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When it came to scheming, Wei Ci was no match for Yang Si. After all, their styles were different.
They both had hearts. The difference was that one was dirtier than the other.
Yang Si was exasperated. All the crows in the world were black. Wei Ci, the damned fox, was laughing at others for being black?
Where was his shame?
Wei Ci and Yang Si were so busy with government affairs that their feet hardly touched the ground.
Jiang Pengji had to think of a way to settle more than 40,000 captives. Otherwise, as time went on, it would be easy for variables to arise.
According to the previous plan, some of them would be sent to Fengyi County to be laborers, while the rest would be left behind.
Fengyi County and Shangyang County lacked manpower. Chengde County, which had just been conquered, also lacked manpower.
After conquering Chengde County, the matter of rescuing the emperor had to be scheduled.
From top to bottom, everyone was as busy as a spinning top.
Jiang Pengji gave Wei Ci a separate task. It was not heavy, but it was not easy either.
"… I promised An Cui that I would give him 10% of the wealth and manpower. Now it's time to fulfill my promise. The Red Lotus Group's wealth will take a few more days to count. As for the captives … "Jiang Pengji counted the number of captives they had captured. There were about 80,000 of them. Most of them were ordinary people. Wei Ci wanted to select 8,000 troops for An Cui." … Do as you see fit … "
Wei Ci cupped his hands in acknowledgment.
On the afternoon of the fourth day after conquering Qiuyu County, An Cui and a few of his sworn brothers walked out of their hiding place in the mountains.
"Big Brother, District Magistrate Liu captured a lot of captives. He wants to give at least 7,000 to 8,000 of us. Is he really willing to do that?"
The group of brothers muttered, their hearts beating like drums.
An Cui said calmly, "He has to be willing even if he can't bear to. If Liu Xi wasn't this generous, he wouldn't have gone far."
As soon as the group approached Qiuyu County, they were discovered by the patrolling guards. They identified themselves and Jiang Pengji personally received them.
"Brother Liu, how have you been?"
An Cui and the others had stayed in the mountains for a few days and hadn't had time to clean up. They looked a little down and out. If not for their extraordinary auras, they would have thought they were beggars. Compared to the "young and promising" Jiang Pengji, An Cui's image was a little ugly.
An Cui's sworn brothers did not make a sound. Only An Cui spoke.
"I'm a straightforward person and I won't beat around the bush. I'm here today to make you fulfill your promise."
Instead of feigning civility and probing each other, it would be better to go straight to the root of the problem and get straight to the point.
Jiang Pengji was not annoyed. Instead, she said, "Brother An, you came at the right time. I was just about to send someone to look for you. Thanks to Brother An's help, I was able to take down Chengde County so quickly and capture more than 81,000 remnants of the Red Lotus Group. As for the confiscated money, the account books are also here. Brother An, please check them. According to our original agreement, I definitely won't mistreat Brother An for ten men and money. "
She knew very well that An Cui alone had contributed thirty percent to her taking down Chengde County so quickly.
Even if An Cui didn't come to her door to "collect the debt," Jiang Pengji would send someone to receive him.
An Cui held the thick stack of account books in his hands and was secretly speechless. This was probably the most extravagant account book he had ever seen.
The account books were not pieced together from bamboo slips. Instead, they were sewn together from bamboo paper of the same size.
Bamboo paper was expensive in Dongqing. It would be even more expensive if it was resold in Nansheng.
He flipped through a few pages. The records were extremely clear. Every account was clearly recorded.
Jiang Pengji's attitude was so unperturbed that it made An Cui and his men seem a little petty.
Realizing this, An Cui did not flip through the entire contents in detail. He quickly returned the thick account books to Jiang Pengji.
"I'll listen to your arrangements. Brother Liu is an open and aboveboard person. Why wouldn't I trust you?"
An Cui wore an appropriate smile on his face. Without batting an eyelid, he warmed up the atmosphere again.
As the two of them were talking, Wei Ci came in from outside the hall. The matter he reported happened to be related to An Cui.
The 8,100 people assigned to An Cui had been selected.
An Cui frowned slightly. His sworn brothers also reacted. They all felt their hearts skip a beat. They felt cheated.
If Liu Xi were to be chosen for them, who knew if he would specifically choose the old, the disabled, or the seriously injured?
What was the use of bringing such soldiers back?
Jiang Pengji acted as if she did not see the change in their expressions. She took the initiative to invite An Cui.
"What a coincidence. Brother An, why don't you accompany me to take a look?"
An Cui forced a smile. "Then it would be impolite of me to decline."
When they arrived at the drill ground, An Cui realized that he had gauged the heart of a gentleman with his own mean measure. The captives Jiang Pengji had chosen for him were all well-formed and of suitable age. At a glance, they were all about the same size. Although the captives looked a little dispirited, that was because they had been defeated and captured. They felt lost and hopeless about their future … This outcome was far beyond An Cui's expectations.
As far as the eye could see, it was obvious that these captives had been carefully selected. They were all in the prime of their lives.
"Brother Liu …"
An Cui did not know how to react. It was too pleasant, too unexpected.
Among the crowd, An Cui even saw some of the middle and small backbone members of the Red Lotus Group. They were much stronger than ordinary people.
If these people were trained well, they would definitely be able to create an army with decent combat power.
Jiang Pengji stopped him from speaking. "As long as Brother An is satisfied. There's no need to say anything else, lest we become estranged and hurt our brotherhood."
Seeing this, Yang Si's expression became a little uneasy.
After enduring for a long time, he finally had an opportunity. He secretly tugged at Wei Ci, almost gnashing his teeth. "Wei Zixiao, are you siding with an outsider?"
Wei Ci was speechless. "Why do you say that? When have I sided with an outsider?"
Yang Si said, "Then what's the matter with the people you've chosen for An Cui?"
Not to mention anything else, they were all young people, and some of them looked quite strong.
"So it's because of this …" Wei Ci said with a smile, "My lord has also promised, you don't have to worry. Don't just look at how good these people look on the surface. That's not the case behind the scenes. Most of them are loyal believers or small leaders of the Red Lotus Group. They exploit the people, bully their neighbors, and commit many evil deeds. If we keep them, I'm afraid it will affect the internal atmosphere of the entire Wanzhou. It's better to abandon them. "
The most important thing was that they were too deeply poisoned by the teachings of the Red Lotus Group. They were basically malignant tumors, and they couldn't be left alive.
Yang Si was astonished, so shocked that he couldn't speak.
Wei Ci narrowed his eyes, expressing his loyalty. "… I'd rather cut my own flesh and give up my life than harm my lord in this life … An Cui still has his uses. If we use old, weak, and crippled soldiers to fool him, I'm afraid he'll hold a grudge against my lord. However, if we use these 8,000 young and strong men as an explanation, he won't be able to tell that something is fishy in a short time. We can still make use of them a few more times … Jing Rong, what are you looking at? "
Yang Si had finally regained his composure, but he became strange because of Wei Ci's words.
His gaze fell behind Wei Ci. Wei Ci was puzzled at first, then he became flustered.
He turned his head and saw a very innocent looking person leaning against the porch.
Jiang Pengji had an expression that said, "You guys continue chatting, I'm just looking at the scenery."
Wei Ci was speechless.
How long had she been listening?
Wei Ci's eyes turned, and he used his gaze to ask Yang Si.
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