Jiangjia Village is located in the central part of Nan'an County, a little far from Chongyu Pass.
It's much safer than other villages.
Even so, peace won't last long.
After the barbarians entered the pass, they would rest for a period of time before attacking Nan'an County.
For Prince An, the fall of Chongyu Pass was both a danger and an opportunity.
According to the information Jiang Bai received, the main force of the barbarian elite troops were concentrated on attacking Yingzhou territory, and less than 5,000 troops were assigned to Nan'an County.
Jiang Bai had sent a message to Prince An early on, asking him to send his private army to Nan'an County to select suitable people from among the fleeing civilians along the way to join the army.
He had as many as 100,000 weapons at his disposal, plus the silver he borrowed from Jiang Bai. He had already secretly set up a military treasury in Luzhou, which was in charge of the construction of weapons and armor.
It appears that after returning to Luzhou, he only had one fiefdom.
However, the fact that Luzhou was in dire need of reconstruction actually made it easier for him to do things.
Without the obstruction of local powerful clans and gentry, many government orders were implemented exceptionally smoothly.
The fortifications were built in Luzhou long ago, and now people are coming with their families to escape the war, which will enrich the population.
Because of a shortage of manpower, Ji Yanwen was also summoned back by Prince An, and naturally he could no longer continue his studies.
Since Song Shi had already been rescued by Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai no longer needed him to issue travel permits, and there was no point in him staying in Nan'an County.
Although he wanted to use the imperial examination to enter the court and clear the Ji family's name, the current situation clearly made it unsuitable for him to enter the capital again.
He returned home late at night, exchanged a few hurried words with Jiang Bai, and then left.
"Sister, are you and your husband finally getting a divorce?"
Jiang Lu stood in front of Jiang Bai.
Although she was unaware of the chaos outside, she had witnessed Jiang Bai's busy schedule during this period.
Ji Yanwen's sudden return home and then his sudden departure must have meant that their marriage had come to an end.
"Won't."
Jiang Bai shook his head.
Prince An is currently using the pretext of the barbarians entering the pass to raise an army; he has not yet openly rebelled.
Because of the outbreak of war, counties and villages are now paying closer attention to the marriage of eligible men and women, and have increased the penalties for people having children. At this time, divorce is not the best option.
Jiang Lu didn't understand, so she asked.
"My sister is not afraid of the authorities now, so why should she compromise herself and maintain the status of husband and wife?"
Ever since hearing how Jiang Bai rescued Song Shi, Jiang Lu's admiration for Jiang Bai has reached a blind level.
In her eyes, her older sister was so outstanding that no man in the world could be worthy of her.
My brother-in-law... is rather ordinary.
You don't understand.
Jiang Bai shook his head again, his gaze falling on the direction of Luzhou.
Ji Yanwen is not as simple as he appears.
Given his relationship with Prince An, she still had to maintain the facade of a marriage of convenience between them.
Anyway, she didn't suffer any loss, and as for the fine from the government, he could figure out a way to pay it himself.
This is only a temporary chaos. Ji Yanwen's role will become more apparent after Prince An seizes power. At that time, Jiang Lu and Jiang Songwen, as descendants of the eldest princess, will still need Prince An's protection.
For emperors, kinship was one of the most stable relationships.
But there's no need to discuss these matters with Jiang Lü for the time being.
After leaving the academy, Ji Yanwen first went to Luzhou to have a secret talk with Prince An. After leaving Luzhou, he went with Prince An's trusted generals to the outskirts of Nan'an County and headed towards the place where the barbarian elite troops were stationed.
“Mr. Ji, in just one more day, we will be a place where barbarians will be stationed.”
Ji Yanwen put down the map, looked away from it, and asked, "Is there any news from the capital?"
There is no news.
He frowned slightly and continued, "What about the garrison in Nan'an County?"
"The county magistrate said they had to garrison Nan'an and could not send troops."
In a county with a small garrison, it's understandable that they wouldn't send troops. However, with the enemy practically at their doorstep, their stubbornness in remaining steadfast is somewhat excessive.
Ji Yanwen took a deep breath, feeling a slight tightness in his chest.
The further west you go, the more refugees you see on the official road.
When they saw the army setting off, they dared not come forward and mostly avoided it from a distance.
His disheveled figure, coupled with his hopeful eyes, made Ji Yanwen's face turn quite cold.
But they had no way to command the garrison at the moment, so they had to make the troops move forward faster.
On the other side, Jiang Bai brought only Jiang Lu with him. The two sisters arrived at the location of Nan'an County, which is adjacent to Chongyu Pass. Before they even arrived, they saw a scene of chaos ahead.
Countless civilians fled for their lives, behind them a group of about twenty barbarian cavalrymen.
They were dark-skinned, wore felt hats, and were covered in animal skin armor. They carried bows and arrows, rode horses, and toyed with the people in front of them like cats playing with mice.
These are the residents closest to Chongyu Pass.
After Chongyu Pass fell, they fled with their families, but were eventually caught up by these barbarian soldiers.
The leader drew his bow and aimed at a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old in the crowd.
The girl was tall and slender, her face full of arrogance as she protected the old man behind her, her eyes glaring hatefully at the barbarian soldiers in front of her.
An ugly barbarian soldier approached the leader, smiling and pleading, "Squad leader, that girl is pretty, let me have her."
"Haha, are you sure you can handle this, kid?"
Seeing that the speaker was the worst shooter in his team, the leader raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"I will not let the squad leader down."
How could a man say no? The barbarian soldier's face darkened, but he didn't dare to get angry at his captain and instead laughed it off.
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