In Jiang Pengji's opinion, those stubborn believers were like ticking time bombs. They must not be allowed to live.
However, what about those weak-willed fence-sitters?
Could Jiang Pengji kill them all one by one?
Obviously, this was impossible.
Since they were fence-sitters, why not pull them over to her side?
"I plan to let the child beggars in the three counties sing this nursery rhyme everywhere. I don't believe that the Red Lotus Group can cause any trouble. "
In fact, this nursery rhyme was the result of a discussion between Jiang Pengji and the 150,000 idle spectators.
It was simple, easy to understand, and catchy. With Jiang Pengji's manipulation behind the scenes, she was not afraid that it would not be sung well enough.
Even if the illiterate old woman heard it, she could easily understand the meaning behind it.
Yang Si thought about it carefully. It was indeed feasible.
Most of the people were ignorant and did not have their own judgment.
If the lord killed all the stubborn believers of the Red Lotus Group in a thunderous manner, it would inevitably provoke a crusade from the outside world. They would say that the lord was cruel and heartless.
In this way, the Red Lotus Group would be whitewashed and become a white lotus that was bullied by evil forces. The real good people would be attacked by the common people.
Instead of that, it was better to occupy the moral high ground.
Jiang Pengji could not portray herself as a weak person, but she could portray herself as a "savior" of noble character and unquestionable integrity.
Yang Si's eyes flickered slightly. He thought about it and borrowed a brush and ink to write another nursery rhyme on the bamboo slip.
The nursery rhyme Jiang Pengji wrote was to expose the Red Lotus Group, while the nursery rhyme Yang Si wrote was to eulogize Fengyi County.
In Yang Si's opinion, it was not enough to attack and expose the evil deeds of the Red Lotus Group in Chengde County and let the people see the true colors of the Red Lotus Group. They had to add fuel to the fire. Would they follow the Red Lotus Group and be exploited and bullied, or would they follow Liu Xi and live a good life?
Obviously, one would know which to choose even if they thought with their toes.
In just two or three days, the two nursery rhymes spread from Fenghu County to Honglian County and Jinmen County. They could be heard in the streets and alleys.
At first, it was just child beggars and naughty children who liked to join in on the fun. Later, there were some people who had been exploited by the Red Lotus Group and had a hard time surviving.
Although it had not been long since they were sung, the situation in the city had obviously improved a lot. The most obvious point was that there were fewer brainless believers who tormented them.
Qiguan Rang often breathed a sigh of relief. Without the foolish people who were tormenting him, he could also put his extra effort elsewhere.
Now, the main force of the Red Lotus Group was gathered in Qiuyu County. This was a tough nut to crack. It would not be as easy to take down as the previous three counties.
If they wanted to take down Qiuyu County, they had to concentrate their forces. Otherwise, it would be too difficult.
Qiguan Rang, Wei Ci, and Yang Si tacitly chose the captives they could use and sent them back to Fengyi County in batches.
Most of the people were sent to mine, open up wastelands, build roads, or build houses. It would be a waste not to use free human resources.
According to Jiang Pengji's previous plan, these captives would have a six-month "probation period." If they performed well, they might even be able to enter the Mintun district under Wei Ci's jurisdiction. They would be allocated farmland and become a Mintun soldier. They would be able to get 60% or 70% of the crops they grew!
Of course, during the half-year "probation period," Jiang Pengji also took care of their food and lodging, but she only cared about their food and did not care about their well-being. She did not pay them any salary.
In order to appease the captives and prevent them from causing trouble on the way, these "welfare" conditions had been agreed upon in advance.
However, the captives were still trembling with fear. They felt that Jiang Pengji's words were meant to deceive them.
As the victor, it was fine that she did not kill the captives to reduce their rations. Would she be so kind as to take care of their food and lodging?
With trepidation and fear for the outside world, these captives were sent to Fengyi County in batches.
Xu Ke and the others worked day and night, but before they could finish what they were doing, a large pile of official duties fell from the sky with the arrival of the captives.
