Everyone agreed with him. Having spent so much time together, they had all seen what Jiang Jiuniang had done and knew that she was indeed a good person.
However, they were living with Li Hu. Li Hu joined the camp later than them, but he got his opportunities faster, so they were a little envious.
Of course, as much as they might be critical, they wouldn't do anything to frame anyone.
The general and his wife are people who cannot tolerate any wrongdoing. If they were to be found out about anything they do, they would be out of luck and could forget about living such a good life.
Li Hu was able to gain the lady's favor in such a short time because he was capable.
When they went to bed that night, Jiang Jiuniang told Lu Baichuan about her plan to recruit Li Hu. Lu Baichuan naturally had no objections. His wife had only brought their son with her to the border and had no one to serve her, so it was appropriate to recruit a few people to run errands for her.
“We estimate we’ll have to stay on the border for a while longer. I’ve already sent someone to Huizhou to buy a few clever maids to serve you. They should arrive in the next couple of days.”
Ultimately, it was because he didn't trust the people of Tongcheng and was worried that there might be spies among them; he was simply not at ease.
"That's good. Send a few to Yuanyuan too; she needs more care."
Lu Baichuan nodded: "Yes."
This was the result of his discussion with Qin Jian. Living in the military camp before was inconvenient, but now that they were living in the courtyard, the place was spacious and the maids could also stay. So they couldn't let his wife do everything herself all the time.
Seeing that he had a plan, Jiang Jiuniang stopped talking and prepared to go to sleep after reading for a while. The situation at the workshop was stable now, and there would be goat milk soon after spring. She had to get the milk powder workshop up and running as soon as possible, or it would be too late.
However, milk powder workshops are not like wool workshops. They have high requirements for the environment and the process is very complicated. They need to choose a good location and consider it carefully. After all, this is something that is ingested, and it is mostly consumed by the elderly and children. So they must ensure the quality, otherwise, if they ruin their reputation, all their efforts will be in vain.
When Peng Yuan learned that she was going to do this business, she said she would invest without thinking. She was too lazy to ask the Empress because she was far away. She just wanted to count her share. With her share, many things would be easier to solve. Like the Zhou family's matter this time, it saved a lot of trouble and brought a lot of benefits.
After deciding to do it, Jiang Jiuniang didn't rest. First, she investigated which families were willing to sell goat milk, how much production they could produce, and then determined where the workshop should be built.
But none of these are the most important things. The important thing is that we don't have anyone on hand right now.
She needs managers to help her manage the businesses here, but the problem is that such talent is extremely scarce.
She misses Lotus so much right now. If she had a few more talented girls like Lotus, would she still be in such a hurry?
Therefore, we must start by cultivating talent.
Jiang Jiuniang instructed Fang Yong to post notices in Huizhou City, specifically recruiting managers with generous compensation; as long as one had the ability, everything was negotiable.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't discriminate. The employees in other workshops received the same treatment as those on the border, including paid leave and maternity leave. As long as you had the ability, you could have everything you needed.
The notice caused a huge uproar when it was posted. People couldn't believe such a good thing existed in the world!
Many people were tempted by the offer and tried to quit their current jobs to take on such a good opportunity.
The city was abuzz with excitement, with many competitors and quite a few talented individuals. Jiang Jiuniang decided to conduct the interviews herself, so she moved from Tongcheng to Huizhou and stayed there for a while.
After the talent was selected, Jiang Jiuniang had to oversee the training and the construction of specialized workshops, and she had to be meticulous in every aspect.
During this time, internal strife broke out in Dongting, and Lu Baichuan and his men took the opportunity to capture another city—Liancheng.
Three days after capturing Liancheng, Dongting's reinforcements arrived.
The fifth prince of the Eastern Court arrived with his troops and solved the food problem. The next day, he couldn't wait to send troops to retake Liancheng and directly declare war on Lu Baichuan.
The old general was frantic and hurriedly tried to dissuade him, saying, "Your Highness, you mustn't! We've only just solved the problem of feeding the soldiers, and they haven't recovered from the physical depletion they've experienced. Rushing into battle will only make the situation more difficult."
But the Fifth Prince wouldn't listen at all. He gave the old general a cold look, as if he were looking at a good-for-nothing.
He felt that the loss of two cities by Dongting was entirely due to the old general's cowardice, which allowed Beiyan to be so rampant.
"The old general is getting on in years, so it's understandable that he might make some mistakes. Now that I'm here, the old general can finally rest."
His tone wasn't very friendly, and it was clear he was quite dissatisfied with the old general. The old general had originally wanted to analyze the current situation with him, but upon hearing these words, a pang of bitterness welled up in his heart.
He had devoted his entire life to serving the Eastern Court royal family, but now he was being despised like this. He felt like a joke.
He didn't say anything and just left.
After he left, the Fifth Prince instructed his men: "Go and issue a challenge to Lu Baichuan. I, the commander, will personally take his head!"
"yes!"
His subordinates were very excited, feeling that Dongting's chance to turn things around had come.
The Fifth Prince's personal visit boosted morale, and with ample food supplies, the soldiers had no worries about supplies and were sure to recapture the two lost cities quickly.
When someone issued a challenge, Lu Baichuan naturally accepted it without hesitation, and the time was set for three days later.
When the old general learned that the fifth prince was determined to go his own way, he was heartbroken, but he still did what he had to do and sent a portrait to the fifth prince.
The Fifth Prince was studying battle strategies and had no patience to look at the portrait. However, when his subordinates told him that this was information that the old general had recently obtained and that it might be helpful in the battle, he reluctantly had the portrait unfolded.
The Fifth Prince had considered many possibilities, but he never expected that the portrait was of a beautiful woman. The woman in the painting was lifelike, with red lips and white teeth, and she was smiling at him.
The subordinate beside him said, "The old general said that the woman in the painting is Lu Baichuan's wife. She is currently at the border and has helped Lu Baichuan a lot. According to the scouts, the Tongcheng people who were previously captured have been subdued, which has caused considerable resistance to their attack on the city."
During this time, the old general had been busy, sending people to keep a close eye on the news from Beiyan. When the scouts brought back the portrait of Jiang Jiuniang, he felt that the beauty in the painting was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
However, he also knew that this woman was not to be trifled with, and after hearing the news brought back by his scouts, he was even more shocked and knew that he should not underestimate her.
The subordinate continued to relay the old general's words: "The old general said that this woman is Lu Baichuan's weakness. If we can capture her, Lu Baichuan will definitely be restricted."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com