?”
Shangguan Mao and his son both pressed their lips together. Commander Lu’s words were rather insulting—but he had deliberately offered one liang more than the other side. The sarcasm was impossible to miss.
“You—what exactly do you mean?” Gu Jian slammed his hand onto the table, feeling humiliated.
In the past, Nanwu had always been the one humiliating Wenlong City. When had Wenlong City ever been in a position to refuse them?
Lu Ping brushed at a nonexistent speck of dust on his sleeve. “I don’t mean anything by it. Isn’t this simply a matter of returning courtesy?”
Shangguan Mao nodded with a smile. “Exactly. We’re even giving them one liang more. We’re much more generous than you are.”
Gu Jian shot to his feet. “So it seems you no longer need Nanwu’s help!”
