Chapter 577: Live
With Bai Xingzhi's tacit approval, Pingzhou began to carry out reforms after taking over Jiankang.
Pingzhou was a good person. During the reform period, he asked the cooks to prepare a sumptuous meal to entertain the soldiers who were originally arranged by the King of Jin to garrison Jiankang.
By the time these soldiers had eaten and drunk their fill, their transformation was almost complete.
Qin Zhao took Bai Xingzhi to visit their achievements before sending them out of the city.
Looking back, Qin Zhao ordered his men to plant the flag of Pingzhou on the top of the city wall.
Because Jiankang was the city that the imperial army had attacked most vigorously recently, the imperial court knew about it as soon as Jiankang changed its flag.
Dong Guowei immediately sent his confidant to report the news to Xie Zhan.
"Grand Commander, this is bad! The King of Jin has given Jiankang to Pingzhou!"
"What?"
"It's true. Jiankang has now raised the flag of Pingzhou."
"This is outrageous!" Pingzhou is picking their fruits again! Xie Nan said angrily.
The generals looked at each other.
Xie Zhan frowned. What he had worried about had indeed happened. Pingzhou was indeed difficult to deal with!
Dong Guowei's confidant said: "Grand Commander, General Dong asks you to direct the next battle objectives."
Before Xie Zhan could say anything, Xie Nan on the side suggested, "General, let's attack Jiankang!" They dared to reap their fruits once and twice, this time they must let Pingzhou feel their anger!
Wei Kuang disagreed, "Don't act on impulse. It is now obvious that Pingzhou and the King of Jin have cooperated. If we continue to attack Jiankang, it will give the King of Jin's troops some time to breathe." This would exactly complement the opponent's strategy of a rotation battle.
Xie Zhan ordered, "Continue to attack the King of Jin's city."
"Yes!" Dong Guowei's confidant took the order and left.
Since Commander-in-Chief Xie Zhan has made the decision, Xie Nan and others will not say any more.
Xie Nan just thought viciously in his heart that he didn't believe that King Jin would give away the cities in his hands one by one!
The King of Jin's troops withdrew from Jiankang and retreated to Moling.
Bai Xingzhi led a large group of troops back to report.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Bai is back."
When Prince Jin came out, he saw the huge team behind Bai Xingzhi and the supplies they were carrying. "Mr. Bai, how did you bring back so many things?"
Are these things Pingzhou's return gifts? Aren't they a little too little? Why would Mr. Bai still want such a small amount? It would be better to let Pingzhou owe him a favor.
Bai Xingzhi did not respond to the Prince of Jin's question. Instead, he asked, "Your Highness, there is no time to explain. Please allow me to have our city reinforced."
The King of Jin was confused. What did Mr. Bai mean by this? He didn't understand for the time being, but it didn't stop him from granting Bai Xingzhi's request.
"Mr. Tang, thank you for your help."
Tang Jincai nodded, "No problem."
Tang Jincai was a mid-level craftsman in the Liaodong Commandery's civil engineering workshop. This time, he had been assigned to the engineering battalion for the Donghai expedition. Now, at General Qin Zhao's behest, he had led his team to perform some work for the King of Jin.
Afterwards, Bai Xingzhi had them taken to the west city gate and assigned some soldiers to help with the work. As for what to do, Bai Xingzhi told them to follow Tang Jincai's instructions.
"What's going on?"
Bai Xingzhi took a long gulp of water before reporting to the King of Jin, "When I returned, Guo Chong specifically reminded me that Xie Zhan might focus his attack on Moling next. We must seize the opportunity to consolidate the city."
Prince Jin: ...That bastard Xie Zhan specifically picked on him to bully him, right?
Bai Xingzhi then told King Jin about some information he had learned from the Pingzhou expeditionary force.
More than an hour later, Tang Jincai sent someone to invite Bai Xingzhi.
Prince Jin and Bai Xingzhi arrived at the west gate together. They saw that some visible parts of the tower had changed drastically.
"They have helped us reinforce the city gate."
They climbed up the city wall and found that the place where the enemy could easily land during an attack had become very dangerous.
"Are people from Pingzhou so insidious?"
King Jin looked at the sharp object that shone with a cold light. He could already imagine the enemy soldiers attacking the city, their hands pierced and bleeding profusely when they finally climbed up.
"Ahem—" Bai Xingzhi coughed, reminding his prince to be careful with his words.
"Is this the cement and glass you were talking about?"
"Yes, this is the cement and glass produced in Pingzhou."
Prince Jin thought to himself that this glass felt a bit like colored glaze.
"How did this happen?" King Jin asked curiously.
A clever young officer immediately stepped forward to explain to Prince Jin and Mr. Bai, "They first applied a layer of cement mortar, and before the cement mortar hardened, they inserted these glass shards. They say it will dry overnight."
King Jin was surprised after hearing this, "So fast?"
The Pingzhou craftsman standing by heard this and replied happily in his heart that cement hardens very quickly.
"What good stuff!" said the Prince of Jin and Bai Xingzhi. "Let's ask if there's any left in Pingzhou."
He still has so many cities, he can equip them all!
“They don’t have much left.”
The King of Jin was about to ask them to ship it from Pingzhou, saying that price was not an issue, when he suddenly remembered that the Pingzhou expeditionary force's maritime logistics line had been cut off by Xie Zhan.
After Prince Jin and Bai Xingzhi had walked around for a while, he couldn't help but praise, "Pingzhou's work is really beautiful."
With this, and the additional soldiers on the defensive, Moling's defenses were at least a step up. Xie Zhan, Song Mo, just come on!
"Is Jiankang also equipped with these?" asked the King of Jin.
"Yes." It was after seeing all this that Bai Xingzhi realized that Pingzhou's return gift was quite significant.
Tang Jincai was packing up his tools when he saw the two men coming down from the tower. He said, "Prince Jin, Mr. Bai, we have finished the work. If the inspection is complete and there are no problems, we will go back."
The others also looked ready to go back.
Bai Xingzhi said, "We've checked it out, there's nothing wrong with it, you can go back first."
"Okay, then, Prince Jin, Mr. Bai, we'll take our leave now."
Afterwards, Tang Jincai and other craftsmen left Moling under the escort of a team of their own soldiers.
Prince Jin: "Mr. Bai, can you..."
Bai Xingzhi shook his head. These craftsmen were originally from Pingzhou, and the prince would not be able to recruit them.
King Jin sighed. He was really envious of the craftsmen in Pingzhou.
Bai Xingzhi comforted him, saying that they had good relations with Pingzhou and could borrow it.
After returning from the west gate, the King of Jin was very interested in the gifts sent by Pingzhou. "Quick, let me see what else Pingzhou has given us."
"Pingzhou also sent us some medicinal herbs for treating wounds." Bai Xingzhi asked his subordinates to bring up the medicinal herbs sent by Qin Zhao.
"What is this? Gaomin wine?"
"This is a stronger liquor than Gaomin wine. People in Pingzhou call it Gaomin alcohol."
The King of Jin smelled it. Alcohol? The essence of wine?
"Pingzhou said this can be used to clean wounds and prevent suppuration. It can also improve the treatment of wounded soldiers by cooperating with military doctors."
"really?"
Bai Xingzhi hummed. Besides Gaomin Alcohol, there were also some key points to keep in mind when treating wounded soldiers. Qin Zhao had said that handing these over to the military doctors would increase the wounded's survival rate.
"Pingzhou's return gift is quite sincere." These are what he is anxious about.
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