Everyone was reporting the battle results to Jiang Jin.
"A total of 73 enemies were killed. We captured 25 Quzhao soldiers alive, along with 45 various servants."
"There are 42 horses in total, and about 300 shi of horse fodder."
"We seized 565 shi of grain, and several thousand catties each of salt and oil."
"We captured 152 sets of armor, 102 sets of horse armor, 372 shields, 210 bows, thousands of arrows, sabers..."
"About 218 strings of copper coins, plus gold and silver..."
"Roughly a thousand bolts of silk and cotton, as well as linen..."
Dong Si stood to the side, excitedly scribbling down the inventory. These were all the young lady's assets, and every single item had to be recorded clearly.
Once the reports were finished, Jiang Jin scanned the group and said, "Four things."
"First, conduct a census of the city's residents and pacify their emotions."
Speaking of this, Jiang Jin was left speechless. The county office actually had no population registry for the city's commoners.
The only records available were from an unknown number of years ago, back when Gefeng was still under Han control. At that time, the city had two to three thousand commoners.
"Second, city defense. We need to arrange soldier patrols inside the city and send scouts to survey the terrain outside. Also, inspect both the inside and outside of the city walls. Repair any damages as quickly as possible."
"Refill the moat and clear out any blocked water channels immediately. Speed is of the essence; the Quzhao forces could attack at any moment..."
"Third, the corpses must be disposed of as soon as possible, otherwise they could easily trigger a plague or other diseases."
"Fourth, lock Qu Chi and the other prisoners in the dungeon for now. Let them starve for a few days..."
Everyone hurriedly complied and began discussing the details of the city's defense, patrols, and other matters.
The meeting was brief, dispersing in less than an hour because there was simply too much to do.
Loud voices soon echoed throughout the city: "Citizens of the city, listen well! Do not leave your homes today under any circumstances. We will come to your doors later to register your household information."
"Citizens of the city, listen well! Do not leave your homes today under any circumstances. We will come to your doors later to register your household information."
The soldiers shouted as they marched along the residential streets, ensuring everyone could hear them.
Hiding in their homes, the commoners listened to the shouts, their anxious hearts leaping into their throats. Household registration?
There hadn't been a household registration in years. Doing one so suddenly now... could it just be an excuse to enter their homes and rob them more easily?!
But what could they do? Even the formidable Quzhao people had been wiped out; what could ordinary citizens possibly do?!
Jiang Jin rode Little Red up the horse ramp to the southern city wall. After last night's cleaning, there wasn't much blood left on the walls, and the corpses had been moved to the city gates.
The guard at the south gate had now been switched to Xie Nanxiao. He was leading a squad of soldiers, teaching them proper positioning and what situations to watch out for.
Seeing her approach, he quickly called out, "My Lady."
Jiang Jin nodded and instructed, "Keep an eye out for the Quzhao soldiers who went out to collect grain. They could return at any time. When they do, make sure to capture all of them."
Her main concern was that the news of her capturing Gefeng might leak out. For her current situation, the longer she could stall for time, the better.
Therefore, all the soldiers guarding the gates and walls had changed into Quzhao military uniforms. Although their physical features were somewhat different, it wouldn't be noticeable from a distance.
Xie Nanxiao assured her, "Rest assured, My Lady."
Jiang Jin looked up into the distance. Everything was calm and peaceful, but she wondered how long this tranquility could last.
She rode her horse slowly along the wall toward the north gate, holding a 25th-century automatic measuring device in her hand.
Gefeng's city walls were about 6 meters high. The top was about 2 meters at its narrowest and 10 meters at its widest. Neither of the gates had a barbican.
Sitting on horseback atop the wall, a height of 6 or 7 meters wasn't considered very high, but since the city was filled with low-slung houses, she could still get a fairly clear view of the city's layout.
Five people were stationed at both the east and west watchtowers. After all, they had just conquered Gefeng and had to be wary of the Quzhao people launching a siege.
The commanding officer at the north gate had been replaced by Yun Yu, who was also leading a squad of soldiers.
After completing a full circuit, the length and width of Gefeng's walls were displayed on the instrument. It was roughly the same as her previous estimate; the total area inside the city was about 1.5 square kilometers.
While 1.5 square kilometers might not seem large, converted it was 1.5 million square meters, or 2,250 mu. For a small border town, that wasn't small at all.
An open space near the horse farm in the north was currently filled with carriages and goods.
He Li emerged from a carriage and stretched his back. A servant handed him fresh water and a tooth-cleaning cloth.
They had followed the main army into Gefeng last night. Because it was late and there was blood everywhere, Jiang Jin had directly arranged for them to stay near the horse farm.
To be honest, He Li was still in a state of bewilderment.
He had somewhat guessed what Jiang Jin was planning to do beforehand, but now that this moment had actually arrived, he still felt like he was in a dream.
A county town, just like that, had been conquered so simply?
When others laid siege to a city, didn't they fight for three days and three nights?
Wasn't it always a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, with rivers of gore?!
Even more so, it was normal to lay siege to a city for two whole years just to conquer it. How did it become so easy here?
Just as he was lost in thought, he saw the young woman walking toward him against the morning light. "Manager He, did you rest well last night?"
He froze for a moment before reacting, hastily spitting out his mouthwash. "Good, haha, very good."
Jiang Jin smiled. "That's good. The city is truly in chaos right now, so please forgive our poor hospitality."
He Li quickly waved his hands. Facing Jiang Jin now, he felt a bit nervous and constrained. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke, "Um, My Lady, I plan to head back today."
Knowing that he was worried about the Quzhao people counterattacking Gefeng, which would make it impossible for him to leave later, Jiang Jin didn't try to keep him. "Alright, I'll settle your payment in a moment."
"By the way, if you have any grain, you can keep bringing it to Gefeng. I'll buy as much as you have," Jiang Jin added.
A look of joy flashed across He Li's face, but it quickly darkened again. He certainly wanted to earn that money, but he was afraid he wouldn't live long enough to spend it.
Jiang Jin didn't force the issue. She had someone call for Dong Si, who was currently at the county office inventorying the valuables inside.
Dong Si arrived quickly. After checking He Li's goods and confirming there were no issues, he handed the money over to He Li. This time, they still used silver cakes.
He Li hastily thanked them. "Thank you, My Lady. If there's an opportunity, we will do business again."
Jiang Jin replied with a beaming smile, "You are welcome here anytime."
The two chatted for a little while longer before bidding each other farewell.
He Li gathered his men and hurried out of the city.
Dong Si, meanwhile, led his men to transport all the grain to the granary at the county office for storage.
Gefeng did not have an independent granary; all grain was stored in the storehouses of the county office.
Jiang Jin went to the nearby horse farm.
This horse farm had also been built by the Han people in the past. The garrison stationed here previously was quite large, so the horse farm was built on a massive scale.
The farm originally held over 40 horses. Even with the 200-plus horses Jiang Jin had brought, it didn't feel crowded at all when they were put together.
Lin Yang and Li Su were currently in temporary charge of the horse farm. The two of them were leading the stable hands to feed the horses. Seeing Jiang Jin, they quickly called out, "My Lady."
Jiang Jin nodded. "Later on, you can let some of the horses out to graze, but keep a portion of them inside the city just in case we need them. Oh, and cut more fodder to bring back. We need to prepare enough winter feed."
The winters here were bitterly cold. From what Jiang Jin knew, temperatures could plummet to dozens of degrees below zero, and the season dragged on endlessly. Relying solely on a mere three hundred shi of horse fodder would certainly not be enough.
The two hurriedly complied, "Understood."
