Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 1

As May arrived, the pressure on Jingkou suddenly intensified.

A large influx of northern refugees began arriving in Jingkou at a much higher frequency and quantity than usual, setting up camp there. The government officials were overwhelmed by the situation. After investigation, they found out that the reason was twofold: the battle between Liyang and Jiankang had severed the southern route for the refugees, and the northern demons were engaged in large-scale warfare.

Wubao, a rudimentary military fortification popular in the northern Central Plains, was designed to fend off large-scale puppet attacks. However, for high-level demons, the defensive capability of Wubao was hardly effective. When several Wubao along the demons’ advance route were easily overrun by high-ranking demons, the large number of refugees living in the surrounding Wubao soon sensed the impending danger of war and had to band together, abandoning their forts to flee south for safety.

In the past, northern refugees were pitiable individuals who had lost their settlements, possessing nothing but their labor. This time, however, the refugees not only brought substantial production materials but also had a much higher quality of personnel.

Thus, the Governor of Jingkou, Cheng Jinyang, ordered that no matter the cost, these refugees must be accommodated and not allowed to cross the river to Jiankang.

“Let them come, and we will take them all!”

Last month, due to the extremely tense situation with the Liyang army, the central government had to massively withdraw forces from the Shenwu, Feixiong, Longxiang, and Xiaoqi armies, which increased the pressure on the front-line defenses against the demons.

On one hand, the professional national military forces were stretched thin; on the other hand, a large number of vigorous northern refugees were idle but lacked sufficient equipment and training to be quickly transformed into effective fighting force by the court.

Therefore, military reforms during wartime naturally emerged.

Overall, the idea was to use the Jingkou’s experimental model, improve it, and apply it to refugee camps in Jiangbei, mobilizing the northern refugees to strengthen the front-line defenses. The leaders of these newly incorporated refugee groups were given a special title: Holding the Imperial Seal and Governing Commander.

These commanders, holding the Emperor’s seal, governed the refugee camps while integrating military, civil, and fiscal responsibilities, adapting to the high-density warfare situation. Of course, whether this would weaken central authority and potentially ignite future division or rebellion was another issue.

Establishing the Holding the Imperial Seal and Governing Commander was a risk for the future; not establishing them would mean the possibility of demons breaking through the Jiangbei defenses amidst human internal conflict, leading to the complete downfall of the Great Jin Empire. Even the most foolish would make the choice of survival or swift death.

With old officials like Wang Maohong strategizing from the sidelines, the current Holding the Imperial Seal and Governing Commanders posed less threat. The problem was the sheer number of refugees and the extreme scarcity of resources per capita, which hindered the establishment of productive activities and made them heavily dependent on the court.

If any commander dared to rebel, the court could simply impose an economic blockade. The starving refugee soldiers would likely kill their commander to appease the court and earn a pardon.

Strictly speaking, the current Holding the Imperial Seal and Governing Commanders resembled mercenary leaders more than feudal lords. They lacked the internal systemic capability to sustain themselves—let alone the complex modern industrial system, where surpassing predecessors from scratch was nearly impossible.

However, Jingkou was an exception.

Cheng Jinyang was not fighting alone; he had the support of numerous powerful families. The financial backing from the Qinghe Cui family, policy support from the Taiyuan Wang family, raw materials from the Yangdi Chu family, logistics from the Hejian Xing family, and military reserves from the Shendu Cheng family made the Northern Army the strongest among the refugee forces. Surrounding commanders came to pay their respects, humbly seeking to establish friendly relations.

By March, the data reports showed that the rapid increase in Jingkou’s population had drastically reduced food reserves. Cheng Jinyang planned to go to the Longxi Li family to procure more supplies. Unlike other young ladies, who would simply report a shortage to their families and have funds transferred or supplies delivered immediately, this was not the case here.

However, Li Qingwan’s low status within her family meant she couldn’t handle the matter directly. Thus, Cheng Jinyang had to accompany her to resolve the issue.

When they entered the procurement office to submit their order, they had to wait in line like other small business clients. Li Qingwan felt somewhat awkward, but Cheng Jinyang, being considerate, reassured her with kind words and eased her discomfort.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a surprised voice called out from outside:

“Qingwan?”

Li Qingwan turned around in astonishment and exclaimed, “Young Miss?”

“It’s been a while. Have you started addressing me with honorifics? How formal!” Miss Li, smiling warmly, approached and took Li Qingwan’s hand. She then turned her gaze to Cheng Jinyang and asked, “And who might this be?”

“Shendu Cheng family, Cheng Jinyang,” he quickly introduced himself.

“Ah, I recognize that name,” Miss Li said thoughtfully, “Isn’t he the refugee commander stationed at Jingkou?”

Hmm?

Cheng Jinyang sensed a hidden, deep-seated hostility beneath Miss Li’s smile.

“I wouldn’t dare call myself a commander; I merely have a few subordinates,” he modestly replied.

“Is that so?” Miss Li, noting his tactful humility, seemed uninterested in further interaction with him and continued speaking to Li Qingwan. “Qingwan, my brother mentioned recently that he hasn’t seen you for a long time and misses you.”

“Young Miss,” Li Qingwan said with a troubled expression, “I’ve already explained this to your brother long ago.”

She then turned to Cheng Jinyang and introduced him. “This is the eldest daughter of the Longxi Li family, Miss Li Jing’ai.”

“Pardon my rudeness,” Cheng Jinyang greeted with a bow.

Li Jing’ai maintained her smile, but from Li Qingwan’s familiar tone during the introduction, she inferred that something was amiss: It seemed these two might have a secret relationship!

Wait, what about my brother?

He’s pursued Qingwan for so long.

Could he tolerate seeing his prized cabbage taken by some wild boar from who knows where?

“Qingwan, are you here to procure supplies?” Li Jing’ai asked with a thoughtful glance.

“Yes,” Li Qingwan replied candidly, “I’m accompanying Jinyang to purchase grain and oil.”

“I see.” Li Jing’ai’s eyes narrowed slightly. “In that case, let me take you inside.”

After speaking with the procurement office staff, she ushered them in and bypassed the line to expedite their transaction.

As Cheng Jinyang filled out the order form, Li Jing’ai leaned over to observe, exclaiming in surprise, “So much? Are you buying this for personal use or for wholesale?”

“For personal use,” Cheng Jinyang answered with a smile, casting a questioning glance at Li Qingwan.

Li Qingwan frowned slightly, and she knew that there was something wrong. It was not just a simple social interaction.

“Is that so?” Li Jing’ai said with a hint of amusement, “But the amount you’re procuring is quite substantial. Even the refugee commander from Guangling, who recently made connections with our Li family, only bought a tenth of what you’re purchasing for three months.”

“Forgive my impertinence, but is the amount of the purchase significant to the Li family?” Cheng Jinyang inquired carefully.

“Of course.” Li Jing’ai’s smile faded. “If it were an appointed strategic commander from the court, the Li family would have no reason to trouble the client. But with such a large quantity, aside from the traitors in Liyang, which other force in Jiangbei could possibly consume so much food?”

As her words fell, the Li family members around them grew tense.

Li Jing’ai fixed her gaze on Cheng Jinyang, who remained calm, and Li Qingwan, who looked distressed, and coldly said, “Selling food to traitors without permission is a capital crime punishable by death!”