They had no choice but to grab able-bodied men everywhere to share the official duties.
Otherwise, when Jiang Pengji returned from the battle, they would probably only see the lush weeds on their graves.
The women's department in the government office had the most profound experience.
Among them, there was a girl with a plump figure. She had lost a lot of weight in the past few days. She had gone from cute baby fat to a bony beauty.
Not only that, but the supervisor of the women's department in the government office, Shangguan Wan, also grabbed Feng Jin's wife, Wei Jingxian, to be an able-bodied man.
"Wan 'er's good sister, anyway, Master Feng has allowed you to go out and broaden your horizons. This day will come sooner or later. Let's not be reserved."
Wei Jingxian could not let go of the lively and active Changsheng, but she could not stand Shangguan Wan's constant pestering.
Fortunately, Changsheng was obedient. She sat beside her seriously during the day and did not cry or make a fuss.
When she was hungry, she asked for food from the maids. When she was bored, she hugged her and nibbled on her feet or chubby little hands. She entertained herself and had fun.
Even Wei Jingxian was grabbed for able-bodied men. What excuse did the others have for not working hard?
Feng Zhen, who had always loved to have fun, was now so tired that even his occasional addiction had disappeared, not to mention drinking and finding beauties.
Sure enough, he was busy for a while, then busy for a year. What seven days off, eating, drinking, and having fun were all lies!
Even on the night of the New Year, he hugged a stack of official documents to sleep. He was not a warm and fragrant lady.
To prevent the captives from causing trouble, they were not gathered in one place. Instead, they were scattered and sent to different places.
There were more than 30,000 captives. It sounded like a lot, but the number of people sent to different places was not that many. There was no need to worry about them causing trouble.
When the gentry in Shangyang County heard the news, they all kept quiet out of fear. A strong sense of crisis spread in their hearts.
If they caused less trouble, Feng Jin and Feng Zhen would naturally be much more relaxed.
On the other side of the story, while Jiang Pengji was secretly promoting nursery rhymes, she was gathering her troops. She was valiantly and energetically marching towards Qiuyu County.
Excluding the troops stationed in the three counties, Jiang Pengji had only 8,000 elite troops at her disposal.
With 8,000 troops, the Red Lotus Group in Qiuyu County had 40,000 to 50,000 troops.
It would be fine if the Red Lotus Group continued with their internal strife, but if they worked together to resist the "foreign enemy," Jiang Pengji would have a hard time.
The Red Lotus Group's troops were five to six times hers, and they had the advantage of defending the city. As the attacking party, she was at a great disadvantage.
If the Red Lotus Group defended the city and did not come out, she could only retreat in defeat in the end.
It was not that she had too few troops to defeat them, but that she had too little time. There was a deadline for rescuing the emperor, and she could not afford to delay it.
However, if the Red Lotus Group continued with their internal strife, Jiang Pengji could take advantage of the situation.
The military advisor of the Red Lotus Group had been fooled by An Cui. He had finally sobered up from his rage. He immediately sent out an envoy to try to negotiate peace with the second-in-command. The most important thing now was to unite the forces of the Red Lotus Group and fight against the traitor Liu together. They should not allow the outsiders to take advantage of the internal strife.
The second-in-command hesitated and did not agree immediately.
Jiang Pengji was frowning in the tent.
If the Red Lotus Group really unified and they were determined to defend the city and not leave, it would indeed be difficult.
At that moment, the guards sent a message. Wei Ci was outside, requesting an audience.
Jiang Pengji said calmly, "Invite him in."
Wei Ci had come with a solution for Jiang Pengji.
"I hope that my lord will allow me to persuade the rebels of the Red Lotus Group to surrender."
Jiang Pengji's eyebrows twitched fiercely.
Was he tired of living to persuade them at a time like this?
She did not object immediately, but her expression showed that she did not agree.
Wei Ci pursed his lips and did not speak. He looked straight into her eyes.
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