The Qihu Army left as soon as they said they would, packing up and departing the next day.
Xun Xiu stood dumbfounded, quickly dispatching a large army to fill the gap left by their departure, and then angrily cursed, "These profit-driven peasants see nothing but profit in their eyes."
When Zhao Hanzhang received the news two days later, she was so angry that she crushed the letter paper, slamming the table and saying, "Xun Xiu is so short-sighted, can’t he see further?"
Ji Yuan glanced at her and asked, "My lady wants to keep them, but do you have provisions?"
Zhao Hanzhang replied, "Luoyang faces the Xiongnu and Xianbei armies directly, Mr. Ji, how many troops do you think I need to keep here to be enough?"
"This..."
"This is a fresh force; the Qihu Army fights recklessly and understands righteousness. With just a little provision, we can have a well-trained brave army for free. Why not take them?" Zhao Hanzhang said, "Luoyang is currently an empty city; no matter how many people co, it can accommodate them. They can bolster our population and farm the land, why reject such a good opportunity?"
Ji Yuan asked, "Do you have money?"
Zhao Hanzhang gritted her teeth, then got up and brought out a box to hand to him.
Ji Yuan opened it, saw the two treasure maps inside, and closed it with a snap, subconsciously asking, "Did you steal this?"
Zhao Hanzhang retorted, "...Am I such a person? This was handed to by my great-uncle himself."
"Besides, even if I wanted to steal, I wouldn’t steal the originals. Ahem, what I an is, this was obtained through legitimate ans. Rest assured," Zhao Hanzhang said. "You should retrieve all the stored goods and send people to buy provisions in Shu and Jiangling while I lead my troops to et Shi Le."
Ji Yuan nodded, "If my lady cannot seize wealth from Shi Le, it might be better to go to Shangdang; Bingzhou suddenly lost Wang Mi, and the defenses are insufficient."
Zhao Hanzhang understood the implication and imdiately stood up, "I’ll muster the troops."
Ji Yuan followed, reminding her, "Bring the eldest son and Second Son with you."
Zhao Hanzhang replied, "I won’t take Ting Han; Luoyang needs him more than I do. I’ll bring Second Son, and Xie Shi will stay as well."
Ji Yuan, hearing this, was a bit worried and went to find Fu Tinghan, "The lady needs a strategist by her side."
"Are you worried she lacks steadiness?"
Ji Yuan smiled at him, and Fu Tinghan said, "Don’t worry, she understands weighing pros and cons better than any of us. Though I want to follow, it’s the spring plowing season, and Luoyang indeed has a lot going on. General Beigong and Mi Ce have been ordered to return the hundred thousand people to Luoyang from Xiang City. Considering the tiline, they’ll arrive in a few days, and such a large number requires organization. Mr. Ji might not handle it alone, so I’ll stay."
Two days ago, Zhao Hanzhang followed Xiahou Yan up the mountain to visit Zhang Jingyang.
Zhang Jingyang was also unwilling to descend the mountain, especially after learning that the emperor had followed Gou Xi to relocate the capital, which made him even more disheartened and physically unwell that day.
Zhao Hanzhang could only send soone down the mountain to find a good doctor to deliver dicine to him, leaving with regret.
However, before leaving, she did consult how to organize the returning citizens escaping from Luoyang to make them willing to stay.
Zhang Jingyang said, "Be stern first and then lenient. They have already fled Luoyang, suffering significant losses along the way, so even if Luoyang is their hotown, they may not want to return."
"Moreover, Luoyang has experienced famine for two years, and now the emperor has relocated the capital, making them even less inclined to return. General Zhao plans to bring them back, but cannot use gentle asures. Rather, strict orders must be issued, demanding their return to Luoyang and requiring them to farm through rigorous governntal decrees," Zhang Jingyang paused and said, "When the situation stabilizes, then use gentle ans to win their hearts."
Zhao Hanzhang understood, and upon descending the mountain, she directed Beigong Chun and Mi Ce to lead the army to drive the rest of the people back.
The pace of refugee migration and military marching is not the sa; a hundred thousand people dragging along could take seven to eight days for a two-day journey, so in another five or six days, they should arrive.
They will be forcefully brought back, which will inevitably cause chaos in Luoyang, precisely when talent is needed, so Zhao Hanzhang deliberately left behind Fu Tinghan and Xie Shi.
At the sa ti, Ji Yuan was instructed to send people along the way to find Zhao Kuan and Zhao Cheng, "See where they’ve reached, ensuring they’re not hijacked en route."
Ji Yuan agreed to this.
Zhao Hanzhang, along with Zhao Erlang, led the army towards Hedong County.
As Ji Yuan and Fu Tinghan saw them off, they glanced at the box in hands, sighing, "Fortunately, the Old Lord left so things behind; otherwise, with the lady taking such big strides..."
Seeing him not complete his sentence, Li Tianhe asked, "Pulling one’s leg?"
Fu Tinghan nearly choked on his spit.
Ji Yuan gave him a sideways glare, "I noticed the lady has been unrestrained in her speech lately; she must have learned it from you guys."
He said, "She is a lady, and you should be mindful of what you say in front of her on normal days."
Li Tianhe bowed his head in apology, "Yes."
Ji Yuan snorted, then said, "Bring two squads of personal guards; I have tasks to assign them."
This treasure, one part is hidden in Luoyang, and the other part in Chang’an, so they must secretly retrieve it from Chang’an as well.
While Ji Yuan discreetly sent people to excavate treasures and buy grain, Shi Le was also counting the loot from this ti’s plunder.
Originally, these items and Wang Yan, among others, were ant to be sent back together, but he was blocked by Chen Wu in Hedong County and unable to pass. In a fit of rage, he had Wang Yan and others brought here, initially intending to use the Jin ministers to force the Qihu Army to retreat.
After all, half of Luoyang’s ministers and gentry were in his hands. Unfortunately, opposite him were a bunch of peasants; the few Jin ministers were long assimilated by refugees through years of war and begging, completely indifferent to the Jin ministers in Shi Le’s hands.
If he wished to kill, let him kill. As long as he has no Jin Emperor in hand, they didn’t care who he wanted to kill casually.
Bringing out imperial family descendants might make them hesitate for a mont, but the Jin ministers without the surna Sima, the Qihu Army wouldn’t blink an eye watching Shi Le chop heads for fun.
Seeing he couldn’t threaten them, Shi Le felt the confrontation stuck.
After receiving news from Luoyang yesterday, Shi Le spent a day confirming the truth, realizing he couldn’t go to Luoyang.
The outco of this expedition was only these groups of Jin ministers and gentry, plus the stolen wealth.
As he counted the gold and silver treasures, he felt a bit better, "At least there are so gains."
Looking at the corralled Jin ministers and gentry, he felt even better, "Also counted as achievents."
He thought for a mont and had Wang Yan invited up for a drink, wanting to hear his insights on the world’s situation.
Wang Yan did not disappoint his expectations and said, "In today’s world, the Shu region stands isolated, and Jiangnan has yet to be affected. Those capable of contending with the General, besides Wang Mi and Gou Xi of Yan State, is only Zhao Hanzhang of Yu State."
He said, "This person cos with great montum, extrely adept at winning over hearts, and relies on the prestige left by her ancestors. Even as a woman, in this chaotic world, she should have a place."
"But the one most deserving of vigilance is Liu Yuan," Wang Yan suggested, "Liu Yuan is ambitious and certainly dislikes seeing the General becoming powerful. Why not declare independence and proclaim emperorship, recruiting soldiers to compete for supremacy in the world?"
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