Li Su nudged Li Mai, prompting him to speak for himself.
Li Mai kept his head down, nervously clenching his fists. After a good while, he said, My Lady, I want to... I want to be a soldier.
Jiang Jin was a bit surprised. Tell me your reason.
Li Mai pursed his lips. I... I think that by becoming a soldier and training my skills, I can protect my family, and... and also protect our ranks.
He was telling the truth. Ever since Jiang Jin bought them, his family had finally been able to eat their fill and wear proper clothes.
He was deeply grateful to Jiang Jin and naturally hoped her forces would continue to thrive.
Jiang Jin smiled. Alright, go find Zhou Sui and have him make the arrangements for you.
Li Mai's face lit up with joy. He looked up at Jiang Jin and immediately promised, I will definitely train hard!
With that, he turned and ran off to find Zhou Sui.
Li Su bowed deeply to Jiang Jin. Thank you, My Lady. We have caused you trouble.
Jiang Jin waved her hand dismissively. It is nothing. Go about your work.
It took two hours to get all the green recruits washed clean. For those whose hair was hopelessly matted and tangled, Jiang Jin gave the order to cut it all off, leaving them with near buzz cuts.
Since they were slaves she had bought, she had the final say. She cared nothing for the old adage that one's body and hair were sacred gifts from one's parents.
The new recruits did not dare complain. Besides, most of their parents were already dead anyway, so what was the point of adhering to such traditions?
Because of this decision, the soldiers gradually discovered the various advantages of short hair. Consequently, in the near future, almost all of Jiang Jin's troops would sport short hair.
When they set out in the afternoon, the well-fed and cleaned-up recruits jogged along, while the veterans ran with heavy loads.
Starting the next day, all soldiers ran with weights and changed into uniform linen clothing.
They had taken in dozens of women from the bandits' lair alone. Aside from those who became soldiers, many joined the logistics team. With more hands available, the speed at which they made clothes was truly remarkable.
Furthermore, most of these women were young and robust, aged between fifteen and thirty. Not only could they sew and cook, but they could also handle a lot of manual labor.
Added to this, Luo Qingci, Feng Qingzhu, and the others had made plenty of spare clothes and weight sandbags during their free time.
Seeing Jiang Jin's troops operating at such high speed, He Li could not help but admire their efficiency.
In the afternoon, they encountered a group of fleeing refugees. The group was quite large; at a glance, there seemed to be four or five hundred people.
Almost all of them were in rags, without a single draft animal among them. Only a few relatively well-off families pushed wheelbarrows, while the rest carried their belongings on their backs, hunching over as they limped forward.
Jiang Jin stopped an old man with a wheelbarrow to ask about the situation. Old sir, where are you coming from?
The old man and the relatives beside him were halted. They looked at her with wary faces, but seeing her strong and well-equipped forces, they did not dare refuse to answer. We come from Xianglu County in Donghu Commandery.
Donghu Commandery was right next to Liuxiang Commandery, making it the easternmost commandery in Feng Province.
Jiang Jin continued to ask, It is currently the autumn harvest season. Why are you leaving at this time?
At the mention of this, the wrinkles on the old man's face deepened, and his cloudy eyes filled with numb sorrow. What autumn harvest? All the grain we harvested was robbed by the Quzhao people and the bandits. They didn't leave us a single grain!
He turned his head to look at the procession ahead and muttered softly, We couldn't survive. If we didn't leave, we would die.
Jiang Jin fell silent. After a moment, she asked, Did you pass through Gefeng? How is the situation there?
They were not far from Gefeng, which was why she wanted to gather some intelligence.
The old man looked confused. It took him a while to reply, You mean Gefeng County? We didn't pass through Gefeng, so we don't know the situation there.
Not disappointed by the lack of information, Jiang Jin continued, Where are you planning to go?
The old man's face was bitter with worry. We are planning to head to Shu County. We heard that Shu County is still a city protected by the Han people.
Jiang Jin looked at their long procession, shook her head with a sigh, and decided to warn them. Do you know what happened in Lin County?
The old man was bewildered. What happened in Lin County?
Jiang Jin briefly recounted the events of Lin County and Shu County.
The old man was shocked. Is what you say true, My Lady?
Jiang Jin nodded. Naturally. How could I make up something like this?
At that moment, the old man's back stooped even lower, his body swaying as if he might collapse.
They were not too far from Shu County now. If this lady had not stopped him, they would have plunged headfirst right into it.
Tears streamed down his aged face. Those accursed barbarians! Why won't they leave us commoners a way to survive?
The relatives beside him also lowered their heads and began to sob quietly.
At this time, a dozen or so villagers walked over. They glanced at Jiang Jin before hurriedly lowering their heads, asking the old man in hushed voices, Village Head, what's wrong?
The old man wiped his tears with the rough back of his hand, saying nothing, his face full of despair.
Jiang Jin sighed inwardly and pointed out a path for them. If you have nowhere else to go, you can consider heading to Gefeng.
The old man was astounded. Ge... Gefeng? Gefeng is Quzhao territory. No, no, if we go there, we'll never make it out.
They were ordinary farmers who had toiled hard for a whole year, only to have ninety percent of their grain snatched away by the Quzhao people right after the harvest, under the euphemistic guise of 'land tax.'
And that was not even the most tragic part. Barely two days after the Quzhao people left, they were robbed by a band of bandits who stripped them of absolutely everything.
Fortunately, neither the bandits nor the Quzhao people had committed mass slaughter; only a few families who resisted fiercely had suffered casualties.
What they did not know was that the Quzhao people and the bandits were not being kind-hearted. They just wanted to be able to come back and rob them again the following year—in modern terms, they were taking the path of sustainable development.
As for how the farmers would survive the winter, who cared? It was best if they survived, but if they did not, the robbers would simply find another group of people to pillage.
Left with no other choice, they had to flee their homes along with several neighboring villages that shared the same fate, hoping to find a way to survive in a city governed by the Han people.
Jiang Jin did not make any promises. She could not make any right now anyway; after all, she had not conquered Gefeng yet.
Nor could she go around loudly proclaiming to everyone she met that she was going to attack Gefeng. That would not be confidence; that would be courting death! One must always keep their guard up.
She was merely offering them an alternative choice. Everyone had to take responsibility for their own decisions.
Pointing to her own troops, Jiang Jin said, We are heading to Gefeng right now. There might be a way to survive there. You can discuss it among yourselves and decide.
The old man looked in the direction she was pointing and once again truly felt the sheer scale of her forces.
It was not just about the number of people in the army, but rather the spirit and vitality they possessed—something the refugees entirely lacked.
After a moment, he bowed to Jiang Jin. Thank you for telling us about Shu County, My Lady, and thank you for your guidance.
Jiang Jin smiled and got into her carriage, and Dong Si drove them onward.
Meanwhile, the old man's procession quickly came to a halt.
After hearing the old man's words, everyone grew anxious. It was no wonder they panicked; Shu County was not far away, and they had been full of hope, only to find out...
During these days of fleeing, they had survived almost entirely on digging up wild vegetables to stave off hunger. How many more days could they last?
It was already September. In another month or two, when the weather turned cold, there would not even be wild vegetables left to dig.
Village Head Gu hurriedly asked, Are you sure? Could that lady be deceiving us?
The old man's face turned cold. Why would she deceive us? What do we even have for her to cheat us out of?
